Photos and story by Stacie Joy
For over 40 years, Anne DeVita served as manager of the First Avenue Laundry Center.
She presided over the day-to-day activities into her late 80s until the business closed for good in late 2022. (The owners first billed this as a renovation, but the three-building assemblage on the NW corner of First Avenue at Second Street was later predictably demolished to make way for luxury housing.)
DeVita has been recovering from some recent health issues.
Last week, her longtime friend and neighbor, Scooter LaForge, and I visited DeVita at her current home.
DeVita hopes to be able to return to her East Village apartment one of these days. She also thanked everyone for all the good wishes.
As we've noted, DeVita grew up in the neighborhood. Before entering the laundry business, she worked as a barmaid at the long-gone Club 17 on Avenue D and Third Street and a bar on 14th Street that she described as having an upstairs neighbor featuring "girls for sale for a dollar."
8 comments:
Thank you for posting what a great photo still with her scarves (always matching her outfits) and cool glasses Anne is greatly missed in the neiborhood Say Hi to her from Carol Anne fiesty,tough,and nice lady!
"and a bar on 14th Street that she described as having an upstairs neighbor featuring "girls for sale for a dollar.""
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Thank you so much for this update. I have been wondering about Anne. Beautiful photos that capture her personality so well
Thank you so much!! I think of Annie often!! Sending healing hugs 💖💛💖💛
She did my laundry every week for fifteen years, she was always so nice!
Get well soon, Anne.
"Girls for sale for a dollar"- Prior to gentrification, early 90s, 14 St was a notorious strip for sex and drugs. From Union Square Park to Ave D it was like an open drug supermarket. Ladies worked the St and sometimes inside the movie theaters that used to be there. There were peep shops and basement dark rooms were guys would meet up for anon amorous encounters or possibly for a friendly torture
session. But yeah young ladies were for sale and very cheap at that. Martin Scorcese shot the Mean Sts scene of Jodi Foster working the St outside of I think the old Bijoux on 12St/ 3rd Ave. Weird old decadent NY was a trip back in the to say the least.
Jodi Foster in Taxi Driver.
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