Apartment fire in Stuy Town

Crazy Eddie passes these photos of an apartment fire at a 10-12 Stuyvesant Oval address ... no word yet on the extent of the blaze...

Someone has already thrown away a Christmas tree

On St. Mark's Place. Or is this left from last year? Also, we haven't forgotten about the whole Christmas in June/July/August/September nonsense business... We have a winner, who will be revealed at the appropriate moment.

Nevada Smith's at Webster Hall

We've been meaning to note this since we reported that Nevada Smith's closed at 74 Third Ave. on Nov. 27.

So until they move up the street to 100 Third Ave. some day ... Nevada Smith's is has been showing matches at Webster Hall... Thanks to our friend Esquared for the photos...

The schedule is posted on the Nevada Smith's Facebook page.

[Updated] School officials trash the skateboard ramps from Open Road Park

Earlier this week, an EV Grieve reader told me that the NYC Department of Education closed the Open Road Park, which is adjacent to the East Side Community High School on East 12th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

This also happened back in June, as we first reported. During a meeting in late June, Mark Federman, the principal of the school, told residents about increased "incidents of trash and debris, smoking cigarettes, marijuana — some selling of marijuana."

The park reopened as of July 1.

We thought this most recent closure would also be temporary.

Not so.

The park's skateboard ramps have been discarded along with the rest of the trash along East 12th Street ...

UPDATED:

A reader on Facebook just commented, "A white station wagon has just removed all but the dark brown ramp, which wouldn't fit in his car."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Open Road Park closed now on 12th Street

Why the Open Road Park is closed

Santa swarms

[Via Dave on 7th]

Reports are coming in from everywhere. Swarms of Santa. Everywhere. One resident asked to send in reinforcements of people not dressed in Santa suits. Just wait till sundown!

And thanks to Jen Doll at the Voice for asking my thoughts on the day of terror Santa thing.

You can read the piece at Runnin' Scared here.

Avenue A, 8:51 a.m., Dec. 10

Yesterday afternoon on Avenue A

At St. Mark's Place. Photos by Bobby Williams.

Reader reports: Shots fired at Campos Plaza II early this morning

[VH McKenzie]

The EV Grieve inbox is full of reader reports of a shooting last night at Campos Plaza II on 13th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. V.H. McKenzie said that the police helicopter started circling the area around 12:30 "Just timed it — making a full revolution over the neighboring bldgs every 39 SECONDS, with search lights." Readers described hearing a series of explosions — or shots in a few cases — before the helicopters arrived. EV Grieve reader AC said that police at the scene wouldn't say what was happening.

Another reader claimed "that this kind of shit happens there all the time."

On Wednesday, The Lo-Down reported that security cameras would be installed at this public housing complex.

Kate's Joint has a challenge for Lady Gaga

Thanks to @HanserHanser for passing along this photo outside Kate's on Avenue B and East Fourth Street... Hope that's not steamed tofu...

Keep your Shirts on

The Shirts, from Brooklyn, circa 1978.

Gutting continues at 315 E. 10th St.

This morning, we reported that Ben Shaoul had purchased The Educational Alliance building at 315 E. 10th St. ... big plans in the works here — conversion to residential, and maybe, just maybe — an additional floor ... Meanwhile, as Dave on 7th notes, the gut renovation continues this afternoon...

Why there's a Hank Williams Jr. doll on Avenue C

EV Grieve reader Sam spotted this today outside Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter, coming soon to Avenue C near East Sixth Street... the place will serve Southern-style comfort food. Perhaps they need a better spokesdoll than Hank Williams Jr. though...

Breaking: Holiday lights going up now in Tompkins Square Park

Thanks to @harrisonmarkey for sending along this photo... the official tree lighting (the 20th anniversary) is Sunday afternoon at 4.

Breaking: East Village has the most pizza places of any neighborhood in Manhattan

That's the word from the New York City Economic Development Corporation today... Using the latest available data from the Department of Health restaurant inspection results, researchers found that the East Village (zip 10003) has 33 pizza places.

The StatsBee Tumblr has more details on the survey... which you can find here.

[Image: NYCEDC analysis of NYC DOHMH data]

About that really loud noise around 14th Street and Avenue B last night

[Not last night. But it could have been!]

From a reader who lives in Stuy Town near 14th Street and Avenue B:

Just wanted to see if anyone else had heard or contacted you yet about this really loud noise I experienced last night. Around 3:30 am I woke up from a deep sleep to the noise of what sounded like a jet literally hovering over my area. I woke up my boyfriend so that he could hear it too and so that I knew I wasn't dreaming. This noise went on consistently for about a half hour.

They didn't spot anything out the windows... Anyone else experience this? I'm going with UFO. No crackpot conspiracies, please.

Report: Fire at 26 St. Mark's Place

DNAinfo is reporting that a fire broke out this morning at 26 St. Mark's Place. (T-Kettle is the ground-floor tenant.) Per DNA, the fire started on a mattress on the third floor of the six-story building. "Some residents of the building ... had to be evacuated using a ladder as firefighters battled the blaze," Julie Shapiro reported.

Mystery buyer (Ben Shaoul?) picks up 315 E. 10th St. from the Educational Alliance; gut renovation and extra floor on way

The Educational Alliance had been running Counseling Services ("For children, teens, adults & families") at 315 E. 10th St. across from Tompkins Square Park. However, after seeing movers and garbage haulers work in the space last month, a tipster did a little digging.

It turns out that the Educational Alliance sold the building to "315 East 10th Street Owner LLC" for $3.7 million. It is a Delaware LLC and, according to documents, represented by the law firm of Goldberg Weprin Finkel Goldstein. (The sale was finalized on Sept. 15.)

Two observations from our tipster:

• The law firm that represented the people who recently closed on the Cabrini Nursing Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation for $25.5 million are the same that represented the buyer of 315 E 10th.

• Both properties were formerly used for nonprofit-type activities.

Per the tipster: "I assume [315] will be gutted shortly."

Indeed. There is a permit on file with the DOB for interior demolition. There's also a "pending permit" to convert this building into residential and add an extra floor.

Brent M. Porter and Associates is listed as the architect; Keith Holden is listed as the owner. The address given on the DOB application is the same as Magnum Real Estate Group. Ben Shaoul is the president of Magnum Real Estate Group.

So, perhaps, as we reported, it's safe to assume that Ben Shaoul now owns Cabrini Nursing Center too.

Meanwhile, the Educational Alliance recently held a groundbreaking event at its flagship building at 197 East Broadway, which is undergoing a $45 million renovation. (And not everyone is happy with the upcoming changes.)

Previously on EV Grieve:
Claim: Ben Shaoul is the new owner of Cabrini nursing home, will convert to condos

RIP Charlie

[Photo by Bob Arihood from July 2011]

To be honest, we don't know too much about Charlie... other than that we'd see him around fairly often, such as at Ray's ... He had bypass surgery earlier this year, and had been on the mend. Sad news to report, though: A reader said that his body was discovered last night in his East 10th Street apartment... we don't know any other details at the moment...

Shoolbred's-Ninth Ward owner bringing Caribbean cuisine to former Holy Basil space

An entity titled "Honey Rider LLC" is on Monday night's CB3/SLA docket. Honey Rider (Ursula Andress played Honey Rider in "Dr. No"!) is looking to take over the former home of Holy Basil, the Thai place on Second Avenue that closed in October after "technical difficulties."

According to documents (PDF!) on file at the CB3 website, Robert Morgan, one of the owners of Shoolbred's and the Ninth Ward on Second Avenue, is behind the new venture. He and his partner plan to serve "Caribbean cuisine," with operating hours of 1 p.m.-2 a.m. Monday-Thursday; 1 p.m.-4 a.m. on Friday; Noon-4 a.m. on Saturday; and noon-1 a.m. on Sunday, according to the documents.

No word yet on any Bond theme.

[Image via]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Holy Basil closed, space for rent

Holy Basil remains closed for 'technical difficulties'

Holiday tree lighting in Tompkins Square Park Sunday at 4 (p.m.)

[Photo by Allen Semanco]

The festivities (the 20th anniversary!) start Sunday at 4 at the usual place. We'll have more details later this weekend.

Meanwhile, as The Villager reported this week, the Tompkins Square Park Neighborhood Coalition will dedicate the event to the memory of Kevin Dowd, a former vice president of the coalition who died March 8 after a battle with lung cancer. He was 57.

Previously on EV Grieve:
On St. Patrick's Day, a Christmas miracle in Tompkins Square Park

DOB puts a full Stop Work Order on 11-17 Second Avenue

As DNAinfo first reported Wednesday afternoon, a worker at the site of the demolition of 9-17 Second Avenue suffered a leg injury after being struck by falling debris. Witnesses had said the injury did not appear to be serious.

City inspectors arrived on the scene Wednesday afternoon...

According to the DOB: "Hazardous conditions observed at site."

As you can see, the DOB says that a 16-by-20-foot piece of debris struck the worker. "STOP ALL WORK."

The buildings — including the Mars Bar space — are being demolished to make way for a 12-story apartment complex.

Previously.

[All photos by Bobby Williams on Wednesday afternoon]

This weekend (and next!): It's the 7th annual d.b.a. holiday fair

Behold the new 7-Eleven on the Bowery at night. (Or not)

On Wednesday afternoon, workers put up the new 7-Eleven sign on the Bowery... And we didn't get to see if for ourselves until last night... A worker told a reader the place would open "some time next week."

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] And the Bowery dies a little more: Here comes 7-Eleven

Exclusive first look inside the Bowery 7-Eleven

7-Eleven is now hiring on the Bowery

The Bean opens Monday on Second Avenue; mosaic signs going up now

News from outside the Bean this afternoon on Second Avenue at Third Street... As the sign shows, the new location opens Monday...

Meanwhile, as these photos by EV Grieve reader Marjorie Ingall show, Jim Power is on hand overseeing the installation of his mosaic Bean signs...

And we were first to report that the Bean would be the Crazy Landlord's new tenant. (Aug. 24)

Report: New owner paid $25.5 million for Cabrini Nursing Center

As we reported on Nov. 21, a neighbor with knowledge of the proceedings at the Cabrini Nursing Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on East Fifth Street at Avenue B claimed that Ben Shaoul is the new owner of the property.

Today, more details are starting to emerge about the sale. The Lo-Down has the scoop that the building was sold for $25.5 million. Per The Lo-Down:

A private company called “MM 62-74 Avenue B Owner” acquired the building in a transaction recorded in city land records Dec. 2. The firm, which was incorporated in August, lists as its address the law office of Goldberg Weprin Finkel Goldstein near Times Square.

Meanwhile, plans for the new building and the name of the actual owner have not been made public just yet. Cabrini's lease expires in April. Local politicians have urged the new owner to extend the lease to allow Cabrini sufficient time to find a new facility in the area.

Previously.

From the news release files: 'Oddities' returns for another season

We get news releases!...

ODDITIES Returns to SCIENCE Bigger, Better and Weirder Than Ever for Its World Premiere Third Season

SILVER SPRING, Md., Dec. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- For more than a decade, the East Village's iconic Obscura Antiques & Oddities shop has been New York City's foremost destination for one-of-a-kind, bizarre — and often shocking — artifacts. Since becoming the focus of SCIENCE's hit series, ODDITIES, the Big Apple's epicenter of the eccentric has become pop culture's Mecca of the macabre. Entering its third season, the franchise has come to define the oddball subculture on television. Since its premiere, ODDITIES has won over legions of viewers and inspired "colorful" collectors throughout the U.S. and beyond to seek out Obscura's purveyors of peculiarities: Mike, Evan and Ryan. Season three of ODDITIES premieres Saturday, December 17, at 9:00 PM (ET/PT) on SCIENCE.

The store is on East 10th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue...

Drilling resumes at the Mystery Lot

Back in August, drillers were drilling away at the Mystery Lot (link here) ...

Today, the drillers are resuming the drilling here off 14th Street and Third Avenue!

[Courtesy of @salim]

What horrible fate awaits this long-empty lot? It very well may be Balazsed. In October, The Real Deal reported that developer Charles Blaichman paid $33.2 million for the site. As Curbed noted at the time, Blaichman was a partner with Jay-Z and Andre Balazs on the hotel that never happened on West 14th Street; and as a partner with Balazs on a doomed project on West 21st Street.

Can we expect the Standard East Union Square one day?

And another hotel? Why, there isn't a new hotel within a block of here!

[The incoming Hyatt Union Square on 14th Street and Fourth Avenue, photographed Sunday]

Previously on EV Grieve:
An appreciation: That empty lot on 13th Street

Another view of the Mystery Lot

Leo the famous barge cat needs a new home

You may remember this story that we reported on back on July 2... when two East Village residents were walking through East River Park and noticed an abandoned cat on the off-shore industrial area opposite the East River Environmental Learning Center.

It became a big story... after a group of volunteers rescued the cat, now named Leo. Now, one of its owners, Robert, writes in with the news that Leo needs a new home. And here's why:

Leo has been happy for months in our little one bedroom apartment in the east village, and I'm happy to say we've saved his life. ... He's now house trained and healthy with a lovely coat of fur — unlike when we found him when he was malnourished and covered in engine grease from where he'd been hiding.

So why are we looking for a new home for Leo? Well, unfortunately, we recently had our cat from the UK (we're a British couple living here) shipped over to New York to join us. He's a docile and relaxed fluff ball called Willow, and although lovable to everyone that meets him, Leo doesn't like him one bit.

In fact, Leo hates on him. It has now been 3 months and the two of them can't get on. Leo is a wonderful cat but we've come to the realization that Leo is only happy alone. He's very territorial and becomes aggressive around new cats. We are now separating the two and Leo is crying the house down and desperate to be let out of the kitchen (his favorite room with his bed), which we can't do with Willow in the room. They have now had no less than 6 fights, each more severe than the last and it's heartbreaking. I want to keep Leo and I want him and Willow to get on but they won’t.

We have been to every pet store, advice network, and generally good cat person we know and we have tried everything people have recommend. Nothing worked. We’re now completely out of options, other than to find Leo a new loving home.

Some facts about Leo:
• Leo's estimated age is 2 years old, but we suspect he’s only just there because he’s a young boy.
• He may have been mistreated (how else did he end up on a barge) or he may have been feral. I'm not sure it's the latter because he instantly knew how to use the litter, eat from his bowl, and generally make his way around the home.
• He is house trained.
• He can become agitated but generally he’s a lovely cat with a good demeanor.
• He has been trained to only scratch his scratching post

Anyone?

Here is a contact email

Previously on EV Grieve:
This cat is stranded off East River Park

Things that make us worry, but only because we worry about these kinds of things

So yeah, as professional worriers about the fine places in the neighborhood... the following makes us, uh, worry... A reader sent us this Google offer from DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe on First Avenue ...

As the reader noted, "I haven't swung by there in a while, but it never seemed to be struggling. Maybe it's all the pressure from cupcakes, ice cream, sweet buns and puddin' that prompted this 'hey remember us' hand wave."

Perhaps. In any event, it's a good deal...

What Japadog is looking like inside these days

Jordy "the Saint on St. Marks Place" recently walked by the incoming Japadog at No. 30...

...the popular Vancouver-based artisanal hot dog stand is seeking a liquor license on Monday during the CB3/SLA committee meeting...and workers were collecting signatures outside ... and Jordy asked for a look inside... Here ya go... (look for an opening around Dec. 25...)

With Crif Dogs down the way, Jordy asks, "I’m feeling like a real hotdog war is about to begin, don’t you?"

Previously on EV Grieve:
Cue the long lines: Japadog opening first New York City location on St. Mark's Place