Takeout openings: William Barnacle Tavern, 2A

The William Barnacle Tavern opened today for take-home drinks here at Theater 80, 80 St. Mark's Place near First Avenue.

Steven ran into proprietor Lorcan Otway, whose bar offerings include mead, an alcohol made from water, honey and yeast...



And 2A has their take-home setup happening at their Second Street window here at Avenue A...



... and there are flyers asking patrons to move along after making their purchase...

That new old look at 2A

EVG reader Heather shared these photos from yesterday... showing the work continuing outside 2A on Avenue A and Second Street...



We've actually heard from quite a few curious readers in recent months about the ghost signage. Per Heather: "I hope these vintage glass ads are a beautiful discovered jewel from the past and not a horrible re-branding of the bar."

These are actual signs from a long-ago business here that sold children's clothing and novelties... They were first discovered late last spring when the roll down gates needed to be replaced. (See our post here from May.) And the folks at 2A said that the ghost signage will remain part of the bar's renovated facade.

The building at 25 Avenue A was built in the late 1860s ... and was first the home of the Teutonia Savings Bank. Read more about the history at Daytonian in Manhattan.

2A opened in 1985.

Unearthing retail history at 2A

[Photo by EVG reader Cate]

If you walked by 2A in recent days, then you may have noticed some ghost signage that has been unveiled ... for infants' wear and children's dresses...


[Photo by Spike]


[Photo by Spike]

Daytonian in Manhattan provides some fascinating history of the building on Avenue A and Second Street.

In 1868 the Teutonia Savings Bank was incorporated and its handsome bank building erected on the site of No. 25 Avenue A. The architect is unclear; however the structure bears striking similarities to the work of Nicholas Whyte who was working in the area. His Irwin Building, completed the same year, at the corner of Bowery and Bleecker Street includes several similar elements.

The four-story Italianate structure was faced in sandstone on the Avenue front and with red brick on the side elevation. The bank's architecture presented potential depositors with a sense of stability. Rusticated stone piers, handsome Corinthian pilasters between the upper openings on the Avenue side, and carved stone lintels with double keystones along 2nd Street spoke of the cost of the edifice. To the rear a stoop led to the arched doorway of the upper floors.

The offices on the upper floors were leased and the Teutonia Savings Bank operated from ground level. Things went smoothly for a decade before the bank collapsed under scandal and fraud.

In March 1878 a stranger who gave his name as H. G. Wagner attempted to open a bank account, using a draft for $2,750 drawn by the banking firm of Gossler & Co., in Boston. The check was accepted; but bank officials were suspicious and investigated the matter. It turned out to be a forgery and a detective was put on the case. He sat for days in the President’s office, where he could watch the bank patrons come and go through the glass door.

Wagner was too clever to personally return to withdraw funds; and he offered John Campbell 50 cents to cash a check for him. Campbell ended up being arrested and Wagner was never caught.

But that was the least of the problems for Teutonia Savings Bank. Four months later warrants were issued for the arrest of all 15 trustees of the bank. On July 15 the New-York Tribune ran the headline “Misuse of Bank Funds” and reported on the nearly $30,000 of assets the men had distributed among themselves.

The post doesn't have any mention of the retail space when it served in more recent times as a children's clothing store, as the signage shows (2A has been here since 1985)... and it's not clear if this will remain outside 2A or it's just a temporary reveal.


[Photo via JG]

See the new Jeff Buckley mini-documentary tonight at 2A

Mini-documentary on Jeff Buckley with some musical performances happening tonight upstairs at 2A courtesy of Tom Clark (OAAITEV alum!) ... Doors at 8:30. And there's very limited space.

Find out more about Sunday night events at the Treehouse at 2A here.

Monday Night Movie (tonight) at Exile Above 2A

Exile Above 2A, the second-level space at 2A, is launching Movie Night Monday... starting tonight at 8 with a free screening of "The Boondock Saints" with Norman Reedus and Willem Dafoe from 1999.

2A is on Avenue A at East Second Street.

‘37 Vibrations’ love story project launches tonight at 2A

[A test run at 2A last Friday]

We know several people who are excited about this project... so, from the EVG inbox...

What if one story could change a life, and what if that life could change the world?

Linda Perkins explores the ripple effect in her new collaborative love story project, 37 Vibrations.

For 37 Vibrations, Perkins interviewed 37 people and wrote down the love stories they told her. Each story was printed to look like pages in a book then rolled up and placed in a hand-painted bottle. The bottles will be passed from one person to another, and Perkins encourages each person who gets a story to log its location here and then pass it along to someone else.

“Some stories were funny, other took great risks. There were grand romantic gestures, big secrets, magical moments. Some were sad or heartbreaking or even tragic. The common thread that I witnessed over and over again was the incredible bravery it takes to fall in love. Even when our hearts get broken, somehow we survive and learn something valuable about ourselves along the way,” Perkins said.

At the launch party, open to the public, readers will tell the first five stories in the series and then they will be released into the wild. There will also be music, heart-shaped pizzas, and a screening of, “So You Found a Bottle,” projected 40-feet tall on the building next door.

The party is tonight from 7:30-10 upstairs at 2A, 25 Ave. A.

“In music, the difference between a happy note and a sad note is 37 vibrations per second. I want to see what vibrational effect 37 love stories will have on the world,” said Perkins.

ABOUT LINDA PERKINS

Linda Perkins, a certified storyteller, is a member of the Directors Guild of America and has worked with luminaires such as Ang Lee, Robert Altman, Bill Condon, Eddie Burns, and Nicole Holofcener. She lives on the Lower East Side.

Find the 37 Vibrations website here.

Checking in on the Treehouse, where you can find free live music every Sunday night above 2A

[Lenny Kaye and Kevn Kinney at The Treehouse]

On Sunday night, The Treehouse, the live music venue upstairs at 2A on Avenue A and East Second Street, welcomes Lenny Kaye and Cindy Lee Berryhill.

Treehouse proprietor Tom Clark is also on the bill, teaming up with his longtime friend Brian Halverson for a set of the "Never-Be Brothers." (It's a loving tribute to the Everly Brothers.) As always, the shows here are free on Sunday nights. (Start time: 8:30 p.m.)

Anyway, it seemed like a good time to check in on the Treehouse, which Clark launched upstairs on Sunday nights in July 2011. Via an email, Clark said that he wanted to create a vibe that was reminiscent of some of the places he had played in the good, old days when there weren't seven bands on the bill and the person running the show was nice and actually cared about the musicians and sound.

Has the Treehouse turned out as you planned it?

I have to say yes. It really could gone a lot of different ways in the beginning. It could have been insanely busy, then fizzle out, or it could have just fallen on it's face, like so many places have done.

I was lucky to know a good few talented people I could call on to get the ball rolling [for] the first shows, so a precedent was set of quality. Since the Treehouse is only on Sundays, I have to be kind of particular about the acts I choose because you only get four Sundays (usually) a month.

It's really grown into a nice destination on Sunday nights. No cover, a LOT of interplay between acts. Just good vibes. I hate to use that term, but that's what it is. I can't tell you how many emails I get a day from people wanting to play, and notes from people saying how much they dig it. I have every single show on video. I'm putting a site together now, where I'm gonna be posting clips.

A lot of really great venues have gone by the wayside — the original Sin-e, Banjo Jim's, Lakeside Lounge. It has hard to find places like those to play anymore.

What has been the best part of running The Treehouse?

I don't know about you, but I think having a job you look forward to is pretty nice. I get to watch and hear amazing songwriters like Lil' Mo (Monica Passin) and incredible guitar players like Fausto Bozza fingerpick like I could only dream of doing.

When I'm up in the little sound booth, I often turn around, just to survey the crowd, and it's a sea of smiling faces. That's really nice to see in this jaded day and age. I also love the fact that I get to play guitar with a lot of these cats. Always a thrill.

This Sunday is gonna be extra special. My pal Lenny Kaye is gonna play, and the lovely Cindy Lee Berryhill is in town from LA and asked if she could play. Then me my buddy since I was 13, Brian Halverson, are gonna do a set of Everly Brother songs like we used to do — and those damn songs are HARD, and we try to stay true to the originals. And then we will see what happens after that. That's always my favorite part. The stuff that's NOT planned. That's really where the magic is.

-----

Clark, a guitar collector for years, also lends his 1949 Gibson J45 as the "house guitar."

"Most people, when offered, tend to go for it," he said. "Of all my guitars, it's my favorite, and you wouldn't believe how many musicians have never played a great guitar. I think at least 50 people have used it for their shows. I enjoy watching it be played. Guitars are happiest when they are played."


[Clark uses 2A's projector to show the performances on the wall across East Second Street. You have to be inside and upstairs to hear the music, though. Photo by Lauri Hornik]

Celebrating 1 year of Fiction Addiction tonight at 2A

Fiction Addiction, the monthly reading series upstairs at 2A, turns 1 tonight, as the headline suggests. Tonight at 8: Ben Greenman, Mike Albo, Shelly Oria and Ryan Britt. Info here.

h/t The New Yorker

[Image via]

It's a wonderful life now on Avenue A, for several reasons...

Playing at (or outside) 2A ... and no woo-wooers on Avenue A...

Photo by Dave on 7th...

Reader report: Cops and a BB gun hole at 2A

From an EV Grieve reader:

I was walking home last night around 7 and a cop came barreling down the wrong way on 2nd St. toward A. By the time I got to the corner, there were about 8 cops and they were looking at what appeared to be a small bullet hole in the window of the 2A bar. It was on the side facing 2nd St and toward the middle on the bottom. It might have been a bb gun — hole wasn't that big. Did you hear anything on this?

We did not hear anything about this. Anyone?

We will deal with your rebel friends soon enough

Last night's 2A movie of the night on Avenue A. Photo by jdx.

"There Will Be Blood" on Avenue A

Several people have passed along word that 2A is projecting "There Will Be Blood" on the wall across the street tonight... with sound on upstairs at the bar...

[Photo by RyanAvenueA]

[Via @alexisea]

Perhaps it will become a regular thing... seems as if they did this some years back too...