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WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. From Zanaro’s Restaurant. June 25, 2004: Zanaro’s Italian Restaurant will open its flagship restaurant at City Center in White Plans on July 19. Located in the former Home Savings Bank, the new Zanaro’s will maintain the existing landmark architecture in its original form, creating a casually elegant setting, reminiscent of an Italian Villa. The restaurant will offer 250 seats with various rooms for private parties and meetings, including a special room for intimate gatherings and dinner parties inside the original bank vault.
“In creating our new Zanaro’s restaurant, we remain committed to maintaining the architectural integrity of this wonderfully historic building,” said Zane Tankel, CEO of Apple-Metro, Inc., the parent company of Zanaro’s and New York metro area franchisee for Applebee’s restaurants.
The Home Savings Bank, founded in 1893, was the first savings bank in White Plains. More than 30 years later, the founders decided to build new structure at the corner of Main Street and Mamaroneck Avenue. The doors to the new building were opened on Dec. 21, 1925.
Ironically, the building was quickly dwarfed by a surge of new office building construction downtown that occurred in the final years prior to the Great Depression. These included the Peoples Bank building that today is owned by the Arts Council of Westchester at the corner of Mamaroneck and Martine Avenues, as well as the nearby North Court and Bar buildings.
The Home Savings building, designed by noted bank architects Holmes and Winslow, was imposing by White Plains standards of the day, as no large buildings had yet been constructed in the downtown. However, as impressive as the new building was, complete with an electrically controlled vault, newspaper advertisements at the time referred to the Home Savings Bank as being the ” most important public institution in White Plains for the Poor Man.”
In 1956, the bank’s interior was modernized using a 1950’s chic approach. With a green and ivory color scheme for the new main banking room, which also included dark Vermont verde marble and lighter shades of carpeting, paint and wallpaper, it took on a new “ultra-modern” look. Mrs. Edwin G. Michaelian, wife of the long-time Westchester County Executive, was the interior decorator.
In what seems strangely quaint in today’s world of disposable cell phones, the New York Telephone Co. reported at the time that the bank had the first complete installation of “color phones” in the Westchester area. They were a soft green to match the general décor, and those on the banking floor were gray to “match the office machines.”
Almost 40 years later, the Home Savings Bank was acquired by Greenpoint Savings Bank. The new owner occupied the bank until recently when it relocated the branch to new space within City Center on Mamaroneck Avenue. “Fully respecting the building’s historic status, we will keep ‘The Home Savings Bank’ façade intact,” said Mr. Tankel.
Architect Jay Haverson, of Haverson Architecture & Design in Greenwich, CT, was retained by Apple-Metro to create the new restaurant space for Zanaro’s. Haverson said his team has faced a number of challenges in converting the majestic early 20th Century building into a modern-day restaurant. “It’s a totally new concept to hit the market – there’s nothing like it in Westchester,” he said. “We were faced with turning a cavernous building into a warm and friendly restaurant, without losing any of the structure’s unique characteristics. This is one of the most challenging design concepts we’ve ever undertaken.”
Haverson said the exterior will remain basically the same, with the addition of tastefully done signage, awnings, canopies and lighting. Inside, the architects will use the bank building’s 30-foot ceilings to their advantage, creating the feel of a Tuscan courtyard. The original chandeliers have been refurbished, colorful fabric banners will hang from the ceiling, and creative track lighting will help add to the atmosphere.
The color scheme will reflect the Tuscan villa theme as well, with tans, creamy yellows and mustard tones. Hand-painted murals of landscapes will drape the walls. “The murals will be done in an impressionistic style, to give guests the feeling of looking out to the surrounding countryside from their courtyard, “ said Mr. Haverson. Soundproofing will be installed behind the murals.
Because the existing limestone flooring was too difficult to recreate, the team decided to install terra cotta tiles over the limestone. The kitchen, located under the mezzanine, will be an open style, where guests can see meals being prepared. The existing mezzanine will also be part of the restaurant, offering dining both downstairs and upstairs. A mahogany bar with glass shelving for wine displays will be located to the left of the entrance, and two back windows will look out onto the street.
“We believe this is the perfect setting to launch our new concept of ‘fine casual dining,’ — offering food with a fine dining level of ingredients to the casual dining customer,” said Tankel. In addition to offering traditional Italian favorites, Zanaro’s menu will feature a large selection of house specialties such as Mozzarella ala Bravisimo, Shrimp Pancetta or Pasta Fagioli appetizers.
Zanaro’s main courses include other original dishes such as Chicken Vesuvius, a marinated chicken breast with spinach, prosciutto and fresh mozzarella and Uncle Vito’s grilled port chop enorme, a 12-ounce seasoned boneless pork loin served with garlic smashed potatoes. Zanaro’s specialty pastas will include linguini Catarina and baked ziti al Forno, along with gourmet pizzas and stuffed oven sandwiches.
The White Plains’ Zanaro’s will be a model for future Zanaro’s restaurants, as the company begins to develop and grow this concept through the New York Metropolitan area and beyond. Apple-Metro, Inc. is the New York Metro Area Franchisee of Applebee’s International Inc., owning exclusive franchise rights to Westchester and Rockland counties, as well the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Apple-Metro also operates three Chevys Fresh Mex restaurants.
