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Historic Gage & Tollner Is Being Brought Back To Life In Downtown Brooklyn
By
Evan Nicole Brown
Published May 2, 2019
Modified May 2, 2019
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via Landmarks Preservation Commission
By
Evan Nicole Brown
Published May 2, 2019
Modified May 2, 2019
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The historic Gage & Tollner building is officially being restored to its former Gilded Age glory after years of heinous repurposing efforts that transformed the storied restaurant after it closed in 2004. Earlier this week, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to approve plans for the former Downtown Brooklyn restaurant’s long overdue resurrection.
The four-story Italianate brownstone was built in 1875, and Gage & Tollner, a luxe “eating house” which first opened in 1879, moved into the Fulton Street building in 1892. Notably, it became New York City’s third landmarked interior in 1975; the dining room, replete with 36 brass gas lamps, mahogany tables, cherry wood-framed mirrors, and Lincrusta (19th century embossed wallcovering), was modeled after a Pullman railroad dining car. In recent years, those uniquely antique elements have remained, only in the context of a T.G.I. Fridays, Arby’s, and discount jewelry shop instead.
But not to fear: Sohui Kim, Ben Schneider, and St. John Frizell—the Brooklyn-based restaurateurs who are renting the space and dreamt up Gage & Tollner’s next iteration—plan to begin restoring it immediately now that the committee has given them the green light. Schneider told the Brooklyn Eagle that he and his partners have 200 small investors and 35 equity investors backing their project. The 21st century Gage & Tollner is expected to open this fall.
(via Landmarks Preservation Commission)
“It played host to many famous New Yorkers, [but] more importantly to us it was a place for generations of Brooklynites to celebrate life’s milestones,” Frizell told Curbed. “I can’t tell you how many people came out to tell us that they celebrated a wedding there, or a bar mitzvah, or their little league championship game, and it will be wonderful to have the space open again soon so people can continue to celebrate those things.” The trio plans to expand on the restaurant’s 40-seat bar, repair the hardwood floors, and reintroduce the iconic Gage & Tollner sign on the exterior.
There are also plans to open a 30-seat tiki-themed cocktail lounge, the Sunken Harbor Club, upstairs, which will live adjacent to two private dining rooms. The 70-seat dining room downstairs will serve modern takes on its original menu—think oyster and chophouse, but more farm-to-table.
“Everybody has kind of a personal story about Gage & Tollner,” said Sarah Carroll, the chairperson of the Landmarks Preservation Commission at Tuesday’s meeting. “So what a wonderful opportunity for future generations to have their own experiences in this magnificence space.” See the full proposal here, which features plenty of old photos.
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