JG Melon 1291 Third Avenue New York NY 10021 Established 1972
NOW
Come for a hamburger, but stay for the nostalgia, as JG Melon has been a tavern on the corner of East 74th Street and Third Avenue since the 1920s. Jack O'Neil and George Mourges (J.G.) took it over in 1972 decorating the restaurant with green and white checkered tablecloths and watermelons, thus the name.
THEN
Home to the neighborhood favorite J.G. Melon since 1972, until recently the building was part of a row of five extant rowhouses. The five-story brick buildings were commissioned by Charles Huber and designed by architect George Just. Built in 1868, they had stores on the street level, and one apartment per floor above. At the turn of the century, #1291 was home to a delicatessen owned by Anna Claypool. Almost a century later, shortly before the establishment of J.G. Melon, the building was home to Central Bar. Despite the usual alterations to the storefront, the characteristic green paint and large sign, the building stands much as it used to, with modest stone lintels and galvanized iron cornice.
