A Building puts away its glass balls; plus lobby update

Renovations continue on the A Building lobby on East 13th Street...now stretching into their sixth week...




Meanwhile, also spotted in the lobby: Boxed Christmas decorations... Seems like the A Buidling's halls are always decked...

Get your calcium chloride on East 13th Street

Get your salt from inside that rather mysterious building on 13th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...

What's doing at 229 E. 13th St.?

We're a little baffled by that new unit on 13th Street near Third Avenue... it has been sitting empty for months. An EV Grieve commenter said that these apartments were being shown last spring for a June 1 occupancy..... As far as we can tell, the entire building remains free of residents.

Meanwhile, nearly three weeks went by recently before anyone decided to fix the "for rent" sign out front....



If you're peddling $3,000 apartments, do you want your sign to look like that?

Still, there seems to be some movement now. According to StreetEasy, there are four rentals available: two bedrooms for $3,300; one bedrooms for $2,595. Last summer, the two-bedroom apartments were ambitiously listed at $4,200. The price was decreased 20 percent on Dec. 23, according to StreetEasy. (The listings are at Weichert Realtors.)

The units look nice enough with quality amenities like "European style Washer/Dryer combo." A little on the dorm-roomy side, though, perhaps?






Also, the paper on the front door has been removed....



...looks more inviting now....




Then there's the mystery lot and its frozen-in-EV-time landscape that's directly next door to this space. We're curious what potential residents — particularly those from elsewhere — might think walking up for an open house....





Though it can be a winter wonderland ....



Previously on EV Grieve:

Meanwhile, darkness falls on 13th Street

Dog gone (groan)

The dog days of summer

Noise, then darkness

On the CB3/SLA docket for 13th Street: Hung Ry America

Speaking of 13th Street, there's a new restaurant in the works here just east of First Avenue...at the site of this former boutique...



Hung Ry America will be going before the CB3/SLA on Monday evening...they're aiming for a beer/wine license and sidewalk seating...



Looking forward to hearing more about what's in store here...

A Building lobby renovation update: One month anniversary!

This is how it looked on Dec. 14:



And this is how it looked this past weekend...



Hey, I know that it takes time to renovate a new lobby.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A Building residents forced to use the service entrance (Dec. 7)

On the Mark on 13th Street

A new barber shop is ready to open on the south side of 13th Street near First Avenue...




...complete with an old-school barber pole...

(Updated) 536 E. 13th Street is a real dump now

All work has stopped at 536 E. 13th St. near Avenue B at the site of a stalled six-story apartment/condo....

The construction here caused cracks in the foundation at the building next door...and now someone is using the site to dump garbage. Thanks, rampant development!




Updated:
A former neighbor checks in via the comments.

I lived on the second floor of 530 East 13th until last January. Ours was the apartment with the terrace overlooking this "space". There were three huge trees which gave a beautiful dappled effect on a sunny day. Then in August '08 the so-called construction began. I came home from work one day to discover that all three trees had been felled. Work stalled almost immediately, but by then it was too late, and our apartment became infested with rodents almost overnight. I disposed of 11 mice between August and December (and those were just the ones I caught).

Previously on EV Grieve:
A dormant construction site on East 13th Street

A Building lobby still rehabbing

Not much progress to report in the second week here on 13th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. Though those buckets have been moved.

And with the lobby out of commission, does this mean that the A Buildingers won't have a Christmas tree in the lobby to adorn with empty beer cans and bras?

Previously on EV Grieve:
A Building residents forced to use the service entrance

Poems that we found on 13th Street

Speaking of rooftops: 'Own a piece of history in this boutique condo Penthouse of the historic Kiehl's Building'

I've always been intrigued by the cabin-looking home atop the Kiehls's building on 13th Street and Third Avenue. Here are two photos from a post that Scouting NY did on the house earlier this year...I read somehwere that one of the Coen Brothers used to live here...




Anyway, I came across a listing for 203 E. 13th St. #PH4B. Apparently this one has been on the market for some time. This PH doesn't include the cabin, though you at least have use of part of that rooftoop space...

According to that listing:

Own a very unique penthouse apartment in the Historical Kiehl's Building built in 1851. This astonishing loft like large one bedroom is in pristine condition with soaring 11 ft ceilings and is flooded with sun. This stunning apartment has original exposed brick & enormous brick arched windows all facing south. It comes equipped with a washer/dryer, built in security system and a beautifully renovated kitchen and bath. The spiral staircase leads to your own very private roof garden oasis of over 400 sq ft! Pets are welcome. Come and see for yourself. Own a piece of history in this boutique condo Penthouse of the historic Kiehl's Building now called Pear Tree Place named after the pear tree that once grew just beyond the front door.

This space can be yours for $1.265 million (715 square feet). But that price doesn't include the hellacious views that you'll have of the mystery lot next door!

A Building residents forced to use the service entrance

The lobby of the infamous A Building on 13th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue is finally getting that much needed makeover...



Oh, wait, the building with the rooftop pool and cabanas and hard-partying flip-cup crowd is less than two years old. Hmm. Maybe those Pietra Bedonia stone walls in the lobby needed some buffing?




Oh, and the $2.3 million penthouse is still on the market...there was an open house yesterday on the unit being being flipped for some $300,000 over the original value...

Noted

Woodland Creature spotted this vanity license plate on East 13th Street...

Own most of East 13th Street for about $48 million

You know those omnipresent "apartment for rent/open house/never a fee" signs on 13th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue?



Yeah, well, all those buildings are now for sale.



Here's part of the description for 416-418 E. 13th St.:

The roof has been updated and most of the free market apartments are newly renovated. With only 1 rent controlled tenant and 2 rent stabilized tenants in the building, the balance of the units are free market making this property an excellent investment opportunity with no vacancy and a tremendous income stream.

Friend House moves across the street; the Hea sign remains the same

As you may know, the Japanese eatery Hea closed its doors at 13th Street and Third Avenue in September. So the Hea brass, who also own Friend House across the street, closed up moved into the more spacious quarters.



The Friend House menus are up...



...but the old Hea sign remains...

What you need to know about attending an open house at the Copper Building

In case you were going to check out an open house at the Copper Building on Avenue B at 13th Street...see if that $3.8 million penthouse is suitable... Here's the deal...



You go inside the plywood door and wait by the table. As the sign says, someone will then be down in approximately 15 minutes for the tour. You may want to push back your brunch reservations.

Previously.

Spa games on 13th Street

On 13th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue....

First, this spa on the north side of the street lost their lease....



...and they're moving up the street where Upland Trading used to be.



I bring this up because... at first glance, the renovations at Upland Trading had a bar/cafe vibe. But a worker at the site assured me it was just the spa moving up the street.

Well, given the previous post, might as well just post this too

On 13th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.