Is 26 Avenue B ready for its new building now?

It appears that work is ready to resume at 26 Avenue B between East Second Street and East Third Street, where there have been approved plans for a new 8-unit, 6-floor residential building.

Work stopped here in April 2013, after excavation at the site caused the evacuation of the residents (and Croxley Ales) next-door at No. 28. A resident at No. 28 started to notice cracks in her ceiling after construction began, DNAinfo reported. Debris also reportedly fell from the building.

In subsequent months/years, workers made structural repairs to No. 28.

The empty lot now has freshly painted plywood … and a rendering, basically showing the apartment building above the Duane Reade next door…



The lot itself remains empty…



… though it does seems like a good spot for some sun…



This space was once home to the Croxley Ales beer garden.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

Full-stop work order served at construction site adjacent to evacuated Avenue B building

Resident wants stuff back that workers took from not abandoned apartment

D-Lish Pita has closed on Avenue A

D-Lish Pita has joined former neighbors Benny's (and Benny's to-go) in going out of business on Avenue A at East Sixth Street.

A for rent sign hangs from the D-Lish sign… and three storefronts are now vacant here.



D-Lish opened in late 2010… taking over the space from Habib's Place. We never actually tried D-Lish. Difficult to break out of the Rakka Cafe or Mamoun's habit on St. Mark's Place.

New Petco ready to be Unleashed on Aug. 31

The signs are up in the retail space at 31-33 Second Ave., aka The Luxe East, where an Unleashed (by Petco) outlet has been in the works.

Signs on the door now point to an Aug. 31 opening here between East Second Street and East First Street...



What is Unleashed?

As pet stores go, we’re anything but ordinary. Unleashed by Petco hit the pet scene in 2009, with our first store in San Diego’s Hillcrest neighborhood. Our concept is simple – provide the same knowledge and know-how offered by Petco in a unique, smaller package.

This location will also include dog training…



Developer Ben Shaoul bought this property for $5.6 million in 2011. He then added three floors to the existing building … and unloaded it for $29 million.

Week in Grieview

[Sunset crows on East 10th Street via Bobby Williams]

The Bowery Mission is in urgent need of food donations (Wednesday)

B&H Dairy reopens (Friday)

RIP Ian Jones (Wednesday)

A.K. Shoe Repair needs a new home (Tuesday)

East Seventh Street package thief caught on surveillance camera (Thursday)

Out and About with Arthur Rivers (Wednesday)

Tenant advocacy group names Icon Realty and Steven Croman among NYC's worst landlords (Wednesday)

Sustainable NYC has closed (Monday)

Hey, it's Jones LES (Monday)

Tay Tay fans talk shit at Ballaro (Wednesday, 76 comments)

Residents seeking to block the Cock from moving into the former Lit Lounge space on Second Avenue (Friday)

Gutting the former Lan Cafe space (Thursday)

Michael Jackson impersonator wanted to be starting something, like dancing (Thursday)

Marymount Manhattan College's Cooper Square dorm opens on Aug. 28 (Thursday)

Corner of East Houston and Orchard now an empty lot (Monday)

An appreciation: 9th Street Community Garden (Friday)

Here's the Bowlmor Lanes-eating 23-story condo coming to University Place (Wednesday)

5-week old restaurant space now on the market (Monday)

Buy the Robyn, it's a deal (Tuesday)

Former Mercadito Cantina space remains on the market, and now with a new broker (Tuesday)

A 95 percent full reveal at 185 Avenue B (Thursday)

… and an important story to note via the EVG inbox…

"I am writing to report a ratastrophe on East 12th Street … I looked at the window of the exterminator shop, and I saw that the rat that is usually perched on top of the fake rock in the window display was lying on its side! I don't know when or how this happened, but I felt bad for the rat, even though it is likely made of plastic and doesn't have feelings."

KW Body Work Inc. rubbed out

A few readers noted that the massage place on East 10th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue closed last week… Not sure what else to say about this other than that they had been there for awhile.

A mural for Ben Shaoul's Bloom 62, which is no longer for sale

[Photo by Stacie Joy]

Several readers pointed out that a mural went up on the wall Thursday at Bloom 62, the 81-unit rental building on Avenue B at East Fifth Street.

Here's another view… via @SquareMusings …



Anyone happen to know the name of the artist? Thank you in the comments… The artist is Ludo … and it was for the Lo Man Art Festival.

Meanwhile… Back in March we reported that landlord Ben Shaoul put Bloom 62 on the market … with an $80 million asking price for the former Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.

Now, according to The Real Deal, Shaoul "opted not to sell – and instead secured $63 million in recapitalization financing." So Shaoul is here to stay…

Barnyard Cheese is back open on Avenue C

[Photo by Will Steacy via nycgo]

After a 10-day closure for various renovations/improvements (like a new AC system), Barnyard Cheese Shop reopened yesterday at 149 Avenue C between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street.

And we missed their early-evening deal…

Barnyard is BACK!!! CRAZY special!! FREE SPINACH EMPANADA now til 8:30pm with ANY purchase!! Just out of the oven! Magic word is CHEESE

— Barnyard Cheese Shop (@BarnyardCheese) August 15, 2015

Previously

Os Gêmeos on 2nd Avenue

If you been walking on Second Avenue near East First Street, then you've likely seen the new mural going up next to the former BP station on the corner.

As BoweryBoogie noted yesterday, this is the work of the Brazilian twins Os Gêmeos … Goggla shared the above photo from yesterday… we walked by earlier this morning, and they were just starting work…



… and a view from the cherry picker…

A video posted by osgemeos (@osgemeos) on Aug 14, 2015 at 5:46pm PDT

A 10-story retail-resident complex has dibs on the former BP property.

P.S.
There is a new mural going up at Bloom 62 on Avenue B as well… will post about that later. Update: That post is here. (Ditto for the new mural on East Third Street next to the shelter.)

Last Saturday for Summer Streets

[Photo of 4th Avenue from Aug. 1]

From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. today… to refresh your memory…



And avoid Broadway…

Rock of ages

Harpist and singer/songwriter Joanna Newsom released her first new music in five years this week with "Sapokanikan."

The video above for the song shows her meandering around the East Village.

Drag City drops the full album, Divers, on Oct. 23.

And for the record, I'm more of a Joanna Gruesome fan.

EV Grieve Etc.: New legislation protecting tenants; a visit to Gem Spa

[Bendy thing sighting this a.m. at 98-100 Avenue A]

City Council approves legislation protecting tenants from hard-sell buyouts (The Lo-Down)

A visit to Gem Spa (Gothamist)

The 89-year-old East Village resident behind the "Ask My Neighbor Lorraine" video series (DNAinfo)

The New York Mandolin Ensemble performs in a free show tomorrow night at 7 at La Plaza Cultural Garden on Avenue C and East Ninth Street. (La Plaza Cultural)

Minneapolis writer on her Kavasutra Kava Bar experience on East 10th Street (CityPages)

More about the rape accusations at Happy Ending (Jezebel)

New mural by Os Gemeos on Second Avenue at East First Street (BoweryBoogie)

Historic 130 Orcahrd St. has sold, "retail reposition" on the way (The Real Deal)

Department of Justice: It’s unconstitutional to ban the homeless from sleeping outside (The Washington Post)

A young hawk discovers the Marble Cemetery (Gog in NYC)

Cult favorite "Carnival of Souls" screens tomorrow night (Anthology Film Archives)

An interview with Beastie Boy Mike D. from 2001 (Flaming Pablum)

That Iggy Pop-Steve Jones cover of "Purple Haze" (Dangerous Minds)

The Spanish dancer who captivated 1890s New York (Ephemeral New York)

A resident noted the mess that the crew of "Mozart in the Jungle" left behind on Wednesday on East Sixth Sixth between Cooper Square and Second Avenue...



... and nice to see Lucy's back open last night at 135 Avenue A after her usual summer break... back one day earlier than advertised, even...

[Updated] A grand reopening at B&H Dairy

After nearly five months, B&H Dairy reopened this morning ... and there was a line of people waiting for one of the 76-year-old lunch counter's handful of seats...



East Village resident Elinor Nauen was among the first to arrive... waiting up the block...


[Photo by Sheila Rothenberg]

The diner was set to start serving again at 9 a.m., though it was actually 9:27 before the doors opened, EVG contributor Berg noted.

Here's a look inside...

A photo posted by Michael Scotto (@mgscotto) on Aug 14, 2015 at 6:44am PDT

B&H remained closed after the deadly gas explosion that leveled three buildings on March 26. Owners Fawzy Abdelwahed and Ola Smigielsk faced multiple hurdles (we documented this here) to get the diner back open here between East Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

Per NY1:

With the darkest days behind them, Abdelwahed is now relieved that his wife didn't listen to him several months ago when he was ready to give up.

"Since this happened, I explain to her, 'Let's go look for another job,'" he said. "She said, 'No way. This is our dream and we're going to fight for it.'"

B&H is expected to be back to its usual 7 a.m. opening time tomorrow.

Updated noon:

NBC 4 is on the scene talking to B&H patrons about the reopening...



Photos by Derek Berg