East 14th Street exodus continues

With new development looming on East 14th Street, businesses in the way of the still-unspecified project continue to leave... Bargain Bazaar closed for good on Jan. 3 ... its neighbor to the east, Petland, moved to First Avenue... and now the last tenant in this three-store strip, the ABC Animal Hospital, has announced that it will relocate to 200 Avenue A, per the Local.

The move isn't a surprise — EVG regular Gojira passed along word in September that Dr. Tufaro and staff were looking for a new home.

As we first reported in December, eight parcels consisting of 222 Avenue A and 504 - 530 E. 14th St. were leased for a 99-year period by the respective owner to East Village 14 LLC. (East Village 14 LLC is a Delaware Company that registered with the New York State Department of State in October 2012.) Public records put the cost of this parcel at $35 million.

So we're looking at everything from where Stuyvesant Grocery and Pete's-a-Pizza were before the fire on May 12, 2010 at Avenue A east to, and including, the Animal Hospital. The lone exception: 520 E. 14th St. Presumably new development will happen on either side of this building.

Meanwhile, the new tenant at 200 Avenue A ends an ugly chapter in recent East Village history. The space was home to Superdive, which started its reign of woorrorism on June 25, 2009. (Relive that night here) ... then came the lengthy battle for a liquor license with the applicants who wanted to open an "art gallery with a full-service restaurant." The State Liquor Authority finally granted them a license last April after the applicants agreed to a midnight closing time, as we reported here.

However, the group, going by Hospitality LLC, figured that they wouldn't be able to make a go of it with a midnight closing time, and they moved away from the project. In October, 200 Avenue A was back on the market.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Conspiracies: What next for 14th Street and Avenue A?

Those ongoing rumors about the future of East 14th Street between Avenue A and B

Petland is moving away from East 14th Street, fueling more new development rumors

[Updated with correction] 8-lot parcel of East 14th Street primed for new development

Bargain Express has closed on East 14th Street

City OKs permits to demolish the empty storefronts along this section of East 14th Street

The city OK'd the permits yesterday for workers to demolish the empty storefronts along East 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B ahead of a new luxury retail-residential complex.

The storefronts that once housed Stuyvesant Grocery and Pete's-a-Place (before the fire on May 12, 2010) at Avenue A east to, and including, the former Animal Hospital at No. 532 will be demolished. The lone exception: 520 E. 14th St., the tenement building where the Dunkin' Donuts resides. Presumably new development will happen on either side of this building.

[Click image to enlarge]

Gary Barnett of Extell Development grabbed up eight parcels in a 99-year lease worth $35.14 million. And as noted in previous posts on the topic, the new development will look something like…


[RKF]

Time is running out to get that Blarney Cove sign.

Previously on EV Grieve:
East 14th Street exodus continues

The disappearing storefronts of East 14th Street

[Updated with correction] 8-lot parcel of East 14th Street primed for new development

East 14th Street corridor now nearly business-free ahead of new development

Here is the future of East 14th Street and Avenue A: 7 stories of residential and retail

[Updated 2:21] Oh, just a little radiation alert on 14th Street...

Several readers this morning have said more fire trucks were spotted on 14th Street... this time between Avenue A and First Avenue. No sign of fire. Per EV Grieve reader cheese: "Yeah, my friend called and said there were fire trucks out, street blocked, something about hazardous material trucks also." And there are other reports via Twitter... "6 Firetrucks outside of my apt, radiation alert in the East Village, "but its nothing," says Fireman. L train departing in 31 min? Insanity."

Has the all clear been given?

[Updated] Many thanks to EV Grieve Laura for the above photo from earlier today... She said the firefighters were checking something in the subway vents as well as walking around 14th Street too. Despite being told there were long delays on the L train, one showed up in four minutes.

[Updated] Jenn Doll has an update at Runnin' Scared:

We called the FDNY, who said that there was radiation detected at 442 East 14th Street (between A and First) via a routine meter read. The radiation is at "negligible levels" and "is not harmful to anyone; no injuries were reported." The issue is under investigation. There was no FDNY comment on whether it might be related to yesterday's three-alarm fire in the area.

Former Artichoke Pizza space for rent on 14th Street

The for-rent signage has arrived atop the former Artichoke Basille's Pizza location on 14th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Kinda interesting that the high-end Nest Seekers International has the rather pedestrian property. Didn't spot the listing online just yet.

The storefront suffered damage last May during a two-alarm fire. According to the FDNY, the fire was accidental — "due to heat from the pizza oven flue."

At the time Artichoke was still the tenant, though they were nearly ready to relocate across the street... the growing pizzeria chainlet opened that spot in June...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Artichoke appears to be moving into a new space on 14th Street

Report of an early-morning fire at 328 E. 14th St., home of Artichoke Basille’s Pizza

Artichoke Basille's Pizza signage arrives at new 14th Street location

[Updated with correction] 8-lot parcel of East 14th Street primed for new development

After months of rumors about the future of East 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B, we finally have some answers.

Of the three rumors previously presented, turns out that we'll be looking at the doomsday scenario for most of the block:

All the space starting at the ABC Animal Hospital west to Avenue A will be developed into some type of housing-retail complex.

According to public records, in late November, eight parcels consisting of 222 Avenue A and 504 - 530 E. 14th St. were leased for a 99-year period by the respective owner to East Village 14 LLC.

(East Village 14 LLC is a Delaware Company that registered with the New York State Department of State in October 2012.)

Public records put the cost of this parcel at $35 million.

CORRECTION: Amended an earlier version of this aerial view. The deal does not include 520 E. 14th St., the 6-story apartment building that includes a Dunkin Donuts and the Royal Custom Tailors in the retail space.

And here are the parcels of land included in the deal:

[Click image to enlarge]

So we're looking at everything from where Stuyvesant Grocery and Pete's-a-Place were before the fire on May 12, 2010 at Avenue A east to, and including, the Animal Hospital. The lone exception: 520 E. 14th St. Presumably new development will happen on either side of this building.

And because people have asked before: The Blarney Cove is included in this land grab.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Conspiracies: What next for 14th Street and Avenue A?

Those ongoing rumors about the future of East 14th Street between Avenue A and B

Petland is moving away from East 14th Street, fueling more new development rumors

[A special thanks to the EVG reader who helped dig into the records]

Week in Grieview

[St. Patrick's Day weekend on 2nd Avenue via Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

Good Records NYC is closing, though the shop will continue to sell vinyl as Stranded Records (Monday)

A visit to Sixth Street Specials (Friday)

Photos: 'Best Wishes' from Harley Flanagan at the Pyramid Club (Wednesday)

A Repeat Performance, until July 31 (Wednesday)

Art on A Gallery closing this summer after 7 years (Tuesday)

Report: New York Attorney General intervenes to stop eviction of tenants in Raphael Toledano-owned building on 13th Street (Thursday)

The Annual Mr. Lower East Side Pageant returns to the neighborhood for its 20th edition (Monday)

The FDNY honors fire marshal Christopher T. Zanetis in plaque ceremony on 2nd Street (Friday)

Todaro Bros. is closing April 2, ending 102 years of business (Thursday)

Hanoi House expanding on St. Mark's Place (Monday)

Cold case: New information sought in the 23-year-old murder of Second Avenue Deli owner Abe Lebewohl (Friday)

An outpost of Original Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches arrives on Avenue A and 13th Street (Wednesday)

Station on 10th Street along Tompkins Square Park now one of the largest in the Citi Bike system (Wednesday)

Tree Bistro is returning after October fire (Thursday)

Reminders: the Ottendorfer Library is back open (Monday)

This week's NY See (Monday)

Christmas is coming to 10th Street thanks to 'Mr. Robot' (Wednesday)

Van Đa brings modern Vietnamese cuisine to 4th Street (Friday)

Report: MTA commits to a shorter work day for the 14th Street L-train rehab (Friday)

Chinese Graffiti now open at 171 Avenue A (Friday)

Coming soon signage spotted for Plado on 2nd Street (Tuesday)

The Black Emperor has arrived on 2nd Avenue (Thursday)

The building housing the now-closed Sidewalk remains for sale on Avenue A (Wednesday)

Another look at that 5th Street ghost signage (Wednesday)

1st of the new businesses at 20 Avenue A is now open (Monday)

Wattle Cafe joins forces with Pure Green at 152 2nd Ave. (Tuesday)

Perk Espresso and Coffee Bar opens this week on 14th Street (Monday)

Former No Malice Palace for rent on 3rd Street (Monday)

... and on Friday, students from several East Village schools came to Tompkins Square Park in support of the National Youth Climate Strike ...


[Derek Berg]

---

Follow EVG on Instragram or Twitter

Demolition watch along East 14th Street

A month has passed since we checked in on the demolition progress on East 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Workers have just taken out the fire-damaged spaces of the former Stuyvesant Grocery, Pete's-a-Place, Jackson Hewitt and the beauty shop starting at the southeast corner of East 14th Street and Avenue A...





The buildings that housed Rainbow and (sniff!) the Blarney Cove are mid-rubble at the moment.



Coming soon along this corridor — two, 7-floor retail-residential buildings.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New 7-floor buildings for East 14th Street include 150 residential units

3 storefronts down in the ongoing demolition of East 14th Street

Conspiracies: What next for 14th Street and Avenue A?

It didn't take long for the conspiracy theorists to say what IF yesterday's fire turns out to be suspicious ... after all, 14th Street and Avenue A is prime real estate ... and many of the storefronts along this stretch of single-level businesses have been for rent for months and months...

As I noted last summer: "This area on 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is ripe for development. So when when the 'space available' signs went up last summer (2008)...Hello Marc Jacobs! Hello huge Chase branch!'"



Well... according to the Post, the fire started at Pete's-a-Pizza, where a welder was working on a fire-access door. There, his welding torch apparently set some grease on fire. And that was it.

Anyway, Rainbow took over a big space here last July.




The area here also falls outside the East Village/Lower East Side Rezoning ... Noted one reader, "a nice fat dorm here would solve NYU's missing square footage."

Anyway, I'm not suggesting that anything happened here aside from a terrible, accidental fire that destroyed four local businesses... but, it is something to think about... and we've been around long enough to see the unthinkable happen... luxury hotels on the Bowery? An NYU dorm popping up at the site of a venerable pool hall/concert venue//club?

Meanwhile, I've been told that the owners of Stuyvesant Grocery do have insurance. No word just yet on what their plans are. I meant to add that I hope all the businesses will be able to rebuild and reopen here.

[Updating] Report of an early-morning fire at 328 E. 14th St., home of Artichoke Basille’s Pizza

A two-alarm fire tore through 328 E. 14th St. early this morning. According to the official FDNY Twitter feed, the fire started just before 6 a.m. in the ground floor, which is home to Artichoke Pizza here between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

FDNYalerts MAN 2-ALARM 328 E 14 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON THE 1ST FL,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) May 26, 2017

A large number of firefighters were congregated outside what is Artichoke's dining room...





The damage extends to the second and third floors of the building...





The FDNY called it under control by 6:30 a.m.

FDNYalerts MAN 2-ALARM 328 E 14 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON THE 1ST FL W/ EXT TO 2ND AND 3RD FLRS, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) May 26, 2017

No word just yet on cause or injuries or extent of the damage. As of 7 a.m., the NYPD still had 14th Street closed off between First Avenue and Second Avenue.



Artichoke is planning on opening in a new location directly across the street from here. Artichoke debuted at No. 328 in 2008.

Updated 10 a.m.

The Daily News reports that the fire caused "extensive damage" to Artichoke.

Witnesses said that the fire started right around its 5 a.m. closing time.

"I woke up to drunk girls on the street eating pizza and taking Snapchats, saying 'Holy s--t! There's a fire,'" said Morgan Crouse, 25, who lives above the pizzeria.

Updated 2 p.m.

The story in the Post noted this: "One fire source said it did not appear to be intentional."

A round-up of the old-school Chinese restaurants in the East Village

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The neighborhood has temporarily lost two reasonably priced quick-serve Chinese restaurants this year — A&C Kitchen on Avenue C after a fire in the courtyard and Asian Taste on Third and B due to a gas shutoff in the building. 

In addition, New Double Dragon closed on First Avenue with the pending demolition of a three-building parcel. 

Previously, we saw the closure of New Chinatown Restaurant on Avenue D and China Town Restaurant on Houston. 

So it seems like there aren’t as many options for pork fried rice, sesame chicken and beef with broccoli these days. So, we decided to take inventory. I recruited local Chinese food enthusiast Josh Davis (an EVG contributor under the name jdx) to help me visit the remaining old-school East Village options. 

Here's our list. (Have we left any out? And note: We stayed between Houston and 16th Street, Avenue D to Third Avenue.) 

• Chen's Express Kitchen: 223 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue 

(Menu here)

• Baji Baji: 145 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street

(Instagram account here)

• China Wok: 63 Avenue D between Fifth Street and Sixth Street

(Menu here)

• Fei Ma: 79 Avenue A between Fifth Street and Sixth Street 

(Menu here)

• M&J Asian: 600 E. 14th St. at Avenue B 

(Website here)

• Mee Noodle: 223 First Ave, between 13th Street and 14th Street

(Yelp info here)

• No 1 Kitchen: 265 First Ave. between 15th Street and 16th Street 

(Website here)

• Red House: 203 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue 

(Website here)

• Yang’s Happy Wok: 175 Avenue C between 10th Street and 11th Street 

(Website here)

While we miss some mid-2000s casualties like Bamboo House and Jade Mountain, a decent variety of restaurants remain. 

Let us know in the comments if you have a favorite from this list...

13 fires in the East Village since May 2010

After hearing about the two fires yesterday in the neighborhood, many people remarked — seems as if there have been a lot of fires here of late.

Indeed, I've covered 13 since May. (I included the manhole explosion on First Avenue... though not the car that caught on fire on East Fourth Street in September.)

Thankfully, in each of these fires, there weren't any serious injuries... and as far as what has been reported, none of the fires have been deemed suspicious by authorities....

Jan. 4, East Sixth Street near Avenue A

[Photo by EV Grieve reader Jamie]

Jan. 4, Second Avenue at East Fourth Street


[Photo by Special Monkey]

Dec. 22, First Avenue near Third Street



Nov. 29, East 10th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue



Nov. 14, NYU's Barney Building on East Ninth Street



Nov. 13, St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue



Nov. 11, Ageloff Towers, Avenue A and East Fourth Street...


[Photo by Cluglife]

Oct. 26, First Avenue at East Ninth Street


[By EV Grieve reader Jason]

Oct. 24, Otto's Shrunken Head, East 14th Street



July 8, 240 East Houston at Avenue A



July 12, 628 Broadway between East Houston and Bleecker Street


[Photo via Twitpic]

June 8, Second Avenue near Seventh Street


[Via Fairfax Wright]

May 12, East 14th Street at Avenue A


[Photo via Sergey]