Lundy's

Under the agreement with the landmarks commission, Mr. Isaev restored the brass Lundy's lettering over the doorways.

Division in Sheepshead Bay Josh Barbanel 2011

A gleaming gourmet market with long counters of specialty foods serving the neighborhood's Russian community moved into the Lundy's building two years ago.

Division in Sheepshead Bay Josh Barbanel 2011

"The people who have settled here have no sense of history, they don't know Lundy's," said Theresa Scavo , the chairwoman of the local community board grappling with the issue.

Division in Sheepshead Bay Josh Barbanel 2011

Much of the fight centers on Lundy's inclusion in a special maritime zoning district created in the 1970s to promote water-related commercial and recreational development.

Division in Sheepshead Bay Josh Barbanel 2011

But longtime residents say they were outraged when they saw Lundy's being converted into a Russian-themed deli.

Division in Sheepshead Bay Josh Barbanel 2011

He said he had even preserved the concrete slab with the Lundy's name embedded in the sidewalk.

Division in Sheepshead Bay Josh Barbanel 2011

A smaller version of Lundy's opened in 1995 by new owners, but closed down in early 2007.

Division in Sheepshead Bay Josh Barbanel 2011

The most serious charge: removing the brass lettering with the words " Lundy Bros ." and "FWIL," for Lundy's founder, Frederick William Irving Lundy , from over several arched doorways and from the terrazzo sidewalk in front.

Division in Sheepshead Bay Josh Barbanel 2011

Lundy's closed in 1979 but its sprawling, landmarked building is now the center of a dispute pitting the neighborhood's old-timers—mostly Irish, Italian and Jewish families—against newer ethnic communities who have no memories of the venerable seafood restaurant's history in South Brooklyn.

Division in Sheepshead Bay Josh Barbanel 2011

Lundy's founder died in 1977, and the restaurant closed two years later, amid a family feud.

Division in Sheepshead Bay Josh Barbanel 2011