Meanwhile, darkness falls on 13th Street

So, I guess no one has moved in here yet at 229 E. 13th St. near Third Avenue. (Next to the Mystery Lot!) Construction started in the spring of 2008. The final product has been sitting empty now for months. Or maybe they'll just conserving energy.



According to StreetEasy.com, the property is owned by Vrbnik Realty. Several rentals are on the market: $4,200 for two-bedroom units; $3,000 for one bedrooms.

By the way, as you may recall, a resident in the building next to this space chronicled the noise and darkness that came into his life during construction....from April 2008.



After all that construction, the building sits empty?


Previously on EV Grieve:

Dog gone (groan)

The dog days of summer

Noise, then darkness

See you Hea

Sorry, that headline is a little flip...But Hea, the newish Japanese place that spent a fortune renovating the former bodega/nail salon on Third Avenue and 13th Street, has closed...





It seemed doomed, really, since closing in April for "renovations" just seven months after opening.

Doomed intersection? Cafe DeVille across the street has also closed.

Thanks to our friend Hunter-Gatherer for confirming this closure for us...

13th Street shock box

Perhaps you're walking on 13th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. And you're feeling just plain tuckered out. You could seek refuge on that rather temporary-looking bench up the street. And being so tired, you may not notice the warnings...that glare from the A Building and all...

Mystery Lot weeds whacked; fresh garbage dumped in its place

Noticeable changes at EV Grieve favorite The Mystery Lot on 13th Street near Third Avenue. First, someone whacked the weeds....



...deposited some garbage and shrubbery...



...and fed the pigeons...



Previously on EV Grieve:
An appreciation: That empty lot of 13th Street

Another view of the Mystery Lot

Things that we found on the street

On 13th Street near Avenue B. And where is disc 1?

Another view of the Mystery Lot

Just wanted to follow-up on the Mystery Lot post from late July. Wanted to have a record of the lot from the 14th Street angle looking south toward 13th Street.







And thanks to everyone who left comments on the post. Chris Flash had a chance to look around at the interior of this property's former occupant, the Jefferson Theater. "The place was in horrible condition, but definitely could have been rehabbed. The lay-out was tight but perfect for sight lines and accoustics -- I could feel the history still living inside there."

A shame.

The mystery of 442 E. 13th St.

A reader is looking to solve the mystery of 442 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. This longtime resident lives on 12th Street, and his windows look down on this small, unmarked building. He writes:

It has no signage. Years ago, it had a small sign, Electrical Motor Maintenance.

I'd like to know what goes on in there. The industrial air conditioners are noisy and are on 24/7.

20 years ago, I filed a complaint with the DEP about this building because at the time there was also a noxious smell being emitted from a chimney on the building, but the DEP found nothing.

The building is generally locked up (it's rare to see that entryway door open).

What's the deal?

I walked by and, to some surprise, found the door open...but no one was around -- which only added to the mysteriousness... Not much in the DOB either.



So what's going on here?





And here's an aerial view supplied by the reader:

An appreciation: That empty lot on 13th Street

Between Third Avenue and Second Avenue. The empty lot has been discussed for years. It has sat vacant since 1986. The Jefferson Theater was here. According to Cinema Treasures:

[T]his theater was located at 214 E. 14th Street near Third Avenue. The entrance was a narrow space between two tenement houses with the bulk of the theater (auditorium) located in 13th Street. The Jefferson operated at least into the 1970s and was demolished in 2000. Today, the site is filled with bricks and debris from the demolition and the old Jefferson as passed on.

Here's what it looked like near the end, via Forgotten NY:



Despite threats/promises of development through the years, the lot -- 23,000 square feet -- remains empty. But for how long? So, until NYU or something comes along...

Earlier this week:








The previous week:

A dormant construction site on East 13th Street

The Post recently reported that there are 39 stalled construction sites in Manhattan. (That's 143 in all five boroughs.) I'm curious about stalled projects in the East Village. One that I've had my eye on: 536 E. 13th Street near Avenue B. Seems awfully quiet here this summer.






For good reason. According to the DOB, there's a Stop Work Order on the six-story apartment/condo going in here. Why the stoppage?

DUE TO EXCAVATION OPERATIONS,CRACKS IN THE ADJACENT BLDG @ 530 E 13TH ST THRU 1ST TO 6TH FL FRONT & REAR FACADE

Dumpster of the day

13th Street and Avenue B.

String art on 13th Street

Between Third Avenue and Second Avenue.







I cannot blow out matches.

Historic building being used to promote Snickers, Tribeca Film Festival

You've likely seen the Bronze Plaque on the building at 13th Street and University Place.



As Forgotten New York points out, this marks the spot of the headquarters of the old 9th Regiment where Lincoln once called for volunteers for the Civil War. The plaque was unveiled on May 30, 1908. "Less than a score of veterans stood in the rain as Maj. Dabney W. Diggs, who got his rank for real service, and Col. William F. Morris, the present commander of the regiment, addressed them, but there were 800 then in olive drab standing at attention."

The plaque bears this inscription:

"If any one attempts to haul down the American Flag shoot him on the spot."

The retail space on the ground floor has been vacant since the Futon Warehouse closed in the summer of 2007. Of late, the space has been home to a treasure trove of Snickers ad...those chewpid Snacklish ones...





This is like the Louvre of Snickers ads...



The space is still for lease for retail on the street level...



The 11-story building is home to the Amalgamated Lithographers of America, among other tenants.




However, the Snickers ads have been removed. And the street-level space is being used again as the press office for the Tribeca Film Festival.