Nothing gold can stay, but sometimes it can relocate.
Such is the case with Park Slope’s beloved Puppetworks, a stalwart marionette theater that has held down the corner of Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue since 1991.
Even as the neighborhood has transformed around it, Puppetworks has loyally maintained its presence, entertaining generation after generation of children with puppetry magic in its storefront space. And then, after over three decades, this spring it was announced that the building was being sold to a developer, and the institution’s lease would soon be up.
Ronny Wasserstrom, a puppeteer with Puppetworks since the mid-90s, was rather shocked about the closure.
“I just can’t believe it. I just know this place in a certain way, and in a short while it’ll be bereft of all the things around us.”
He said he is hopeful that, in the process of moving, he finds “money I lost, hidden somewhere,” he said.
“That’d be great.”
But in what is about the happiest fairy-tale twist this town is capable of, the theater found a new home in Industry City. Puppetworks plans to open there with “Hansel & Gretel” this September.
“We looked at lots of different venues, but we found that Industry City just had all the things that we needed, plus a desire to have us there, and just this wonderful energy,” said stage operations manager Jamie Moore, although she will of course miss the current space. “I’m gonna miss the neighbors we have, walking out the back door and talking to people that live in the area. It’s been our home for such a long time. It’s gonna be an adjustment to the new space.”
In addition to Puppetworks, here are other notable New York comings and goings from recent weeks and, in the case of stories previously not widely reported, months.
Openings
Lost Borough Ice Cream, 4791 Broadway, Inwood
Popular Yonkers ice cream spot Lost Borough has opened a 500-square-foot second location in Upper Manhattan. The sweet treat purveyor was founded by a school psychologist and a social worker and is known for its funky frozen flavors, like taro, grapenut and coconut sorbet. It also slings cookies and banana pudding.
Bleecker Bell, 163 Bleecker St., Greenwich Village
The team behind Café Wha? is opening a 200-capacity live music venue in Greenwich Village. The space was previously a Chinese restaurant that was badly damaged in a fire. Bleecker Bell will see the original building’s ground floor and load-bearing perimeter walls maintained, the rest built anew.
Public passageway, 461 West 125th St., West Harlem
Where once there was a Citarella, then an empty storefront, and eventually, after the building was torn down, a large pit, there is now a landscaped walkway. It offers a scenic shortcut between Amsterdam and Morningside avenues. The passageway is intended to reflect “the power of community collaboration and public-private partnership,” as Comptroller Mark Levine put it following the ribbon cutting this July. Most importantly, though, it’s a quick way to get to 126th Street.
Closings
Pearl Diner, 212 Pearl St., Financial District
After over six decades serving Manhattan, the Financial District’s Pearl Diner quietly shuttered earlier this summer. The eatery had been open since 1962, slinging hearty classics from its delightfully Americana pre-fabricated Kullman Dining Car. It’s had numerous close calls with closure before but managed to weather every storm – until now.
Sirico’s, 8023 13th Ave., Dyker Heights
In Dyker Heights, this classic, columned, and carpeted catering hall made it over the century mark before suddenly shuttering at the end of May. “It is with great sadness that we have come to this conclusion,” reads the 101-year-old venue’s website. “It is also with great happiness that we remember all the wonderful events that were held here at Sirico’s.”
Francis Kite Club, 40 Avenue C, East Village
After less than five years, the combination bar/club closed up shop on Aug. 1. “We will miss the space but in good news, we are considering a relocation. So stay tuned!” reads a statement on Francis Kite Club’s website, adding that while hopeful of finding a new space, the social pub’s memberships will be paused in the interim.
Jamaica Bay Riding Academy, 7000 Shore Pkwy., Bergen Beach
For over 50 years, the Jamaica Bay Riding Academy has offered New Yorkers the unique opportunity to ride horses on the beach and along miles of manicured trails in a very specific and arguably surreal corner of Brooklyn off the Belt Parkway. But no more: Just before the start of summer, the facility closed its doors to its over 400-acre facility. The Academy’s approximately 50 horses have mostly found new homes.