Urbanite

Jerry's, via Front Studio on Flickr.

I unfortunately saw the movie "Made of Honor."

But one good thing about watching the flick was catching its editors in a New York slip-up. In the beginning of the film, the cameras panned around to classic Soho spots (where the action started out). And then I saw ... a close-up of Jerry's!

Jerry's, once a great little restaurant, closed last summer. Though I understand that making a film takes a while, I don't think edits were totally finished before Jerry's closed. Sigh.

— Julie Gordon

Photographer Jefferson Siegel sent along this interesting post on a ghost sign for "Player Pianos" in Hell's Kitchen. We looked at this stretch of 10th Avenue recently. Here are Jefferson's musings:

On the SW corner of 52nd St. and 10th Ave. is a solid red brick building. Many of the words on the side of the building have faded into history, but the words "Player Pianos" are clearly legible over the sign for Sonny's Grocery.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a player piano was a precursor, though less portable version, of the iPod. A roll of paper would turn inside a mechanism, moving the keys so that a tune could be played without a pianist.

According to the book, "Schlegel's American Families of German Ancestry in the United States," in 1902 one Jacob H. Becker opened a piano manufacturing company on 14th Street and 10th Avenue. The business was so successful that, two years later, he bought the building on 52nd Street., # 767 10th Ave., for Becker Bros.' Pianos. By 1917, as business prospered, they manufactured 3,500 pianos a year.

An interesting side note to the building is the ground-floor business, Sonny's Grocery. According to the Web site of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation, in 1950 the deli shared space with the small office for Eddie Heller's Rainbow Records, a label that signed such early 50's groups as The Clovers and The Five Crowns, which would later become The Drifters.

-- Jefferson Siegel

After more than 160 years, St. Saviour's in Maspeth has been deconstructed and is awaiting a new life at a nearby cemetery. Click here for a photo gallery of the final steps of the dismantling, courtesy of Christina Wilkinson. And click here for a gallery of the church as it looked when it had been stripped down to its austere wooden beauty.

-- Rolando Pujol

The site of the Longchamps on Sunday (Photo by Elisabeth Stuveras)

And the sign as it looked toward the end of its life on Madison Avenue, in June 2006. (Photo via everystreetinmanhattan on Flickr)

The massive Art Deco neon sign at 423 Madison Ave. was a beautiful reminder -- certainly the last we know of -- of the old Longchamps chain of restaurants. They once dotted the city until being absorbed decades ago by Reise Restaurants and the locations rebadged.

The persistence of the Madison Avenue sign prompted a Lost City blog post in 2007, and back in the late 1990s, mentions in New York Times articles, one of which offered this morsel from a Longchamps insider in 1998:

''As a former Longchamps restaurant employee, I am familiar with the background of this sign. It was one of the earliest neon signs in the city, erected by the Claude Neon Sign Company over 50 years ago, and was for a time the only illuminated sign on Madison Avenue. The Department of Buildings should be called in to order the sign removed before it collapses!''

Well, you know where this is going. The sign is indeed no longer there, having disappeared at some point in the past year or so. We plan to make a few inquiries about its fate -- if ever there was a sign that had been worth saving, this was it -- but we can't help but fear that it was destroyed.

It wasn't that long ago that we'd happily crane our neck to take its measure whenever we'd pass by, and wonder about the lost wonders of this restaurant chain, whose space at 423 Madison Ave. is now occupied by a Pax sandwich shop.

The sign, however, did leave a little reminder of its long tour of duty above Madison Avenue. As you can see from the photo above, the old sign took a big bite out of this townhouse's cornice. It's gone, sure, but definitely not forgotten.

In fact, Longchamps does not rest easily in the annals of New York restaurant history, having a funny way of reasserting itself in the streetscape.

A few years ago, long-concealed Art Deco neon signs for Longchamps, below, re-emerged at the corner of East 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, at the base of one of the most Art Deco of buildings, the Chanin Building. After signage for Houlihan's restaurant was stripped, and before a K&G Fashion Superstore sign could replace it, these Longchamps beauties came to light. Whether they were eventually destroyed or simply covered up again, we do not know. But these relics looked stunning beneath Renee Chamberlain's masterful frieze that gleamed right atop them. For a few days, another era held court at 42nd and Lex.

We can't help but think about Longchamps whenever we pass this corner, as we always will a little farther uptown, where a chomped cornice serves as a quiet reminder.

-- Rolando Pujol

One of the most interesting old-sign discoveries we ever made was at 33rd and Madison, a doomed corner with a towering future. Here's the recently erected shroud of gloom that portends the teardown, and, below, the cool signs that briefly saw the light of day, as well as -- after the jump -- a few more shots we hadn't published before of the buildings that are set to come down.

-- Rolando Pujol

As a long-time New York resident and actor, Chris Noth loves the city. But he has one major issue.

“I think we shouldn’t give over to what I call greedy, unscrupulous builders,” Noth said at a recent press event for the “Sex and the City” movie, in which he reprises his role of Mr. Big.

Noth wants people to pay more attention to neighborhoods’ characters and historic icons, mentioning his support of a movement to keep the 13th Street Repertory Theater alive and his distaste for many of the gigantic new structures going up around the city.

“It wouldn’t hurt the mayor to realize that they made a lot of money building these buildings and they might want to keep an eye on what the character and essence of this town is. It’s neighborhoods. Its smaller businesses and smaller buildings,” Noth said. “I don’t necessarily think a glass tower that’s 40 stories high [is representing that]. We’re not Dubai. Were New York.”

What does he really miss? Stoops and coffee shops — traditional meeting places.

Guess there’s still the movie theater, albeit most likely an AMC or Regal.

— Julie Gordon

We swung by the site of Armando's on Friday during a hours-long exploration of Brooklyn Heights. The iconic Armando's sign was standing guard, and the interior, as seen from the sidewalk, was largely the same, and looks as though the restaurant is closed for perhaps renovations, not forever. One token that saddened us was the discovery of an "Open" sign, sitting by the window never to be used again.

A pleasant counterpoint was our visit to the very much open Lassen & Hennigs, another Brooklyn Heights institution on Montague Street. From the moment we saw the sign, we were intrigued, and ordered the L&H Express, a roast beef-cheddar extravaganza on a roll. The sandwich choices -- many named for Brooklyn neighborhoods and streets -- were overwhelming. But the atmosphere was pleasant, the place was packed, and the staff was friendly, just what we like in a neighborhood joint, in this case one that dates to 1949.

-- Rolando Pujol

Lassen & Hennigs
114 Montague St.
718-875-6272

All photos: Helen Levitt, published by powerHouse Books, used with permission

Think you’ve seen a lot of changes in the urban landscape? Helen Levitt has photographed an ever-changing New York for more than seven decades.

Long-vanished corner luncheonettes, neon “liquor” signs and second-floor button-and-notion shops are still readily accessible through her work. These old-time urban institutions and the people who frequented them are immortalized in a square, record-album-sized volume (Helen Levitt, powerHouse Books, 2008) recently released in conjunction with a retrospective exhibition at Germany’s Sprengel Museum Hannover.

An unsentimental souvenir of a grittier city, the collection includes images from the 1930s to the early 1990s. Before Starbucks and Duane Reade storefronts punctuated Manhattan, Levitt chronicled Sabrett’s hot dog cart awnings, old-time Coca-Cola signs and kids who amused themselves with tricycles and cast-off picture frames.

Crews Friday afternoon were taking down the last of the scaffolding from 2 Columbus Circle, revealing the only distinct architectural feature that survived the building's epic overhaul -- Ada Louise Huxtable's lollilops. Well, they belong to architect Edward Durell Stone, of MoMA and GM Building fame, but former New York Times architectural critic Huxtable gave us that great label. Those lollipops -- or, OK, columns -- at the base are now covered in glass, preserving the building's namesake element. Smart move.

But the marble Venetian palazzo of which she wrote so famously in the 1960s has been utterly extinguished. And in its place, well, you decide. The original structure was one of those buildings New Yorkers loved, just loved, to harsh on. We may well have been guilty of said crime during our less forgiving moments. After all, buildings should be judged in part by how successful a home they are to tenants, and 2 Columbus Circle never excelled in this respect. What it needed was a tenant who could appreciate its role in architectural history, its charms, and yes, its quirkiness.(That whole "portholes, but no windows" thing was a nonstarter for most folks, except perhaps for Verizon switching-station technicians.) That proved to be too tall an order, and time ran out for 2 Columbus Circle.

We were expecting more, much more, given the fevered debate over this building's future. At this point, we can say this much with authority: 2 Columbus Circle now blends in perfectly with its sleek neighbors, looking right at home with the Time Warner Center and the reclad Trump Tower across the way.

The circle is corporate, clean, and now, complete.

-- Rolando Pujol

Note: If you haven't yet read the first architectural review of the new 2 Columbus Circle, click here. And this comment thread on Curbed is not to be missed. Here's Urbanite's previous 2 Columbus Circle coverage.

It wasn't initially part of our Friday night dinner plans, but there we were on Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District -- and there was Eisenberg's. Its warm glow and long counter compelled us to come in and sit a spell. We enjoyed Eisenberg's wonderful onion rings and grilled-cheese sandwich washed down with a vanilla egg creme. It was near closing time, and the place was fairly empty. A regular who had been saddled up to the counter promised a return visit the next day as he rushed out the door. A couple sauntered in just after us, pointing out the vintage fixtures and signs and marveling at the place's very existence. Two older women stopped in to pick up some grub to go.

Places like Eisenberg's were a staple of the city block, part of the way New Yorkers ate before cafeterias and Automats began to give way to Burger Kings and later Quiznos and Chipotles. The continued survival of Eisenberg's speaks to the worthiness and importance of the idea of landmarking functioning businesses, not just the architecture or the original interior. (Witness Gage and Tollners in Brooklyn -- landmarked inside and out -- but at one point home to a T.G.I. Friday's.) We are relieved Eisenberg's remains in the good hands of Josh Konecky, who took it upon himself to "landmark" the place by keeping it just the way it's always been.

There's never a bad time to go, but we'll happily recommend a quiet Friday evening, when you can commune with Eisenberg's in relative peace, and get lost in the vibe of one of the most authentic places left in New York City.

-- Rolando Pujol

There are more photos after the jump ...

The Market Diner's former parking lot, shown below, will accommodate about 100 patrons. (Photos by Rolando Pujol)

The space-age Market Diner in Hell’s Kitchen, once a hangout for Frank Sinatra, is on track to reopen during the first week of June, its new proprietors confirmed Monday.

“It’s not going to be a regular old school diner,” said Nick Tsinias, son of one of the diner’s new operators. “It’s going to be a 1950s diner outside and a more modern diner inside.”

The 1962 diner’s exterior, with its zig-zag roof in the Googie architectural style, will be surrounded by outdoor seating for up to a 100 people. Before it closed in 2006, the diner was known as one of the few businesses in Manhattan to have its own customer parking lot.

The indoor changes will create a more natural and modern look, Tsinias said Monday. The decor will feature a rock sculpture and wooden furnishings.

The eatery, at West 43rd Street and 11th Avenue, will also feature a bar that will sell frozen drinks. The Market will also add a couple of non-diner items to its classic American fare, such as spring rolls.

The Tsinias family, which leases the diner from Moinian Group, has been in the diner business for almost 35 years and owns the Cosmic Diner, which moved to West 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue after many years in Columbus Circle.

-- Marlene Naanes

Mary Adams The Dress, a boutique on the once artsy Lower East Side, withstood the times but could not withstand the monthly rent of today. The Ludlow Street store is closing after 24 years, but will go out in style (pun intended).

”The Lower East Side has changed a lot, becoming heavily touristy.
It doesn’t really suit my business anymore,” said the store’s owner and namesake Mary Adams.

Adams’ pieces have appeared in fashion shows at the legendary ’80s nightclub Danceteria, the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Palladium.

She hopes to relocate but is wary of the real estate market. Instead she wants to enjoy her privacy while continuing to do private
appointments.

“I’ll miss the Lower East Side, it had its ups and downs but it is where I’ve been since I started,” said Adams.

--Kathleen Bulson

It seems these days that moving architectural gems is the only way to save them from sure destruction. Moving the Cheyenne Diner will be a snap compared to the laborious and careful work required to take apart another treasure, St. Saviour's Church in Maspeth, and reassemble it again about a mile away. Well, the deconstruction is under way. Christina Wilkinson of the Juniper Park Civic Association, the organization that fought successfully to save the church, sent along these photos. See more here.

-- Rolando Pujol

Urbanite's St. Saviour's archive.

The Moondance Diner at 12:40 a.m. Aug. 11, 2007, as workers begin pulling
the diner off its foundation. (Photo by Jefferson Siegel)

Following the good news that the Cheyenne Diner has been saved, photographer Jefferson Siegel checked in with his memories of the Moondance Diner's last night in the city, and this photo from its departure:

Just after 9 p.m. on Friday, August 10, 2007. workers began lifting the Moondance from its foundation on the corner of Grand St. and 6th Ave. It was the coldest night of the summer and a bit rainy, which must have been pleasant for the workers but it made the crowd of onlookers even more melancholy.

This was the night police were alerted to the possibility of a radioactive threat against the city, so as the evening progressed there was increased police activity down the block at the exit of the Holland Tunnel.

As night turned into early morning, the diner was lifted on hydraulic jacks. Steel rails were slid under the gleaming chrome structure and it was pulled to the curb. As it was slowly pulled along the rails the basement was exposed to the elements. Just after 6 a.m. Saturday morning the Moondance was finally loaded onto a truck headed for the George Washington Bridge and points west. By Saturday afternoon the temperature had soared back into the 80s as passersby stopped to look through a fence where the diner had once stood.

Folks soak in the sun last Friday near Giginos at Wagner Park in lower Manhattan. The AIA Guide calls the building, which is also a viewing platform, "a grand brick sculpture." (Photo by Rolando Pujol)

* The next chapter in the saga to save a row of small businesses on Ninth Avenue in Chelsea is May 3, when a protest will be held. [Jeremiah's Vanishing New York]

* Those ubiquitous Star Wars ads around the city have inspired noteworthy subway mashups. [Gothamist]

* ... and who could miss the Slave Leias at Comic Con. [Vulture]

* "Look who's talking to Charlie ... Charlie Rose." D.C. expats may remember that jingle from his less highbrow WRC-TV talk show of the early 1980s, but now this video brings the jingle to life. [Gothamist]

* Illegal advertising blossoms anew, this time for cell phones. [Queens Crap]

* Last Saturday marked the 81st anniversary of Mae West's imprisonment on Roosevelt Island on a morals rap. [Roosevelt Islander]

* Remembering the Brooklyn earthquake of 1985. Yep, you read correctly. [OTBKB via Gowanus Lounge]

* Jeff Koons' sculptures now grace the top of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. [Unbeige]

* And up in Massachusetts, an awesome neon Dunkin Donuts sign from 1957 -- from the era before there was a DD on every block -- is for sale. [Hatch]

-- Rolando Pujol, Cha

The Moondance before its departure last year. (amNY file)

Speaking of diners, we were perusing the Casper Star Tribune this morning (but how do you stay informed?) when we came across this:

Finally, the Moondance Diner is starting to resemble a diner again

The new foundation is poured, the walls are up, and the barrel-ceiling roof is being installed in Wyoming's newest dining icon -- the famed Moondance Diner that relocated from New York City to this tiny town in southwest Wyoming last summer.

Apparently, things are proceeding apace with the plan to bit by bit relocate all the cool parts of New York City to the mountainous west.

The article details all the work going to getting the diner up and running in Wyoming, including helping it to recover from a 2,000+ mile long journey and a harsh winter in the Rockies.

The new owners hope to open the joint in June, and are adding more seats and this choice detail,

"A "NYC" subway facade will be constructed over the front entrance to keep in line with the New York ambiance."

Actually, all that probably symbolizes is that the place will be dirty, the service slow, and patrons will defecate in the aisles.

Looking Like a Diner Again [CST]

---David Freedlander

Photograph of 475 Kent Avenue by imjustsayin' on Flickr

April 28. That's when the Fire Department will give the artists colony building in Williamsburg a once-over, according to long-time resident and "floorlord" Lillian Mauer, checking that new sprinklers have been installed, fire alarms in good working order and the hallways have been sheetrocked.

"We are expecting positive news, but there are a lot of caveats to that," Mauer said.

Another floorlord, Deborah Masters, said the situation was confusing, but that she hoped the building will be certified for occupancy after the inspection.

Mauer added that well over half of the former tenants are still in a state of limbo, sleeping on couches and shacking up with friends.

"I think not knowing the move-in date has been the worst part of it," she said. "If people knew it was going to be three months then they could have stayed with friends or gotten a short-term sublet, but nobody knew when we'd be able to come back. But they want to return. This is a very dedicated group of people."

-- David Freedlander

Updated 8:05 p.m.: One of New York’s last railcar-style diners will live on, but hash will now be slung on the Red Hook waterfront, miles from its 68-year midtown home.

A construction manager bought the Cheyenne Diner, which served comfort food at 33rd Street and Ninth Avenue until closing April 6, and plans to relocate it to the Brooklyn neighborhood in the next month, a preservationist said yesterday.

Mike O’Connell, of O’C Construction and the son of a noted Red Hook developer, signed a contract to purchase the chrome-covered structure for $5,000 and will now work on securing permits to transport it to its new home.

Preservationist Michael Perlman, who formed the Committee To Save The Cheyenne Diner, was elated.

“It will gain a new lease on life in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and contribute to the appeal of an up and coming neighborhood," he said in an email.

Photographer Jefferson Siegel sent along this photo and note on a parking garage in Times Square. It's right next to the old New York Times building, which is being gussied up for its luxurious future, and it's across from the not-so-luxurious Carter Hotel, a future subject of Urbanite blogging that enjoys a remarkably comprehensive Wikipedia entry. Now about that parking garage:

On W. 43rd St. near 8th Ave., just west of the former NY Times building, is this five-story garage. While unremarkable from an architectural standpoint, that four-story-high "Parking" sign is a standout, especially with the wavy "garage" at the bottom. I can't find any info. on the building, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's from around the late 60's-early 70's when a wave of white-brick apartment buildings sprang up throughout the city.

Sometimes, a vintage sign is so wonderful, it compels us to patronize the store to help ensure -- at least momentarily in our own mind -- that this business and sign may carry on forever. Alas, New York's real estate market often has other plans.

We had one of those moments Friday when we passed Continental Shoe Repairs at Broadway and Barclay in the Financial District. And if we hadn't been rushing to an appointment (and wearing sneakers), we may well have gone if for a quick shine. Long may soles be repaired here.

-- Rolando Pujol

When last we examined the sad fate of Glad Tidings Tabernacle Church, there was still a bit of the Penn Station-area church left standing, but enough to know that a sacred place was going down. Only brick from the era of Reconstruction remains in the lot from which a glamorous hotel is set to rise.

-- Rolando Pujol

The C-Town I helped gentrify. (Photo via MTMONT on Flickr)

By Sara Baumberger

A month ago I knocked a stack of apples onto the floor at my neighborhood grocery store.

I was maneuvering around the usual clutter in the produce section. This grocery store was always a mess: unstocked food was stacked everywhere.

This week, at the same store, I bought Boca burgers.

After living in Bushwick for two years, the C-Town across the street has added a new frozen- foods section. I can finally get my Boca without trudging to the expensive veggie-friendly hippy market in Williamsburg.

The changes in the grocery store don’t stop at Boca, though. A usual trip there used to involve reaching around the boxes — stacked four-high in the aisles — to get to the canned peas, or stepping over dollies to get out of the produce section. All that is now cleaned up, and new tile is being installed.

Even more noticeable: Last week the normal blaring Latin-music station was replaced with an English-language soft-rock station.

I wonder if this revised C-Town will still have produce bags that catch dead flies under the bug zapper this summer.

The changes in my neighborhood have come slowly. But even small changes bring a realization: Gentrification is here.

Our camera draws attention in the window, which is atop a collection of signs, including a brilliant hand-painted affair. (Photos by Rolando Pujol)

To find reasonably undisturbed pockets of retail character left in Manhattan, the edges make a productive place to hunt. A walk down a swath of 10th Avenue last week yielded some pleasant finds in this old Westies stomping ground. Highlights include a mini-empire of shops run by "Sonny," a 1950s-style hotel sign, a Latin record shop, and some ghost signs for player pianos right on a townhouse's facade. Photographic evidence of our excursion, which went from the high 50s to 42nd Street, continues after the jump:

-- Rolando Pujol

Finally, a place to pay our New York Telephone bill. This sign has happily not been updated with the names NYNEX, Bell Atlantic or Verizon. Perfect.

We last checked in on 2 Columbus Circle's slow reveal two weeks ago; on Friday, much more of the Museum of Art and Design's facade was visible, as well as a hint of the only remaining signature element of the original building (not counting the facade's concave shape) ... the lollipops made famous by Ada Louise Huxtable.

We also noticed a few weeks back what we suppose was the original sidewalk (circle and circle and more circles) still largely intact. Will it last? Does it matter given the original facade's senseless obliteration?

-- Rolando Pujol

The facade on Friday: More images after the jump:

Smoke shops with the Te Amo branding once were incredibly common across the city, but like fallout shelter signs, they're become rare enough that happening upon one merits comment. But what about happening upon two, on either side of Fifth Avenue on 33rd Street?

This one is on West 33rd Street, right across the Empire State Building. It's in pretty good shape, and has the bonus of having a yellow sign touting the other goods available, and a Te Amo "cube" at far right.

Just down the street, on East 33rd Street between Fifth and Madison avenues, is a Te Amo sign with much the same elements, only organized differently. The cube is slapped in the middle of the sign, depriving us of a clean view of the main Te Amo sign. But we're not complaining.

We'll update this post as we find new Te Amo signs, and dig around a bit on their history.

-- Rolando Pujol

Jeremiah over at Vanishing New York reported a few days back on the uncovering of an old sign for a Chinese restaurant where the great Latin place Sucelt held court from 1976 until Christmas Eve 2007. Our curiosity piqued, we stopped by to check it out, and it's indeed a true gem of a sign. (The words "Chinese Food" are mostly covered by the big metal roll-down door.)The circumstances under which it re-emerged are incredibly sad, of course, as this defiant marker doodle on the front door, underneath the "closed" sign, reminds us.

We wish they'd bring Sucelt back, too.

-- Rolando Pujol

St. Saviour's in Maspeth; see more photos here. (Robert Holden)

Updated: Preservationists and community activists alike are rushing against the clock to move St. Saviour’s church so they may honor the deadline for relocating the building. In yet one more turn in the story of the little church that could, the Juniper Park Civic Association, which has led the effort, is pulling out all stops to get the Maspeth church safely to its final resting place, including the equivalent of a preservation SWAT team, which has started its assessment of the building.

Civic association president Robert Holden met with representatives from a building moving company last week. Moving the church in one piece is “cost-prohibitive, with estimates beginning at $150,000—and that’s just to get it down the street,” says Holden. In addition to excavating costs, moving the building intact requires pricey permits for dismantling utility wires and trimming trees. The new site at All Faiths Cemetery is about a mile away.

“Every time, there’s been some little obstacle,” says Holden. “We’ve come to the conclusion to just get it off the site however we can.” That leaves dismantling the church, timber by timber, a task that must begin soon. Though the developer has agreed to extend the end-of-the-month deadline once a good-faith effort to move the building is underway, Holden says “the church is the obstacle to any sale [of the land].”

People get the bad news that the 24-hour Cheyenne is closed after 68 years. (Kathleen Bulson)

Loyal customers and diner enthusiasts flocked to get the last eggs over easy ever served at the iconic Cheyenne Diner yesterday as the chrome-covered eatery closed its doors forever.

Weary employees and the diner’s owner served up heaping portions of comfort food and
breakfast dishes and received best wishes from patrons before the midtown business was official closed by 4:30 p.m. yesterday. Some folks came for the first time, some came back after several-year hiatuses and regulars showed up to pay their respects and look at one of the last diners of its kind for the last time.

The likelihood that the railroad car-style diner, including the iconic neon sign, would be saved may have increased Sunday as the property owner confirmed that a diner museum was checking out if the structure could withstand a move. The museum also found interested buyers. It could take weeks before any decision on a move or sale is made.

Unclear though was if business owner Spiros Kasimis will open up another eatery with some of the familiar memorabilia, including signed photos of celebrity patrons like David Letterman. Kasimis, who’s owned the business since 1989, said he was touched and overwhelmed by the number of patrons who showed up yesterday, and gave at least one longtime customer a free meal.

Preservationist Michael Perlman began an effort to save the diner recently, just as he had done to preserve and move SoHo's Moonlight Diner, which the American Diner Museum helped relocate it to LaBarge, Wyo.

Photo above: Owner Spiros Kasimis, center in white sweater, during the diner's last day. (Marlene Naanes)

-- Marlene Naanes

Here's the full amNY story.

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Jeremiah's Vanishing New York profiled Perlman Friday and broke the story last week.

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