Bullet Space is the first of the former LES squats to take over ownership of building from city

Bullet Space, an artists' collective and gallery on Third Street between Avenue C and Avenue D, is the first of the 11 former LES squats to be turned over to its residents. A source at the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB), the nonprofit that has acted as a liaison between the tenants and the city throughout the renovation process of the former LES squats, confirmed the transfer yesterday afternoon.

According to the UHAB source: Bullet Space "has officially had its permanent loan closed, and transferred into the name of Bullet Space H.D.F.C."

As the UHAB source explained, "Bullet Space officially owns the building." For the time being, UHAB executives will remain on their board. However, as soon as Bullet Space residents hold their first shareholder meeting and vote in replacement members, they will be the operating owners of their building. "It's at that first vote when we distribute shares, and it's expected they will do that in a week or two," according to the UHAB source.

The Umbrella House on Avenue C is the next former squat expected to be converted to a co-op for the residents in the coming weeks.

The Villager provides some background on what has taken place in recent years with the former squats. In the Dec. 31-Jan. 6, 2009 issue, several residents of the former LES squats expressed their unhappiness over how long it has taken the city to finalize the plans to bring the buildings up to code and turn the units into affordable housing. Some homesteaders are upset that the renovations were financed with what they call unfair loans that have saddled them with debt. According to the article, titled "Former squats are worth lots, but residents can’t cash in":

“We should have closed this three years ago,” the Bullet Space resident said. “So much red tape, so much mismanagement. … Our building regrets cutting a deal with UHAB. We feel we’re being used and abused. We feel we could have done it for one-third the cost.”

For example, he said, UHAB hired a construction manager at a salary of $70,000, but the squatters wound up doing “90 percent of his job.”

Harry Kresky, an attorney representing Bullet Space, declined comment on whether the squat will sue the city and UHAB.

In that same article, Andy Reicher, UHAB’s executive director, said "the former squatters’ complaints about the renovations’ slowness and the mounting debt are 'not totally incorrect.'"

Said Reicher: "It’s been frustrating. … But in the end, what’s going to result is affordable, limited-equity co-ops."

Also, the article noted that under what is known as Article XI, the former squats will not pay property taxes for 40 years. That exemption was always part of the plan, and will save the residents thousands of dollars in taxes, Reicher said.

According to the East Village History Project, squatters moved into the condemned building, which previously housed a baptist church, at 292 E. Third St., in 1985. (I've seen other sources list 1982 and 1986 for the takeover date.) It was originally known as 6 o'clock. The building was once owned by noted slumlord Henry J. Shapolsky, who had the building seized by the city for nonpayment of taxes.

The Bullet Space Web site provides more on the various projects created by the collective through the years...foremost on the list, "The Your House Is Mine" collaboration -- a 19 x 25, 16-pound book.

The following photos and captions are from the Bullet Space site as well:

Photo by Andrew Castrucci, 1990 • 292 East 3rd Street, NYC • "Your House Is Mine" Book and Street Project


Photo by Sebastian Schroder, 1986 • 292 East 3rd Street, NYC • Bullet Space (A.K.A. - 6 o'clock Squat)


Photo from "Hans Haacke: Unfinished Business" • Shapolsky Manhattan Real Estate Holdings, 1971 • 292 East 3rd Street, known as Bullet Space


For further reading on the former LES squats:
What's happening at the Umbrella House? (EV Grieve)

Fire Brings Out "Barn-Raising" Spirit, and Concerns (The New York Times)

In Images, the Lower East Side of Starker Days (The New York Times)

Squatters' rights (City Limits)

A brief history of New York City's Squats (City Limits)

Sweat Equity Pays Off (The Brooklyn Rail)

Squat the world! (Not Bored)

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" filming today on Sixth Avenue: What could POSSIBLY go wrong?

Lots of film equipment parked around the Boobs Barf & Beyond store on Sixth Avenue. Run, Chelsea, run!

Jeremiah has the tally from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" so far.... And here's BoweryBoogie's coverage of the Nic Cage pic.

100 years of LES subway ridership

Over at Reuters yesterday, Felix Salmon had details on the following chart that uses spark lines to explore 100 years of New York City subway ridership on a station-by-station basis. Salmon focused on the Lower East Side.

As he writes:

"It’s well known that the Lower East Side has been resurgent of late — and so the increased traffic at the 2nd Avenue F stop comes as little surprise. (To give you an example of the timescale here, the grey box covers the years from 1952 to 1977.)

"What fascinates me about this map is how four stations all of which are quite close to each other can have such very different ridership experiences — a true demonstration of how New York really is made up of very small microneighborhoods."

"Without the fancy job or the big nut, it gets harder to hang around"

In The New Yorker this week, Nick Paumgarten writes a piece titled "The Death of Kings -- Notes from a meltdown." The story is online, though you need to be a registered New Yorker user for access.

An excerpt:

"As for the co-op classes, the Wall Street set, it can seem that the loss they fear most is the loss of face. No one seems to want anyone to know. In one sense, there is less shame in failure now, because it is widespread and undiscerning. Still, it smarts. There are successful circles in which success (to say nothing of money) isn't everything, but without it you'd better bring something else. Charm, wit, talent, kindness and generosity certainly help, but only if they complement characteristics that could be more readily converted into social or professional capital. Without the fancy job or the big nut, it gets harder to hang around."

Information on recent TSP attacks

Bob Arihood has detailed reporting on several recent attacks in Tompkins Square Park — one of which may have resulted in the death of a young woman. Meanwhile, something seems a little different this year around the Park— more menacing, perhaps. As a commenter noted on Neither More Nor Less, "I've been somewhat worried about this summer in TSP. There are a lot more people hanging out already than there was this time last year."

Reminders: The Ukrainian Festival starts Friday

How the recession may change New York City

New York magazine's cover story this week is titled "Recession Culture." And it begins:

It’s a truism now that money was an engulfing, distorting force of the boom years, particularly in New York. At the level of urban development, it skewed our economy; at the level of culture, it misshaped values; at the level of individual behavior, it corrupted habits and discolored thoughts: This is your brain on money.

Come, let us dance like children of the night

In Tompkins Square Park Friday evening. A bit of a Wes Anderson moment, someone said. And, yes, the fellow is playing "Wish you Were Here" on the guitar.

Meanwhile, Slum Goddess has more from the weekend, including photos of the Bodies of Pyongyang performance at TSP.

Like a Virgin Megastore going-out-of-business sale (groan)

As you may have heard, the Virgin Megastore is closing on Union Square. I was finally lured in Saturday like a sucker with the "up to 40 percent" off signs... Also, I wanted to make a bid on the Lady GaGa banner in the window. (Unfortunately, my offer of "You pay for the can of gas and I'll rip it down and set it on fire on 14th Street" wasn't accepted.)



Well, as for the rest of the store. The new CDs that are usually marked for sale with a $13.99 sticker over the $18.99 sticker...were all $18.99 again. And they were 25 percent off. Ditto for the DVDs. Most new DVDs were $24.99. So with the 25 percent off -- you're pretty much paying what you were paying before the store was going out of business. I'm sure there were bargains elsewhere. Or not. I didn't stick along long enough to dig. Oh, one thing I saw for 40% off? Stationery! Which was all sold out. And the Blondie pocketbooks were also 40% off.

Another cupcake choice in the East Village

There's a new cafe/bakery called Pinisi on First Avenue between First Street and Second Street. Located where the Edwin Travel Agency II used to be. (The agency moved to Allen Street.)




We're sort of assuming this is an outpost of the Pinisi around the corner of Fourth Street.

Not everyone thrilled about new ramen place coming to the former Loves Saves the Day spot

Seventh Street at Second Avenue, at the site of the shuttered Love Saves the Day. Which is becoming a ramen place.

CB3's SLA Licensing Committee meets tonight; new Mexican restaurant slated for Fourth Avenue

The Community Board 3's SLA Licensing Committee meets tonight...



Among the new restaurants looking for a license... This coming-soon Mexican joint on Fourth Avenue near 13th Street....at this spot of a former Tasti D-Lite.

Part of the "Angels and Demons" campaign?

Second Avenue near Seventh Street.

Working sort of zipping along at the old Zips space

And as of Friday evening, a new paint job for what is expected to be an upscale diner-type place at Avenue B and Fifth Street...



And is black and blue the best color scheme for a new restaurant in this economy?

Previous Zips coverage here.

Fourth Street, 7:57 p.m., May 8

From "The Real Housewives of New York City" collection perhaps?

Because nothing says "Happy Mother's Day" like an AbRocket, BenderBall or some running gear.



Anyway, I got my mom the five push-up bras for $20 yesterday at the street fair.

In case you missed yesterday's street fair on Second Avenue, the exact same vendors are on Broadway today

From 14th Street on down....



With the winds today, the vendors were having problems setting up their stuff...






Previously on EV Grieve:
Pass the Tums: First of 458 spring/summer street fairs kicks off today on Second Avenue

The Times explores the culinary tastes of Seventh Street

A look at the different cuisines of Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. “Even though you cannot deny that the East Village is a little more upscale,” said Suzanne Wasserman, director of the Gotham Center for New York City History, who specializes in the history of local food vendors, “these are businesses that are not chains. They’re small businesses, and small businesses are what make neighborhoods unique.” (The New York Times)

[Photo: Rob Bennett for The New York Times]

Sign of the Times

The guy in line said he will not pay $5 for the Sunday Times starting in June...nor will he pay $2 for the daily paper. He said he will simply just read the paper on his iPhone.

Pass the Tums: First of 458 spring/summer street fairs kicks off today on Second Avenue

Runs from 14th Street all the way down to, oh, Georgia.









There's at least one new addition to the usual array of sausages, bags of socks, four T-shirts for $10 kookiness...a local merchant... Chocolate Bald Men have a stand/booth

REALLY big crane doing something on Third Avenue

So Second Avenue is off limits to traffic with the street fair... Meanwhile, on Third Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets...this humungo crane is lifting something up to the roof at 111 Third Ave. And slowing down traffic. And making everyone look cautiously toward the sky.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

An item about "Ugly Betty," an EV gallery owner and trash (Page Six)

Private fashion event to take over West Fourth Street ball courts (Washington Square Park)

Highlights from Miss Heather's trip through the EV and Chinatown (New York Shitty)

Hot dog in the early 1990s (Little Stories and Maybe Poems from Now and Then)

More on the possible move of Ludlow Guitars (BoweryBoogie)

Trash?: Thoughts on the new New York Dolls record (This Ain't the Summer of Love)

Getting to know Crazy Joe Gallo (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

A slam the landlord party (Blah Blog Blah)

Q-and-A with author and EV Grieve reader/frequent commenter Mykola (Mick) Dementiuk (Amanda Young)

Words to the wise on the street (Flaming Pablum)

Going underground: A tour of the world's oldest subway tunnel (Patell and Waterman's History of New York)

Going underground?!

MUSICAL INTERLUDE



At Joe's (The Village Voice)

Fake cabs (NYC Taxi Photo)

Update on Ray of Ray's Candy Store (Scoopy's Notebook, The Villager, third item)

Also from Scoopy: Florent Morellet's new restaurant plans (fourth item)

Speaking of Florent's! Perfect time to run this photo that Karate Boogaloo passed along by photographer Gary Breckheimer:



Another NYC nude here (NSFW)

Manhattan now more reasonably overpriced

From the Times:

“When you go to Manhattan, there’s an air of selling out,” he says. “I’ve accepted that.”

Great Recession prices are drawing even the most loyal outer-borough dwellers back to Manhattan. The migrants hail from Hoboken, Astoria and the brownstone blocks off Prospect Park, as New Yorkers who found themselves priced out of the gilded isle in the boom years are bidding farewell to long commutes and skinny-jean chic.

Among the lures: $1,600 one-bedrooms on the Lower East Side. Lenient landlords who no longer require security deposits. And an overriding sense that an obscenely overpriced borough is now, well, slightly more reasonably overpriced.

This is a rainy day (sung to the tune of "Perfect Day")

Kinetic Carnival posted this on Thursday...Lovely.



From "Little Fugitive."

A little something for all you lovers in the house

Reminder: "Praise Day Reading for Richard Leck" tomorrow afternoon

Karen Lillis hosts a memorial reading for the late poet Richard Leck, at the Bowery Poetry Club tomorrow from 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. It's called "Praise Day Reading for Richard Leck." Free admission. Several writers will read from Leck's poems and excerpts from his memoir, "Jumped, Fell, or Was Pushed." Ken Wohlrob has a list of the speakers.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Remembering Richard Leck: "He liked the anything-goes quality, the creativity and the street life"