Costa Mesa’s first cocktail bar opened at 1824 Newport in August 1944. The bar, first called the Shamrock and later the Helm, survived nearly seven decades before closing in August 2011.
The Shamrock’s story nearly ended before it began. Protests were held, editorials written, and petitions circulated to block its opening. Foes argued “the town already has a sufficient number of liquor-selling establishments to adequately supply the needs of the citizenry.” A. L. Pinkley opposed its nearness to his child-friendly drug store. And W. Carl Spencer worried about “drunken military brawls” that would lead to “Costa Mesa being declared ‘out-of-bounds’ for the decent and respectable soldiers at the base.”
After several months of hearings the Board of Equalization finally approved the liquor license and the lounge opened. Opponents’ fears appear to have been unfounded. No drunken brawls, at least, were recorded.
The new owners added $5,000 worth of improvements, including a glass-back bar, “soft carpeting,” and booths “for the convenience of patrons.” “The smartest new café” promised “food that will please the most discriminating and the finest mixed drinks.”
The Shamrock soon expanded, adding a dining room in the former Fairview Water Co.’s space next door. Later, the Mesa Liquor Co. on the other side of the building turned into Shamrock Liquor. “Plenty of Whiskey,” it advertised.
The Shamrock was located near the Alpha Beta market at the former home of the Gingham Café. In the 1920s, the location had been the site of Rehme’s Garage and the Mesa Tavern.
The lounge specialized in its early years in deluxe steak and chicken dinners. Holidays were a big deal, too. You could enjoy a Thanksgiving turkey dinner for $1.50 or party “from morning till night” on St. Patrick’s Day. By 1954, live music became a fixture when “One Man Trio” Bob Noble played 6 nights a week.
Owners came and went over time, and its footprint shrank and grew. In the 1980s the bar was renamed the Helm.
The bar closed in 2011 after 67 years. The landlord, Robert “Zeb” Ziemer, said he was forced to raise the rent after defending against an Americans with Disabilities Act complaint. The case was ultimately dismissed without a settlement, but the result came too late for Costa Mesa’s oldest cocktail bar.
The building today still carries on the Shamrock’s tradition. It is now home to The Boulevard, a retro cocktail lounge.
Interesting that the bar and liquor store were located near an Alpha Beta market. For years there was a rumor that Alpha Beta would not sell alcoholic beverages because the parent company was owned by Mormons. We had an Alpha Beta when I lived in Duarte with a liquor store next door, allowing one-stop shopping for food and booze. Regarding the name of the new establishment–we live near Pasadena, and there’s a Boulevard Bar on Foothill Boulevard. Our local Boulevard flies the rainbow flag.
In the sixties Judd was the owner and he asked me to open a restaurant on the right side. I opened “George’s Real Philadelphia Steaks and Hoagies “