After 46 years, the Ukrainian Sports Club has left the East Village

The Ukrainian Sports Club of New York moved away earlier this week from the East Village after 46 years at 122 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

Ulana Pryjmak, the Club's communications director, provided this background on the organization that hosted everything from banquets to book readings here...

For the last several months the location of the Ukrainian Sports Club of New York (YCK) has experienced extraordinary changes due to gentrification of our neighborhood thereby having very little interaction with its members. 

Moreover, our New York Ukrainians soccer team players find it difficult traveling into Manhattan. Our home base for our adult soccer games is in McCarren Park in Brooklyn, which is an area that would be a more appropriate and exciting new home for YCK.

In the past few years, we have taken several remarkable steps to remain here in Manhattan as this has been our home for the last 46 years. The YCK purchased the building at 122 Second Ave. in late 1974 upon selling our soccer field in Flushing, Queens. At that time, this building was a commercial one, fully rented, except for the ground and second floors with commercial and residential tenants on the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors. 

The club has meant the world to thousands of people over the last five decades. It always welcomed members and their guests with a smile. It is a unique location in the heart of the East Village.

Upon entering the building, you would walk down a long hallway with blue and yellow stripes (symbolizing the colors of the Ukrainian flag), to a lobby that has an amazing mural of printed articles and photographs of the NY Ukrainians soccer teams over the years. 

On the other side is an impressive wall of outstanding trophies that their athletic teams have earned and show off with pride. Climbing up a few steps would be a classic and timeless no-frills bar, playing sports on any or all of their 3 TV monitors. 

Although we sold the building back in 2016, but remained in the back of the ground floor, the decision to move out of our Manhattan home has been a very difficult one. Our rental lease has expired and we are ready to find a new permanent location. We have many unforgettable memories here that we will hold on to forever.  

Rest assured, we have exciting changes ahead. We will continue to function with our respective adult and youth athletic programs during this transition and will wholeheartedly support you, our community, along the way. 

We will dearly miss our 122 Second Ave. home but look forward to finding another remarkable location for our organization to continue thriving for generations to come. 

Here are some photos from the move this week...
You can keep tabs on the Club via Instagram.

At the new home of the Chinese Hawaiian Kenpo Academy on 2nd Avenue

All photos by Stacie Joy

Earlier last month, the Chinese Hawaiian Kenpo Academy (CHKA) moved from the second floor of 34 Avenue A to its new home at 122 Second Ave.

No. 122 between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place houses the Ukrainian Sports Club, which has a space in the rear of the building. (The Club plans to be here for two more years.) The two-level space arrived on the market last fall, with signage noting retail/restaurant space for rent.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that CHKA, a 20-plus-year-old martial arts school offering classes in Kenpo karate and kickboxing for children and adults, was moving into the space. And not like, say, a gastropub.



I recently stopped by for a quick tour and to talk with Jane Ray, CHKA's program director, about the move. (The studio is owned by Sandra Shamburger. Her husband, Sifu Jack Shamburger, is the Academy's head instructor.)


[Jane Ray]

"We were looking for about a year-and-a half for a new space," Ray said. "We have so many kids from the neighborhood who come here — hundreds of families. And we work with the schools. So staying in the neighborhood was of paramount importance."

On Avenue A, CHKA was simply outgrowing the space.

"Before, we would run three classes side by side. We had sort of an invisible divider," said Ray, an East Village resident. "We were working in 800 square feet — we were bursting at the seams."

CHKA is now spread over two floors. They will eventually have locker rooms with showers and offer early-morning sessions for people who may wish to take a pre-day-job class.







For years CHKA has offered a free self-defense class (aka SMASH CLASS) for women on Tuesday evenings. Ray said that up to 50 participants would show up for a class. They have recently added a session on Thursday evenings ... and, just during the summer, one at 3 p.m. on Sundays.

"The women’s self-defense class is in the process of being incorporated as a not-for-profit entity, so that will help us get grants and funding to grow that program," Ray said. (CHKA also offers scholarship for kids and provides outreach at the Boys' Club of New York and other community groups.)

According to the Commercial Observer, Jerry Lebedowicz purchased 122 Second Ave. for $9.1 million last October. Before him, the Ukrainian Soccer Club owned the property since 1959. The building dates to 1920. There are also two apartments and 2,400 square feet of office space above CHKA.

The landlord will be installing a new façade with floor-to-ceiling windows.

"For a martial arts school, you always want people to see in and what we are doing. We have boxing, kickboxing — the visuals are a great marketing tool," Ray said with a laugh.


[Ray in action]

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Saturday afternoon from 2-4, Steve "Nasty" Anderson — considered the greatest sport karate fighter of all time — is hosting a seminar at CHKA. Find details here.

122 2nd Ave., home of the Ukrainian Sports Club, being pitched for retail or a restaurant

The retail/restaurant for rent sign has arrived outside 122 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

According to the listing, two levels are available in the space whose current tenants include the Ukrainian Sports Club.

Here are more details (PDF here) via KSR Realty:

• Floors can be leased together or separately
• Incredible East Village retail opportunity
• Landlord will install ventilation
• Ownership is installing new façade
• Close proximity 400,000 SF office tower at 51 Astor Place
• Consistent foot traffic with St. Mark’s Place and Astor Place steps away
• Adjecent to Orpheum Theater

And here's a conceptual rendering showing the possibilities...



This is not the first time this space has been available. As we reported in January 2011, the two floors were going for an asking rent of $26,500. The retail-restaurant plans never materialized at that time. There isn't any mention of the asking rent today.

As previously noted, La Mama Experimental Theater Company was here until 1969.