I've posted the below photo here on Flaming Pablum a couple of times (most recently here in 2010), but I recently fielded a note from a reader named Harry Angus, who asked for a better representation of it for a book he's putting together about venues that hosted the late Jerry Garcia. Who knew? Anyway, since I was re-scanning it for him, I thought I'd re-post it here as well.
Again, this is the Lone Star Cafe on the southeast corner of East 13th Street and Fifth Avenue. Don't look for it today, obviously. Initially, the building was a Schraft's ice cream parlour. Later on -- in the `70s and `80s, at least -- it became the Lone Star Cafe, a sort of urban honkytonk joint with a Texan theme (hence the big lizard on the roof).
When the Lone Star closed (briefly resurfacing as the Lone Star Roadhouse in midtown for a little while -- I saw Billy Bragg perform there), the lizard went into hiding, only to reappear on a pier down off N. Moore Street in TriBeCa for a little while, only to vanish again and relocate, somewhat fittingly, to Texas (where it remains today, I believe).
The space on Fifth Avenue turned into a bar/club called Mr. Fuji's Tropicana for a bit in the mid-90's. My friend Rob fleetingly dated a bartender gal who worked there (and who lived in a windowless apartment on Bleecker Street just off Lafayette). When Mr. Fuji's closed shortly thereafter, the space became a deli (one that made no distinction between "fried" and "scrambled" eggs, if memory serves). After a while, that closed too.
The building sat dormant and rotting for some time before it was finally dismantled. Today, there's a brand new building in its foot print with massive windows that overlook the avenue -- perfect for some wealthy tycoon to glare out of at the little people. To its north, of course is the giant new New School space station facility, that looks like it was designed by H.R. Giger (not in a cool way).
But, anyway ... here it all was, again, in 1985. Click on it to enlarge.
ADDENDUM: Here's that same corner today in 2013:
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