FLASHBACK: The Closure of Manhattan's Last Big Pinball Arcade

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Jul 18, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.018

TL;DR

Manhattan's Modern Pinball arcade closed in 2020; Brooklyn's Jack Bar now best NYC pinball venue

Summary

A retrospective article documenting the closure of Modern Pinball, Manhattan's last major pinball arcade in summer 2020, accompanied by the author's detailed account of a visit in early 2019. The piece reflects on NYC pinball location history and identifies Jack Bar in Brooklyn as the best remaining pinball venue in the greater New York area.

Key Claims

Modern Pinball was Manhattan's last major pinball arcade
high confidence · Lead statement and article framing
Modern Pinball closed in summer 2020 and liquidated its collection
high confidence · Article opening statement
Jack Bar in Brooklyn is the best remaining pinball location in NYC
medium confidence · Author's assessment based on owner Jon Ehrlich's maintenance work
Modern Pinball had 30 pinball games in its collection as of early 2019
high confidence · Detailed game lineup provided from Pinball Map
Game of Thrones (Pro) was one of the most-played games during the author's visit
high confidence · Direct author statement: 'I probably played it more than any other game today'

Notable Quotes

“Back in the summer of 2020, Manhattan, NYC's last major pinball location, Modern Pinball, closed its doors for the last time and liquidated its collection of games.”
Author (Knapp Arcade) @ Opening paragraph — Core premise and historical marker for NYC pinball landscape
“By far the best remaining location in 'The City' is Brooklyn's Jackbar. Jackbar's owner Jon Ehrlich does an amazing job maintaining a great pinball collection there.”
Author (Knapp Arcade) @ Opening section — Identifies successor venue and credits operator management quality
“You know what's even better than going to an arcade? Getting there two minutes after an arcade opens and having the whole place to yourself for a little while.”
Author (Knapp Arcade) @ Early 2019 trip account — Personal experience and nostalgic tone about arcade visits
“If I had to choose between the Premium and the Pro, I'd definitely go with the Premium. I love the black and white art with pops of color.”
Author (Knapp Arcade) @ Munsters playfield comparison — Consumer preference on Stern's tiered model differentiation
“Jersey Jack Dialed in (very underrated IMHO)”
Author (Knapp Arcade) @ Game assessment section — Collector sentiment on Jersey Jack's game quality and market perception

Entities

Modern PinballvenueJack BarvenueJon EhrlichpersonStern PinballcompanyJersey Jack Pinballcompany Ballycompany Williamscompany Gottliebcompany Game of Thrones

Signals

~
sentiment_shift: Jersey Jack Dialed In! perceived as underrated in market opinion
medium · 'Jersey Jack Dialed in (very underrated IMHO)'
?
operational_signal: Jack Bar owner Jon Ehrlich recognized for quality collection maintenance; operator skill differentiates venues
high · 'Jackbar's owner Jon Ehrlich does an amazing job maintaining a great pinball collection there'
?
product_strategy: Stern Munsters Premium model with mini lower playfield perceived as superior to Pro variant by collector
medium · Author states 'If I had to choose between the Premium and the Pro, I'd definitely go with the Premium'
$
market_signal: Game of Thrones secondary market heavily modded units priced at NIB levels, creating buyer friction
medium · 'What's the deal with all of the over-modded Game of Thrones for sale out there? I love the game, but I'm sorry I am NOT paying the same amount of money for one as a New-In-Box pin costs'
?
venue_signal: Modern Pinball, Manhattan's last major pinball arcade, closed summer 2020; represents significant loss of pinball location infrastructure in NYC
high · Article opening and title frame this as historical milestone
?
venue_signal: NYC pinball locations concentrated in Brooklyn (Jack Bar) after Manhattan closure; geographic shift in player access

Topics

NYC pinball venue history and closureprimaryModern Pinball arcade liquidationprimaryBrooklyn pinball venues and operatorsprimaryStern Pinball Pro/Premium model differentiationsecondaryGame of Thrones secondary market pricingsecondaryJersey Jack game perceptionsecondaryClassic and vintage pinball collectionssecondary

Sentiment

mixed(0.35)— Nostalgic and bittersweet tone reflecting on lost NYC venue; positive appreciation for Jack Bar and operator Jon Ehrlich; frustration about over-modded Game of Thrones pricing; personal gaming enjoyment from 2019 visit contrasts with melancholy about venue closure

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

Back in the summer of 2020, Manhattan, NYC's last major pinball location, Modern Pinball, closed its doors for the last time and liquidated its collection of games. There's a notable lack of places to pinball in Manhattan these days. By far the best remaining location in "The City" is Brooklyn's Jackbar. Jackbar's owner Jon Ehrlich does an amazing job maintaining a great pinball collection there. I recently came across the write-up of my last trip to Modern Pinball in early 2019 and thought that it might be of interest. My hair was a lot shorter and my photography a lot worse back then, but it's still interesting to look at a piece of NYC pinball history. "Driving into Manhattan to see a cardiologist...not fun. Playing Pinball afterwards...FUN! Since I was already in NYC this morning, I made the 20 or so minute drive across the island to the awesome arcade called Modern Pinball. Excuse the selfie, but I had to show off my sweet Gottlieb Alien Star shirt 🙂. You know what’s even better than going to an arcade? Getting there two minutes after an arcade opens and having the whole place to yourself for a little while. When I walked in, I immediately walked over to the one game that I had never played before, Stern’s Munsters Premium. I’ve played the Pro model a few times, but the with its mini lower playfield the Premium model is very different. If I had to choose between the Premium and the Pro, I’d definitely go with the Premium. I love the black and white art with pops of color. The lower playfield is fun enough, though somehow it didn’t seem as fun as the Shrek / Family Guy mini playfield. That said, I’m not buying a Munsters anyhow. I like the game, just not enough to own. Game of Thrones on the other hand IS a game that I’d like to own. Modern has a GOT Pro on the floor. I probably played it more than any other game today. I’m not sure exactly what it is about the game, but I reeeeally like it. Theme definitely plays a part. The HBO series is outstanding. I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for a GOT for sale in my area. What’s the deal with all of the over-modded Game of Thrones for sale out there? I love the game, but I’m sorry I am NOT paying the same amount of money for one as a New-In-Box pin costs. I digress.. Another game that I was really into today was Bally’s Six Million Dollar Man. I ended up putting up a respectable 240,000 on it. And that almost all came on one ball (don’t ask about the disastrous other two balls, grumble, grumble). Modern has a ton of newer games, including Jersey Jack Dialed in (very underrated IMHO), Stern Deadpool, the aforementioned Munsters Premium, why am I writing all of these out by hand? Here’s the lineup courtesy of Pinball Map: The Addams Family (Bally, 1992) Beatles (Stern, 2018) Black Hole (Gottlieb, 1981) Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy (Bally, 1975) Deadpool (Pro) (Stern, 2018) Dialed In! (Jersey Jack, 2017) Fish Tales (Williams, 1992) Funhouse (Williams, 1990) Game of Thrones (Pro) (Stern, 2015) Gorgar (Williams, 1979) Guardians of the Galaxy (Pro) (Stern, 2017) Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast (Pro) (Stern, 2018) Jack-Bot (Williams, 1995) Kiss (LE) (Stern, 2015) Metallica (Pro) (Stern, 2013) The Munsters (Premium) (Stern, 2019) Revenge from Mars (Bally, 1999) Scared Stiff (Bally, 1996) Shrek (Stern, 2008) The Six Million Dollar Man (Bally, 1978) SlugFest (Williams, 1991) Spider-Man (Stern, 2007) Star Trek (Pro) (Stern, 2013) Star Trek: The Next Generation (Williams, 1993) Star Wars (Data East, 1992) Star Wars Episode 1 (Williams, 1999) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Williams, 1991) The Walking Dead (Pro) (Stern, 2014) Wheel of Fortune (Stern, 2007) White Water (Williams, 1993) World Cup Soccer (Bally, 1994) Xenon (Bally, 1979)"