Monarch
Monarch in the 1940s Courtesy of NYC Municipal archives, accessed via 1940s(dot)nyc
Google maps view of 171-02 Liberty Ave, captured October 2024 
Known Name(s)
Monarch
Address
171st St. & Liberty Ave. Jamaica L. I., NY (1938)171-02 Liberty Ave Jamaica, Queens, NY 11433 (Modern Address)
Establishment Type(s)
Tavern
Physical Status
Extant
Description
Standing at the east corner of Liberty Ave and 171st St. in Jamaica, Queens, the Monarch Bar and Grill was in a two-story wood frame building with its door on the northwest corner, facing the intersection of the two streets. A small, shingled pent roof projected from the north face of the lower level, which had a brick veneer and two large windows with 48 panes each. A sign hung above the door, presumably with the name of the establishment, though the quality of the historic photo is too poor to make out anything other than “Bar and Grill.” Besides the lower area clad in brick veneer, the rest of the building was wood clapboard, with a decorative band around the frieze. Today, the upper floor has one over one windows with round-arch tops, two on the north, and six on the west face—though these are newer additions, the original windows were rectangular one over ones. The brick veneer has also been removed, and the entire building is blue painted stucco. All the windows on the side walls of the lower floor have been removed. The sign is gone, but the hanger remains.
Detailed History
In 1935, two years before it first appeared in the Green Book, the site was Johnny’s Bar and Grill Restaurant, owned by Jiovanni Masciello. At some point between then and 1938, it became Monarch Bar and Grill, owned by Redino Greco, Erminio Greco (also named as Elmer), and Vincent Greco. Redino was the father of Erminio and Vincent—the two sons were born in Lago, Italy before the family emigrated to the United States. Their bar was popular enough not to be empty at 2 AM in 1938, the year it appeared in the Green Book. Seven customers and the bartender there were caught in a holdup on January 18, 1938, at that hour. In 1980, Erminio, the owner of the building at the time, passed away. Five years later, in 1985, Monarch Bar & Grill ceased operation. The property was sold by another Redino Greco, grandson of the original owner, in 1993 after it fell into disrepair. It is currently the Shocking Vibes Restaurant & Bar.
