MIDTOWN, NY — A long empty plaza surrounding a Third Avenue building owned by the Durst Organization is getting a big upgrade.
Long barren, seemingly part of the neighboring sidewalk, the area surrounding 825 Third Ave., near East 50th Street, will finally be getting amenities, including the third location of Italian farm-to-table favorite, Rosemary’s.
Rosemary’s first opened in 2014 in the West Village and started moving uptown with its second Gramercy spot opened in 2021.
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This location will give them a solid Midtown foothold with an indoor corner dining room for 100, a private dining room for 22 and 40 seats at the bar — in addition to the 50 al-fresco seats in the re-designed plaza.
It’s all part of a $150 million renovation by the Durst Organization to the 40-story circa 1969 office tower, which also includes new tenant amenities, lobby, new HVAC and environmental upgrades and more, representatives said in an announcement.
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“New York has a unique opportunity to chart an exciting new course for commercial development that jettisons outdated constraints, humanizes the urban landscape and reestablishes the city as a leader in progressive urban development on the global stage,” said Rosemary’s founder Carlos Suarez of his decision to partner with The Durst Organization to open in Midtown.
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During a presentation in June to Community Board 6, Durst representatives laid out their plans for the 4,000-square-foot plaza, including new seating, plantings and a total repaving, which needs to happen before Rosemary’s can move in.
Because the building was built under the 1961 zoning rules, the plaza requirements were pretty sparse and didn’t call for any amenities like seating, landscaping or lighting.
The redesign and the open-air cafe both require the Department of City Planning to sign off, but at the Community Board 6 meeting, people were thrilled to learn of the plans of improvements to the empty corner of East 50th Street and Third Avenue.
“It’s a long time coming,” said Land Use and Waterfront Committee chair Sandra McKee.
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