And then there's this entry on the Bowery near Bond Street: a painstakingly sculpted tribute to… a giant pile of trash bags.
The realism is uncanny.
Friday, February 27, 2026
Post-blizzard snow sculptures continue to delight New Yorkers
A free film screening about saving public housing — and why it matters beyond Chelsea
101 Avenue D is between Seventh Street and Eighth Street.
Friday's opening shots
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Thursday's parting shot
The wisteria-adorned townhouse on Stuyvesant Street is for sale again
EVG photo from 2024
The classic home at 35 Stuyvesant St. at 10th Street is back on the sales market as of this week.
The five-story townhouse is also home to the purple paradise of flowering beauty® ... the wisteria that has inspired both Instagram users and jigsaw puzzle makers over the years.
Bring your architect to a 32-foot-wide townhouse on the best block in the East Village.
Set within the storied Renwick Triangle, 35 Stuyvesant Street is an architecturally significant townhouse offering exceptional width and historical presence in the East Village. Built in 1861 by James Renwick, Jr., the home measures an impressive 32 feet wide and spans five stories plus an English basement and cellar. Four south-facing window bays extend across the rusticated stone and brick façade, and in the warmer months, a blooming wisteria vine cascades down the building.
Stuyvesant Street, a short, one-way road that connects Astor Place to 10th Street, is among the oldest parts of the city. While it sits at a diagonal to the city's grid, it is in fact the only street in Manhattan that runs true west to east.
Enter number 35 through either the English basement or parlor level. Myriad details convey the house's historic significance: five fireplaces and their marble mantles; intricate tin ceilings; exposed brick; decorative wood paneling. Above, an unfinished roof presents the opportunity to create a bright and impressive private outdoor space with striking views of the neighborhood...
Price: $3.895 million. (Check out photos here.)
Lee B. Anderson, called the godfather of the Gothic revival in America, was the long-time owner. He died in 2010, and his caretaker had been living there.
In 2023, the property went on sale for the first time since Anderson bought it in 1958. (Curbed had a great piece on the home here.)
The 2023 price was $4.2 million, but it's back on the market with a new broker.
Anderson won a 2003 Village Preservation Award for "nurturing his wisteria and making the Village a more beautiful place."
Speaking of the wisteria, EVG reader Terry Howell shared this photo from 2012...
Sliders up next at 34 St. Mark’s Place
It's difficult to pinpoint exactly when it shut for good — the quick-serve shop (which opened in December 2024) was often dark during its posted business hours.
Anyway! A new burger venture is already in the works for the space. Whits, specializing in sliders, is coming soon.
You can follow them on Instagram for opening updates...
Signage alert: New Mott Cleaners on 1st Avenue
Once open, the business will offer cleaning-type services such as wash & fold (washing and folding?), tailoring, and dry cleaning.
There is a New Mott Cleaners with the same phone number on Mott Street just below Houston. (We need to check to see if this will be a second outpost or a relocation.)
The First Avenue storefront was previously home to City Fun, the licensed band T-shirt shop that moved one storefront to the south last fall.
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Wednesday's parting corner shot
Backing up a bit... last July, workers demolished the building extension on the St. Mark's side. (New owners bought the three buildings on this SW corner in 2024.)
The longtime vendors here left earlier in 2025.
For decades, vendors sold items such as sunglasses, floppy hats, wigs, umbrellas, and novelty holiday merchandise from outside the corner mainstay Gem Spa. (These items are still available outside Funky Town, mid-block, and at the kiosks closer to Third Avenue.)
Before the vendors, the wall housed a bank of payphones — a location for New York Dolls photo shoots, among other phone-related activities.
Report: Plans for a 21-story residential building filed for the former St. Emeric lot on Avenue D
EVG file photo
Reps for NYC supportive housing nonprofit Community Access have filed plans for a 21-story, 350-unit residential building at 743 E. 12th St., Crain's first reported.
In July 2024, the Archdiocese of New York sold ($35 million) the block-long property at 13th Street and Avenue D, which formerly housed the St. Emeric church and school.
As 6sqft reported at the time:
Under the terms of the deal, the developers would create 570 affordable housing units across the full-block site. The project calls for two towers, one measuring 240,000 square feet and the other 570,000 square feet. Up to 60% of the homes will be reserved for homeless New Yorkers.
And...
The first phase of construction will be as-of-right and kick off in 2026; the team may pursue a rezoning for the second phase. Any change in zoning would require the project to go through the uniform land use review procedure (ULURP).
However, as Crain's noted, it wasn't immediately clear whether this residential project along 12th Street and 13th Street on Avenue D will also offer affordable housing.
The now-deconsecrated church, founded in 1949, merged with St. Brigid on Avenue B in early 2013. The site adjacent to the Con Ed power plant includes a former school building, greenhouse, and large parking lot.
Community Access, founded in 1974, also operates a 45-unit building for formerly homeless individuals several blocks away on Avenue D.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Keith Haring exhibition opens March 11 at the Brant Foundation on 6th Street
The show focuses on Haring's formative years from 1980 to 1983, tracing his rise from subway drawings in New York City to wider recognition in the art world.
Tickets are now available through May 31. Details here. Tix are $20, though $15 for East Village residents. (Kids 12 and under are free.)
The Brant Foundation is at 421 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.
The Brant Foundation started showing exhibits here in the spring of 2019, with a show featuring art by Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Peter Brant bought the building — a former Con Edison substation and Walter de Maria studio — for $27 million in August 2014.
The former Housewatch space is for lease on Avenue B
Photo last week by Stacie Joy
A for-lease sign is up at 50 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street.
The previous tenant, Housewatch, quietly closed earlier this year after nearly 18 months in business.
This is a large space that has been many different things over the years (Joey Bats Café, Gama Lounge, Lovecraft, Affaire Bistro and Lounge, China 1), with a lower level and access on both Avenue B and Fourth Street.
There are also rumors of a new suitor for the Avenue B space.
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Tompkins Sculpture Park
Thanks to Andy Bodor for documenting some of the artistry...
The owners of Cafe Mogador are opening a new bar on St. Mark's Place
Photos and interview by Stacie Joy
From left: Jacob Ahiyon and Danny Orlin
Danny Orlin is quick to clarify the vision for a new venture planned for 126 St. Mark's Place.
"It's bar — not a restaurant," he says. "A complement to Café Mogador but something different."
Orlin and his cousin Jacob Ahiyon, who run neighborhood mainstay Café Mogador (now in its 43rd year), are taking over the former East Village Social space between Avenue A and First Avenue ... and marking the next chapter for a family with a long history in the neighborhood.
I stopped by this past Friday as they took another look at the long-vacant space for the still-unnamed new venture. After some difficulty lifting the gates (partial success) and navigating a room with few working lights, we surveyed what was left behind — including a pristine Village Voice from the week Prince died in April 2016 — and talked through their plans.
Café Mogador has been on St. Mark's Place for 40 years. What made now the right time to open another spot on the block?
Danny Orlin: Opportunity. We've had the idea of opening a small place on the block to work symbiotically with Mogador for a few years now, and have been eyeing this space in particular for a while — it's always felt like the right fit, and we're super excited to see what we can do with it.
How will the new cafe be different from the original Mogador? What are your plans for the new space?
Orlin: It will be very different! Mogador is a restaurant, while this space will be more of a bar that also serves simple, small plates.
The through-line will be some Moroccan/Mediterranean influence, and a value of running it with care and consistency. It will be a place that, first and foremost, aims to be welcoming and homey for our community, much the way Mogador does. A place to come and stay awhile.
Jacob Ahiyon: This concept is definitely more bar-forward, with a focus on fun drinks and small plates served in an intimate setting. We plan for the space to work in tandem with Mogador as a place for guests to visit before and/or after their meal.
We also envision this being a place for our community to gather and connect in a more toned-down atmosphere than your normal bar.
What are you most excited to bring to the new space?
Ahiyon: We're most excited to bring our personal touch! We envision the space being full of character and soul. We love thrifting and look forward to filling the place with second-hand treasures. Most decorations at Mogador are also thrifted!
Orlin: I'm being redundant here, but — big picture — we're excited to bring a feeling of intimacy and comfort. A place that feels lived-in and welcoming. As a diner and bar-goer, those are the places I feel most drawn to. This space already has some really nice rustic bones. A beautiful hardwood floor, brick walls, and a tin ceiling.
We want to dress it up with lots of warm tones and antique furniture, much like we have done at Mogador. If it becomes a place where people can reliably come to find their nook and connect over tasty drinks and bites, then I'd say we've accomplished our goal.
What does it mean to you to still be growing after four decades on St. Mark's?
Orlin: It means we're very fortunate to have received an incredible amount of steady support from our community and beyond. It's very affirming for all the care we put into Mogador every day, and we feel incredibly grateful.
Do you see this as expansion ... or more like keeping the neighborhood tradition going? Are there plans for further growth?
Ahiyon: We don't necessarily see this as an expansion; we intend for the space to have its own identity. Though much of the decor and menu will be inspired by Mogador, this place will offer its own experience and destination.
Orlin: I wouldn't call it an expansion, and there are no plans for further growth. We see it as a new, exciting project that can work symbiotically with Mogador.
Monday, February 23, 2026
Monday's parting shots
Photos by Stacie Joy
Spotted during today’s vehicle-free (until noon!) snow day: AJ and his owner, Tiffeani, opting for a little dog-powered transit...
Reader-submitted snow photos from the great blizzard of February 2026
Late-night look at Seventh and B by Robert Miner...
Outside St. Stanislaus on Seventh Street via JackflashNYC...
... shelter in Tompkins by Derek Berg...
... more shots from Tompkins by James Rogala...
... a view of the New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street by Carol Kendzierski...
... Ninth Street snow mounds via Steven...
ConEd views from Jeanne Krier...
... a reader-submitted photo along 10th Street and Tompkins Square Park...
... and from yesterday, guess we missed Pope Leo's visit to Tompkins... thanks to the reader for this shot...
Meanwhile, in the adult section of Tompkins Square Park
Photos by William Klayer
After every major snowfall (especially when the snow is perfect for packing) ... as inevitable as seeing someone carrying golf clubs or wearing shorts...
This morning, Parks workers toppled the above sculpture, leaving only the base behind... stating, "Kids don't need to see any dick."
The morning after (and day of) the blizzard of Feb. 22-23
Photos by Stacie Joy
A few photos from this morning as the snow continues to fall (more than a foot reported in NYC so far) ... we found Parks staff out in Tompkins... and owner Ali Sahin working at C&B Cafe on Seventh Street near Avenue B — one of the handful of local businesses open today...
Elsewhere, there's snow, snow and a random car or two ... not to mention mini snow plows on the streets...
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