The Loeb Boathouse, which opened in the 1950s and became a go-to dining destination within the park (plus a prime location for movie scenes like in When Harry Met Sally and The Manchurian Candidate), has closed down for the foreseeable future.
News about the iconic restaurant’s closure came from a filing released a few months ago by the New York State Department of Labor. It stated that the Central Park’s Loeb Boathouse Restaurant will officially close on October 16, 2022. And according to NBC New York, a sign confirming the shut down has been posted on the door. The sign reads
As of today, the Loeb Central Park Boathouse cafe, restaurant and row boats will be closed until further notice.
A quintessential NYC spot, Central Park’s Loeb Boathouse has a rich history, dating as far back as the 1860s, but the structure we know today officially opened in 1954 and is name for the investment banker and philanthropist Carl M. Loeb and his wife Adeline who donated $305,000 to help create it.
The landmark restaurant however has seen its final days as rising labor and costs of goods had caused a significant financial strain on the business, resulting in projected layoffs for 163 workers, reported the filing.
“The economics just don’t work anymore,” Dean J. Poll, owner of the boathouse told Patch. “The Boathouse is a beloved place in the city of New York, for New Yorkers and tourists alike — but the current economic situation does not permit it to sustain itself.”
And though billionaire Andrew Murstein offered $6 million to keep the restaurant afloat past the fall, the city rejected the offer after deeming it still wasn’t enough, shared the New York Post.
The Boathouse had experienced a previous shut down at the beginning of the pandemic, but fortunately reopened in March 2021.
Devastated New Yorkers can only hope that there will be a comeback this time around.