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Russian Tea Room
The Russian Tea Room is an Art Deco Russo-Continental restaurant, located at 150 West 57th Street (between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue), between Carnegie Hall Tower and Metropolitan Tower, in the New York City borough of Manhattan.
The Russian Tea Room was opened in 1927 by former members of the Russian Imperial Ballet as a cafe and chocolate store. At the time of its opening, the restaurant mostly served tea and catered to Russian artists, particularly ballet dancers. It became famous as a gathering place for those in the entertainment industry. The founder is often considered to be Polish-born Jacob Zysman, but in that year, a corporation directory lists Albertina Rasch as the president, and her name appears along with Russian Art Chocolate and Russian Tea Room, in early photographs of the shopfront at 145 West 57th Street.[citation needed]
In 1929, the business moved across the street to its present location, which at that time was an Italianate brownstone, built in 1875 by German immigrant John F. Pupke, a tea and coffee merchant, whose son later moved the large clan to Long Island, seeking a more relaxed lifestyle. By 1933, the Siberian émigré Alexander Maeef was running the Russian Tea Room and was the main personality associated with the restaurant for the next fifteen years.[citation needed]
A group of investors took over the Russian Tea Room in the 1940s. In 1955, the restaurant was purchased by Sidney Kaye, a former teacher, who acquired his partners' stakes. The Russian Tea Room's clientele originally consisted largely of musical personalities. After the New York Philharmonic moved from Carnegie Hall to Lincoln Center, Kaye declined an invitation to relocate his restaurant to Lincoln Center. As such, the restaurant began to serve theatrical and film personalities, publishers, journalists, fashion designers, and artists. The Russian Tea Room was long advertised as "just six minutes and 23 seconds from Lincoln Center and slightly to the left of Carnegie Hall" because of its proximity to both venues.
When Kaye died in 1967 at the age of 53, he left the restaurant to his widow, Faith Stewart-Gordon.
In 1981, Harry B. Macklowe, the developer of Metropolitan Tower immediately to the east, planned a large office tower that would have included the sites of the current Metropolitan Tower, Russian Tea Room, and Carnegie Hall Tower immediately to the west. If the three sites were combined, this could allow a 51-story tower with 1 million square feet (93,000 m2). Macklowe had offered Stewart-Gordon $12.5 million for the building's air rights in 1982. However, Stewart-Gordon refused several offers to acquire her building, so Macklowe withdrew his bid for the Carnegie Hall Tower site in 1983. Though Stewart-Gordon subsequently considered selling the restaurant building, she ended up not selling the building or its air rights to Carnegie Hall Tower's developers. As a result, Metropolitan Tower and Carnegie Hall Tower are only separated by the Russian Tea Room, which is 20 feet (6.1 m) wide.
The Russian Tea Room began hosting cabaret performances in the mid 1990s, hosting performers such as Karen Akers, Laurie Beechman, Andrea Marcovicci, Steve Ross, and Margaret Whiting during its first season.
Warner LeRoy, who owned Tavern on the Green, bought the restaurant in June 1995 for $6.5 million. His company LeRoy Adventures and Vornado Realty Trust, operated by Steven Roth, each obtained a 50 percent stake in the Russian Tea Room. LeRoy shortly announced plans to renovate the restaurant. At the time, the Russian Tea Room typically served 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) of beets, 2,647 lb (1,201 kg) of caviar, 43,860 lb (19,890 kg) of lamb, 15,867 lb (7,197 kg) of sour cream, and 5,884 L (1,294 imp gal; 1,554 US gal) of vodka per year. LeRoy hired David Bouley as the Russian Tea Room's executive chef in October 1995.
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Russian Tea Room
The Russian Tea Room is an Art Deco Russo-Continental restaurant, located at 150 West 57th Street (between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue), between Carnegie Hall Tower and Metropolitan Tower, in the New York City borough of Manhattan.
The Russian Tea Room was opened in 1927 by former members of the Russian Imperial Ballet as a cafe and chocolate store. At the time of its opening, the restaurant mostly served tea and catered to Russian artists, particularly ballet dancers. It became famous as a gathering place for those in the entertainment industry. The founder is often considered to be Polish-born Jacob Zysman, but in that year, a corporation directory lists Albertina Rasch as the president, and her name appears along with Russian Art Chocolate and Russian Tea Room, in early photographs of the shopfront at 145 West 57th Street.[citation needed]
In 1929, the business moved across the street to its present location, which at that time was an Italianate brownstone, built in 1875 by German immigrant John F. Pupke, a tea and coffee merchant, whose son later moved the large clan to Long Island, seeking a more relaxed lifestyle. By 1933, the Siberian émigré Alexander Maeef was running the Russian Tea Room and was the main personality associated with the restaurant for the next fifteen years.[citation needed]
A group of investors took over the Russian Tea Room in the 1940s. In 1955, the restaurant was purchased by Sidney Kaye, a former teacher, who acquired his partners' stakes. The Russian Tea Room's clientele originally consisted largely of musical personalities. After the New York Philharmonic moved from Carnegie Hall to Lincoln Center, Kaye declined an invitation to relocate his restaurant to Lincoln Center. As such, the restaurant began to serve theatrical and film personalities, publishers, journalists, fashion designers, and artists. The Russian Tea Room was long advertised as "just six minutes and 23 seconds from Lincoln Center and slightly to the left of Carnegie Hall" because of its proximity to both venues.
When Kaye died in 1967 at the age of 53, he left the restaurant to his widow, Faith Stewart-Gordon.
In 1981, Harry B. Macklowe, the developer of Metropolitan Tower immediately to the east, planned a large office tower that would have included the sites of the current Metropolitan Tower, Russian Tea Room, and Carnegie Hall Tower immediately to the west. If the three sites were combined, this could allow a 51-story tower with 1 million square feet (93,000 m2). Macklowe had offered Stewart-Gordon $12.5 million for the building's air rights in 1982. However, Stewart-Gordon refused several offers to acquire her building, so Macklowe withdrew his bid for the Carnegie Hall Tower site in 1983. Though Stewart-Gordon subsequently considered selling the restaurant building, she ended up not selling the building or its air rights to Carnegie Hall Tower's developers. As a result, Metropolitan Tower and Carnegie Hall Tower are only separated by the Russian Tea Room, which is 20 feet (6.1 m) wide.
The Russian Tea Room began hosting cabaret performances in the mid 1990s, hosting performers such as Karen Akers, Laurie Beechman, Andrea Marcovicci, Steve Ross, and Margaret Whiting during its first season.
Warner LeRoy, who owned Tavern on the Green, bought the restaurant in June 1995 for $6.5 million. His company LeRoy Adventures and Vornado Realty Trust, operated by Steven Roth, each obtained a 50 percent stake in the Russian Tea Room. LeRoy shortly announced plans to renovate the restaurant. At the time, the Russian Tea Room typically served 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) of beets, 2,647 lb (1,201 kg) of caviar, 43,860 lb (19,890 kg) of lamb, 15,867 lb (7,197 kg) of sour cream, and 5,884 L (1,294 imp gal; 1,554 US gal) of vodka per year. LeRoy hired David Bouley as the Russian Tea Room's executive chef in October 1995.
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