Patisserie Florentine has closed on 10th Street

[Photo by EVG reader Tyler]

After two years serving their signature almond croissants and other fresh-baked pastries, Patisserie Florentine has closed at 280 E. 10th St. just west of Avenue A. (Thanks to EVG readers Dan Scheffey and Tyler for the tip.)

A sign on the door greeting customers thanks everyone for their patronage .. and invites them to their two outposts in New Jersey. Patisserie Florentine is owned by brothers Tomer (the chef) and Itay (the accountant) Zilkha.

This space was previously Cafe Silan, another nice cafe spot that wasn't able to catch on despite quality food and service.

Also at this address and two storefronts away, the former Thirstea Café tea shop — which closed in September 2016 after seven years in business — was recently converted into a real-estate office.



Previously on EV Grieve:
About Patisserie Florentine, now open on 10th Street

From bad to pretty bad: MTA releases more details on the new L-train rehab plan

MTA managing director Ronnie Hakim briefed selected reporters yesterday on the latest L-train rehabilitation plan. While Gov. Cuomo helped avoid a full shutdown, the repairs to the Sandy-damaged L tubes between Manhattan and Brooklyn will still be a major disruption, Hakim admitted.

We'll go to David Meyer at Streetsblog for details of particular interest to this neighborhood...

On weeknights, service between Manhattan and Brooklyn will begin to slow just after the evening rush, at 8 p.m. Headways will grow to every 20 minutes after 10 p.m. — the current arrangement between 1:30 and 5 a.m. Weekend service will be significantly diminished, with 20 minute headways — up from as little as four minutes now.

And...

Only one bus service improvement is certain: Hakim said 14th Street buses will run every three minutes on weekends, up from the current range of four-and-a-half minutes to seven-and-a-half minutes between buses. But the previously planned dedicated busway is no longer in the works, and the launch of M14 Select Bus Service, originally scheduled for April, has been delayed.

And...

Hakim did not confirm whether stations at First and Third avenue will become “exit-only” due to large crowds that are expected to gather on the platforms because of the extended headways. She said only that the MTA “may” make those stations exit only.

And amNY has more from City Hall...

Mayoral spokesman Eric Phillips said the administration is still undecided on the busway and other street changes planned for the original shutdown — despite the MTA's belief that the bus priority wouldn't be necessary.

"As we learn more and more detail every day from the MTA about its closure of the L train, we’ll continue to design efforts and review existing plans to help affected riders," Phillips said in a statement.

Gothamist has a nice recap here... reactions include this statement from Transportation Alternatives ... and...

The de Blasio admin potentially backing out of a 14th St Busway is cowardly and short-sighted. That’s my statement.

— Second Ave. Sagas (@2AvSagas) February 13, 2019

Finally, here's a statement from Sen. Brad Hoylman:

"Today the MTA confirmed our fears that the new L Train plan will bring little to no alternate service enhancements, the loss of the 14th Street busway, possible exit only stations at 1st and 3rd Avenues, delayed subways, and historic overcrowding. I'm extremely concerned. So far, this is not a plan that will avert a shutdown. It’s an effort to steamroll a quick fix over the public.

The MTA has promised to take community input into account as it moves forward. I'm pleased to see that they are planning to expand M14A service, and I hope to see much more done to help riders. I know they will be hearing from many constituents in my district, who are being left without real options."

The MTA hopes to start the L-train rehabilitation work during the last weekend of April, as previously planned. Hakim said that they'd be public outreach sessions in the weeks ahead.

[Updated] Two new quick-service options for Houston and Allen: pizza and gyros

Grand opening signage is up at Empire Gyro on the southeast corner of Allen and Houston ... the quick-serve, 24/7 spot makes its debut on Monday. They'll be serving a variety of gyros and shawarma plates ... as well as burgers, salads and soups.

Meanwhile, a few storefronts away on East Houston ... the doors were open at the under-renovation storefront next to the Army-Navy store...



... the space will be a cheap-slice pizzeria...



Updated 2/15

The 99-cent pizza place opened yesterday...

Snow melt in Tompkins Square Park

Photo today by Grant Shaffer...

Deconstruction at Theater for the New City; Homo Eruptus at Howl! Happening

A new group show opens this evening (5-8) at the Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

Per the Facebook event page: "Deconstruction will deal with the use of construction signs and materials through a means of artistic expression."

The work will be on display through March 29.

-----



East Village-based artist Scooter LaForge has a new exhibition opening tomorrow evening (6-9) at Howl! Happening, 6 E. First St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Per the Howl! website:

Homo Eruptus [is] a new body of work by Scooter LaForge including large, mural-size paintings that mine the artist’s fertile inner emotional realm. Whether it’s expressed on the mammoth pictorial canvases on view at the gallery, or a t-shirt or cast-off article of clothing — Scooter paints with an earnestness that responds in the moment to what he sees and hears and feels about the world around him.

The show will remain up through March 13.

No one seems to want to keep these historic Anglo-Italianate townhouses on 10th Street

Off and on through the [EVG] years, those beautiful single-family Anglo-Italianate townhouses that date to the 1850s at 123-125 E. 10th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue have been for sale.

And now they are both back on the market here in the St. Mark's Historic District. The listings arrived yesterday on Streeteasy. (No. 123 is here... and No. 125 is here.)

The Post first took note of this. We'll let them do the lifting:

One, at 123 E. 10th St., listed with Mark Amadei of Sotheby’s International Realty for $7.69 million. The other, 125 E. 10th St., hit the market for $8.3 million and is represented by Jason Haber of Warburg Realty.

But together, according to the Warburg listing, both can be sold together for $15.99 million.

“123 E. 10th St. was built at the same time as [125 E. 10th St.] and they share one of the largest private gardens in Manhattan,” the Warburg listing adds.

Fun cost-of things fact: In 2011, the two-townhouse combo price was $12.95 million.

A few pics now. These are from No. 125... inside and out...





As TMZ Grieve reported off and on in 2012 and 2013 and, what the hell, 2014, Mary-Kate Olsen and her beau Olivier Sarkozy bought No. 123, and they rented No. 125. Eventually they sold No. 123 and went off elsewhere.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Your chance to see inside a historic townhouse on East 10th Street tonight (complimentary wine alert!)

Report: Historic Anglo-Italianate townhouse on East 10th Street to serve as Olsen twin love nest

Someone has bought the former Olivier Sarkozy, Mary-Kate Olsen 'love nest' on East 10th St.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Mr. Sarkozy

The lobbyists behind the air-rights transfer and zoning variance for 3 St. Mark's Place

Updated 2/14: The CB3 committee reportedly voted down the air-rights transfer.

Tonight, reps for Real Estate Equities Corporation (REEC) will appear before CB3's Landmarks Committee at 6:30 to discuss transferring the air rights from the landmarked — and under-renovation — Hamilton-Holly House across the street at 4 St. Mark's Place.

With these air rights and approved zoning variance, the Morris Adjimi-designed building REEC planned for the northeast corner of St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue would rise to 10 stories — twice the size of the original plans.

And as you sort through the various zoning documents (this link goes to the PDF on the CB3 website with details on the proposal) and public records for REEC, some familiar names emerge from behind the scenes.

As public documents show, REEC has several lobbyists working on their behalf, including Capalino & Associates and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP.


[Click on image for more detail]

James Capalino, arguably New York's most prolific lobbyist, has ties to the Rivington House scandal... and last spring he reportedly agreed to a $40,000 settlement with the state's ethics watchdog that investigated his dealings with a nonprofit created to promote Mayor de Blasio's agenda. (In August 2016, de Blasio said that he cut ties with Capalino, who has represented several big-money developers seeking City Hall approval for their projects.)

Meanwhile, as the Post reported last November, the city paid Kramer Levin Naftalis and Frankel LLP $2.6 million, de Blasio's legal-defense bill during investigations by state and federal prosecutors starting in 2016. Investigators closed the probes in 2017 without bringing charges against the mayor. (In late January, City Council passed a bill that allows elected officials to fundraise to pay off legal bills, though it excludes lobbyists, holding companies and corporations from donating, as The Wall Street Journal reported.)

Public documents show the scope of lobbying work that the firm Kramer Levin Naftalis and Frankel is doing on behalf of REEC...


[Click on image for more detail]

This past October, REEC filed plans for a 5-story, 29,030-square-foot building at 3 St. Mark's Place.

A retainer agreement from Capalino to REEC on public record (PDF here) dated from last May 8 shows that there were already plans in place for a building larger than the current zoning allowed. The letter doesn't state dimensions for the building, only that: "Consultation will provide pre-certification and post-certification government relations expertise regarding the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure [ULURP]."

Tonight's public meeting is the beginning of the review process, which requires an application to the LPC followed by an application to the City Planning Commission for the special permit. (Read this primer on an explanation of the ULURP process.)

REEC picked up the 99-year leasehold for the properties here for nearly $150 million in November 2017. The corner assemblage is owned by the Gabay family.

The CB3 Landmarks Committee meeting tonight is at the JASA Green Residence, 200 E. Fifth St. at the Bowery.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: NE corner of St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue will yield to a 7-story office building

Demolition permits filed for northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

End is nearing for the businesses on the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

New building plans revealed for 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Developers of 3 St. Mark's Place are looking to double the size of their proposed office building at 3rd Avenue to 10 floors with air-rights deal

Concern over potential air-rights transfer for new office building on St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue

Donosita on Avenue B is for lease

Here's another address to add to the rundown of empty storefronts on Avenue B. As previously noted, Donostia, the wine-and-tapas bar at 155 Avenue B between Ninth Street and 10th Street, had been closed since late November.

There's now a for-lease sign in the front window (and both Google and Yelp list the cafe as permanently closed) ...





According to the online listing, the rent is $3,824 per month, though there is key money — $175,000 "or best offer."

Donostia opened in November 2013. In 2017, Food & Wine named them one of "The Best Wine Bars In the U.S." This past October, Michelin named Donostia as one of its Bib Gourmand-designated restaurants for the fourth consecutive year.

In 2017, co-owner Jorge de Yarza reportedly decided to lobby for developer Gregg Singer, who has been trying, for 20-plus years, to covert the former P.S. 64 building around the corner on 10th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C into student housing. DNAinfo reported that de Yarza helped gather nearly 900 signatures in support of the dorm plan, asking the city to allow it to move forward.

Per DNAinfo:

The massive building's prolonged vacancy has made the block dark and unsafe, and has encouraged loitering, de Yarza added.

"All the places in the immediate area, they suffer," he said. "It's one of those stretches of 10th Street you don't even want to walk by, and it's a shame."

According to a post at the Lo-Down from September 2017, de Yarza also helped Singer support candidates running against Carlina Rivera in the most recent District 2 City Council race. Rivera, who won the election, is an ally of previous Councilmember Rosie Mendez, who has long opposed the dorm plan.

In November 2017, de Yarza helped organize a pro-dorm rally at City Hall, an event where a lobbyist later admitted they hired extras to fill out the group, The Villager reported.

Gulping gargoyles: Harry Potter-themed Steamy Hallows signage reveal on 6th Street

The Steamy Hallows signage has arrived at 514 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, site of the coming-soon Harry Potter-themed coffee shop.

This is the latest venture from Zach Neil, the pop-up theme bar entrepreneur behind Beetle House on Sixth Street as well as the now-closed Will Ferrell bar Stay Classy on the LES and the short-lived 'Merica NYC on Sixth Street.

Here's what to expect via the Steamy Hallows Instagram account: "This witchy goth coffee shop serves up delicious coffee and tea potions, huge homemade cookies, in an atmosphere inspired by Harry Potter & Halloween."

And amNY had more details in an article from Jan. 11:

When it opens around Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), Steamy Hallows will be decked out with oddities like shrunken heads, a 75-year-old stuffed owl, actual witch potions and an Irish cauldron from the 1700s that steams in the window all day, he said.

"It's what you'd expect a wand store to look like if it was a real place ... The atmosphere inside will be pretty over-the-top from the way the coffee is crafted to the ingredients used to Instagram-worthy shots."

Its coffee will be made by mixologists dressed in all black as if they were crafting a potion — muddling fresh herbs and extracts, coffee, dark chocolate, rose petals and other fresh ingredients.

As we noted on Jan. 9, Steamy Hallows was taking the place of Cake Shake, the extreme milk-shake shop that debuted back in August.

Tuesday's parting shot

Thanks to EVG regular jdx for this photo today... (and find more of his work at Instagram)...

Sleet nothings

Late-afternoon sleet shot via EVG regular Lola Sáenz from Tompkins Square Park...

Concern over potential air-rights transfer for new office building on St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue

Updated 2/14: The CB3 committee reportedly voted down the air-rights transfer.

As I first reported, reps for Real Estate Equities Corporation (REEC) will appear before CB3's Landmarks Committee tomorrow night at 6:30 (Feb. 13) to discuss transferring the air rights from the landmarked — and under-renovation — Hamilton-Holly House across the street at 4 St. Mark's Place.

With these air rights and approved zoning variance, the Morris Adjimi-designed building REEC planned for the northeast corner of St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue would rise to 10 stories — twice the size of the original plans. (This link will take you to the PDF on the CB3 website with details on the proposal.)

Meanwhile, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation expressed its objections to the transfer and additional height of the building. According to a new post on the GVSHP website:

The planned 10-story, 175 ft. tall office tower is part of the growing wave of office development we are seeing in this area along 3rd and 4th Avenues and University Place and Broadway, spurred on by the growth of the expanding tech industry’s "Silicon Alley," and the recent approval by the City Council of the Mayor’s Tech Hub just a few blocks away on 14th Street.

The transfer of the air rights to increase the size of the planned tower ... is subject to the approval of various city agencies. We feel strongly that the city should not abet oversized and inappropriate office development in this area. The planned office tower displaces several long-time local businesses, as well as a nearly 200-year-old house.

Tomorrow's meeting is the beginning of the review process, which requires an application to the LPC followed by an application to the City Planning Commission for the special permit.

The CB3 Landmarks Committee meeting is open to the public (and is open to public comment). The meeting is at the JASA Green Residence, 200 E. Fifth St. at the Bowery.

The links below have more history about what has transpired on this corner...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: After 40 years, punk rock mainstay Trash and Vaudeville is leaving St. Mark's Place

4 St. Mark's Place is for sale

More residential units and a 5th-floor addition in the works for landmarked 4 St. Mark's Place

You'll be back: Look at the renovated Hamilton-Holly House on St. Mark's Place

The Shake Shack effect? McDonald's on 3rd Avenue at St. Mark's Place has closed after 20 years

Report: NE corner of St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue will yield to a 7-story office building

Demolition permits filed for northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

End is nearing for the businesses on the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

The Continental gets a 3-month reprieve

New building plans revealed for 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Developers of 3 St. Mark's Place are looking to double the size of their proposed office building at 3rd Avenue to 10 floors with air-rights deal

Raising awareness of the vacant storefronts in the East Village

On Saturday, members of the Cooper Square Committee, FABnyc, the East Village Community Coalition and the Greenwich Village Society For Historic Preservation were out on Avenue B talking to residents about the surplus of vacant storefronts.

They invited people walking by 44 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street "to think about what they need in the neighborhood that could fit in the currently empty space."

Here's more via the Cooper Square Committee:

There are over 200 vacant storefronts in the East Village, according to a count done by EVCC over the summer and fall. On Avenue B, nearly one in five storefronts is empty.

The event organizers are asking for the City Council to introduce policies and legislation that will protect, support and preserve small businesses in New York. Specifically, they are advocating for a citywide vacancy registry and penalty on landlords who deliberately warehouse space.

This local action is connected to the #EndCommercialVacancy campaign, a citywide effort coordinated by United for Small Business NYC (USBNYC).

Among the suggestions passersby made for businesses to fill some of these vacant spaces: a bakery selling fresh bread and a store offering affordable healthy food.

From the EVG archives:
There are more than 20 empty storefronts along Avenue B (December 2008)

The Marshal serves notice at Tapanju Turntable on 4th and B

Tapanju Turntable, which sold Korean tapas and color-changing beer towers, went dark in the late fall on the northwest corner of Avenue B and Fourth Street. At the time, a sign on the door noted "a gas issue."

There hadn't been much, if any, activity here in recent months.

Now EVG reader Alexis shares this photo... showing that the Marshal came calling, with the landlord taking legal possession of the space.



So there likely won't be an encore presentation of Tapanju Turntable, which (re)opened in December 2017, a rebranded version of Turntable 5060 (same owners), which debuted in July 2015. (And once upon it time, this was Kate's Joint for 16 years.)

Also at the same address... the Marshal posted a notice (h/t Alexa!) on the former Nobody is Perfect next door on Fourth Street...



Nobody Is Perfect closed last August. Bistro owner Mario Carta told me this in an email at the time: "The gas in the entire building, including the apartments and the restaurant next to us, has been shut down for six months. We were unable to provide a decent menu to our customers during that period of time and that affected our business knowing that we were open for less than a year trying to build a clientele in the neighborhood."



Five restaurants — Nobody Is Perfect, B4, Piccola Positano, Tonda and E.U. — have come and gone at 235 E. Fourth St. in the past 10 years.

Attention Kmart drinkers...

Word from a tipster... if you were headed over to Kmart on Astor Place to stock up on various beers and tall boys of Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Ritas... Uh-Oh!



The refrigerator signage notes:

Attention Kmart Shoppers!

We are currently unable to sell alcohol while our license is being renewed.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will be to usual ASAP.

Thanks to Steven for the photos and headline!

Melt Shop makes way back to 4th Avenue

A Melt Shop has emerged at 135 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street.

This is the fifth Manhattan location for the quick-serve restaurant that specializes in grilled-cheese sandwiches and tater tots.

Signage for a Melt Shop was spotted here in June 2016, but the storefront instead became a Make Sandwich, which was an extension of the Melt Shop brand.

Make shut down in December after nearly two years at the address. According to the Make website: "We’ll be closing the shop ... to look for a location that is more suitable for our craft. We’d like to thank you all for your support and sando love."

So ownership decided to go with the more recognizable sandwich brand, choosing Melt over Make.

Thanks to EVG readers Jeanne Krier and Sheila Meyer for the photos and tip!

Monday's parting shot

A look at the new mural by BKFoxx (via East Village Walls) on Fourth Street at First Avenue, the new home of the just-opened Wara, the Japanese izakaya and dinner theater.

Bookstore trends we like to see

Your McNally Jackson master class in doubling down: we’re staying at our Prince Street location and opening two new bookstores this year. https://t.co/ky8lb0MDAV

— McNally Jackson (@mcnallyjackson) February 11, 2019

Highlighting three positive NYC bookstore developments from recent days (and weeks):

• McNally Jackson is staying in its Prince Street home — and opening two new locations in downtown Brooklyn and the South Street Seaport (Vulture)

• Left Bank Books is returning, reopening at a new location at 41 Perry St. (JVNY)

• Westsider Books on Broadway between 80th and 81st saved by crowdfunding campaign (Westside Rag)

Bonus round ...

View this post on Instagram

Look ma, I’m on TV! 📺 Thx @jeopardy 🥰

A post shared by Strand Book Store, NYC (@strandbookstore) on Feb 7, 2019 at 7:06am PST

Jerry's New York Central is closing on 4th Avenue

Several EVG readers (including Sheila Meyer and Ryan) shared this news... Jerry's New York Central, the art-supply store at 111 Fourth Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street, is closing.

The shop sent out postcards last week about the closing sale... the info is now posted on their website...



No word on the reasons for the closure at the moment. We reached out to the store and home office for more info.

This location was an offshoot of Jerry's Artarama, a 15-store art-supply chain headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. Jerry's opened on Fourth Avenue in late 2013, taking over the space from Utrecht Art Supplies (now Blick), who moved into a new store on 13th Street between University and Fifth Avenue. (As reported in October 2013, Jerry's signed a 10-year lease for 4,452 square feet of ground floor space. Asking rent for the deal was $125 per square foot, per a release announcing the deal.)

As New York Central Art Supply was preparing to close at 62 Third Ave. in 2016 after nearly 111 years of business, Doug Steinberg worked with David and Ira Goldstein, who own Jerry's, to acquire the remaining paper inventory of the store.

With Jerry's closing this spring, the Blick outposts at 1-5 Bond St. and 21 E. 13th St. will be the remaining art-supplies stores in the immediate area.

Craft+Carry outpost slated for 116 St. Mark's Place

The owners of Craft+Carry plan to open a new location of their craft beer shop at 116 Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. They will appear before CB3's SLA committee tonight for a new liquor license for the address, which was recently renovated into a retail space.

According to the application on the CB3 website (PDF here), the proposed hours are 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily. The questionnaire shows the space will have a six-seat bar and a counter to accommodate four more people.

Craft+Carry, which currently has locations in the DeKalb Market (since June 2017) and on Third Avenue (September 2017) in Gramercy Park, sells several hundred varieties of craft bottles and cans to take home... there's also a small bar with a rotating batch of taps and free Skee-Ball. (Among the other amenities: the Crowler machine, which employees can draft beer for customers at the bar, and homebrew equipment and recipe kits. )

Here's a look at the outpost in DeKalb Market ...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Craft+Carry (@craftandcarry) on Sep 8, 2017 at 1:18pm PDT

The CB3-SLA meeting is tonight at 6:30. The location: the Public Hotel, 17th Floor, Sophia Room, 215 Chrystie St. between Houston and Stanton.

Here's how to reserve free tickets for the Basquiat exhibit opening next month at the Brant Foundation on 6th Street

[EVG photo from last summer]

Over the weekend, the Brant Foundation released ticket information for its debut exhibition at its new East Village home at 421 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

As previously reported, this inaugural show features the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat...



The tickets info came via an Instagram post...

View this post on Instagram

The Brant Foundation is pleased to celebrate the upcoming opening of its New York space, located at 421 East 6th Street, with an extensive survey of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat- reconnecting the East Village to a seminal figure of its past. Reserve your tickets today at brantfoundation.org! LINK IN BIO Tickets are free of charge and must be reserved in advance.

A post shared by thebrantfoundation (@thebrantfoundation) on Feb 8, 2019 at 10:00am PST

And this ticket link is here.

Tickets are free, and available starting March 6. The exhibit runs through May 15.

The Brant ticket site included these FAQs:

How can I see the Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibition?
The exhibition is on view and open to the public at The Brant Foundation’s East Village space. Timed tickets are available every 30 minutes and must be reserved online in advance.

How much do tickets cost?
Tickets are free of charge. Individuals under the age of 17 must be accompanied by an adult.

Where and when should I arrive?
The entrance is located at 421 East 6th Street. Doors will open promptly at the time listed on your ticket and early entry is not permitted. Visitors who arrive more than 15 minutes past their ticketed time will be placed on the standby line for the next available time slot. Upon arrival, please have your ticket (printed or on a mobile device) readily available for check-in.

How long can I stay in the space?
In order to accommodate all of our visitors, we kindly ask that you do not spend more than 45 minutes viewing the exhibition.

Does my ticket include a docent led tour of the exhibition?
No, all visits are self-guided.

Here's more about the show, as reported by ARTnews, whose parent company is owned by Peter Brant, from this past September:

The inaugural show will be curated by the Brant Foundation’s founder, Peter Brant ... and art historian Dieter Buchhart. The exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Foundation Louis Vuitton, will include loans from Brant collections as well as international museums and other private collections.

Brant said in a press release, “Basquiat has been a cornerstone of the East Village art scene for decades, and to bring his work back to the neighborhood that inspired it is a great privilege. Our family is thrilled to launch the Brant Foundation’s New York space with an artist who is central to the collection, and above all to share his legacy with the community that was fundamental in shaping it.”

Basquiat lived and worked at 57 Great Jones St. near the Bowery at the time of his death in 1988 at age 27.

Brant reportedly began acquiring Basquiat's work shortly after being introduced to him by Andy Warhol in 1984. "Jean-Michel Basquiat is the quintessential Van Gogh figure of our time," Brant said in a 2013 interview. "He left with us a genius body of work."

Brant bought the building — a former Con Edison substation and Walter de Maria studio — for $27 million in August 2014.

After renovations, the building now features 7,000 square feet of exhibition space over four floors.

Previously on EV Grieve:
About that "giant-robot laboratory" on East Sixth Street

RIP Walter De Maria

What is your East Village dream home?

Walter De Maria's 'giant-robot laboratory' going for $25 million; inside is amazing as you'd expect

Here's what Peter Brant wants to do with his new exhibition space on East 6th Street

When the world's top collectors of Dom Pérignon rosé came to the East Village for dinner

Reader report: 421 E. 6th St. will house Peter M. Brant's personal art collection

Peter Brant's East 6th Street Outreach Tour 2015 continues

Peter Brant meets the neighbors

On 6th Street, the Brant Foundation's inaugural exhibit will feature the work of Basquiat

Explosion-site condoplex now in the pile-driving phase on 2nd Avenue

Work is getting underway in the corner lot on Seventh Street at Second Avenue... the pile-driving diesel hammer is on the scene, which promises for some shaking and pounding noise (as heard here ... here and here, as examples)



And a look through the blogger portals on the plywood...





Ad previously reported, a seven-floor Morris Adjmi-designed residential building with 21 condos and ground-floor retail will eventually rise on the lot.

Three buildings, 119, 121 and 123 Second Ave., were destroyed on this corner during the deadly gas explosion on March 26, 2015. This previous post has more details about what has happened here to date.

UCB East has closed; what's next for their space on Avenue A and 3rd Street?

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater's East Village outpost, UCBeast, wrapped up its eight-plus year run on Saturday night.

UCB officials blamed the "extreme costs" of operating in the space as a factor in its closing, as Vulture first reported on Jan. 9.

Starting Friday, UCB will present three nights of programing at SubCulture, a 130-seat venue on Bleecker Street. (You can find the schedule for UCB at SubCulture via this link.)



Here's a statement that UCB released after the news broke:

"Due to the long-term cost of rent, property taxes, and other expenses associated with operating a second venue in NYC, UCB has created this new experience at SubCulture to reduce the financial impact. This move allows us to continue to offer a second venue to our performers and audience. We are forever grateful to the incredible staff, performers and countless dedicated UCB-ers who have committed so much time and effort into making it possible for us to perform and view alternative comedy in NYC."

Now comes the speculation over what might take the large space here. UCB eventually took over part of the expanded Two Boots empire — the video store on Avenue A and the Pioneer Theater around the corner on Third Street...


[Image from 2002 via Cinema Treasures]


[EVG photo from spring 2009]

The Pioneer Theater, which screened indie, underground and cult fare, closed on Nov. 7, 2008. As owner Phil Hartman said at the time: "[I]t was always a labor of love and never commercially viable." The 99-seat theater opened in 2000. (Maybe Charles Cohen will buy this space for a theater too.)

Work started on the UCB space in 2009 (this post has the cargo-shorts comments goldmine — "Go back to campus, you new jack cornballs").

No sign of a retail listing for the former UCB spaces just yet.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Two Boots Video store "in contract" — largest available retail space on Avenue A

[Updated] Your 'Hot Chicks Room' sign update

[Updated] Resident starting a petition to have the 'Hot Chicks Room' sign removed at the Upright Citizens Brigade

Breaking: UCB will remove the 'Hot Chicks Room' sign!

'Hot Chicks Room' sign will now bring ruin to compost

Report: Upright Citizens Brigade closing East Village outpost next month

The write stuff? Short Stories debuts on the Bowery

[Photo from Friday night by Derek Berg]

Short Stories debuted this past weekend over at 355 Bowery between Third Street and Fourth Street with a brunch service via the Paris-based Season (Vogue says they have one of that city's best breakfast menus) ...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cathy Closier (@cathyclosier) on Feb 10, 2019 at 5:27am PST

Not sure what their menu will look like post-brunch.

CB3 OK'd a new liquor license last June for the the applicants, including Danny "The Wolf of Wilson" Teran, who runs several businesses in Bushwick, including Wheelhouse out on Wilson Avenue, and Williamsburg Pizza investor Ashwin Deshmukh.

The questionnaire on file with the CB3 application noted that Short Stories will feature "a mix of American, Cuban and Mexican fare." (Teran, a Cuban-American, specializes in Cuban cuisine. He also previously ran Millie's Cuban Cafe on Wilson Avenue.)

Also worth noting: Jim Power created the mosaic on the front step... cracking every piece himself by hand...



Wise Men closed at No. 355 in November 2017 after five years in business.

Previously on EV Grieve:
An appreciation of sorts: That kind of weird sushi place on the Bowery

Former kind of weird sushi place on the Bowery is now home to the Wise Men

Bushwick-based chef looking to bring Short Stories to the Bowery

Short Stories shapes up on the Bowery