Don’t judge Malachy’s on the Upper West Side by its cover

Proprietor Theresa Kelly McCarthy defined that plans to renovate had been within the pipeline pre-pandemic.
J.C. Rice

This bar seems to be prefer it’s had one too many.

Higher West Aspect watering gap Malachy’s has been within the strategy of changing its facade since late April, and what stays on its ghastly exterior are items of dilapidated plywood — and some Irish flags.

“Clearly, the present state of affairs seems to be extra like a catastrophe zone and must be mounted,” mentioned Jon Hill, who runs the Instagram deal with Structure of the UWS. “Projecting that sort of vibe isn’t nice for the enterprise, the neighborhood or town.”

Irish — and loads of different — neighborhood eyes will not be smiling.

“It’s a disgrace to go away one thing wanting that manner on an in any other case very fairly block,” mentioned Haley Fox, proprietor of Alice’s Tea Cup, one block over. “Not less than throw some paint on it.”

However Malachy’s — a fixture on West 72nd Road off Columbus Ave. because the late ’80s — is the sort of place folks like “as a result of it’s previous and ugly,” insisted Mike Mishkin, proprietor of stories website ilovetheupperwestside.com.

“It sort of went from dive bar to burnt down crack den, however hopefully it's going to look good as soon as they’re performed renovating,” he mentioned.

The “previous and ugly” bar may appear to be this when renovations are completed.

Proprietor Theresa Kelly McCarthy defined that plans to renovate — changing the ripped awning and including home windows that open out — had been within the pipeline pre-pandemic.

“We mentioned, ‘Possibly it's going to appeal to extra folks,”’ defined the Ireland-native, who was a waitress there earlier than she purchased the bar in 2015 with Billy Raftery.

It was her thought so as to add the flags.

“I mentioned, ‘We've nothing on the market, let’s put the Irish flags throughout it. And I lower them off the St. Patrick’s Day [decorations] and caught all of them up,” she defined.

McCarthy claimed the bar hasn’t gotten any unfavourable suggestions about its look.

For some patrons, the shoddy facade is extra of a draw than a deterrent.

J.C. Rice

“They only thought we had been burned out,” she mentioned.

The work started in late April, however the undertaking got here to a halt as a result of contractors are ready for extra permits.

Some residentssaid the state of the bar gave the neighborhood — recognized extra for child and canine carriages — a hip new vibe.

“I truly suppose it seems to be sort of cool like a bit piece of the East Village on the Higher West Aspect,” mentioned Sophie Orlich, who lives a number of blocks away.

And it is perhaps good for its backside line.

“I believed it was closed down, however then I stored seeing folks strolling out and in of it and I grew to become intrigued to test it out,” mentioned Matt Meoni, a Mattress-Stuyvesant resident who was working within the space.