Freddy's 30-Day Notice a Fake, But Eviction Still Looms; Now Get Ready for Freddy's II

Freddy's not dead yet.

The staff over at Freddy's Bar and Back Room was a little shaken up last week after receiving what appeared to be an eviction notice demanding that they vacate the premises within 30 days. But it appears that their distress was a little premature. Per an email from manager Donald O'Finn, the notice was not valid.

"30-day notice was a head-fake from (developer Bruce) Ratner," writes O'Finn. "Not a legal document at all!"

Not that he can claim to have won his war against the Empire State Development Corporation. Last week, a judge denied the last appeal blocking the bar's seizure under eminent domain. Still, O'Finn is unruffled. He says Freddy's II is just around the corner.

"Lawyers say we probably will have three to six months," O'Finn added. "I just need to find the right location, price, and space, and we will pick-up where we leave off. I hope for as smooth and as short of a transition between bars as possible. No one on my staff can afford to be out of work. I consider it a tragic opportunity, but an opportunity no less."

A retrospective of artists that have shown their work over the past 13 years is currently on view in the Back Room.