 |
|
LUCHOW'S RESTAURANT Luchow's was a German restaurant founded by Guido August Luchow in 1882, when the Academy of Music across the street was at the heart of the city's theater district. After remodelling in 1914, the former beer saloon became famous, drawing tourists as well as theatrical and musical celebrities. It survived Prohibition and the decline in the neighborhood's fortunes as the theater district moved north to Times Square. Abbott chose not to isolate Luchow's unusual facade, which combined three nineteenth-century buildings with German Renaissance details. Instead, she used a hand-held camera to capture the busy street scene, including the new movie theater next door to the old restaurant. Luchow's did not survive the 1970s decline of Union Square, and by the 1980s, it was abandoned and surrounded by empty lots. Despite the efforts of preservationists, the restaurant was not granted landmark status and was demolished in 1995 after a suspicious fire. Return to the Middle East Side |