Also at 2 Cooper Square

Skateboarders aren't the only people making use of 2 Cooper Square's currently vacant retail sidewalk space... some less-fortunate souls are also finding refuge here...

Memorial Day weekend in review

A man was struck by a bus in Chinatown...

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2 Cooper Square is charing upwards of $20,000 a month for rents... the most ever for the East Village...

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Shrek was put on sale then thrown away on Avenue A...

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People discarded couches and fake fries...

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Someone overturned all the trash cans in Tompkins Square Park...

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We went to Bike Noise 3 in Tompkins Square Park...

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We went to the Loisaida Festival on Avenue C....

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We went to the BP protest on Houston....

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The new fence at the Cooper Square Hotel got tagged... and cleaned...

An eatery for nearly every corner on the Bowery

After seeing that 2 Cooper Square will likely one day be home to a restaurant in its retail space...



...it's time to look at the fledgling restaurant row here ... in which every corner has, or will have, a bar/restaurant...

Well, you could start at Houston with Pulino's on the corner...



...and, while DBGB, isn't technically on a corner, it is the next closest business to the corner...



...then you have Double Crown on the southwest corner of Bleecker...



with Think Coffee on the north side...



...there's the new Taavo Somer/William Tigertt diner on the northeast corner of Second Street...



...Sala next to the empty lot on Great Jones...



...and Gemma on the east side of the Bowery...



...it's just a matter of time before the former Salvation Army East Village Residence becomes a restaurant... (it almost became a sushi joint last summer...)



...And!... it's just a matter of time before Downtown Auto and Tire becomes a restaurant ... (it almost became a Segafredo Zanetti Espresso Café a few weeks back...)



...and, of course, Bbar and Grill here on Fourth Street across the way from 2 Cooper Square....



...and on the southeast corner of Fourth Street, there's Phebe's...



So! That's nine corner spots... with three on the way... one dozen spots for roughly four blocks...not to mention everything in between...such as the V Bar's new theater/restaurant combo action at the former Amato Opera...

Report: Archdiocese of New York announces affordable-housing projects; fate of 2 East Village churches unknown

[EVG photo of Church of the Nativity from March 16]

Catholic Homes New York, the affordable housing unit of Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese of New York, announced plans yesterday to redevelop several existing properties to provide 2,000 affordable units in NYC over the next 10 years.

Not on the affordable-housing list for now, as Gothamist first noted, are the now-closed Church of the Nativity on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street, and the Church of Saint Emeric on 13th Street near Avenue D.

The Cooper Square Community Land Trust has been actively trying to buy and develop these two properties for use as low-income housing.

Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, said that he was not aware of the plans for these two East Village parcels.

Per Gothamist yesterday:

"While we commend the church for the good they are doing, we remain opposed to the church disposing of properties in gentrifying neighborhoods that are in danger of luxury condo development," said Val Orselli, a project director with Cooper Square Community Land Trust. "The church has not merely an obligation to do good but it also has an obligation not to do harm."

As Curbed reported in February, the Archdiocese of New York was said to be considering a proposal to turn the 300,000-square-foot property that housed Saint Emeric on 13th Street, which includes a former school, over to a land trust for 400 units of below-market-rate housing.

The Cooper Square Community Land Trust is expected to host a town hall next month with Community Board 3 to discuss "how decommissioned churches can be best utilized by the Archdiocese and the communities they once served."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Looking at the Church of Saint Emeric on East 13th Street

From St. Emeric's to St. Brigid's

Educator: Turning the former Church of the Nativity into luxury housing would be a 'sordid use' of the property

The fight to keep Church of the Nativity from becoming luxury housing

Community Boards to discuss fate of 35 Cooper Square and the Bowery

Here's more information on the flyer we posted last night...

A rep from the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors sent us an update to upcoming community board meetings that now include agenda items on preserving 35 Cooper Square and the Bowery.

Community Board 3's agenda for Thursday night now includes:

Parks, Recreation, Cultural Affairs, Landmarks, & Waterfront Committee
Thursday at 6:30 pm — BRC Senior Services Center - 30 Delancey St. (between Chrystie and Forsyth Streets)

1. Review of 2010 goals and accomplishments/committee goals for 2011
2. Peter Cooper Park—potential RFPs for food carts in park
3. Request for support by BAN to stop demolition of 35 Cooper Square and for preservation of other Federal houses on Bowery

And at Community Board 2:

LANDMARKS & PUBLIC AESTHETICS 1st APRIL MEETING Sean Sweeney, Chair

March 28 at 6:30 p.m. — Church of Our Lady of Pompei, 25 Carmine St. Father Demo Hall

*Nomination of the Bowery to the State and National Register of Historic District.

[Photo courtesy of EV Grieve correspondent Bobby Williams]

Gleaming the 2 Coop

You have to be a little creative around Cooper Square these days since Cooper Union officials placed metal spikes on its skateboard ramp fancy design thingee last July.

Anyway, just down the way, 2 Cooper Square, with its roof pool and $20,000 apartments, is filling the void...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Gleaming the Coop

Report: 'Creepy ex' had stalked his one-time girlfriend before killing her on Cooper Square

According to published reports, a jealous one-time boyfriend shot and killed Elizabeth Lee yesterday morning as she docked her Citi Bike near Cooper Union. Lee, a mother of two, was 56.

The man, identified as Vincent Verdi, 62, then shot himself in the face. He is listed in critical condition at Bellevue. (Police originally stated that he had died, as DNAinfo noted.)

Lee worked at the Grace School high school campus at 46 Cooper Square. She often rode a Citi Bike to work on Cooper Square from her Upper East Side apartment.

School officials expressed their grief and offered a few details in a series of tweets yesterday...

We are deeply saddened to announce the loss of a beloved colleague, Elizabeth Lee, to an unthinkable act of violence this morning. 1/ pic.twitter.com/G0DlQIuLFG

— Grace Church School (@GCSchoolNYC) November 1, 2017

Elizabeth was a dearly loved member of our community for 17 years, first as a Grace Parent, Parents' Association Chair and... 2/

— Grace Church School (@GCSchoolNYC) November 1, 2017

most recently the assistant to the Assistant Head of School. We are all heartbroken over this tragedy. 3/

— Grace Church School (@GCSchoolNYC) November 1, 2017

Details about funeral arrangements will be shared here when they are available. 4/4

— Grace Church School (@GCSchoolNYC) November 1, 2017

As the Daily News reported about Verdi:

He stalked her for months after she dumped him following a failed Match.com romance — leading her to lock in an order of protection that wasn’t enough to keep her alive.

Creepy ex Vincent Verdi was spotted by neighbors peering into Elizabeth Lee-Herman’s Upper East Side building and loitering nearby in an apparent effort to catch her alone.

He was facing stalking charges filed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office after he was arrested Oct. 5 for threatening her.

After she broke up with him on July 7, he peppered her with emails and calls to the school where she works, court records show. He sent her chocolate and flowers. He showed up at her dentist appointment on Aug. 10.

Judge Angela Badamo issued the order barring Verdi from contacting Lee-Herman and demanded he turn over all firearms.

He spent seven days in jail and was released Oct. 12, records show.

Heartbroken to hear this terrible news. Elizabeth Lee was a gem of a lady, beautiful inside & out, & such a meaningful person at the school

— Heidi Steinberg (@heidisteinberg) November 1, 2017

Ai Weiwei installation work underway at Cooper Union, Washington Square Park

[Photo by EVG reader Ronnie]

In recent days Ai Weiwei's two-dimensional banners arrived on parts of Cooper Square and the Bowery... ahead of Weiwei's citywide installations titled "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors" that debuts on Oct. 12 (and on view through Feb. 11, 2018)...


[Photo by EVG reader Ronnie]

Around here, installations (called "site-specific interventions") will be on view at 48 E. Seventh St., 189 Chrystie St., 248 Bowery, Cooper Union and the Essex Street Market. (Read more about all this here.)

According to The New York Times, "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors" is "a reflection on the growing hostility toward immigrants and the rise of nationalism throughout the world."

Work continues on the installation at the Cooper Union Foundation Building ...



The work here is titled "Five Fences," and "will fill the open arched spaces on the north portico façade of the building, simultaneously covering these open spaces but remaining porous," according to the description at the Open Art Fund.



EVG reader Ronnie also sent along a shot of work at the arch in Washington Square Park...



As the Washington Square Park Blog first reported, some members of the Washington Square Association are upset about the placement of the installation in the arch. Community members contend that the installation will compromise the arch’s own artistic integrity and disrupt the annual holiday tree lighting, a tradition since 1924.

In the end, Community Board 2 reportedly voted last month in favor of erecting Weiwei's work under the arch. The Park's holiday tree will be moved closer to the fountain for this year.

The installation was commissioned by the Public Art Fund in celebration of its 40th anniversary.

5 developments to watch (and worry about!) this summer

As you probably know, today is the first day of summer... and a good time to look ahead at five East Village developments that we're keeping tabs on...

1) 9-11 Second Avenue.
This parcel that includes the Mars Bar will be demolished sometime in August to make way for a 12-story high-rise.

[Curbed]

2) 51 Astor Place

Prep work for the demolition of the former Cooper Union engineering building starts on July 1. Expect to see an un-neighborhoody-looking black glass-black granite office building here in 17 months or so.

3) 347 Bowery

Back in January, Eastern Consolidated announced that Paris-based Louzon Group bought 347-349 Bowery. The group has plans to construct a 72-room boutique hotel at the site with a restaurant "operated by one of the most famous Parisian brands."

Meanwhile, Louzon officials haven't announced any kind of timeline for the new hotel. We expect to find demolition permits at the DOB one of these days for the Salvation Army's East Village Residence, which closed here at East Third Street in August 2008.

4) 35 Cooper Square

This one is a mystery. The people at the Arun Bhatia Development Corporation, who specialize in dorms and luxury condos, haven't made public their plans for the parcel of land on Cooper Square at Sixth Street. But they were seemingly in a hurry to demolish the historic 35 Cooper Square.

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

5) 500 E. 14th St.

We've been talking about this space where Stuyvesant Grocery and Pete's-A-Place were lost to a fire. There's only speculation now about the future of this corner. The only activity at the DOB is for the new boardwalk-quality sidewalk shed.

[EVG reader Tom]

Plus:

— 75 First Avenue. A modified (and shorter) version of this rendering is expected here at Fifth Street.

— The BMW Guggenheim Lab on East First Street/Houston

More shade arrives for Cooper Square

Another sign of progress today in the ongoing Astor Place/Cooper Square Reconstruction Project... workers started planting new trees around the plaza area of Cooper Square as the above photo via EVG reader Mona W. shows.

As for when Astor Place's more famous tenant, the Alamo, will return... we now hear late May/early June. Workers packed up and carted off The Alamo for the duration of the reconstruction back on Nov. 25, 2014.

Here's a link to a weekly bulletin (PDF), noting what's happening this week.

The anticipated project completion date is now summer 2016, according to the reconstruction newsletter (PDF here).

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Alamo returns to Astor Place this Halloween

Five years later, Astor Place apparently ready for its 2-year reconstruction project

This is what it might be like living inside the Alamo on Astor Place

RIP Tony Rosenthal, the sculptor who created the Astor Place cube

The Alamo has been away from Astor Place for 1 year now

The all-new Astor Place is coming along (for real)

Raphael Toledano tenants take to Midtown streets to speak out against their landlord and his lenders

Tenants of more than 20 buildings owned by Raphael Toledano, along with local elected officials and community organizers, went to Midtown to call out Madison Realty Capital and Signature Bank for their role in lending money to the controversial landlord.

The group, including a large number of East Village residents, first convened yesterday morning outside Madison Realty Capital headquarters, 825 Third Ave., then, accompanied by members of the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, marched to the Signature Bank headquarters, 565 Fifth Ave.





Here's part of a statement issued via the Cooper Square Committee:

In September of 2015, Madison Realty Capital, a determined private equity lender, issued Toledano a $124 mil mortgage to buy 17 buildings throughout the East Village and Chelsea area.

News coverage (The Real Deal) has documented the risky lending patterns that Madison Realty Capital maintains. The Real Deal quoted a veteran real estate investor saying that MRC’s $124 million loan to Toledano left him “over leveraged,” and that Toledano is now “pushing up rents to pay off a high mortgage.”

The mortgages Madison Realty Capital issued Toledano went as far as to require him to spend $2 mil of the loan exclusively on tenant buyouts or renovations – practices which often trigger huge rent increases. Tenants in Toledano’s buildings have faced alleged harassment and extensive building issues ever since he took ownership. Signature Bank played a role here as well, as they collateralize Madison Realty Capital in the lending they do.

And here are prepared statements from elected local officials...

State Assemblymember Deborah Glick: “Raphael Toledano has proven to be an unscrupulous and harassing landlord who takes financial risks and is often over-leveraged while seeking to make an enormous short-term profit off a group of buildings at the expense of tenant’s rights. Madison Realty Capital, and their collateralized backer, Signature Bank, show a disregard for stable communities by funding these mortgages for Toledano. We urge them to stop funding these projects which inevitably result in tenant harassment."

State Sen. Brad Hoylman: "Madison Realty needs to take responsibility for the unscrupulous, anti-tenant actions of the developers it bankrolls. Madison is greasing the skids for predatory landlords in my district who systematically harass tenants out of their homes. I’m proud to stand with the Toledano Tenants Coalition, Cooper Square Committee, and the Rude Mechanical Orchestra in calling on Madison Realty to pull the plug on Brookhill Properties."

Toledano is reportedly trying to sell a large number of his East Village properties.

Photos courtesy of the Cooper Square Committee

Memorial for Elizabeth Lee on Cooper Square

Friends and loved ones have placed flowers on Cooper Square where Elizabeth Lee was reportedly gunned down on Wednesday morning by a onetime boyfriend who had been stalking her.

Lee, who was 56, lived on the Upper East Side and worked at Grace Church School on Cooper Square. According to published reports, she had just docked a Citi Bike when Vincent Verdi approached her and shot her twice. He then reportedly shot himself in the head. Verdi, 62, is in critical condition at Bellevue.

The Daily News delves into his past.

He reportedly worked for the CIA and the Defense Department in Afghanistan, and elsewhere, for years.

The person close to him said Verdi suffered from severe depression from his years in the combat theater, and that may have contributed to his shocking crime.

“I think it has to do with him dealing with suicidal depression since he came back from Afghanistan,” the person said. “He was never the same person. And he had told the military that he needed to get help and they just ignored it.”

“That does not make up for his actions. I’m totally horrified by his actions. I can’t even express how sad I am for his family.”

Also:

Verdi has five sealed arrests in Florida for battery, domestic violence, lewd and lascivious behavior and fraud stretching over the past 30 years, police sources said.

Collegaues at Grace Church School remembered Lee as someone who really cared about the students.

Olivia Nunez, 34, met Lee-Herman a decade ago when they worked at Go Project, a nonprofit organization.

“She was really kind,” she said. “Welcoming. Always had a smile on her face. She was just the sweetest, sweetest person.”

We are deeply saddened to say we have lost an irreplaceable member of our community, Elizabeth Lee, a Grace parent as well as assistant to the assistant head of school. These difficult times remind us how important staying together and supporting one another is. Acts of kindness can go a long way. As Rev. Hummel expressed in this morning's chapel, Ms. Lee can be remembered for her kindness and care for her family and GCS. Updates on funeral arrangements will be posted on the school's website.

A post shared by The High School @ GCS (@gcshighschool) on Nov 2, 2017 at 1:47pm PDT

Residents continue to speak out about living conditions in Jared Kushner's 170-174 E. 2nd St.

[EVG file photo]

Fourth Arts Block (FABnyc) and the Cooper Square Committee issued the following news release yesterday regarding the ongoing drama at the Jared Kushner-owned 170-174 E. Second St.

What follows is an edited excerpt:

Countering the common narrative that artists drive gentrification, many East Village artists are actually long-time residents, fighting to remain in affordable housing with their neighbors, reported Cooper Square Committee, a 50-year old tenant advocacy organization.

Like many buildings in the East Village, 170-174 East 2nd Street has long been home to writers, painters, sculptors, and musicians, including beat poet Allen Ginsberg. However, since December 2013, when Jared Kushner purchased the buildings, 70 percent of the 170-174 East 2nd Street's 45 units have been vacated. Of the 9 remaining tenants, half are working artists with deep roots in the neighborhood, including Tony Feher, Richard Weinstein and Dianne Bowen.

"Unfortunately this situation is not unique. I frequently work with artists who live here in the Lower East Side who are being pushed out by profit-driven speculators," said community organizer Brandon Kielbasa from Cooper Square Committee. "These aggressive efforts to create luxury housing in communities like the Lower East Side are wiping out the affordable housing, homogenizing the diversity, and picking apart at the cultural assets of the neighborhood,"

"The arts and culture are such an important part of the life and identify of the East Village and Lower East Side," said Tamara Greenfield, executive director of Fourth Arts Block. "Historically, artists joined with other low income residents to advocate for and build affordable housing in this community. As important as it is to create new affordable housing across the City, we have to work equally hard to preserve existing affordable housing from being lost."

In December of 2013, Jared Kushner purchased 170-174 East 2nd Street buildings for $17 million, and quickly followed the purchase with the distribution of eviction notices to tenants of the two buildings. During the past nine months under the ownership of Kushner, tenants of both buildings were subjected to lengthy and severe construction work which has resulted in ceiling collapses, eroded floors, broken tiles, cut off gas service, and unannounced hot and cold water interruptions. Impacts on artists in the building range from fear of displacement, to damage of artwork, and compromised ability to do creative work under the stress and noise of construction.

"The constant barrage of emergencies for 7 months — water shut offs, violent levels of noise from jack hammering, missing steps on the stair, building floods, fire department safety inspections — create extremely challenging and draining conditions for living and working creatively," said musician Cypress Dubin. "Under these extreme circumstances and to marshal my creative resources, I made the choice to focus deeply on community organizing. As the communications director of our tenants association, I spend hundred of hours a month working to channel that same energy, integrity, and creativity that is foundational to my work as a vocalist, producer and yoga educator into protecting our homes, and preserving this part of the city that continues to be a thriving and diverse community of artists."

"The overwhelming, lightning-fast, rapid gentrification and over-development of the Lower East Side and East Village raises a great concern for the cultural heritage of an iconic NYC neighborhood," said painter Richard Weinstein.

"Gentrification in New York City has never been so aggressive and destructive as it has been in the past 8 years," added multimedia artist Dianne Bowen. "The bottom line is profit; value is a monetary term with no regard or connection to human beings or the life of the city created by all that inhabit it."

Ironically, the buildings' creative history is now being included in its marketing:

"Built in 1899, this beaux-arts building dovetails modern comfort with an older East Village - that same collision of grit and grace that inspired the likes of beat poet Alan [sic] Ginsberg, who called this building his home from 1958-1963."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Inside a classic East Village tenement before the whole building is renovated

Jared Kushner not done buying every walk-up in the East Village

Two East 2nd St. buildings sell for $17.5 million; will new owner still honor Allen Ginsburg?

Tenants claim: Kushner and Westminster want to destroy this building's beautiful garden

Reports outline how Kushner Companies is aggressively trying to empty 170-174 E. 2nd St.

Local politicos join residents of 2 Jared Kushner-owned buildings to speak out about poor living conditions, alleged harassment

Report: Local politicos criticize Kushner's treatment of tenants at 170-174 E. 2nd St.