FRIARS CLUB RETURN
THE FRIARS CLUB is starting anew — thanks to a half-million dollar renovation owner began at the end of June and must be done by Monday’s big re-opening. The 113-year-old club got 2017 off to a rough start that included a sexual harassment lawsuit from a former employee, which we’re told has been settled, followed by a mysterious news-making Valentine’s Day inspection from Postal Service investigators for INVISION/AP reasons that remain unclear.
Now, after a three-week closure, the famed entertainment industry hot spot, whose members include Jerry Seinfeld, Jimmy Fallon, President Trump, Gloria Allred and even this column’s editor, is preparing to debut its freshly revamped 55th St. clubhouse. The unveiling starts with an overhauled dining room that hadn’t been spruced up in 15 years. They’ve also hired chef Massimo Carbon, who’ll introduce his menu after Labor Day when the club’s current chef retires. According to executive director Michael Gyure, the clubhouse’s facelift is the start of a bigger renovation that board members will discuss in October. “We’ve done an enormous amount of work in the dining room, renovating everything, restripping the walls, restoring the wood and repainting it by hand — which is a painstaking process — as well as changing the fabric on the upholstery,” he said.
According to Gyure, a team of 20 workers that toil from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. have been working seven day weeks to get the job done. Construction began almost immediately after a star-studded 90th birthday celebration for former Mayor David Dinkins wrapped up on June 29.
Whether or not the club will continue its relationship with
Rob Goldstone — the publicist at the center of Donald Trump
Jr.’s Russia scandal — remains to be seen. Gyure downplayed Goldstone’s involvement with the club as a “very small role” and says that the Oui2 P.R. founder, who is not a club member, has coordinated red carpet events for them on a project-to-project basis since 2010.
“I have certainly not attempted to reach out to him after the news broke and he’s made no attempt to reach out to me,” Gyure said. “There’s no reason to.”