Cafe Edison Gone
The Cafe Edison has officially left the building.
Closed on December 21, the owners have returned the keys to the Hotel Edison after 34 years in business. They've put their property in storage, with hopes of putting it to use once again in a new space. But there's no word on that as of yet.
The windows of the beloved coffee shop have been blacked out, the old signage removed. The street-side dining room has been emptied of tables and chairs.
In the main dining room, the booths have been disassembled.
At the counter, the stools have lost their swivel tops. No more glazed doughnuts on shapely chrome stands. No more grooved plastic menu boards announcing:
Matzo Brie, Gefilte Fish, Kasha Varniskas, Pickled Herring, Gyros...
Betty's cashier desk, once covered with notes and pictures, is bare.
Post Script:
On his "Dear Gerald Barad" site, where he published letters asking the owner of Hotel Edison to give Cafe Edison a new lease, Ira Glass writes a final note:
"Gerald Barad, the owner of the Edison Hotel, ordered the Cafe Edison to close, and it closed on Sunday, December 21st.
This website was an attempt to convince him to keep the place open. He ignored protests, a petition with over 10,000 signatures, and – reportedly – pleas from his own relatives. He obviously has his own reasons for wanting to shut the place down, reasons that are more important to him than what thousands of New Yorkers feel.
Since his attitude towards all of us is basically 'fuck off,' it's hard not to feel that towards him right back, but what's bitterness ever get you?
I'll leave the site up for a little while.
Ira Glass"
Previously:
News breaks about Cafe Edison's forced closure
Over 600 supporters come to our first of many Lunch Mobs
Local politicians and Mayor Bill de Blasio join the fight to Save Cafe Edison
Big rally and press conference at Cafe Edison
The last day announcement
Cafe Edison Closes
Closed on December 21, the owners have returned the keys to the Hotel Edison after 34 years in business. They've put their property in storage, with hopes of putting it to use once again in a new space. But there's no word on that as of yet.
The windows of the beloved coffee shop have been blacked out, the old signage removed. The street-side dining room has been emptied of tables and chairs.
In the main dining room, the booths have been disassembled.
At the counter, the stools have lost their swivel tops. No more glazed doughnuts on shapely chrome stands. No more grooved plastic menu boards announcing:
Matzo Brie, Gefilte Fish, Kasha Varniskas, Pickled Herring, Gyros...
Betty's cashier desk, once covered with notes and pictures, is bare.
Post Script:
On his "Dear Gerald Barad" site, where he published letters asking the owner of Hotel Edison to give Cafe Edison a new lease, Ira Glass writes a final note:
"Gerald Barad, the owner of the Edison Hotel, ordered the Cafe Edison to close, and it closed on Sunday, December 21st.
This website was an attempt to convince him to keep the place open. He ignored protests, a petition with over 10,000 signatures, and – reportedly – pleas from his own relatives. He obviously has his own reasons for wanting to shut the place down, reasons that are more important to him than what thousands of New Yorkers feel.
Since his attitude towards all of us is basically 'fuck off,' it's hard not to feel that towards him right back, but what's bitterness ever get you?
I'll leave the site up for a little while.
Ira Glass"
Previously:
News breaks about Cafe Edison's forced closure
Over 600 supporters come to our first of many Lunch Mobs
Local politicians and Mayor Bill de Blasio join the fight to Save Cafe Edison
Big rally and press conference at Cafe Edison
The last day announcement
Cafe Edison Closes
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