Red Apple Rest condemned

By Hema Easley
The Journal News
(Original Publication: February 9, 2007)


SOUTHFIELDS, N.Y. - The town of Tuxedo has condemned the Red Apple
Rest, a landmark immortalized in films and in the memories of
vacationers who for decades stopped in on their way to the Catskills.

The condemnation came a few months after owner Peter Kourakos abruptly
closed the struggling restaurant on Route 17. He left notices on
windows that read "Went Away to Graduation and Vacation."

The once-beautiful, wooden building was dilapidated, with peeling red,
green and white paint, drafty windows and a caving roof, Tuxedo
Supervisor Peter Dolan said. The town building inspector advised that
it should be condemned, and Dolan agreed.

"The building was in poor shape," Dolan said. "We were scared the
building was potentially hazardous. Condemnation is not something we
do easily."

The building was condemned at a Town Board meeting Jan. 22. Kourakos
was notified beforehand by mail, but hadn't responded, Dolan said.

Yesterday, the signature red apple hung morosely in front of the
single-story building. The once-bright lights were dusty, and the
restaurant looked dark and dusty through stark windows.

A notice pasted on the door declared: "Condemned as dangerous and
unsafe" and "Danger. Keep Out."

Joseph Hann of Sloatsburg, who drives past the former eatery every day
to meet his mother, pulled up for old times' sake.

"This has been a landmark for ages. In the summertime, people came up
to eat," said Hann, a property manager. "I'd like to see it reopen."

Owner Peter Kourakos wasn't at home to discuss Red Apple Rest's
future. In the past, he has said it might or might not reopen.

Dolan said the eatery could reopen if Kourakos boarded the windows and
fixed the roof. The building, which stands on more than 8 acres,
cannot be sold until it is fixed, he said.
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Sheldon