[Photo by Patrick Hedlund via DNAinfo]
On Monday, Curbed noted that the DOB slapped early Bowery ruiners the B Bar with a stop-work order...the offense: the addition to the eatery's wall around the outdoor dining space.
Per Curbed:
The high-priced 2 Cooper Square tower across East 4th Street, a luxury rental rising 15 stories with a pool on top, is about to open with views directly down into the restaurant's prized courtyard.
And!
Earlier this summer more rows of cinder blocks facing East 4th Street went up in an attempt to keep prying eyes off the drinkers and diners partying under the downtown sky, even though we thought the Bowery was all about seeing and being seen these days.
Patrick Hedlund followed up on the item for DNAinfo, speaking to B Bar manager Melissa Beck. The wall, she said, is to help muffle any sound coming from the eatery's outdoor space.
She added that the owners previously removed speakers from the garden space to keep the volume down, and that the wall extension acts as a way to contain the noise with so many new families moving into the neighborhood.
"After 11 p.m., it turns more club-ish," she noted of the garden.
According to Department of Buildings records, the stop-work order remains in place due to the construction being done without a permit.
The DOB did not immediately respond request for comment about the whether the addition will have to come down.
And the B Bar manager was dismissive of Curbed's prying eyes theory from the incoming 2 Cooper residents.
"What are they going to look at?" she said. "People eating dinner, or the random drunk girl that's puking her guts out? It's not like we have a strip-tease section."
Noted!