Gage and Tollner
Encyclopedia
Gage and Tollner was a restaurant on Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn
. It had been in business since 1879 and in the same location since 1892 until it closed on February 14, 2004. The Brownstone
where it was housed has been in existence since 1875.
style brownstone
building. The painted wood storefront was probably added in 1892 when the restaurant opened. It includes a portico
with modified Doric order
columns. The interior retains the original Victorian design including Lincrusta-Walton wall covering.
Gage and Tollner's began when Charles Gage opened an "eating house" at 303 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, in 1879. In 1880, Eugene Tollner joined him and the restaurant became known as Gage and Tollner's in 1882. The restaurant moved to 372-374 Fulton Street in 1892.
It attracted customers like Diamond Jim Brady, Jimmy Durante
and Mae West
. In the 1980s it was bought by Peter Aschkenasy who brought in famed chef Edna Lewis
. She helped "transform" the restaurant by adding her famed Southern cuisine, such as cornbread, catfish and a "legendary she-crab soup". Joseph Chirico, who owned the restaurant since 1995, made the hard decision to close the restaurant since "the business was dragging every day."
Shortly after it closed, T.G.I. Friday's
moved in. T.G.I. Friday's vacated the space in 2007. After gaining interior design approval from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
an Arby's franchise, owned by Raymond Chera, opened at the location on January 21, 2010. In August 2010, the Arby's franchise closed.
Currently, the space is unoccupied.
, cherry framed mirrors and tables made of mahogany.
Beginning in the fall of 1995, Chirico made some renovations and closed down the restaurant until April/May 1996. He said "he has tried to retain the historic flavor of the restaurant while providing modern amenities."
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982. The interior had been granted landmark status by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Downtown Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City , and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn...
. It had been in business since 1879 and in the same location since 1892 until it closed on February 14, 2004. The Brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
where it was housed has been in existence since 1875.
History
It was built about 1875 and is a four story late ItalianateItalianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
style brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
building. The painted wood storefront was probably added in 1892 when the restaurant opened. It includes a portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
with modified Doric order
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
columns. The interior retains the original Victorian design including Lincrusta-Walton wall covering.
Gage and Tollner's began when Charles Gage opened an "eating house" at 303 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, in 1879. In 1880, Eugene Tollner joined him and the restaurant became known as Gage and Tollner's in 1882. The restaurant moved to 372-374 Fulton Street in 1892.
It attracted customers like Diamond Jim Brady, Jimmy Durante
Jimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
and Mae West
Mae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
. In the 1980s it was bought by Peter Aschkenasy who brought in famed chef Edna Lewis
Edna Lewis
Edna Lewis was an African-American chef and author best known for her books on traditional Southern cuisine.-Early life and career:...
. She helped "transform" the restaurant by adding her famed Southern cuisine, such as cornbread, catfish and a "legendary she-crab soup". Joseph Chirico, who owned the restaurant since 1995, made the hard decision to close the restaurant since "the business was dragging every day."
Shortly after it closed, T.G.I. Friday's
T.G.I. Friday's
T.G.I. Friday's is an American restaurant chain focusing on casual dining. The company is a unit of the Carlson Companies. Its name is taken from the expression TGIF...
moved in. T.G.I. Friday's vacated the space in 2007. After gaining interior design approval from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The Commission was created in April 1965 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner following the destruction of Pennsylvania Station the previous year to make way for...
an Arby's franchise, owned by Raymond Chera, opened at the location on January 21, 2010. In August 2010, the Arby's franchise closed.
Currently, the space is unoccupied.
Interior
It had 36 gaslamps, meaning it could stay open in a blackoutPower outage
A power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
, cherry framed mirrors and tables made of mahogany.
Beginning in the fall of 1995, Chirico made some renovations and closed down the restaurant until April/May 1996. He said "he has tried to retain the historic flavor of the restaurant while providing modern amenities."
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1982. The interior had been granted landmark status by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission.