I never much cared what the cynics said about Tavern on the Green. From the time I was a young child and saw it for the first time all decked out in its holiday best, I have been a faithful devotee of this New York landmark. For me, it was never about the food (although I don't recall ever having a complaint), rather it was all about the visual. A trip to Tavern was always a trip to a world where dreamers dream big with outsized imaginations. A world with a bounty of color, texture and sparkle. Tavern had it all in spades. From its oversized topiaries, to the wedding cake ceiling, to it's sublime location in Central Park and glistening, colorful chandeliers -- Tavern on the Green was, as they say -- sui generis.
Created in its current incarnation by Warner LeRoy, the scion of the famed Wizard of Oz producer Mervyn LeRoy, Tavern on the Green was a quirky approximation of Munchkin Land meets Oz. It never failed to dazzle me with its unabashed homage to excess. As a "more is more" girl, it was my design muse in so many ways, not the least of which was the creation of our Tavern Lanterns.
And now, sadly, after all these years, it's closing its doors for good and the contents are to be auctioned off. While all of the items up for auction are beauties and will no doubt take center stage wherever they're housed, it was the mass that made them special. The whole was greater than the sum of its parts. In this day and age, where "clean" and "modern" is the decor de jour, Tavern on the Green embodies the soul of where my design impulses always land. If one outsized, colored chandelier is good then 3, 4 or 5 is even better. If a painted ceiling was pretty, then adding embellishments made it memorable. I love to dazzle and be dazzled by color, texture and abundance.
But now my muse is being put out to pasture (not the least bit ironic since Tavern's origins date back to its days as a sheepfold). Lucky bidders will lay claim to giant topiaries shaped like a squirrel, dancing bear, King Kong, giraffe or bunny, a 65" bronze bear statue, a kelly green chandelier made in Austria for the Maharaja of Udaipur, beautiful Baccarat, Waterford and Strauss chandeliers, Tiffany hanging lamps, handpainted Parisien jardinieres, a 52 foot mural of Central Park, and so many other one-of-a-kind momentos. Thousands of dollars will be spent in mid-January to purchase a piece of this iconic NY restaurant.
Alas, I won't be one of them scooping up a piece of Americana. My pockets aren't nearly deep enough to own these treasures. Fortunately for me though, there is one thing I have from Tavern that I will own forever. My memories.
