Zero Irving getting closer to the top; first sign of the glassy exterior

Workers have reached the 18th floor here at Zero Irving (aka tech hub) on 14th Street. When completed, the building at Irving Place will feature 21 floors...



Also! The first section of the large glass curtain wall on the north-facing front is now in place...



In other recent news here, food-hall specialists Urban­Space officially signed the lease for 10,000 square feet on the ground level.

Per the Post on Friday:

The new Urbanspace, the fifth in Manhattan, will differ from the others in having interactive online ordering in addition to traditional "curated" food stands. It is set to open in the first or second quarter of 2021.

And of arriving in what will likely be a difficult food-retail environment? "We have the ideal business model to help the New York culinary world recover," Urbanspace founder and president Eldon Scott told the Post without offering specifics.

The building, developed jointly by the city’s Economic Development Corp. and RAL Development Services, will feature 14 floors of market-rate office space as well as "a technology training center and incubator, co-working spaces and state-of-the-art event space ... on the seven floors beneath," per the Zero Irving announcement issued last October.

The new building — long contested by local preservationists and community groups (see links below) — sits on the former site of a P.C. Richard & Son on city-owned property.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Behold Civic Hall, the high-tech future of Union Square — and NYC

• Speaking out against a 'Silicon Alley' in this neighborhood

• City Council unanimously approves tech hub; some disappointment in lack of zoning protections

• The conversation continues on the now-approved tech hub for 14th Street

• P.C. Richard is gone on 14th Street; preservationists want answers about tech-hub commitments

Petit Chou opens today on 1st Avenue

Petit Chou debuts this morning at 8 over at 229 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street.

As we noted back on July 22, the French-inspired bakery specializes in choux pastry, which is the base for eclairs, cream puffs and profiteroles.

They will also offer a variety of desserts as well as croissants and coffee.

You can follow along with them on Instagram. You can see some of chef-owner @bassim.90's creations here.

Weekend's parting video

A moment late afternoon yesterday during a DJ's set in Tompkins Square Park...



... she played Bell Biv DeVoe's "Poison" from 1990... which prompted a spontaneous "Poison" dance party that everyone seemed to enjoy ... video (and photo!) by Stacie Joy...

Week in Grieview

[Photo yesterday by Derek Berg]

Posts this last week included...

• Tompkins Square Library reopens today for grab-and-go service (Monday)

• New 5th Street coffee shop closes in less than 2 months; owner says the 9th Precinct's barricades "greatly restricted" his foot traffic (Thursday)

• CM Carlina Rivera calls for Parks Dept. to review fate of Cox statue in Tompkins Square Park (Tuesday)

• Bluestockings announce new home on Suffolk Street (Saturday)

• Manhattan45, a dance music record store, arrives on 10th Street (Thursday)

• Tropical storm Isaias brings down tree limbs in Tompkins Square Park (Tuesday)

• Storm damage: Pedestrian injured by falling debris on Avenue A and 3rd Street (Tuesday)

• East Village bar owner petitioning against Cuomo’s COVID-19 menu mandate has liquor license suspended for not serving food (Wednesday)

• An East River Park reunion (Saturday)

• MTA unveils new 14th Street L-train elevators; make a pitch to the feds for funding (Friday)

• This week's NY See Panel (Thursday)

• Fish ahoy! The Chippery debuts on 1st Avenue (Tuesday)


[As seen on 2nd Avenue]

• 204 Avenue A disappears; the all-new 202 Avenue appears (Tuesday)

• Bowery Mission selling Avenue D facility (Thursday)

• The Walgreens on Astor Place closes at the end of August (Monday)

• Hamilton Fish Pool reopens (Monday)

• Porsena has closed for good on 7th Street (Monday)

• Fonda permanently closes on Avenue B (Wednesday)

• Oda House closes East Village location (Thursday)

• Karma Lounge closes after 21 years on 1st Avenue (Friday)

• Matthew Kenney changing up concepts on 2nd Avenue and 4th Street (Monday)

• Cantilevering condoplex next to Rite Aid looking glassy (Monday)

... and it was a busy week for making 2020 holiday plans and discarding last year's Christmas tree... as seen Wednesday on St. Mark's Place via Derek Berg...



... and a day later a reader came across this on 12th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...



---

Follow EVG on Instragram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

Concern for East Village Organic's extended family in Lebanon

[Photos yesterday by Stacie Joy]

Ali and Amina Fardos, who own East Village Organic on First Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, have family members living in Lebanon. On Tuesday, a devastating explosion rocked Beirut, killing more than 160 people and injuring 6,000 while destroying large sections of the city.

In response to the crisis, the market posted this message on Instagram yesterday:

Our hearts have been so warmed by the outpouring of concern for the EVO extended family from customers over the last few days.

For anyone who didn’t know to ask, or was afraid to pry, all of Ali and Amina’s family members in Lebanon are safe and well. We have been very blessed.

But so many others can not say the same. And our hearts have been heavy as we watch the country suffer the after effects of one the largest non-nuclear blasts in history.

If anyone wants to help and is able to give during this time, we have made a donation to @beitelbaraka.

Beit el Baraka has operated a free grocery store since 2019 to help the underserved communities within Beirut, Lebanon and since the blast, they are expanding their efforts to include other services for the people who need it.

We love their message and their mission and we feel confident any funds given to them will benefit the people directly.

[Ali Fardos]

Noted

For anyone who can’t wait for 2020 to be over, there’s a stash of discarded plastic New Year’s Eve hats on First Avenue near 10th Street.

Photo by William Klayer...

An East River Park reunion

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

Last Saturday, a group of longtime local residents — past and present — gathered at East River Park near 10th Street for their annual Lower East Side Unity and Pride Reunion.

Given the COVID-19 times that we live in, the Parks Department issued the permit with instructions on social distancing and handwashing as well as reminders to wear masks (which everyone did, with the exception of a few photo opps) and not to shake hands (elbow to elbow was recommended).

And so this year's gathering was more low-key with fewer attendees. However, those here were happy to be in each other's company and in East River Park for possibly one last August gathering (we thought last year might be the grand finale) before the Park is closed for five years of demolition-resiliency work.

























... and everyone paid their respects to group member Philip, who passed away last fall...

Bluestockings announce new home on Suffolk Street

[116 Suffolk St.]

Bluestockings, the volunteer- and collective-run bookstore, activist space and fair-trade café, closed its 21-year-old Allen Street location on July 30. At the time, Bluestockings announced that they had a new LES home lined up.

And yesterday, the official word came down via Instagram: Bluestockings now has the keys to 116 Suffolk St. between Rivington and Delancey.

Bluestockings launched a crowdfunding campaign to help build out the new space and "keep providing vital resources to our queer, trans and SWing community."

Per GoFundMe:

Our new space is more than double the size of 172 Allen Street! Accessibility needs are at the forefront of our plans when designing the new space, with a fully ADA-compliant bathroom, expanded café seating, lower café countertops, clear exit paths and wider aisles. We are excited to have more space and need your help to install a platform lift in our cafe area to make sure that our disabled comrades are able to take full advantage of the space.

This extra room also gives us the opportunity to have a much needed area dedicated exclusively to events and meetings for our friends who run book clubs, labor organizers, and anyone else who utilizes Bluestockings as a hub for radical thought.

A much needed technological upgrade.

One of the major issues we have come up against over the years is our very outdated software system. This has made it especially hard to keep up with online orders! To make sure that this isn’t an obstacle going forward, we plan to reopen with a new POS and inventory system to make ordering from Bluestockings as easy as possible.

Bluestockings opened at 172 Allen St. between Stanton and Rivington in 1999. You can follow the Bluestockings Instagram account for updates.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Today is the last day for Bluestockings on Allen Street; new LES location in the works

ARTnews today on 11th Street

There's a group art show today from 2-6 at 516 E. 11th St. (inside the Come Back Daily storefront) between Avenue A and Avenue B ... curated by Marcus Glitteris.

Per the invite: "Masks are required for entry and social distancing protocols will be heavily enforced."

You had your chance at the Cellino & Barnes ads on 14th Street

Despite a high-profile breakup, the iconic Cellino & Barnes — Injured? — ads still graced the L-train entrance on 14th Street at Third Avenue...



These ads for the personal injury lawyers, up seemingly forever, are collector's items in some circles.

And now — now! — they are gone...





Gone!



One last time to call ...8-8-8...8-8-8-8...

Dream 'World'

The Birmingham UK-based Cherry Pickles have a new LP out this fall on PNKSLM Recordings ... this video is for the first single "Out Of This World," which sounds like another lo-fi retro contender for a show at the Roadhouse.

EVG Etc.: Protecting New Yorkers from evictions; reopening NYC restaurants

[Sunset over Tompkins Square Park last night via @cecilscheib]

• Upper West Siders upset with plan that relocated residents from two East Village-based shelters to the Lucerne Hotel on 79th Street (West Side Rag ... NBC 4)

• Homeless group secures city pledge to fund hotel stays (The City)

• A breakdown of protections New Yorkers currently have from eviction (Curbed)

• Café Tucano — the former Cloister Cafe — on Ninth Street Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue is said to now be a hotspot for exclusive all-night pandemic parties (Gothamist)

• Staffers at The Neighborhood School on Third Street encouraging parents to request full remote learning on Department of Education surveys (The Post)

• Red-tailed hawks survey the tree damage in Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography)

• Nearly 50 NYC restaurant owners, including Danny Meyer and David Chang, are pledging their support of a new "Safe and Just Reopening" plan for restaurants (Eater)

• Chinatown dining scene making a comeback (Eater)

• "An uncommonly good summer show" title "(Nothing but) Flowers" through Sept. 13 at Karma on Second Street (The New Yorker)

• Club Cumming on Sixth Street launching series of virtual variety shows (Instagram)

... and out on virtual platforms today... "Creem: America's Only Rock 'N' Roll Magazine" ...

MTA unveils new 14th Street L-train elevators; make a pitch to the feds for funding

[Photo by Greg Masters]

MTA officials yesterday officially unveiled the two platform-to-street ADA elevators on either side of 14th Street near Avenue A that are now servicing the L-train stop.

In announcing the completion of this project, MTA officials, along with accessibility advocates, used the moment to call upon the federal government to provide funding to help secure the MTA’s 2020-2024 Capital Plan ... and bring more accessibility across the system.

Per the announcement:

Officials have stressed that the MTA needs $12 billion in federal aid in order to maintain operations through the end of 2021. A coalition of 13 advocacy groups sent a letter to Washington lawmakers today calling on them to make transit funding the "highest priority" in Congress's next Covid-19 relief bill.

"We have fought hard alongside transit advocates to make accessibility a top priority at the MTA and remain committed to doing so," said Janno Lieber, president of MTA Construction & Development, at the announcement. "As historic as the 2020-2024 Capital Plan is, I want to be very clear: it can't happen the way we originally envisioned it, unless Congress steps up and provides us with meaningful aid."

The MTA says they are currently losing $200 million a week in revenue from fares, tolls, subsidies and COVID-19-related expenses. (This Streetsblog post from yesterday explores the MTA's financial options — none of which are too good.)

Meanwhile, here's a look at the elevators now in operation on both sides of 14th Street...







In addition to the elevators, the First Avenue L stop now has four working entrances — two at First Avenue and two at Avenue A.

The work — part of the Sandy-damaged Canarsie tunnel rehabilitation — officially began along this corridor between Avenue B and First Avenue in July 2017. Since that time, both Target and Trader Joe's have opened.

Karma Lounge closes after 21 years on 1st Avenue

Karma Lounge, the two-level hookah club on First Avenue between Third Street and Fourth Street, announced yesterday that the venue had permanently closed.

Ownership shared the message on their website and social media properties:

After 21 years, Karma has closed. On behalf of everyone at Karma, we thank the community, our neighbors, our patrons, and our employees for the years of support and wish everyone the best of health and happiness in the future. Thank you for being a part of our family.

Karma, which hosted a variety of DJs and comedy nights, had not reopened since the COVID-19 PAUSE went into effect back in March.

And it was one of the few places in the city where patrons could still legally smoke cigarettes inside the establishment. As the Times reported in 2010:

Opened in 1999 as a hookah bar, it was able to get the cigar-bar exemption because it served alcohol and derived at least 10 percent of its income from tobacco products by the cutoff date in 2001.

Thursday's parting shot

Here's Ola, the co-owner of B&H Dairy, bringing in some plants to place around the lunch counter's handful of outdoor seats at 127 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place... photo today by Derek Berg...

A pop-up food pantry at the Most Holy Redeemer Church on Friday

The folks at the Most Holy Redeemer Church on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B shared this information about a free food and milk pantry tomorrow (Aug. 7)...

In collaboration with our friends at Catholic Charities of New York, we have arranged for some much-needed relief for our community! One truck will provide FREE nutritious groceries and the other truck will provide fortifying milk.

The distribution will be in front of Most Holy Redeemer Church, 173 E. 3rd St, August 7, from 10 a.m. - noon, and is on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. No pre-registration is required. Please observe social distancing and wear a face covering.

We're looking forward to seeing our neighbors!

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood and NYC.

New 5th Street coffee shop closes in less than 2 months; owner says the 9th Precinct's barricades 'greatly restricted' his foot traffic

Idlewild Coffee Co., 300 E. Fifth St. at Second Avenue, closed this past Friday after service — less than two months from opening day.

It was awful timing for the cafe. We first spotted signage for the shop in late February. The COVID-19 PAUSE arrived about one month later, forcing them to hold off on a grand opening.

Idlewild finally debuted on June 15 ... nearly two weeks after this block between First Avenue and Second Avenue went on lockdown on May 30 as the 9th Precinct, located mid-block, placed barricades and an array of officers at both ends of the street to protect the station house from the threat of protesters.

A note on the door for patrons points to the ongoing presence of the barricades as the main reason behind the coffee shop's quick closure...



The letter reads in part:

These are crazy times and there have been too many things completely out of our control that have affected business. The police barriers at the ends of the block which have greatly restricted foot traffic has probably been the biggest obstacle for the entirety of our opening, so hopefully for the sake of our more established neighboring businesses, the barriers will be completely removed at some point soon so that some sort of normalcy can return to the wonderful block.

Thank you so much for the warm welcome and all the positive feedback you've given us.

Last Thursday, a member of the Save Our Storefronts (SOS) coalition spoke with Idlewild owner John Harper, who said that he ran out of cash between the COVID-19 pandemic and the 9th Precinct's lockdown. He said 10 to 15 years of his savings went down the drain.



As far as we know, Idlewild didn't send out an opening announcement — other than an Instagram post. And we didn't know the shop had opened. Our previous attempts to walk on the block were rebuffed by officers on duty who said that only residents could access this stretch.

Here's a look at the barricades the other day...





The barricades are less restrictive than they were in June and early July... and pedestrians are now OK'd to access Fifth Street ...

Whose streets? Well, not our streets. ⁦@NYPD9Pct⁩ has swiped E. 5th St. from the public. Why? Who’s gonna stop them? ⁦@NYCMayor⁩ ? pic.twitter.com/4AkV7Yx2AB

— Streetsblog New York (@StreetsblogNYC) June 8, 2020

The NYPD has barricaded Precincts citywide, as Streetsblog ... Gothamist ... and West Side Rag have previously reported.

In an op-ed published in The Village Sun on July 15, Stuart Zamsky, who owns White Trash a few doors away from Idlewild, addressed the ongoing presence of the barricades.

[M]erchants and residents on these blocks are having a hard enough time trying to survive. We should not be interrogated in order to gain entry to our homes and places of business. If police have ongoing concerns about the safety of their station houses, couldn’t they limit the enclosures to the precinct buildings themselves?

In interviews (with CBS 2 for instance), the NYPD has repeatedly said that the streets around the station houses will reopen when there is no longer a threat. As the closure of Idlewild Coffee Co. shows, the barricades remain a threat to local businesses.

Manhattan45, a dance music record store, arrives on 10th Street

In some positive retail news, Manhattan45 recently opened at 220 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The small shop offers a finely curated selection of dance music from labels such as — cutting and pasting from their website! — Pinkman, Crosstown Rebels, Body N' Deep, Curtis Electronix, Rekids, Defected, Glitterbox, Hot Creations, Kompakt, Moustache, Nervous, Vault Wax, etc.

Manhattan45 is open 1-8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. You can find them online here ... and on Instagram here.

And they are directly across the street from Limited to One, the collectible record shop ... so you can make a vinyl afternoon of it on the block.