Word came lately that the landlord of the Market Diner on 11th Avenue and West 43rd in Hell’s Kitchen was kicking them out so he could build a condo building there — that part of town is getting hot as Hades due to the coming of the Hudson Yards development. One more bites the dust I suppose.
Earlier in 2015, one of my old favorites, the Waterfront Crabhouse at 2nd street and Borden Avenue in Hunters Point, closed down because owner Tony Mazzarella passed away and his family saw the writing on the wall about the immediate area, which is also being rapidly high-rise condo-ized.
The interior of the Crabhouse was something to behold. Mazzarella was a boxing promoter, so the bar was completely immersed in pugilistic ephemera. The rest of the restaurant was stuffed with NYC-related talismans, such as old street and subway signs, metal ads, desks, typewriters and all manner of memorabilia. I don’t know how this stuff will be disposed of, but I hope it’s auctioned off or ebayed, I imagine they can make a mint of some size.
Also of note are a pair of hybrid bishop crook lamps, which have been there for ages. The one shown above is a Type B park lamp with a Bishop Crook affixed at the top. I don’t know what the luminaire attachment is, however.
This one is even shorter, and appears to be a Type E lamps with a crook affixed at the top.
Don’t know what will happen with either one, but I’d hope they find good homes.
You can see what the Crabhouse was like in its prime at the bottom of this FNY page on NYC’s ancient bars.
7/16/15