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In Jersey City, a New Assessment of a Diner's Value: Priceless
By MARIA NEWMAN
JERSEY CITY, April 10 — To
make way for downtown traffic, city leaders decided last year to seek the demolition of the Flamingo diner, one of the last mom-and-pop businesses in its booming financial district. But the plans opened up a new lane of traffic
— a parade of protesters who beat a path to City Hall.
Today, after months of hearing a growing clamor from the Flamingo's supporters, Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham announced that he would spare the wrecking ball and allow
the 24-hour diner to stay where it has spent the last 35 years, rather than razing it for a street widening.
The mayor made his announcement at the Flamingo, in the midst of the lunchtime crowd, with some of the
customers and longtime employees crying tears of relief. The owner, Andy Diakos, a Greek immigrant who was dressed in his everyday cook's uniform — a white shirt and pants — hugged Mr. Cunningham.
"I've listened to
the people," the mayor said. "God bless the Flamingo, and may she fly forever."
Mr. Cunningham said he was swayed by the 10,000 signatures gathered on a petition to save the diner, the crowds of hundreds
who showed up at several City Council meetings to protest the closing, and the calls he received from many patrons, especially elderly customers who said the Flamingo was one of the few 24-hour places where they could still get
an affordable meal.
Instead of tearing down the building, at the corner of Montgomery and Greene Streets, the city will now make Greene Street one-way during rush hour, the mayor said.
The city had offered Mr.
Diakos more than $1 million for the diner and the four-story, red-brick Victorian-style building in which is situated.
Using the city's power of eminent domain, officials said they needed to tear down the building to
accommodate the increased traffic created by a new office building under construction by the securities firm Goldman Sachs, which is expected to employ 6,000 people.
But Mr. Diakos said he was not interested in the
money, but only wanted to keep running the diner, where he works six or seven days a week alongside several relatives.
City officials were not counting on the determination of his three daughters, who were raised working
in the restaurant alongside their parents and aunts and uncles. The young women hired a real estate lawyer, and mobilized the Flamingo's loyal customers to call on the council during meetings.
"All my father ever
wanted to do was to continue running the Flamingo," one of the daughters, Kalliope Diakos, 30, said today as she stood next to the mayor. "I am happy that the city has not turned its back on my father and my
family."
Ms. Diakos, who works in sales and marketing for HBO, graduated from the London School of Economics, she said. Her sisters, Joanna, 28, and Maria, 27, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.
"It's because of his hard work that we could do that," Kalliope said.
Mr. Cunningham, who is running for the State Senate in the June 3 primary, and has said he will seek re-election as mayor, said he had not
spoken to Goldman Sachs about his decision.
"I'm pretty sure Goldman Sachs would have preferred the building to go down," Mayor Cunningham said. "But I've checked their voting address, and they don't vote
in Jersey City."
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