Upper East Siders who celebrate Easter from behind stained glass windows can slide into a booth for dinner at The Mansion diner on 86th and York, where the last rays of sunlight also peek in through colorful artwork. This time of year, the hand-painted windows at The Mansion, which first appeared more than 20 years ago and are an institution in Yorkville, feature Easter eggs, crosses, and a Seder plate marking Passover.
Since 2002, The Mansion has brightened up the neighborhood with big and bold secular and religious holiday decorations on its corner windows, celebrating holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, and Thanksgiving, as well as St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween.
ALSO READ | Pickleball Takes Over Central Park’s Wollman Rink for the Next Six Months
Philip John Philips, the Chief Financial Officer of the family business, and father of its current owner, John Philips, tells Upper East Site, “We do it for every season. It’s our version of the Christmas windows on Fifth Avenue.”
The Mansion leadership gives Noelle Clancy, a hairdresser by day, artist by night, holiday-related images they want displayed, “and she does her thing after that,” Philips, 71, says. Clancy did not respond to a request for comment.
As of now, the window paintings only represent Christian, Jewish, and secular holidays, but the diner is thinking about branching out to cover Muslim holidays like the monthlong festival of Ramadan — currently in its third week — as well.
“We try to be sensitive to every religion,” Philips explains, adding that he wants to market to the neighborhood, which he says is mostly Christian and Jewish. The current window display also features an image of a red egg tied to a Greek Orthodox Easter tradition, a nod to the family’s background in Cyprus. Orthodox Easter is celebrated on April 16.
“We take pride in our neighborhood because that’s where our customer base comes from.” Philips says. About 10% of his customers are visiting the neighborhood, he says, while 90% live in Yorkville or nearby. “The most important thing is when people walk by, they smile.”
Holiday decorations at The Mansion don’t stop at the windows. Inside, Easter and St. Patrick’s Day are what Philips calls “balloon holidays,” meaning they fill the dining room with 1,000 helium balloons for children to play with and take home.
“They bring an element of joy, happiness, something that we don’t find in today’s world,” Philips says.
While Philips has not noticed an increase in business since The Mansion started painting its windows in the early aughts, he stresses that the decorations do not serve a financial purpose. Visible from the street, Philips says he has seen drivers stop and take pictures from their car.
As Upper East Site was interviewing him on Saturday morning, several families walked by, children pointing and smiling at the yellow and blue Easter eggs and bunny painted on the windows.
“We get enjoyment out of doing it [painting the windows] because it breaks the daily pace,” Philips says, explaining that the decorations serve both the staff and the neighborhood. “We feel good that people enjoy it; it’s almost like a good meal.”
ALSO READ | Authentic Italian Cafe ‘Adriano,’ Upscale European Restaurant ‘Gazette’ Coming to the UES
Founded by his father in 1945, The Mansion will celebrate 78 years on East 86th Street in June. Philips says customers often ask him when the next round of window paintings will be up, or the more extensive decorations, like the six-foot-tall ghosts that adorn the fire escapes of the apartment building that houses the diner.
Hoping to continue a tradition that has endured through many Upper East Siders’ childhoods, Philips says the windows “keep The Mansion on their tongues, so to speak.”
