Ichabod's has closed on Irving Place

Ichabod’s is now closed on the corner of Irving Place and 15th Street... this sign greets patrons at the door...



The bar-restaurant, like its sister establishment The Headless Horseman, which remains open next door on 15th Street, paid homage to Washington Irving... on this street named after the author.

Ichabod’s opened in early 2013, taking the place of shuttered hemp restaurant Galaxy Global Eatery (1996-2011).

Front loading for Irving Plaza shows just got more fancy

A little outside our normal geographic boundaries... but!

There has been a lot of activity over at the corner of Irving Place and East 15th Street... where the Galaxy Global Eatery closed at the beginning of 2011...

Last Thursday, Grub Street reported that two "nightlife operators" will open "a raw bar, a wine bar" serving "American fare." The new restaurant includes the space that belonged to the late 119 Bar, which Grub Street noted earlier as closing in February 2011, when front loading for shows at Irving Plaza forever changed...

Hello again, new old Irving Plaza marquee

Back in April 2007, the Fillmore East took over the Irving Plaza...



I really always hated the crappy looking sign...But! You know, Irving Plaza recently got its name back from the Evil Empire (read more here at Stupefaction...)

I haven't been on Irving Place for a few weeks... Thanks to EV Grieve reader evilnyc for these shots of the new old marquee from last night...





According to the Times:

To build a replica of the old marquee, Live Nation hired Ken Lubin, a graphic designer who specializes in signs for Broadway theaters. (He removed the original Irving Plaza marquee in 2007 when he installed the new one for the Fillmore, which he made.) It wasn’t easy, Mr. Lubin said, because the old one had been left in an alley behind the club, with chunks of it missing. But there was just enough to serve as a model for its stainless-steel letters and red neon lighting.

“They wanted it to have the look and feel of what it was prior to changing it over to the Fillmore,” Mr. Lubin said.

(Fillmore photo via)

What do I get? A bomb scare!

You likely already heard about this...

As the Daily News reported:

An Oldsmobile with two gas cans in its back seat triggered a bomb scare near Union Square Thursday night - but it was just the latest false alarm in a city on edge, police said.

The NYPD sealed off Union Square around 10:15 p.m. as the bomb squad investigated the sketchy 1991 Cutlass Ciera parked outside the Con Edison headquarters on Irving Pl., near E. 14th St.

Here's some raw video via the AP (sorry about the stupid ad in the intro...)

So did you hear how it ended?

[C]ops eventually tracked down the car's owner, who had been at a concert by the British punk band the Buzzcocks, police sources said.

As it turned out, the Buzzcocks played a role in ending the alarm. Concertgoers who came streaming out of the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza said the band stopped the show to make an announcement for police.

"They stopped in the middle of the song and said, 'Does anyone have a 1991 Cutlass?'" said Shari Newman, 32.

Brooklyn Vegan has more on the story, including this photo...


Anyway, rough week for 14th Street... an awful fire... a radiation alert... and a bomb scare.

Living in The Penthouse, The Duplex or the Townhome on Irving Place

Haven't been on Irving Place in some time...I had read about the new luxury homes coming to 57 Irving between 17th and 18th...Jeremiah noted the start of the construction on this historic block back in March 2008.

Anyway, here's how 57I is looking now...



... featuring homes named The Penthouse, The Duplex and the Townhome.



Some of the homes are still available (two at the $18 million level). Here's a rundown...

The Townhome
The Townhome at 57 Irving Place is the quintessential urban home. With three full floors, this unique residence features four bedrooms, five full bathrooms, and two powder rooms as well as private street and lobby entrances. Superb conveniences include a private garden, single-car garage, and a full floor of amenities complete with its own thirty-foot saltwater swimming pool, media/entertainment room and fitness spa.

And it looks as if 57I is keeping in line with the bathing-in-front-of-an-open-window trend...

Coming to Union Square: Chipotle Mexican Grill

Lois Weiss reports today that Chipotle Mexican Grill will open in the Zeckendorf Towers on the northwest corner of Irving Place and 14th Street. It's at the former site of Rhyme & Reason, the card shop, which closed last September. As I noted then: "What's to come? I have no idea! But it's a prime spot in NYUville. Also! There's a Duane Reade a block away on 14th and Third...and a Walgreens across the street. So this seems like a good spot for a drug store. Rite Aid?"

Anyway! Jeffrey Roseman of Newmark Knight Frank represented Chipotle. He told the Post: "Union Square is still buzzing and is a hot market." It will open at the end of the summer.