The Frick Unveils a Tasteful Café That Matches Its Masterpieces
Named after the illustrious family’s private train car, Westmoreland Café pairs seasonal American fare with thoughtful interiors conceived by Bryan O’Sullivan
The Whitney has Frenchette and MoMA has the Modern, but the Frick Collection never boasted a place to rest and refuel while gazing at the Fragonards. That was until the spring, when the illustrious New York museum underwent a major renovation at the hands of Selldorf Architects, which deftly overhauled Henry Clay Frick’s history-laden Beaux-Arts mansion into a 21st-century marvel that still respects the vast trove of European paintings and decorative art housed within. The enhancement involved installing three new galleries, replacing the underground auditorium, redesigning the once-cramped reception hall, building a voluptuous marble stairway, and creating a second floor with connections to the mansion, a gift shop, and an all-day restaurant.
Westmoreland Café, which seats around 50 guests, offers a stellar amenity for ticketholders owing equally to the menu’s seasonal American fare and the immaculate interiors conjured by Bryan O’Sullivan Studio. Named after the private Pullman railway car used by the Frick family to travel between their vacation homes, the all-day restaurant sits naturally within the Selldorf-led expansion while employing design gestures that hearken to its luxurious namesake. “The spirit of the railcar shaped the mood—intimate, transportive, and quietly refined,” says O’Sullivan of the original Westmoreland, which sported a ten-seat dining room as well as an observation lounge and guest quarters staffed by a private chef.
The designer, a Galerie Creative Mind who splits his time between London and New York, recreated its resplendent atmosphere through sumptuous yet durable materials: warm walnut dining tables, soft leather banquettes, and subtle brass detailing evocative of Gilded Age splendor. “The space had to feel like it belonged to the Frick,” O’Sullivan told Galerie. “Elegant, considered, and timeless.” Herringbone marble floors, limestone wall cladding, and striking Murano pendants reference the mansion’s historic finishes. Bronze shelving behind the walnut and cast glass bar displays glassware and decorative objects artfully arranged to resemble a collector’s cabinet, echoing the museum’s familial origins.
Westmoreland also overlooks the institution’s beloved 70th Street Garden designed by the late British landscape architect Russell Page, so verdant references naturally abound. Antique mirror panels affixed above banquettes reflect and amplify the lush landscapes below; windows are festooned in floral motifs including burnet, a perennial pulled from the grounds.
“The green we used throughout—particularly in the foyer’s mohair settee—comes directly from studying the collection, especially Hans Holbein’s portrait of Thomas More,” O’Sullivan recalls. The sculptural piece looks perfectly at home backdropped by the radiant entry mural devised by Darren Waterston, who also painted a panoramic frieze encircling the dining room’s upper walls in the style of Giovanni Bellini’s St. Francis in the Desert (ca. 1475–80). Waterston also sculpted floral bas reliefs surrounding the gilded ceiling medallions, one of O’Sullivan’s favorite details. “They feel like ivy creeping across the ceiling,” he observes. “There’s something organic and slightly surreal about them, and they add a sense of movement.”
Unfussy cuisine, which draws from local seasonality and the Frick family’s historic menus, also aligns with the environment. The elevated American fare includes a caesar salad, tagliatelle pomodoro, heirloom tomato soup, crustless club, and poached trout, all led by Executive Chef Skyllar Hughes under the guidance of Union Square Events. Beverages span local coffees and teas, European and American wines, and spirit-forward and non-alcoholic cocktails inspired by the museum’s Webby-nominated video series and subsequent book Cocktails with a Curator.
Wrapping up Westmoreland marks a full-circle moment for O’Sullivan, who started his career working for Selldorf before launching his ten-year-old studio. “When she approached me to collaborate on the café, it felt incredibly special,” he reflects. And it’s clear he learned from the best: “The palette is soft, the lighting is gentle, and there are details that feel rooted in the building’s history, yet purpose-built for today.”