By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava

Westland Roe, a bar with a full menu and brunch options, is opening at 174 West 72nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. While the space has been vacant for the past decade, it has been home to Irish pubs dating back to the 1950s, including P.D. O’Hurley’s, and prior to that, Donohue’s. The bar’s name pays homage to the local and Irish heritages that shape the building’s history. Westland Row is a notable street in Dublin, Ireland (Oscar Wilde was born there); and in the 1880s Albert Seeley Roe commissioned the townhouse that houses the current bar. 

The facade of the building is landmarked, but the interior required a full renovation except for the flooring, which has been there for over a hundred years. (Landmark West has published a detailed history of the building – HERE.) The three partners behind Westland Roe – Carrie Galvin, Linda Hopper, and Michael Nash – have decades of experience running bars in Midtown, including Faces & Names and Rumors. Galvin described Westland Roe as an “elevated gastropub,” on a call with the Rag. “We’ll brighten up the corner,” she said. “We’re not gearing towards any one individual. We want it to be a place where everybody’s welcome.” Westland Roe is planning to have a soft opening on November 1st, with the kitchen opening in a couple of weeks. (Thanks to Jeremy for the tip.) 

Solidcore, a pilates and strength-training studio, has signage up at the corner of Broadway and West 78th Street in the Apthorp Building and is planning to open in spring 2025, a representative confirmed to the Rag. Solidcore’s group classes involve “a high-intensity, low-impact full-body workout on a pilates-inspired reformer,” according to the company’s website. Solidcore has studios across the U.S., including many in New York City. The closest existing ones to the UWS are on the Upper East Side and West 57th Street. The space used to be Apthorp Pharmacy, which relocated a block south in 2019. (Thanks to Jackie for the tip.) 

Tracksmith, the running apparel and shoe brand, is hosting a pop-up at 341 Columbus Avenue (corner of West 76th Street) from October 31 to November 4 for the New York City Marathon. The pop-up will be selling an “Heirloom Hoodie” sweatshirt, which runners can customize with their name or finishing times, as well as patches commemorating the race. Tracksmith is based in Boston, with a store on Newbury Street, and also has a NYC store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The Columbus Avenue pop-up will also feature a special NYC Marathon 2024 clothing line that is not available online, a representative told West Side Rag. Hours listed are: Thursday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Monday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The space used to be the clothing store, Peruvian Connection which closed in December 2023.

Fleet Feet and New Balance are partnering to host a pop-up from November 1st to 4th on the ground floor of the Shops at Columbus Circle (West 59th Street) for the Marathon. The brands are also hosting many running-themed events at the store in the lead-up to the race, including group runs, a race prep talk with dietician Meghann Featherstun and professional runner Meb Keflezighi, happy hour, yoga, and more. Fleet Feet has a store on the second floor at the Shops at Columbus Circle (as well as one on West 72nd Street), and New Balance has a shop on the Upper West Side at 210 Columbus Avenue (between West 69th and 70th streets), which opened last October.  

ICYMI: Bagel Talk at 368 Amsterdam Avenue (at West 78th Street) has been closed temporarily by the New York City Department of Health and Hygiene for health violations. Earlier this year, a critic from the food website Eater ranked Bagel Talk among the best bagel places on the Upper West Side. The business was founded in 1995, according to the company’s description on Yelp.

The Openings & Closings column wouldn’t be possible without our many tipsters: thank you! Anyone can send tips about openings and closings in the neighborhood to info@westsiderag.com.

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