TIMES SQUARE — A longtime Midtown diner will serve its last meal on New Year’s Eve.
The Evergreen Diner will close at noon on Dec. 31, after 25 years on West 47th Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues, owner Ilias Argena said Wednesday.
The owner of the building that houses the diner wouldn’t extend its lease, he explained.
“We’re being forced out,” Argenas, 57, said. “They want the property vacant. Why? I have no clue.”
The New York Post first reported news of the closing.
The diner will host a farewell party for its staff and longtime customers on New Year’s Eve, Argenas said.
“We’re done, we’re closed, we’re going to have a little party … and then life goes on,” he said. “[But] it’s not a good feeling — the staff, my customers, this is a family.”
The real estate firm that owned the building for years reportedly sold the property to an entity called Clarity 47 Parking LLC this past spring.
Clarity 47 Parking LLC could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Argenas said he hoped the diner would eventually reopen elsewhere.
“Time is going to tell. Someday it will happen,” he said. “When one door closes, another one opens.”
