Walking Directions: Stay on Oak Street and walk halfway down the block so you are facing the garden area of the 68 Beekman which was the old DeRossi Restaurant. The building to the left of the garden area is the house of Ralph Grasso who is speaking in this clip.
Listen:
The Story
DeRossi’s was a fixture of the Italian restaurant scene on the west side. The large popular restaurant opened in 1910 and operated continuously for 70 years finally closing in 1981. The building had an outdoor patio area with a grape arbor which provided the grapes for the wine served at the restaurant . In the clip above, Ralph Grasso provides an evocative description of what DeRossi’s summer dining patio looked like in the 1940s with the candlelight and grape arbors. The painting below is taken from an old photo of one of the elder DeRossi relatives sampling the home made wine under the arbor at the restaurant.
Artwork
West Side Heritage Tour 