If you are in the market for a life-sized replica of GG Allin

Then you are in luck... this GG Allin model made his debut outside Search & Destroy Tuesday afternoon on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, as EVG contributor Steven noted ... it's a creation of Blankit Novelties, and "Al E. Gorey" (creature sculptor) and "Harris C." (master of molds) ...



Mr. Gorey says he is raising money for a GG Allin comic with a cover by Jeff Zornow.

For now, GG will remain in the window at Search & Destroy... where it likely costs $6,666, the proceeds of which will fund the comic book...(you can ask Al E. Gorey about it via Facebook)



Oh, and that GG codpiece is removable...

Gas leak closes Nino's for now

Several readers noted that the pizzeria on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place closed yesterday... the sign on the door points to a gas leak in a neighboring building as the cause.

As we understand it, Nino decided to close not to take any chances... they are hopeful that they will be able to reopen tomorrow, Saturday at the latest…

Updated



The gas leak has always temporarily closed Yoshi Sushi at 131 Avenue A…

Trying to figure out what is going on at 98-100 Avenue A

Ben Shaoul's new building going up at 98-100 Avenue A between East Sixth Street and East Seventh Street continues to intrigue and confuse local zoning enthusiasts.

We've gone through the various DOB permits and have come away generally confused.

EVG reader something structural shares our curiosity and confusion... so we took another step-by-step look here to see if we can figure out what is going on, mainly how many stories will this thing end up?

1. A new building permit was filed for and issued for a total floor area of 27,693 sf and a total FAR of 3.41. The description is "APPLICATION BEING FILED TO CONSTRUCT A NEW 6 STORY BUILDING." That suggests a pretty standard filing in R7A. Maximum FAR of 3.45 inclusive of commercial. OK!

2. A complaint was filed "NB UNDER CONSTRUCTION EXCEDS THE BULK AND HEIGHT OF THE PROPOSED 6 STY BLDG" on 9/28/15. A cursory look at the accepted ZD-1 confirms it looks nothing like what's out there. With us so far, right?

3. DOB (BEST Squad High Rise unit) stopped by 9/30/15 and issued a partial Stop Work Order. There's no indication if this was for zoning, or one of the other 8-10 violations they received for safety, protection of adjacent properties, etc.

4. Two weeks later, on 10/14/15 their Architect of Record filed a new PAA. The documents haven't been scanned yet, but:
- The PW1 now says "APPLICATION BEING FILED TO CONSTRUCT A NEW 8-STORY BUILDING."
- The residential floor area went to 30,399 sf with an additional 6,775 sf for commercial. Total FAR is 6.60, up from 3.41.
- The comments on the filing? "FILING PAA HEREWITH TO AMEND PW1: FLOOR RANGE, JOB DESCRIPTION, ZONING CHARACT ERISTICS, BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS, SCHEDULE A AND REVISE PLANS." AKA: filing for a different building. And the city approved this amended plan exam just yesterday, per DOB records.

Meanwhile, the structure was topped out before they even filed the amendment. So there you go. Plenty for zoning enthusiasts to mull over.

The new building's Schedule A shows 38 units ... and retail stores on the ground floor. Last month, it was announced that the building will house 33 condos, ranging in price from $1.3 million to $2.3 million. In addition, as previously noted, the retail space will house a 12,000-square foot Blink Fitness center.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A little bit of Hollywood on Avenue A

Inside the abandoned theater at East Village Farms on Avenue A

New Facebook group is advocating for a Trader Joe's on Avenue A

Workers back demolishing what's left of 98-100 Avenue A

Rest assured, there isn't a fire in the hole at 98-100 Avenue A

Ben Shaoul's 98-100 Avenue A emerging from the dewatering hole

Life next to 98-100 Avenue A

Condos at Ben Shaoul's 98-100 Avenue A will start at $1.3 million; high-end gym eyed for retail space

Carol Lipnik, live at Pangea on 2nd Avenue Sunday evenings

Carol Lipnik's Sunday evening residency continues in the cabaret room at Pangea, the 25-year-old Mediterranean bistro at 178 Second Ave. between East 11th Street and East 12th Street.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy attended this past Sunday's performance … "She was doing original material and people responded well to her off-the-cuff commentary and soaring singing voice."




[Matt Kanelos accompanies Lipnik on piano]



Rachel Mason was her guest performer last Sunday. (Recent guests have included Joey Arias, Justin Vivian Bond and Penny Arcade.)



Lipnik performs her ethereal cabaret at Pangea Sunday evenings at 7:30 through Jan. 31. Tickets are $15 in advance; $20 at the door, with a $15 food/beverage minimum. You can look for tickets here.

Read our interview with Pangea owners Stephen Shanaghan and Arnoldo Caballero here. Read an interview with Lipnik, a Coney Island native, here.

Organic Avenue is behind on rent on 3rd Avenue

The entire Organic Avenue juice-bar chain abruptly shut down after the business day last Thursday. The company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

The "closed until further notice" sign arrived the next day at the East Village/Midtown South (MiSo) location on Third Avenue and East Ninth Street. (The message gives the hope that they might return…)

And this week a past-due notice arrived on the front door…



We're curious what the rent is for this modest-sized corner space… the notice puts the monthly rent at $13,583.33. (In total, this OA owes the landlord $27,838.33 for September and October rent… as well as the water and sewer bill.)

A Forbes columnist shared some thoughts on the OA story yesterday, if you're interested.

Serial entrepreneur Doug Evans launched Organic Avenue fifteen years ago with partner Denise Mari out of Mari’s Lower East Side apartment. In 2013, Mari and Evans sold Organic Avenue to investment firm Weld North, who hired a former Pret A Manger executive to oversee operations.

And!

In many cases, years or months, after a startup is bought out, the company is closed. Others think they can do it better, but the truth is that no one knows your business like you do. Founders are the heart of any small business. Their passion keeps the lights on, and corporate executives or large sums of capital can never replace the blood, sweat, tears that founders put into their startups.

With this closure, the strip of storefronts on the west side of Third Avenue between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street looks even sadder … just two businesses remain open — the UPS store and an eyebrow salon.



Keep an eye on that Duane Reade on the East 10th Street corner expanding.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Organic Avenue is calling it quits (18 comments)

New residential buildings come into full view on Lafayette Street

A whole year has passed since we looked in at the dual residential buildings rising on Lafayette between Bond and Great Jones…

For starters, all the construction netting has been removed from 372 Lafayette at the southwest corner of Great Jones. This Morris Adjmi-designed building was expected to be rentals. The DOB Schedule A shows eight apartments in the building … with retail on the ground floor.

There has been much more written about 10 Bond Street, dubbed "a boutique collection of 11 superlative residences" designed by Selldorf Architects.

Workers removed the sidewalk bridge here yesterday…



According to Streeteasy, several units are in contract (one for $7.7 million; another for $6.7 million. Curbed has photos of the model unit here.)

Oh, and if buying now is not your thing, then you can opt for a two-bedroom rental for $14,500.



Back to 372 Lafayette for a moment. The corner was previously home to ZP Auto Repair Shop, who was able to secure a new space in 2011 in Brooklyn. Jeremiah Moss noted yesterday at Vanishing New York that, despite brisk business, the shop has lost its lease and is closing on Oct. 30.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New skyline for Lafayette Street?

Another corner still primed to fall on NoHo

Demolition starts on former garage and lot; new developments coming for Lafayette Street

Looking at the future luxurious corners of Lafayette Street

Hitchcocktober movie of the week: 'Marnie'

It wouldn't be a Thursday in October without a Hitchcocktober movie of the week at the Village East Cinema on Second Avenue at East 12th Street.

And tonight at 8! "Marnie" …



And upcoming (Hitchcocktober always goes by so quickly!):

Oct. 29 — "Rear Window"

You can buy advance tix online here.

Report: 25 to life for man who beat grandfather to death on East 6th Street

The man found guilty in the beating death of 68-year-old Wen Hui Ruan in May 2014 was sentenced to 25 years to life yesterday.

Per the Daily News:

"You've ruined this family's life. You are a danger to this community whenever you are at liberty," Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Ann Donnelly said before issuing the hefty sentence to Jamie Pugh, 21.

Ruan died from the injuries he sustained in the unprovoked assault on East Sixth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D. Ruan, a retired garment worker who lived on Avenue C and East Seventh Street with his wife, had just dropped off his granddaughters when the attack occurred.

"I'd like to say to the family I'm sorry for what I've done," Pugh said, when given the chance to address the judge, as the News reported.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: East Village resident dies from injuries sustained in brutal attack

[Updated] Report: Murder suspect's mother says her son was high on Molly at the time of attack

Report: Family of Ruan Wen Hui wants hate crime charges brought against suspect

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: Gina
Occupation: Social Worker
Location: East 2nd Street and 1st Avenue
Time: 5:30 pm on Monday, Oct. 19

I was born in Canarsie, Brooklyn. I came to the neighborhood in 1990. I needed to get a job and I had been going to school full-time, and I couldn’t continue that because of my situation. So I got a job at NYU and got tuition remission and finished my degree there. Then I just stayed in the neighborhood.

I got my master's degree in social work. I’m the director of a homeless shelter in the neighborhood. It’s a shelter for older adults with medical and mobility issues. I feel like it’s a very service-rich neighborhood in many ways and I hope that continues because there are a lot of people who have been living here a long time who don’t have high incomes and [it’s hard] to be able to maintain, especially when people become older. It’s difficult to balance if you’re working your whole life and you’re living paycheck to paycheck — one thing can set you off and then you wind up in a shelter.

People like to vilify the homeless but really most people are just poor in a city where rents are skyrocketing. So I feel good that I’m making a difference in helping people to get into a secure environment. Anyone, anyone can wind up there.

My interest in the neighborhood is totally outside of my professional life, though. It’s just a coincidence that I wound up getting a job here. I moved onto St. Mark’s Place in 1990 and that was like the middle of everything. I used to go to Green Door parties at Coney Island High. There was a lot of music and creative people.

But then I got tired of living on St. Mark’s because it was just a little too busy. There were people sleeping on my steps and stuff, so I moved down to the Lower East Side, just a couple blocks below Houston Street on Clinton Street, and then I watched that neighborhood open up. It went from a couple little shlock stores to this whole stretch of trendy restaurants. You never, ever would have expected that in a million years.

My husband grew up in this neighborhood. There was a small Ukrainian community that has really dissipated. I knew nothing about the Ukrainian community until I met him. It’s interesting that there are still people who go caroling. I remember I was my mother-in-law’s house after we first met and some carolers came around and sang Ukrainian Christmas carols. So there’s still a sense of community in that way that’s still there. It’s nice to know at least that the people who’ve been living around here a long time who all know each other still stick together.

Most of my friends who are not native New Yorkers have left because the things they came for aren’t here anymore. The cost of living goes up, but the things that make it fun are gone. It’s depressing, isn’t it? [The neighborhood has] been taken over by people just want to come and drink and just tear the place apart, and it saddens me because the sense of community is really withering away.

In the mid-90s, you had people who were creative, people who were just fun. Now it just feels like you’re being trampled on and then everyone leaves. I think there’s still a sense of community to some extent and we can’t be stuck in the past, but at the same time we should all be part of shaping the future, instead of being the passive recipients of consumerism.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

A look at Kingsley, opening this fall on Avenue B

Just checking in on Kingsley, the new, 65-seat restaurant in the works at 190 Avenue B between East 11th Street and East 12th Street.

Kingsley is scheduled to open this fall. The restaurant has a website here and Facebook page.



Here's the restaurant's description via Facebook:

Our focus is seasonal, local, market-driven, contemporary French-American cuisine. The menu, cocktail program, and wine list are dynamic and unique, to complement the atmosphere. All dishes have interesting juxtaposition of flavors and textures, while still being balanced and reminiscent of classic dishes and tastes. The goal is delicious, inspired, and creative food and drink.

Chef-owner Roxanne Spruance's resumé includes working in the kitchen with Wylie Dufresne at the late WD~50 on Clinton Street. (You can read the rest of her bio here.)

The previous restaurant at No. 190, the 7-year-old Back Forty, closed for good after service last Dec. 21.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Modern American in the works for former Back Forty space on Avenue B