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NYPRESS.COM • THE LARGEST PAPER ON THE EAST SIDE • FEBRUARY 27, 2014
Push for Park Avenue Photo by Mary Newman
The Long, Long Wait for Tavern on the Green The restaurant revamp in Central Park is again behind schedule By Mary Newman For five years now, New Yorkers have been anxiously awaiting the reopening of Tavern on the Green, the iconic restaurant in Central Park. Sadly, they’re going to have to wait a little longer. The restaurant was slated to reopen for business this month, following months of delay. Instead, the wait continues as the new owners, Philadelphia restaurateurs Jim Caiola and David Salama of the Emerald Green Group, have again pushed back its unveiling to early spring. A project of this size is bound to see a few setbacks, but it seems that no one realized how much work the building actually needed. Ciaola explained the delays are “mostly because of things that were totally unseen by anybody.” For example, while installing new ventilation, the entire chimney fell down. The chimney had to be rebuilt completely, with designs that replicated the original. The landmark eatery has been on a rollercoaster since its closing in 2009, and at times there was little hope it would reopen at all. In October of 2010, the city reopened the building as a gift shop and visitor information
center. Street vendors and food carts started to accumulate around the parking area, selling T-shirts and other memorabilia. Donald Trump blustered about investing $20 million dollars to renovate the restaurant if he was granted a 20year lease; he withdrew his offer when the city decided to make the restaurant more casual. The new owners have opted to forego the Continued on page 4
Upper East Siders fighting for historic district on Park Avenue heard by landmarks commission By Daniel Fitzsimmons Historically minded denizens of the Upper East Side might finally get what’s been coming to them: a Park Avenue Historical District. According to Teri Slater, a member of the Park Avenue Defenders, an effort to create a historic district along the iconic stretches of Park Avenue began 11 years ago when her group met with members of the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. “No one at the meeting really understood why these areas had not been incorporated into an existing or
Tavern Opening Date is Moving Target ■ “Tavern on the Green Aims for a Dec. 31 Opening” - DNAinfo, October 10, 2013 ■ “The famed Central Park eatery is now expected to open in January, as construction problems continue to bedevil its new owners.” - Crain’s NY Business, December 12, 2013 ■ “Tavern on the Green’s hoped-for Feb. 6 limited-menu opening postponed over gas issue which vexes many new places; need another week or 2” - Steve Cuozzo of New York Post tweeted on Feb 2, 2014 ■ “The renovated Tavern on the Green is set to open this month.” - New York Times, February 5, 2014
Photo by Lauren Naefe
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proposed historic district,” said Slater. “At that time, there was a feeling on the part of the commission that there really was not a perceived threat to Park Avenue, and that the commission had to focus on other boroughs of the city.” Slater said her group understood the need for historic preservation in other areas of the city, but that “sadly we lost the first of several buildings along Park Avenue shortly after that meeting.” Upper East Siders supporting historical designation on Park Avenue, who have coalesced under the umbrella name of Historic Park Avenue, had their long-awaited hearing before the LPC last week. The proposal actually calls for the creation of two historic districts along Park Avenue to fill in the 14-block gap between the existing Carnegie Hill and Upper East Side historic districts. The goal, say supporters, is to protect historic buildings - and the lots on which they sit - from being developed. The two proposed areas run along Park Avenue between 79th Street and 91st Street and 94th Street and 96th Street. Elected leaders who support the proposal include council members Dan Garodnick and Ben Kallos, as well as Assemblyman Dan Quart, Senator Liz Krueger and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. Continued on page 4