Burger King enters Spider-Verse; relics of a long-lost Empire State Building restaurant; an NJ ice cream parlor revived; an LA liquor store closed; a 1950s Carvel shines | Rolando's Roadside Roundup
Plus, America's 11 most-endangered places and many more headlines in my latest newsletter from the great American roadside.
Peter Parker of Forest Hills, Queens, has a Burger King about 20 minutes from him, in the neighborhood of Rego Park. But he’ll have to travel a little farther, to Astoria, Queens, where he can really “Have It His Way.” [MAP]
That Burger King has been transformed into a web-slinging immersive attraction tied to the release June 2 of the next film in the Spider-Man franchise, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”
The exterior of the recently renovated restaurant has been sheathed in a Spider-Man-themed wrapper, the main entrance encircled by a yellow portal inviting you to “Enter the Spider-Verse.”
Inside, as you can see from my photos, the Spider-Man theme continues, complete with a step-and-repeat for those who want to memorialize their visit with a special photo.
Other restaurants around the world are reportedly getting this so-called “immersive” treatment, including BKs in France, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil.
Beyond the instant photo op made expressly for social-media sharing – of which I am a willing but definitely uncompensated co-conspirator – hungry Spider-Man fans can expect to find, starting on May 15, a special red-bunned Whopper dotted with black sesame seeds as well as a Spider-Man sundae, topped with black-and-red chocolate candy bits. Even the Burger King paper crown has gotten a makeover, ensuring, I suppose, that you will be the ruler of your corner of the Spider-Verse.
It’s funny, I was about to post about this location, not because of the Spider-Man makeover – I stumbled upon that – but because they recently renovated the restaurant and installed the “retro” BK logo. The Retrologist was one of the first places to report on the rollout of this old-school look in 2020, months before the change was officially announced by Burger King.
That logo always brings a smile to my face, and, at this location, it tops a tall pole making it visible from the busy Grand Central Parkway near the Triboro (or RFK, as it is now officially called) Bridge. It’s clear why this location was chosen for the “Spider-Man” campaign.
Rare chance to see long-lost artworks that once graced an Empire State Building restaurant
It’s a Starbucks Reserve today, but once upon a time, a two-level space at the base of the Empire State Building on Fifth Avenue was home to an outpost of the elegant and long-defunct restaurant chain Longchamps.
In the late 1930s, artist Winold Reiss was commissioned to produce decorations for the chain, and one of his most notable creations graced a basement dining area of the Empire State Building Longchamps, in a space called the Salle Abstraite, or “Abstract Room.”
Patrons were fortunate to dine surrounded by eight breathtaking oval murals of Reiss’ design. The New York Times describes two recently identified surviving panels as “towering remnants of tropical décor from the young Empire State Building, which were believed to have vanished decades ago.”
One, called “Animation,” features a woman engulfed in a rich floral landscape, a leopard prowling all too close. The second features a similar scene, but with a snake, its serpentine theme presumably prompting the name “Temptation.” While seemingly ominous situations, neither woman seems particularly concerned by the dangerous animals in their midst. The murals emit a soothing air and are intoxicatingly beautiful.
Indeed, the space was gutted in the 1960s, when this Longchamps got a Mississippi riverboat/Mark Twain overhaul, and Reiss’ contributions, except for a rainbow-colored staircase that survived until recently, were believed lost.
It appears nobody knew the provenance of the surviving pair until they came to the attention of Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts, where a sharp-eyed gallerist found the works on 1stdibs.com. Goldberg himself (and later Reiss’ estate) confirmed their distinguished DNA, and the gallery snapped up the panels for a price in the “mid five figures,” reports the Times.
Just a couple of years ago, the pair had sold at an auction for low four figures, and as of today, they have been sold again. Although the gallery would not tell me how much they went for, the Times said they were priced in the “low seven figures.”
I’d hate to be the person who sold them for a song at the Showplace Auction House in 2020.
Them’s the breaks, huh?
At any rate, I stopped by the TEFAF New York art and design show at the Park Avenue Armory on Saturday expressly to see the ovals, as I was instantly enamored of them when I saw photos in The Times. The show continues through Tuesday, and if you happen to be in the area, I strongly urge you to do so, because this may be the last time John Q. Public ever gets a chance to appreciate them in person.
Aren’t they just beautiful? To think such opulence, with such artistic merit, once graced a chain restaurant? Where might the other six be? If these two were saved, it is hoped that some savvy or at least sentimental salvager in the 1960s rescued more. In the meantime, let’s at least revel in the miracle that these two beauties are still in the world.
Bischoff’s Confectionary, a beloved New Jersey ice cream parlor, revived as a pop-up six months after closing after 88 years
Back in December, I shared the sad story that Bischoff’s Confectionary, an 88-year-old ice cream parlor in Teaneck, New Jersey, was closing at the end of the year. The post is below:
Last scoop looms for 88-year-old ice-cream shop; McDonald's mansard survivor served death warrant; last chance to visit Neon Museum of Philadelphia | Rolando's Roadside Roundup
When an ice-cream shop makes it to the age of 88, with roots that go back to the late 19th century, you can be forgiven for thinking it won’t just melt away overnight. Alas, it is impossible to overstate how hostile the past three years have been for small businesses, drowning in the initial waves of COVID, coming up short in a labor shortage and robbed …
Well, I didn’t see this coming: Bischoff’s is coming back from the dead, with the owner, Steve Mather, teaming up with some buddies, including the owner of the popular New Jersey burger joint Rony's Rockin' Grill, to run a pop-up restaurant out of Bischoff’’s this summer.
They’ll be selling hamburgers and sliders as part of a limited menu, reports northjersey.com, and if things go well, they’ll invest in renovating the place and even install a fryer for things like fries and onion rings. In all its years, Bischoff’s never had a fryer!
While the candy counter won’t return, ice cream will be back, but in fewer flavors.
One of the things that convinced Mather to give the family business another go was the tremendous outpouring of love for the place as it was closing last December. He told northjersey.com:
"I always knew people loved it, but maybe I didn’t understand just how much. I mean I didn't think that people would wait three hours in line for two pints of ice cream — and do that in the rain.
Something tells me Bischoff’s will never want for love again. I await my first visit soon — it reopens May 29.
Terner’s Liquor, an icon of Sunset Strip, closes after 93 years
Alison Martino of Vintage Los Angeles broke the news that Terner’s Liquor has closed on Sunset Boulevard. The store isn’t just any liquor store.
Wrote Alison:
I had been preparing for this for a while, but I just realized NOTHING can prepare me, or the residents for this kind of colossal change. Why would City Council of West Hollywood allow such an assault on our citizens and neighborhood??? Look at that last photo. Nobody wants this! 😡
#theregoestheneighborhood.
I won’t even try to improve on that. Man, do I relate to this pain.
The liquor shop was a 93-year-old Los Angeles business, originally called Turner’s (with a U), and has had cameos in movies and TV shows, and is a part of the culture of Los Angeles, the vibe and the feel of the Sunset Strip.
Neighbors here, including The Viper Room, the nightclub with a long history — it’s where actor River Phoenix fatally overdosed on Halloween 1993 — will also be razed, all for a condo building of steel and glass.
Reports the WeHo Times:
The closure of Terner’s Liquor store comes as no surprise to West Hollywood residents who are bracing themselves for a mixed-used development of the entire block at 8850 Sunset Boulevard, which will also see the demise of the original Viper Room. The future site is slated for the south side of the Sunset Strip between Larrabee Street and San Vicente Boulevard.
And so it goes.
The Terner’s name will survive at another location in Los Angeles.
Sign Spotlight: The Carvel in Elmsford, New York
There’s been a Carvel here at this roadside stand in Elmsford, New York, since at least 1958, the chain's early days. Carvel traces its roots to the 1930s in nearby Hartsdale. (The original store is gone. I’ll do a long piece on Carvel for Memorial Day weekend.)
I love stopping at this Carvel. It was the closest one to me when I was a kid, and once upon a time, there was a drive-in theater across the street (where my parents perplexingly took me to see “The Exorcist” when I was 1-year-old), and a much-missed discount department store down the street, called Masters, which I often dream about. No kidding, I dream about it. I adored it. I can smell it, and walk every inch of it in my mind.
The one thing I always check when I visit this Carvel is the hand-painted sign for parking, placed on the side of the building.
I noticed it was special even when I was a kid, and every time I stop here, as I did with my parents last week, I check to see whether it’s still there.
Well, it is, and all is well with the world, at least in this little scoop of it.
Sign Spotlight: Rose Bowl Motel in Eagle Rock, California
My friend Steve Spiegel, over on his excellent Instagram page colorbyspiegel, posted the sad news that the wonderful neon sign for the Rose Bowl Motel in Eagle Rock, California, has been covered up.
Whyyyyy?
Here is my photo from a visit in 2016.
If you’re out his way, you can console yourself by visiting these other nearby beauties:
Cindy’s Restaurant is right across the street from the Rose Bowl Motel. My photo from 2016. [MAP]
The Islander Motel and its awesome neon sign is also down the street [MAP]
Casa Bianca Pizza Pie makes a nice photo stop — and it’s delicious in the ways you’d expect. My photo from 2016. [MAP]
Other spots nearby of interest include Walt’s Bar, Capri Club and the Queen’s Arms apartments.
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Notes From the Road
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has released its list of 11 most endangered places in 2023. Details can be found here.
Here is the list:
1.) Osterman Gas Station, Peach Springs, Arizona
2.) Little Santo Domingo, Miami, Florida
3.) Pierce Chapel African Cemetery, Midland, Georgia
4.) Century and Consumers Buildings, Chicago, Illinois
5.) West Bank of St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana
6.) Holy Aid and Comfort Spiritual Church, New Orleans, Louisiana
(aka Perseverance Benevolent and Mutual Aid Society Hall)
7.) L.V. Hull Home and Studio, Kosciusko, Mississippi
8.) Henry Ossawa Tanner House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
9.) Philadelphia Chinatown, Pennsylvania
10.) Charleston’s Historic Neighborhoods, South Carolina
11.) Seattle Chinatown-International District, Washington
I recently received a request to help plan a Montana retro vacation, and I just so happen to have a place you should hit here, in Butte. Alas, I missed the Peking Noodle Parlor during my trip last year, even though it was on my list! [Montana Public Radio]
Seltzer bottles on display at the City Reliquary in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. (Rolando Pujol) From time to time, we see a profile of the last old-school seltzer works in New York City, and here’s the latest one, in The Times. A good read. Now I (once again) want to sign up for seltzer-water delivery from the Brooklyn Seltzer Boys, once known as Gomberg Seltzer Works. (Though honestly, I just want an excuse to handle those exquisite vintage glass bottles every day. Seltzer of that level of pressure needs to be stored in robust glass bottles, and it should hurt a little when you drink it!) You probably will want home delivery, too, once you check out the piece. The newsiest tidbit in the article is that they’ve opened a museum there, and you can now visit!
The shuttered Vineland Municipal Electric Plant in Vineland, New Jersey, built in the 19th century, will be demolished, but the old scaffold neon sign will be preserved. The neon tubing will be swapped out for LED. [The Press of Atlantic City][MAP]
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears, for I have good news about the sign featuring the midnight ride of Paul Revere! A beloved sign showing the famed Revolutionary patriot, at the Revere Copper Products factory in Rome, New York, will be restored after being dark for about two decades. These are good times in the copper business — the metal is crucial in infrastructure for technology and for use in electric cars — and the pandemic was also a fiscal boon for the company. So the company is investing those extra dollars not only in workers — doling out raises and bonuses — but in the historic sign itself, creating a nonprofit organization to oversee its restoration. [Rome Sentinel]
Speaking of midnight rides, the Midnight Diner is reopening after a short ride — well, move — from its longtime in Charlotte, North Carolina. [WSOC]
A drawn-out battle to save a Pebble Beach, California, house designed by modernist architect Richard Neutra drags on, with the latest development a win for preservationists. [MSN]
The Fuller Coffee Shop in Portland, Oregon, was damaged in a fire back in February, but work is underway to reopen the classic greasy spoon, which opened in 1947 and moved to its current home in 1960. [Oregon Live]
You have until Wednesday, May 17, to bid on items from the shuttered Tastee Diner in Silver Spring, Maryland. I have dibs on the Maxwell House clock! [Montgomery County Media][Auction site]
With retro design flavor, a “big and better” Glo’s Diner us reopening in Seattle. [Capitol Hill Seattle Blog]
Burger Bob’s in Coral Gables, Florida, remains closed more than a year after shuttering amid cash-strapped pandemic-era woes. Will it ever reopen? [Miami Herald]
A tour of nostalgic watering holes in San Francisco. [San Francisco Standard]
Time to hop the pond to shoot these two great ghost signs in Bristol, England. [Bristol247]
The Miss Adams Diner in Adams, Massachusetts, could be reopening as early as this summer. [IBerkshires.com]
Dig in! A remarkable exhibition featuring rare menus is on display at Manhattan’s Grolier Club until July 29. Titled "A Century of Dining Out: The American Story in Menus, 1841-1941," the exhibit will get an in-depth treatment in my newsletter soon, as soon as I can make some time to visit! [Artnet]
The historic Casper’s restaurant in Springfield, Missouri, is about to open in its new home. [Springfield News-Leader]
In Orlando, a new restaurant opens in a historic old funeral home on a historic former pineapple farm. The restaurant is an homage to Old Florida. I’d really love to visit The Pinery soon! [Michelin Guide]
Curley’s parking lot next door is going away. (Rolando Pujol) Curley’s Diner in Stamford, Connecticut, is getting a tall neighbor. [Stamford Advocate]
The Cats roadhouse — with history dating back to 1896 — is reopening in Los Gatos (The Cats in Spanish), California. [The Mercury News]
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Great news about Bischoff’s!