At first it was “au revoir” – and now it’s “ni hao!”
The historic building at 3 E. 52nd St. in Manhattan that housed the iconic La Grenouille restaurant for the past six decades has been sold by a family member for $14.3 million to a shell company — one called 8162024, LLC — The Post has learned.
The deed for the agreement has not yet been filed with the city’s Finance Department. Sources say the storied space will become a Chinese restaurant, or an establishment that focuses on other Asian cuisine.
The 6,200-square-foot, three-story, cottage-like property was marketed by the partnership of Perry Rothenberg of Creative Leasing Concepts, Peter Howard of Oxford Property Group NY and Joseph Caputo of Exit Premier Real Estate. Earlier this year, the three agents also sold the Frechette restaurant building at 241 West Broadway for $15.3 million.
They declined to comment on the buyer.
According to the Daytonian’s Manhattan blog, the storybook cottage facade at the front of the restaurant was slapped on a former stable circa 1913 and then used for the owner’s interior decorating firm. In 1920 the property had the Elm Tree Tea Room at street level with Primrose House face creams sold upstairs. It became a luxury clothing store until 1940, when it housed a nightclub and then another French restaurant, La Vie Parisienne, which was banned by the city for non-payment of taxes.
Back then in the mid-1940s, the upstairs was artist Bernard Lamotte’s studio, which hosted the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Marlene Dietrich. Lamotte had created murals for the French restaurant, Le Pavillon at the 1939 World’s Fair – the inspiration for Daniel Boulud’s new spot – and where one of the new chefs was Charles Masson, also an artist.
The two bonded and in 1962, Masson and wife Gisèle took over the building and founded the beloved French restaurant La Grenouille, which quickly became a hot spot for jet-setters and celebrities. Its red and gold mirrored dining area hosted fashionistas – such as Yves Saint Laurent and Diane Von Furstenberg – along with singers such as Frank Sinatra, Madonna, Rod Stewart and Prince.
It was a “veritable who’s who of the most beautiful and famous in the world,” as Philippe Masson, its most recent owner, wrote on Instagram after announcing the closure last month.
After his father’s death in 1975, son Charles Masson Jr., Philippe’s older brother, assisted his mother and, in 2000, took over completely. At that time, he filled the dining room with flowers and improved the Old World-style menu to make it appealing to young people.
But in 2014, after Philippe began managing the restaurant for unclear reasons and began singing inside during evening cabarets, The Post reported that the change alienated his most loyal customers.
A doorman at a nearby Midtown hotel, who did not want to be identified, previously told The Post, “No one has ever asked me for a reservation there in 10 years — not one.”
After Gisèle died in 2014, the IRS levied an estate tax lien in April 2021 for $1.87 million owed from 2013 and again in June of this year for $1.67 million in taxes owed from 2014, according to public records — with likely as a result of her declining health at the time and transition to Philipe’s leadership.
The space was closed during COVID and again for several months last year, allegedly due to a gas leak — all before reopening this January to thin crowds. Around that time, it was listed for sale for $15 million.
Despite the brothers’ issues, in May of last year Charles, with an address in West Palm Beach, mortgaged $3.17 million to his brother, who had already borrowed $4 million from another source that January. according to public records.
Philippe, in the closing post on Instagram, said that despite all the issues, he would “explore new grounds and follow other dreams”.
#Exclusive #historic #building #housed #beloved #French #restaurant #Grenouille #sale #million #heres
Image Source : nypost.com