Landmarks pans discount store’s hot-pink revamp of historic Gage & Tollner space
The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission Tuesday morning voted 7-0 today to deny an application to legalize already-made changes that hid the elegant details of the old Gage & Tollner restaurant at 372 Fulton St. behind hot-pink partitions and racks of costume jewelry.
The elegant restaurant, which opened in 1879 and moved to its most recent address in 1892,was known for its mirrors and plush interior; its gaslights, long after most places had replaced them with electric lights; and its seafood and Southern cuisine.
In its heyday, it attracted Broadway and Hollywood stars like Jimmy Durante, Mae West and Fannie Brice. The city’s Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) declared its exterior a landmark in 1974, and landmarked its interior in 1975.