Step into Jimmy’s Corner, a beloved bar in the heart of New York City, and you’ll quickly understand why patrons consider it a second home. Nestled in Times Square, this boxing-themed haven offers an escape from the bustling city streets and a pint of Ruby Red beer for just $3, a rarity in today’s world.

On a chilly Thursday afternoon, the bar was filled to the brim, with customers squeezed in tightly, eager to find warmth and camaraderie. The walls of Jimmy’s Corner tell stories of boxing’s golden era, adorned with posters of legendary matches and treasured photographs, including one of the bar’s late founder, Jimmy Glenn, a Hall of Fame boxing trainer, captured in a moment with a youthful Muhammad Ali.

However, the future of this storied establishment hangs in the balance. The Durst Organization, a powerful real estate giant that has owned the property for over half a century, is looking to terminate the lease, casting uncertainty over the fate of Times Square’s last true dive bar.

Promotional posters of iconic boxing matches line the walls. One notable photo shows the bar’s original owner, Hall of Fame boxing trainer Jimmy Glenn, alongside a young Muhammad Ali.  

But soon, Jimmy’s Corner may be no more. The Durst Organization, the multi-billion-dollar real estate conglomerate that has been the bar’s landlord for more than 50 years, is seeking to terminate the lease.

Adam Glenn, Jimmy Glenn’s son, took over the bar after his father died at age 89 in May 2020 from COVID-19.

Glenn told the Daily Mail that the Dursts, whom his father considered family, are capitalizing on a provision in the contract that stated they were allowed to immediately end the lease upon Jimmy Glenn’s death.

‘They used their relationship with my father, the fact that he trusted them, the fact that he was willing to negotiate with them without counsel, to put an unconscionable provision into that contract,’ he said in an interview.

Adam Glenn, the owner and operator of Jimmy’s Corner in Times Square, stands behind the bar on a packed Thursday afternoon. He is suing the Durst Organization, the bar’s landlord, over its attempt to terminate the lease

There was a line out the door at Jimmy’s Corner on Thursday afternoon at around 4pm

A photo of Jimmy Glenn with a young Muhammad Ali hangs inside the bar

The JCC – short for Jimmy’s Corner Club or Jimmy’s Corner Crew – are a tight-knit group of friends who all met at the bar. Nelson Martinez, third from left, has been going to the bar for five years. Aidan Mizrahi, second from left, is the youngest member of the crew at age 27

‘They snuck it in there because they knew that my dad wasn’t going to pay attention to it, because he would have done the deal on a handshake,’ Glenn said.

Adam Glenn, who got his law degree from Harvard in 2010, filed a lawsuit against a subsidiary of the Durst Organization on December 4, alleging that his father did not understand the lease documents he signed and accusing the Dursts of weaponizing his death. 

Thursday’s patrons were either outraged or wistful that their favorite place to have a cold one amid the hustle and bustle of Times Square could be gone someday.

Nelson Martinez works as a bartender at the Merrion Hotel on 45th Street, just a block up from Jimmy’s Corner.

The 46-year-old was surrounded by his friends, who affectionately call themselves the JCC. Some days, the acronym means Jimmy’s Corner Club, other days it’s Jimmy’s Corner Crew. The bottom line is, they all met at the bar and are extremely close with one another.

When asked if they were aware of the troubles the bar was going through, they all answered in unison: ‘Yes, very aware!’ 

‘I’ve been coming here for five years,’ Martinez told the Daily Mail. ‘I became a regular the moment I stepped in. It’s a very friendly environment. You go to any other bar, it’s not the same. You feel the love here.’

Aidan Mizrahi, the baby of the group at just 27, said he first came into the bar in 2021. He made fast friends with the JCC.

Jermaine Joseph-Norman is another regular who is hard to miss at Jimmy’s. That’s because he can be heard effusively singing his own, hearty rendition of the ‘Happy Birthday’ song about every half hour.

Jermaine Joseph-Norman, 38, is one of the most recognizable regulars at Jimmy’s Corner. He was outraged that the bar could be gone over a dispute between the Adam Glenn, the owner, and the Dursts

Jimmy Glenn, Adam Glenn’s father, was a legendary boxing trainer and rented from the wealthy Durst family for over 50 years until his death in May 2020 from COVID-19 (Pictured: Jimmy Glenn poses with Dick Cavett in February 2020, at a film premiere in New York City)

Jimmy’s Corner has been a Times Square staple since it opened its doors in 1971

Douglas Durst, Seymour Durst’s son, fully took over the family business as chairman of the board in the 1990s. Jimmy Glenn dealt with him on business matters since 1995, when Seymour Durst died

‘I’ve been drunk, I done cried, I done sung, I’ve done everything at this place,’ the 38-year-old stylist told the Daily Mail. ‘I done cursed people out. They curse me out, but we have a drink together and we never leave with ill will toward each other.’

‘You want to take this away?’ Joseph-Norman wildly gestured around while standing at the bar. ‘It’s greed. And karma will come for them. I will do my part to make sure this remains here. I will be in the fight.’

Jimmy Glenn rented from Seymour Durst since the bar opened in 1971 until he died in 1995, according to the lawsuit viewed by the Daily Mail. After that, Douglas Durst, Seymour’s son, fully took over the family business as chairman of the board.

Adam Glenn said his father signed the modification to the contract in 2019, which also extended the lease another ten years to 2029.

Four years later, in fall 2023, Glenn claimed he got a call from a Durst Organization representative who told him they wanted to terminate the lease because they had gotten complaints that young black men were smoking outside his bar.

This is also around the time Glenn found out about the provision that gave the Dursts the right to evict Jimmy’s Corner after his father’s death.

From then on, Glenn was aware the Dursts could move at any time to get rid of him and the bar he quite literally grew up in.

Around October of last year, Glenn was notified that the Durst Organization was exploring selling the building that houses Jimmy’s Corner. 

The bar has been graced by its fair share of celebrities over the years including Amy Schumer and Jerry Seinfeld

Chloe Sevigny and Liz Goldwyn are pictured inside Jimmy’s Corner at a Dior Beauty event in 2009

In January 2025, he got a call that they were putting together an offering memorandum to send to potential buyers.

At that time, he told the Dursts he expected them to give him six months notice once they sold the building and pay him out a certain amount to leave, stipulations he said were in the lease document.

‘I told them, if you honor your promise, I will honor mine. At every point after that, they’ve just refused to do it,’ he said. 

In May 2025, Glenn said he received a letter the day after the five-year anniversary of his father’s death demanding he leave in two months. 

In a statement to the New York Post, a spokesperson for the Durst Organization said it went ‘above and beyond’ to be kind to Glenn out of respect for his father.

‘We told Adam Glenn over a year ago he would have to vacate the building, we offered him $250,000 even though we were not required to do so, and allowed the bar to remain open longer,’ the spokesperson said. 

‘These efforts have not been met with good faith. We have done our best to be good neighbors, and we regret it has come to this. This is truly the story of no good deed goes unpunished.’

The Daily Mail approached the Durst Organization for further comment. 

Adam Glenn received a termination notice for Jimmy’s Corner two weeks ago, but has so far refused to comply. He will wait for the process to sort itself out in court before he considers leaving the Times Square location, he said

Adam Glenn serves customers in Jimmy’s Corner on Thursday afternoon. He has seen an outpouring of support from the community

Glenn claimed the payout was required by the contract and said the Durst Organization never offered him anything initially. He said he ‘fought them’ for the $250,000.

Months after the confrontation in May, Glenn said he was told that the sale of the building did not go through or was taking longer than expected, so he responded by saying he was going to stay until the sale actually took place.

All pretenses of friendly negotiating ended two weeks ago, when Glenn received a letter stating that his lease would be terminated as of November 30.

‘I feel like a lot of times they’ve been threatening me with – you don’t have the resources to fight us, and you don’t have the ability to fight us. But I have the will to fight you,’ he said. ‘Luckily, we’re packed right now. I have a community of people who want me to be fighting.’

He expects the Durst Organization to sue him right back to try to move along the eviction, meaning that in all likelihood, this will be long, protracted legal battle.

‘This could be many months. This could be many years,’ he said. ‘It is a little bit of David and Goliath. It is a family-owned business against a billion-dollar real estate company.’