The Merchant’s House Museum reopen to visitors on Saturday (tomorrow!)

 

The Merchant's House on Fourth Street reopens to visitors — by appointment only — tomorrow (Sept. 19!).

This will be the first time that visitor have been allowed inside the landmarked building since mid-March. For now, the four-floor house will only be available for guided tours on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tour capacity is limited to five guests from the same household group/bubble/etc. Check out this link for more details.

 

The Merchant’s House, between the Bowery and Lafayette, is the only 19-century family home in New York City preserved intact on the inside and out. 

More history: "Built in 1832 and home to a prosperous merchant family, the Tredwells, and their Irish servants for almost 100 years, it remains complete with the family’s original furnishings, household objects, clothing, and personal memorabilia."

Construction watch: 24 1st Ave./101 2nd St.

Nearly seven have months have passed since we checked in on the 101 Condominium, Rybeck Development's condoplex on First Avenue and Second Street.

There has been a lot of progress — despite the work stoppage during the COVID-19 PAUSE. The 7-story, 23-unit residential building, looks to have reached the top, as this Second Street view shows...

The work includes Saturdays, which has annoyed some neighbors. This past Saturday, a nearby resident wrote in to say: "They are using concrete pumps on diesel engine trucks — the engine never turns off and gets very loud during the pumping process — plus foghorns and car horns to communicate."

All this, the neighbor says, is at odds with the After Hour Variance Permits that notes "no loud noises or disturbances."

Calls to the DOB and 311 have not yielded any results about the Saturday disturbances.

"I don't want construction stopped, mainly because I know it will never happen," said the resident. "But the Saturday noise after a whole week of it is just annoying."

As for what's to come, the studios are starting at $895,000. The listed amenities include a full-time doorman, fitness center, lounge area, grill & wet bar and an "immaculate indoor/outdoor park."

Two addresses — 24 First Ave. and its property mate 99-101 E. Second St. — were demolished to make room for the 101.

No. 24 's previous occupants included the cabaret Lucky Cheng's (1993-2012) and Club Baths, the first openly gay-owned bathhouse (1971-1983)... and Cave Canem and La Nouvelle Justine in between.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Building that housed Lucky Cheng's on 1st Avenue now on the auction block

• Onetime home of Lucky Cheng's and adjacent property sell for $12 million

• 7-story residential building pending at the former Lucky Cheng's space

• Demolition permits filed to bring down former Lucky Cheng's building on 1st Avenue

• The 411 on the 101 Condominium

Has Spiegel closed?

 

A lot of readers have asked about the status of Spiegel, the corner cafe at 26 First Ave. and Second Street.

The space was serving takeout and delivery for part of the summer before going dark in early August. While there hasn't been an official notice about a closure on any fronts, the Spiegel phone is no longer in service. 

Workers were also spotted removing the signage on Sept. 9...

 

Owner Shmulik Avital opened Spiegel in March 2014.

And Spiegel is just one of a handful of local bars-restaurants that have remained dark in recent weeks-months, prompting questions whether the businesses will ever return.

Elsewhere in NYC: Pearl Diner reopens for curbside dining

Going outside the usual coverage zone for some positive restaurant news: EVG favorite Pearl Diner is now open for curbside dining as well as takeout and delivery.

The diner at 212 Pearl St. reopened this past weekend for the first time since mid-March, as the Downtown Alliance Blog reports. (And thank you for letting me know!)

An adjusted menu of basic, diner-style classics, as well as the restaurant’s well-loved breakfast menu, is now available for in-person service as well as delivery via apps like GrubHub and Seamless.

The Saturday reopening was a joyous occasion for longtime fans and newcomers alike. "They were all regular customers that showed up," [owner Alex] Pritsos said. “"We also had one or two tourists from Italy. Apparently one of the hotels nearby is now hosting some Italian tourists."

If you happen to be down in the Financial District, the Pearl is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m to 4 p.m., and until 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Pearl had been on the endangered list. In December 2018, reports surfaced that a a new 21-story would rise here. However, the building permits were never approved by the city (as of January 2019).

The Pearl opened in 1962, and is one of the last standalone diners in Manhattan. As Nick at Scouting NY said about the Pearl's neon sign: "at night, [it] makes New York City look like New York City."


[Photo from 2010 by James & Karla Murray]

Thursday's parting shots

Students, parents and teachers from District 1 gathered on Seventh Street and Avenue B this afternoon to rally for a safer return to school this fall ... EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared a few photos from the start of the March for Our Schools and Our Lives ... which eventually ended at City Hall...

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around NYC ... as well as political observations on current events...

Jules Bistro will not be reopening on St. Mark's Place

Jules Bistro, the casual French spot at 65 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue, will not be reopening coming out of the COVID-19 PAUSE.

Workers were packing up the space yesterday, as EVG regular Lola Sáenz reports.

Jules, which opened in 1993, offered free live jazz every night... and with its French film posters on the walls and red leather booths, always offered a throwback getaway on St. Mark's Place... Well-regarded restaurateur Georges (Café Noir, Bar Tabac, Cercle Rouge) Forgeois said that there wasn't really much room for outdoor dining here and running the place with 25-percent indoor capacity starting on Sept. 30 wasn't going to cut it.  

RIP Jules.

The latest obstacle for Punjabi Grocery and Deli

Punjabi Grocery and Deli at 114 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue never seems to be able to catch a break when it comes to construction projects. 

This week, workers erected a sizable sidewalk bridge for a 9-story residential building slowly going up next door. The hulking shed obscures Punjabi's neighbor, Hollywood Nails & Spa. During the day, the construction activity doesn't make this an appealing spot to walk by ... or dine on one of the benches outside Punjabi.

As previously reported, there have been concerns through the years about Punjabi's future. The never-ending East Houston Reconstruction Project finally wrapped up at the end of 2018 — just six years behind schedule.

For nearly nine years, the construction zone eliminated parking spaces for cab drivers, who were a sizable share of Punjabi's business, making it nearly impossible for them to stop in for a meal or break. Those who did stop faced getting a ticket. Plus, there has been an overall decline of cab drivers in the Lyft-Uber era. 

Meanwhile, any remaining cab drivers will still have challenges stopping by ... the taxi relief stand that finally arrived in July 2019 along Houston Street has been removed to accommodate the ongoing construction next door.

This build has been a slow-go to date. The plywood arrived in May 2018, and workers have only just erected the makings of the first level after two years...

The inexpensive eats favorite reopened on July 10 after being closed for four months during the COVID-19 PAUSE. Late last month, Punjabi Grocery and Deli fan Jessica Morgulis launched a crowdfunding campaign to help keep the longtime favorite up and running.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• How you can help Punjabi Grocery & Deli stay in business

• Never-ending construction continues to hurt Punjabi Grocery & Deli

• Taxi Relief Stand arrives on Avenue A; Punjabi Grocery & Deli relieved

• Concern again for Punjabi Grocery & Deli on 1st Street

• At long last a taxi relief stand for East Houston and 1st Street outside Punjabi Grocery & Deli

These local streets will now be open during the week for dining

Mayor de Blasio announced yesterday that 40 city streets participating in the Open Restaurants program on weekends can now operate during the week. 

Here's where you can find the daytime hours around here:

• Avenue B between Second Street and Third Street (Organizer: Becaf LLC aka Poco). Hours:  Mondays-Fridays noon-11 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays noon-11 p.m.

• Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue (Organizer: Derossi Global). Hours: Mondays-Fridays 4-11 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays noon-11 p.m.

• Bleecker Street between Mott Street and the Bowery (Organizer: Von Design Ltd). Hours: Tuesdays-Fridays 5-11 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays noon-11 p.m.

• Bond Street between Lafayette and the Bowery (Organizer: il Buco). Hours: Mondays-Fridays noon-11 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays noon-11 p.m.

The Open Restaurants program is set to end on Oct. 31st, but, as Gothamist noted, Mayor de Blasio has suggested that he wants to make it permanent, calling it "a stunning success." 

Wednesday's parting shot

As seen at the Neighborhood School/PS 63 on Third Street — "This Is Not Ventilation" on a window that only opens a few inches ... as teachers continue to protest in the days leading up to the start of in-person classes on Monday...  

Earlier today, a reporter asked the mayor about ventilation concerns here. Per NY1: "We will absolutely send the team back to PS 63 ... to see exactly what happened. And if any classroom is not up to snuff, it'll be taken out of circulation immediately. And it will not be used until it is fixed."

Photo via @robinmenikoff

Milking this police report for page views

And a report from the Citizen app today... the address is Ian Schrager's PUBLIC Hotel just below Houston on Chrystie... no word if this incident was over milk money. 😬 

Thank you to Salim for sharing this report!

Avenue B, 2 p.m., Sept. 16

A view of the sun this afternoon along Avenue B between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

As you've likely heard, smoke from wildfires in the Western United States reached NYC earlier this week, giving the sky a hazy and milky look during the day.

Upper level winds continue to spread smoke from the West Coast #wildfires across much of the northern half of the CONUS, reaching well into the Atlantic Ocean! Skies will continue to be hazy as a result. Meanwhile, #HurricaneSally is impacting portions of the Southeast. pic.twitter.com/LadTkwIs21

— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) September 16, 2020

"Meteorologists expect the graying effect to be ... present until the smoke is eventually pushed off the coast by a cold front on Friday," Gothamist reported.