B&H Dairy
127 2nd Avenue | East Village | built 1920
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The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.
Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.
- 1898
Augustus Ruff has Louis F. Heinecke design a six-story tenement with stores below
The building was put up in 1898-1900 for owner Augustus Ruff, to designs by Louis F. Heinecke, and rises six stories in orange iron-spot brick with brownstone window surrounds. The landmarks commission classes it as a Renaissance Revival tenement with later alterations, noting that its cornice and garland-decorated frieze have been removed since the 1940s.
- 1938
Abie Bergson and Jack Heller open a kosher dairy counter in the Yiddish theater district
B&H Dairy was opened in 1938 by Abie Bergson and Jack Heller, with Sol Hausman joining later. Bergson, an aspiring actor, ran it when the neighborhood was known for its Yiddish theaters, and the stars Molly Picon and Maurice Schwartz were among the patrons. The kosher luncheonette still serves cheese blintzes, borscht and matzo brei.
“The original owners, Abie Bergson and Jack Heller, later Sol Hausman, opened it in 1938 when the area was known for the Yiddish Theatre District.”
Source: Wikipedia
- 1978
The luncheonette goes bankrupt and construction partner Bob Sherman buys it
Founder Abie Bergson sold B&H during the 1970s, and the business went bankrupt in 1978. It was then bought by Bob Sherman, who was a partner in a construction firm.
“Bergson sold the luncheonette in the 1970s and it went bankrupt in 1978. Bob Sherman, a partner in a construction firm, bought it.”
Source: Wikipedia
- 2015
B&H reopens five months after a nearby gas explosion cut off its fuel
After the March 2015 explosion that leveled three buildings on the block, B&H's own building was undamaged but its gas supply was shut off, forcing it to close. Owner Fawzy Abdelwahed made required upgrades, ran up tens of thousands of dollars in costs and received donations from loyal customers. The diner reopened on Friday, August 14, with customers lining up from 8:30 a.m.
Source: spectrumlocalnews.com
- 2022
A preservation grant is awarded to restore B&H's landmark facade
In 2022 the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express funded a grant that let B&H redo its landmark facade. The restaurant is run by Fawzy Abdelwahed and Alexandra Abdelwahed, an Egyptian Muslim and Polish Catholic couple.
“In 2022, B&H received a grant (from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express) to redo its landmark facade.”
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- B&H DairyWikipedia
- 127 Second AvenueVillage Preservation: East Village Building Blocks
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