By Jordan Heller
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
HELL'S KITCHEN — Community Board 4 okayed a liquor license renewal Monday night for Siberia, the notorious hangout favored by boozy journalists that closed in 2007, fueling hopes that the bar may reopen.
Tracy Westmoreland, the bar's self-described "minister of propaganda," confirmed to DNAinfo that he was eyeing a Hell's Kitchen rebirth of the bar beloved by New York's writers, but wouldn't get specific.
"Hopefully, god willing, Siberia will be rockin' in the near future," said Westmoreland. "Let's see where it leads us."
The renewal application passed CB4's Licenses and Permits Committee Monday night without incident. The next step is a review by the State Liquor Authority.
"Can't wait to see the Siberians again," said Westmoreland.
After Siberia closed, Westmoreland decamped to Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, to open a bar called Manhattans. It closed in 2009.
"Brooklyn's great, but Hell's Kitchen's my home," Westmoreland said about coming back to the Manhattan bar scene.
Westmoreland, a former bouncer for Studio 54, opened Siberia in 1996 at a hole-in-the-wall located in the subway station at 50th Street and Broadway. It quickly became a regular hangout for various Page Six reporters and celebrities such as Anthony Bourdain and Jimmy Fallon.
In 2001, the bar moved to a new location on West 40th Street, where the party continued until the bar closed in 2007.
Community Board 4 did not ask anyone from Siberia to come to Monday night's meeting because there are no issues with the pending liquor license renewal.
