A regular reader sent me this photo. During a road trip through Wyoming, he found the onetime SoHo institution, the Moondance Diner, in its new setting. Quite a picture, isn't it, in its stark solitude. Hate to say it, but it looks more at home there than it ever did on Sixth Avenue. It must seem like a veritable oasis to the lonely travelers who find it.
When I first heard the name Michael Perlman, in connection to the saving and relocation of the Moondance Diner, I thought, "Oh, some crusty old preservationist has come to the rescue. Good." I picture a grizzled old Villager with a beard, wire-rim glasses and sandals, smoking cigarillos. When I heard Perlman's name again, in connection to the relocation of the Cheyenne diner to Red Hook, I thought, "Gee, this guys gets around. And he gets things done!" Soon I found out he was a boychik of 25 from Queens! What gives? I usually don't do interview on this blog, but I had to find out the story behind Gotham's littlest preservationist. I shot him a few questions, and he sent me back following long, but very earnest and sincere answers.
Lost City: Are you a native New Yorker? If not, when did you move here?
Michael Perlman: I am a native New Yorker. I grew up in Forest Hills, NY, and proudly reside there to this day. Several generations of my family have as well, so I intend to further that legacy.
LC: How did you get so interested in diners? What is it about New York's freestanding diners that you find so worth saving?
MP: Historic freestanding diners are becoming an "endangered species" today at an alarming rate, but to our advantage, they were factory-built and pre-assembled, and therefore manufactured to move. Diners are among the "ultimate public institutions" which harbor countless memories and bridge the generations. They brought together individuals of various occupations in a cozy and striking ambiance. Diners are places where memories come alive, and traditionally, patrons from various classes would casually sit side by side, and converse freely on just about any topic. Being that freestanding railway car-inspired diners shaped NYC communities, and initiate bold flavor, their loss is often most heartfelt. They are a preservation priority.
LC: How did you find the buyer for the Moondance?
MP: I formed the Committee To Save The Moondance Diner in Feb 2007. I convinced Extell Development who owned the land, to reconsider their position on demolishing it for a condo. I figured, "Why not pick it up and move it?" I encouraged them to donate it to the RI-based American Diner Museum, in exchange for a tax write-off. ADM sold it to a couple in Wyoming by posting it on their website with my help.
LC: How did you realize the Red Hook move for the Cheyenne?
MP: In the tale end of March, AM-NY informed me that Manhattan's Cheyenne Diner was closing on April 6th, and would likely be jackhammered into oblivion for a condo. That was when I immediately stepped right up, formed the small but determined "Committee To Save The Cheyenne Diner," and submitted a proposal to property owner George Papas. Thankfully, he seemed enthusiastic about meeting with me, and responded to my written proposal the very same day. After devising a figure of $7,900 with Papas, and generating press coverage, prospective buyers numbered 24 within a record-breaking two weeks. Most contacted me via e-mail, and a few by phone. They came from as far as Indiana, Cheyenne WY, Ohio, CT, NJ, & Upstate NY. Most parties of interest came from the five boroughs. [Red Hook developer] Mike O'Connell was the winner, since it was basically a first-come, first-serve basis. They agreed upon $5,000, considering the rigging costs, cost for securing permits, and lot acquisitions, and restoration that excitingly awaits. I am informing the 23 parties that lost out, about the remaining few classic freestanding diners that are in jeopardy (in NYC and one in Paramus, NJ).
LC: You're pretty young for a preservationist. What drives you?
MP: In summer 2005, I was passing by the Trylon Theater at 98-81 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, and it was heartbreaking to see contractors taking jackhammers to its mosaic tile ticket booth which memorialized the Trylon monument. The entrance pavilion's mosaic and terrazzo floor also depicted the Trylon monument, but has since been cemented over. The Art Deco theater was built during the 1939 World's Fair (which took place nearby in Flushing Meadows), and the Trylon and Perisphere were the signature monuments. This fueled my preservation efforts, and also awakened the dormant preservationist in many community residents, amongst other supporters. Now I Chair Rego-Forest Preservation Council (est. 2006), which advocates for Individual Landmarks and Historic Districts in Rego Park & Forest Hills.
LC: What's your next mission?
MP: My next mission is preserving the historic Ridgewood Theatre (55-27 Myrtle Ave, Queens, NY) shuttered in March, marking the end of its consistent nearly 92-year run as a first-run theater. It is considered by theater historians to be the longest continuously operating neighborhood theater citywide, and potentially throughout the U.S. The theater was purchased last year by real estate agent Tony Montalbano of Montalbano Realty Corp. In March, when the theater was closed without notice, a vinyl banner went up around the marquee, stating "Retail space available in Ridgewood Theatre." Even though the owner is advertising retail for the two ground floor theaters, and considering the reopening of the upper floors' screens for showing films, many locals would favor adaptive & creative reuse of the ground floor, involving the performing arts. Otherwise, portions of the interior may be gutted without respect to its history, and the facade may be altered rather than restored, if worse comes to worse. A typical retail establishment can open almost anywhere, and considering the theater's history, it deserves much better! I am trying to find a historically-sensitive performing arts-related tenant or two for the owner, and if anyone is interested or knows of a potential investor, I encourage them to contact me ASAP.
I am also dedicating much of my time towards surveying Forest Hills & Rego Park for potential Individual Landmarks & Historic Districts, since we have a history dating back to 1906, but the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission only designated 2 sites in Forest Hills, and has been turning a blind eye.
The NYC Department of Building, not content with green-lighting scads of ugly super-developments and looking the other way while developers skirt zoning laws and knock down a landmark structure here and there, have started filled out their schedule throwing roadblocks in the way of people who independently try to preserve New York architectural culture.
The Daily News reports that the City bureaucracy has put the brakes of the plans of that nice Wyoming man who wants to cart the Moondance Diner off to the Equality State. Vincert Pierce bought the eatery, one of NYC's last free-standing diners, with the idea of bringing the thing to the small town of LaBarge, which badly needs an address at which to chow down on burgers and such.
The move has been put off for at least 24 hours, because, said a city Buildings Department spokesman, the dept. needs a "clarification" from the new owner "explaining how he plans to move the diner and demolish the foundation." (Definition: The rich guy who wants to develop the property called the City and asked them to put the squeeze on Mr. Wyoming, because he doesn't want to get stuck paying for the destruction of the foundation.)
"Disappointed - I don't know. It's frustrating," said Pierce. We know how you feel, Vince.
Well, whaddaya know? The Moondance Diner has been saved. But I'm never going to see it again. Because it's going to Wyoming!
La Barge, Wyoming, to be exact, population 493. Vincent and Cheryl Pierce bought it from the American Diner Museum, that wishful-thinking, Rhode Island-based nonprofit museum-without-a-home. It was actually given to the ADM by Extell Development, which is developing the site where the Moondance sat in Soho. Nice of Extell. Why the museum sold what would be the prize possession of its tiny collection, I don't know. No place to keep it, I guess.
Anyway, I like this comment in the Sun article by the executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation: "It's an indication that the real estate market in New York, and particularly in Manhattan, is so superheated that anything that doesn't dedicate itself to the super luxury market does not seem to be able to survive."
Amen, brother.
The Moondance Diner—Soho landmark, employer of Jonathan Larson and Spiderman's girlfriend, last free-standing diner in Manhattan—finally closed on July 1, following months of press coverage about its imminent demise.
Condo builders, rejoice! You have triumphed again.
According to Metro, the structure won't be scrapped but shipped to a museum in the Keystone State. So we can visit it. But it doesn't sound like you could get cheese fries in a museum diner.
Manager Billy Genat said something fascinatingly peculiar: "You can see the sun through these windows now, but you won’t be able to see the sun anymore when the condos come. It will look like the triangle of the devil."
Triangle of the Devil. Right now it's called Avenue of the Americas. Think City Hall will approve a street name change?
There's an impassioned diner lover out there who's desperate to save the currently doomed Soho-based Moondance Diner, which has a date with the wrecking ball in May. He's looking for a moneyman to pick up the place, lock, stock and barrel, and move it somewhere else where the real estate market isn't so condo-crazy. He claims to be in cahoots with the American Diner Museum, which is an actual entity, but not one with an actual physical reality. It hopes to call Providence, Rhode Island home one day.
This from the diner website: "The Museum hosts conferences (Diner-Rama) across the country to increase awareness of diners, to bring together diner enthusiasts, and to share the plans and progress of the Museum. The most recent Diner-Rama was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in June 2001."
Now, I wholly support these preservationist souls in their mission. Nonetheless, I find the above quote completely hilarious. The Museum collection to date includes such things as: historical photographs, menus, matchbook covers, postcards, trade magazines, ashtrays and diner promotional items. But not one actual diner! So, the acquisition of the Moondance who be a boon.
I'd love to help these guys, but the tragedy of my life is I don't have the do-re-mi to preserve all the stuff I'd like to. Only rich dumbfucks have that jack, and, being dumbfucks, they just want to use it to tear good stuff down and put up cash-generating jerrybilt crapola.
Anyway, the man's post offers some illuminating details about the Moondance. It's NYC's oldest extant diner. Dates from 1933. "The diner was renovated over time, but retains several original and distinctive elements; chrome detailing, a 1920's barrel roof ceiling, wrap-around windows, counter & stools, and retro signage." Good to know.
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