Squirrel(s) vs. hawk in Tompkins Square Park today

Photos by Bobby Williams

Meanwhile, lunchtime with a rat

Photos by Bobby Williams.

More of the rat lunch today in Tompkins Square Park

Our friend BaHa sends along a few more photos of a rat lunch today in Tompkins Square Park...

About the First Street Green Cultural Park

Now that the BMW Guggenheim Lab has moved on to confront comfort in Berlin, what's happening to the lot? Gothamist got the scoop yesterday from the volunteers at First Street Green:

The lot-turned-park will host dance, sculpture, painting, readings, music, performance, film, and annual competitions to build temporary canopies to house all of those things.

There's a kick-off party on Dec. 10 ... as Gothamist noted, First Street Green will unveil a "wishing wall" ... where you can suggest ideas for the space. (And preferably ones that don't involve liquor licenses ...)

Bobby Williams took the photos here yesterday... workers are putting in a new gate and what not.

Ave. A Deli & Food is now open

And now, 893 posts about Graceland later ... Here at Second Street, the corner deli opened on Thursday night... bringing closure to the drama that included Graceland closing, Frank's fast-food eatery not getting CB3 approval and 7-Eleven threat theatrics...

We'll have complete live team coverage — Assignment: Ave. A Deli & Food — all weekend, though I wouldn't count on it.

And now, a photo of the floor that I accidentally took...

Breaking: Workers removing more scaffolding at St. Brigid's

We've been getting a good look this week (here ... and here) ... at the renovated St. Brigid's on Avenue B at Eighth Street... this morning, a reader alerted us that workers were back at the scene removing the rest of the scaffolding on the historic church's north wall...

A note from our far-flung correspondents

From Dave on 7th, walking on 14th Street:

I just need to report that at 1:30 on Friday night, the IHOP is basically full.

And we shall call it, Squirrel in Silhouette

Early morning in Tompkins Square Park.

Today in photos of model Kate Upton in Tompkins Square Park

Shooting a commercial today with the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model ... thanks to @MichaelTSanchez for the photos...

Dazed and Confusion

A little New Order and NYC circa 1983.

Quantum Leap is closed

Rggulars of Quantum Leap on First Avenue passed along word this week that the vegetarian restaurant would have to close after getting socked with a rent hike. Yesterday was their last day.

@robbyohara passes along word (and the above photo) that the restaurant has been closed all day ... there's no note for customers... and that workers were removing supplies from the basement...

Frances Goldin could kick a cop in the balls and not get arrested, probably

[Andrew Burton/Getty Images]

Frances Goldin, founder of the Cooper Square Committee and catalyst for getting the rent reduced at the St. Mark's Bookshop, was among the many Occupy Wall Street protestors yesterday. The 87-year-old literary agent is a longtime activist who has been arrested nine times. She is quoted in a feature at MSNBC today:

"And I was sure I'd be arrested today, but the cops were determined because of the bad publicity for them, to not arrest an 87-year-old woman."

"I said [to an officer], 'What if I socked you in the eye?,' and he said, 'I'd give you a free shot,'" Goldin said. "'Well, what if I kneed you in the groin?,' and he said, 'No, you're not going to get arrested!'"

And here she is on NBC New York...

In-flight entertainment

A reader captured our friend in action today in Tompkins Square Park.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[14th Street and Avenue A this morning. By Shawn Chittle]

Helping Caffe Vivaldi (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Occupy Wall Street's Day of Action yesterday (Daily Intel ... Runnin' Scared ... The Gog Log)

Clayton Patterson at the Zuccotti Park evacuation (BoweryBoogie)

How the NYPD doles out credentials to the press (The New York Observer)

Danny Hoch on Broadway, gentrification (Gothamist)

You guide to New York City's hidden mews (Curbed)

Here comes Santa Claus.... right down Avenue A, sort of

I was the only one who noticed a man in a Santa hat sitting near a holiday movie ad today. A reader submitted the above shot...

Prepare to welcome The Standard East Village

Page Six has the following news today (via Eater):

André Balazs is turning the Cooper Square Hotel into The Standard East Village. Sources say the high-flying hotelier’s deal to buy the beleaguered East Fifth Street Cooper Square gem will close today. Sources added that, under Balazs and his partners, the 105-room hotel's public spaces will be reconfigured, its rooms refurbished and its restaurants overhauled over the course of the next year. The property will be The Standard's more "intimate and residential" location than its boisterous site straddling the High Line...

And, in an exclusive, we have obtained The Standard's plans for renovations right here... Not yet confirmed for authenticity...

Is this finally the end for the Mary Help of Christians Catholic church on East 12th Street?

From a parishioner at Mary Help of Christians on East 12th Street:

There are rumors that the church and school property are being sold by the Spring ... I'm afraid that NYU is buying it and going to build dorms.

We haven't heard much about this space in the last three years. Those in the know in the community are most certain that NYU isn't involved. (We asked NYU spokesperson John Beckman, though we haven't heard back just yet.)

Still, there is some precedent for the worry. In February 2004, the archdiocese sold St. Ann’s on East 12th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue for a reported $15 million. There is now a 26-story NYU dorm at the site. But that was before the 111-block rezone.

[Image via]

Let's go back a few years. In May 2007, The New York Times reported that the 109-year-old Roman Catholic church would close as part of a realignment by the Archdiocese of New York. Per the Times:

While this East Village church will continue to have two Sunday Masses for the immediate future, they will be overseen by a different church, Immaculate Conception on 14th Street and First Avenue.

In September 2008, The Real Deal reported that "Two thirds of a 15,000-square-foot East Village playground ... is under contract in a quiet, all-cash sale for $10.4 million."

The playground — home to the weekend flea market — is divided into three ownership lots, according to The Real Deal. Two of the parcels are (or were) owned by a Roman Catholic order called the Salesian Society. The Archdiocese owns the church located on a 13,000-square-foot lot.

Joseph Zwilling, spokesperson for the New York Archdiocese, didn't respond to an email seeking comment.

Meanwhile, for whatever reasons, the parishioners are hearing the rumors of the church's demise once again. Perhaps with the continued progress at St. Brigid's on Avenue B — one optimistic estimate had the church's renovations complete by the end of next summer — Mary Help of Christians is becoming expendable.

The church in 1920 via the NYPL Digital Gallery ...

Getting hard up at The Bourgeois Pig

Heh. This morning on Seventh Street.

St. Brigid's is looking oh so 1848

So, as you probably know, some of the construction netting and plywood came down Tuesday on the north wall of St. Brigid's on Avenue B and Eighth Street... Yesterday, workers peeled back just a little bit more of the netting... exposing even more of the under-renovation church... Bobby Williams took a look...

As The Villager reported this past July, the church will have its original 1848 look... Per the paper:

Both the west and north facades (what everyone from the street sees) of the building are going to be sheathed in cast brownstone slabs, more or less restoring the look of what was there when the church was first built in 1848. They are working on this now, and roughly a quarter of the north wall has already been installed. The original north wall had to be completely demolished and rebuilt as part of the process of restoring structural stability to the church. This necessitated filling the entire church interior with scaffolding in order to support the roof during this reconstruction. But it was a big improvement over the original repair plan to simply re-stucco the existing facade.

Bobby also sent a view of the new roof...

And as a bonus — a view of the church from Tompkins Square Park circa the early 1870s ...

Here's the caption for the photo from The Villager:

A photo from around the early 1870s showing St. Brigid’s Church with its spires on Avenue B and, in foreground, a gazebo in Tompkins Square Park. Around this time, the park was stripped and leveled to turn it into a parade ground for the 7th Regiment. The gazebo had been likely the reviewing stand for the military brass. After much public outcry, in 1878, Tompkins Square was redesigned and rebuilt as a public park.

Extra Place's transformation into 'Artist Alley'

Two Fridays ago, we cut-and-paste the news release posted the information on Artist Alley @ Extra Place. Well, let's just post the thing again:

On Saturday, November 19, Fourth Arts Block (FABnyc) will present Groundbreak, the inaugural exhibit in a rotating public art program for Artist Alley @ Extra Place. This exhibit is the latest in a series of temporary art installations in atypical locations in the East Village/Lower East Side through FABnyc's ArtUp program.

FABnyc recognizes Extra Place as a cultural marker in New York City's Punk and No Wave scene and its potential as fertile ground for a new generation of creative exchange. Abe Lincoln Jr., Jon Burgerman, and Ellis Gallagher are New York based artists who will reclaim the concrete sidewalk as their blank canvas.

And Bobby Williams has been keeping tabs on the progress for part of the week...

Sunday!

Monday!

Tuesday!

All this explains that "birthplace of punk" art.

Anyway, doesn't seem like too long ago when workers were removing the street art/graffiti from here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Meanwhile, Extra Place continues to maintain its proud heritage

Perhaps he just saw Extra Place for the first time in 15 years or so?

Looking at Extra Place

On Avenue C, Bobwhite is hiring; and what exactly is Bobwhite?

Over at 94 Avenue C near East Sixth Street... work continues at Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter...

... and they are hiring now...

We've talked with several nearby residents who have high hopes for the restaurant, which will serve Southern-style comfort food ... the owner, Virginia native Keedick Coulter, received approval for a beer and wine license from the CB3/SLA committee last month...

Anyway, they have a website here ...

Here's a description what's coming here (early next year):

Bobwhite Counter is a small restaurant with big aspirations. We want to make seasonal, responsible food something you can afford to enjoy on a regular basis. Maybe we’re biased, but we think that the spirit and soul of Southern cooking is a perfect way to do just that. Whether you want to sit down for a friendly meal or take something home, we hope you’ll enjoy our Southern-style chicken suppers, sandwiches, and seasonal vegetables all made from responsible, high-quality ingredients.

Chico whipped up some bobwhites for the rolldown gate...

[Thanks to Dave on 7th for the top two photos]

Spacious loft with separate bathroom for rent on Avenue A

Between Fifth Street and Sixth Street tonight. By Bobby Williams.

Xoom closing its doors on 14th Street next Wednesday

From the EV Grieve inbox... from Xoom owner Jennifer London

I am writing to inform you that as of Wednesday, November 23 Xoom will be closing its doors at Pure Fitness. Unfortunately, the gym ownership has not been able to hold up their side of our contract making it impossible for me to run my business there. I am quite disappointed as I was optimistic that this new location would be a great home for Xoom. I want to be clear that this decision does not reflect any negative feelings toward the staff and members of Pure Fitness. They have all been incredibly welcoming and supportive and the Xoom staff and I will miss working with and serving them.

I know this all seems very abrupt and I apologize for such short notice on our closing. This only became official this week and the timing made it such that closing next week was the best decision for everyone.

Because this all happened so quickly, I do not have any plans in place to re-open a store front any time soon. I would really like to keep Xoom alive in some shape or form and will absolutely keep you posted as plans develop. In the meantime, I am working on ways to bring Xoom to you by being available to "cater" a gathering, office breakfast or other such events. If you are interested in that let me know and I would be happy to work something out with you. When I have a concrete plan I will be sure to email you all again to let you know where I (and Xoom) land.

I encourage you to follow us on Twitter (@xoomnyc) and Facebook (Xoom NYC) this week as we will be having crazy blow out specials in order to move as much product as possible. Whatever is left over will be donated to City Harvest.

It has been a pleasure and I hope that I will be seeing you all again soon in whatever form Xoom takes in the future.

Xoom opened here this past July ... after moving from Seventh Street in the spring.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Yesterday in Tompkins Square Park. By Bobby Williams]

Remembering the Miller Fish Market at 91 First Ave. (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

New LES resident likes that her apartment "doesn't look old" and that it's close to the Meatball Shop (BoweryBoogie)

On 12th Street and Avenue B, Stanley's was "a hip place where Harlem met bohemia" (Ephemeral New York)

Inside Occupy Wall Street’s (kinda) secret media HQ (Wired)

You can still pee and stuff at Starbucks — woo, here I come, Astor Place! (Grub Street)

Coming Sunday: "Block By Block: New York Street Historians" (Nathan Kensinger Photography)

East Village rape suspect held on $100,000 bail

[DNAInfo/Ben Fractenberg]

A Manhattan Criminal Court judge ordered the man accused of trying to rape a First Avenue resident early Sunday morning held in lieu of a $100,000 bail during his arraignment yesterday, according to various media reports.

DNAinfo reported that 35-year-old Imre Meszesan, a Hungarian citizen, works as a laborer. DNAinfo also has photos from yesterday's arraignment (top).

The Post reported that police arrested Meszesan in a Suffolk County store four months ago for allegedly exposing himself.

Previously.

The Bean is not taking over the former Rama Cafe on First Avenue

We noticed that new for rent signs went up at the former Rama Cafe on First Avenue near Second Street.

Back in September, Jim Dwyer at The New York Times reported that Starbucks will be the new tenant at the Bean's flagship cafe at First Avenue and Third Street. At the time, the Bean announced that it would open a location down the Avenue at the Rama space.

So we asked Ike Escava, a Bean partner, what was happening.

"We decided not to go forward with that space and to focus instead on the store we are opening this month at 54 2nd Avenue and at 147 First Ave. in a few months," he said via email.

Escava also had a point of clarification about the Bean's beer-and-wine application. Based on feedback from people at the CB3/SLA meeting Monday night, we noted that the committee approved a request for the Bean's new location at Second Avenue and Third Street, but denied the Bean's request for a license at 147 First Ave. and Ninth Street.

Here's his email:

We decided to withdraw our application to serve wine & beer at 147 1st Ave after seeing that there were people in opposition to it. If we have community support at a later time we may try again but if it is unwanted in the community we will not. We will not even address this matter again internally until we are open and operating at that location. It is our intention to maintain the feeling and vibe of the shop at 54 2nd Ave that we built at 49 1/2 1st Ave. We applied for the wine & beer as a way to add something but we will be very careful not to let that change what we really are about.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Bean is now apparently opening on every corner in the East Village

On second thought, there is a garage at the Economakis Dream Mansion

Just on Tuesday, we had given up on the gossip about a new garage at the former 15-unit tenement on East Third Street. However! A well-placed tipster says it's all true, possibly.

First, some paperwork from the DOB to install a new curb cut. (Notice it is in audit to revoke — which means??)

Per the tipster:

"The garage is already built. I haven't seen behind the plywood since the structural work was done so I don't know what it looks like exactly. There is a vandal and graffitti resistant (maybe tactical nuclear-strike proof) garage door which does not roll on a track like a typical door, but rises in one piece vertically through the floor above and stops behind the windows of the floor above."

Two other items of business:

1) Per a commenter: "If you look on the DOB website at job #110412232, Schedule A, it has a proposed 'community facility' where the storefronts are. Isn't this supposed to be a single family mansion?"

2) Predicting a move-in date...

Previously on EV Grieve:
And Economakis gets the whole building for his dream mansion

The 47 E. 3rd St. protest in video

At the 47 E. 3rd St. protest

Good things: Joe's Bar is back open

Goggla sent along the good news last night... our well-worn favorite on East Sixth Street was back open...

A combination of Joe's health and the DOH knocked the bar out of action in early October, as we reported here.

We don't have the whole story just yet... but we're certainly glad to see it back...

Last day for Quantum Leap on First Avenue

On Tuesday, we first reported that Quantum Leap on First Avenue was facing closure after being hit with a hefty rent increase.

Last night, the staff at the vegetarian restaurant confirmed to EV Grieve reader dwg that they were closing after today.

[Photo by Stu_Jo via Flickr]