Reader report: Three apartment buildings sold on East Third Street

There's talk on East Third Street that Abart Holdings LLC has sold (or is selling) the buildings at 50, 54 and 58 on this block between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Per a tipster: "Word on the street is people who have leases ending this summer have received letters informing them of the sale and that the new owner will NOT be renewing leases. I don't doubt the validity of the letters, although I would love to..."

The tipster says that the letters are from Abart Holdings. The letters do not name the new owner.

Have any tips about the situation here? Please send them our way via the EV Grieve email ...

Per the tipster, who lives in one of the buildings: "Better not be another set of fucking personal mansions..."

Might make for a mansion row to go with 47 E. Third St. across the way.

Calling all showoffs! Theatrical East Eighth Street apartment back on the market

[Image via]

This unit on Eighth Street and Avenue B is back on the market ... we last checked in here at 295 E. Eighth St. in February 2010...

And the two-year layoff hasn't made the listing any less corny... Seat belt fastened?

The most WOW loft you will ever see! Calling all artists, chefs, designers, showoffs and anyone with a flair for the spectacular, this is it! Crowning the living room, a STAGE - a ceremonial platform from the early 1900's, today an especially dramatic place for living\dining\display. One can only dream of finding a cavernous live-work space in such a prime location! Grand and certainly unique, 2,300 square feet directly facing Tompkins Square Park on Charlie Parker Place (Ave. B), your own iron balcony. 18' ceilings, 12' windows facing West onto the park and South onto 8th Street. ... This award-winning landmarked, restored building is an integral part of the history of the East Village and it only gets better with time. Live "outside the box" and be a part of NY history! The unit is on the 2nd floor in a walk-up building.

Uh-huh.

And it's $9,000 per month now. Was only going for $8,900 back in February 2010.

So 295 Avenue B was completed in 1887... It was known as Newsboys' and Bootblacks' Lodging House as well as Tompkins Square Lodging House for Boys and Industrial School, Children's Aid Society.

Il Bagato holding a fundraiser tonight for fallen ad star Phoebe

As you can see from the flyer, there's a fundraiser tonight for Phoebe at Il Bagato. Phoebe was a full-breed Papillion owned by Helen O'Neill, director of art production at ad agency Deutsch N.Y. According to an article in the trade publication Creativity, Phoebe starred in ads for Nissan and Milwaukee's Best, among others.

Phoebe died last Thursday "after eating something poisonous on the streets of the East Village," per an email from Il Bagato.

[Updated] Marshal seizes Sal's Pizza on Avenue A

[file photo]

Looks as if Sal's Pizza may be done here on Avenue A near Sixth Street... Dave on 7th notes the Marshal's Notice of Possession taped to the gate... the pizzeria had cut back on its hours in November... and the space has been for sale...

Updated 10:30 a.m.:
According to LoopNet, the business is for sale for $99,000. Here's part of the description:

Great opportunity to own beautiful small business, in the heart of the village where people never sleep. It's close to alot of bars and events, and using the same pizza recipe since 1967, makes it a very unique place. The business is owner absentee, which leaves alot of room for improvement and increased revenue.

Jupiter and Venus over the Lower East Side

Venus and Jupiter have come together in what astronomers call a planetary conjunction. (I had no idea — I just cut and paste that from MSNBC.) Anyway, Shawn Chittle passed along this shot. Enjoy while you can.

Won't be able to see a Venus transit like this until 2117, which will coincide with the opening of the Second Avenue subway line.

Spring, featuring Giuseppi Logan in Tompkins Square Park

Read more about jazz great Giuseppi Logan here.

Photo today by Bobby Williams.

More residents showing Rock Band the door

First Avenue near 12th Street. So 2008!

Photo by Bride of 7th.

Watch the TV commercial shot in Tompkins Square Park that MTV won't air

Back in November, we posted some photos of Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kate Upton shooting a Zoo York commercial in Tompkins Square Park... like this one, had we actually taken it...

Anyway, apparently there's this big fake controversy about the ad. According to various reports (like in the Daily News), MTV and Adult Swim have refused to air the commercial.

Something about "bleeped profanity" and, perhaps, some "erect nipple."

Anyway, see for yourself in this — ohhhhh! AHHHHHHHHH! — uncensored version!



Via Hollywood Life.

EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

[Photo by Bobby Williams. Spotted on Cooper Square.]

During trial, NYPD testify how they captured mistaken-identity murder suspect in the East Village (Gothamist)

CB3 resumes Delancey Street safety plan discussions (The Lo-Down)

New East Village design studio launches exhibit titled "East Village, I Heart You" (Cool Hunting)

Ghost signs of NYC (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

New show for Olek on Orchard Street (BoweryBoogie)

Protest scheduled at Cabrini this afternoon

Several people have told us that there is a protest scheduled for 2 p.m. today at Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on East Fifth Street and Avenue B. The facility is expected to close this summer to make way for a development that new owner Ben Shaoul is planning for the space.

Cabrini officials told family members of residents last week that they would have to make other arrangements for their loved ones once the home closes.

Per a commenter yesterday:

My mom is at Cabrini... She has been there for three years.

This is a loving and caring Facility.

The seniors at Cabrini need your help...

Come help us keep the doors of this caring facility open..

We need you to come out and be hearts with us...

We are meting tomorrow March 14th at 2and 6PM..

Please come join us .. We need your help....

Please help our loving seniors

One tipster said that City Councilwoman Rosie Mendez will be present this afternoon.

Previously.

Bleecker Bob's is for rent

Dave on 7th sent along the above photo from yesterday morning, before Bleecker Bob's opened for the day... as you can see, there's a for rent sign above the store. Not sure how long it has been there ...

Anyway, as the Times reported back in late January, Bleecker Bob's is closing here on West Third Street at the end of April. Cause: Rent hike. (And despite initial reports, a Starbucks isn't moving into the space.)

Anyway, as for the listing at Point NYC ... it doesn't mention the exact address, but this looks like it. And you can sort of make out the store in the photo...

Check out the price: $17,000 per month.

That's a lot of vinyl.

Earlier estimates (via The Villager) had the rent going to an unaffordable $10,000 a month.

But $17,000? That's, well, insane.

However, the folks at Bleecker Bob's have said that they would relocate. But will they have enough time to so do? Per a message on the store's Facebook page yesterday:

still looking at storefronts. unfortunately, some landlords don't care about our 30 years in one location.

We asked Ski, an assistant manager at Bleecker Bob's, for an update.

"Nothing definite yet. Still looking for new spots, but still enjoying our sales in the West Village."

Perhaps a move to the East Village is still possible.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[UPDATED] Let's help Bleecker Bob's find space in the East Village

Neighbors continue show of support for Arun Bhatia

Spotted outside the formerly historic 35 Cooper Square. Still no word yet on what developer Arun Bhatia has planned for this parcel at East Sixth Street.

To the seat with the clearest view

Spotted at the demolition perimeter of what used to be the Mars Bar and the sidewalk at Second Avenue Between Houston and East First Street... Via EV Grieve contributor jdx.

First tags for Retna's new mural on Houston and the Bowery

Nearly 10 days after Retna finished up work at the Houston/Bowery mural wall, the inevitable first tags have arrived...

3 scenes from today

In no particular order.

Trimming trees on East 11th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C...

Responding to a false alarm (faulty alarm) at the Standard East Village...

Putting down new dirt in Tompkins Square Park...

Photos by Bobby Williams.

Facade at 540 E. Sixth St. is crumbling onto the sidewalk

Per a resident here on Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B: "Part of it fell last night. Police and Fire Department came. Still seems very unsafe."

Last update is that the landlord was on the way.

At the DOB website, the NYPD "REQUESTED STRUCTURAL STABILITY CHECK DUE TO FALLING DEBRIS."

Lyndonville Properties is listed as the owner at the DOB. The building dates to 1920.

The End is Here for Billy's Antiques and Props: The trilogy

Billy's Antiques and Props as we know it is gone... In case you missed the closing ceremonies this past weekend... through the magic of Vimeo, a closing in three parts...

Part 1. Preparation of the party

Part 2. The Party

Part 3. The Burial

Directed by Jenner Furst

Can't wait for the director's cut!

Noted

From Page Six today... under "Sightings"...

DANIEL Radcliffe, preparing to play Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, having his hair permed and dyed darker by Louis Licari at his Fifth Avenue salon.

DOB disapproves plans for former East Village Farms

According to the Department of Buildings (DOB) website, city officials have disapproved initial plans last Thursday to renovate the former East Village Farms at 100 Avenue A.

Here's the all-cap job description filed on Feb. 21, as we reported:

TO RENOVATE EXIST. HIGH TWO STORY BUILDING INCLUDING THE EXPANSION OF THE CELLAR FLOOR, THE RAISING OF THE ENTIRE SECOND FLOOR AND INSTALLING A NEW STOREFRONT. 2) TO ADD A NEW PARTIAL THIRD AND FOURTH FLOOR FOR ONE DWELLING UNIT WITH A ROOF GARDEN ON THE 2ND FLOOR ROOF ACCESSORY TO THE DWELLING UNIT.

The DOB files have Flushing-based Paul Mok as the architect engineer of record. According to the DOB, Mok was one of 20 NYC-based architects or engineers to find themselves on the "Voluntary Surrender of Privileges" list.

Mok's name also turns up in The New York Times archives. He was associated with the so-called "Leaning Tower of Flushing," a problem-plagued 15-story condo at 143-51 Roosevelt Ave.

As the Times reported on July 14, 1998, "there were constant leaks, and residents in the corner apartments started to complain about cracks appearing in their floors. Complaints to the condominium board, which was dominated by the developers, went largely unheeded. In 1994, a new board was elected and complaints were filed with the State Attorney General's office, along with lawsuits against the building's developers and builders. The Attorney General has a lawsuit pending against Paul Mok, the engineer and architect who designed Vista."

The Times noted that city inspectors found that the building "had been built as though it were a low-rise structure and that it had no steel structure for bracing."

Meanwhile, workers have removed most traces of the former East Village Farms, which closed last month.

[Bobby Williams]

Now, the place sits mostly empty... waiting for whatever the revised plans are...

Previously on EV Grieve:
A little bit of Hollywood on Avenue A

East Village Farms is closing; renovations coming to 100 Avenue A

Inside the abandoned theater at East Village Farms on Avenue A

Reader reports: Village Farms closing Jan. 31; building will be demolished

Going deeper and deeper at the big Second Avenue sandbox

Every so often we like to jump the fence here at the former 9-17 Second Avenue... to check in on the progress of the hole... (Has it really been one month since our last look?)

[Monday]

[Saturday]

[Saturday]

Making its way below street level... as you were.

Also, we heard this story that, when people were cleaning up the Mars Bar, someone found a series of old tunnels below the bar that dated to the Civil War... We asked a few people who may know these kinds of things, and they chalk this one up to an urban legend.

Previously.

Through the years with 2 Cooper Square's retail

Back on Feb. 1, Bloomberg News reported that, for some reason, the investment arm of Kuwait’s social-security system — Wafra Investment Advisory Group Inc. — bought 2 Cooper Square.

With this purchase, came some changes.

Like the ground-floor retail... early on, we had this classic bit of real-estate advertising... Subtle, gang!

Then RFK took over the retail leasing in July 2010 ... for the 22,764 square feet of retail/restaurant space ...

And now! Please welcome the new team...

We didn't spot any leasing information online just yet at CBRE ... In an event, to date, leasing the retail here has seemingly been a challenge the last two or so years...

Previously on EV Grieve:
'Draconian regulations' for 2 Coop's pool and club

2 Cooper residents treated to views of Josh Duhamel's abs, ball sack

Normal business opening on Seventh Street

Between Avenue A and First Avenue. There has to be a catch. So, for $695, you get a haircut AND a whole hog dinner with all-you-can-drink craft beer? Your hair is treated with black truffle oil and (old vines) sherry first? This can't just be a barber shop, right?

Anyway, as far as we know, it's just a barber shop.

Centre-fuge public art project debuts new work in Cycle 2

Oops. Crap. We forgot to mention this yesterday... the artists involved in Cycle 2 worked this past weekend on the trailer here on East First Street west of First Avenue... and the artists were finishing up early yesterday evening...

And for the whole background ... from the EV Grieve inbox...

Centre-fuge Public Art Project is proud to present Cycle 2, the second installation of art on the rotating outdoor gallery at First Street and First Avenue.

In mid-2011 a drab, gray trailer, serving as a temporary office for workers on the 2nd Avenue subway line, popped up on the South side of First Street. For one year Centre-fuge Public Art Project transforms the trailer into a rotating street gallery. Up to seven artists at a time create work on all visible sides of the structure with the art changing every other month.

The goal of Centre-fuge is not only to re-beautify this incredible block, but also to encourage the community to express itself in a public forum. With the closure of half of Houston Street, making underground way for the 2nd Avenue Subway line, the ever-growing presence of construction makes the block feel less like a neighborhood full of individuals and more like a work site full of barricades and jackhammers. The project is dedicated in memory of friend, creator and Lower East Side neighbor, Mike Hamm.

Artists represented in Cycle 2 of Centre-fuge are Claw Money, Eiknarf, John P. Dessereau, Julius Klein, Kenny Rodriguez and Yuri Velez, with a collaborative piece by Mastro and Ben Angotti. Centre-fuge is brought to you by founders Pebbles Russell and Jonathan Neville.

And for more information and bios of the Cycle 2 artists, please go here.

BoweryBoogie had coverage...

Previously.

Noted

St. Mark's Place this afternoon near First Avenue.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Hey now: Other Music launching its own record label

The Times is reporting this evening that Other Music, the record shop over on East Fourth Street near Broadway, is starting its own record label "with an eye toward showcasing underground music in New York and reissuing albums by foreign artists."

Per the article:

The new label, Other Music Recording Co., will be an imprint of Fat Possum, the Oxford, Miss, record label that has such bands as Youth Lagoon and Smith Westerns in its stable. Its first release will be a 7-inch vinyl record by an obscure Brooklyn indie-pop band called Ex Cops, coming out on April 24.

Read the whole article here.

Oh, wait! Pitchfork broke the news earlier this afternoon.

EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

[Weekend Stompers yesterday on Second Avenue]

The Lower East Side mistaken identity murder (Gothamist)

A new security system at 120 E. Fourth St. (Occupy East Fourth Street)

Velvet Underground & Nico turns 45 today (Westword)

'STAMPEDED' on East Second Street (The Lo-Down)

Q-and-A with a counter man at First & First Finest Deli (Racked)

More nightlife for Ludlow below Delancey (Crain's New York)

About the art fair at the Comfort Inn on Ludlow (ArtInfo)

Downtown diner Roxy Luncheonette in danger of closing (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Remembering Jack Kerouac on his birthday (Off the Grid)

Real-time NYC map app (Runnin' Scared)

Calvin Klein ad attracts anti-bulge notes on the Bowery (BoweryBoogie)

History of the Blarney Stone bars (Ephemeral New York)

Former burial society home rises from the dead on East Fourth Street

Nearly two years ago, we wrote about a new listing that appeared for two townhouses at 326-328 E. Fourth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D... 12 bedrooms in the two homes... and both buildings were going for $4.6 million.


As the Times reported in September 2010, this is was home to "an artists’ collective and burial society called the Uranian Phalanstery and First New York Gnostic Lyceum Temple, was started in the East Village in the late 1950s by the artists Richard Oviet Tyler and Dorothea Tyler."

Later, preservation groups fought a losing battle to landmark the 170-year-old buildings. The Landmarks Preservation Commission said the buildings didn’t merit landmarking status, giving developer Terrence Lowenberg and penthouse-making architect Ramy Issac the green light to add two stories to the top.

Anyway! Thanks to Dave on 7th for pointing out that workers have removed the construction netting on the new buildings...

...and a view from the rear...

...and a now-and-then of sorts...

The new 326-328 looks similar to Lowenberg's other East Village rehab — 147 First Avenue...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Historic East Fourth Street artists' collective soon to be condos

Two side-by-side townhouses on East Fourth Street await your renovation

City doesn't give a shit about these historic East Village townhouses

Almost working around the clock on developing 326-328 E. Fourth St.