Reply With QuoteThis is unfortunate, Shelly's Steak House is a great street level presence.
West 57th Street by Hilton Club - 104 West 57th Street - by HLW International
According to the January 2, 2006 edition of the NY Post, the building on the south side of 57th between 6th and 7th will be demolished, and a new tower will rise there.
EX-AUTOMAT BUILDING HAS DATE WITH WRECKING BALL
By STEVE CUOZZO
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January 3, 2006 -- Realty Check
IT was probably inevitable, but another remnant of nostalgic New York is soon coming down.
Shelly's, the colorful restaurant at 104 W. 57th St., will close this spring and the one-time Automat building will be razed for a new development.
The Post's Braden Keil first reported that restaurateur Shelly Fireman had signed a lease at the former Wolf's Deli site at 41 W. 57th. Now it turns out that the site will serve as a replacement for Shelly's, which opened in spring 2000.
It was understood that the landlord, a partnership that includes William L. Haines, plans a new building at 104 W. 57th St., but none of the parties could be reached over the New Year's weekend.
The current site of Shelly's was built in 1938 for Horn & Hardart's, where customers dropped coins in slots to retrieve sandwiches and snacks from behind little glass doors. Manhattan once had more than 50 Automats; the last one, on East 42nd Street, closed in 1991.
The two-story structure at 104 W. 57th St., with a curved, Art Moderne façade, has long seemed quaint amidst neighboring high rises.
Since the 1970s, it has housed a bookstore and several failed restaurants, including Motown Café, before Fireman, whose culinary empire includes Bond 45 and Redeye Grill, took it over.
The departure of Shelly's will make the messy block between Sixth and Seventh avenues look even worse, at least temporarily.
Many storefronts are vacant, including the former Russian Tea Room, and assemblages-in-progress on the north side have resulted in numerous sidewalk bridges and vacancies.
This is unfortunate, Shelly's Steak House is a great street level presence.
Who wants to bet that the new building will have an expansion of the corner Duane Reade in its retail space?Originally Posted by Stern
God how much I hate the crap that goes in the retail of new buildings in the City. It's either Chase, Commerce Bank, or Duane Reade.
It is nice.
Anyway, there are potentially a lot of new towers going up on 57th between 6th and 7th including:
(1) this one;
(2) a tower on the Ritz Fur site;
(3) A large site on the north side of 57th closer to 7th that is boarded up (except for the pizza place);
(4) The Hardrock Cafe site (between 7th and B'Way); and
(5) 52 West 57th (just east of 6th).
Am I the only one who is not happy about the destruction of this building?
This is a true New York Landmark - The last of its kind......an Art Moderne Automat building that truly recalls a bygone error - not to mention gives some light and air to the surroudings.
Where is the outpouring from Landmarks?
They wanted to save the ugly homeless encampment that was the Huntington Hartford Museum at Columbus Circle, but not a peep for this building...
There will also be 20 stories of condos above the Russian Tea Room.
http://www.fogartyfinger.com
I agree with you. It's a nice, unique building.Am I the only one who is not happy about the destruction of this building?
This is a true New York Landmark - The last of its kind......an Art Moderne Automat building that truly recalls a bygone error - not to mention gives some light and air to the surroudings.
Where is the outpouring from Landmarks?
They wanted to save the ugly homeless encampment that was the Huntington Hartford Museum at Columbus Circle, but not a peep for this building...
Derek,
Is there a rendering on that site that you posted? I can't open it.
Thanks!
Egad, what is that facade? It will look as dated as 1970s wallpaper within a few years, no doubt.
Awful. Where are the neighborhood preservation groups on this one. Seriously....The Ritz fur shop is one thing but this building does not deserve the wrecking ball.
According to the website, they're building on top of the restaurant. That rendering is showing the 56th Street side, which will be the condominium entry. The facade is patterned with Beech leaves, which is the national tree of Russia.
I'm not talking about the Russian tearoom. That I'm fine with. It's Shelly's that makes me mad.
Landmark Now
..so how do we alert them to save this building?
It is 100% worthy of landmark designation.
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