National Register of Historic Places

Gage and Tollner Restaurant

New York, Kings County, New York
Listed
June 2, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82003362

About this property

Gage and Tollner is an American cuisine restaurant on 372–374 Fulton Street in the Downtown Brooklyn neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Named for its initial proprietors, Charles Gage and Eugene Tollner, the restaurant occupies the lowest two stories of a converted four-story brownstone residence. The restaurant building, dating from the mid-1870s, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and its facade and interior are New York City designated landmarks. As of 2021, St. John Frizell, Sohui Kim, and Ben Schneider operate the restaurant, with Kim as the head chef. The restaurant opened in 1879, when Charles Gage opened a restaurant at 302 Fulton Street, and was named Gage & Tollner's in 1882. Gage & Tollner's moved to 372–374 Fulton Street around 1889 and soon became a popular restaurant for judges, politicians, and businessmen. A.H. Cunningham and Alexander Ingalls took over the restaurant's operation in 1911, and the Dewey family operated the restaurant for nearly seven decades starting in 1919. A partnership led by Peter Aschkenasy bought Gage and Tollner in 1988. Joseph Chirico operated the restaurant from 1995 until 2004, when the restaurant closed. The Gage and Tollner space was then occupied by various other stores during the 2000s and 2010s. Following a crowdfunding campaign in 2018, the restaurant reopened in April 2021. Although the restaurant building's exterior was designed in an Italianate style, the interior retains its original Victorian design, with a main dining room, a waiting room, and a second-floor cocktail lounge. The main dining room measures 90 by 25 feet (27.4 by 7.6 m) across and contains woodwork, arched mirrors, two bars, and a group of chandeliers with gas-powered and electric lights. The restaurant initially specialized in seafood, meat chops, and steaks, and it served a large variety of oyster dishes during the 20th century, pivoting to Southern fare in the 1980s. Gage & Tollner was also known for its waitstaff, who wore insignia on their uniforms to denote the length of their employment, and its clientele, which included Diamond Jim Brady, Truman Capote, Fanny Brice, Jimmy Durante, and Mae West. Over the years, the restaurant has been the subject of much commentary, both for its architecture and for its cuisine and service.

Location

372 Fulton St.
New York, Kings County, New York
40.69131, -73.98770

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters
Industrial
0.1 mi
Friends Meetinghouse and School
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0.1 mi
Offerman Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Borough Hall Subway Station (IRT)
Industrial
0.2 mi
Brooklyn Borough Hall
Industrial
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Raid on the New York Battery
1775Revolutionary War
1.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Gage and Tollner Restaurant listed on the National Register?

Gage and Tollner Restaurant was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 2, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Gage and Tollner Restaurant?

Gage and Tollner Restaurant is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Gage and Tollner Restaurant?

The period of significance for Gage and Tollner Restaurant is recorded as the industrial era.

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