"Many in Tenafly are very sorry to see this site razed," Councilman Paul Stefanowicz said. "It's somewhere history took place, and it gave the town character and a place for generations of families to go."
It was built in 1870 as The Valley Hotel and served as lodging for workers on early Tenafly projects, said Stefanowicz, the assistant borough historian.
A decade later, Stanton – in the presence of Susan B. Anthony – tried to cast a ballot.
"They were driven to the polls by Charles Everett of Forest Road," Stefanowicz said.
Stanton lived in Tenafly, where she wrote some of her most famous works, and her home is a registered landmark.
A daycare facility is expected to replace the restaurant, which was vacant for the past six years.
"Having graduated in 1967, I knew it as The Forge," said Tony Romano. "My mom took me there in the 80s when I came to visit her. I always knew the history of the building. I'm sad to see it go."
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