Sparks steakhouse is holding onto its prime Midtown East location despite rumors that high rents would push the restaurant out.
The restaurant’s owner Michael Cetta signed a new 15-year lease for its space at the Durst Organization’s 210 East 46th Street, the New York Post reported. The terms of the deal weren’t available, but sources told the Post that the new rent is roughly 40 percent higher than under its former lease.
Sparks is renting 23,000 square feet in the building, where it’s been located for the last 40 years. The restaurant became especially well known in 1985 when Mafia boss Paul Castellano and an associate were shot dead on the sidewalk in front of Sparks.
The restaurant’s lease ended in August, and the owner feared that he’d have to relocate. Cetta told the Post in May that Durst wanted to increase its rent by 100 percent. [NYP] — Kathryn Brenzel