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Arts & Entertainment

6,926 Years Of NYC History Disappeared During The Bloomberg Era (Approximately)

By

Ben Yakas

Published Jan 5, 2014

Modified Jan 5, 2014

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By

Ben Yakas

Published Jan 5, 2014

Modified Jan 5, 2014

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There's no denying that Mayor Bloomberg dramatically changed the landscape of NYC through bike lanes, new buildings construction, and rezoning. In some ways—like with improved and increased street space—this has been a very good thing. But in other ways—like the homelessness epidemic and with the loss of affordable housing to taxpayer subsidized high rises—it most certainly has not. And one of his worst legacies will be the incredible loss of beloved neighborhood businesses and restaurants over his 12 years in office.

Jeremiah Moss, the curator and chronicler of the changing face of NYC on Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, compiled an impressively depressing list of businesses that have disappeared since 2001—places that have been forced out because of rent hikes, that lost their leases when their building was sold, that were demolished for billion-dollar luxury condo projects.

It's a list where the phrase "a victim of soaring rents in a neighborhood populated as much by bankers as by bohemians" is all too accurate. Moss lists all the years these establishments were in business (ie, 150 years for Domino Sugar Factory, 45 years for Kenny's Castaway's), and came up with an astronomical figure: NYC lost at least 6,926 years of its history in 12 years.

In 2013 alone, we lost 836 years of history:

Stile's Market: 26 years Pushed out by landlord, to be demolished for luxury development

5Pointz, formerly Phun Phactory: 20 years
White-washed by owner, to be demolished for luxury condo towers

Famous Roio’s/Ray’s Pizza: 40 years
Building sold

Ray Beauty Supply: 50 years
Property seized by landlord

Vercesi Hardware: 101 years
Building sold to be demolished for luxury condos

D’Auito’s Bakery: 89 years
Unknown

Odessa Restaurant: 48 years
Building sold, gastropub to move in, now for rent

Splash gay bar: 22 years
Lack of business

Paradise Café: 20 years
Rent hike

Big Nick’s Burger and Pizza Joint: 51 years
Rent increase from $42,000 to $60,000 a month

Max Fish: 24 years
Rent increase

Joe’s Dairy: 60 years
Cost of doing business

Bleecker Bob’s Records: 46 years
Rent hike

Blarney Cove: 50+ years
Evicted for new development

Sofia’s Italian restaurant: 35 years
Lost their lease

9th Street Bakery: 87 years
38% rent hike, replaced by juice-cleanse and smoothie shop

Capucine’s Italian restaurant: 33 years
Rent hike

Rawhide gay bar: 34 years
Rent hike, to be turned into a pizza chain from California

Some of these places of course would have disappeared anyway (as a commenter points out, "'Seized by landlord' and 'evicted' means non-payment of rent"), but most places seem to have been the victims of gentrification, rent increases, and the rising cost of surviving in NYC. We share Moss' hope that de Blasio will follow the lead of San Francisco in dealing with retail stores. In the meantime, let's appreciate the popovers while they're here.

Tagged

bloomberg

bloomberg era

history

jeremiah moss

vanishing ny

Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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