O’Hara’s Pub, on Cedar Street, badly damaged during 9/11, is a testament to the resiliency of New York City and its people. The pub was badly damaged in the wreckage of 9/11 but built itself back up to become a haven for first responders and tourists alike.
The bar became home base for ground zero recovery workers after 9-11. We found a tight little corner booth near the rest rooms to share drinks and stories with several museum staff.
The walls are covered with thousands of patches from the uniforms of firefighters and rescue workers which cover any free space throughout the bar. The tradition was established just one year after 9/11 when a construction worker ripped the patch off of a firefighter’s uniform and stapled it proudly to the wall.
Michael Keane, the owner, and five of his employees were there when the towers were struck. That day windows burst from their frames and dust engulfed the establishment. Keane watched the tower fall from the roof where he’d set about putting out small fires that erupted when the first plane hit.
It took the bar about a year to get back up and running. Regulars were slow to return, but construction workers from ground zero began to call the place home after the long days of work.