We talked with the owner of Corner Bistro about what to expect from the East Village outpost

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The East Village location of the West Village standby Corner Bistro is expected to open on Sixth Street and Avenue A sometime in September. (First reported here.) 

On Saturday, we met with owner Elizabeth McGrath, who has been busy preparing the space — inside and out.

She cleared up one mystery. Out front, she's the one maintaining and redoing the tree bed (noted here and here), planting a curly willow she raised from a sprout along with evergreens, and building a wooden planter. 

She also reached out to artist Ian Dave Knife about the crocodile tree trunk. With his permission, she plans to add a plaque and care for the piece going forward.

McGrath, who is also a sculptor, has been hands-on with the renovation — polishing acid-etched windows, scrubbing away graffiti, and painting the temporary "Corner Bistro coming soon" signage herself. 

Her husband, artist and muralist Donald "Don" McGrath, is painting a cherry blossom mural outside. (Don is a former SNL artist who worked on Robert Smigel's "TV Funhouse" and "The Dana Carvey Show.")

Corner Bistro opened in 1961 on West Fourth Street in the West Village. Elizabeth — daughter of Corner Bistro's original owners, Bill and Lorraine O'Donnell — took over the business in 2015. 

The space 

The restaurant will have two entrances: the Avenue A side will lead into the bar, and a new Sixth Street door will open into the dining area. 

There is also a small, separate space, officially 501 E. Sixth St., that is for lease.

Inside, there's a new white oak bar, black-and-white tiled floors in the bar area, sanded wood planks in the dining room, and copper, tin, and mirror accents. (The interior isn't quite ready for more photos.)

Seating will include a banquette in the back, a large round table up front, smaller rounds, and two-tops. Downstairs will be used for storage. Bathrooms and the bar are ADA-compliant. 

"The new bistro will pay attention to history, but it cannot replicate the original Bistro," she said, mentioning that Yoko Ono once waited tables there. 

The menu 

Like the West Village original, the East Village Corner Bistro will serve its well-known burger. This location has a kitchen, allowing McGrath to add menu items like meatloaf, chopped steak with onions, a mushroom burger, and a brunch service. 

Coffee will come from Aldo's Coffee on Long Island, which will also be sold by the pound. 

Other details 

The bar-restaurant has a full liquor license until 4 a.m. daily (a temporary license will be in place until the permanent one arrives). 

Elizabeth McGrath said she wants the restaurant to honor the building's history and preserve the East Village character.

The retail space was once home to Sidewalk, the restaurant, bar, and live music venue — and host of the Antifolk Festival — that closed in February 2019 after a 34-year run. 

McGrath, who lives on Long Island with Don and a farm full of animals (dogs, horses, sheep, a donkey, chickens), said she looks forward to getting to know her EV neighbors. 

"The East Village has a great vibe, and lots of dogs. We're dog people," she said. "We loved getting to know our neighbors at Boris & Horton [the dog cafe at 195 Avenue A] and are interested in maybe having an adoption event."

Most Holy Redeemer to halt regular masses this fall amid uncertainty about its future

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Updated 7/18. Read about a petition to landmark the church here.

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Most Holy Redeemer-Church of the Nativity will no longer hold a regular mass schedule starting in September, according to parish and Archdiocese officials. 

At a meeting held Monday night at St. Brigid's on Avenue B, Monsignor Kevin J. Nelan of Immaculate Conception on 14th Street and Eileen Mulcahy, the vice chancellor for parish planning of the Archdiocese of New York, addressed continued speculation that Most Holy Redeemer would close outright. They emphasized that while the church isn't officially closing, its operations will undergo significant changes. 

Regular weekly masses will end, and in their place, the church will offer only occasional services, such as weddings, funerals, or what was described as "once in a blue moon masses" for long-time parishioners. This fall, masses that were previously held on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays (including Spanish services) will take place at nearby St. Brigid's. 

Additionally, special programming, such as concerts and the children's choir, is no longer offered. 

Leadership cited the shortage of priests as a key reason for the shift. One priest, Father Thomas, is retiring, while visa and immigration issues are affecting others. The three East Village parishes are being merged, they said, and moving services to St. Brigid's will help keep the community together with fewer clergy.

Concerns were also raised about the structural condition of the building itself. There is plaster falling from the ceiling in the church, officials noted, adding that engineers would evaluate whether it remains safe.

Valeria Kondratiev, secretary of Most Holy Redeemer and St. Brigid, attended the meeting and expressed skepticism about the timing of the engineering review.

"People should be watching this, keeping it in the crosshairs. It's very suspicious," she said. 

Kondratiev also wondered whether a second opinion on the building's condition might be warranted. 

There's a reason for worry. Last summer, for example, the Archdiocese of New York sold the historic Holy Rosary Church in East Harlem to a developer, citing the building's severe disrepair. 

Regarding rumors about the adjoining rectory going up for sale, church officials have clarified that the building is owned by the Redemptorists, not the Archdiocese. The church had been renting the space, and whether the Redemptorists plan to sell or at what price remains an open question.

Most Holy Redeemer stopped using the large space for its office in the spring.

Going forward, Most Holy Redeemer will rely on joint masses with priests brought in from elsewhere, except for Father Elder, who teaches at the seminary and returns on weekends.

For now, neighbors and parishioners are left to watch closely, hoping to preserve a church that has anchored the block for more than 170 years. 

History of Most Holy Redeemer

Construction of the current church was completed in October 1851. 

Some more history: 

A major overhaul of the church began in 1912. Many of the renovations are still evident. With a tower that today reaches into the sky far beyond most of the structures of the East Village at 232 feet, it is hard to believe that it once was even taller. The 250-foot tower was reinforced and lowered to its current height and capped with a new copper dome and gold cross. 

Founded in 1844 by Redemptorist missionaries, it was initially a small frame building serving the growing German population. The current church, designed in German Baroque style, was completed in 1851 and consecrated in 1852.

Here's a view of the church looking west, dated 1875...

In July 2015, the Church of the Nativity, previously located on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street, closed and merged with Most Holy Redeemer as part of a significant consolidation, reportedly due to changing demographics and a shortage of priests. 

The Archdiocese sold the former Church of the Nativity property on Second Avenue for $40 million in 2020. It was later demolished to make room for a larger development that has yet to begin construction.

H/T Carol from East 5th Street

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Up in the under-restoration bell tower at Most Holy Redeemer 

• It's time for new clocks on the Most Holy Redeemer bell tower on 3rd Street

The summer of stolen plaques continues with thefts at New York Marble Cemetery, the former Club 57

The brass plaque on the front gate at the landmarked New York Marble Cemetery is the latest to have been ripped off around the neighborhood. 

A rep at the oldest non-denominational cemetery in New York City, 41 1/2 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street, told us this happened at noon this past Thursday.

Here's a look at the gate and plaque as they were...

The cemetery rep said the plaque had a value of $650 in 1999. 

They also released a photo from a surveillance video showing the alleged plaque thief... (they filed a police report and shared this image)...

Readers have also noted other missing plaques this past month, such as outside P.S. 15 on Fourth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D...

... and at 57 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue, someone swiped the plaque commemorating Club 57 ...

Earlier this summer, we mentioned the theft of the bronze Christodora House plaque outside the building at 143 Avenue B on Ninth Street. In June, someone stole the brass plaque dedicated to former Tompkins Square Park supervisor Harry Greenberg from along the Ninth Street pedestrian walkway. The plaque commemorating the Fillmore East at 105 Second Ave. near Sixth Street is also gone. 

Per the New York Marble Cemetery rep: "We caution other historic sites to be aware of this vandalism."

These thefts are certainly not unique to the East Village. The rash of thefts in Los Angeles, for instance, "is fed by the high price of scrap metal. The plaques are comprised of bronze – which is made up largely of copper, a hot commodity in the stolen metal market." 

On July 9, The New York Times published an article titled "Metal Thieves Are Stripping America's Cities." 

Unpacking what there is at the Moxy East Village, now open on 11th Street

The Moxy East Village opened for business last week (Sept. 12) here on 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Moxy East Village (@moxyeastvillage) on Sep 12, 2019 at 3:17pm PDT

The 286-room Marriott brand has four eating and drinking venues by TAO Group: Cathédrale, a French-Mediterranean restaurant from Chef Jason Hall, Little Sister, an underground lounge, Alphabet Bar & Café, and a rooftop bar opening in spring 2020.

Cathédrale has already held several events, including the 2019 Us Weekly Most Stylish New Yorkers party on 9/11 that included Lil’ Kim, La La Anthony and various cast members from the Real Housewives.


[Cathédrale]

Here's a description of each via the EVG inbox, and there is a lot to unpack here (condensed for space reasons) ... brace!:

Alphabet Bar & Café, situated in the lobby, serves as the social heart of Moxy East Village, comprising a bar, terrace, co-working lounge, and meeting studios that seamlessly transition from day to night. The seating includes plush sofas and swinging chairs; a Skee-Ball game provides a hit of nostalgia for the arcade era.

An interactive real-time graffiti installation lets guests use a tablet to draw their own tag or sketch a bit of street art, like a latter-day Basquiat or Haring, and see it projected on the wall [Ed note: Will the Peninstrator strike?] . ... Alphabet Café serves an all-day menu of custom artisanal brews by Intelligentsia Coffee, freshly baked goods, composed salads, and seasonal panini and tartines.

The centerpiece of Moxy East Village is Cathédrale, a French-Mediterranean restaurant conceived by Tao Group Hospitality Chef/Partner Ralph Scamardella, in collaboration with Executive Chef Jason Hall. As diners descend from the lobby — via a staircase that resembles a fire escape between two East Village buildings — they'll feel like they're discovering an abandoned architectural treasure.

That's thanks to the show-stopping Rockwell Group-designed main dining room, a triple-height space covered by Italian artist Edoardo Tresoldi's dramatic wire mesh sculpture that looks like the apparition of a grand domed ceiling. His ethereal sculpture for the ceiling of Cathédrale pays homage to the interior of the Fillmore East ...

Located on the lower level, adjacent to Moxy East Village, Little Sister is an intimate, seductive, sophisticated lounge — an update from the underground clubs that defined East Village nightlife in the 1990s.

Its clandestine, cavern-like feel is enriched by jewel-toned velvet sofas and plush banquettes, embossed leather accents, a glowing copper DJ stand, and a mirrored-copper bar illuminated by an overhead bank of backlit whiskey bottles. Wood-clad, barrel-vaulted ceilings evoke a hidden underground chamber where whiskey might have been stored in the bootlegger era. Legendary doorman Wass Stevens, will conspire to create an exclusive, in-the-know vibe at the ropes.

Opening in Spring 2020, the rooftop bar is designed to resemble a coveted New York City backyard garden, with strung garden lights, abundant foliage and colorful patio furniture. A retractable roof allows the bar to be used in all seasons.

Behind the bar, liquor bottles will be displayed in stacked plastic milk crates — not unlike those you'd spot on an East Village sidewalk. On one wall, interlaced with crawling ivy, will be a mural that overlays a map of the area with images from the neighborhood's musical and artistic history.

A few other details...

The hotel has also produced a series of short videos titled "Off the Beaten Path," featuring neighborhood legends and characters who will talk about the East Village's past, present, and future that guests will be able to enjoy on the in-room TVs, online, and on the @MoxyEastVillage Instagram.

In addition, the hotel has forged exclusive partnerships with neighborhood institutions. It will be the preferred hotel partner for Webster Hall, providing VIP concert access to select guests. The prestigious art school Cooper Union will have their student's work shown on a dedicated channel on the in-room TVs and will exhibit select student works and host panels at the hotel while providing guests access to events on campus.

The foundation work got underway here in August 2017. Workers demolished the five residential buildings that stood here in the fall of 2016.

Previously on EV Grieve:
At the rally outside 112-120 E. 11th St.

6-building complex on East 10th Street and East 11th Street sells for $127 million

Preservationists say city ignored pitch to designate part of 11th Street as a historic district

Permits filed to demolish 5 buildings on 11th Street to make way for new hotel

New building permits filed for 13-story Moxy Hotel on East 11th Street across from Webster Hall


[112-120 E. 11th St. photo from May 2016]

Icon Realty shaves $4 million off of its 9th Street townhouse ask

[Image via Streeteasy]

Icon Realty's 7-level townhouse at 327 E. Ninth St. has been on the market these last six months as both a $30,000 rental and a $17-million whole-building buy.

Icon recently dropped the ask from $17 million to $13 million.

And to refresh your memory about the design and amenities... here's Streeteasy:

Designed by Isaac & Stern Architects with interiors by Paris Forino, this brand-new building was designed with a traditional limestone facade that stands as a new classic. Utilizing modern finishes that establish a new contemporary elegance, this home raises the benchmark for luxury living in the East Village.

Each sunlit floor offers open layouts and a transitional aesthetic featuring a light color palette which has been highlighted by White Appalachian Oak Floors with radiant heating and Christopher Peacock Kitchens with luxurious Italian Arabescato Marble countertops and backsplashes.

Bathrooms feature Dornbracht fixtures adorned with Zebrino Marble.

The building features outstanding private outdoor experiences with private balconies on each floor, an expansive roof deck and multiple landscaped private patio spaces with copper trimmed LED perimeter lighting and full outdoor kitchens.

The townhouse — nearly five years in the making — is at the site of a former parking lot here between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Icon's 9th Street townhouse now available for $17 million

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

A look at Icon Realty's 9th Street building where the rentals are $30k a month

A look at Icon Realty's 9th Street building where the rentals are $30k a month

The two residential units at Icon Realty's 327 E. Ninth St. have been on the market (per Streeteasy) for the past month.

So far, no takers for the rentals here between First Avenue and Second Avenue at this site of a former parking lot.

The listing notes that this building — nearly five years in the making, somehow — is "Redefining the Townhouse Experience."

Here's part of the pitch:

Designed by Isaac & Stern Architects with interiors by Paris Forino, this brand-new building was designed with a traditional limestone facade that stands as a new classic, elegantly utilizing modern finishes that establish a new contemporary elegance, raising the benchmark for luxury living in the East Village.

Both beautifully appointed residences offer open layouts and a transitional aesthetic featuring a light color palette which has been highlighted by radiant heated White Appalachian Oak Floors and Christopher Peacock Kitchens with luxurious Italian Arabescato Marble countertops and backsplashes.

Bathrooms feature Dornbracht fixtures adorned with Zebrino Marble.

Both residences feature outstanding private outdoor experiences with private balconies on each floor, a private expansive roof deck and multiple landscaped private patio spaces with copper trimmed LED perimeter lighting and full outdoor kitchens.

And photos...





The quadruplex and the triplex are asking $30,000 per month (with one month free on a year-long lease). Also, there is no fee.

H/T Steven

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

A look at the revised design for an expanded Anthology Film Archives

[EVG file photo from March]

The the Anthology Film Archives takes another step today toward realizing their building "completion project" on Second Avenue and Second Street.

As previously reported, there are plans to add an addition to the landmarked building that will include a library and cafe, two amenities planned for the space ever since co-founder Jonas Mekas bought the building in a city auction in 1979.

These plans go before the the Landmarks Preservation Commission today.

And New York Yimby reports that there have are some changes to the revision and expansion:

The submission to the LPC represents a major change from the previous iteration of the plans, which was substantially glassier. The extension of the facade will consist of a coated copper base, and accents clad in corten steel will line the windows of the library, which have been downscaled substantially. Above that, the addition will feature ‘Anthology Film Archives’ in metal-mesh lettering, covering the penthouse level of the project.

Anthology Film Archives’ expansion will measure a relatively small 14’4″, and even with the extension, the structure will be shorter than its neighboring buildings.

Here is the new rendering from Bone/Levine Architects ...



...and the previously revealed rendering...



"The time came that we cannot postpone anymore," Mekas told Bedford + Bowery in January. "Because we have so much material, we have so much paper, books, periodicals, documentation on cinema that we have to build a library and make those materials available to researchers, scholars, students."

If all goes well, then the expansion would be complete by 2020, per NY Yimby.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Checking in on the 'completion project' at the Anthology Film Archives

Historic copper door returns to synagogue-turned condos on 6th Street

[EVG photo]

On Saturday, workers placed the refurbished front door back on the former Congregation Mezritch Synagogue at 415 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue... the door is made of red oak and faced with copper on its outside. The New York Times noted last December that the door "is being returned to its original state, though some wooden panels are being replaced by glass."


[Photo by Michael Hirsch]


[MH]

Here's a photo of the door as it looked in April 2014...


[Photo by Bobby Williams]

A worker told EVG Facebook friend Michael Hirsch that this main entrance will no longer be used... that the entrance to the building will be on the right-hand side...



...right by the newly arrived Prince tag...



The worker also claimed that the congregation will no longer have a presence in the building, which, if true, comes as a surprise.

As previously reported, the synagogue — active here since 1910 — had fallen on hard times, "with a dwindling membership and few resources to maintain the building," as the Times noted. Previous plans called for the demolition of the building. Those plans never materialized, and a new developer, East River Partners, emerged and proposed the current arrangement.

Also, for background via the Times:

As part of the current agreement, the developers are providing at least $20,000 annually to the congregation for the next 198 years, in addition to a $600,000 payment up front. East River is also giving the synagogue a $180,000 “fit-out allowance” for the synagogue to design and rebuild the sanctuary and other spaces, like offices or meeting spaces in the basement.

So, if the synagogue isn't going to have a presence here, what's the money going for... and who has it? Of course, the worker could have simply been confused (or misspoke), meaning that the whole structure will no longer house the synagogue.

The three residences (two units will have the original stained-glass windows) will range in price from $2.95 million to $4.4 million.

The building's slogan is "History reimagined … For modern living."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Plan to add condos to historic East Sixth Street synagogue back on

Play spot the potential penthouse atop the East Village synagogue

A final look inside the Anshei Meseritz synagogue on East Sixth Street

Stained-glass windows removed ahead of condo conversion at Congregation Mezritch Synagogue

Condos at former East 6th Street synagogue will start at just under $3 million

Sidewalk bridge comes down as condo conversion continues at former East 6th Street synagogue

History reimagined with $4.4 million penthouse at former 6th Street synagogue

A look at 331 E. Houston St., with a rooftop deck for outdoor showers and 'Live Free or Die Hard'

Here's a look at the new 13-floor residential building with 78 units going up at East Houston and Ridge Street.

It just seems ... massive.


[The view from East 2nd Street]

The website of project architect Stephen B. Jacobs offers a few more details on the building at 331 E. Houston St./163 Ridge St.

The ground floor includes the residential lobby, a lounge, and apartments in the rear of the building which have access to outdoor space. A large skylight brings natural light to the gym in the cellar, and stairs provide access to recreational outdoor space in the rear yard. A mix of studios, one, and two-bedroom apartments make up the bulk of the building. The top floor includes a three-bedroom apartment with a balcony. The rooftop is designed as an amenity space for the building, complete with deck seating, projector screen, bar, and outdoor shower.

The interior design was inspired by the raw nature of materials in the Lower East Side, such as exposed concrete and blackened steel, and includes touches of color such as the graffiti tiled accent wall in the lobby.

His firm's East Village work includes the Copper Building on Avenue B and the Village Green on East 11th Street.

Oh, and here are some renderings ...





... and notice the rooftop theater is inexplicably projecting an ad for "Live Free or Die Hard" (aka "Die Hard 4")



The building will reportedly include 20 percent affordable housing.

The L-shape parcel here sat empty for years, the property of reclusive real-estate baron William Gottlieb.

And it's just the latest project in the changing East Houston corridor... including the new 10-story residential building at Suffolk Street ... the 12-story Adele ... and the 9-floor building planned for the former Mobil station lot at Avenue C.

Previously on EV Grieve:
An L-Shaped footprint ready to make its impression on East Houston Street

An abandoned car in an empty lot that will soon yield a 13-floor residential building

On East Houston, work begins on a new 13-floor residential building

What 331 E. Houston St. will look like one day

On East Houston, work begins on a new 13-floor residential building

Work has started on East Houston and Ridge Street (331 E Houston St. and 161 Ridge St. to be exact), where a demo crew took down the former one-level laundromat ... to make way for a 13-floor residential building with 78 units for this L-shaped parcel of land. The city OK'd plans for the new building on Sept. 17.

EVG Facebook friend Edward Arrocha shared these photos that he took of the property last week.











The site was active on Saturday... perhaps the crew will employ a flagger next time ...







Records show that Stephen B. Jacobs is the architect for the project. (His firm's East Village work includes the Copper Building on Avenue B and the Village Green on East 11th Street.) Jon Halpern of "East Houston Development LLC" is listed as the owner on the DOB permits. (Halpern is a partner and head of Real Estate Investments at Marathon Real Estate Mortgage Trust.)

Previously on EV Grieve:
An L-Shaped footprint ready to make its impression on East Houston Street

An abandoned car in an empty lot that will soon yield a 13-floor residential building