Nice Guy Eddie's made their closure public this week on Facebook. The 16-year-old bar's last day is Sunday.
As Eater reported in April, the CB3/SLA committee OK'd the transfer of assets from the David McWater-owned Nice Guy Eddie's on Avenue A at Houston/East First Street to an entity called Downtown Dining LLC led by Darin Rubell of the Gallery Bar. Plans call for a restaurant serving "American comfort food."
An EV Grieve reader who was at the April meeting noted that Rubell was noncommittal about keeping the Kiss mural on the restaurant's south wall along East First Street. (There was something to do with the size of the new windows for the space or something.) It seems rather unlikely that the mural would remain... As Greg at Eater put it, "That sweet, sweet Kiss mural will probably be the first thing to go."
While I like Kiss (well, mostly) and Chico's work, I don't have strong feelings about the mural ... or the bar... was never a place that I went to very often, if at all in the last 10-plus years. Still, I know people who do like it. (The bar and the mural.) Ditto for the burger on the Avenue A side.
If the mural does go... the entry points into the neighborhood have dramatically changed ... 14th Street and Avenue A is, for now, an empty lot ...
Astor Place will be a (the?) Death Star...
And Avenue A and Houston with a new restaurant on the northwest corner and the Union Market on the northeast corner...
eew
ReplyDeleteSad to see it go...
ReplyDeleteive lived in the EV/LES for 11 years...used to go to Eddie's a lot. Cheap beer/food. LOVE THE KISS MURAL. HATE TO SEE IT GO. But it will. You need to open those walls up with big windows. Thats a great location. Was a matter of time til Eddies closed.
ReplyDeleteRIP
ReplyDeleteThat mural was hideous. I always assumed that bar was a place for sports fans, and visitors from New Jersey, based on that mural, and also partly on the name. I am happy to see the mural go, and look forward to what the new place might offer....
ReplyDeleteI like it. It's a landmark, and I'm into almost any "authentic" hand-painted sign. Maybe it's not the most important piece of Chico's art, but I'd be sad to see it go, especially because there's no way it will be replaced by something cooler.
ReplyDeleteThe bar always had a creepy, fratty vibe, though. The mural/ bar look like they'd be right off campus to me.
I can see why people think it's ugly, sports-bar-y, fratty, and maybe not very East Village, but it's still a hell of a lot quirkier and more interesting than a wine bar with a big glass front, ya know? Maybe not the best example of Chico's work, but I appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteNot that I've never had a desire to step foot in there.
i just wish that David McWater would sell off whatever he has and leave.........leave the neighborhood and leave the community board, enough, enough damage.
ReplyDeleteHow much do you think he got for Eddie's? I'm thinking about a million, what with silent partners......
Bob Perl (Tower brokerage) is also in on Eddie's. Perl was one of the landlords of Life Cafe. The dispute was over repairs which apparently had been going on for many years. Kathy was forced to close. You heard what she said. She said "Landlords are the real terrorists".
ReplyDeleteBob Perl owns all of the buildings on that block starting at his portion of the former Life Cafe and extending all the way to the library. Now we will get more of Ninth Street Espresso. I wonder if Bob will do the repairs for them. Ninth street espresso is going for a beer and wine license. They will be installing a 25' bar. They say that a good number of their patrons are tourists. The illegal hotel Toshi is right up the block.
SAVE THE MURAL! It is an ICONIC image on a crucial east village corner. not to mention, bad-a$$.
ReplyDeletebtw, anyone happen to know if gene simmons son is single?
@glamma: Here’s your answer.
ReplyDeleteI like the mural and am sad to think of it disappearing. It's a colorful and interesting corner, just as Ave C and E 6th used to be.
ReplyDeleteI live above the punjabi deli that is around the corner from eddies and i walk by the mural every morning. I can honestly say i wont miss it. It's not well kept, covered in bad tags and I think its an opportunity for something new.
ReplyDeletewhy do these dumb ass taggers mess up murals like that? that is some ignorant s--t.
ReplyDeleteHeard the mural was just of Kiss in the beggining but someone at mercury hated corporate rock and drew big penises on all of them hence the oval signage in the crotch region.
ReplyDeleteOn that note. I kinda always hated the mural but will be bummed when it's just another cookie cut speak easy steam punk Brooklyn bar that all bars have become.
And nobody's even mentioning the best part of the mural which is the flying buffalo.
ReplyDeleteI think the sign is kind of lame,. just like the bar. I'm fine with it closing...does anyone here really go there and enjoy it?
ReplyDeleteDavid McWater, Nice Guy Eddie's and his Kiss Mural can Kiss My A** - good riddance to both.
ReplyDeleteI remember walking past that mural when they first put it up and remember saying how ridiculous it looked. But it'd grew on me since I walk pass it almost everyday. I have to admit I will miss it once it's gone. Afterall, it did add a splash of color to the area. Note to self: make sure to take a pic this wknd
ReplyDeletehate the bar, hate the mural, glad to see em both go. never understood why simmons didn't sue the sh*t out of em...
ReplyDeleteKISS has been my favorite band since 1978. In that time I have certainly seen better KISS murals.... a lot better.
ReplyDeleteI heard Dave McWater only got 120K for it.
ReplyDeleteEven if you don't like it, it's douchy to paint over it. It was part of the neighboorhood and gave it character. Do you think they'd let anyone paint over Jim Morrison in Venice Beach? The good thing is the less Dave McWater the better.
Kiss is NYC .....COME ON. ....BACK IN THE NEW YORK GROOVE ....HATERS ARE JUST YUPPY SCUM
ReplyDelete