DUMBO’s Governor Won’t Reopen After Sandy
Although they had hoped to reopen their doors by February, the partners behind the Dumbo restaurant Governor announced that they are no longer planning to rebuild after the devastating damage done by Hurricane Sandy. During the storm, five feet of water flooded the building, leaving both the kitchen and dining room destroyed. In a statement, owners Tamer Hamawi, Emelie Kihlstrom and Elise Rosenberg expressed that despite great support from residents of the neighborhood, and donations from other sources, the amount of construction and repair needed is more than they are able to afford.
But despite our commitment and the subsequent and remarkable outpouring of support in all forms—from individuals, the restaurant industry and the community, we have, regrettably, been forced to accept that the scope and scale of repairing the damage to our restaurant is beyond our means financially.
It is with a very heavy heart that we must humbly face up to this fact. The response from Dumbo’s neighborhood residents, the city at large and the food journalism community regarding our rebuilding effort was gracious, thoughtful and deeply touching to us all.
Hamawi, Kihlstrom, and Rosenberg also own Brooklyn Heights’ Colonie and Gran Electra in Dumbo, and they said they plan to refocus their efforts on making sure these two restaurants serve the community as best as they can. (Via The Village Voice)
