Five years after Food Emporium closed its beautiful store under the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, the voluminous, Guastavino-tiled space off First Avenue at East 59th Street is finally poised to come back to life.
Fast-expanding Trader Joe’s plans to open a new gourmet supermarket there soon, Patch.com reports. The plan unanimously passed muster with Community Board 8’s landmarks committee and will soon go to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for approval.
The yawning vacancy has long troubled the community. A plan to open a branch of arts supply retailer Michaels a few years ago fell through.
The roughly 50,000-square-foot space shares the dramatic, column-filled interior beneath the bridge with the Guastavino event venue.
The property is city-owned.
No further details were available over the holiday weekend.