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Tavern On The Green Is Going Back In Time With Retro Design
By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 30, 2012
Modified Jan 30, 2012
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 30, 2012
Modified Jan 30, 2012
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The mess that is the once-and-future Tavern on the Green continues to be messy. As the city awaits bids for new restaurateurs to take over the fabled Central Park eatery a trickle of new info the project has come out. As the city implied in its Request For Proposals for the space, they are taking it back to the basics. The 1940s basics.
To start the much-loved Crystal Room, which left the building when the LeRoy family lost their lease two years ago, is not coming back. Further, explains Assistant Parks Commissioner Betsy Smith, "we’re taking down another glassed-in area, and we’re putting on a new roof. The place will look very different when we’re done."
According to the City's Department of Design and Construction other changes coming to the space revolve around bringing it back to its 1940s appearance and footprint including "removal of non-historic building additions; restoration of historic facade; replacement of slate roofs; replacement of existing mechanical/electrical/plumbing systems providing rough-ins for kitchen and bathrooms." Not to mention "historically appropriate windows and a new fire alarm system."
When all is said and done there will be 10,320 square feet of indoor dining space and and 11,950 square-foot outdoor terrace. Of course, before the restaurant can open again to the public (currently estimated for the summer of 2013) they are going to need to find somebody to run it...
For the record, here's the city's full plan for the space as described to potential restaurateurs:
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central park
historical footprint
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manhattan
tavern on the green
Garth Johnston
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