The Water Club (restaurant)
{{Short description|Defunct restaurant and event venue in New York City}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox restaurant
| name = The Water Club
| logo =
| logo_width =
| logo_alt =
| image = File:Water Club.jpg
| image_width =
| image_alt =
| image_caption = The restaurant's exterior in 2010
| pushpin_map =
| map_width =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| slogan =
| established = {{Start date|1982}}
| closed = {{End date|2024}}
| current-owner =
| chef =
| head-chef =
| food-type = American (traditional) cuisine and seafood
| dress-code =
| rating =
| street-address = 500 East 30th Street
| city = New York
| county =
| state = New York
| postcode = 10016
| country = United States
| coordinates = {{Coord|40.740375|-73.972375|format=dms|type:landmark_region:US-NY|display=inline,title}}
| seating-capacity =
| reservations =
| other-locations =
| other-information =
| website =
}}
The Water Club was a restaurant and event venue on two barges moored on the East River at East 30th Street in Kips Bay, in Manhattan, New York City. Located on the stretch of waterfront between the East 34th Street Heliport and Waterside Plaza, the venue served classic American cuisine and seafood; it overlooked Long Island City, Queens and Greenpoint, Brooklyn across the river.{{cite web |access-date=June 27, 2012 |work=The New York Times |title=Restaurant Review: The Water Club |author=Reichl, Ruth |date=December 23, 1994 |url=http://events.nytimes.com/mem/nycreview.html?_r=1&res=9405E4D61E38F930A15751C1A962958260}}{{cite web |access-date=June 27, 2012 |work=Serious Eats |date=July 15, 2010 |author=Solares, Nick |title=The Art of the Lunch Deal: The Water Club |url=http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2010/07/the-art-of-the-lunch-deal-the-water-club-manhattan-review.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626104410/http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2010/07/the-art-of-the-lunch-deal-the-water-club-manhattan-review.html|archive-date=June 26, 2012}} In the mid-1980s, The Water Club was the tenth largest grossing restaurant in the United States.
History
=Development and opening=
The establishment of the venue—the first waterfront restaurant in Manhattan—traces back to a request for proposals for waterfront development issued by New York City in 1978 for a restaurant and a public promenade on the site, which was previously occupied by two parking lots.{{cite news |last=Mindlin |first=Robert |date=January 28, 1979 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/staten-island-advance-city-hopes-to-revi/157979848/ |title=City hopes to revitalize waterfront |work=Staten Island Advance |access-date=October 28, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news |last=McCallister |first=Jared |date=November 19, 1982 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122128440/new-restaurant-in-hot-water-with-union/ |title=New restaurant in hot water with union |work=New York Daily News |page=188 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=April 2, 2023}} The following year, MDO Development Corporation signed a 25-year lease agreement with the city to construct and operate the restaurant.{{cite web |date=February 9, 2011 |url=https://a860-gpp.nyc.gov/downloads/5999n3677 |title=Audit Report on the Compliance of MDO Development Corporation With Its Lease Agreement |publisher=New York City Office of the Comptroller |page=1 |access-date=September 11, 2024}} The venue was developed by Michael D. (Buzzy) O'Keeffe, who owned The River Café in Brooklyn and had prior experience with the challenges associated with opening a waterfront restaurant in New York City.{{cite news |last=Toscano |first=John |date=May 4, 1979 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-a-new-kind-of-sea-food-on-men/156957593/ |title=A new kind of sea food on menu for Manhattan |work=New York Daily News |access-date=October 11, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news |last=Lewis |first=John |date=May 15, 1983 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-riverside-reverie-made-waves/156769594/ |title=Riverside reverie made waves |work=New York Daily News |access-date=October 8, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}}
File:Water Club River View.jpg
Built at a cost of $5.2 million, the venue consisted of two {{convert|110|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} former lumber barges moored in the East River and was connected by ramps to a structure on land that contained the kitchen, a bar and lounge, and a two-story glass lobby with a staircase leading to an outdoor bar on the rooftop.{{cite magazine |date=September 20, 1982 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4OcCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA106 |title=Restaurants: The Water Club |magazine=New York |page=106 |access-date=September 11, 2024 |via=Google Books}} The restaurant included a parking lot with valet parking on the bulkhead to the north of the venue, along a waterfront promenade with landscaping and benches designed by M. Paul Friedberg.{{cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Gael |authorlink=Gael Greene |date=February 28, 1983 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ItgBAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA72 |title=Barge It |magazine=New York |page=72 |access-date=September 11, 2024 |via=Google Books}}{{cite aia5|page=255}} The promenade was developed as a required public amenity and forms a section of the East River Greenway.{{cite web |date=Spring 1995 |url=https://www.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/community/197a-plans/manhattan_waterfront_197a.pdf |title=Comprehensive Manhattan Waterfront Plan |publisher=Office of the Manhattan Borough President |pages=74–75 |access-date=September 11, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/maps-geography/waterfront-access-map/mn_waterclub.pdf |title=The Water Club Esplanade |website=New York City Department of City Planning |access-date=September 11, 2024}} The south barge (used for private parties) first opened on September 9, 1982, and was followed by the restaurant in the north barge, which opened a few weeks later on September 28th.
The following summer, O'Keeffe decided to expand the venue, adding a third {{convert|140|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} barge filled with 200 tons of sand that functioned as an artificial beach for the use of restaurant patrons that had lounge chairs, umbrellas and a bar. Although he had envisioned the beach barge to be open each summer and towed away for winter storage, the beach only lasted for one week because O'Keeffe had failed to apply for a permit to dock the barge, which was ordered to be towed away by the city's Department of Ports and Terminals, which leased the property to the restaurant.{{cite news |last=O'Shaughnessy |first=Patrick |date=August 18, 1983 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-east-side-ipanema/156769700/ |title=East Side Ipanema |work=New York Daily News |access-date=October 8, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news |last=Moses |first=Charles T. |date=August 24, 1983 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-red-tape-beaches-barge/156769797/ |title=Red Tape Beaches Barge |work=Newsday |access-date=October 8, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}}
=Operation=
Just a few months after the restaurant opened, The Water Club made headlines when it refused to serve Mimi Sheraton, the food critic for The New York Times. Sheraton had eaten at the restaurant unnoticed the first time she dined at the venue, but was recognized when she returned for dinner with four guests on December 30, 1982. It was the first time she had been refused service by a restaurant. In a news conference that followed the incident, O'Keeffe explained that he decided exclude the food critic because he thought her reviews were inaccurate and was particularly unhappy about the one-star rating that she gave his River Café in Brooklyn.{{cite news |last=Sheraton |first=Mimi |authorlink=Mimi Sheraton |date=January 7, 1983 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/07/arts/restaurants-time-of-change-in-chinese-kitchen.html |title=Restaurants; A la carte |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 11, 2024}}{{cite news |last=Schwartz |first=Jerry |date=January 9, 1983 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-restauranter-ejects-tim/156797639/ |title=Restauranter ejects Times' Mimi Sheraton |work=The Journal News |agency=Associated Press |access-date=October 8, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}} In 1988, O'Keeffe hired Richard Moonen to serve as the restaurant's head chef, where he remained until 1994.{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Bryan |date=July 22, 1988 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/22/arts/diner-s-journal.html |title=Diner's Journal |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 11, 2024}}{{cite news |last=Fabricant |first=Florence |authorlink=Florence Fabricant |date=August 3, 1994 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/03/garden/off-the-menu.html |title=Off the Menu: Water Club Chef is leaving |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 11, 2024}}
The Water Club was located in a prime viewing spot for the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks usually held over the East River;{{cite news |last=Stasi |first=Linda |date=April 20, 2014 |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2014/04/20/stasi-presidential-polls-make-race-for-white-house-a-fantasy-fit-for-game-of-thrones/ |title=Fireworks Snow Job |work=New York Daily News |access-date=September 11, 2024}} the venue had been used during the event as a command center for the fireworks show,{{cite news |last=Hackett |first=Thomas |date=July 2, 2000 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-ny-skyline-is-tops-for-opsa/156797726/ |title=N.Y. skyline is tops for OpSailors |work=New York Daily News |access-date=October 8, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}} a filming location for its broadcast on television,{{cite news |last=McCann Fenton |first=Matthew |date=June 27, 1999 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-view-masters/156797823/ |title=View Masters |work=New York Daily News |access-date=October 8, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}} and private receptions for Macy's guests.{{cite news |date=June 22, 1989 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-macys-to-hail-man-on-moon-on/156797908/ |title=Macy's to hail man on moon on 4th of July |work=New York Daily News |access-date=October 8, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news |date=May 19, 1994 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-sound-bites/156798003/ |title=Sound Bites |work=New York Daily News |access-date=October 8, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}} The waterfront promenade built as part of the restaurant included {{convert|396|ft|m}} of docking space that was used by private yachts, including vessels owned by Malcolm Forbes and Donald Trump for viewing the fireworks display on the 4th of July.{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Liz |authorlink=Liz Smith (journalist) |date=July 8, 1984 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-telling-the-russians-with-fir/156798090/ |title=Telling the Russians with firecrackers |work=The New York Daily News |access-date=October 8, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news |date=May 25, 1988 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-slippery-problem-is-put-out-to-s/156798172/ |title=Slippery Problem Is Put Out to Sea |work=New York Daily News |access-date=October 8, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite web |url=https://thewaterclub.com/new-york-dock/ |title=Yachts and Boats |website=The Water Club |access-date=September 1, 2023 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901115819/https://thewaterclub.com/new-york-dock/ |archive-date=September 1, 2023}}
File:Water Club Restaurant, New York City.jpg
In 2001, the restaurant's original lease agreement with the city was amended and the term was extended through 2030. The agreement was made through the city's Department of Small Business Services and administered by the Economic Development Corporation. In 2011, the New York City Comptroller issued a report alleging that The Water Club was understating its revenue by failing to record some cash sales; the property was leased from the city and a portion of the rent was determined by the amount of revenue.{{cite news|title=City audit of the Water Club reveals holes in the books|newspaper=The New York Times|first=James|last=Barron|authorlink=James Barron (journalist)|date=February 9, 2011|url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/city-audit-of-the-water-club-reveals-holes-in-the-books/?partner=rss&emc=rss|accessdate=July 27, 2012}} The restaurant had been previously accused of inaccurate record-keeping when its former manager was found guilty of embezzling $485,000 when he worked at The Water Club from 1983 to 1986; at that time it was the tenth largest grossing restaurant in the country.{{cite news |last=Glaberson |first=William |date=November 29, 1989 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/29/nyregion/water-club-s-ex-manager-guilty-of-embezzlement.html |title=Water Club's Ex-Manager Guilty of Embezzlement |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 11, 2024}}
Like its sister restaurant The River Café, The Water Club was heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, forcing its temporary closure for repairs.{{cite news |last1=Bellafante |first1=Ginia |title=Getting It Shipshape Again |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/nyregion/restoring-the-river-cafe-and-the-water-club.html |access-date=July 16, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=October 26, 2013}} The venue's event space reopened in May 2013, followed by the rooftop bar over the summer and the restaurant in October 2013.{{cite news |last1=Preston |first1=Marguerite |title=The Dining Room at The Water Club Reopens Tonight |url=https://ny.eater.com/2013/10/17/6350203/the-dining-room-at-the-water-club-reopens-tonight |access-date=July 16, 2021 |work=Eater NY |date=October 17, 2013 |language=en}}
The restaurant was later converted into a venue for private events. In 2021, O'Keeffe proposed adding a {{convert|24000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} high-end casino next to the venue, which drew opposition from some of the local residents.{{cite news |last1=Campanile |first1=Carl |last2=Kosman |first2=Josh |date=December 15, 2021 |url=https://nypost.com/2021/12/15/water-club-owner-wants-to-open-casino-on-nycs-east-river/ |title=Water Club owner wants to get rolling on NYC's East River with 'Monte Carlo' casino |work=New York Post |access-date=September 11, 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Rubinstein |first1=Dana |last2=Ferré-Sadurní |first2=Luis |date=March 30, 2022 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/30/nyregion/casinos-manhattan-licenses.html |title=A Casino Atop Saks? Lobbyists Push for Manhattan Gambling Site |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 11, 2024}}{{cite news |last=Kelly |first=Griffin |date=March 26, 2022 |url=https://nypost.com/2022/03/26/nyc-residents-say-water-clubs-planned-casino-is-a-bad-gamble/ |title=Kips Bay residents say Water Club's planned casino is a bad gamble |work=New York Post |access-date=September 11, 2024}} Subsequent to what was originally announced as renovations,{{Cite news |last=Cuozzo |first=Steve |date=2024-06-18 |title=NYC's iconic Water Club on East River remains indefinitely closed for 'renovations,' faces murky future |url=https://nypost.com/2024/06/18/business/nycs-iconic-water-club-on-east-river-remains-indefinitely-closed-for-renovations-faces-murky-future/ |work=New York Post |access-date=2024-09-22 |language=en-US}} The Water Club closed permanently in 2024 when the remaining time on the venue's lease was turned back over to the city.{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Kevin |date=August 27, 2024 |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2024/08/27/water-club-kips-bay-manhattan-buzzy-okeefe-nyc.html |title=Water Club permanently closed in Manhattan's Kips Bay neighborhood |work=New York Business Journal |access-date=September 5, 2024}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{commonscat-inline}}
- {{official website|http://www.thewaterclub.com/|The Water Club}}
{{Restaurants in Manhattan}}
{{Gramercy, Kips Bay, Stuyvesant Square}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Water Club, The}}
Category:Defunct restaurants in Manhattan
Category:Restaurants disestablished in 2024
Category:Restaurants established in 1982