EV Grieve

Friday, May 14, 2010

Busy night outside the Verizon building: The tags are back

About six weeks ago, workers painted over all the tags on 13th Street side of the Verizon building...

However! Thanks to EV Grieve reader evilnyc for these shots of some epic tagging last night...

Previously on EV Grieve:
First tag reappears on the Verizon building

Brownout: Verizon building graffiti painted over

"High-end English food" coming to Avenue A

I'm starting to take a closer look at some of Monday night's CB3/SLA liquor license items... So there's a transfer in the works at the Al Diwan space on 13th Street and Avenue A....

-- Percy's (Steelbar 180 Inc), 210-212 Ave A (trans/op) (Al Diwan)

I'm told that Percy's will serve “high-end English food” (!) ... and, allegedly, operate as a restaurant first and foremost, though they do plan to stay open until 3 or 4 a.m.

Previously on EV Grieve:
"Another noisy bar" slated for Avenue A; actually, make that several noisy bars, perhaps

There has been a lot of discussion on the post... be sure to read Jill's epic comment... that, in part, reads...

The bottom line is that a successful neighborhood, where ADULTS want to live, is about BALANCE. These busybodies would like to see DIVERSE businesses that cater to the community, not only to tourists. Places we would support on a regular basis, like butchers, fishmongers, grocery stores, shoemakers, tailors, laundromats, clothing stores, book shops and all types of small businesses that are disappearing.

On a clear day, you can see...

The other day, I spelled EV Heave from his watch over the new Cooper Union academic building from the other Cooper Union building...

I've never been up here before, so I took a moment to enjoy the view of the East Village from this vantage....

What do I get? A bomb scare!

You likely already heard about this...

As the Daily News reported:

An Oldsmobile with two gas cans in its back seat triggered a bomb scare near Union Square Thursday night - but it was just the latest false alarm in a city on edge, police said.

The NYPD sealed off Union Square around 10:15 p.m. as the bomb squad investigated the sketchy 1991 Cutlass Ciera parked outside the Con Edison headquarters on Irving Pl., near E. 14th St.

Here's some raw video via the AP (sorry about the stupid ad in the intro...)

So did you hear how it ended?

[C]ops eventually tracked down the car's owner, who had been at a concert by the British punk band the Buzzcocks, police sources said.

As it turned out, the Buzzcocks played a role in ending the alarm. Concertgoers who came streaming out of the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza said the band stopped the show to make an announcement for police.

"They stopped in the middle of the song and said, 'Does anyone have a 1991 Cutlass?'" said Shari Newman, 32.

Brooklyn Vegan has more on the story, including this photo...

Anyway, rough week for 14th Street... an awful fire... a radiation alert... and a bomb scare.

Pigs still flying on Second Avenue

Well! Here's a pleasant surprise... A few weeks back, a tipster reported that the building at 12th Street and Second Avenue would get a makeover, meaning the loss of the pigs...

However! As the work progresses, it appears that these pigs are safe...

Because you know what usually happens to pigs around here (at least on Avenue C) ...

Previously on EV Grieve:
And this little piggy got painted over

New million dollar lofts in FiDi go from sliding rules to sliding doors

Just in case you thought there wasn't enough high-end condos in the Financial District. Debuted now on Fulton Street, a few doors west of our old friend the Blarney Stone...

Anyway, meet the Compass Lofts... oh, and excuse me, it's The Compass Lofts at 42 Ann Street. Even thought I'm standing on Fulton Street. Ann runs parallel to Fulton. And probably doesn't have as much of a stigma as Fulton Street, the home of, well, nothing.

Anyway, as the sign says, the lofts, which hit the market last week, start at $2.4 million... and they provide a nice view of the Beekman ...

Here's some of the listing:

The Compass Lofts is a landmarked boutique residential loft building in the heart of FiDi offering seven extraordinary homes that perfectly fuse 19th century distinction with 21st century luxury. Every aspect of the architectural restoration epitomizes the developer’s reverence for the building’s role in history as a symbol of precision and design integrity.

The Compass Lofts offers a choice of six gracious full-floor lofts and one newly added rooftop penthouse duplex. All offer grand living spaces that boast oversized windows, fireplaces and high vaulted-barrel ceilings that set the stage for dramatic entertaining. The loft layout bedroom area and spa-like baths provide for a quiet retreat. The open custom kitchen includes RAK Ceramics marbleized polished porcelain counters with premium Liebherr and Viking energy-efficient kitchen appliances. The penthouse duplex is flanked by spacious north- and south-facing terraces plus a private rooftop deck.

And a little history on the building:

It was built in 1892 and landmarked 113 years later. Now the former factory at 127 Fulton Street is on the brink of becoming one of the finest, best-restored residential buildings in the Financial District. The 10-story Keuffel & Esser building was named for the family-run company that built it. Famous among engineers who relied on its products, “K&E” was the brand of the early 20th century for all sorts of drafting materials and instruments — T squares, compasses, measuring tapes, leveling rods, surveying equipment, and even furniture. It was the first American company to manufacture slide rules, and its success helped make Lower Manhattan a commercial capital in the days when industry rivaled finance downtown

Here's more on the history of the company. And if you want to know more about the Compass Lofts, there's an open house on Sunday...

Reminders this weekend: The Saint George Annual Ukrainian Festival

All this weekend on Seventh Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

Last year, we had performers on stage!

And in the crowd!

Previously.

Ambulance chasers

On the rolldown gate at the fire-ravaged Stuyvesant Grocery last evening...

... one of the ubiquitous locksmith handouts...

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Second Avenue, 6:56 p.m., May 13

[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.

Stuyvesant Grocery owner: "We want to stay here. It became like our home"

DNAinfo's Patrick Hedlund talks to Numan Hauter, 49, owner of the Stuyvesant Convenience Grocery, which has operated at 14th Street and Avenue A the last 20-plus years.

“We know everybody here,” said Hauter’s dad, Alawi Hussien, whose family hails from Yemen.
“These people are our friends,” echoed Stuyvesant Town resident Apoli Hiwali, who’s shopped at the deli “everyday” since it opened two decades ago. “They’re very friendly.”
While Hauter said he hopes to reopen “as soon as possible” ... “I hope they’re going to fix it,” Hauter said of his landlord. “We want to stay here. It became like our home.”

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

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.

Lamenting two lost groceries on Avenue A

With yesterday's three-alarm fire that knocked out four businesses along 14th Street at Avenue A... several readers had nice things to say about the Stuyvesant Grocery....

...another reader mentioned that, with the recent closing of Graceland down on the corner of Second Street, Avenue A has lost two of its neighborhoody friends...

"Another noisy bar" slated for Avenue A; actually, make that several noisy bars, perhaps

Unfortunately, I couldn't make the latest noisy bar community meeting on 13th Street last night...

I went to the one last summer in which the Superdive manager attended. I still recall the longtime resident who said that "this isn't a neighborhood that 'sits on its ass' and looked at the Destination and Superdive reps and said that they are officially 'put on notice.'"

If anyone attended last night and wants to pass along details... I'd appreciate it...

Anyway, there's plenty of reason for concern. Take a look at this month's CB3/SLA slate on Monday ... all sorts of activity on the northern stretch of Avenue A:

Alterations/Transfers/Upgrades
-- El Camion (El Camion III Inc), 194 Ave A (trans/op) (The Raven)
-- Percy's (Steelbar 180 Inc), 210-212 Ave A (trans/op) (Al Diwan)
-- MBM Lounge Inc, 212 Ave A (trans/op) (Forbidden City)
-- Corp to be Formed, 503-505 E 12th St (trans/op) (I'll have more on this one - the former Mundial and Totem)

Plus, for good measure, the popular Westville at 11th Street is applying for a sidewalk cafe license...

Meanwhile, as I posted on Saturday, there was an "open house" this past Friday at 5 p.m. (!) for the new bar/restaurant going in the old Raven space at 12th Street and Avenue A...

I've asked several neighborhood power brokers about the open house... and no one knew a thing about it. Jill at Blah Blog Blah, who has chronicled many of the noise-related issues in this part of the neighborhood, said that she walked by Friday at 5:30 p.m. "I ... didn't notice any event."

And she echoed my thoughts. "Come to think of it, what an inconvenient time to have an open house, right when most of us working stiffs are still commuting. Maybe [the owner] thought he'd get his support from the students who live in the building."

Previously on EV Grieve:
New bar slated for 12th Street and Avenue A

Observations from last night's noisy bars meeting

Another nightmare bar for 505 E. 12th St.?

We've talked with several residents in the past about problems stemming from the former bars at 505 E. 12th St.... Mundial and before that, Totem... So a few people are anxious now that the following has appeared on Monday's CB3/SLA docket:

Corp to be Formed, 503-505 E. 12th St. (trans/op)

I was never in Mundial or Totem. Here's the Totem writeup from Shecky's to show you what you missed:

Totem: Join the ultra-hip Williamsburg and NYU kiddies as they jungle boogie ‘til they can’t boogie no more at this Alphaville hotspot. Prance without dancing (as it’s legally prohibited) around the totem poles, saunter over to the lounge area, or plant yourself in the outdoor garden. Featured drinks include the house special Totem Pole and the slightly less subtle Beaver Juice. Note: the menu literally warns patrons to mind the alcohol content of these drinks, thus reflecting a certain acknowledgement of attracting a young clientele. The Totem rocks throughout the week but occasional theme nights, like the cyclical Full Moon Party, can be a howl.

We don't know just yet what this "corp to be formed" is going to be bringing to the block. At this point, any new venture is bound to cause high anxiety for neighbors.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

One last look tonight at 14th Street and Avenue A

A little after 9, I was surprised to see the sidewalks had already reopened at 14th Street and Avenue A after the three-alarm fire that started after 10:15 this morning ... If you didn't know any better, then you might just think that these stores here were simply closed for the night... (never mind the lingering smell of smoke...) A few workers from ConEd and Verizon remained on the scene...

Many thanks again to EV Grieve reader Sergey for all his photos today... and thanks to everyone who left comments and shared their thoughts...

Previously.