Showing posts with label Nuyorican Poets Café. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nuyorican Poets Café. Show all posts

Thursday, April 4, 2024

The $24 million renovation of the Nuyorican Poets Café is officially underway

ICYMI: Last week, officials announced the start of the three-year, city-funded $24.1 million renovation project for the Nuyorican Poets Café on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. 

The Nuyorican Poets Café, a space steeped in history and cultural significance, closed its doors this past fall after its 50th-anniversary celebration. The NYC Department of Design and Construction is now overseeing the project for the Department of Cultural Affairs that will not only renovate but also expand this iconic space, ensuring its legacy continues to thrive. 

This project will renovate and expand the Café, with a new main lobby and performance space on the first floor, an additional dedicated performance space on the fourth floor, and a “flex” space on the second floor, which can be used as a classroom or rehearsal space. 
The project will also add a new elevator to the four-story building and office space for staff. These improvements will allow the organization to reach a wider audience by hosting multiple performances concurrently and providing local students with masterclasses and workshop opportunities. 

The project will also entail exterior work, including a new roof, extensive building envelope rehabilitation and waterproofing, a new ADA ramp for public access from the sidewalk level into the facility, new fire exit stairs as well as renovations to the plumbing, HVAC and electrical systems. 
Here's a look at two renderings (Rice+Lipka Architects is designing the project)...
The expected completion date is spring 2026.

Puerto Rican writer and poet Miguel Algarín founded Nuyorican in 1973 as a living-room salon on Sixth Street along with Lucky CienFuegos, Bimbo Rivas, Pedro Pietri and Miguel PiñeroAlgarín died in December 2020 at age 79.

The programming here has included poetry slams, open mics, Latin and contemporary jazz and hip-hop shows, theatrical performances, educational programs, and visual art exhibits.

During the renovation, the Nuyorican staff is staging pop-ups and collaborating with other New York institutions. For updates, check Instagram or the Café website.

Thursday, January 11, 2024

ICP teams up with the Nuyorican Poets Café for open mic series

Image by Gabrielle Ravet via ICP 

After celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Nuyorican Poets Café closed on Nov. 1 for a long-awaited $24 million, three-year renovation project on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. 

As previously reported, the Nuyorican staff was planning on staging pop-ups and collaborating with other New York institutions during the renovation. 

Starting on Jan. 18, the International Center of Photography (ICP) is bringing the Café's iconic poetry events to its Essex Street space. 

Here's more about the Nuyorican Poets Café x ICP: 1,000 Words Open Mic Series via the EVG inbox... 
Visit on Jan. 18, March 7, and May 9 for a series of open-mics with a photographic twist and share your poetic take inspired by images and ICP exhibitions. 

The first Nuyorican Poets Café x ICP: 1,000 Words Open Mic Series installment will take place on Jan. 18 in ICP's cafe while the galleries are closed for installation. This event is free to attend, with registration in advance strongly encouraged (link here). 

How It Works 
• 6 p.m. — check in. The open mic list is open for all attendees, sign up onsite, first come, first served. Each performer is encouraged to provide one photograph to perform in front of — please have your image ready to share via email upon arrival. 

• 6:30 p.m. — performances begin. Each performer is allowed 3 minutes. 

• 8 p.m. — end of performances.

Friday, August 25, 2023

Block party extravaganza on 3rd Street tomorrow (Saturday!)

Third Street is the place to be tomorrow (Saturday!) for block parties.

From noon to 5 p.m. between Avenue B and Avenue C, you can find the 10th annual Nuyorican Poets Café Block Party ... featuring a variety of live performances and some kid-friendly activities.

And from noon to 6 p.m. between Avenue A and Avenue B (though closer to B)... several businesses on the block are taking part in an end-of-summer event... 3rd & B'zaar will have vintage, art, locally-designed clothing and more to shop inside and out on the sidewalk. 

Neighbors Jane's Exchange will have racks outside with "end-of-summer super sale items" while Book Club Bar will have an outdoor shelf of free books. More details about what to expect here.
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Sunday, August 21, 2022

At the Nuyorican Poets Café's annual block party

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The Nuyorican Poets Café held its annual (No. 9!) block party yesterday afternoon on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C... featuring poetry and music ... food and dancing ... face painting, games, BOUNCEY HOUSES...
EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos from the family-friendly (save for the table selling items like bondage dice and Gummy Pecker Rings) event...

Friday, July 12, 2019

Beat happening: the 7th annual Nuyorican Poets Café block party is tomorrow (Saturday!)



Nuyorican Poets Café is hosting its seventh annual block party tomorrow (July 13) on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Per their invite: "The Block Party will feature exciting activities including a DJ, bouncy houses, sumo wrestling, inflatable boxing, open mic, poetry, as well as free food and refreshments! Come join us as we come together as a community for a day of summer fun!"

You can check out the 2018 edition of the block party via these photos by EVG contributor Stacie Joy.

Saturday, July 21, 2018

At the Nuyorican Poets Café block party



The Nuyorican Poets Café held its sixth annual block party this afternoon on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C... featuring poetry and music ... food and dancing ... face-painting and sumo wrestling, among other activities... EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by and shared these photos...























Thursday, September 1, 2016

Report: $10 million expansion coming to the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in 2018


[EVG file photo]

The Nuyorican Poets Cafe will undergo a $10 million-plus renovation that will more than double capacity at its current East Third Street home, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Some details per the article:

The planned overhaul includes a gut renovation of the dilapidated upper portion of its building on East Third Street between Avenues B and C, which its founders bought for less than $8,000 back in 1981. The three top floors, now used for storage, will be converted into performance, classroom and administrative space.

And!

Construction is expected to begin in 2018 and last for at least a year. The cafe would close during that time, though [executive director Daniel] Gallant said the organization plans to continue slam-poetry events and other core programs at other venues in the neighborhood and beyond.

New York City has allocated $10.9 million for the project through the city council, the Mayor’s office, the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Manhattan Borough President’s office.

Here's a look at the plans via Rice + Lipka Architects ...


[Click to go big]

The expansion has been a long time coming. The Journal reported in December 2010 that the Cafe "is in the process of expanding its three upper floors with the help of a $500,000 grant received from the city."

Puerto Rican writer and poet Miguel Algarín founded Nuyorican in 1973 as a living room salon. As the Journal notes, the cafe has an annual budget near the $1 million mark via ticket and drink sales (the poetry slams on Friday nights remain a popular draw), space rentals and off-site bookings.

Friday, February 15, 2013

The Nuyorican Poets Café has its new HVAC unit


[Via Facebook]

From the EV Grieve inbox...

This week, the Nuyorican Poets Café installed a new heating and air conditioning (HVAC) unit! Hurricane Sandy knocked out our heating in October; thanks to our fans and supporters, we finally have heat again at the Café

The Café on East Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C also made an appearance this week on MTV's "Washington Heights." You can find that episode here. The Café is featured starting at the 3:50 mark for a few minutes, and then several times during the segment from 32 minutes in to the end.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Nuyorican Poets Café is expanding; plus, looking at the Big Doves mural next door

In its East Third Street report last Friday, The Wall Street Journal noted that Nuyorican Poets Café "is in the process of expanding its three upper floors with the help of a $500,000 grant received from the city. The money is going toward developing additional performance space, a classroom and a multimedia lab."



Meanwhile, in July 2009, I did a post about Ezo's Clash-inspired mural being painted over... granted, the mural was nicked up...still, as a Clash fan, I was sorry to see it go...




Anyway, been meaning to point out the new murals here. These arrived last summer... Excellent work from Big Doves...