Our History

38-62 11th Street was built by John and James Paretti in 1933, and was originally planned to be the headquarters for Tammany Hall in the 1930s after their original headquarters on 14th street was sold, and the location on Union Square was proving too costly. Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany and the Sons of St. Tammany, was a political organization founded in 1786 as the Democratic Party political machine in New York City, with the goal of helping immigrants who came to the big apple.

In the year that the building was built, Franklin D. Roosevelt became president, and helped Fiorello La Guardia become mayor of the city. One of La Guardia's first tasks was to reorganize the city cabinet with non-partisan officials. With the New York City Council now created, the influence of Tammany Hall waned, and there was no longer a need for a large 10,000 square feet headquarters.

John Paretti instead utilized the building as Paretti Catering Hall, a family owned business that he managed with his five sons. The hall held business and personal parties, including staging Italian plays and operas for the families in the neighborhood. The main level where the bar was, and is currently located, was affectionately knows as "the local pub." Long after prohibition ended, locals would gather for home-made moonshine in a building once intended for politicians.

In the 1980s, the building was sold, and turned into Club Exile, a haven for punk bands. Manhattanites would get bused across the river to see the progenitors of horror punk, The Misfits play to a sloshy crowd.

Beginning in early 2017, the space became Tammany House. We aim to honor our predecessors and provide a good time to all.