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Gallagher's Steakhouse Closes for Renovations

 Gallagher's Steakhouse on West 52nd Street closed for renovations Monday, July 8, 2013, owner Dean Poll announced Thursday. It is scheduled to reopen in "early October," he said.
Gallagher's Steakhouse
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MIDTOWN — One of Manhattan's iconic meat meccas is cooking up a makeover.

Gallagher's Steakhouse, the 85-year-old institution as famous for its glass-enclosed meat locker and photos and murals of local celebrities as it is for its steaks, closed Monday for a "multi-million dollar renovation" that won't be completed until the fall, owner Dean Poll announced in a statement.

Boston-based designer Peter Niemitz will overhaul Gallagher's wood-paneled, photo-filled interior, said Poll, who owns Central Park Boathouse and bought Gallagher's in January just before it was set to close. The menus will also be rejiggered.

The restaurant is scheduled to reopen in early October.

"Gallagher's is a New York City institution," Poll said in a statement. "When we reopen, diners will witness a true All-American restaurant revival in the hear of the Theater District."

Poll, who reportedly said Gallagher's was "tired" in an interview with Zagat shortly after purchasing the restaurant, said Thursday that he aims "to make it relevant again" with "new interiors, exteriors, menus and branding."

But even as he pledged to give the steakhouse new sizzle, Poll also emphasized that its most iconic features won't go the way of meat trimmings.

"The iconic meat locker, which showcases the quality and unique dry-aging process of the USDA Prime Steaks, will remain at the front of the restaurant," the restaurant's statement said. "The famous Gallagher's dry-aged beef will still be grilled over hickory coals, as the restaurant has always done, plus the menu will see additions and updates to its classic steakhouse fare."