A broken gate at 89 1st Ave., where permits are still pending for a new building

Photos by Steven

The entrance gate is broken to the lot at 89 First Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street... (Updated 3/18: Someone repaired the entrance!)

This sighting prompted several queries from EVG readers, mostly about what might be happening with this long-empty space.

Aside from the broken gate and new tags on the neighboring walls, not much seems to be happening here. Our last post on the property came on Sept. 1. Late last summer, legal documents affixed to the fence stated that the city has a legal right to enter the property "for the purpose of inspecting and abating the nuisance existing thereupon in violation of the health and safety requirements of the New York City health code."

These days, the lot is relatively free of discarded boxes and trash (compared to what we've seen). 

Not much else has changed. There are still permits pending from May 2020 with the city for a 6-floor building with eight residential units and ground-floor retail. In total, the proposed structure is 8,183 square feet.

Public records show that the city disapproved the plans again just yesterday, with a note stating: "Appointment required to resolve objections." 

Our previous post has a little more of the history of this space. Here's one piece: In December 2017, workers dismantled the sculpture fence that lined this lot for years (since the late 1980s, per one estimate). The fence was created at the former Gas Station (aka Art Gallery Space 2B) on Avenue B and Second Street by Claire Kalemkeris and Johnny Swing in collaboration with Linus Coraggio.