Borscht belter
Solow seen as force behind cafe agita
Unmasked! The mystery landlord trying to boot a pair of longtime kosher cafes from Billionaires’ Row is none other than block-gobbling mega-developer Sheldon Solow, The Post has learned.
As The Post reported on Aug. 3, an unnamed landlord threatened to kick Great American Health Bar and Café Classico (right) out of their home of 19 years — claiming they’re in violation of their lease for having only a $1 million insurance liability policy instead of a $2 million policy.
Sources now tell The Post that the building where the cafes reside, 35 W. 57th St., is owned by a corporation, 35 West Realty Co., that is controlled by Solow (inset) — a press-shy real estate mogul with a net worth of $5.2 billion, according to Forbes.
That has real estate tongues wagging that Solow, now 91, has big plans for the building, which sits next to an empty lot on a street that boasts billionaires Ken Griffin and Bill Ackman as residents.
“An empty building is worth a lot more than an occupied one when you’re trying to build,” an insider noted.
The vacant lot east of 35 W. 57th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, is owned not by Solow’s company but rather by a partnership of Vornado Realty Trust and LeFrak, which has prompted speculation that a deal could be in the works for Solow to sell his site to Vornado and LeFrak — or vice versa.
The four-story, Frenchstyle town house structure once belonged to William Vanderbilt’s granddaughter, who was married there in 1891. It is not a designated landmark. Solow bought the property for $24.4 million in 2006, city records show.
The Vornado-LeFrak site next door has been an empty lot for five years since the building that housed the Rizzoli bookstore was torn down.
Vornado declined to comment through a rep. Solow’s lawyer, Warren Estis, didn’t respond to questions.
Cafe Classico and Great American Health Bar argued in a Manhattan state court filing that their landlord is trying to unfairly oust them to make way for a “major” new building.