Elsa has closed

Elsa, the cocktail lounge modeled after a fashion designer's workroom, has now closed on East Third Street.

Not sure exactly when the doors closed for good. (There's a Yelp review from July 17.)

This had been an expected development, as Eater noted back on June 30.

Elsa's website says that they "will be moving to a new location at the end of July! Details on the new space will be coming soon."

However, per Eater:

Elsa's bartenders are apparently telling patrons that the bar is not relocating at all and will simply be shutting its doors. An employee at the bar tells Eater that the landlord refused to renew the lease, because he wants to "open his own place," although its not clear what that will be.

In June, CB3 OK'd an applicant taking over the space. Per the minutes (PDF!) from the CB3 meeting:

[T]he applicant managed a previous tavern business at this location from 1997 through 2004 and it furnished one hundred five (105) signatures from area residents in support of its application …

The working name for the new venture is Canvas Bar.

Elsa, named for fashion designer Elsa Schiaperalli, began in November 2008 in the former Hanger Bar (and before that Plant Bar) space here between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Elsa's owners opened Ramona in Greenpoint earlier this year.

This is the No. 1 bar in NYC?

Something called The Clubplanet Nightlife Directory has named its top-10 bars of NYC. And No. 1 bestest of the best bars?

#1 Best Bar in NYC
Elsa
217 East 3rd Street
New York, NY 10003

Just when you think East Village will forever stay in its un-gentrified hip-ness, a snazzy, upscale place like Elsa opens, as if the be-seen type of bars simply spilled out of the over-packed Lower East Side, and nestled in the surrounding neighborhoods. Well, the better for East Village scenesters. One thing is sure— if you like your drinks well-mixed, Elsa is the place to be, mostly due to its signature cocktails, courtesy of the best bartending pros, which is why its made our list as one of the best bars in New York City. And in case you were wondering about an appropriate outfit — you can get tailored on the spot two days a week. Elsa is styled after a tailor shop, but those old-school sewing machines are not a simple decoration. Now, we’ve already heard about linking the idea of shopping and drinking (boutique lounges), or drinking and doing your nails (Beauty Bar), but drinking while waiting for your hand-made jacket, that’s quite a new take on New York watering holes’ versatility.