BY BEN VERDE
A team of Park Slope fi lmmakers
are crafting a documentary
that seeks to examine
the history of legendary
Windsor Terrace watering
hole Farrell’s – with a focus
on the bar’s ability to stay the
same while the neighborhood
around it has changed dramatically.
“The bar always stood out
to us,” said Jay Cusato, the
fi lm’s director. “Even when
you were a kid, you knew it
was a little bit more special
than just any other bar.”
Farrell’s, which opened
in 1933, is the second oldest
bar in Kings County. It dates
from Park Slope’s tough
Irish days, when there was
an Irish bar on every corner
– most of which were identical
to each other, according
to Cusato.
Now, Farrell’s – known for
its clean, crisp taps and takeaway
beer containers – is the
only one remaining. Many
If you care for someone
with Alzheimer’s, we haven’t
COURIER L 16 IFE, DEC. 6-12, 2019
of the bars were demolished
after master–builder Robert
Moses routed the Prospect Expressway
through the center of
the neighborhood, which was
the subject of a local play last
year, while the rest shuttered
as the neighborhood changed.
Except for Farrell’s – which
the fi lmmaker’s credit solely
to the bars former owner, Eddie
Farrell, who passed away
in 1995.
“The reason why the place
is so special is because of
him,” Cusato said. “He was
one of those guys who just
truly cared about the neighborhood
his business was in.”
Cusato says Farrell passed
those virtues on to the generation
of barkeepers who took
over for him, who in turn
passed it on to those who keep
the bar today.
Farrell was known for his
charitable attitude towards locals.
Cusato says he’s uncovered
countless stories of the
bar owner raising funds for
down and out regulars, such
as passing a hat around the
bar for contributions when one
regular was laid off, or paying
out of pocket for a regular patron
to travel to Ireland for
his brothers funeral – without
ever expecting repayment.
Most famously, when Holy
Name Church on Prospect
Park West held a fundraiser to
replace their aging bells, Farrell
donated the vast majority
of the funds himself.
“If you needed help, that’s
where you went,” Cusato said.
The bar is also a haven for
conservative Brooklynites in
an otherwise liberal part of
town, and stands in stark contrast
to the progressive crowd
that the Double Windsor bar
attracts across the street, in
a phenomena that’s been described
as the Windsor Terrace
divide.
Cusato and his producer
Rob Martin, are holding a
fundraiser to help bring the
documentary to full length
Filmmakers Jay Cusato and Rob Martin are raising funds for the postproduction
phase of their documentary on Farrell’s. Photo by Ben Verde
in the production phase, and
help track down some of the
famous New Yorkers who have
downed a pint at the bar, such
as Shirley MacLaine, Harvey
Keitel, and Peter Weller,
Patch reported. The duo has
slightly over a month to raise
the $24,200 they need.
The team already managed
to nab an interview with revered
New York City columnist
Pete Hamill, a Park Slope
native whose father was a regular
at the Prospect Park West
tavern.
But aside from the famous
former patrons, the fi lmmakers
are dedicating most of their
efforts to talking to the regulars
who spent years perched at
the bar when Farrell was pouring
pints, as well as co-owner
Jimmy Houlihan, who worked
his last bartending shift earlier
this month after working
at the bar since 1969.
While the neighborhood is
no longer an Irish enclave, the
bar has fostered a lively community
space for those who remain,
so much so that it was
profi led in Irish Central this
year.
“It really is a town hall,”
Cusato said.
Ferrell-ized!
Doc looks at history of legendary Windsor Terrace tavern
Man with Van Available
$60 per move
(Please Tip)
For more info please call:
917-723-3232
Serving the Dental Needs for the Carrol Gardens
and beyond for over 30 years!
Plus
Autoclave State-of-the-art
Sterilization
Special Attention
To Nervous & Anxious
Patients
Most Dental Plans
Accepted
Children Treated With Tender Loving Care
Dr. Jeffrey M. Kramer
(Corner W. 9th St.),
624-5554 624-7055
forgotten your needs.
We can connect you with local individual and group
support, wellness and cultural activities, in-home
assistance, and more.
Call Care NYC today, toll-free: 877-577-9337.
CARE NYC is a free
service across the five
boroughs. For more
info, email
CareNYC@scsny.org
or call 877-577-9337. CARE NYC is supported in part by a grant from the
New York State Department of Health
link
link