Happy birthday to the Tompkins Square Library branch!

The Tompkins Square Library branch — one of our favorite places in the neighborhood — celebrated its 117th birthday yesterday (Dec. 1) at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The library's Instagram account shared the top photo yesterday... showing an early look at the crowds gathered after the 1904 opening. 

Here's another early look at the building... 

Daytonian in Manhattan has an excellent history of the branch from earlier this year:

The library was instantly popular among the locals. Before the doors opened in the mornings lines would form down the block. Finding a chair in the reading rooms was often no easy task, and children and adults alike competed for popular books to read at home.

On October 21, 1911, for instance, The Sun noted, "In the Tompkins Square branch of the public library...there are twenty-five copies each of 'Oliver Twist' and 'David Copperfield' on the shelves. No, not on the shelves. For even with these twenty-five copies apiece it is almost impossible to keep one on hand."

The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building as an individual landmark on May 18, 1999. 

Meanwhile, the fifth annual East Village Arts Festival is taking place at the branch through Saturday. Find programming details here. And find more of the library's offerings at this link. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

A visit to the Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street

Retail space comes into view at the former Hells Angels HQ

Been meaning to note the work in the new retail spaces at 77 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Thanks, Erin, for the photo!)

This is happening on the ground floor of the former Hells Angels HQ. As we've been reporting, the 6-story building underwent a gut renovation in the past 18 months. In total, there are 22 units here. (The available apartments have a monthly ask in the $4k range — that's for a studio, per the listings at Better Living Properties.)

In June 2019, real-estate investor Nathan Blatter — the new owner of the building — had some ideas for the storefronts here. As he told the Post: "Blatter said he has been contacted by someone curating a Hells Angels museum, and another about a barbershop." He later flipped the building to Better Living Properties. No word on what might be in the mix now.

The last of the members and/or their entourage moved out of No. 77 at the end of March 2019 from the clubhouse that the Hells Angels had in their possession since 1969. They reportedly ended up in Throggs Neck, a neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the Bronx.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Photo exclusive: Take a look inside the former Hells Angels clubhouse on 3rd Street   

2 restaurants opened and closed in 6 weeks at this space on 10th Street

After less than a month in business, Tompkins Village Cafe has closed at 277 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

As this photo by EVG correspondent Steven shows, workers have cleared out the space...

The cafe opened at the start of November, taking over for Chichen Itzá, which, by our calculations, was open for 16 days. 

It wasn't immediately clear if the folks behind Chichen Itzá were also doing the new cafe concept ... or what made them initially pivot the business after two-plus weeks in existence here.

We didn't hear much, if anything, about either establishment from readers. Despite its short existence, Tompkins Square Cafe racked up 10 five-star reviews on Google.

This address was previously home for 11 years to the Brindle Room, whose closure was official in June.

Previously

Santa returns to Rite Aid this holiday season with head intact

After a year without a Santa Claus head at the Rite Aid on First Avenue and Fifth Street, jolly ol' St. Nick has all his body parts (as far as we can tell) this holiday season. 

EVG correspondent Stacie Joy noted Santa's masked presence in the greeting cards section...

Viewer discretion is now advised 

Last year, as EVG reader Daniel shared, Santa was on duty right near the depleted shelf of Entenmann's ... without a head. 

It was not immediately known what happened to it. (Stolen? Swallowed? Kicked?)

Gallery Watch: 'Night Moves' by Jacqueline Cedar at Shelter Gallery

 Text by Clare Gemima (photos courtesy of Shelter Gallery)

"Night Moves" by Jacqueline Cedar

Shelter Gallery, 179 East Broadway

"Night Moves" showcases a collection of recently created works by artist and arts educator Jacqueline Cedar for Shelter Gallery's final show of 2021.

After learning that Cedar constructs each of her paintings with somewhat of a theatrical sensibility, the 15 works in the gallery's space turn into a perfectly syncopated yet non-sequential storyboard. 

Through protagonists, situationships, and, at times, ominous interiors, "Night Moves" projects "acts" that have appeared for the artist during their time dreaming. 

Unrealistically recognizable characters can be seen drowning or wading ("The Plain and the Forest"), relaxing and decompressing ("We Will Touch Our Feet") or stuck in some sort of domestic consternation ("A Huge Crowd of Spectators"). 

Distorted journeys occur for all of Cedar's actors, frozen in their missions of transporting, gardening or just convincing themselves they are more than somebody's dreams. 

Cedar's mostly acrylic works have been realized through a psychologically intuitive process, leading the viewer through a survey of the artist's formalized dreams. By filtering and gathering source inspiration, the artist's discovery is a before and after success and mess. 

Is this a 15-part dream or one long, drawn-out nightmare? The satisfaction here is that neither her audience nor the artist herself will ever know the honest answer, simply because these paintings were pre-conceived while unconscious. 

Connections in colors, compositions and in some instances a recurring lampshade motif ("Led Me Out and Not Saying So") become more apparent by accident after spending more time with each work. Because all of the paintings in "Night Moves" have been made in the last two months, the audience is spoiled by the vulnerability of Cedar's expression and by the show's fortuitous and "last-minute" cohesion. 

By depicting gangly, bendy, and long-limbed figures that stretch, lay or grab under the constraints of her luminous and tiny wood panels, Cedar invites us to indulgently and awkwardly invade her private bubble. 

"Night Moves" runs until Dec 22 at Shelter Gallery, 179 East Broadway. Gallery hours: Tuesday-Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

~~~~~~

Clare Gemima is a visual artist and arts writer from New Zealand, now based in the East Village of New York. You can find her work here: claregemima.com

Report: Advocates lose appeal to halt East River Park demolition; temporary restraining order lifted

Demolition can start up again in East River Park after the Appellate Division yesterday upheld a lower court's decision from August 2020 trying to halt the $1.45-billion East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR) from moving forward.

On Nov. 2, Justice Judith J. Gische of the Appellate Division granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on the demolition work in East River Park — Project Area 1 — that started on Nov. 1 below Houston Street at the Brian Watkins Tennis Center. (Read more about East River Action's TRO and Parkland Alienation appeal here.)

According to the Post:

 ... the Appellate Division, First Department upheld a lower court's decision to toss the suit, finding that the City Council — which approved the project in November 2019 — didn't need additional approval from the state.

"We do not discount petitioner's concerns that this project will impose a burden on the surrounding community that houses tens of thousands of residents," Tuesday's decision read.

And...

"The city expects that any burden caused by the project will be rewarded with a rejuvenated East River Park that is well protected from future storm surges, allowing the park to fulfill its role as a recreational area for many years and future generations," the ruling continued.

Arthur Schwartz, one of the lawyers for the petitioners, told the Post that he disagreed with the ruling and  planned to appeal. Said Schwartz: "We think that the Court of Appeals will be interested in reviewing it and we will be going there."

While work can start up again, other legal action is pending with the ESCR. A nonprofit sued the city for allegedly not including enough minority- and women-owned businesses in the construction contract for the ESCR.

A third lawsuit (dating to the spring) was brought against the city by The Tully Group, a large contractor that issued one of the two bids for the ESCR. 

East River Park Action and other advocates say there are alternatives to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy. In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

The current plans call for gutting East River Park — burying the existing 57.5-acre park under fill and elevating it by 8-to-10 feet above sea level while also cutting down 1,000 mature trees.

Work is expected to be complete by the end of 2026. The city has said they will maintain public access to a minimum of 42 percent of the park throughout construction.

Cutlets Sandwich Co. debuts on 3rd Avenue

Cutlets Sandwich Co. is now open at 99 Third Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street. (Thanks to Steven for these photos yesterday.)

Richard Zaro of Zaro's Family Bakery is behind this quick-serve deli concept that touts "quality sandwiches made with premium ingredients."

Cutlets first launched as a delivery-only business in July 2020, expanding into a Flatiron District pop-up in late 2020 ... before opening a flagship location on West 35th Street this past June. (An outpost is planned next in Williamsburg.)

You can find the Cutlets menu here. The EV outpost is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Oh, and to celebrate the EV opening, Cutlets is offering $6 subs all day today (Dec. 1).

Previously on EV Grieve:

Coming soon: Cutlets Sandwich Co. opening an outpost on 3rd Avenue

[UPDATED] Tuesday's parting shot

As seen on Sixth Street today... photo by Derek Berg... 

Updated 12/1 

Derek reports the headless skeleton found some friends on Avenue A...

6 posts from November

A mini month in review... 

• Best wishes to the owners of the March Hare on the shop's 1-year anniversary (Nov. 26) 

• There are 8 million stories in the naked city... and this is one of them on 2nd Avenue (Nov. 24) 

• Breaking the internet (and Instagram) with cumgirl8 (Nov. 18) 

• Superiority Burger's original 9th Street space closes ahead of move to new home on Avenue A (Nov. 15) 

• City removes tent encampment from 7th Street outside Tompkins Square Park (Nov. 11) 

• A look at 302 E. 2nd St., where a housing lottery is underway (Nov. 3)

Photo of Tompkins Square Park from Nov. 24

Local students distribute pre-Thanksgiving meals in Tompkins Square Park

Last Tuesday, a group of first and second graders from the New Amsterdam School on Avenue B prepared lunches for people in Tompkins Square Park who may need a meal. 

The students started by picking up granola bars, apples and other items from East Village Organic on First Avenue...

Ali Sahin, the owner of C&B cafe on Seventh Street, donated the bread and other sandwich supplies. He also came to the school on the corner of Fifth Street to help the students assemble the sandwiches and create the meals to distribute...

In total, the students created and distributed 50 meals to unhoused people in the Park with the assistance of the school staff...

Thank you to Owen Schiller for the photos.

Details on the 5th annual East Village Arts Festival at the Tompkins Square Library branch

This week, the fifth annual East Village Arts Festival returns to the Tompkins Square Library branch with a handful of free in-person programs starting tomorrow afternoon. 

Highlights include (via the EVG inbox)

• Wednesday, Dec. 1, 3–5 p.m.

Join us in our main reading room as the Rocco John Quartet plays adventurous jazz standards

• Thursday, Dec. 2, 2–7 p.m.

East Village Arts Festival Bonanza!  

We are happy to have local writers and artists showing their work in our library. Featuring B Scene Zine, Carpo, Delphine Le Goff, Eve Packer, Frank New, Greg Masters, Kat Georges and Peter Carlaftes, Ron Kolm, Ruth and Valery Oisteanu, and Sara Ann Rutherford. 

• Saturday, Dec. 4, 3:30–5 p.m. 

Clayton: Godfather of Lower East Side Documentary: A Graphic Novel.  

For the first time, photographer and videographer Clayton Patterson ... is the subject of a biographical graphic novel anthology. Patterson will discuss the graphic novel with author Julian Voloj.

Visit this link for all the programs. 

The library is at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Openings: 75 Degrees Cafe & Bakery

75 Degrees Cafe & Bakery opened earlier this month at 93 1/2 E. Seventh St. just east of First Avenue. 

The business, described as a "modern Japanese-inspired cafe," offers baked goods and coffee daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

The staff/ownership here includes Jojo, the pastry chef, Jade, the head barista, and Ashe, the business manager. The cafe's Instagram account has details (and photos!) of some of the featured desserts, including matcha tiramisu and chocolate brownie chiffon cake. 

This retail space has been vacant since a fire shuttered Caracas Arepa Bar in September 2016. 

Mug & Cup in soft-open mode on Avenue C

Mug & Cup, a coffee and juice shop, is in a soft opening here at 115 Avenue C between Seventh Street and Eighth Street. (Signage arrival first reported on Aug. 4.) 

This is the second outpost for Mug & Cup, which got its start in East Flatbush. 

You can find their extensive menu of juices, smoothies, coffee drinks, waffles, pastries, etc., at this link. 

The posted hours are listed online as 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., though it's not clear if these times apply during the soft opening too. 

No. 115 has been vacant for the past few years as the building was sold and gut-renovated. The retail space has been empty since Le Jardin Bistro closed in June 2015. Previous ventures here include Apartment 13 and The Porch.

The VNYL has not been open in a long time

Yesterday we mentioned that Bar None is currently closed at 98 Third Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street for nonpayment of New York State taxes. 

Several readers noted that its neighbor on the block, The VNYL, has not been open this year. One reader, who shared the top photo, said that the space "looked trashed" inside. Google lists the space as "temporarily closed." The last Facebook post is from July 2020.

The club's website lists that they are "closed for the rest of the winter due to COVID-19." That's likely last winter. One reader recalls them being open in the fall of 2020 for outdoor drinks-and-taco service.

The four-level, 7,000-square-foot space with a 1970s theme opened in the fall of 2016. Nightlife vets, led by James Morrissey (The Late Late on East Houston), were behind this venture, which reportedly included actor Adrian Grenier as a partner. (New York magazine noted that he curated the short-lived record store in the lobby.)

According to a preview piece at the Daily News, the VNYL was "designed to attract patrons of music, fashion and art." They also featured Long Island Iced Teas on tap and menu items such as candied-bacon quinoa sushi.

Sports bar Nevada Smiths was the first tenant of this renovated building from April 2013 to September 2015.

Monday's parting shot

Preliminary work taking place today for a new tree well (and tree!) on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... photo by Derek Berg...

PlantShed bringing flowers, plants and coffee to 2nd Avenue

PlantShed, a family-owned floral business that dates to the 1950s, is opening an outpost in the East Village.

According to Booth Capital Advisors, ownership just signed a lease for 193 Second Ave. at the NW corner of 12th Street. 

Upon opening next year, you can find flowers, plants and day-long café service. The first PlantShed retail space opened on the Upper West Side in 1981... the café service arrived later. There are now four PlantShed storefronts — two on the UWS, one on Prince Street and one that debuted last year in Englewood, N.J.

No. 193, a high-profile storefront, has been vacant since Pastel Spa & Nails closed in March 2018. 

Ahimsa Garden has left the East Village

A follow-up to our previous post from Nov. 11 ... Ahimsa Garden has left its home of four-plus years at 265 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

In an Instagram post, the owners of the Indian-vegetarian restaurant say they will be serving from their new home at 204 E. 38th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue the first week of December.

Based on EVG reader comments, Ahimsa Garden will be missed here.  

Happy holidays from Wegmans

On Astor Place, Wegmans is wishing you happy holidays... pretty nice considering they're not expected to open here for another two years... 

As previously reported, Wegmans signed a 30-year lease in July for what will be the grocer's first Manhattan outpost. It is scheduled to open in the second half of 2023.

Kmart closed in this space after 25 years on July 11. Wegmans had agreed to buy out Kmart's lease to make this deal possible.

Anyone miss Kmart this holiday season? 

El Colmado coming soon to East Houston

Signage recently arrived for El Colmado, a deli specializing in Dominican food .... in the works for 309 E. Houston St. between Clinton and Attorney. 

Given that most new delis are of the vape-smoke variety, this could be a welcome addition. 

El Colmado has an Instagram account, though there isn't much info there just yet — such as an opening date.

Flamingos Vintage Pound checks out

It appears that the Flamingos Vintage Pound shop has closed on First Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

A "closing sale" notice recently appeared on the storefront ... and the gate has remained down here for the past two weeks — including over the weekend when people were likely to be out shopping.

This was the last of the local FVP outposts to shutter. The one on Stanton Street and on 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue previously shut down. Meanwhile, the two stores in Brooklyn are also out of business. (All the NYC locations had the same phone number listed, which no one answers.)

The company had multiple stores in Europe, as well as in Los Angeles, Houston and Miami. Google lists the U.S. shops as permanently closed.

The two East Village locations arrived in the summer of 2019. As the name implies, the used clothes are sold by the pound at different tiers — $12.99 for lightweight clothing, $9.99 for medium clothing and $6.99 for heavy clothing. My lone trip to the 11th Street space yielded several solid T-shirts for about $14. 

Photo by Steven