Shalimar Diner Demolished After Relocation Plans Fall Through

REGO PARK, QUEENS — The iconic Shalimar Diner in Rego Park was demolished Wednesday, after plans to relocate the building fell through.

Locals posted photos on social media of piles of rubble at 63-68 Austin St.,where Shalimar once stood.

Forest Hills resident and preservationist Michael Perlman had launched a campaign in April to stop the diner's impending demolition by its current owner, Arthur Koptiev of Platinum Realty Associates, who bought the site for $6.55 million in November 2018.

Koptiev did not immediately return a call requesting comment.

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Former Mets player Lenny Dykstra and lawyer Ronald Hariri joined forces with Perlman to move the diner to a property Hariri owns on Long Island, but local zoning laws stymied the plan.

"They have restrictive zoning with certain architectural requirements that prohibited this type of structure," Hariri told QNS.com.

The historic diner, which closed in November 2018 due to declining business and a rent hike, appeared in the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street" and the CBS television show "Blue Bloods."