WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES APRIL 12, 2018 27
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD: THE WAY IT WAS
Starting in 1936, Miller also operated
Happy’s Tavern at 81-01 Myrtle Ave.,
Glendale. He fi xed the bar room and
had plaster frescoes of jockeys and
horses placed on the walls.
On Aug. 1, 1940, the Estate of Louis
Sahner renewed the lease to Henry and
Louis Miller for fi ve years at a charge
of $200 per month, plus water charges.
Two years later, in 1942, Victor
Koenig — who had his own restaurant
and bar at 651 Onderdonk Ave.
in Ridgewood — bought out Happy
Miller’s business and took over the
lease. Koenig enjoyed a fi ne reputation
for good food, and he quickly built up
a large trade doing business as Victor
Koenig’s Restaurant. He also put out a
large free lunch at the bar to stimulate
business there.
On Feb. 5, 1943, Henry Sahner and
Tillie Sahner, children of Louis Sahner,
conveyed the property to themselves
from the estate.
In 1944, Victor Koenig sold his
Glendale business to Heinz Durow
from Hamburg, Germany, who for a
period of time continued the business
as Victor Koenig’s Restaurant before
changing the name to Durow’s. Koenig
acquired a restaurant in Floral Park,
Nassau County, where he built up a
following with his reputation. (That
restaurant wound up closing in 2015.)
An interior photo of Durow’s Restaurant
While running the Floral Park
restaurant, Koenig also assumed
responsibility of the Elks Lodge on
Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst and
operated a restaurant there.
Unlike Koenig, Heinz Durow was
not a chef. He hired Fritz Schmidtke
to be in charge of his kitchen.
On Oct. 1, 1946, Henry and Tillie
Sahner sold the property to Durow.
After operating the restaurant for
14 years, on March 14, 1958 Durow
sold the restaurant and property to
William Steinbeck. Durow’s changed
hands again 20 years later.
Over the years, the residents of
Queens enjoyed dining and dancing at
Durow’s, whether it was a simple Friday
night dinner with the family or special
occasions such as wedding receptions.
But the fun times at Durow’s came
to an end in March of 2005. In the
March 3, 2005, issue of the Ridgewood
Times, Bridie Keane, who had owned
Durow’s for 15 years, said that two
obstacles proved too much to continue
operations.
The first was the fact that the
restaurant itself was in need of a
major overhaul. Keane said that there
were “serious structural problems and
countless leaks have caused buckled
fl oors, dilapidated walls and possibly
even mold infestation.”
“I wanted to keep going for another
two years, but it’s gone,” she told the
Ridgewood Times. “I have to sell it now.”
Another factor in Durow’s demise
was the business’ cabaret license.
Durow’s had a cabaret license that
had been “grandfathered” in before
certain laws changed. However, the
required renovations would mean that
she would have lost the license, and
then apply for a new one — another
added expense on top of renovating
the building.
Keane noted that she had received
off ers from individuals to buy the
property, “most of which have come
from developers,” the Ridgewood
Times reported.
“I have a lot of interest,” she told the
Ridgewood Times. “The saving grace
is that the value went up.”
Sure enough, developers wound up
purchasing Durow’s and its adjacent
parking lot — then demolished them
and built multi-family housing units
in its place.
Source: the Aug. 16, 1984, and March
3, 2005, issues of the Ridgewood Times.
* * *
Share your history with us by
emailing editorial@ridgewoodtimes.
com (subject: Our Neighborhood: The
Way it Was) or write to The Old Timer,
℅ Ridgewood Times, 38-15 Bell Blvd.,
Bayside, NY 11361. Any mailed pictures
will be carefully returned to you upon
request.
Photo via Google Maps
Multi-family houses now line the former Durow’s Restaurant site in
Glendale
Ridgewood Times archives/Greater Ridgewood Historical Society
The exterior of Victor Koenig’s Restaurant in Floral Park