PHOTOS: The New Tavern on the Green is Aiming for LEED Silver Certification

"We like to say it's the greening of Tavern on the Green," Elizabeth Moss of <a href="http://www.shca.com/">Swanke Hayden Connell Architects</a> told us of the famous <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/central-park/">Central Park</a> restaurant's nearly complete renovation. SHCA was hired by Philadelphia restaurateurs Jim Caiola and David Salama to redesign and retrofit the almost 80-year-old eatery into a light-filled, LEED Silver-seeking destination that they hope will be more accessible to New Yorkers than its tony predecessor. The much-anticipated second coming of the <a href="http://tavernonthegreen.com/">Tavern</a> will culminate in an opening on April 24th, but Inhabitat was able to sneak a peek at the new green space today. Read on for photos of the restaurant's three very distinct rooms and learn more about chef Katy Sparks' menu, which will be centered on local and seasonal foods.

The Tavern's Bar Room has a rustic but elegant feeling.

As most New Yorkers now know from reading the numerous anticipatory articles about the re-opening, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/tavern-on-the-green-slated-to-reopen-this-month-with-local-food-filled-menu/">Tavern On The Green</a> was originally a sheepfold built in 1870 to house 200 sheep who used the adjacent Central Park's Sheep Meadow as an eatery of their own. The building was later turned into a restaurant at the behest of parks commissioner Robert Moses in 1934. As time went on, the Tavern, which eventually closed in 2009, became more and more geared towards upscale dining, and gained a reputation as a lavish experience filled with over-the-top rococo fixtures.

Tavern on the Green owners David Salama and Jim Caiola.

But the new Tavern, under the guidance of Caiola and Salama, will be quite a departure from its rather fancy pants antecedent.

The giant chandeliers and famed Crystal Room have been replaced with more modest, hand-blown glass light fixtures and a clean, glass addition that will open up right onto the park.

The entirely revamped space will be almost unrecognizable to past patrons, except for perhaps the dark wood ceiling beams that date back to the structure's sheepfold days.

"It was a bit like peeling off layers on an onion...or rather clearing away barnacles," said architect Elizabeth Moss about the renovation.

"When the Crystal Room was added, the building became disconnected from the park. Now we're bringing back the building's original horseshoe shape with arms that feel like they're reaching out to the park. And the glass wall will have double doors that open up onto a patio. It'll be the first time in 50 years that the restaurant will be open to the park."

The new Central Park Room will have a glass wall that opens up onto a patio overlooking the park.

The patio area is still under progress.

While it hasn't been largely publicized, the new Tavern on the Green will actually be able to live up to the color in its name with a host of eco-friendly features.

"We're planting all native plants around the restaurant," Caiola told us. "The floor is reclaimed wood so that's another LEED point. In fact, the whole job is [designed to be] LEED Silver." <a href="http://www.viridianee.com/">Viridian Energy &amp; Environmental, a Vidaris Inc. Company</a> was the LEED consultant on the project.

But the architecture won't be the only eco-conscious aspect of the Tavern's rebirth. Chef Katy Sparks, who earned her culinary stripes at establishments like the Quilted Giraffe and Mesa Grill, has brought her ethos of simple, high-quality and sustainable cooking to the restaurant's kitchen.

Chef Katy Sparks

"Partnering with local vendors has been part of the plan from the very beginning," Sparks told us. For bread, we're using <a href="http://hotbreadkitchen.org/">Hot Bread Kitchen</a> in Harlem, which is actually an incubator for women and teaches them how to cook as well as computer skills. We're also using <a href="https://www.breadalone.com/">Bread Alone</a> and Ruis bread, which is a wonderful artisan-whole rye bread made in Brooklyn. For fish, sustainability is always something on my mind so I make sure we research the fishes that are thriving and not over-fished. So we're using hake instead of cod, a similar white-fleshed fish but it's not endangered. And in terms of our meat product, we have a unique and wonderful partnership with <a href="http://www.lobels.com/">Lobel's</a>, which is an old, five-generation New York butcher, and the sourcing that they do is impeccable so it's antibiotic- and hormone- free animals and they're providing all our fresh meat."

Tavern on the Green's new menu.

Rhubarbs being prepped for action.

The Bar Room's lounge area.

[gallery_extend]....<br><br><a href='https://inhabitat.com/sneak-peek-explore-the-new-tavern-on-the-green-before-it-opens-on-april-24th/'>READ ARTICLE</a>

Tavern on the Green will open on April 24th for dinner and a weekend brunch service will be available on <a href="http://inhabitat.com/6-diy-mothers-day-gifts-that-will-truly-wow-your-mom/">Mother’s Day</a> weekend from May 10th to the 11th. The official grand opening will take place on Tuesday, May 13th. For reservation, visit <a title="Opens in a new window" href="http://www.tavernonthegreen.com">their website</a> or call 212-877-TOTG (8684).