Sardi's
234 West 44th Street | Times Square | built 1927
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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.
- 1927
Sardi's opens in a new building on West 44th Street offered by the Shuberts
Vincent Sardi Sr. and his wife Eugenia, called Jenny, had run a small restaurant in the basement of 246 West 44th Street since 1921. In 1926 their building was marked for demolition to clear the site for the St. James Theatre, and the Shubert family, who were putting up a new building down the block, offered them a place in it. Sardi's opened there on March 5, 1927.
“…accepted an offer from the Shubert brothers theatrical family to relocate to a new building the brothers were erecting down the block.”
Source: Wikipedia
- 1940
Vincent Sardi Sr. tells a producer whose play just closed to keep coming and not worry about the bill
After a play produced by William Herz shut following a single week in 1940, Vincent Sardi Sr. invited the producer to share dessert and coffee. Sardi said he knew the show was ending and only wanted Herz to remain a customer, with no concern about the check. Herz burst into tears at the kindness. By 2010, when The New York Times profiled him at 93, he had been dining at Sardi's for 77 years, longer than any employee had worked there.
Source: ny.eater.com
- 1946
Producer Brock Pemberton conceives the Tony Award over lunch at Sardi's
Antoinette Perry, an actress and founder of the American Theatre Wing, died in 1946. Afterward her partner Brock Pemberton, a theatrical producer and director, settled on the idea of an award in her honor while he was at lunch in Sardi's. The name Tony is a shortening of Antoinette. For many years the restaurant was where the nominees were announced.
Source: vogue.com
- 1947
A radio show starts broadcasting live from the Sardi's dining room
Vincent Sardi Jr., who took over running the restaurant that year, launched a live radio program from the dining room on March 8, 1947, called Luncheon at Sardi's. Bill Slater was the first host, and Tom Slater, Ray Heatherton and Arlene Francis followed him. The broadcasts came from the same room that had been a theater-world hangout since the restaurant opened in 1927.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1947
The first Tony Awards give a special award to Vincent Sardi
The first Tony Awards dinner was held on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947, in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria, with more than 1,000 guests. Thirteen winners were named in ten categories, and six special awards were given. One of those went to Vincent Sardi, proprietor of the restaurant on West 44th Street.
Source: tonyawards.com
- 1948
Alex Gard, the artist who drew Sardi's caricatures for a free daily meal, dies
Alex Gard, a Russian refugee, had agreed to draw Broadway stars for the restaurant in exchange for one meal a day, and he made more than 720 caricatures. He died in 1948 after a heart attack in the subway. John Mackey took over briefly, then Donald Bevan, who drew for over twenty years, and later Richard Baratz.
“During his lifetime, Alex Gard drew over 720 caricatures for Sardi's. Gard died in 1948 after suffering a heart attack in the subway.”
Source: Wikipedia
- 1974
Max Klimavicius arrives from Colombia and starts in the Sardi's kitchen
In 1974 Max Klimavicius came to New York from Colombia and was hired as a kitchen assistant at Sardi's. Over the decades he moved up from table captain to maitre d' and then into management. In 1991 he became a partner of Vincent Sardi Jr., and after Sardi Jr. died in 2007 he bought the shares that remained, running the restaurant until his own retirement.
Source: ny.eater.com
- 1979
Vincent Sardi Jr. gives 227 of the restaurant's caricatures to the New York Public Library
In 1979 Vincent Sardi Jr. gave 227 of the restaurant's caricatures to the Billy Rose Theatre Collection, part of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Alex Gard had drawn more than 720 of the portraits in his lifetime, and the gallery kept growing after him. About 300 of the images were gathered in a 1989 book titled Off the Wall at Sardi's.
“In 1979, Vincent Sardi Jr. donated a collection of 227 caricatures from the restaurant to the Billy Rose Theatre Collection…”
Source: Wikipedia
- 1990
Sardi's closes after its owners default and Vincent Sardi Jr. moves to take it back
Ivan Bloch bought Sardi's in 1986 and defaulted in April 1989; when the owners defaulted again that June, Sardi's went into bankruptcy and Vincent Sardi Jr. petitioned to regain ownership. Sardi's closed in June 1990 and reopened that November with new staff, under manager Max Klimavicius. Sardi Jr. recalled a leaking ceiling and customers using styrofoam cups, then spent $500,000 over two years restoring the original design and adding a third-floor banquet hall and a fourth-floor dining space.
“The restaurant temporarily closed in June 1990 and reopened in November 1990 with new staff.”
Source: Wikipedia
- 1997
Playbill reports Robert Cuccioli's caricature will be hung on Sardi's wall, with originals now vaulted
Playbill reported that Robert Cuccioli, star of Jekyll & Hyde, would have a caricature by Richard Baretz hung on the Sardi's wall at 5 PM on October 28, 1997. His spokesperson noted that Jimmy Cagney's drawing had been stolen from the wall the day he died. Since then, finished originals are locked away and two copies are made, one for the subject and one for the wall.
Source: playbill.com
- 2021
Sardi's reopens on Christmas Day after a pandemic closure of nearly two years
Sardi's closed temporarily in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in New York City, and it reopened on December 25, 2021, after nearly two years. Joe Petrsoric, a bartender on staff since 1968, retired in 2023.
“Sardi's closed temporarily in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, reopening on December 25, 2021.”
Source: Wikipedia
- 2025
Ethan Hawke's film Blue Moon is set over a single evening at Sardi's
Blue Moon, Ethan Hawke's 2025 film, is set over one evening at Sardi's and was nominated for an Oscar. Eater reported in 2026 that the picture brought new attention to the restaurant, which was part of why owner Max Klimavicius felt the timing was right to sell it to the Shubert Organization.
Source: ny.eater.com
- 2026
The Shubert Organization buys Sardi's, its name and its caricature collection
In 2026 the longtime owner, Max Klimavicius, sold the restaurant to The Shubert Organization, which the restaurant's own history describes as Broadway's largest theater owner. The sale included the Sardi's name and its caricature collection. The Shuberts said their aim is to keep the restaurant's historic character and its close tie to Broadway.
Source: sardis.com
Further reading
- Sardi'sWikipedia
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