DeROBERTIS PASTICCERIA on First Ave near 11th Street was established by Paolo DeRobertis in 1904.

Their #neon sign is from the mid 1940s. The Italian 🇮🇹 #bakery closed in 2014 when the family decided to sell the building due to a decline in health of the older fourth-generation members of the family coupled with a decline in business.

Black Seed Bagels which took over the #storefront kept much of the original interior, including its hand-laid decorative tiled floor, pressed tin ceiling and mirrored back wall and also kept DeRobertis large #neonsign along the facade’s upper floor. Since we live nearby and walk past this business every day we noticed last week that the neon was missing from its facade. The building has been undergoing renovation so we are not sure if it was damaged (the neon was not in working condition prior to the renovation) but we hope that it is just being restored. @blackseedbagels can you tell us what has happened to this gorgeous piece of history?

• Our photo of DeRobertis appears in our book “New York Nights” along with our interview with the 3rd-generation owner Annie DeRobertis.