Gage & Tollner, Landmarked Restaurant

"Gage & Tollner, named for the restaurateurs Charles Gage and Eugene Tollner, opened in 1879, and moved to its present location in 1892. As Brooklyn’s answer to Delmonico’s, the restaurant was an elegantly appointed dining temple that served seafood, chops and steaks, and it attracted celebrities like Mae West, Lillian Russell, Jimmy Durante and members of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The handful of owners who succeeded the originals were careful to preserve its Victorian atmosphere, though that became less of a choice than an obligation when the interior was declared a landmark in 1975.

Despite some cosmetic changes, the new interior won’t look too different. As stewards of dining history, the current owners had to approve every change and fix with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, including repair work on the original wooden revolving door; the laying of new floors (stained red oak downstairs, white oak upstairs); the replacement of the upholstered wall panels; the repair of the crumbling portico; and the polishing of the many brass chandeliers (a three-week process), which once dispensed both gas and electrical light. All told, restoration, infrastructure and equipment costs have totaled roughly $2 million." - NY Times

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