For nearly a century, Streit’s Matzo Factory has been churning out an endless stream of matzo in its LES factory. However, Streit’s long and glorious run has come to an end, with the shop closing it’s doors this summer. Though the move-out date is technically sometime in July, the process has already begun –the conveyor belts have stopped moving and machinery can be seen being moved out of the space.
It’s sad times for the LES, where the scent of baking matzo from the four contiguous factory buildings at 148-154 Rivington has been hanging in the air for the past five generations or so. The lot sold for a cool 30.5 million and will be demolished soon after Streit’s vacates the property entirely. No word yet on whether the mom-and-pop matzo outfit will open shop elsewhere (they’ve been looking for new digs for a while but as of yet seem to be unsuccessful). However, until that day comes, much of the inventory will be moved to the family’s second plant in New Jersey, where they make kosher products (but no matzo, unfortunately).
For those interested in the long history of this pillar of the matzo world, check out the documentary Streit’s: Matzo and the American Dream.
Lauren is a New York based actor/singer/writer. She is a graduate of the American Repertory Theater/Moscow Art Theater School Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University as well as the College of the Holy Cross. She’s a fan of beer, pasta, and academic establishments with unnecessarily long titles. Find her on stage, or online– she’s there often.
