Jay Dee Bakery Going Where Cheyenne Diner Went
I you were looking to grab a bit of the old Jay Dee Bakery before the Queens landmark is no more, you're too late.
On Monday, diner saver Michael Perlman wrote to all and sundry that the longstanding Jay Dee Bakery, at 98-92 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, had closed, and he was trying to save some of its elements, if he couldn't save the business itself. "The owner said he will give away any salvagable Art Deco features for free, if an individual, organization, or museum is interested. Rego-Forest Preservation Council is hoping that several features will live on elsewhere and showcased or creatively and adaptively reused, which has been done countrywide."
According to Perlman, the first to respond were the couple from Alabama who bought the Cheyenne, Perlman's most recent salvage project. "They would like to recreate all of Jay Dee's ornamental plasterwork," he wrote. "They said they will come with a heavy load flatbed truck. Jay Dee and the Cheyenne Diner will become the centerpiece of a small town they're developing with a historic feel. They are also considering moving parts of a historic theater facing demolition and reassembling them, or replicating a demolished theater."
So, a fake, teeny New York City grows in Alabama. In a word: weird. But at least someone cares about these things, even if New York and its mayor don't.
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15 comments:
Last I checked, the Cheyenne hadn't gone anywhere. It's still in Manhattan.
Right you are. I guess it's still a city in the making down in 'Bama at this point.
Actually, after months of inactivity, a flatbed is carting away chunks of the Cheyenne as we write. Alabama, here we come.
Used to hit this place daily back in the early 90s when I basically lived with a girlfriend in Forest Hills Gardens. The baked goods were dependable. There's used to be an old great chrome diner round the corner (it may still be there), and Pastrami King down Metropolitan diner.
hey, anybody catch the last episode of Mad Men? One of the account dudes is pissed cause Sterling Cooper is representing the forces about the raze Penn Station. Spookily well done.
continuous waves of gentrification over the last 15 years has created a deeply boring Downtown. every neighborhood below 23rd street has been ruined to varying degrees. that is what happens when high rents displaces all but the affluent. how can neighborhood character flourish when the people who largely create this character are no longer there? what you are left with are pockets of beautiful old buildings and very little else. an empty husk.
where is the outrage over what Marc Jacobs has done to bleecker street? he is opening his..is it 7th or 8th...store in the biography book location. does he not realize the consequences of what he is doing? why is this, and other examples of total irresponsibilty completely overlooked in the media?
why do blogs like Curbed and it's sister Racked report on these types of things as if it is totally normal to have 8 offshoots of a chain on one stretch of one street?
why do blogs like Lost City contribute to Curbed?
the pursuit of "old new york" is a fruitless task, at least as far as downtown goes. i say look uptown..the UES and UWS still feel like New York. it's not trendy or self conscious up there. sure there are chains, but for the most part it feels like a city at least, and not one shoppers paradise after another like downtown is at this point.
the only positive change in my opinion is the emergence of the art galleries on the LES. some of them are obnoxious of course, but overall its a welcome change over "five points/taxidermy chic" bars and boutiques.
a bit of a ramble this...
So, I don't know the full backstory here, but what, pray tell, was Bloomberg supposed to do about the closing of the Jay Dee Bakery? I don't like Bloomberg either, but this kind of criticism is just silly.
To answer Margaret's dad's question.... Request preservation, restoration, and creative adaptive reuse with the exploration of funding through tax incentives for historic properties, which would give the new restaurant business a sense of history and curb/interior appeal. This has successfully been conducted for many businesses and general historic properties countrywide. Despite funding potential, positive media attention, and the potential for community and citywide-based awards, the owner wasn't interested in its history, but at least he's permitting the caring, vision-minded AL party to salvage some of the historic features. They are also saving the owner on some demolition costs.
- Michael Perlman, Rego-Forest Preservation Council, Chair
Four Borough Preservation Alliance, Queens VP
OK, Rego-Forester, thanks for the response. However, I'm still not seeing what Bloomberg has do do with any of this. Historic preservation tax credits are provided by the state, not the city, for properties that are deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places based on their architectural or historical significance. Granted, I haven't seen the interior of this store, but the exterior is of marginal architectural quality (even the mosaics really aren't very good, or particularly interesting). The only thing of value here was the sign, and there's no way the owner could be expected to keep that, assuming that there's a 99.99999999% chance he wants to call his business something other than Jay Dee.
Again, if somebody could explain to me what Bloomberg could have done to alter this outcome, I'd love to hear it. While many people undoubtedly have pleasant memories of shopping at Jay Dee, there's no way this store could qualify for historic designation, either as a city landmark or for the National Register based on its architecture or history. None. Historic preservation isn't about saving everything--just the best stuff.
Margaret's Dad: The equation is simple to me. Sure, there's nothing specific Bloomberg could legally do to save the business, or any other classic business for that matter. But the tenor and tone of an administration comes from the top down. Bloomberg has made it clear he's pro-development and not much interested in preservation. He supports the enterprises of the wealthy and casts small independent businesses to the winds. People see when his priorities lie and behave accordingly. And so the city goes, in one direction or the other.
One could just as easily say, what do the President have to do with the moral character of the nation. As a lawmaker, he has nothing to do with it at all. But he stands as an example, and no one could argue that the moral message sent by Bush was far different than the one sent by Obama.
OK, but what if the owner just wanted to close up his business and retire to Florida? Business owners have been doing this since the beginning of time, and that's life. Linking this to Bloomberg makes no sense at all.
Hey, by the way, I hear it's going to rain next week. I blame Bloomberg.
I'm sorry, Margaret's Dad. It's NOT linking this to Bloomberg and his policies, at least tangentially, that doesn't make any sense to me. Open your eyes. Look how you city is changing, and not for the better. It's happening with the tacit approval of the folks in charge.
Margaret's Dad: I am not saying, but do you realize how much reproducing those ravenna glass mosaics in a distinctive Art Deco motif would cost today? There are grants available, whether it be on city or state level, if the owner approved it, and if city or state was receptive in the first place. The community would thank any owner if they adaptively reused a historic site of any function. Name some other Art Deco style businesses remaining. Can't think of many.
Well, you've never bothered to explain how the closing of Jay Dee is linked directly or indirectly to Bloomberg and his policies, so I have no choice but to conclude that it's not. You can shout Bloomberg Stinks! all you want, but that's not going to convince anyone of anything.
So, it's Bloomberg's fault that this guy wanted to retire and close up shop. OK, that makes sense. Way to go with that.
Margaret's Dad: I have tried to explain how I think the demise of Jay Dee is indirectly related to Bloomberg and his policies. So has Rego-Forester. You don't have to agree, but it doesn't seem like you've tried to understand, or are interested in understanding.
This blog is an exercise in advocacy journalism. I'm in favor of preservation and retaining New York's historical character. If you're not interested in that mission, I suggest you read blogs more attuned to your mindset.
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