2 new stories and 8 residential units proposed for historic 7th Street church

There are proposed plans to convert and enlarge the historic church at 121 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

As the property sits in the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District, the developer needs the approval of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Tonight, Community Board 3's Landmarks Committee will hear about the proposal. (PDF here.) 

An overview: 

The project entails converting and enlarging the existing church to a mixed-use building. Proposed are 8 residential units within the existing structure, including a new two-story vertical enlargement above and a Community facility space at the cellar level. 

We are seeking support of a Certificate of Appropriateness for the vertical enlargement with proposed modifications to the entrance for the residences & community facility, windows at the street facade, restoration of masonry street facade & decorative arch trim at the window openings, stepped gable cornice replacement, cornice at the belltower roof, exterior lighting and modifications to the rear facade.

Last used by CityLight Church, the structure has been on the sales market. At the moment, we're unclear who owns the property. According to the CB3 website, the applicant is Garbo & Company, a real estate firm specializing in investing and operating real estate development. 

No. 121 started its life here as a house in 1843. 

Here's more history via Daytonian in Manhattan: 

...on May 10, 1902, The New York Times reported that the Hungarian Reformed Church had purchased the dwelling. The group hired architect and builder Frederick Ebeling to convert the structure to a church building. 

The building was consecrated in 1903. Within the next year, Ebeling extended church to the property line and incorporated a central bell tower characteristic of a Hungarian country church. The quaint little church had a comfortable overall charm. And yet there was little to hide the fact that this was a house-turned-church. 

In 1961, when St. Mary's American Orthodox Greek Catholic Church purchased the building, the congregation thought it a good idea to modernize the structure by encasing Ebeling's stone façade in "Naturestone," an artificial stone material.

It was not a good idea. 

Despite the offensive makeover, the little house-turned church retains its charm; a relic of a time when foreign-speaking immigrants drew together in a new land to worship together. 

And a look at it in the 1940s via the Museum of the City of New York ...

The Landmarks Committee meeting starts tonight at 6:30 at the Chinatown YMCA/Houston Street Center — 273 Bowery, classroom 1.

On Avenue A and Houston, plywood comes down to reveal Bar Bianchi

Workers yesterday removed the plywood from outside 5 Avenue A at Houston. 

The refurbished space will be home to Bar Bianchi, the latest Golden Age Hospitality property alongside Acme, Le Dive, Monsieur and Lucy's 2.0. 

According to a job listing for the new establishment, Bar Bianchi is "an Italian-inspired wine bar serving natural wine, an aperitivo-style menu with a full bar specializing in spritzes and negroni variations."

Expect a late spring opening.

Boulton & Watt closed here last July after 11 years. At the time, there was a thought that another Paradise Hospitality (Mister Paradise, Wiggle Room, Pretty Ricky's) project would take over, given this Instagram post: "Stay tuned for some exciting news about a new project in this space; see you all very soon!" 

And because someone will post "Bring back Nice Guy Eddie's" in the comments... this space was previously Nice Guy Eddie's. The bar-restaurant with Chico's KISS mural closed in June 2011 after 16 years in service.

We know where Cookie Puss is at

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

An item was noticeably missing when we stopped by the just-opened Cinnabon/Carvel combo shop at 430 E. 14th St. in February.

An inventory of the cakes fridge revealed favorites such as Fudgie the Whale — but no Cookie Puss!

On a return visit, we were happy to see Tomas (above) with a handmade Cookie Puss, a beloved Carvel creation that dates to the 1970s. 

Per Carvel lore, this cake is a fictional space alien who hails from Planet Birthday, complete with cookie eyes and an ice cream cone for a nose. (Did you not drop acid as a 10 year old?)

The Cookie Puss, perfect for birthdays, retails for $37.99 in store and feeds approximately 10 people or one really stoned person.

The store manager, Pradip, says you can call to preorder or just come in and pick one up from the fridge.

"Cooky Puss" was also the debut single from the Beastie Boys in 1983, and the first release featuring Ad-Rock. The lyrics are all — don't sue! — satirical references to the other Cookie Puss. Listen here. (Yeah, those lyrics aren't really suitable for work.)

Fat Boys Burgers for 1st Avenue

Photo by Pinch 

An outpost of Fat Boys Burgers is coming soon to 231 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street.

This will be he second location for the burger joint, first launched by two brothers and a cousin on Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen. (All three were born and raised in that neighborhood, helping out at the family-owned A&A Deli, now Healthy Market.) 

Fat Boys offers a variety of burgers (including a meatless version), fries, chopped chicken fries (chopped fried chicken, cheese and gordo sauce served over fries), and shakes.

This First Avenue storefront was most recently Chick-N-Smash, which debuted in December 2023. Locals will recall this space was home for 18 years to Vinny Vincenz until the spring of 2021.

A licensed cannabis shop is opening at 15 Avenue B

Photos by Stacie Joy 

A licensed cannabis retail shop is the next tenant for the SE corner of Avenue B and Second Street.

Workers have been doing interior renovations in recent weeks...

Paperwork from last August states that this is a Conditional Adult-use Retail Dispensary (CAURD). Per the Office of Cannabis Management: "CAURD licensees are the first retail dispensaries to open for legal adult-use cannabis sales in New York State, establishing businesses owned by justice-involved individuals at the bedrock of New York's adult-use cannabis market." 

This corner space was most recently Luzzo's La Pizza Napoletana, which went dark in the fall of 2023. The Avenue B address was previously home to the Wafels & Dinges cafe (and corporate office) for nearly eight years. W&D, which still operates from kiosks and food trucks around the city, moved out in March 2021.

Tuesday's parting shot

Tats Cru created a new set of murals on the SE corner of Second Street and Avenue A (their usual spot) several weeks back.

We tried, without much success, to get a shot of new panels... so thanks to Salim for getting the job done today.

BTW, U.K.-based artist Nick Walker joined Tats Cru to do the panel on the far left.

April 15

Spotted today on 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue — and complete with a palm leaf on top. 

However green it looks, the reader who shared the photo reported the tree was quite dry. Perhaps it has been colored?

So long — smell ya later!

This morning, we bid farewell to the porta-potties that bravely served Tompkins Square Park during the closure of the field house for renovations... they're off now to head to the second weekend of Coachella 2025...

You can read some of the past portable potty posts here. 

Thanks to our friends at DeColores Community Yard for the top pic and Joann Falkenburg for the second photo!

Tompkins Square Park Field House officially reopens after renovations (and you won't recognize the restrooms)

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

After more than 18 months of renovations, the field house and restrooms at Tompkins Square Park officially reopened yesterday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on an actual spring-like day.

Susan Donoghue, NYC Department of Parks commissioner, along with other Parks officials, local elected officials, and Community Board reps, did the honors...

The reconstruction of the field house that serves the 10.5-acre park included a complete renovation of the building's interior and exterior, upgrading all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Accessibility improvements feature reconfigured layouts, new entryways, ADA-compliant ramps, and renovated restrooms and maintenance areas. The mayor's office funded the $5.6 million renovations.

The newly ADA-compliant bathrooms were spotless (for how long?). Each came stocked with amenities like — what? — soap and toilet paper...

Posted hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (There seemed to be confusion over the restroom hours — we received several different answers.)

While the ceremony was still wrapping up, neighborhood kids were already making themselves at home near the Slocum Memorial Fountain, and visitors wasted no time enjoying the newly accessible space.

Overall, the mood was upbeat and even celebratory. After a long stretch of construction and closed-off areas, residents seemed pleased to reclaim one of the East Village's most active public spaces.

And now, join us in a moment of silence... we appreciated your service...

Monday's parting shot

Photo by William Klayer 

The spring scene outside McSorley’s today on Seventh Street...

The Tompkins Square Park field house and restrooms are back in service

As mentioned earlier, the Tompkins Square Park field house has returned to service after nearly two years of upgrades. 

EVG's Stacie Joy was at this afternoon's ribbon-cutting ceremony... we'll post the photos and a recap in the morning.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially unveil the renovated Tompkins Square Park field house

Top photos from Saturday

After nearly two years of work, the Tompkins Square Park field house — now without the protective chain-link construction fence — has returned to service. (And farewell to the porta-potties!) 

To mark the occasion, there's a ribbon-cutting ceremony today (Monday!) at 3 p.m. featuring Susan Donoghue, NYC Department of Parks commissioner, and several local elected officials. The public is invited to the event on the Ninth Street transverse between Avenue A and Avenue B. (Look for the giant ceremonial scissors.) 

The reconstruction of the field house that serves the 10.5-acre park included a complete renovation of the building's interior and exterior, upgrading all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Accessibility improvements feature reconfigured layouts, new entryways, ADA-compliant ramps, and renovated restrooms and maintenance areas. 

The mayor's office funded the $5.6 million renovations, which were much needed because the field house rarely had heat or hot water, and the restrooms made a strong case for exorcism before plumbing.

The space, which includes the Slocum Memorial Fountain, has been closed to the public during renovations. 

Here's a look (through the gate) at the area behind the field house from last week ...

The Tompkins Square Park mini pool (yes, Tompkins has a pool) was also out of commission for two consecutive summers. However, the pool was not part of the renovation project, as you can see from this photo from last week...

Expect a new pool in the years ahead, though. Last August, Gov. Hochul announced nearly $150 million in capital grants to fund 37 projects as part of the New York Statewide Investment in More Swimming (NY SWIMS) initiative. 

Tompkins Square Park will receive $6.1 million for a new in-ground pool, which will double the current capacity of the above-ground model for children and their guardians. The project's start date has not been announced.

Another bubble tea option for St. Mark's Place

Signage is up for ChaHalo's first NYC outpost ... to be located in the lower level at 23 St. Mark's Place.

The brand has 1,000-plus locations worldwide selling a variety of teas, including bubble tea. 

Per their website:

ChaHalo is a tea culture-related brand based on Eastern culture and concentrate the poetic and leisurely atmosphere of Chang'An into a cup of Chinese tea, sharing the leisurely and magnificent Eastern culture with the world. 

The shop will be in a lower-level space in the retail strip between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

The last tenant in the space, Mi Tea, "closed for renovations" in January 2020 and never reopened... and the storefront's entryway has been a crash pad for travelers in recent years.

Plywood report outside the former Crocodile Lounge on 14th Street

Renovations continue at 325 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

In recent weeks, workers have placed green plywood over part of the front, including the retail space. A few readers asked what was happening with that storefront, previously home to the Crocodile Lounge. 

Nothing too revealing in public records, where work permits show wiring for the basement retail space (marked as "white box") and walk-in cooler. 

As previously reported, in a transaction posted in October, an LLC connected to The Sabet Group bought the four-story building for $3.3 million, down from its initial $5.5 million ask. For generations, a family has owned the building known as The James McCreery House. 

The retail space has been home to restaurants for many years, including Il Faro and, in the 1990s, Manila Garden. The place was the Crocodile Lounge in recent years, which never reopened after the COVID shutdown in March 2020. 

Daytonian in Manhattan has some history of No. 325 at this link.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo on 3rd Avenue by Derek Berg)... 

• Leadership dispute erupts at the Sixth Street Community Center as longtime executive director dismissed (Thursday) 

• RIP Clem Burke (Monday)

• East Village musician Jesse Malin bringing his life story to the Gramercy Theatre (Wednesday) 

• Saved from the dumpster: Classic Lower East Side signage rescued (Wednesday) 

• A visit to Holographic Studios on 2nd Street (Tuesday) 

• Why an East Village business chose a modified shipping container for its curbside service (Thursday) 

• Brooklyn's Maya Taqueria is bringing California-style tacos to Avenue A (Wednesday) 

• New East Village café aims to blend coffee and creativity (Monday) 

• First look at the revamped dog café Boris & Horton (Friday) 

• A Record Store Day appreciation of East Village record stores (Saturday) 

• Angels on A has closed (Tuesday)

• Fancy Juice moving up 1st Avenue (Monday)

• Signage alert: Bánh Mì Café on 10th Street (Monday) ... The Burger Guy on Avenue A (Monday) 

• On Avenue B, Green Line gets trimmed (Friday) 

• Would Chelsea and Rick from season 3 of 'The White Lotus' live in the East Village? (Sunday) 

• Openings: Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao on Houston Street (Tuesday)

The tariff economy at Economy Candy

Media outlets have published numerous articles on the potential impact of tariffs on both businesses and consumers. 

Closer to home, an Associated Press article from Monday on 88-year-old LES institution Economy Candy titled "Trump's tariffs hit a sour note in landmark NYC emporium of sweets" made the rounds. 

An excerpt: 

Stepping into Economy Candy feels like a time warp. Its name is emblazoned on a sign in a vintage, blaring red script, and crossing below its green-and-white striped awning, past the bins of Smarties, butterscotches and Lemonheads in the front window, an indecipherable sweetness fills the air, oldies music sounds overhead and customers mill around stacks of candy bars they forgot still existed. 

It represents just a blip in the country's $54 billion candy industry. But it was already feeling the weight of surges in prices of cocoa and other ingredients before tariffs were layered on. 

Candy and gum prices are up about 34% from five years ago and 89% from 2005, according to Consumer Price Index data. Price, according to the National Confectioners Association, has become the top factor in consumers' candy purchase decisions, outweighing a buyer's mood. 

Still, owner Mitchell Cohen...

... wore a smile anyway. He wants this to be a happy place for visitors.

"You travel back to a time when nothing mattered," Cohen says, "when you didn't worry about anything." 

You can read the full article here.

Saturday's parting shot

At the end of the Second Avenue EV Festival this afternoon during a fairly crappy weather day... and the second street fair that we've seen tnis year...

A Record Store Day appreciation of East Village record stores

Photos by Stacie Joy

Record Store Day (RSD) — the annual celebration of independent record shops — is happening today. 

As always, vinyl enthusiasts can look forward to limited-edition releases from artists across various genres, as well as special reissues (and reissues of reissues) and previously unreleased recordings. 

The East Village has several great record stores... and we like them all. 

On 12th Street, Academy LPs stopped taking part in RSD last year. (They do the big $1 bin sale at the Brooklyn annex.) The offshoot of Academy Records on 18th Street first appeared in 2001 on 10th Street and Fourth Avenue before settling into its current location between Avenue A and First Avenue in 2008.

These first photos are all from Academy the other week...

Also, a shout-out to the excellent A-1 Records on Sixth Street (thanks to Jeremie for letting us take the pic)... the shop turns 30 next year...

Here are all the full-time local record stores... all excellent in their own ways. (And as far as we know, Limited to One is the lone RSD participant. Details here.)

• A-1 Record Shop 

439 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue 

• Academy Records 

415 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue

• Ergot Records 

32 E. Second St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery 

• Limited to One Records 

221 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue 

• Manhattan45 

220 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue 

• Stranded Records 

218 E. Fifth St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square

Saturday's opening shot

The morning view from 7th and A... expect more of the same today — drizzle/rain/cool temps... per AccuWeather...