4 years later, developer still talking Left Bank for Extra Place

[Photo by Bobby Williams from Monday afternoon]

More than four years ago, we first heard about the plans the developers of Avalon Bowery Place had for Extra Place — "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."



While we've been documenting the mostly pedestrian-free zone along Extra Place, developer AvalonBay is still hoping for a café society here.

Monday night, Stephen Hutto, AvalonBay's director of retail, told CB3's Economic Development Committee that he is close on a deal to bring a new Mediterranean-style restaurant into an 1,800-square-foot space on Extra Place, Patrick Hedlund at DNAinfo reported.

He also said that "a popular Brooklyn-based coffee shop" is eyeing a spot on East First Street near the corner of Extra Place.

In addition, Hutto wanted the CB's blessing for future tenants to seek new liquor licenses. (In response, CB members said that they'd deal with the licenses on a case-by-case basis.) He also asked for the Board's suggestions for populating the storefronts.

Per Hedlund's article: "Some community board members cited the lack of retail diversity in the neighborhood, as bars and restaurants continue to swallow up area storefronts, recommending that AvalonBay incentivize tenancy for a wide range of businesses by setting their rents below market rates."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Meanwhile, Extra Place continues to maintain its proud heritage

Perhaps he just saw Extra Place for the first time in 15 years or so?

Looking at Extra Place

Noho-branded new art for Extra Place

Oh, that's subtle.

Bespoke Chocolates closing Thursday in Extra Place; what next for the former alley?

On Saturday we reported that Bespoke Chocolates — the first retailer to open in Extra Place — will close as of Thursday. Here's the note that's Bespoke sent out to friends...

They opened early in 2009. And we had a spirited (and friendly!) exchange on EV Grieve with Rachel Zoe Insler, Bespoke's owner, about ideal retail and the continued transformation of the neighborhood. (You can read her comments here.)

In April 2009, in Time Out's Eat Out Awards, the magazine's critics bestowed the Best Sweet Revenge award upon Bespoke Chocolates. Why?

As if the seven levels of city-permit hell weren’t enough, chocolatier and former Union Square Cafe pastry staffer Rachel Zoe Insler also had to navigate the wilds of don’t-ruin-my-neighborhood blogosphere resentment before she even opened the doors of her unassuming bonbon shop. Insler placated the haters with patience and warmth — and won over everyone else with her pretzel-covered sea-salted caramels, cardamom-scented Turkish coffee truffles and the rest of her handmade sweets. 6 Extra Pl at E 1st St (212-260-7103)

[Huh?]

Meanwhile, the Tashkent by Cheyenne showroom just around the corner of Extra Place shops closed several months ago.

As we've noted many times, developer AvalonBay has big plans for Extra Place — "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."



Perhaps when chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud opens his commissary with a possible retail space, Extra Place will finally get that jolt of life. So what gives here? Is Extra Place too far off the beaten path as EV Grieve reader Lisa suggested Saturday? Or, despite the luxurification of the Bowery, perhaps the neighborhood isn't ready for upscale retail? Or maybe it's the ghosts of the Bowery's past?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Bespoke Chocolates bids farewell from Extra Place

Extra Place gets its first tenant...And it's dessert (shocker!)

The Chocolate Wars (well, not at all, but we needed something that sounds CONTROVERSIAL)

Bespoke Chocolates bids farewell from Extra Place

Bespoke was the first retailer to open in Extra Place ... a topic that we covered quite a bit, starting here. Here's the note that's Bespoke is sending out to friends...

They opened early in 2009 ... and they will close on Thursday. We'll have more on this topic on Monday...

The pleasures of eating in Extra Place

Previously.

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

In Extra Place, no hoop for you!

Oh, crap. So much for my little hoops obsession in Extra Place...

Before!

And right after that!

And now!

[Bobby Williams]

The hoop is gone.

So who was the killjoy?

Driving to the hole in Extra Place

Since discovering the basketball hoop in Extra Place a few weeks ago...

...we've wondered who has been playing here. The gang from John Varvatos taking on Extra Place newcomers Daniel Boulud?

Maybe! Though on this day, here's who we saw playing... Kids!

Extra Place plaza finally taking shape, sort of

More than four years ago, we first heard of the plans the developers of Avalon Bowery Place had for Extra Place — "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."



Now, Brooklyn-based Oaxaca Tacos recently added some outdoor seating...

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

Hoop dreams in Extra Place

We're not sure who just put up the basketball hoop here in Extra Place ...

Maybe DB and the gang are playing some H-O-R-S-E?

DBGB takes CBGB by the back door

Extra Place — home of dog walkers, skateboarders and Wonder Woman — just received a big ol' jolt of Boulud.

According to a report at The Feast, chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud is taking over a big space in the former piss-filled alley off the Bowery:

Located at 18 Extra Place, just a block away from Boulud's sausage emporium DBGB, the commissary will supply prepped items to all of the chef's restaurants as well as create a space for "great parties," as Boulud puts it. It may also signal the chef's intent to get into the prepared food and retail space.

That's the big news here. Boulud is building the space to USDA standards, which will pave the way for a cross-country retail business. Currently, bread for all of the restaurants is baked in the catacombs of Daniel, while sausage and charcuterie is produced at Bar Boulud. With the commissary both of those operations will be moved to Extra Place. The plant is scheduled to be online by July, which could put DBGB sausage and Bar Boulud charcuterie in your house in time for Labor Day.

[Photo via The Feast]

Extra Place fit for Wonder Woman

Yesterday, EV Grieve Superheroine Correspondent Bobby Williams caught part of a photo shoot in Extra Place off the Bowery for what a crew member said was a promo for "the new Wonder Woman movie."

Hmm, well, NBC has a pilot in production for the fall... Anyway, who cares! Look, tiny shorts like Lynda Carter wore!

Extra Place dog run

Flashback to the previous weekend!

Won't be able to do this once THIS happens....

An Extra (special) Place for skateboarding

On Extra Place during the weekend... shots by EV Grieve Skateboarding Correspondent Bobby Williams

Figure you need to do this before the tables and chairs arrive some day...

Friday evening in Extra Place

Taqueria banner adds touch of class to Extra Place

BoweryBoogie first reported on Dec. 1 that Brooklyn-based Oaxaca Tacos opened in a storefront toward the back of Extra Place... I'm not sure how you let people walking by the alley know that you're back there... but I suppose this is one way...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Meanwhile, Extra Place continues to maintain its proud heritage

Perhaps he just saw Extra Place for the first time in 15 years or so?

Looking at Extra Place

Things that are now open behind what used to be CBGB

BoweryBoogie reports that Brooklyn-based Oaxaca Tacos quietly opened yesterday on Extra Place... Not sure if I'd bring up CBGB in announcing the business...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Meanwhile, Extra Place continues to maintain its proud heritage

Perhaps he just saw Extra Place for the first time in 15 years or so?

The Chocolate Wars (well, not at all, but we needed something that sounds CONTROVERSIAL)

Giving Extra Place the warm, comfortable feel of suburbia

Looking at Extra Place

Max's Kansas City and CBGB live! Sort of!

So this explains why we always saw so many empty bottles on Extra Place...

Thanks to a post this morning at Eater... we now know about Extra Place by Max's Kansas City. Per the website:

Almost 30 years have passed since the cultural institution Max’s Kansas City closed its doors. Andy Warhol once stated that it was “the exact place where pop art met pop life,” while William S. Burroughs credited it as “the intersection of it all.” However, its legacy lives on as the focal point of art, music, and fashion. Inspired by this history, the Max's Kansas City Co. opened Extra Place in January of 2010 as a venue for live music and exclusive private events. Located beneath the former home of CBGB, with an entrance on the storied alley Extra Pl. (off of 1st Street between the Bowery and 2nd Avenue), Extra Place by the Max's Kansas City Company revives the debaucherous and creative history that made the location so legendary. The Max’s Kansas City company renews these hallowed grounds by establishing Extra Place, a venue for the industries of art, music, and fashion.

Extra Place has become a recycling center

Nearly four years later, still not looking like this....



Previously on EV Grieve:
Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Meanwhile, Extra Place continues to maintain its proud heritage

Perhaps he just saw Extra Place for the first time in 15 years or so?

The Chocolate Wars (well, not at all, but we needed something that sounds CONTROVERSIAL)

Giving Extra Place the warm, comfortable feel of suburbia

Looking at Extra Place

Extra Place now mostly graffiti free, though the toilet remains

In recent weeks, I've been taking photos of the graffiti along Extra Place, the aspiring Left Bank/pedestrian mall of the East Village...








I'm glad that I did this... because most of the graffiti was all just scrubbed away...




...however, the doorway that serves as a small shelter... where, depending on the day, you can find used condoms and needles, is still in use as a toilet...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Meanwhile, Extra Place continues to maintain its proud heritage

Perhaps he just saw Extra Place for the first time in 15 years or so?

The Chocolate Wars (well, not at all, but we needed something that sounds CONTROVERSIAL)

Giving Extra Place the warm, comfortable feel of suburbia

Looking at Extra Place