EVG Etc.: Tracking down an Elvis bust; remembering Michael Stewart

2017 photo of Elvis at Great Jones Cafe... see link below for more 

Local stories of interest from other sources this past week include... 

• LES man indicted in brutal murder of roommate (Gothamist ... DA's office)

• Three men were sentenced to prison in a murder-for-hire conspiracy among rivals on the LES (1010 WINS ... DA's office) 

• Hochul and Trump meet again to discuss congestion pricing... and maybe the once-dead Constitution Pipeline project (Gothamist) 

• NYC's nightlife mayor was hit with more than $350,000 in court judgments (The City) 

• Lawmakers and union demand NYU Langone resume offering gender-affirming care for minors (City & State) 

• The city's Open Streets program needs more funding to survive (Streetsblog) 

• A compelling read on what became of the Elvis bust at the former Great Jones Cafe (The New Yorker — you may get a freebie; otherwise, subscription required) 

• Read a passage from Elon Green's new book on Michael Stewart, "The Man Nobody Killed" (CrimeReads) ... WYNC and Hellgate have more on Green's book and the life and death of Stewart, the artist who was killed by transit cops at 14th and First in 1983. 

• The legacy of East Village artist-designer Dan Friedman 30 years after his death (artnet) 

• Photographer Bobby Grossman's Corn Flakes boxes featuring downtown luminaries are on display at the Ki Smith Gallery, 170 Forsyth St. on the LES (official site ... 

• A review of "Bunny," Ben Jacobson's East Village-set comedy that premiered at SXSW (The Hollywood Reporter ... Deadline) 

• The 2025 New Colossus Festival helped revive NYC's music scene (American Songwriter ... previously on EVG) 

• F*Bomb Productions presents a Ramones tribute at Baker Falls on March 28 (Tickets) 

• Are the scones at Mary O's on Seventh Street worth the wait in line? (BuzzFeed ... previously on EVG) ... A feature on Mary O (NBC News)

• See "Bonnie & Clyde" on a big screen this weekend (Village East by Angelika)

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a crescent moon watch from 2nd Avenue)... 

• Q&A with Steven Matrick, co-founder of the New Colossus Festival, taking place this week at East Village and Lower East Side music venues (Tuesday) 

• The return of Lucy's (Monday)

• Tompkins Square Park field house refurbished, reopening nears after final inspections (Tuesday) 

• RIP Hal Hirshorn (Wednesday) 

• A group of runners is hoping the city will add lighting to the new East River Park track (Thursday) 

• At Night Club 101 with Hello Mary (Monday) 

• Meet the new owner of Boris & Horton (Monday) 

• Ashes to ashes: A to-go twist on Ash Wednesday (Wednesday) 

• One-time studio home of Joey Ramone is for sale at the St. Mark (Monday) 

• Coming this spring to 9th Street: Irving Green (Thursday) 

• Openings: Bateman's on 6th Street (Thursday) 

• On 7th Street, the Instant Noodle Factory is closing; noodle liquidation sale commences (Monday) 

• Interesting new business opens on the Bowery and Houston (Wednesday)

• From pizza to politics: Eleven B serves up a new campaign HQ on Avenue B (Wednesday)

• Signage alert: Butter Smashburgers on St. Mark's Place (Wednesday) 

... and EVG reader Bryan K. shared this Christmas tree discard with us from Second Street between Avenue B and Avenue C... Per Bryan, "Trying to camouflage the shame by dropping it among some old tree branches!"

Coming this spring to 9th Street: Irving Green

Photos by Steven

Renovations are underway inside 321 E. Ninth St., between First Avenue and Second Avenue, where Irving Green will open this spring.

Per its Instagram account, this is an "East Village destination for curated homeware and gifts with a touch of Irish charm." 

The shop takes over for the March Hare, which closed at the end of January. Read about that here.

Do you have what it takes to be the coolest block in the neighborhood?

So, do you think your block is cool? Here's a chance to prove it.

This month, the Lower East Side Ecology Center is launching "The Coolest Block in the Lower East Side" (and NOT a Magnetic Fields song), billed as "an exciting new initiative designed to encourage community stewardship of street trees in the East Village, Lower East Side and Chinatown neighborhoods.''

OK! What else?

... this community-driven contest fosters environmental awareness, local engagement, and a healthy dose of competition, bringing together neighbors, schools, and organizations to transform their blocks into vibrant, green spaces. 

Residents, community groups, block associations, schools, and local organizations are invited to compete for the title of the Coolest Block in the Lower East Side. Participants will focus on key street tree care activities such as soil aeration, mulching, watering, and general cleanup, all while showcasing creativity and community spirit. 

Interested? Then, fill out this Interest Form.

There will also be a kick-off event on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Sixth Street Community Center. For event information, click this link. 

What are they now? The fate of several unlicensed cannabis shops in the East Village

As 2024 unfolded, illegal smoke shops closed rapidly in the East Village and around NYC. 

The latest casualty is the unmarked place that opened in the former Good Beer space at 422 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. The legal documents on the storefront are dated Jan. 2. (Thanks to Steven for these two photos.)

Here's a look at a few other formerly unlicensed spots, like the Village Happy House at 127 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, which is now for lease. 

The ex-Goodies Shop is also for lease at 324 Bowery near Bleecker...

At 44 First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, Exotic Green House shuttered and morphed into Rainbow Spa, which offers "body work"...

At 143 First Ave., the former Smart Smokers (dumb name!), Jason Corey of The Immigrant on Ninth Street and Jennifer Murphy are behind a new venture called Banshee. The restaurant will serve oysters and other fresh seafood. 

Banshee is on this month's CB3-SLA committee docket for a new liquor license for the storefront between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. (Application here. And thanks to Jake for the photo.)

In August 2023, a new city law that holds commercial landlords responsible for renting storefronts to unlicensed cannabis shops went into effect.

 

Introduction 1001-B, also known as Local Law 107 of 2023, prohibits commercial space owners from knowingly leasing to unlicensed sellers of marijuana or tobacco products and imposes fines of up to $10,000 on landlords for violations. 

While the illegal shops are disappearing, leaving plenty of available storefront inventory, expect many new licensed establishments in the year ahead.

According to the Post:

The legal cannabis industry will take New Yorkers even higher in 2025, with state regulators projecting the number of new licensed pot stores will more than double — soaring from 275 to more than 625.

The Office of Cannabis Management said sales in 2025 could exceed $1.5 billion, or about double last year's haul while law enforcement will expand efforts to padlock illegal stores.

You can find a map of legal cannabis dispensaries here.

 Previously on EV Grieve: 

• The future of the unlicensed weed vendors 

The wild project is fundraising to purchase its home on 3rd Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The performance venue wild project is looking to secure its future in the East Village with a capital fundraising campaign to purchase its building located at 195 E. Third St., between Avenue A and Avenue B.

I recently met with operations manager Chris Moseley (pictured above) to tour the space and learn more about the campaign called Root Us in the LES.

Wild project is known for supporting diverse independent theater, film, music, visual arts, and spoken-word performers. It seeks to solidify its permanent home and protect one of NYC's eco-friendly theater spaces. 

The 89-seat, ADA-compliant venue stands out with its environmentally conscious features, including solar panels, a rooftop garden, LED lighting and repurposed bamboo risers. 

However, if the necessary funds are not raised by February to purchase the $5 million building, the space may be sold to the highest bidder, potentially closing another arts venue in downtown Manhattan.

The campaign received a boost last year with a $1 million grant from former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and a $250,000 grant from the LoCAP fund, facilitated by State Sen. Brian Kavanaugh. To secure a low-cost mortgage and complete the purchase, wild project must raise an additional $1 million through federal, state, local, community, and foundation support. 

Since 2007, wild project has hosted over 55,000 patrons and supported more than 12,000 artists through programs like Wild Culture, Sound Stage and MainStage. These initiatives emphasize theater access and outreach for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC artists, offering free or affordable venue space to theater companies supporting 1,200 to 1,500 creators annually.

As NYC's community continues to face rising rents and venue closures, the wild project represents more than just one theater's survival — it's a fight to preserve the spirit of independent arts in the East Village.

I talked with Mosely more about the wild project's prospects and hopes for the future.

Why is it important for the wild project to be able to buy the space, and why now? 

The downtown theatre ecosystem cannot afford to lose another space there simply aren't enough left. Earlier this fall, our neighbors at the Connelly Theater were forced to close, putting the community at a serious crossroads. 

But the harsh reality is that over the past several years, the theater landscape has experienced devastating losses in affordable space for artists. Local artists can feel this urgency. We need to ensure our legacy in the East Village by providing free and subsidized space to our independent artists and resident companies.

Our capital campaign is called Root Us in the LES because we want artists, patrons, and all our supporters to know we are putting down permanent roots in the community. We have nurtured our theater for so long that planting roots will provide us a solid foundation to serve artists and members of our community for generations to come. 

Artistic Director Ana Mari de Quesada, Director Tom Escovar, myself, and our entire staff of technicians and front-of-house employees — we have all lovingly put so much hard work and dedication into wild project. This fast-approaching deadline of February 2025 may seem like a high mountain to climb, but it is achievable with the help of our community! 

We are determined to meet our goal and preserve the history and future of the East Village and Lower East Side as welcoming and accessible places for all artists. 

How is the wild project involved in the East Village and LES community, and how will this purchase affect the neighborhood in the future? 

Beyond being a space for artists, wild project has always been embedded in our neighborhood. We partner with Sixth Street Center's Climate Justice Program to give young people in our community hands-on experience with gardening on our green roof. We host an annual Halloween block party with our small-business partners to provide local families a fun and safe place to celebrate the holiday. We lend our audio equipment to the folks at the Miracle Garden across from us for poetry readings. We host a summer camp in partnership with the Educational Alliance that provides local students from PS 140 with workshops that teach artists about the various aspects of theater to inspire the next generation of artists. 

We have this unique opportunity to purchase our building, continue our legacy in the East Village, and keep fostering this community in our corner of New York. If we are unsuccessful and our building is put on the market, another apartment complex of unaffordable housing will likely go up in its place. 

How can people help? 

Donations to our capital campaign are the most tangible way to help. If just 4,000 people donated $250, we could secure a down payment for an affordable mortgage. People can also help by spreading the word! By talking to their friends and family about wild project, posting about it on social media — simply telling the people in their lives helps move our story forward.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo by Louise & Danny)...

• Election Night 2024 (Wednesday) 

• Mixed messages about the future of 7-Eleven on Avenue A (Monday) 

• The return of O'Flaherty's, now on Allen Street for the next month with Matthew Barney & Alex Katz (Thursday) ... At the opening of 'The Bitch' at O'Flaherty's (Saturday) 

• On Sunday, a sneak preview of Mary O's Irish Soda Bread Shop ahead of its Nov. 16 grand opening (Friday) 

• A new East Village vintage clothing store opens, and a cat is the curator (Tuesday) 

• Halloween night with Pretty Sick at Bowery Ballroom (Monday) 

• B Cup Café is on the move on Avenue B (Tuesday) 

• About the Community Boutique & Café, an inclusive gathering place on 12th Street (Thursday) 

• It's not just you — the whole area smells like smoke. Here's why. (Saturday) 

• More stabilization work at the former P.S. 64/Charas/El Bohio Community Center (Thursday) 

• 325 E. 14th St., sells and farewell to the Crocodile Lounge sidewalk awning (Monday) 

• Owner of 2 Brooklyn restaurants taking over the Lollo space on Avenue B (Thursday)

• Coming attractions: Mrs. Green on 14th Street (Tuesday) 

• Renovations underway at the former Boulton & Watt (Thursday)

• The former Houston Village Farm is for rent (Tuesday) 

• A bad sign at the Sunflower East Village on 2nd Street (Monday) 

• Stuffed closes and the owners promise 'a brand new, never seen before' ice cream concept (Monday)

Also, this past week, workers removed the sidewalk bridge from Third Street and Avenue A (part of the ongoing work at the First Houses).

Also! The Budget Mart on A between Second and Third is expected to open SOON (photo below by Stacie Joy).

What's next for the former smoke shop next to Ray's Candy Store on Avenue A?

Green World Convenience has been closed in recent months next to Ray's Candy Store on Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. 

We got some closure, so to speak, last week: The Marshal paid a visit on Oct. 1, and the landlord is now in legal possession of the space.

The unlicensed shop opened last fall, and was pretty promotional with sidewalk boards advertising flowers, edibles and pre-rolls. 

The business was, until May 2023, known as East Village New Deli. Then, in June 2023, it returned without the deli counter... only to close again and reopen as another exotic snack shop/weed shop. 

We have no idea what might be next... how about: Bring back Alphabets!

A look at the ongoing renovations at First Houses

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

We've fielded several queries about the extensive renovations at the city-owned First Houses on Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street, both in the residences and above the strip of retail spaces.

For starters, a little history of the eight four-story and five-story buildings with the residential entrances on the south side of Third Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. First Houses was the first publicly funded low-income housing project in the U.S., opening in December 1935 under the auspices of the just-created New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). 

Per Village Preservation: 

First Houses was originally planned to house 120 to 122 families, and all apartments had steam heat, hot water and were equipped with the modern amenities typically found in middle-class housing. Within two months of opening a rental office for the project, the Housing Authority received between 3,000 and 4,000 applications. Prospective tenants were carefully selected by a team of social workers, with preference given to the inhabitants of the worst slums and relatively small families. All but one of the families chosen were residents of the Lower East Side. 

First Houses became a NYC Landmark in 1974. 

In recent decades, the buildings have shown their age, revealing ongoing bureaucracy issues plaguing the NYCHA.

In 2011, City Limits documented many of the residents' issues here. There were stories of mice eating their way through the worn floorboards and a resident battling the NYCHA for 15 years over a persistent leak. 

Fast forward to the start of the renovations last year. According to an architect working on the $24.8-million roofing replacement and exterior restoration:

[The] project is for restorative work throughout all of the facades of buildings within the complex, including rebuilding brick parapets in kind, repointing masonry and replacing brickwork, precast coping stones and metal lintels. 

Entrance porticos will be temporarily removed to allow for the replacement or restoration of green-painted cast iron columns and railings. Work on porticos includes the replacement of portico copper roofs, copper cornices, new concrete entrance stairs, landings, and footings, and replacement of nearby concrete or asphalt pavers pathways. Roofs of all buildings will be replaced with new liquid-applied roofing membrane over new insulation. 

In addition, the construction site manager told us: "We are replacing the roof and doing masonry restoration. We've also started on the interior work, which includes drywalling and lead and asbestos removal." 

Here's a look around the complex earlier this summer...

As you may have noticed, many tenants have moved out, including the local folk hero known as The Chillmaster, known for blasting classic R&B from his open window (year-round).

Local Assemblymember Harvey Epstein told us that tenants were temporarily relocated to other complexes, including the Jacob Riis Houses and the Wald Houses, and some public housing further away from the Lower East Side. 

Epstein said that all tenants can return to the First Houses upon completion of the work, set for 2025, per the posted signage.

A visit to Groove Garden, a community music studio on Avenue C

Photos and story by Stacie Joy 

You can't miss the brightly painted, all-green slender storefront at 89 Avenue C between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

I paused to admire the façade before heading inside to talk to musician and songwriter Rob Taube, owner of community music studio Groove Garden.

He's surrounded by kids, all participating in the Song Camp program. Some are tucked into the sound booth, a couple at the drum kits, and even more crowded around a mic. 

It's a hot, swampy summer day, but the energy in the small space is contagious. I took a few photos and waited until the recording session ended before chatting with Rob about what brought him to this location, his passion for music, and why he loves the neighborhood.

On his start as a music teacher: 

Somewhere in the 2010s, I decided to take on a few music students and produce some recordings to help make ends meet. I had no idea what the resulting influx would be, and soon, I had more students and musical clients than I could handle in our tiny apartment, which was now constantly overflowing with players and singers. 

On finding a home for Groove Garden: 

Funds were tight, but the NYCHA rental guy guided me to this small space tucked between two brick buildings on Avenue C. It was naturally soundproofed due to the bricks, and it had an old closet space in the back with some odd pieces of wood and junk in it, which I immediately saw as a potential sound booth. It was kind of an "if you build it, they will come" moment. 

And over the last seven years, they have come to take music lessons, write and record songs, rap, and jam — so much so that it's hard to keep up. I'm not here 24/7, but I am more like 12/7, teaching them, recording them, and performing with them live and on their tracks. 

On spreading the word about his business: 

100% of my business comes from word-of-mouth or from people who walk by and say, "What is this place?" So often, they are creative artists who need a place to create, and the fact that I'm right here in a storefront makes the whole process so accessible they actually can wind up with their stuff out there in the world when otherwise it would have died in the vine as they went about their lives. 

On being in this neighborhood:

For me, this could only happen in the East Village, where there is such a crazy quilt of businesses and characters that someone like me, who has lived as an outsider, can thrive.

Even when I lived elsewhere, I loved this neighborhood for its eccentric characters, and now I'm one of them — how amazing is that?

 

You can hear some of the finished products from the studio at this link... and this link.

Visit the Groove Garden website here.

Week in Grieview

Posts that past week included (with a photo from 7th and A)... 

• Reports of multiple people stabbed on 14th Street between Avenue A and 1st Avenue; 1 fatality (Sunday) ... A look at 14th Street after the triple stabbing and homicide on Sunday (Monday) ... NYPD light tower arrives on a cleaned-up SE corner of 14th Street and 1st Avenue (Thursday) ... This morning on 14th Street between Avenue A and 1st Avenue (Saturday) 

• Emma Rogue is opening an events space on Houston Street (Saturday) 

• At the Harold Hunter Skate Jam in Tompkins Square Park (Friday) 

• At an East Village benefit for Washington Square Park Mutual Aid (Wednesday) 

• East Village singer-songwriter Jesse Malin will return to the stage this Dec. 1 and 2 (Wednesday) 

• A plaque dedicated to a former longtime Parks employee is missing from Tompkins Square Park (Tuesday) 

• Now people are stealing Invader's mosaics in the East Village and elsewhere (Wednesday) 

 • The Rite Aid on 1st Avenue doesn't look like a store that will be in business much longer (Wednesday)

• Check out an aerial view of the refurbished Tompkins Square Park basketball courts (Wednesday) 

• Opening weekend for Carnitas Ramírez (Monday) • City pools are open (Thursday)

• High winds bring down a branch in Tompkins Square Park (Monday) 

• A tribute to Patti Astor at First Street Green Art Park (Sunday)

• This smoke shop won't be reopening after an assault and robbery (Tuesday)

• Openings: Pasta de Pasta on 1st Avenue (Thursday) 

• 3 new bakeries-cafes have opened in the East Village (Tuesday) 

• A permanent closure for Dhom on 12th Street (Thursday) ... M & J Asian Cuisine on 14th and B (Thursday) ... and Joey Bats Café on Avenue B (Wednesday)

• The NW corner of 1st Avenue and 2nd Street awaits its new development (Monday) • The all-new Boiler Room announces itself on 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

• Lamia’s Fish Market is 'temporarily closed for maintenance' (Wednesday) 

• From the EVG archives: Q-&-A with Susan Seidelman, director of 'Smithereens' and 'Desperately Seeking Susan' (Friday) 

• Today in parallel parking (Monday) 

... and some of the recent chairs of Avenue A...

A tribute to Patti Astor at First Street Green Art Park

First Street Green Art Park is celebrating the life of Patti Astor, the "First Lady of Graffiti Art." 

Astor, a cofounder of the Fun Gallery in the East Village in 1981, helped introduce a range of graffiti artists to the broader art world. She died in April at age 74. 

A handful of artists created this tribute (this Instagram post has more info about the artists and curators) ...

On the main wall, Shiro_one finished this large mural on Wednesday, which includes work by Al Diaz.

The Astor tribute got underway on June 15 with music by Large Professor... and the start of the various mural work... (photos below by Stacie Joy)...

The murals are expected to be up through the summer. First Street Art Park is at 33 E. First St. There's an entrance on First Street just east of Second Avenue... and another on Second Avenue near Houston.