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The New York City Parks Department on Monday requested proposals for the renovation of the 25,000-square-foot restaurant west of the park's Sheep Meadow near 67th Street.
The restaurant has lured celebrities and tourists alike to its six fabled dining rooms -- including the glassed-in Crystal Room -- since 1976, after restaurateur Warner LeRoy reopened the Tavern following a $10 million renovation. The restaurant grossed more than $36 million alone in 2008, paying the city about $1.2 million for the space.
But it appears the city would now like a "significant renovation" of the restaurant giving it more of a connection to the park itself.
"Going forward, Parks envisions a restaurant which enjoys a synergy with the Sheep Meadow, Heckscher playground and ballfields, Literary Walk, Strawberry Fields and all the other areas of Central Park that make it one of the city's top tourist destinations," the city's request for proposals states.
The heart of the restaurant is a U-shaped 19th-century Victorian Gothic barn, the Sheepfold, which housed the park's sheep herd. It was converted in 1934 into a restaurant named Tavern on the Green, which didn't really gain nationwide appeal until LeRoy took over management of the space, transforming it into an opulent (and some might say ostentatious) dining space. Since the 2001 death of Warner LeRoy, the Tavern has been managed by his daughter Jennifer Oz LeRoy.
"The LeRoys have every intention of working with the city to continue serving the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors that come through their doors every year for generations to come," Michael Desiderio, the restaurant's chief operating officer said in a statement to Slashfood.
The family's 25-year lease with the city ends on Dec. 31.
The New York Observer reported Monday that Donald Trump, Danny Meyer and Drew Nieporent have been mentioned as possible contenders for a new 20-year lease that would give the city higher revenues for the space than currently paid.
And if the LeRoys lose out to someone else, the Tavern name could leave the park with them.
"Parks makes no representations or warranties that the successful proposer may operate the Premises under the name 'Tavern on the Green' absent a license from the former operator, Tavern on the Green Ltd. (formerly, LeRoy Adventures, Inc.), which claims trademark rights associated with the name 'Tavern on the Green,'" the proposal says.
Other Tavern vestiges, like the Crystal Room, must remain under the terms of a new lease.
The city will give tours to prospective restaurateurs in March and proposals for the site are due May 1.
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12-22-2009 @2:46PM will said... This is absolutely ridiculous!!!. This is a New York landmark. Does anyone respect tradition anymore or is it just always about the money???.
Will
San Francisco
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1-15-2010 @1:48PM Karen Stewart said... Oh! no it cant close, I was in NewYork back in 2004 and couldn't afford to go to TOTG but have started to save in the hope of returning to NewYork and visiting Tavern On The Green!!!!
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