Monday, October 21, 2013

The Grace Memorial House is nice and clean now on Fourth Avenue



Over at 92-96 Fourth Ave. at East 11th Street, the construction netting is off the historic Grace Memorial House (part of the Grace Memorial Church complex) ... It had been under cover for months receiving some kind of scrub down... As EVG reader Terry Howell noted, "The cleaned building is a lovely warm creamy color. I was so accustomed to the NYC grime gray color."



The James Renwick, Jr.-designed (and landmarked) building dates to 1881...



A little more history about the address via the 1977 NYC Landmark Designation Report:

No. 94-96 Fourth Avenue, Grace Memorial House, once known as the Day Nursery, was reputedly New York's first day care center. Given to Grace Church by the Hon. Levi P. Morton, vice president of the United States under Benjamin Harrison, in memory of his wife, it was designed by James Renwick, Jr., to accord with the architecture of the 1846 rectory on Broadway ... Renwick added a Gothic revival facade and made other alterations to the two earlier Greek Revival houses on the site.

When Grace Memorial House was reopened in 1927 to house low-salaried young women and female students, it was named Huntington House in honor of rector William Reed Huntington. In 1953 it became a rehabilitation center for girls, and in 1957 it was closed.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Something cool on Avenue A



Headline and photo via @fnytv

Can't we just enjoy Halloween first?



At Gem Spa today.

The 'No 7-Eleven' campaign gains first celebrity endorsement



Alan Cumming stopped by today's "No 7-Eleven" rally on Avenue A and East 11th Street.

[Photo via @No7ElevenNYC]

Updated 10-21



Here's a group photo via Grant Shaffer...

Week in Grieview


[On Avenue C via Mark White]

Here is the new residential complex for East 14th Street (Friday, 57 comments)

BBQ and more still in the works for the former Lucky Cheng's space (Monday)

Reader mailbag: Places to eat that have that old East Village vibe (Friday, 38 comments)

Out and About with Seth Tobocman (Wednesday)

The "Mayor of Avenue D" busted for alleged drug operation (Wednesday)

More dessert for the East Village (Thursday)

More tacos for the East Village (Monday)

More Thai food for the East Village (Thursday)

Memories of the former Di Bella Bros. on First Avenue (Tuesday)

East Village resident creates Puppydog Poop Mitts (Wednesday)

So long to Banksy's "Concrete Confessional" on East Seventh Street (Saturday)

Pulino's is closing on the Bowery (Thursday)

Neighbors come together to help restore La Plaza Cultural (Tuesday)

128 Second Ave. was sold (Thursday)

The lone tenant at 338 E. Sixth St. (Tuesday)

A discussion on the new health-insurance exchange (Thursday)

123 E. 10th St. Sarkozy-Olsen "love nest" in contract (Tuesday)

20 years at the Odessa (Friday)

A lighting store for East Seventh Street (Monday)

Bike rack news (Friday)

Now, if you can, go outside. It's nice and bright...

Noted



Spotted along Second Avenue...

Today on A and East 11th Street


Via the EVG inbox...



More info here.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

One Fall day



Photo on East Ninth Street and Avenue B via Bobby Williams

From last night's Knuckle-Walking Pub Crawl

Report: Roseland Ballroom will close in April



The Roseland Ballroom on East West 52nd Street is closing in April 2014, according to a report at Billboard.com.

The venerable venue, owned by developer Larry Ginsberg and booked by Live Nation, opened at its 52nd street location, a converted skating rink, in 1958 and is a sentimental favorite for many bands. The history of the venue in New York dates back to 1919, when it was located at 51st and Broadway, and prior to that in Philadelphia.

Roger Friedman got confirmation of the closing at ShowBiz 411.

“The owner is developing the property,” a source who’s on the inside told me. ... Ironically, across the street last year there was a threat of Gallagher’s Steak House shutting down. It was saved at the last minute. New York’s rare and storied history is disappearing quickly.

The room holds about 3,500... and I've always liked the space for a concert...




Here's a post from 2008 with more history of the space and some archival photos.

5 a.m., Second Avenue, Oct. 19



And how was your Friday night?

Photo by ‏@robbyohara

Banksy's 'Concrete Confessional' has been removed from E. 7th St.



[Photos by peter radley]

Banksy's "Concrete Confessional" was discovered/unveiled last Saturday... it was naturally quickly defaced/augmented, etc. ...

On Wednesday, construction workers apparently attempted to prevent future vandalism/augmentation by putting plexiglass over the art...

And now, sometime yesterday, someone removed the entire hunk of concrete (intended for use in the Cooper Square-Astor Place revamp), as these photos by EVG reader Robert Miner show...





Perhaps the Confessional was carted away to an unspecified gallery like that car on Ludlow Street was...

Meanwhile, how are you feeling about the Banksy hype these days?

Things that you can do today on East 12th Street


Well, there are plenty of things to do today around the neighborhood... including, from the EVG inbox...

A Harvest Festival at The Children”s Workshop School on East 12th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C...



...and a rummage sale at the El Sol Brilliante Jr Community Garden between Avenue A and Avenue B...

Friday, October 18, 2013

Today in photos of people wearing live snakes around their neck on Avenue A



Why not. At East Sixth Street via Bobby Williams.

This One is for you



Hüsker Dü with "Could You Be the One?" from 1987.

Here is the future of East 14th Street and Avenue A: 7 stories of residential and retail


Wow. Here we go.

As we first reported last December, eight parcels consisting of 222 Avenue A and 504 - 530 E. 14th St. (excluding No. 520) were leased for a 99-year period by the respective owner of East Village 14 LLC. City property records showed that Gary Barnett of Extell Development signed a 99-year lease worth $35.14 million to rent eight Sol Goldman-owned properties.

And the businesses have disappeared, including The Blarney Cove and Bargain Express.

What's next?

Here's a look at a conceptual rendering from an RKF retail listing with more details for the all-new 500 E. 14th St. ...



SPACE
Ground Floor* 24,710 SF
Lower Level* 14,600 SF
Total 39,310 SF
*divisible

POSSESSION
First Quarter 2016

TERM
Long term

FRONTAGE
52 feet on Avenue A
257 feet on East 14th Street

NEIGHBORS
Associated Supermarket, CVS/pharmacy, Duane Reade, Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, Starbucks, The Vitamin Shoppe, United States Post Office

COMMENTS
• Located at the base of a brand new seven-story residential and retail development
• Rarely available large block of retail space in a prime East Village location
• Directly across from Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village
• Logical divisions considered
• Space can be vented for cooking
• Loading dock located on the East 13th Street side of building



More more more... later later later.

Previously on EV Grieve:
East 14th Street exodus continues

The disappearing storefronts of East 14th Street

[Updated with correction] 8-lot parcel of East 14th Street primed for new development

Bargain Express has closed on East 14th Street

East 14th Street corridor now nearly business-free ahead of new development

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition


[Too early this morning on 7th Street and 2nd Avenue]

Selling the air rights to landmarked buildings (Curbed)

Looking at the planetarium at the new Lower Eastside Girls Club (NY1)

Will the SLA yank the liquor license from EMM Group’s Bowery complex? (BoweryBoogie)

Honk NYC in video on Avenue C (Slum Goddess)

A Horn & Hardart automat and Julian’s pool hall once shared an address on East 14th (Ephemeral New York)

“Our Lower East Side” group show opens tonight (The Lo-Down)

Remembering Billy's Topless (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Fire escape life (Gog in NYC)

An overview of the NYC Independent Film Festival (DNAinfo)

Chain stores push out this grocery store in Williamsburg (Runnin' Scared)

Zombies wait for cab on Houston and B (GammaBlog)

Fred Armisen (as Ian Rubbish) interviews Mick Jones and Paul Simonon (Dangerous Minds)

... and tonight, The Shala Yoga studio is hosting a fundraiser to help support the Bent on Learning Yoga program at The Children's Workshop School on East 12th Street...

Today in bike rack news that we pretty much should have covered 2 weeks ago



Where were we? Oh! Bike racks, an immensely popular topic here. EVG regular Terry Howell notes the recent arrival of bike racks on Second Avenue at East Ninth Street ... and East Ninth Street at Second Avenue (pay attention!)...



How's it going so far? Per Terry:

"The one on 2nd Ave. is used primarily for the corner deli delivery crew. This rack also has the marvelous effect of forcing delivery trucks to doublepark IN 2nd Ave. most mornings with the usual horn-honking results."

Still, the more bike racks the better, right?

Reader mailbag: Places to eat that have that old East Village vibe



EVG reader Exyallie left this comment yesterday on the post about the sale of 128 Second Ave. ... which also houses the Stage.

Lemme ask a question... I moved to the EV in 1972 (!) and have just returned after an absence of some years and, of course, am in total shock/disbelief.

So I am teaching in one of the local high schools, and I am committed to ONLY eating at places that retain some of the spirit of the nabe when I was there — I usually end up at the B&H across the street from this place... Any other ideas?

And this is NOT to hijack the thread or anything I promise... just wearing out too much shoe leather trying to find places, most of which are long, long gone!!!

Well, there are a handful of such places. Anyone want to offer some ideas?

East Yoga finds new home on Avenue B



Fire caused extensive damage to the East Yoga space last November on East 13th Street and Avenue B... since then, East Yoga has offered an abbreviated schedule of classes in a temporary location at ABC Sanctuary on East Sixth Street and free classes in Tompkins Square Park ...

Now they've found a new home upstairs at 96 Avenue B next to Sunny & Annie's.


[Via Facebook]

They opened the space this past Sunday... and they're offering "a yogi-style" reopening party on Saturday, Nov. 2.

The Hare Krishnas were the previous tenant in the two-floor building before moving out in July 2011. The ground floor remains on the market.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Fire at East Yoga on East 13th Street and Avenue B

To 20 years at the Odessa



Dennis Vassilatos just celebrated his 20th year as night-shift manager at the Odessa on Avenue A. To 20 more years of the Odessa...

[Thanks to Shawn Chittle for the photo and info.]

7 Spices has been on vacation for awhile on Second Avenue



Reyna Exotic Turkish Cuisine quietly opened and closed during the summer of 2012 at 82 Second Ave. ... the same owner reopened the space in January as 7 Spices here between East Fifth Street and East Fourth Street...

Now a reader notes the following: They've had a sign in the window indicating that they're on vacation and will be back next week for the past three to four weeks.



Aside from serving Turkish and Mediterranean fare, 7 Spices arguably has/had the largest delivery zone around...



Per their website (which doesn't mention any temporary vacation or closure):

7 Spices delivers delicious Turkish food to the East Village, ABC City, Soho, Noho, Little Italy, ChinaTown, Bowery, Lower East Side, Stuyvesant, Gramercy Park, Midtown South, Greenwich Village.

A look inside a gutted Death & Co.



Saw the above sign the other day outside Death & Co. on East Sixth Street ... pointing out that the speakeasy is putting in a new bar...


[Not the new bar, prolly]

The folks from the Wineshop happened by and shared these photos...







Death & Co. is scheduled to reopen next Friday.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Business opportunity available



Previously on EV Grieve:
Docking blues: Doing the 'checking-all-of-the-Citi Bike-stations dance' (43 comments)

Today in Tompkins Square Park photo opps



No idea what this is for (maybe you do?) ... but everyone looks happy.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

DF Mavens opening non-dairy ice cream outpost on St. Mark's Place and 2nd Avenue



That prime northwest corner space on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place has a new tenant — a retail outpost of DF Mavens... as their tagline says, "The finest dairy-free ice cream in the world. Made in NYC."



Their dairy-free desserts have been available in various retail outlets ... though we believe that this is their first dedicated NYC storefront.

Eastside Bakery (.net?) closed down here at the end of April. And once upon a time, the space was home to the Gap in the late 1980s into the early 1990s.

DF Mavens will be arriving in 2014, per the sign.

Updated 10/18
This came up in the comments: Lula's is back open on East Sixth Street as of Aug. 3.

Report: Pulino's closing to make for new French restaurant on the Bowery

[EVG file photo]

Pulino's Bar and Pizzeria, which apparently tripled nearby rents and caused men to urinate in the co-ed sink, will close in January to make way for a new Keith McNally concept, Eater is reporting.

The McNally-owned Pulino's will reopen in March as a French restaurant called Cherche Midi, which was also the name of a French military prison in Paris.

Eater quotes McNally:

Through no one's fault but my own Pulino's hasn't fully worked and I've decided to change it quite radically.

Pulino's opened on the Bowery at East Houston Street in March 2010.

East Village resident looking for help with new health-insurance exchange



An EVG reader and East Village resident asked us the following yesterday...

I am wondering if there are other East Village residents struggling to sign up for health care insurance through the new federal program. If so, then I would love to hear how they are faring and get any advice or tips they might offer on how to get through the application process and which insurance is best.

I have gone onto the New York Health Exchange site several times in the last couple of weeks, failing to get through the entire application process every time because of apparent glitches in the system. Today, I got through it with some help from a phone rep, but even she couldn't figure out why I couldn't input certain key information, and she actually gave me wrong information about whether I should put in my total income for 2013 or my adjusted gross income.

I asked her if it was possible to go somewhere in my area and have someone help me in person with the application. She asked for my zip code and said there wasn't anyone here who could help me in person. It is pretty frustrating.

Is there anyone who has successfully navigated the new system who can offer any tips...?

128 Second Ave. has been sold



Back in late August, a tipster told us that 128 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and East Seventh Street was in contract.

Per the tipster, the building was being sold "to a group of four relatively young guys" ... who were heard outside 128 "talking about 'clearing out' the shop in the front" of the building. There are two businesses here: A tattoo/piercing parlor and the Stage restaurant.

According to public documents filed at the beginning of October, the building was sold for $7.5 million. The listed buyers are LLCs... with addresses that match up to Stellar Management ("known as a premier owner and operator of commercial real estate") and Icon Realty Management.

Ikon is familiar to the East Village, as far as gut renovations and additional stories go. Among the company's recent purchases: 326-328 E. Fourth St., 205 Avenue A and 154 Second Ave.

As for the beloved Stage, we understand that they have six years remaining on their lease.

Previously on EV Grieve:
An appreciation: Breakfast at Stage

Troubling talk about 128 Second Ave, and the long-term future of the Stage

Fencing in the future 6-story residential building on E. 9th Street



Progress check at 327 E. Ninth St., a former parking lot between First Avenue and Second Avenue. As we first reported in August 2012, a six-story, two-unit residential building will eventually rise here.

A crew was working on an upgraded fence yesterday ...



...to protect the current pit ...



The plywood includes a rendering of the future 327 E. Ninth St. ...



Previously on EV Grieve:
The big dig begins for 6-story, 2-unit condo on East 9th Street

East Ninth Street parking lot will yield to 6-floor residential building