Thirty-five years ago on April 11, 1984, the Orchidia Restaurant – a 27-year-old New York landmark featuring Italian/Ukrainian offerings – closed its doors due to a 526 percent rent increase.
The restaurant was given a March 1, 1984, deadline for closure, but owner Maria Pidhorodecky made several attempts to remain open, including multiple court appearances that sought a stay of eviction. On March 13, she received a four-week extension on the closing date.
Civil Court Judge Ira Harkavy reluctantly ordered the restaurant’s closing on Wednesday, April 11. He noted, “My hands are tied. I’m not happy when a restaurant closes. We all lose.”
Robert Leventhal, the attorney representing property landlord Sidney Weisner, said that there could be no compromise in such a situation. Mr. Leventhal said Mrs. Pidhorodecky should have thought about her choice of words she used to describe his
client in the press, when she labeled Mr. Weisner as “filthy rich” and ridiculed his decision to increase the rent.
The restaurant went out with a grand celebration two days before the final closure. Mrs. Pidhorodecky hosted a lavish party featuring Italian and Ukrainian cuisine, as well as live entertainment. The event was a “thank you” specifically held for the press, community association representatives, local residents and city officials. Mrs. Pidhorodecky thanked the invited guests for devoting “so much time and effort in supporting Orchidia.”
The closure of Orchidia also highlighted the Small Business Preservation Act of 1983, as noted by Barbara Brundage, staff director of New York Assemblyman Steven Sanders (D-Manhattan, who served from 1978 to 2006). Although saddened by the news of Orchidia’s closure, the state housing committee began reporting on legislative movement to approve the bill. It was hoped that the bill would protect other small businesses from similar fates.
The bill was never voted into law due to lobbying by the Real Estate Board of New York, which called the measure an “absurdity” that would be “absolutely disastrous and impossible to administer.”
An unidentified community spokesperson called Orchidia a “milestone” that served to bring East Side residents together on an issue affecting everyone in the community.
Val Oricelli, a representative of the Lower East Side Business and Professional Association, highlighted during the festivities that the party was not held to celebrate a defeat but to celebrate the beginning of a victory. “Although the mayor may not be against the bill, he cannot ignore it. The recent legislative move provides some promise for the future,” Mr. Oricelli said.
Mrs. Pidhorodecky said she planned to continue searching for another vacant space in the neighborhood where Orchidia could relocate. However, it never happened. The festivities concluded with guests chanting “Long live Orchidia.”
Source: “Orchidia Restaurant forced to close April 11,” by Christine Demkowych, The Ukrainian Weekly, April 15, 1984.