In less than three months, Julian Niccolini and Alex von Bidder will close the Four Seasons in the Seagram Building and move it to a new location. The duo has kept the details about the restaurant's new home tightly under wraps. But after scouting locations around the city, von Bidder recently told Bloomberg that the new space would be "about five minutes’ walking distance" from the Seagram Building. And now, Richard Johnson reports that Niccolini and von Bidder are talking to architecture critic Paul Goldberger about who they should get to design the "new version of the Four Seasons restaurant that they plan to open next year at 280 Park Ave."
About a year ago, Steve Cuozzo and the Observer reported that the Four Seasons restaurateurs were close to signing a deal at 280 Park, but then a few months later, Niccolini claimed that he and his partner were looking at spaces downtown.
The retail space at 280 Park has 180,000 square feet on the ground floor, with entrances on both 48th Street and 49th Street. The two halves of the space are connected by a square pool — a detail that is reminiscent of the current Four Seasons layout. 280 Park is just four blocks away from the Seagram Building. As for the design, Goldberger tells Richard Johnson: "They want to do something that will be as important to the 21st century as the original was to the 20th century. That’s the ambition."
The original location of the Four Seasons will close on July 16. Niccolini and von Bidder will host a series of farewell events, including an auction of the restaurant's contents. Once they leave the space, Major Food Group will move in.
Eater has reached out to the Four Seasons camp for confirmation about this new address and more details.