2nd Avenue Deli May Move Uptown on 3rd

The 2nd Avenue Deli may reopen in a new location farther uptown near Third Avenue, a year after the landmark restaurant closed its doors in the East Village, depriving the city of what had been its best corned-beef sandwich.

The Lebewohl family, who owned the deli for more than 50 years, until a rent dispute with a new landlord shut it down last year, is now expecting to close on the purchase of a building in Murray Hill, where a spokesman for the family said it plans to open a new delicatessen.

The owner of the 2nd Avenue Deli, Jack Lebewohl, will not be running the new deli, but according to a spokesman for the family, Patrick Smith of Rubenstein Associates, "There is family involvement." It was Jack's 26-year-old son, Joshua Lebewohl, who applied for an on-premise liquor license transfer from the Community Board, which was approved in November. "Jack has other businesses he's pursuing right now," Mr. Smith said. A close family member who currently owns a bagel store may run day-to-day operations at the deli, and Joshua Lebewohl, who works full time as a lawyer, will likely remain involved in some capacity.

The building the family is seeking to purchase, a five-story walkup at 162 E. 33rd St., sits between Lexington and Third avenues on a relatively quiet commercial block dotted with laundromats, nail salons, and restaurants. The reincarnation of the 2nd Avenue Deli would occupy the building 's ground-level commercial space, which is currently rented to a Spanish restaurant and tapas bar, Marbella.

The new establishment remains unnamed, a family lawyer, Charles Levin, said. But when he was asked last year if the deli might reopen in a new location, Jack Lebewohl said, "It'll be the 2nd Avenue Deli wherever it is." Mr. Levin said he did not know if the new establishment would be kosher.

"The applicant provided an extensive menu to show us this would primarily be a food establishment selling delicatessen food with possibly a service bar," said documents from Manhattan Community Board Six approving Joshua Lebewohl's application for a liquor license.

The old dining room on Second Avenue and 10th Street has stood vacant since Jack Lebewohl chose in 2006 not to renew his five-year lease. When a new owner, Jonis Realty, raised the rent to $33,000 from $24,000 a month for the 2,800-square-foot space, Jack Lebewohl said he could no longer afford to lease the space.

After Mr. Lebewohl hinted last year that he would consider reopening at a new site, many of the deli's devotees have speculated as to where that would be. Mr. Lebewohl, who did not return phone calls over the past few days, may be trying to keep the new location under wraps until the sale is finalized. As the deli moves north, the Lebewohl name retains its presence in the East Village. The small park on Second Avenue, across from the old deli's location, was named after Abe Lebewohl, one of the deli's founders, after he was shot to death in front of his establishment in 1996 in a crime that remains unsolved.

After his brother's murder, Jack Lebewohl closed the deli temporarily, and kept Abe's memory alive by prominently advertising in the deli's main entrance a $100,000 reward for information that would lead to the arrest of his brother's killer.

Scaffolding currently covers an interior renovation at the 2nd Avenue Deli's former location. After a deal that would have leased the space to Vital Dent, a European chain of storefront dentists, fell through a few months ago, the space will likely be shared by an unnamed food vendor and a Chase Manhattan bank.

When asked if the deli that was once an East Village fixture would make a positive contribution to the community in Murray Hill, the district manager of Community Board 6, Toni Carlina said, "The Board passed a positive resolution, so they must feel that way." Ms. Carlina also said the deli's opening was still in the planning phases, and the real estate negotiation was still in the works.