The 5C Cultural Center and Cafe on Avenue C and East Fifth Street has been closed the past six weeks or so... There weren't any signs up with an explanation for the closure and brown paper over the windows... a few weeks ago, 5C founder Trudy Silver told us they were closed for spring cleaning...
There's a sign up now ...
Meanwhile, 5C has been involved in an ongoing eviction battle with the landlord... Time Out covered the eviction battle here ... Co-owner Bruce Morris wrote about their ongoing landlord troubles in The Shadow here.
Here's an update on the 5C website:
From Bruce, Trudy, Silvia, Elaine, and Ian
Board of Directors – 5C Cultural Center and Managers of 5C Cafe
We apologize for not getting back to you sooner.
Here’s an update on 5C's sixteen-year legal battle:
On November 17, 2011, following four days of testimony a jury recognized that we have been wronged and awarded us $707,000.
Of course, what we really wanted was to get back our sixteen years in the form of an extended lease.
Then on March 8, 2012 Judge Eileen Rakower ordered a new trial saying that the jury’s verdict "is contrary to the weight of the evidence." In other words, the jury that included a brain surgeon did not know what they were doing!
Yet we are positive and have reached out to the landlord for a new lease as settlement to avoid a re-trial.
On the brighter side:
We are spring cleaning and sprucing up 5C
Better lighting, wifi, more seating…
Re-open soon with same loving service and more inspiring performances!
Best of luck to these good people. They are a true boon to the community and the courts/landlord should do them right!
ReplyDeleteI'm really worried about this block--5C getting harassed, new luxy building on 4th st. around corner at old uranian phalanstery, spanish tapas opening up right next to beloved casa adela. Can the gentrifiers just stay where they are and enjoy where they now live for a second instead of having to destroy *every* single working-class neighborhood in NYC?! (Like, all two of them...)
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