Originally a renowned German rathskeller and restaurant, and more recently the home of the jazz club, Fat Tuesday's, the building has long been a gathering place for New Yorkers.

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Dating from 1894-95, the (former) Scheffel Hall is a significant reminder of the German-American community known as Kleindeutschland which flourished on the Lower East Side in the last half of the nineteenth century. One of the few examples of the German Renaissance Revival style in New York, Scheffel Hall's unusual and flamboyant facade, designed by the architectural firm of Weber & Drosser, is modeled after the famous Friedrichsbau at Heidelberg Castle. Originally a renowned German rathskeller and restaurant, and more recently the home of the jazz club, Fat Tuesday's, the building has long been a gathering place for New Yorkers. Its patrons have included a number of leading politicians and writers, notably O. Henry who used Scheffel Hall as the setting for a short story in 1909. The building incorporated the latest in building technologies, including an unglazed terra-cotta facade which is among the earliest surviving examples of terra-cotta cladding in New York. Other notable features include the cast-iron storefront ornamented with intricate strapwork and cartouches, the elaborate window surrounds, and the curved front roof gable... >> Read More