Demolition begins for 25-story development at the Bowery and Great Jones

Top 3 photos by Stacie Joy

Other pics by EVG

Demolition is underway on the northwest corner of the Bowery and Great Jones Street, where a 25-story residential building with retail space is in the works. 

This past week, workers demolished the former Bowery Market at 348 Bowery. Notices for asbestos abatement have also appeared at the two neighboring buildings, 350 and 352 Bowery, which are also slated to come down.

For now, the garage, dating to the days of Downtown Auto & Tire (RIP 2012)...

As previously reported, developer Lonicera Partners assembled the three properties for a new development at 56 Great Jones St. 

Plans call for a 25-story residential building with ground-floor retail. The original filings called for 94 apartments, including 27 Mandatory Inclusionary Housing units. A version with additional floor area would include three more MIH units.

The project itself does not require Landmarks Preservation Commission approval because the development site sits outside the NoHo Historic District. However, the developer sought permission for a roughly 5,000-square-foot expansion that would cantilever slightly over 354 Bowery, which is within the historic district.

Village Preservation, Community Board 2, other preservation groups and neighbors opposed that portion of the proposal. At a Feb. 25 hearing, the LPC voted 5-1 in favor, one vote short of the six needed for approval because five commissioners were absent. 

The proposal returned to the LPC on April 7 and was approved with modifications, per Village Preservation. The Commission directed the applicants to work with staff on details of the "gasket" connecting the historic buildings and the new development, including its configuration, color and materials. 

For now, the most visible change is at street level: the former Bowery Market is gone, and preparations are underway to demolish its two neighbors. 

The Bowery Market closed last October. 

Macario is moving its Guadalajara-style sandwiches to Avenue B

Macario is leaving Park Slope for the East Village. 

The Mexican sandwich shop announced that it will close its Brooklyn location and move to 167 Avenue B between 10th and 11th streets later this fall...

Macario opened in Park Slope in August 2025, specializing in lonches bañados, a Guadalajara staple dating back to the 1950s — essentially a sandwich topped with a warm, slightly spicy tomato-based sauce.

Owner Marshall Dean grew up in Guadalajara and lived there for more than 40 years before moving to the United States. He told BKMAG last year that opening Macario had been a longtime dream and a way to introduce one of his favorite foods to New Yorkers. 

The lonches come with pulled pork, pulled chicken or panela cheese and are served on birote, a Guadalajara-style sourdough roll custom-made for Macario. The menu also includes quesadillas and guacamole. 

No. 167 was previously Hekate Café & Elixir Lounge.

Barryville General now in soft-open mode with its new market and cafe on Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Barryville General has begun its soft opening at 70 Avenue A, ahead of its official debut on Oct. 16. 

The market, which expanded into the storefront next to its existing Barryville General shop between Fourth Street and Fifth Street, is starting with a limited selection of food, drinks and pantry items. (Below from left, co-owner and EV resident Sean Naughton with co-founder Eric Komovoff.)

The opening lineup includes coffee from Café Aroma, baked goods from Party Bus and dairy-free soft serve from Lavender and Truffles, available on Fridays for now. 

During the soft-opening period, the market will generally be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Once the market officially opens, regular hours are expected to be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

The coffee menu includes $3 espressos, plus a café bonbon, cortado, house latte, and a sweet plantain latte made with housemade plantain syrup. The owners also plan occasional extended evening hours featuring soft serve — and potentially a late-night sourdough grilled cheese. 

Below is barista Gabriella...

Barryville General Goods, the clothing side of the business, debuted back in December. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Barryville General expanding next door on Avenue A with a café

Sunday's parting shot

As seen outside Al-Andalus at 511 E. Fifth St. between venues A and B... a rather substantial dragon has taken up residence on the sidewalk, wings spread and looking considerably more menacing than your average October decoration.

Blessing the animals on 9th Street

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish observed the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi today with a Holy Eucharist and a Blessing of the Animals.

The church at 602 E. Ninth St. at Avenue B marked the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi with its annual Holy Eucharist and Blessing of the Animals, welcoming neighborhood pets—and their humans—for the service. 

Pastor Will and Vicar Wayne Olsen presided over the festivities, offering blessings to the assembled four-legged congregation.

A few scenes from a particularly lively Sunday service...

EV Grieve's East Village Week in Review

Posts this past week included (with a scene from Village East on Second Avenue)...

• Remembering John Penley, photographer and activist of the East Village (Sept. 28) 

• 11th Street e-bike hub faces renewed enforcement (Oct. 1) 

• The East Village of the 1980s, in living color (Sept. 30) 

• New trees, a rain garden and a mini-forest taking root in Tompkins Square Park (Oct. 2) ... Tompkins Square Park officially has a mini forest (Oct. 3)

• East Village author Maureen Johnson finds mystery close to home (Sept. 29) 

• Potenza Centrale has closed on Avenue B (Sept. 28) 

• Fallen trees keep PDT and Crif Dogs closed on St. Mark's Place (Oct. 3)

• Happy 40th to Pangea (Sept. 27) 

• LPC set to revisit new building proposed next to Merchant's House Museum (Sept. 28) 

• New details emerge in Most Holy Redeemer break-in (Sept. 30) 

• Blessing of the Animals returns to Trinity Lower East Side (Oct. 2) 

• Checking in on 20 Blocks on 4th Street (Oct. 1) 

• Show Brain keeps the free shows coming (Oct. 1) 

• Man indicted in QR code parking scam that surfaced in the East Village (Oct. 2) 

• Tipsy Tie Dye bringing some color to Avenue A (Sept. 29) 

• Fluff Club getting unleashed on Avenue B (Sept. 30) 

• ICYMI: Starbucks has left Avenue A and St. Mark's Place (Sept. 29) 

• "The Holes" extends its East Village run (Sept. 28) 

The Duane Reade/Walgreens on Second Street and Avenue B is offering a valuable free service on Thursday afternoon — rapid HIV and syphilis testing. Staff from NYU Langone Health and Bellevue will be on site from 1 to 4 p.m., offering confidential rapid testing as well as connections to PrEP, PEP and other clinical services. The Keith Haring Foundation funds the program. No appointment is needed. (Photo by Stacie Joy)

Hitchcocktober returns to the Village East

Hitchcock is back on Second Avenue this month.

The Village East by Angelika is hosting its annual Hitchcocktober series, with Alfred Hitchcock classics screening every Wednesday in October — followed by a Halloween screening of "Psycho." 

This year's lineup (tickets): 

• Oct. 7: "Strangers on a Train" 

• Oct. 14: "Rear Window" 

• Oct. 21: "Suspicion" 

• Oct. 28: "Vertigo" 

• Oct. 31: "Psycho" 

Select screenings, including the Halloween Psycho shows, take place in the theater's Jaffe Art Theatre. 

The Village East by Angelika is at Second Avenue and 12th Street. 

Hint: You may want to get tix in advance — especially "Psycho" on Halloween night.

Saturday's parting shots

Photos by Stacie Joy 

A few scenes from the 6th Street and Avenue B Community Garden's 43rd annual HarvestFest today ...

Tompkins Square Park officially has a mini forest

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The new mini forest in Tompkins Square Park is now in the ground... along Seventh Street between Avenue A and B, as reported yesterday. 

The planting comes just in time for today's fifth annual City of Forest Day, a citywide celebration of New York's urban forest organized by Forest for All NYC in partnership with Parks and Open Space Partners NYC and the city's Parks Department.

Nearly 150 events are taking place across the five boroughs today, with New Yorkers participating in tree care, bulb planting, guided walks, volunteer projects and other activities focused on the city's trees and green spaces. 

The event also follows the release earlier this year of New York City's first Urban Forest Plan, a long-term roadmap for managing and expanding a network that includes more than 7 million trees.

As we noted, the Tompkins Square Park mini forest is part of a larger round of plantings in the park that also includes new trees and a rain garden.

Fallen trees keep PDT and Crif Dogs closed on St. Mark’s Place

PDT and Crif Dogs have been closed this week after the nor'easter that moved through the area Sept. 26-27 toppled trees over the businesses' backyard on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Jeff Bell, an owner of PDT and Crif Dogs, said in an Instagram post yesterday that one neighbor's tree fell into another neighbor's tree, leaving both resting against the building behind the businesses. 

"They're both now resting against the building behind me, and in a very precarious position that seems like they could fall," Bell said. "And if they do, they would fall in our backyard." 

The situation has kept both businesses closed since Sunday.

"I don't feel that it's safe for our team to be working in these conditions," Bell said. 

According to Bell, removing the trees requires a crane, and the businesses are waiting for the neighboring landlords responsible for the trees to have the work done. 

"We're at the mercy of our neighboring landlords to get this tree removed," he said. "The process is taking a while because they have to have a crane to extract the tree." 

Bell said he hopes the removal happens soon, though PDT and Crif Dogs will remain closed. 

In the meantime, he has launched a GoFundMe to help employees with wages lost during the closure. Bell said 100% of the money raised will go to the staff.

 

"This week has been uncertainty for them," he said. "I know how important it is to be able to show up to work and make money, especially at the end of the month." 

Bell, who said he spent 15 to 20 years of his life as a tipped employee, closed his message with an appeal on behalf of the staff. "This is not easy. This is not fun," he said. "I don't like to go hat in hand, but I will go hat in hand for the team." 

Saturday's opening shot

Photo by EVG 

The leaves on some neighborhood trees (like here on 10th and B) are just starting to turn as fall settles in. After yesterday's reminder of summer, today will be quite pleasant — 72 and sunny.

For free local events to consider... the 6th Street and Avenue B Community Garden is hosting its 43rd annual HarvestFest today from 2 to 7 p.m. 

And! Harvest Arts Festival events postponed by last weekend's nor'easter have been rescheduled for today and Sunday, with activities at nine community gardens, live music, Kids Day, climate garden tours and more. Details. 

And the community painting day takes place today from noon to 5 p.m. along the Con Ed substation on Avenue A between Fifth and Sixth streets... where 10 local artists are creating murals on the oft-tagged walls.

Friday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

A Halloween (movie) motif on the TF in Tompkins Square Park... "The night he came home... to shred"?

Destination 'Abomination'

 

EVG faves Osees — also one of the best live bands — are coming back to the area... playing Warsaw on Oct. 24-25. 

The video is from the 2025 release Abomination Revealed at Last... the track is "Abomination," which Osees leader John Dwyer called "a love letter to Dr. Strangelove." (Will there ever be a love letter to "Digger"?) 

The video also features Troma Entertainment founder Lloyd Kaufman.

New trees, a rain garden and a mini-forest taking root in Tompkins Square Park

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Tree-mendous news out of Tompkins Square Park.

A burst of planting activity continues in the park, with more to come over the next few weeks. 

According to Parks employees, 10 new trees were planted Wednesday alone around Tompkins, with many more expected before the work wraps up later on October.

Crews and volunteers also planted a new rain garden near the dog run, filling the area with native plants.

Elsewhere in Tompkins, a mini-forest is coming to the Seventh Street side between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The work also includes improvements to sidewalk tree pits and planting beds, with old stones being removed, beds refilled and new stones installed. Crews are also performing tree maintenance.

Additional trees are expected along Avenue B between Seventh and Eighth streets.

Blessing of the Animals returns to Trinity Lower East Side

Photo and reporting by Stacie Joy 

From left: Bash and Pastor Will 

Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish is welcoming the neighborhood's four-legged — and presumably otherwise-legged — residents for its annual Blessing of the Animals on Sunday, the Feast of Saint Francis.

The church offers two opportunities at 602 E. Ninth St., at Avenue B. At 11 a.m., leashed or contained pets are welcome at the full Sunday service in the sanctuary. Pastor Will Kroeze notes that the blessing occurs early in the approximately hour-long service, in case any attendees get restless. 

A shorter blessing takes place at 2 p.m. in Trinity's garden for pets — or their humans — who might have difficulty sitting through the full service. 

As Kroeze put it, the afternoon session is for those "pets (or parents — we don't judge)" who prefer something a little briefer. 

All creatures great and small welcome.

Man indicted in QR code parking scam that surfaced in the East Village

A 39-year-old man has been indicted for allegedly placing fraudulent QR codes on Manhattan parking meters to steal motorists' personal and financial information, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr., and Department of Investigation Commissioner Nadia Shihata announced. 

The alleged scheme first came to the city's attention after a motorist encountered one of the fake QR codes on a parking meter near 79 E. 10th St. in June 2025. 

Mihai Theodor Enescu faces five counts of second-degree identity theft and six counts of second-degree criminal impersonation. According to prosecutors, the East 10th Street sticker read "Web Pay. Scan to Pay" and directed the motorist to a website displaying the PARKNYC logo. 

The site asked for a credit card number, expiration date, phone number, billing address and license plate number. After several unsuccessful attempts to enter the information, the motorist realized the QR code was on a sticker placed over the official PARKNYC information on the meter. 

He contacted his banks before suffering any financial loss, prosecutors said. 

The discovery prompted the Department of Transportation to inspect parking meters throughout Manhattan. Officials said they found and removed 64 fraudulent QR code stickers.

Investigators eventually connected Enescu to the account associated with the website, according to prosecutors. He also allegedly purchased two packs of 4-by-6-inch shipping labels that could be used to make the QR code stickers. 

Officials are reminding motorists that the city does not ask drivers to scan a QR code to pay for parking.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone who believes they encountered a similar scam can contact the Manhattan District Attorney's Office at 212-335-8900.