Looking at the future luxurious corners of Lafayette Street

[February 2009]

The west side of Lafayette between Great Jones and Bond will soon be home to two luxury residential buildings… The former tenants of these corners, the ZP Auto Repair Shop and a parking lot, are long gone.

First, allow us a moment of silence for the wall above this space that brought us Harrison Ford's giant head …



… and Claire Forlani's disembodied scotch ad hands…

[Head bowed]

Anyway!

The new buildings are apparently going up simultaneously … already up to the second level in spots… (these photos are from Saturday)…



There is 372 Lafayette St. …





… and 10 Bond St.





The first units in No. 10 hit the market earlier in the month … Curbed pointed out a 2,775-square-foot home for $6.9 million … and for the more budget-minded, an 1,866-square-foot residence for $5.3 million.



Previously on EV Grieve:
New skyline for Lafayette Street?

Another corner still primed to fall on NoHo

Demolition starts on former garage and lot; new developments coming for Lafayette Street

Week in Grieview

Fuck, Kim's Video & Music is closing (Monday)

Details on the 2 new residential buildings coming to East 14th Street (Thursday)

RIP Derek Lloyd, director of production at PS 122 (Friday)

The Christodora House gym and pool for sale (Wednesday)

Life in a building undergoing another round of gut renovations (Tuesday)

More photos of the hawk eggs (Monday)

Avenue C "residents with children" not happy with Babel Lounge (Monday, 37 comments)

Out and About with Bill Gerstel (Wednesday)

A new Nicky's at the old Nicky's (Tuesday)

Cocktail maven vying for former Exchange Alley space (Wednesday)

2 new real-estate offices for East Ninth Street (Monday)

Bar Veloce hostage drama from 2002 dramatized for cable (Wednesday)

Virage is now Bar Virage (Thursday)

Brick Lane Curry is finally relocating (Tuesday)

A peek inside the former 7A (Friday)

"Farm-to-table-Mexican" for the former Boukiés space (Monday)

A smaller sidewalk cafe for The Fourth (Thursday)

The Sunburnt Cow closes for good (Friday)

Need plants?

As the sign says... today from 10 am.-1 p.m. at El Sol Brilliante, 522-528 E. 12th St., between Avenues A and B.

The 'Wall Dogs' of New York City

Not East Village related... but interesting nonetheless... here's a 4-minute documentary from Vocativ about the painters who make those hand-painted ads on the sides of NYC buildings.

Check out the recently released "Don't Look Down" right here ...



H/T Laughing Squid

A symbol of beauty, promise .. and the Con Ed plant

The faintest of double rainbows this afternoon … over (sorta) the Con Ed plant …

Photo via EVG reader Emily…

And here's another angle via Zero Boy ...

Another drone landing today in Tompkins Square Park

Felton Davis reports that the MQ-9 Reaper was a big hit in Tompkins Square yesterday, and will be "landing" again today at noon.



There were also leaflets titled "Stop the Madness of Drone Warfare," which include a survivor's account of a drone attack on a wedding party in Yemen last December.

Felton also notes that the Hellfire missiles were pointed AWAY from the church of Saint Brigid-Saint Emeric.

Photos by Shane Knight

Debbie Harry, Rosario Dawson and other 'Heroines of the Lower East Side'

Work continues on Centre-fuge Cycle 13, the rotating outdoor gallery/construction trailer here along East First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Unlike previous cycles, No. 13 is a solo effort by Lexi Bella … in a collection titled "Heroines of the Lower East Side" to coincide with the first Lower East Side History Month, which kicks off on Thursday (BoweryBoogie first reported on this back on April 18).

There are some familiar faces so far …





… and LaMama founder Ellen Stewart …



The murals should be completed by Thursday.

Find more info about Centre-fuge here.

--

And sort of an accidental shot…

Welcome to the East Village — home of beer

We've been watching the ad mural for Modelo come to life on East 12th Street at Avenue A … (former home of the "Girls" mural).

Last Saturday!



A few days later!


[Photo by Bobby Williams]

Today!



Not sure who these folks are in the ad… People who some ad executives think live here … people who some ad executives want to drink Modelo… people who are just random people on a mural…

Lighting 'Flesh and Bone'

A scene last night from East 10th Street and First Avenue … where filming for a new series called "Flesh and Bone" took place…

Photo by S. Varet.

Get your Load on again today

From the EVG inbox...

Fourth Arts Block (FABnyc) hosts its eighth Load OUT! — a twice yearly "riot" of repurposing and recycling activities today. FABnyc will gather gently used materials from arts organizations and other donors throughout the East Village/Lower East Side for this one-of-a-kind extravaganza, taking place at 11 E. 3rd St. (between Second Avenue and the Bowery) from 12-3 PM.

Load OUT! is specially designed to showcase creative thinking about sustainability and the arts. Artists and art students are welcome to take home any costumes, props, and furniture they need for their artistic endeavors, free of charge. Community members and non-artists can also attend Load OUT! for a small entrance fee of $5, and take away any amount of materials free of charge. Everything remaining will be repurposed or recycled responsibly by GrowNYC, Wearable Collections, Lower East Side Ecology Center, and United War Veterans Recycling. Any unrecyclable items will be properly disposed of by the NYC Department of Sanitation.

Load OUT! also features clothing, textile, and e-waste community collections - open and free for everyone from 12-3PM. Lower East Side Ecology Center will collect e-waste, and GrowNYC will collect clothing and textiles. A list of accepted donations is available here.

So sad about us

Here's EMA, aka Erika M. Anderson, with "Marked" from her 2011 release "Past Life Martyred Saints." She has a new record out on Matador ... and is playing the Mercury Lounge tonight (sold out, though).

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Photo by Grant Shaffer]

Recommended! Last weekend to go see the excellent Charles Schick and Regina Bartkoff in "The Two-Character Play" at Bullet Space (292 Theatre)

Venerating Pope John Paul II's blood at St. Stanislaus on East 7th Street (The Daily News)

A look inside Huertas, the new Spanish restaurant on First Avenue (Eater)

East Side Stories — The 2014 East Village Theater Festival continues through May 4 (Metropolitan Playhouse)

Re-doing a former "man cave" on East 11th Street (New York Post)

Video of Delancey Street in the 1970s (BoweryBoogie)

The libraries of the East Village and Greenwich Village (Off the Grid)

City pays $55,000 to OWS protester injured by NYPD (Gothamist)

Paperwork filed for 68-floor tower at the former Pathmark site on the LES (The Lo-Down)

A look at the disappearing Iron Triangle at Willets Point (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

EVG regular Blue Glass notes how lovely the pear trees are around the neighborhood this spring...



And we want to see "Famous Nathan," the documentary about Nathan's Famous hot dog empire ...



Amusing the Zillion has more about the film here.

RIP Derek Lloyd

[Image via PS 122]

Derek Lloyd, a popular figure in the local theater community, died Tuesday of an apparent heart attack. He was 45.

Officials at PS 122, where he worked as director of production, released the following statement last evening:

There are those in theater who are content to make things possible. Derek made them better.

Thousands of artists, and tens of thousands of audience – whether they knew it or not – benefited from the passion, love and care with which he approached getting live performance on stage. This was matched only by the passion for his wife, Mary Rose-Lloyd, his family, his cats, his cooking and the Mets.

He was a mentor and teacher to hundreds of young technicians and artists, a designer, a sparkie wrench head techie of the highest order. Derek raised the bar of what PS122 could do for its artists, and enabled them to create stronger, better work. He pushed us all to be better and to do better. With little equipment and very modest infrastructure he made PS122 somewhere people wanted to work, wanted to create. He said yes to impossible dreams.

Performance Space 122′s current transformative renovation would quite simply not be happening without him. Derek spent the last seven years dreaming of what could be in these new spaces, and was a passionate advocate for the possibilities they offered.

Derek was a true, loyal friend to many. A big, gruff hugger who unashamedly teared up when he saw injustice. Not all will understand this but as we say – he had a heart as big as Phar Lap’s.

We will miss him, and are poorer for his loss.

Here is his official bio at PS 122's website:

Derek is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. After 10 years of working with some of Australia’s best experimental theater and dance companies he began touring Australia, China and New York. Shortly after re-locating to the US, he took a position as a technician at Performance Space 122 in 2000, eventually becoming its Director of Production ... Derek has had the great honor of working with the exciting and challenging artists that PS 122 presents, and looks forward to taking PS 122 into the future.

Memorial services are pending. However, there is an informal gathering of friends Sunday from 7:30 pm on. Friends are meeting at Dixon Place for the announcement of the Tom Murrin Performance Award (a friend and colleague to Derek) and proceed from there up First Avenue to the East Village. Follow Little PS’er Nyc on Facebook or @PS122 on Twitter to meet en route.

The Marshal seizes South Brooklyn Pizza; space is now for rent

The landlord has taken possession of the South Brooklyn Pizza space at 122 First Ave. Closing/moving signs arrived here on Tuesday. The Marshal's notice is dated yesterday.

The space has been cleared out ...



... and is now for rent.



Despite signs indicating a move to another East Village storefront, an employee told EVG reader MP that they didn't have a new space.

In August 2012, the company behind South Brooklyn Pizza filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Surprise! Surprise! closes Sunday: 'So sorry we have to go'

[Photo by Cheryl Pyle via Facebook]

The end is nearly here for Surprise! Surprise! The housewares store that has anchored the northeast corner of Third Avenue and East 12th Street for more than 25 years has been rent hiked out of here, as we first reported in February.

The store closes after Sunday...



Everything is 50 percent off... with the promise of deeper discounts this weekend...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Surprise! Surprise! will close at the end of April (42 comments)

A quick look inside the former 7A

There has been activity of late at the former 7A space on Avenue A and East Seventh Street … where workers are renovating the interior for a new restaurant-bar-cafe … various EVG tipsters told us that the place will be the second outpost of restauranteur Paul Salmon's Miss Lily's along with a Melvin's Juice Box.

A rep told Eater last month that the new place will "pay homage to the cafe history of 7A," but it will also have "elements of Melvin's Juice Box and Miss Lily's."



EVG regular Dave on 7th sent along the above photo showing how the interior is shaping up.

7A closed after nearly 30 years on Jan. 26.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Some part of 7A will stay in the new 7A's name

Details emerge about what's next for former the 7A, Odessa Cafe & Bar spaces

[Updated] Reader report: 7A will close at the end of the month

Renovations underway at former 7A space

[Updated] Rumors: 7A space will become a 2nd outpost of Miss Lily's and Melvin's Juice Box

The Wechsler's space is for rent on First Avenue

There will soon be some high-profile vacancies on the east side of First Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place... with the upcoming closures of South Brooklyn Pizza (now closed) and Kim's ...

Now a tipster tells us that the Wechsler's Currywurst & Bratwurst space at 120 First Ave. is for sale ...

Description
MOTIVATED SELLER!
FULLY TURNKEY 30 SEAT RESTAURANT iN PRIME EAST VILLAGE
120 First Avenue (7th Street & St. Marks)
Ground Floor: approx. 850 Sq Ft with a full basement.
Rent: $9,004.07 per month
Key Money:Upon Request Lease:
Approximately 6 years remaining on the Lease.
Vented Full Kitchen, Walk in box, storage and office. Current business operates with a Wine & Beer License and has 30 seats. Backyard not currently being used but is part of the Tenant's Lease.

Here is a PDF of the listing here via Bond.

Wechsler's opened in April 2009.

The Sunburnt Cow closes for good after this weekend

As previously noted, The Sunburnt Cow closes this weekend after 11 years at 137 Avenue C near East Ninth Street.

Owner Heathe St Clair recently posted this message to the Sunburnt Cow Facebook page:

It is very sad for me to say The Cow is closing!
It took 2 years and 5 attempts in different locations around NYC to open. The weekend after we did finally open was the blackout of 2003. We made the best of it with candles an outside BBQ, local musicians played and of course we had ice cold beer. Looking back we really couldn't have asked for a better introduction to the neighborhood.

The Cow has been a gigantic part of my life and a dream come true. She has taught me so may things, introduced me to more people than I can remember. She's been integral in so many coming together and finding love, some lasting, some fleeting but love none the less.

She played music that made you dance in a time the law said "NO" Somehow we got away with it when so many got caught. We brunched better than any and probably still do! I remember back then so many of my restaurant friends asking me how I thought I was going to make money from the "Endless Brunch". Now it seems every restaurant in NYC is offering bottomless brunch. I have to shout out Stingy Lulu's who I stole the idea from.

And there will be various DJs and what not this weekend…



The city approved a gut renovation and additional floor for the building here at No. 137 last month. (Good luck tossing another floor atop here. Several readers have noted that the building leans a bit… )

Previously on EV Grieve:
Renovations in store for 137 Avenue C, home to the Sunburnt Cow

The Sunburnt Cow closes for good at the end of this month

Today in TV shoots around the neighborhood

First up! "Unforgettable," a CBS crime drama about something or another, filming on East Seventh Street and probably elsewhere…



Then! A new series called "Flesh and Bone" is filming where it says on the flyer …



And the plot painfully mirrors EVG's early days:

Claire, a talented but emotionally troubled dancer, joins a company in New York City, and soon finds herself immersed in the tough and often cutthroat world of professional ballet.

Except for the parts involving "Claire" and "talented" and "emotionally" and "dancer" and "professional" and "ballet."

Cooped up

[Photo by Dave on 7th]

We've been meaning to note that the statue of Peter Cooper in Cooper Square was boarded up this past week for the Astor Place reconstruction project … So, noted!

BoweryBoogie noted this today as well … and BB also has a shot of the statue circa 1900.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Five years later, Astor Place apparently ready for its 2-year reconstruction project

An updated look at the all-new Astor Place