Old Original Bookbinder's
Encyclopedia
Old Original Bookbinder's is the oldest seafood restaurant in Philadelphia. The family owned restaurant is known for its lobster
s and celebrity clientele.
immigrant Samuel Bookbinder. In 1898, Bookbinder moved it to Second and Walnut Streets to be closer to the docks.
The restaurant left the family in the 1930s
when it was bequeathed to the Jewish Federated Charities.
John M. Taxin, the current owner's grandfather, bought it with partners Hyman B. Sichel and Jimmy Retana in 1945, according to city records. A few years later, after buying out the partners, Taxin added "Old Original" to differentiate it from Bookbinders Seafood House, which two of Samuel Bookbinder's grandsons opened in 1935 on 15th Street near Locust
. The 15th Street restaurant closed in 2004; it is now an Applebee's
.
John M. Taxin, with the help of PR
men, brought national attention to 125 Walnut St. During World War II
and the Korean War
, when young men were sworn into the service at the Customs House a block away, Taxin offered free lunches to the recruits, who spread the word about the generosity.
Taxin, a philanthropist
, also promoted the myth that the restaurant's origin was 1865. Until he retired in the 1980s, he ran Bookbinder's with his son, Albert.
Albert died of a brain tumor
in 1993, and his son, John E., took it over with Albert's sister, Sandy. John M. Taxin died in 1997 at age 90.
Old Original Bookbinder's bankruptcy petition was dismissed on April 29, 2009, and it appears increasingly likely that the restaurant is done after 116 years.
Creditors, owed about $1.8 million, had to find a way outside of U.S. Bankruptcy Court to seek reimbursement from owners John E. Taxin and his aunt Sandy Taxin.
In April 2009, John Taxin handed over the keys to the Old City landmark at 125 Walnut St., which closed last month as he tried to find someone to save it.
A new tenant is being sought at the time of this update. Equipment and furnishings remain.
Albert A. Ciardi III, Bookbinder's bankruptcy attorney, said in May 2009 that two interested parties had come forward in the last month but that no sale had panned out.
Ciardi said the Bookbinder's name has value and could be sold.
"John and Sandy have stated that they like to take care of the creditors," he said.
Bookbinder's - with its bas-reliefs of dead presidents on its stained-glass facade and the Gettysburg Address
written in bronze near the front door - seemed to be in shaky health for nearly a decade.
Taxin closed it just after New Year's Day 2002. After a $4.5 million renovation that added condos, a downsized version of Bookie's opened in early 2005. But a bankruptcy filing came less than 16 months later. Among the main creditors are Renaissance Properties, its landlord; Royal Bank
; and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp.
PIDC, a private, nonprofit organization founded by the city and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce to promote economic development, is owed about $650,000 from its $800,000 loan.
Ciardi said that despite operating in bankruptcy, the revived Bookbinder's had done well until April 2008, when fuel prices shot up. "Then business didn't just decline," he said. "It died."
Bookbinder's price point was high, and relied on special-occasion patrons and corporate dining.
"Valentine's Day was SRO," Ciardi said. "The next day, dead."
In March, Peco Energy cut off electrical service for a day until Taxin came up with a cash payment. Ciardi said utility bills were double that of comparably sized spaces, a point he could not explain.
The restaurant went dark in mid-March. Employees apparently were not paid final checks.
John Taxin, who did not attend the court hearing and did not return messages for comment, also has a majority stake in the Bookbinder's location in Richmond, Va., which was not part of the bankruptcy. Bookbinder's also lends its name to a line of canned foods.
The old Old Original Bookbinder's, in its heyday in the 1950s
through the 1970s
, was a hot spot where red-jacketed waiters scurried through dark-paneled rooms festooned with photos of VIPs and redolent of cigar smoke tinged with shellfish.
In its more recent incarnation, Bookbinder's sought to go contemporary with such features as a raw bar as it tried to shake a tourist-trap image.
The lobby holds the world’s largest indoor lobster tank; it can accommodate 350 lobsters. The President’s Room has been preserved to its original condition; it includes photographs of the first forty-two US presidents on its walls. In a nod to organized crime, a photograph of Frank Sinatra
hung by Sinatra himself appears over his regular booth, #25.
It is now closed.
.
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
s and celebrity clientele.
History
Bookbinder's history can be traced to the oyster saloon opened in 1893 on Fifth Street near South Street by DutchDutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
immigrant Samuel Bookbinder. In 1898, Bookbinder moved it to Second and Walnut Streets to be closer to the docks.
The restaurant left the family in the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
when it was bequeathed to the Jewish Federated Charities.
John M. Taxin, the current owner's grandfather, bought it with partners Hyman B. Sichel and Jimmy Retana in 1945, according to city records. A few years later, after buying out the partners, Taxin added "Old Original" to differentiate it from Bookbinders Seafood House, which two of Samuel Bookbinder's grandsons opened in 1935 on 15th Street near Locust
Locust
Locusts are the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. These are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory...
. The 15th Street restaurant closed in 2004; it is now an Applebee's
Applebee's
Applebee’s International, Inc., is an American company which develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar restaurant chain. As of September 2011, there were 2,010 restaurants operating system-wide in the United States, one U.S. territory and 14 other countries...
.
John M. Taxin, with the help of PR
PR
PR commonly stands for* Public relations, a field concerned with maintaining public image* Puerto Rico* Proportional representation, a property of some voting systemsPR, P...
men, brought national attention to 125 Walnut St. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, when young men were sworn into the service at the Customs House a block away, Taxin offered free lunches to the recruits, who spread the word about the generosity.
Taxin, a philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, also promoted the myth that the restaurant's origin was 1865. Until he retired in the 1980s, he ran Bookbinder's with his son, Albert.
Albert died of a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
in 1993, and his son, John E., took it over with Albert's sister, Sandy. John M. Taxin died in 1997 at age 90.
Bookbinder's today
In 2006, the restaurant filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. At a hearing on April 29, 2009, Judge Eric L. Frank agreed with most creditors and the U.S. trustee that converting the case to Chapter 7 - liquidating its assets under court supervision - would not be productive because of the high administrative costs.Old Original Bookbinder's bankruptcy petition was dismissed on April 29, 2009, and it appears increasingly likely that the restaurant is done after 116 years.
Creditors, owed about $1.8 million, had to find a way outside of U.S. Bankruptcy Court to seek reimbursement from owners John E. Taxin and his aunt Sandy Taxin.
In April 2009, John Taxin handed over the keys to the Old City landmark at 125 Walnut St., which closed last month as he tried to find someone to save it.
A new tenant is being sought at the time of this update. Equipment and furnishings remain.
Albert A. Ciardi III, Bookbinder's bankruptcy attorney, said in May 2009 that two interested parties had come forward in the last month but that no sale had panned out.
Ciardi said the Bookbinder's name has value and could be sold.
"John and Sandy have stated that they like to take care of the creditors," he said.
Bookbinder's - with its bas-reliefs of dead presidents on its stained-glass facade and the Gettysburg Address
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the most well-known speeches in United States history. It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery...
written in bronze near the front door - seemed to be in shaky health for nearly a decade.
Taxin closed it just after New Year's Day 2002. After a $4.5 million renovation that added condos, a downsized version of Bookie's opened in early 2005. But a bankruptcy filing came less than 16 months later. Among the main creditors are Renaissance Properties, its landlord; Royal Bank
Royal Bank
The terms Royal Bank, Banque Royale, Banco Real can connote several different things,* Royal Bank * Royal Bank of Canada** Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, a subsidiary of RBC* Royal Bank of Scotland...
; and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp.
PIDC, a private, nonprofit organization founded by the city and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce to promote economic development, is owed about $650,000 from its $800,000 loan.
Ciardi said that despite operating in bankruptcy, the revived Bookbinder's had done well until April 2008, when fuel prices shot up. "Then business didn't just decline," he said. "It died."
Bookbinder's price point was high, and relied on special-occasion patrons and corporate dining.
"Valentine's Day was SRO," Ciardi said. "The next day, dead."
In March, Peco Energy cut off electrical service for a day until Taxin came up with a cash payment. Ciardi said utility bills were double that of comparably sized spaces, a point he could not explain.
The restaurant went dark in mid-March. Employees apparently were not paid final checks.
John Taxin, who did not attend the court hearing and did not return messages for comment, also has a majority stake in the Bookbinder's location in Richmond, Va., which was not part of the bankruptcy. Bookbinder's also lends its name to a line of canned foods.
The old Old Original Bookbinder's, in its heyday in the 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
through the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, was a hot spot where red-jacketed waiters scurried through dark-paneled rooms festooned with photos of VIPs and redolent of cigar smoke tinged with shellfish.
In its more recent incarnation, Bookbinder's sought to go contemporary with such features as a raw bar as it tried to shake a tourist-trap image.
The lobby holds the world’s largest indoor lobster tank; it can accommodate 350 lobsters. The President’s Room has been preserved to its original condition; it includes photographs of the first forty-two US presidents on its walls. In a nod to organized crime, a photograph of Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
hung by Sinatra himself appears over his regular booth, #25.
It is now closed.
.
Additional locations
- Richmond, Virginia
- Christiansburg, Virginia
- Alexandria, Virginia
- New Jersey