Central Park’s Loeb Boathouse Closes

Central Park‘s Loeb Boathouse has closed, and all 163 of its employees have been permanently laid off, The City first reported.

A Department of Labor filing from September 8 states that these layoffs, which were first announced and considered temporary furloughs in March, are now considered permanent due to “Unforeseeable business circumstances prompted by COVID-19.”

Loeb Boathouse Announces March 2021 Reopening

There is currently no reopening plan, but the Boathouse’s owner Dean Poll hopes to reopen the restaurant in April 2021, an employee told The City. Poll has operated the restaurant since 2000.

Since 2017, the Loeb Boathouse has operated under a concession agreement which included the responsibility of running Central Park’s row boats, which have been docked since the beginning of the pandemic. However, Parks Department spokesperson Megan Moriarty told the publication that they have not been charging the monthly licensing fees to the restaurant since it closed in March.

In the spring of 2018, Poll completed a $2.9 million renovation which included new furniture and lighting and an increased seat count.

The Loeb Boathouse officially opened in March of 1954, and was named after investment banker and philanthropist Carl M. Loeb who donated $305,000 to help create it.

While many closings have been reported this year, it’s especially tough when its a place with so much history. The closing of Central Park’s Loeb Boathouse joins a handful of other longtime eateries which have been forced to shutter this year like Fine & Schapiro, Santa Fe and Old John’s Luncheonette.