The invasion of the building snatchers

During this past year, I started taking photos of the old and new buildings brushing up against one another around here ... The new buildings seem like intruders — lurking, menacing in the background ... Like those unwanted interlopers who find your bar or move in upstairs with desires to take over ...

Here are a few of the shots... It's a work in progress... (a progress in work?)











For more along these lines, read Jeremiah's post from a few weeks ago titled "Schizo New York," in which he writes ... "There is a split in the city ... It's often expressed architecturally —the war between old and new, the radical shift, the loss of bricks to glass and sheen."

Checking in on the Mars Bar sidewalk beautification project

Maybe it's the first stage of the redevelopment here on First Street near Second Avenue?

If so, then it's perfect...

Your last chance to move into 2 Cooper Square, maybe

According to ads, there are only four units left for rent here at 2 Cooper Square...

And that doesn't include the empty bed that Joe Jonas left behind when he broke up with 2 Coop resident Ashley Green.

Previous stories that no one read on EV Grieve:
Who you'll find lounging at the 2 Cooper pool: A Jonas brother! That one woman from 'Twilight'!

The mattress mobile

Second Street and Second Avenue. Photo by Steven Hirsch.

Today

EV Grieve holiday correspondent Bobby Williams passed by a few local St. Patrick's Day hotspots earlier today...

Also today...

[Photo via Goggla]

Just your everyday penthouse combo connected by a stainless steel slide

Oh my.

Well, this just came to our attention. We're still processing all this over on 14th Street.

So. Meanwhile.

Here's the story from the Turett Collaborate Architects website:

TCA has had a lot of experience connecting smaller apartments together into a seamless whole, but this adventurous client requested something we'd never seen before. In a newly constructed multi-residential development, in the East Village of NYC, TCA had the opportunity to meet a unique client's desire to combine two penthouse condos... with a helical slide. In this transformation, two identical 1-bedroom units, one atop the other, were combined into a duplex 2-bedroom home with the option to descend in the usual way on a new Italian-made "Rintal" stair, or more speedily, in a seated position, careening through the new double-height atrium.

The half-tube stainless steel slide starts on the top floor near the office, and lands below near both the living and dining areas. The sculptural slide is housed in a newly created 18’ tall double-height space, which includes custom designed glass railings. The image of the stainless steel curves in front of the oversized window to the city beyond, to say nothing of the irrepressible glee of grown adults on the slide, is surprisingly poetic; with careful detailing, the playground element is an unexpectedly elegant addition to the space.

Upon completion, the owner enjoys not only the newly combined total of 2,400 square feet, but also a new game room, office, putting green on the terrace, and of course, the slide.

TCA managed to creatively and successfully turn this now 2 story East Village duplex penthouse into a perfect place for both work and play."

Thanks to The Awesomer for bringing this to our attention. I think.

Your chance to add more floors to a 'rare 1860s' townhouse

The listing at Prudential Douglas Eliman tells the story:

MOTIVATED SELLER RETIRING & MOVING OUT OF NYC WANTS TO HEAR ALL OFFERS! Rare 1860's four story single family townhouse located in the most coveted East Village neighborhood with the potential to be the truly special home of one's dreams. This house could easily be restored to a luxurious residence or developed into a lucrative boutique, restaurant, condominiums or Bed & Breakfast, especially considering the building's F.A.R. which would permit the addition of two more floors (500-600 ft of buildable space). Current owner has short-term roommates. The East Village has never been more attractive as a burgeoning cultural center with immense residential interest and incredible investment opportunity in terms of income growth potential. January 2011 through 2012 NYC Property Assessment Value is $3,885,000. This house will be Delivered Vacant and will be on any user or investors short list, due to its versatility and value.

The price was reduced this week by 5 percent to $3.985 million.

What happens when you tag Pete Wentz's Angels and Kings

There was a rapid and heavy police response last evening on 11th Street just east of Avenue A... Bob Arihood was on the scene, and took these photos shortly after 6:30. There were reports of a fight on the corner.

As witnesses told Bob, police had arrested a young man in his 20s. Witnesses said that he tagged the rolldown gate at Angels & Kings.

An owner/manager type from the bar came outside and ran after the tagger, who had a bicycle. But he didn't get far.

Is all this response (I count 12 officers and detectives in the above photo) really necessary to apprehend a kid with a can of spray paint ... especially outside a bar that describes itself as having a "rock and roll atmosphere"?

[And be sure to see more of Bob's work at Nadie Se Conoce]

Now THIS is more like it!

New sign going up yesterday at the East Village Pharmacy, opening here very soon on Avenue A and Third Street. Not sure how you'd want to describe the timing of this considering the sign hubbub across the street.

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

On Avenue C, a battle to be the 'St. Patrick's Day Official Party Headquarters!'

First, on Avenue C and 10th Street... at the East Village Tavern...

and across the way at Royale...

Meanwhile, you can find me in my bunker today.

[Photos by EV Grieve Holiday Correspondent Bobby Williams]

Exclusive: Inside a Drinking Water Sampling Station

The other day, EV Grieve reader Steven noticed that the Drinking Water Sampling Station on First Avenue between Second Street and Third Street...

...was open! For some reason, I've never seen inside of one... So now we know, despite the rumors — and swarms of bargoers! — they are not actually dispensing draft beer...

And this post at NYC.gov tells you what the stations are actually used for.

The wrong profile: Joe Strummer gets tagged

As a reader noted in the comments, someone tagged the Joe Strummer mural outside Niagara on Seventh Street and Avenue A a few days ago... added a little color to the lapels and sleeves ...

The lonely job of cleaning Kenny Scharf's mural

As noted yesterday, Kenny Scharf's mural was bombed again on Houston and the Bowery... (BoweryBoogie reports that it was hit twice now in the last few days...)

And this evening, a worker just started the clean-up process...

Tonight, let it be Löwenbräu

After a hard day at work...

[Via Brad]

... it's off to the International...

Photo courtesy of Uncle Waltie.

No. 2 on the 6

Breaking: UCB will remove the 'Hot Chicks Room' sign!

Alex Sidtis, managing director of the Upright Citizens Brigade in Chelsea, just sent along an e-mail about the group's Hot Chicks Room sign on their new home on Avenue A at Third Street:

Rather then fight, the UCB have decided to change the sign. Our goal is to make people laugh by presenting the best comedic material in town and not to cause a stink over a silly sign.

They have decided to take my suggestion — Hot Hick's Room.

Kidding!

What will the new sign say?

"Not sure yet, but we're not likely to be provocative in this case."

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Your 'Hot Chicks Room' sign update

[Updated] Resident starting a petition to have the 'Hot Chicks Room' sign removed at the Upright Citizens Brigade

A new look and new employees for The Acme Bar & Grill

About this time yesterday, we were told that the venerable Acme Bar & Grill on Great Jones was closing after 25 years. As we pointed out, Fork in the Road and DNAinfo also verified that the restaurant was history. But then! Owner Bob Pollock left a comment at Grub Street late yesterday afternoon saying they would just be closed for renovations.

Rebecca Marx at Fork in the Road tracked Pollock down today to see what is going on here:

"I know this is insane," Pollock says of the sudden closure. "But we had to make some drastic changes." The almost 25-year-old restaurant, he explains, "was built on a shoestring" and has long been in dire need of renovations. "A new HVAC, kitchen, exhaust system" are among the structural updates he'll be making during Acme's closure, which he estimates will be a few months.

And then there are the updates to the restaurant's staff. "We're dealing with a problem right now at the bar where employees didn't come in and didn't know what was happening," he says. "We had a bunch of drunk employees in the place." He pauses. "They've been loyal employees for years. We just need some changes."

Can he elaborate upon why he's rewarding their loyalty in this manner? "I don't know what to tell you." Another pause. "It's become a little sloppy."

And!

Pollock is hoping the food will attract "new faces and new money," though he claims he'd like Acme to remain "a neighborhood bar" and to retain its clientele. Whether his current customers will recognize the new Acme remains to be seen: When it reopens, Pollock says, "it's not going to be the roadhouse look anymore. It will have a more contemporized look. Warm and at the same time contemporary. When you go in there, you'll have the reminiscence of Acme. It'll be on the walls."

Would any former Acme employees like to chime in? (grieve98@gmail.com)

[Photo via Gothamist, who has more on this story here.]

Hat hards required, though shirts and bras are apparently optional

Thanks to EV Grieve reader Brad for this shot along the constructed-filled corridor of East Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette...

Life at the renovated 325 E. 10th St.

We've been following the gut renovation at 325 E. 10th Street across from Tompkins Square Park...As we reported in October, the front building is part of the Hotel Toshi empire, the short-term apartment rental network in New York City. Meanwhile, the rear building is residential. (Check out our tour of the building here.)

One of the first residents of the building recently shared his experiences at 325 E. 10th St. since moving in last fall.

According to the reader:

- No heat until December 15th
- No mail (or mailbox) for the first three months
- We've never met our landlord
- Leaky Ceilings
- Rats in the hallways
- Almost NO hot water
-...and to this day, the entire building is still without function gas stovetops in the kitchen, as they forgot to rerun the gas line to the back building during the renovations.

The resident said that the landlord is now knocking $150 off the rent, though that didn't start until last month. As far as the cooking issue, the management company delivered hot plates to their doorsteps. (The Toshi guests now have electric ranges.)

As for the actual apartments, "They're nicely appointed but [there have] been horrible living conditions." According to Streeteasy, the prices here range from $2,000 for a studio to $4,000 for a two-bedroom apartment.

Meanwhile, we asked the resident about the Toshi tenants. The arrival of a Hotel Toshi in at least one neighborhood hasn't always gone so well. In a May story from The Brooklyn Paper titled "Neighbors say Hotel Toshi is a horrorshow hostel":

A hipster hotel that occupies part of a converted loft building in Williamsburg has become such a crash pad that some renters are moving out.

Tenants of a six-story building on Driggs Avenue and S. Fifth Street are accusing the operators of Hotel Toshi of creating a nuisance by allowing their transient guests to throw rowdy late-night parties.

Per the 325 E. 10th St. resident: "Toshi hasn't been loud in this building. Luckily, we have a courtyard separating us, so they aren't roaming around our hallways, and we have a separate roofdeck. My only issue with Toshi residents is they leave their trash in the hallways and front stoop when we have area for all of that in back."