Photo by Steven
Well, we weren't expecting this particular nod to the building's rock-and-roll past.
Signage went up yesterday for the new 16 Handles at 105 Second Ave. at Sixth Street — and the frozen-yogurt shop is apparently embracing its new address's history with "16 Handles at the Fillmore East."
As previously reported, 16 Handles CEO Neil Hershman bought the four-story building for $4.5 million earlier this year.
Renovations started this month to reopen the East Village shop, whose original location at 153 Second Ave. closed in January after nearly 18 years.
And yes, the building does have a claim to the Fillmore name: It housed part of the legendary Fillmore East, which operated here from 1968 to 1971. The space later became part of The Saint before a succession of banks moved in.
Now, apparently, it's the Fillmore East's froyo era.
Beginning as a movie palace, then a movie theater, brought back to life as a famous rock venue, then a famous dance venue, backsliding as several nondescript banks, to arrive at the final nail in the coffin - a frozen yogurt shop.
ReplyDeleteSuch is the circle of life...........
They got to see Jimi Hendrix and countless legendary bands perform live...we get Fro-Yo. No surprise since this seems to be the cultural direction things have been going in for the last 30 years or so. At the very least I do have to give them credit for acknowledging the history of the Fillmore East. Something that seems to have been sadly forgotten since they brought the theatre portion of the building down back in the mid-90s. It'll be interesting to see how all this turns out.
ReplyDeleteHopefully they will do a better job at keeping their sidewalk area clean than they did at their first shop. It was a disgusting mess most of the time. They never put out receptacles for customer trash. City garbage cans were overflowing with melting ice cream and yogurt. Plastic spoons, dirty napkins and empty cups were all over the sidewalk. Yeah.
ReplyDeleteThe Saint! Loved dancing there and walking by the late night lines.with guys dressed in just jock straps and chaps. It was such a fabulous scene and a really safe place for women to dance late too.
ReplyDeleteI hope their lawyers checked with LiveNation who I believe own the “Fillmore”. name. Like the briefly branded “Fillmore at Irving Plaza”
ReplyDeleteLoved the Filmore. Would see numerous concerts there. Street Wouk be packed. Then, over on 8th Street u had the Electric Circus. Wild and great fun.
ReplyDeletePeople seem to think this was the venue. It was merely the entrance, which led back to the actual theatre space, which is long gone (and was replaced by an apartment building) on 6th Street.
ReplyDeleteI hear all venues have entrances nowadays. Was that the first one to have an entrance?
DeleteFor those interested in a show listing www.fillmore-east.com/showlist.html
ReplyDeleteI’ll have a King Crimson cherry milkshake and my friend will have a Froyo Zappa with Grahamcracker Nash sprinkled on top.
ReplyDeleteI gotta imagine most of the froyo customers are thinking, “WTF is a Fillmore?”
ReplyDeleteAt the opening night of the Saint,a naked man was lashed to wooden beams just inside the entrance.He was meant as an hors d'oeuvres before the main course
ReplyDelete