At last, a look at the new 3rd Avenue development

Photos by Steven 

A rendering has finally arrived on the construction sign at the long-cleared Third Avenue development site between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

The image depicts a tiered building with a grid-like facade, large windows, and a series of setbacks and terraces above glass-fronted ground-floor retail space...

As previously reported, SK Development filed plans in May for a 13-story mixed-use building at 122 E. 11th St. (The rendering looks like — 14 floors?) 

According to Department of Buildings filings, the proposed structure will span roughly 136,400 square feet and include 69 residential units, about 12,000 square feet of commercial space and a loading area for large vehicles. 

Carlos Cardoso of Beyer Blinder Belle is listed as the architect of record.  

The lot has been vacant since January 2025, when crews completed the demolition of six buildings at 50-64 Third Ave. The lone holdout from the buying spree is 48 Third Ave., which remains on the NW corner of 10th Street and Third Avenue... barely visible on the rendering next to the towering development. 

Anticipated completion date: January 2029. 

Community groups urge NYU Langone to preserve Kips Bay AMC and Fairway

A coalition of neighborhood groups, block associations and tenant organizations is asking NYU Langone to preserve the AMC Kips Bay 15 and Fairway Market following its purchase of the Kips Bay retail complex at 570 Second Ave.

In an Aug. 31 letter, the newly formed Save Kips Bay Coalition expressed concern about the potential loss of businesses that residents and hospital employees rely on for groceries, dining and entertainment. 

The nine signatories include the Alliance for Kips Bay, Murray Hill Neighborhood Association, Waterside Plaza Tenants Association, Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association and several other East Side organizations. 

"When a major institution becomes a property owner in a residential neighborhood, it also becomes a neighbor," said Jessica Lavoie, vice president and chair of the Quality of Life Committee of the Murray Hill Neighborhood Association, in a statement.

The coalition asked NYU Langone to work with residents and community organizations toward an outcome that allows institutional expansion to coexist with neighborhood-serving businesses.

As previously reported, Assemblymember Keith Powers said his office confirmed that NYU Langone purchased the property, which includes the theater and Fairway, about a year ago. 

The health system has not publicly disclosed its plans for the site, and Fairway's future remains unclear. 

AMC has said the 15-screen theater will operate through the end of the year before closing because the property owner exercised its contractual right to terminate the lease early. A formal closing date has not been announced. 

The theater opened in 1999 under the Loews banner and is currently the only AMC location with an IMAX screen on Manhattan's East Side. 

Powers and six other elected officials previously sent NYU Langone a letter requesting a meeting and calling for greater transparency about the property. They also asked the health system to preserve the theater and supermarket and allow public review of any land-use or rezoning proposals. 

Meanwhile, Community Board 6 will hold a public hearing on the planned AMC closure tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7 p.m. Details here. 

Find more info at Save Kips Bay. Petition here.

Half Gallery closes its 4th Street annex

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Half Gallery has closed its annex at 233 E. Fourth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The gallery opened the additional space in April 2022 in a former hair salon, a few storefronts from its main location on the northwest corner of Avenue B. 

 The main Half Gallery space, which debuted in March 2020, remains open.

The annex is the latest gallery space to close in the East Village. As previously reported, March left its Avenue A home this summer for a new location on Canal Street. Karma, Ruby/Dakota, Gratin and O’Flaherty's have also closed or relocated their East Village galleries in recent years.

Monday's parting shot

Photo by Steven 

Redecorating the Steve Jobs Tree in Tompkins Square Park...

Summer's parting shot (tip-in edition)

Photo via @NBA 

A moment to always remember from the summer... after trailing by 29 points, the New York Knicks rallied to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on June 10, with OG Anunoby scoring the winning tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Scenes from the Knicks championship parade 

• Jalen Brunson mural gets a championship update 

• Knicks revelry on St. Mark's Place 

• At Sophie's and beyond: More Knicks championship photos

• Saturday night on Avenue C, Knicks NBA championship edition 

• Knicks fever in the East Village: A photo essay

Trinity's Churchyard Sessions return for 3 Tuesdays

Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish is hosting three Tuesday evening performances this month in its garden on the southeast corner of Ninth Street and Avenue B. 

The Churchyard Sessions begin tomorrow (Sept. 8) with singer-songwriter Jayne Sugg performing an unplugged set of original songs, including selections from her debut album, Belief Is Hard. 

Neighborhood band Kiki and the Fellas will bring its mix of Latin and Nuyorican music to the garden on Sept. 15. Members of the rock band Softcrush close out the series Sept. 22 with an unplugged set inspired by classic rock and punk. 

Each performance starts at 7 p.m. Attendees may bring drinks and snacks. A $10 suggested donation supports the performers and Trinity's community programs.

Running with the 95 Bulls in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The Brooklyn-Queens-based five-piece 95 Bulls, led by vocalist Emily Ashenden, tore through a grimy collision of garage punk, post-punk and synth-wave in Tompkins Square Park yesterday afternoon as part of a free Show Brain lineup. 

Here are a few scenes from their fiery set...

A call to protect the trees outside the former St. Brigid School

Photos by Stacie Joy 

An EVG reader alerted us about the tree beds outside the former St. Brigid School on Seventh Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.

The reader reports that the protective fencing is in poor condition and the area is no longer being maintained. Dogs are also using the tree beds.

"We have lost so many trees in the past couple of years," the reader wrote, wondering whether EVG readers might have ideas for protecting these. 

As previously reported, the former school building at 185 E. Seventh St. is being marketed as a residential development site by the Archdiocese of New York. The adjacent St. Brigid-St. Emeric church and rectory are not included in the potential sale. 

Any suggestions for helping these trees?

Monday's opening shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

On Fourth Street and Avenue A, the Key Food crew (from left): Richie Gaitan (store manager), Fernando Carvajal ("on the floor") and Jimmy Suarez (co-manager). 

BTW, Key will be open its usual 24/7 hours on Labor Day... for all your Labor Day needs...

Sunday's parting shots

Photos by Stacie Joy

Tabby the Great with her art today in Tompkins Square Park...

EV Grieve's East Village Week in Review

Posts this past week included (with comings and goings on 2nd Avenue via Derek Berg)...Never miss a post with the weekly EVG newsletter. Free right here. 

• A break-in, an arrest and questions about the system: An East Village resident shares her harrowing story (Sept. 3) 

• Mayor Mamdani joins Lower East Side tribute to Chino Garcia at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery (Sept. 1) 

• Elected officials push to keep AMC Kips Bay 15 open (Aug. 31) 

• Continuing the effort to preserve Most Holy Redeemer (Sept. 2) 

• Police search Most Holy Redeemer after reported break-in (Sept. 3) … NYPD sources: There was no bomb or active-shooter threat at Most Holy Redeemer (Sept. 5) 

• Public meeting set on possible Village View parking lot sale (Sept. 3) 

• In search of a monk parakeet (Sept. 1) 

• Salumeria Rosi sets reopening dates on Avenue B (Sept. 2) 

• Scenes from "Independent Thinkers" at St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery (Sept. 4)

• Cold comfort at Le Petit Versailles (Aug. 30) 

• Double Zero closes after 12 years on 2nd Avenue (Sept. 2) … 886 has closed on St. Mark's Place (Sept. 1) 

• Tow story (Aug. 30) 

• Why we didn't have coverage of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival (Aug. 30) 

• 6 posts from August (Aug. 31) 

... and Shaky Eyez, selling smokes and exotic snacks, debuted this past week to help class up the corner of 14th Street and 1st Avenue... photo by William Klayer...

Show Brain brings more live music to Tompkins Square Park TODAY

Show Brain returns to Tompkins Square Park today for another afternoon (2-6)  of FREE live music.

Singer-songwriter Sid Simons headlines with: 

• 95 Bulls 

• Dauber 

• Joudy

• Gold Roger

Line check at the 2 Harry Styles pop-up merch shops

Harry Styles fans have two places to stock up on merch in the East Village. 

The main "Together, Together" pop-up is at 22 E. Second St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. A second location — reportedly the express version — is on Great Jones Street between the Bowery and Lafayette Street. 

We happened to walk by both shops yesterday and found blocks-long waits. The Second Street location had two separate lines — one going up Second Avenue to Fourth Street... and another around and down the Bowery to First Street.

Despite the wait, the line-dwellers we spoke with were cheerful and excited... 

The pop-ups coincide with Styles' 30-night "Together, Together" residency at Madison Square Garden, which continues through Oct. 31.

Seems as if the merch also requires a residency...

Saturday's parting shot

Photo by Cecil Scheib

Today's sunset sky...

WBAI’s CBGB series continues Sunday

"This Ain’t No Disco This Is CBGB," a WBAI Radio series marking the 50th anniversary of the former Bowery music venue's opening, continues with episode 3.2 tomorrow (Sunday) at 2 p.m. 

Episode 4 follows on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 2 p.m. Jillian Jonas, a former CBGB employee and senior producer of WBAI's public-affairs program "Living for the City," hosts the series. 

The programs focus on CBGB's first wave of music, roughly from 1973 to 1978, and include stories and voices that have often received less attention in accounts of the club's history. Both episodes will air on WBAI.

NYPD sources: There was no bomb or active-shooter threat at Most Holy Redeemer

Photo by Stacie Joy from Wednesday 

Reporting by SJ 

Multiple NYPD sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly, provided additional details about the extensive police response late Wednesday afternoon at Most Holy Redeemer Church on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The initial 911 call reported that a young, thin white man had forced his way into the church. According to the sources, the caller did not report a bomb, explosives, a suicide vest or an active shooter. 

The Emergency Service Unit K-9 teams were requested to help search the large building for the suspect — not in response to an explosives threat, the sources said. Officers searched the church for about two hours but did not find the man. 

The investigation has uncovered no evidence of a crime beyond the suspected attempted burglary, which left a broken door lock and window. Police have found no indication that anything was taken.

As previously reported, the block was closed as ESU officers, Strategic Response Group members, multiple K-9 teams and other law enforcement personnel responded. Some officers carried shields and long guns.

EVG has not received an explanation for why such an extensive response was deployed for the reported break-in.

Friday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Let's gooooo endless summer...

Dear Diary

Photo from Tompkins in July by Stacie Joy 

The debut LP from NYC-based Diary arrives today... we love their first single, "Keep Comin' Up" ... and enjoyed seeing them live in Tompkins this past July. 

The video below is for "Drive It" ...

   

 Diary's record release show is out at Union Pool on Sept. 12.

Scenes from 'Independent Thinkers' at St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The annual "Framing the Village" exhibition returned to St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery last night with an opening reception for its 2026 installment, "Independent Thinkers." 

Curated by Marc Kehoe (below), the group show features work by roughly 65 independent local artists.

Here are a few scenes from the reception...

The exhibition continues through Sept. 30 in the Parish Hall at St. Mark’s Church, 131 E. 10th St. at Second Avenue. Regular viewing hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. 

To find the Parish Hall, enter through the gates and follow the path on the right to the back of the church.