New York City on Thursday demolished an elaborately decorated $25,000 outdoor dining shed belonging to the artsy Manhattan hotspot.
“This is all we live for. Mimi Blitz of restaurant and art gallery Pinky’s Space said she was ‘not at all warned’ that a building decorated with disco balls and neon lights would be demolished by Department of Transportation officials. I claimed. .
“I am very emotional about it.”
The city inspected the 30-foot shack on East First Street and First Avenue earlier this month, but said nothing about plans to demolish it, she said.
According to Blitz, they only instructed her to dispose of the “non-food related” vending machines and pick up a trash can that intruded six feet into the amenity zone between the shed and the sidewalk.
She quickly removed the machine and admitted that she was unable to move the trash can because some movers did not show up.
But she said when DOT workers arrived to demolish the shed on Thursday, they never cited this as a reason for the demolition — in fact, they never gave her a reason.
“They wouldn’t tell me why. They said they had an order from the city to remove this,” Blitz said.
Workers removed everything from the hut’s wooden beams and artificial grass to decorative chandeliers and a small garden.
She got very angry and tried to stop them, but the police threatened to arrest her.
“The police said if you don’t move you will be arrested. They said the structure is collapsing or the structure is collapsing and they will arrest you,” she said.
According to the DOT, the owner had received three separate warnings for shed violations and removal from August.
“Open restaurants have saved the industry during the pandemic and made our streets more vibrant public spaces,” said DOT spokesperson Vincent Barone.
“As we create a permanent program, we will continue to remove abandoned huts or huts with a history of egregious violations to address quality of life complaints.
The city has already removed dozens of outdoor dining establishments in recent weeks and said it was considering further regulations for those remaining two years after the pandemic set the trend.
The crackdown has prompted some Manhattan neighbors to accuse the structure of attracted rodents As a result, the streets became desolate.
“We were still struggling with the pandemic, but we’re making it work. And someone will come and pick it up for no reason,” she said.
She said she now hopes the city will replace the colorful huts.
“We want our space back,” she said. “It was built with love and care.”
The Department of Transportation did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday.