Pearl Street officially a street again -- with a parked Mercedes to prove it

May 8


Today



Previously on EV Grieve.

93rd Duane Reade in Lower Manhattan nearly complete

We're almost ready for more Duane Reade action ... at the former Staples store on Fulton and Water Streets in the Financial District.

Pearl Street almost starting to look like a street again

Almost! After being torn up for about, oh, 18 months or so, Pearl Street at Maiden Lane is shaping up.... the sidewalk has been poured...the Rockrose development has windows... now the street just needs to be repaved...any bets on how long that takes?

Previously on EV Grieve.

Gold's Gym Crunched

There was a Gold's Gym on John Street in the Financial District....then one day a few months back, it disappeared behind some plywood, and gymgoers had to enter through a different doorway...and then overnight this week it became a Crunch.

Woman smiles, runs into traffic proudly carrying her Duane Reade bag

Oh, it's just an ad! And the signs confirm that Duane Reade is taking over the former Staples store on Fulton and Water Streets in the Financial District.



Perhaps the Duane Reade 100 feet way will have some good sales then...Better, I hope, than the crap that Rite Aid tried to pawn off...

Gold Street still telling people that it's temporarily closed for renovations

Gold Street at 2 Gold Street in the Financial District closed last month...but you may not know it from the signs that are still up....



The space is becoming Harry's Italian....

It would be a much better post had the Federal Cafe busted out a "Recession Special" happy hour

As a follow-up to Tuesday's post on the new Federal Cafe at the Hotel Reserve in the Financial District... They've introduced some specials...

What else do you think would take over a large retail space downtown?

As we mentioned last year, the big Staples store that anchored the corner of Water Street and Fulton Street at the gateway to the South Street Seaport closed up in November.

Meanwhile, there has been plenty of activity at the site....Prepping it for — c'mon, you can guess correctly!






...a big Duane Reade, this according to a construction worker ...
Huge need for this! There isn't a Duane Reade within 100 feet of this location!



OK, OK....the other Duane Reade there on Fulton is simply moving...

Previously on EV Grieve:
That joke isn't funny anymore: Duane Reade opens at location of former OTB parlor on John Street

A coffee shop closes, and the owner offers an honest reason why

Klatch, an artsy little coffee shop at 9 Maiden Lane just east of Broadway, is now closed....and the owner, Pam Chmiel, a former film editor, is open about what happened...

Into the danger zone

Not sure exactly what was happening yesterday at the 20 Pine condoplex in the Financial District...but it involved plastic...



...some scaffolding...




...and some DANGER signs!

Preservation inaction: Historic building now a parking lot

We've been keeping our eyes on Pearl Street down in the Financial District, particularly the space adjacent to the Rockrose condo that's zipping right along (or up)... So, with the hotel plans for the now-empty lot on hold ... what does one do then with an empty, um, lot?

Ta-da! Make it a parking lot!




For further reading:
Lot still vacant where Pearl St. artists lost homes (Downtown Express)

AIG issues new vehicles for executives

At the AIG HQ yesterday on Water Street in the Financial District. Not sure if the truck was making a pick up or drop off...

Signs from the recession

At Diamond Jim Brady's on Maiden Lane in the Financial District.

What's wrong with this picture?

Spotted in the Financial District.

More signs of the recession: At the Blarney Stone

On Fulton Street in the Financial District.

At 2 Gold Street: They're just not that into poo

Are residents of 2 Gold Street forgetting to clean up after their dogs? Officials at the Sovereign Bank branch, which has a ground-floor location at the FiDi residence on Gold Street and Maiden Lane in the Financial District, decided that several "curb your dogs" signs were necessary for their front windows...




Of course, the signs aren't always effective.

Revisiting Fulton Street...and say hello to Fultonhaus!

Fulton Street, down in the Financial District, is as dreary as ever. The street is still torn up. And there's that large, unnecessary money pit in the Earth on Fulton and Broadway where the Fulton Street Transit Center will open in 4783. (At the east end of the street at Water and the South Street Seaport, the storefront that housed the Staples remains vacant.) Still, though, despite all this...the street is functional enough for the working folks in the neighborhood. You have your Radio Shack, your Subway, Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, CVS, etc. Your basic chain hell with a few mom-and-pop shops in the mix. (With some affordable work space on the upper levels.)



Despite the economy, more change is inevitable along this corridor. For instance, on the north side of the street, between Nassau and Williams Street, there are four properties for rent. (Here's info on 119 Fulton St.)






As humdrum as the street level looks, big things have happened up above...check out the upper left-hand side of this photo...



That's the 14-story loft residence (a SHVO exclusive!) known as Fultonhaus at 199 Fulton St., just a few doors east of the Crisis Intervention Program at the Coalition for the Homeless. Dunno what the occupancy rate is at Fultonhaus. For what it's worth, there is some furniture out on a few of the terraces, though not too many brave souls are taking advantage of the Fultonhaus rooftop right now. [Update: Thanks to the commenter for setting me straight: The roof deck is part of District next door to Fultonhaus.]



Oh, one thing worth mentioning on the Fultonhaus site...the "nightlife" section...not exactly an area renowned for it. Anyway, the wonderfully seedy Pussycat Lounge gets namechecked!


No love, though, for the Blarney Stone? Which is right next to the Fultonhaus. And they're having a nice sandwich/side order combo deal. Just don't ask for separate containers, OK?