SoHo's Birdbath Green Bakery, Formerly Vesuvio's, Closes

SOHO, NY — The famed storefront Birdbath Green Bakery — better known as Vesuvio's — closed Friday, the bakery's owner said on Instagram.

The Vesuvio's storefront, dating back a century, was known for its charming green exterior at Prince and Thompson streets. City Bakery, under the name Birdbath Green Bakery, opened the bakery in 2009, after the original Vesuvio's closed.

"For a baker who loves bakeries, being given the keys to Vesuvio’s was a precious gift, like a violin player handed a Stradivarius — not just to hold — but to play," City Bakery's Maury Rubin wrote on Instagram.

Ten years later, the lease is up, Rubin said. The bakery's last day was Friday, Gothamist first reported.

"I remember the morning we opened like it was yesterday," Rubin said. "I remember setting the counter for the first time. Placing the mini Statue of Liberty in the window and surrounding her with cookies. I remember the first customers in the door, and telling them that that's who they were."

Rubin, of City Bakery, opted to keep the historic storefront the same when he took over the bakery — only changing up the menu items in what Rubin recalled was "the perfect evolutionary handoff."

"In material terms, Semolina Bread and Pepper Biscuits turned to Pretzel Croissant and Rice Milk Muffins with Red Beans & Ginger," Rubin said.

The New York Times reported that the original Vesuvio's bakery opened in 1920. Its owner Anthony Dapolito died in 2003, though the bakery lived on for another six years until it went up for rent. Rubin of City Bakery opened his iteration of the bakery in December 2009.

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Today is our last day of business at 160 Prince Street, better known as Vesuvio Bakery. We moved in in 2009, after Vesuvio's sat empty after the death of Anthony Dapolito, the 2nd generation of the family that created Vesuvio's in 1920. I remember the morning we opened like it was yesterday. I remember setting the counter for the first time. Placing the mini Statue of Liberty in the window and surrounding her with cookies. I remember the first customers in the door, and telling them that that's who they were. Now, close my eyes, count to 2019, and it's the end of the lease. Ten years or ten seconds? For a baker who loves bakeries, being given the keys to Vesuvio’s was a precious gift, like a violin player handed a Stradivarius - not just to hold - but to play. There are few places like Vesuvio’s left in New York, a sad, diminishing reality. To a bakery lover, it's an heirloom. To a New York lover, it's history. We had ten special years behind that storefront. We kept the facade exactly as time delivered it, but ran a business called Birdbath Green Bakery inside. I always felt this was the perfect evolutionary handoff: last century baking yielding to a new generation. In material terms, Semolina Bread and Pepper Biscuits turned to Pretzel Croissant and Rice Milk Muffins with Red Beans & Ginger. So many people embraced what we did, and not just the food. Over the years, I’ve been thanked by dozens of people for keeping the storefront untouched, a compliment that settles in my heart. Same time, have to admit that that was no grand decision: I simply wasn’t going to be the schmendrick who desecrated a city landmark. I want to offer gratitude to everyone who contributed to our time in Soho. All the staff and all the customers. The Korn family, who cared about culture and legacy. In these days of “retail apocalypse,” we ran an old-fashioned neighborhood bakery. We knew each other’s names and felt part of a continuum. It was neighborhood, community and friendship. Vesuvio Bakery is magical, and I’m grateful I got to swim in that magic. Maury Rubin, Baker & Founder, City Bakery #vesuviobakery #citybakery
A post shared by City Bakery (@citybakerydaily) on Aug 8, 2019 at 10:30pm PDT