Forest Hills and Rego Park residents reject developer’s
plan to demolish Tower Diner and Ohr Natan Synagogue
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Forest Hills and Rego Park residents
are speaking out against the
demolition of two historical buildings
on Queens Boulevard to make way for
a mixed-use development, which they
say does not fit the character of their
community.
During the Community Board 6
Land Use Committee virtual public
hearing held on Nov. 3, board members
and residents were presented with a
redevelopment plan to erect a 15-story
building on the triangular block of
the Trylon Theater that houses the
Ohr Natan Synagogue at 98-81 Queens
Blvd. and Tower Diner at 98-85 Queens
Blvd.
The public hearing is the first step
to getting the rezoning application approved.
It’s part of the Uniform Land
Use Review Process (ULURP) that
is used by the city to assess rezoning
applications.
The development plan
The applicant, RJ Capital Holdings
under Trylon LLC (via Rudy and
Michael Abramov), is seeking to construct
a 153,000-square-foot development,
which includes 144 total units
with 44 of those units as affordable
housing at an average of 80% Area
Median Income (AMI) under the city’s
Mandatory Inclusionary Housing
Program. The plan proposes 136,000
square feet for residential space and
17,400 square feet for commercial
space, with 45 parking spaces, including
bicycle parking on site.
Eric Palatnik, who’s representing
the developer, is requesting to rezone
the area currently under an R7-1 zone,
to an R8X zone, which would permit a
higher building height that produces
15- to 17-story apartment buildings.
The height requirement for R7-1
districts encourages lower apartment
buildings on smaller zoning lots and,
on larger lots, taller buildings with
less lot coverage. As an alternative, developers
may choose the optional Quality
Housing regulations to build lower
buildings with greater lot coverage.
“I’ve watched Queens Boulevard
and have grown up with it, and I’ve
seen the potential that it has to create
housing that’s transit rich and transitbased
smart development,” Palatnik
said.
According to Palatnik, the building
they’re proposing fits well with the
community’s character that has several
high-rise buildings.
The developers intend to begin demolition
next month, and it would take
about 30 to 45 days to complete, Palatnik
said.
In previous meetings with the CB
6 Land Use Committee, concerns were
raised about keeping the configuration
of the Tower Diner, which is housed in
the colonial bank building with a distinguished
clock tower.
Though the site isn’t a registered
historical landmark, Palatnik said
they’re planning to call the new development
the Trylon Building, in addition
to replicating the Tower Diner in
the design and a clock mimicking the
historical structure.
The history of the Trylon Theater
and Tower Diner
According to Michael Perlman, a
fifth-generation Forest Hills resident,
historian and chair of the Rego-Forest
Preservation Council, the 1939 World’s
Fair-inspired Art Deco-styled Trylon
Theater was designed by notable architect
Joseph Unger. The cherished
colonial style Tower Diner is in a historic
bank building with its distinctive
clock tower architecture.
The Trylon Theater was named
after the 1939 World’s Fair’s symbolic
spire-like monument, the Trylon,
which stood alongside the globular
Perisphere monument. Analogous to
the fair’s theme, “The World of Tomorrow,”
where exhibits featured technological
innovations, the theater was
known as “The Theater of Tomorrow.”
The Trylon was shuttered after its
60th anniversary celebration in 1999,
and was presumably one of the last
single-screen theaters citywide. Since
2006, the theater has operated as the
Ohr Natan Synagogue, which is comprised
of over 1,000 congregants who
are mostly Bukharian Jews.
The popular Tower Diner is owned
by Spiro and John Gatanas and their
parents. The family emigrated from
Greece, fulfilling the “American
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.2 COM | NOV. 19 - NOV. 25, 2021
Dream,” and adapted the colonial-style
bank building in 1993 while preserving
its authentic features.
The diner is considered a must-stop
by patrons who enjoy its extensive
menu of American and cultural foods.
Community opposition
The Ohr Natan/Trylon Theater,
Tower Diner and surrounding local
businesses bear significance on an
architectural, cultural, religious and
small business basis, Perlman said.
“It is a shame that its future is even
being debated upon, all for a largely
unwelcomed high-rise,” Perlman said.
“This application would demolish historic
and distinctive sites and place
an economic burden on tenants, not to
mention additional congestion and a
domino effect of demolitions nearby of
other preservation-worthy sites.”
Those sites include Parkside Memorial
Chapels and Forest Hills Jewish
Center, which are award-winning
historic, sacred and beautiful sites
designed by foremost architects and
artists, Perlman said in his written
testimony.
“Not everything needs to change,
and everything does not change in other
communities. There are landmarks
that are official or awaiting designation.
Sites can be adaptively and creatively
reused rather than demolished.
Preservation is also greener based on
retained materials and a building’s embodied
energy,” Perlman said.
A majority of the community members
are calling on CB 6 to reject the
developer’s application in an online
petition to save the Trylon Theater,
Tower Diner and nearby small businesses
from demolition.
To date, the petition has received
3,727 signatures.
Many residents submitted their
written testimony that were read
aloud during the public hearing, while
others spoke on the panel voicing their
concerns regarding quality-of-life
issues.
Phyllis Zimmerman said there’s no
need for another high-rise building in
the neighborhood.
“So many people are disgusted
with the overdevelopment, and what
does this building do for people in
the neighborhood? I would say nothing,”
Zimmerman said. “Forest Hills
is going to become a crowded, dirty
neighborhood and the very things that
make it desirable in the first place will
be destroyed by overdevelopment and
crowding.”
Other residents pointed out the
lack of affordable housing developments
in the area, and said the developer’s
units aren’t “truly affordable.”
RJ Capital Holdings plans to offer
44 units — 30% of the total units — to
residents who earn 70%, 80% or 90% of
the AMI.
The proposal offers nine affordable
one-bedroom units for approximately
$1,500 at 70% AMI, nine for $1,790 at
80% AMI and nine at $1,950 at 90%
AMI, according to Palatnik.
A CB6 member requested for some
units at 60% AMI, but Abramov said
they crunched the numbers and can’t
do it without jeopardizing the quality
of the apartments they hope to build.
Forest Hills resident and student
Zeke Luger said he wouldn’t be able
to afford the so-called “affordable”
apartments.
“If I were to move out of my parents’
home, which I’m hoping to do once I
graduate, there’s no way in hell I’d be
able to afford a $2,000 rent,” Luger said
during the hearing. “That’s not affordable.
That’s already the average rent
in our neighborhood.”
Pat Morgan spoke of her late father’s
frequent visits to the diner.
“My father was one of the ‘mayors’
of the diner. If he didn’t appear when
he was supposed to, which was usually
twice a day, they would call to make
sure he’s OK,” Morgan said. “This
diner serves an incredible community
of people and the regulars are treated
like gold.”
In regards to the Ohr Natan Synagogue,
Abramov said they have allocated
space for its members. Currently,
the synagogue has relocated to
the 99-cent discount store across the
street from the site, and Abramov is
continuing to have an open dialogue
with the rabbi.
Read more on QNS.com.
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed
by e-mail at cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.
Tower Diner (left) and the Trylon Theater that houses the Ohr Natan Synagogue
(right) on Queens Boulevard. Photos courtesy of Michael Perlman
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