Tavern On The Green

While reading the business section of the Boston Globe this morning, I saw a large picture of Tavern On The Green, an American Institution requiring no caption for recognition, as far as I'm concerned.

I was stunned when I read that tomorrow night, New Year's Eve, will be the restaurants last night serving, as on New Year's Day they will close. Forever.

When I was a kid, just a little girl with stars in my eyes, my Grandmother, Mother and Aunts took my girl cousins and me to one or the other of two places when we were visiting Grammy in Manhattan. They were the Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel, and Tavern On The Green. They did this because both places served High Tea, an important ritual of my grandmother's. A ritual that each generation of females in her family was expected to know how to comport ourselves during. Or to at least endure in a ladylike fashion. For as long Grammy lived.

We'd go to the greenhouse-like Tavern on the snowiest days in winter, and on the most beautiful of summer days. I vividly recall the first time that they brought us there. Aside from the fact that I was supremely uncomfortable in my Capezio's, and long curly hair that was supposed to be 'flowing' down my back, but was more likely stuck inside the collar of my dress, as I was used to Keds and ponytails; what I remember most are the glistening fairie lights, something that I'd never seen when it wasn't Christmas before, and it made me tingle all over. It made me want to laugh.

I remember walking into the main dining room for the first time, and stopping dead at the top of the steps. My mouth must have been open as Mama was signaling me, and then finally calling my name because I wasn't moving.

What I have since realized is that the gaudiest, almost circus like decor, was to me absolutely stunning. I'd never seen anything like it, and if this was what enduring High Tea with my snipey cousins meant, I was all for it!


As it had long been for my mother's family, The Tavern On The Green went on to be the place for me. Where all important celebrations were held, all that I had anything to say about anyway.


Other than the Waldorf, where the '400' (as New Yorkers referred to High Society in the early part of the 20th Century), continued to hold their annual Christmas Cotillian, aka Debutante Ball; and the P laza, where one of my daughters rebelled and chose to have her Christmas time wedding reception,  because the decorations were going to look nicer, and they did. However 'The Tavern' as it came to be known in my family and, I expect, many others, has always been my first choice.

Beginning with my own parent's wedding on December 26, 1953,The Tavern was the site of several family wedding receptions held in their Terrace Room, even some wedding ceremonies; including one of my daughters, and well, the first of my own (3) weddings. In fact, if you were a member of my generation, especially a girl, and you chose another place to hold your wedding reception, you had to be quite well prepared for the grilling that came from your parents and their's, regarding the merits of The Tavern, and it's history in our family.

It was the place where we celebrated all important birthdays, Grammy's 85th birthday party, and my 40th birthday surprise party were held there. Had I known about this impending debacle, I can say with absolute certainty that I'd have changed my mind about not making such a big deal of my birthday (yesterday) this year, and, as long as the party was there, I'd have set my vanity aside, and let them do it to me again as I turned 55.

The Tavern holds a great many LC Tiffany pieces, shades that hang from the ceiling; and in the bar, an enormous glass mural made by LC Tiffany himself for The Tavern itself. Now, all of the Tiffany peices, and many other beautiful and historical objects including Waterford and Baccarat chandeliers, are being auctioned off by Guernsey's Auction House, January 13-15th.

In 1973, Warner LeRoy took over the lease for The Tavern. Warner was the son of a producer of The Wizard of Oz. Until his death in 2001, Warner searched the globe for whimsical treasures with which to decorate The Tavern. There was also a bit of Oz in the Tavern if you looked. It made perfect sense that the marble and cement carvings of the lonely Lion and many of Oz' other characters were scattered about willy nilly. Warner had imagination; Warner also had a few of Oz' original props, it has been said that for a time he even had the Ruby slippers.

In spite of The Tavern's decor, whether people liked it or not, whether they felt it was a tourist trap or not, The Tavern was once the highest grossing restaurant in this country, plating more than 700,000 meals a year.

THE CEILING AT THE PALM COURT

The Plaza is partially a condominuim complex now, you can still have a wedding reception there if you like red, as the Grand Ballroom has been renovated with the use of many large red drapes. More importantly, the Palm Court continues to regale us with it's sumptous atmosphere and string quartet, it may be the one remaining place in the city where a 'decent' High Tea can be had.

Manhattan is changing. I wonder what my grandmother would think. She'd no doubt be scandalized by the very idea that while her building remains a landmark, FAO Schwartz and Rumplemeyer's are gone. Meaning that her poor great grandchildren won't have the experience of her legendary pre-Christmas torture outings to Best and Company (kid's department store, now long gone); where we had to sit in bumper seats to get our hair cut while Grammy supervised. Then the boys went one way for suits, and we went to the dress department and were fluffed and primped and turned in the velvet and taffeta creations that were to be our Christmas clothes, and we never ever walked out of that store without a new pair of Capezio's. The day of torture always ended at Rumplemeyer's Ice Cream Parlor (above), decorated with pink ticking wallpaper, teddy bears, whimsical lights, genuine ice cream parlor seating, and giant lollypops; and meant to sooth our terrified little minds with Whatever ice cream concoction a kid could dream up! 


As time marches on, and fate would have it, the 25 million dollar renovation on The Tavern is expected to commence in late January, so that it's new owner, Dean Poll of Loeb Boathouse fame, who may or may not use the original name (with it's estimated value of 19 million dollars); can start capitalizing on his new 20 year lease.

Perhaps The Tavern was a circus, one of a very special kind, as seen through the unjaded eyes of a little girl with Capezio's and long curly hair. Now the mother of five adults, and who, at the age of 51,  freaked out when FAO Schwartz closed it's 5th Ave store.



Each of these places of my childhood, hold dear, fanciful and certainly magnified memories; and, as I watch each establishment change hands, perhaps close, I feel a tug at my heart. They were special times, and I was a very lucky little girl. I suppose the price of the luxury of having known these places so well, is the sadness that I feel when they go away.

The Tavern is special. The icing on the cake for me, and will always be remembered by me as the Glass Fairie Land with gigantic Animals, and Walls of many colors, walls that my Uncle Joe told me were made of diamonds, emeralds and rubies (above).

So, today I'll call my cousin Susie and lament and laugh and share memories that are only so dear to us. I owe a great deal to these places, for they gave me the happiest days of my childhood, and I loved them dearly.