Wednesday, July 14, 2010

*Everyday Chatter

"The fate of West Village legend Fedora has been decided: Gabe Stulman of Joseph Leonard, has signed the lease, and will be taking over operations after closing for a renovation that will keep most of the cherished design details, along with the name, of the restaurant intact." [Eater]

Artist Paul Richard unveils a new sidewalk work, the large carbon footprint:


Carpetbagging slicksters try to hoodwink CB2 about their nefarious plans for the Bowery "strip." [EVG]

Photos of lost NYC street murals. [FP]

"In New York City, especially in Thor’s Coney Island, if you see a building being demolished without a posted permit, say something. Call 311 right away." [ATZ]

In the silence after the city slaughters its geese. [CR]

Remembering Steinbrenner. [Gothamist]

Condo launch parties ain't what they used to be: "Gone are the trapezes, replaced by fried chicken and beer." [NYO]

Tour Woodside with Forgotten New York.

6 comments:

Mark said...

If you've actually been to Fedora, you would know that it is virtually impossible for the new owner to implement "structural overhauls... the space will basically remain exactly as it appears today" in order to create an "casually elegant supper club". From the kitchen to the swamp cooler, the restaurant is going to require a gut renovation, and then they'll use faux finishes and rehang the art, such as it is.

Once again, someone else's history, namely mine, is being ripped off in the name of passing trendiness and sold to the highest bidder.

I would have hoped for a scenario like Gino, where the zebras were removed, so the new tenants would not avail themselves of unearned cachet.

Jeremiah Moss said...

agreed. i am tired of the "faux-stalgia" trend, the fake museum of new york fronts.

who wants to look up at the Fedora sign knowing they can't go inside and experience it as it was, that it has taken on a new meaning divorced from the original?

JakeGould said...

"Faux-stalgia" nice! Keeping the "design details" of a place while building a new business feels like what Norman Bates did to his mom: Keep her desiccated corpse in the attic so he can have "a relationship" with her.

Also, here's a question: When did the term "slumming" (ie: rich going to poor areas for thrills) stop being used? I remember it being used in the 1980s a bit. Nowadays? It seems like a relic.

Jeremiah Moss said...

oh, the Bates/Mother analogy is quite nice. thanks!

Anonymous said...

I'd love to know who Mark is. Fedora, herself, saw the new design and is thrilled at what Gabe is planning to do. It's her history and she is enthusiastic about the choice.
It's not a gut renovation.

Jeremiah Moss said...

Anon, it sounds like you might be a friend of Gabe's. i sincerely hope that he is interested in preserving not just the antique pressed-tin walls, but also the atmosphere and the accessibility of this place.

i hope he will reach out to the regulars, that he will make the place affordably priced, and that it won't become guarded by an invisible velvet rope that only the well-heeled can pass through.

i hope these steps are part of his plan to keep the Fedora spirit alive.