Skid Row's last authentic dive bar is going belly up. But not before it throws one helluva party. King Eddy Saloon, which has been serving downtown Los Angeles since 1933, has been sold to Michael Leko and Will Shamlian, who also own the Library Bar and Spring Street Bar.
King Eddy Saloon owner Dustin Croick says the deal has been in the works for about a month; he confirmed the sale on Wednesday afternoon at the bar. Bill Roller, 74, who lives in the hotel directly above the bar and has been managing the bar for 35 years, was also present--as were the bar's usual cast of colorful characters, drinking $3 cocktails and chatting over plastic pitchers of cheap beer.
"Bill's the heart and soul of this place," said Croick, whose grandfather Babe Croick purchased the bar in the 1960s when it was a solid "blue-collar, workingman's hangout." Babe moved his family to L.A. from Chicago and made his money running downtown parking lots before buying the bar.
Leko's team issued a statement calling King Eddy "the holy grail of dive bars" and promising that his team has "every intention of maintaining the mythical status King Eddy's has earned over the years while giving it a much-needed face lift."
Reached later by phone, Leko confirmed the sale and said the bar's history was its biggest draw. Leko said he intends to "kick the dust off it and bring it up to date" so that others can learn about its legacy. (It reportedly has the oldest liquor license in L.A.)
The sale became imminent after the building housing the bar--the 120-year-old King Edward Hotel--entered bankruptcy and was sold to new owners, at which point the bar's lease had lapsed.
