[Updated] The Cock is heading to the former Lit Lounge space on Thursday

After a battle with residents and Community Board 3, it looks as if The Cock is still packing up and moving several blocks up Second Avenue to the former Lit Lounge space.

As an EVG reader noted, the bar has taken to social media with the announcements... noting a Thursday opening date...

You should tell everyone you know that we're moving on Thursday to 93 2nd Avenue. #nyc #gay #eastvillagenyc #homo

A photo posted by The Cock Bar (@thecock.nyc) on Nov 30, 2015 at 6:57pm PST

In August, the CB3 SLA committee voted against owner Allan Mannarelli's application to move the Cock from its current Second Avenue home to the Lit space between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street.

The application was heard again before CB3 last month. According to the minutes (PDF) of that meeting:

Community Board #3 denied its application [in August] for a new full on-premise liquor license, in part, because 1) there was substantial opposition from area residents, citing the already overwhelming conditions on this block of Second Avenue from the existing thirteen (13) full on-premise liquor licenses, which include crowds of people on both sides of the street so big that residents have to walk in the sidewalk, drunken people, noise from people, noise emanating from the open facades of businesses, trash and vomit on the street, 2) there were resident complaints of noise and crowds from people in front of the existing business located at 93 Second Avenue and the sometimes impassable conditions from patrons at night in front of this storefront, which is situated behind a bus kiosk, making the available sidewalk significantly narrower for pedestrians, 3) the principal made misrepresentations about its business to Community Board #3 when it applied for its full on-premise liquor license at 29 Second Avenue, for The Cock when it was located at 198 Avenue A, and for Superdive, located at 200 Avenue A, 4) there is a substantial difference in residential character between the block of Second Avenue where its business is presently located, which is comprised of mixed low and medium rise commercial and residential buildings on one side of the street and commercial lots and buildings on the opposite side of the street, and 93 Second Avenue, between East 5th Street and East 6th Street, which is densely populated with five (5) and six (6) story residential tenement buildings ...

And...

BE IT RESOLVED that Community Board #3 asks that the SLA not consider the alteration of the full on-premise liquor license, for 93 Art LLC, by majority principal Allan Manarelli for the premise located at 93 Second Avenue, between East 5th Street and East 6th Street, to wit decreasing its size by one (1) floor and reducing its certificate of occupancy to one hundred fifty-seven (157) people until this principle has appeared before Community Board #3 for the hearing of this application.

Keep in mind that the Community Board's decisions are only advisory. The State Liquor Authority has the final say in these matters.

Lit first closed at the end of July after 13 years. There was talk of a relocation to Brooklyn, but those plans never materialized.

In July, according to multiple published reports, police arrested a teacher and coach at Leman Manhattan Preparatory School for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old girl inside the bathroom at Lit Lounge.

Updated 5:23 p.m.

An EVG reader passed along this photo of the Cock sign now up at the old Lit space...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Confirmed: Lit Lounge is closing on 2nd Avenue

New, confusing signs up at the former Lit Lounge space

Reports: Prep school teacher arrested for having sex with 16-year-old girl in bathroom at Lit Lounge

Lit Lounge is back for a return engagement in front of CB3's SLA committee

[EVG photo from September]

A familiar name is on CB3's SLA committee docket this month.

Lit Lounge actually appears twice on the agenda… for an alteration and corporate change…



According to the paperwork (PDF!) filed online ahead of the Nov. 16 meeting, Lit is reducing its size from two floors to one, cutting the occupancy of the bar at 93 Second Ave. between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street to 157 in the process.

Meanwhile! As DNAinfo reported, as of Sept. 29, Cock owner Allan Mannarelli is now the majority owner/managing member of Lit. Hence the corporate change… (and if anyone can explain the 40 percent…)



In August, the SLA committee voted against Mannarelli's application to move the Cock from its current Second Avenue home several blocks north to the Lit space.

Per DNAinfo:

Mannarelli said the owners were considering a move to split the space and possibly add a new bar on the ground floor. “LIT [is] still alive,” he added, although plans to move Lit Lounge to Brooklyn were not completely off the table.

And so the maneuvering continues.

Lit first closed at the end of July after 13 years. There was talk of a relocation to Brooklyn, but those plans haven't been realized. Lit did briefly reopen on the weekend in late September.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Confirmed: Lit Lounge is closing on 2nd Avenue

New, confusing signs up at the former Lit Lounge space

Owners of the Cock head straight to State Liquor Authority for Lit Lounge space

In August, CB3's SLA committee voted against Allan Mannarelli's application to move the Cock from its current Second Avenue home several blocks north to the former Lit Lounge space.

Afterwards, according to a report by Lisha Arino at DNAinfo, Mannarelli said that he planned to appeal directly to the State Liquor Authority (SLA).

He has kept his word: The application will be heard this morning in front of the SLA (PDF here)...



Residents who were opposed to the move to 93 Second Ave. between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street said that the block was already oversaturated with bars, with 61 licensed operators in the immediate vicinity, among other reasons.

Meanwhile, signs appeared on the Lit door later in August noting that the bar/club would reopen on Sept. 11 after a "deep clean vacation." It didn't open that weekend. However, Lit was up and running this past Friday and Saturday night…

lit opens back up tomorrow

Posted by Lit Lounge on Thursday, September 24, 2015

Lit first closed at the end of July after 13 years. There was talk of a relocation to Brooklyn, but those plans have yet to materialize.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Confirmed: Lit Lounge is closing on 2nd Avenue

New, confusing signs up at the former Lit Lounge space

New, confusing signs up at the former Lit Lounge space

[EVG file photo]

CB3's SLA committee last week reportedly voted against Allan Mannarelli's application to move the Cock from its current Second Avenue home several blocks north to the former Lit Lounge space.

According to a report by Lisha Arino at DNAinfo, Mannarelli planned to appeal directly to the State Liquor Authority.

Meanwhile, today, a tipster passes along photos of signs that appeared on the Lit space...



The sign mentions a reopening on Sept. 11... with the name of co-owner Erik Foss...



The message also appears on Lit's Facebook page...

After a much needed deep cleaning and even more crucial maintenance and repairs ...... LIT LOUNGE will re-open...

Posted by Lit Lounge on Sunday, August 23, 2015

There's also a notice (with today's Post as a time stamp)...



.... for next month's CB3/SLA committee meeting... It appears that the Cock will return to make its case again...



Perhaps this will be some kind of Lit-Cock mashup... we'll see...

Earlier this summer, the owners of Lit Lounge said that the 13-year-old music club was closing in the months ahead to relocate to Bushwick. Lit quietly closed in late July.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Confirmed: Lit Lounge is closing on 2nd Avenue

Report: CB3 denies the Cock's move up 2nd Avenue

[EVG file photo]

CB3's SLA committee last night voted against Allan Mannarelli's application to move the Cock from its current Second Avenue home several blocks north to the former Lit Lounge space.

However, according to a report by Lisha Arino at DNAinfo, Mannarelli plans to appeal directly to the State Liquor Authority.

Per DNAinfo:

“I have full intention of moving the bar there and we’ll try every avenue to do it,” he said after the meeting, adding that he was not surprised at the pushback from residents and the community board.

And…

Mannarelli said his intended move to Lit Lounge’s former digs was a strategic one. The space is larger, he said, and would allow the bar to host drag shows and gay karaoke. His current lease also has a demolition clause that allows the landlord to buy him out and give him eight months to vacate the space, he said.

Residents who were opposed to the move to the Lit space between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street said that the block was already oversaturated with bars, with 61 licensed operators in the immediate vicinity, among other reasons.

BoweryBoogie has details on a few other applicants here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Confirmed: Lit Lounge is closing on 2nd Avenue

Residents seeking to block the Cock from moving into the former Lit Lounge space on 2nd Avenue

[EVG file photo]

As we noted last week, there is a new tenant seeking a liquor license for the former Lit Lounge space at at 93 Second Ave. between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street.

Turns out the Cock is looking to move up Second Avenue from its current home between East First Street and East Second Street. They are on this month's CB3 SLA committee meeting docket.

Meanwhile, there's already opposition — via the the East Fifth Street Block Association — forming to block the Cock…



This will not be the first time that the Cock has faced unhappy residents. Last fall, the Cock was looking to move from Second Avenue to 25 Avenue B, home at the time of Idle Hands. The Cock reportedly decided to withdraw when it became clear that the SLA committee was going to issue a denial.

Lit Lounge quietly closed at the end of July after 13 years at 93 Second Ave.

The August CB3 SLA committee meeting is Monday at the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Confirmed: Lit Lounge is closing on 2nd Avenue

Reports: Prep school teacher arrested for having sex with 16-year-old girl in bathroom at Lit Lounge

Lit Lounge hasn't been open lately

Earlier this summer, the owners of Lit Lounge said that the 13-year-old music club was closing in the months ahead to relocate to Bushwick.

Perhaps that time has come: The gate has been down at 93 Second Ave. between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street since last Thursday.

There's no mention of a move or closure on Lit's website or Facebook page … and the bar's voice mailbox is full.

A neighbor noted that the closing happened on the same day that news broke that a prep school teacher was arrested for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old girl in a bathroom at Lit on June 19.

Meanwhile, there is a new tenant seeking a liquor license for the space. There isn't much information on file just yet ahead of this month's CB3 SLA committee meeting on Aug. 17. The application on file does mention the unnamed applicants will have live music and a disc jockey … just like Lit Lounge did.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Confirmed: Lit Lounge is closing on 2nd Avenue

Reports: Prep school teacher arrested for having sex with 16-year-old girl in bathroom at Lit Lounge

Reports: Prep school teacher arrested for having sex with 16-year-old girl in bathroom at Lit Lounge

According to multiple published reports, police arrested a teacher and coach at Leman Manhattan Preparatory School for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old girl inside the bathroom at Lit Lounge on Second Avenue last month.

David Azurmendi, 34, was charged with third-degree rape, according to WABC-7.

Here are more details via the Daily News:

Tipped off by the school principal, cops cornered Azurmendi at his home in Summit, N.J. They slapped the cuffs on him after he admitted to investigators at the Manhattan Specials Victims unit he had sex with the girl, sources said.

Azurmendi was hit with the potentially career-crushing charge just as he was supposed to start a new gig at The Greenwood School, an expensive private boarding school for boys in Putney, Vt., the sources added.

His last day at Leman in the Financial District was on June 19, the same day he allegedly hooked up with the 16-year-old girl. The two met at Leman, where he taught for the past three years, the Post reported.

On July 9, ClubPlanet.com reported that Lit was closing in the months ahead after 14 years to relocate to Bushwick. One of the owners blamed "the new East Village crowd and the flight of the creative types to creative Brooklyn" as a reason for the closure.

Confirmed: Lit Lounge is closing on 2nd Avenue

[Photo from June]

The "store for rent" sign arrived above 93 Second Ave., home the past 13 years of Lit Lounge, back on June 16.

Nightlife writer Steve Lewis gets confirmation that the bar/live music venue between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street will close some time in the next two months. Lit opened a sister bar called Currant Cafe in the McKibbin lofts in Bushwick last year.

Lewis spoke with proprietors Erik Foss and David Schwartz in a Q-and-A published at ClubPlanet.com.

An excerpt:

Steve Lewis: What was the primary reason for closing and moving shop to Bushwick?
Erik Foss: The new East Village crowd and the flight of the creative types to creative Brooklyn. It was inevitable. NYC is an ever changing animal. I am just glad that I got to be here before downtown changed into what it is now.
David Schwartz: Ehh, not happy with the newbies in the East Village. Millenials don’t go out and the artistic ones left for Brooklyn digs 4 yrs ago.

Previously on EV Grieve:
93 2nd Ave., home of Lit Lounge, is for rent

How Lit Lounge is trying to be a better neighbor

93 2nd Ave., home of Lit Lounge, is for rent

Several readers have pointed out that a "store for rent" sign arrived above 93 Second Ave. on Tuesday. The space between East Sixth Street and East Fifth Street has been home to the Lit Lounge these past 13 years.

The space has been on the market for several months. There's a listing at Misrahi Realty.

We reached out to a Lit co-owner to see what might be happening here… whether the bar/club/music venue is closing or moving to a new location.

The Fuse Gallery, located in the space behind Lit, closed in September 2013.

Looking for people who are experiencing noise from Lit Lounge

Last Thursday, I noted the steps that Lit Lounge is taking to become a better neighbor... And now the East Fifth Street Block Association has placed signs on Lit Lounge's neighbors on Second Avenue ...



As the sign notes: "Your cooperation will not just help yourself, but future tenants who will come in your wake."



Previously on EV Grieve:
How Lit Lounge is trying to be a better neighbor

How Lit Lounge is trying to be a better neighbor

During the CB3/SLA meeting on March 15, the owners of Lit Lounge -- the two-floor bar/music venue/art gallery at 93 Second Ave. -- were requesting a license transfer to launch a new venture in the space.

As Eater reported that night: "The pitchforks and community outcries came out ... several community members brought signs and spoke out against the owners of Lit, complaining about crowds on the sidewalk forcing pedestrians to walk in the street and music that plays past 4 a.m. on weekends."

There was more: "You run an unbelievably irresponsible business," said one young man who moved above the bar six months earlier. (He's not renewing his lease.) Nearly every speaker invoked the same phrase: 'Lit is not a good neighbor.'"

As The Lo-Down reported: "One resident called the owners 'a lawless group,' who don't bother cleaning up broken glass on the sidewalk, refuse to control their customers and are unresponsive to complaints."

The owners withdrew their transfer request until they can demonstrate that they are willing to make changes.

I recently contacted David Schwartz, one of Lit's co-owners, and asked him what Lit has — and will — be doing in the coming weeks to be a better neighbor.



Via e-mail, he sent me a lengthy list of the steps they are taking. Among them:

Security
Hired an extra person outdoors for crowd control from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., and to tell patrons to watch belongings inside. Also, we're now asking people to kindly move on after smoking outside or go back inside. We also have brand-new red ropes for two separate corrals for smokers outside.

Noise control
Limiters for sound system
Turn amps down to take control away from DJs.
Informed all staff to tell appropriate parties to lower music if too loud.
Informing people who are controlling the levels how to adjust the system to keep levels fair and balanced.
Lowering bass.
Hiring sound engineer to do meter readings next door.
Soundproofed whole side of bar.
Music off at 4 a.m. mandatory

Safety
All signs have been replaced or made noticeably bigger.
Cameras.

Band loading
Making sure someone is at Lit while load in takes place and load out happens safely and earlier than later.

Staff
Gave out a memorandum that stated that the some neighbors and community board were not happy with Lit. Listed different topics for them so they could give me some more creative, serious ideas to help us be better neighbors.

The Lit owners have also places fliers on adjacent apartment buildings...



Last Thursday, Schwartz met with members of the East 5th Street Block Association, several of whom spoke out at the March 15 CB3/SLA meeting. The Block Association will be approving and signing a list of the stipulations... I hope to have those soon...along with some more local reaction.

Schwartz said that Lit will likely wait several months before returning to the CB3 to make sure that they're doing things right...