Onetime home of Lucky Cheng's and adjacent property sell for $12 million

[24 1st Ave.]

The potential development sites at 24 First Ave. (the onetime home of Lucky Cheng's) and 99-101 E. Second St. have a new owner.


[99-101 E. 2nd St.]

Sergey Rybak of the South Brooklyn-based Rybak Development was the winning bidder during an auction last month. According to a news release from EPIC Commercial Realty, who represented the buyer and the seller, the winning bid was $12.25 million.

The property can be developed with or without the inclusionary housing air rights, providing between an additional 19,000 and 22,000 square feet. No word yet about what Rybeck plans to do with the L-shaped assemblage...



As previously reported, landlord Carmar Development, LLC, put the two-building parcel up for sale in February 2017. (We wrote about that here.) The properties were seeking $26 million at that time. Uri Marrache, a principal at Carmar Development, was reportedly at risk of defaulting on his $11 million loan against the vacant buildings.

Hayne Suthon, who owned and and operated Lucky Cheng's, the cross-dressing cabaret, also lived on the upper floors at 24 First Ave. She died of cancer at age 57 in June 2014.

Suthon had owned the properties since 1986, paying $800,000, city documents show. According to public records, the address changed hands to Carmar Development in February 2015 for a little more than $9.6 million.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Myron Mixon's Pride & Joy BBQ now in the works for the former Lucky Cheng's space

Fire reported at incoming Pride and Joy BBQ on East Second Street

Myron Mixon lawsuit puts opening of Pride and Joy BBQ in question at former Lucky Cheng's space

Report: Pride and Joy BBQ partners suing landlord Hayne Suthon for $22 million

Report: New owners of building that housed Lucky Cheng's looking to attract restaurant group

Onetime home of Lucky Cheng's and adjacent property on the development market for $26 million

Building that housed Lucky Cheng's on 1st Avenue now on the auction block

Mandolino Pizzeria has closed on 13th Street

An EVG reader spotted workers cleaning out Mandolino yesterday, bringing an end to the pizzeria that opened in January 2017 here between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

A "for rent" sign is now in the front window. The Mandolino website is "under construction" and there isn't any message about a closure or move on their Instagram account.

Speaking of Instagram, Paris Hilton recently stopped by for some reason...

The heiress and Queen @parishilton and princess of Long Island turned celebrity radio host @chanelomari spotted @mandolinonyc celebrating Paris Hilton’s new single “I NEED YOU”. They Loved the bruschetta and Pizza!!! #celebrity #iheartradio #toptags #instagram #glamourous #instagood #italianrestaurant #newforkcity #foodies #omg #authentic #eatwell #eatfamous #restaurantlife #italianfood #bestplacestogo #eater #eatingnewyork #mandolinonyc #tagsforlikes #unionsquarenyc

A post shared by Mandolino Ristorante (@mandolinonyc) on Feb 18, 2018 at 9:50am PST

EVG readers we spoke with generally liked the place, which offered a variety of salads, pastas and whole Neapolitan pies (no slices). Despite being next door to an NYU dorm, it didn't seem to attract a big student following. Said one reader: "It was 'fancy' pizza, a teeny bit expensive, so maybe not student-y enough."

And as previously noted, this is a tough pizzeria market right in this area ... you have Joe's around the corner on 14th Street, which serves one of the city's best slices ... there's Gotham Pizza on 12th Street and Third Avenue ... Bruno Pizza on 13th Street between Third Avenue and Second Avenue ... not to mention Danny Meyer's buzzy Martina, which opened last August on 11th Street at Third Avenue.

The Mandolino space was previously home to Sahara Citi, the hookah/hummus restaurant that closed in August 2016 after four years in business.

Atino Eyewear Optical now open on 7th Street

Atino Eyewear Optical opened earlier this month at 110 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. (This is in the former Salon Seven space.)

Owner Angel Suarez, a Brooklyn native, spent seven years at Robert Marc in the West Village and three years at Selima Optique in Soho before opening here.

The eyewear collection includes Gucci, YSL, Alexander McQueen and New York eyewear designer RVS.

"All the neighbors have been extremely friendly and loquacious," Suarez said of the shop's time so far on the block. And maybe like everyone else is thinking: "I'm just waiting for the spring weather."

The OTB parlor-bank branch post that you've been waiting for

Heading outside the usual coverage area for a moment... for this item of possible interest to people curious about former OTB parlors and new bank branches.

So! Down at the end of the Bowery at 7 Chatham Square in Chinatown, the OTB has sat empty — its lettering intact — since the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation closed in December 2010.

This past summer, a for sale sign arrived...


[July 17]

And plywood went up last month...


[Feb. 26]

And on Monday, signage for the new tenant made its debut... woo!



This replaces the Chase branch that was a few storefronts to the north.

Patch first reported on the incoming Chase back in January. Wellington Chen, executive director of the Chinatown Partnership, said that this OTB was the most profitable branch in the city.

Meanwhile, the other branch, Chase, is expected to open next month.

'Night mayor' Ariel Palitz holds her 1st public meeting

"We have a lot of talking to do": The city's first-ever nightlife mayor, @ArielPalitz, heard concerns from bar and club owners at a public meeting last night https://t.co/EI85t4qOzE pic.twitter.com/ndeXAKNhCC

— amNewYork (@amNewYork) March 27, 2018

Ariel Palitz, the East Village resident recently appointed senior executive director of the Office of Nightlife (aka Night Mayor), held her first public meeting last night... in front of a reported 100 club owners, artists and community members at Secret Project Robot in Bushwick.

There was plenty of media coverage, including at amNewYork:

The subject of rents and regulations for DIY clubs and concert halls was the biggest point of emphasis Monday night. Clubs and bars in the outer boroughs, such as Bar Sepia in Prospect Heights, have struggled to keep up with rising costs and threats of development. Owners urged Palitz to push for rent control.

“I want [you] to work to preserve our neighborhoods. Without our businesses and cultural institutions, we are nothing,” Delissa Reynolds, Bar Sepia’s former owner, said.

Rachel Nelson, the co-founder of Secret Project Robot, asked the nightlife mayor to make the city’s inspection and club regulatory process more transparent. Too many times, she said, a club will be temporarily closed because of issues found during inspections by the NYPD Multi-Agency Response to Community Hotspots, or MARCH, initiative. Some club owners said they’ve had MARCH inspections take place without warning in the middle of the night during their busy hours.

And via Bushwick Daily...

Palitz, who owned a night club in the East Village for 10 years and worked on a community board for six, said she sympathized with nightlife venue owners and the issues they face.

“I understand, I live it, I breath it and I am here to really work with you from this moment forward to do what we can to preserve, protect, enliven and make sure it's safe, make sure we’re good neighbors, make sure we’re legal, make sure we’re all playing by the rules,” Palitz told the crowd.

And the Observer...

She said there will be smaller talks and roundtables and noted the Office of Nightlife is not a “complaint line” but will have umbrella policies for different types of complaints.

“We can listen and we can be a voice when it makes sense and just to have that cornerstone, I think, is really important,” Palitz continued. “To be the voice and to be the ears and to have a place that really advocates and speaks for in a non-judgmental, non-punishing way.”

You can read more from the meeting at Fox 5 ... and BKLYNER ...

Residential rentals at the former Amato Opera on the Bowery start at $10,995

The residential conversion of the former Amato Opera House at 319 Bowery has finally reached a conclusion (the work permits arrived here in October 2014).

Listings for the three units arrived on the market yesterday, with an April 15 occupancy. Two of the apartments are going for $10,995 while the three-bedroom unit on the upper level is seeking $14,995.

Here's the description for the largest of the units, that one for $14,995:

Brand new, gut-renovated 3 bedroom unit with two balconies and gorgeous private roof deck in a fantastic location with Central Air. This beautiful apartment features stainless steel appliances in a custom chef's kitchen, dishwasher, washer & dryer, built in Miele Espresso Maker, and two marble bathrooms. Apartment is accented by recessed pinpoint halogen lighting, wide plank oak flooring, and exposed brick, and beautiful fireplace.

Available for April 15th occupancy. Former Amato Opera House,jJust a short walk to the F or 6 train and close to the M9, M21, and M14 1st Avenue SelectBus Service. Steps from some of the city's best restaurants and nightlife, including Bowery Electric and Blue & Cream.

And a few photos (via Streeteasy)...









The retail listing is still active, now at $28,995, which is down from the previous $34,995 ask.

Steve Croman's 9300 Realty is the landlord here, having picked up the property between Second Street and First Street in December 2008 for $3.7 million. (Croman is currently serving a jail sentence.)

In January 2009, Anthony Amato, the company's 88-year-old founder, announced that he had sold the building that the Opera had called home since 1964. The company closed in May 2009. Amato died in December 2011.

The four-story brick building was a cigar factory from 1899 to 1926.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Life after the Amato Opera

Costume drama on the Bowery as the Amato Opera empties out

Ruin of the Bowery nearly complete: Last season for the Amato Opera

Amato Opera looks to be getting an encore as city OKs residential use

Work permits arrive at the former Amato Opera on the Bowery

Hot Box bringing soup noodles to 2nd Avenue

An EVG reader shared this photo, noting that the signage has arrived for Hot Box at 77 Second Ave.

There's a website for the restaurant that states: "The finest soup noodles in NYC." The site remains under construction — as does the space here between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.

Ciala, which briefly served Georgian cuisine before switching to French food, had an inauspicious five-month tenure at the address. Before Ciala, Ballaro had a seven-year run, closing in February 2016.

A look at some prime St. Mark's Place retail for rent

The former Kulture space is for rent at 23 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Here are a few of the features for the 1,700-square-foot space, per the listing:

• Neighbor Tenants: Chipotle, Mamouns, Szechaun Mountain House, St. Marks Market, Korilla BBQ, Barcode, Flywheel, Orange Theory Fitnesss, Shake Shack
• Central East Village location steps from Astor Place
• At the base of a 41 unit residential building
• Extremey active foot traffic in a buzzing 24/7 neighborhood
• ADA access in place
• Column free
• Close to the 4, 6 subway station and St. Mark's Citi Bike Station

There isn't any mention of the rent.

Before Kulture, which opened in 2011, the space was the short-lived St. Mark's Cafe, Red Mango, Quizno's and, until June 2008, the CBGB shop...



Kulture, the tattoo-piercings-jewelry-smoke shop, moved a few storefronts to the east — to 31 St. Mark's Place — at the start of 2018...

On 14th Street, Evergreen Cleaners closing, merging with Wash N Clean

The owners of Evergreen Cleaners on 14th Street have announced that they are closing at the end of the month...



Signage on the shop window here between Avenue A and First Avenue notes that their lease wasn't renewed ... and that they are merging with Wash N Clean at 540 E. 14th St. near Avenue B (next to Otto's!).

Monday's parting shot

Photo on First Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street by Derek Berg...

Christo and Dora celebrate Holy Week by mating atop St. Brigid's

You guys!





Photos today from Eighth Street and Avenue B today by Steven.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Christo and Dora are pretty much doing it all the time now

Take a free walking tour of Tompkins Square Park this Saturday morning

The Tompkins Square Library presents a walking tour of Tompkins Square Park this Saturday morning from 10-11. (The tour starts out front of the Library on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.)

The event is free, though the Library is suggesting that you register online beforehand. Find all the details at the Library's website here.

Today is the 3rd anniversary of the deadly 2nd Avenue gas explosion

[Photo from Friday]

Here are a few of the key dates since March 26, 2015...

• February 2016 — Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance's office charges landlord Maria Hrynenko and four others with manslaughter and negligent homicide for their alleged role in the blast that killed two men and injured more than a dozen other people. There buildings — 119, 121 and 123 Second Ave. — were also destroyed.

Vance's office charged Hrynenko and her son, Michael Jr. Hrynenko, along with contractor Dilber Kukic and plumber Jerry Ioannidis with manslaughter in the second degree, criminally negligent homicide and assault in the second degree, among other charges. (The final defendant, licensed plumber Andrew Trombettas, was charged with offering a false instrument​,​ for allegedly lending his name and license number to paperwork.)

The five were accused of installing an illegal gas system, which they hid from inspectors, at 119 and 121 Second Ave. All five pleaded not guilty.

• September 2016 — 123 Second Ave. sells for $6.6 million.

• June 2017 — Hrynenko files a lawsuit, claiming that her management company was "careless and reckless" in its work. In the spring of 2015, as investigators focused on her actions, a lawyer for Hrynenko said that Con Edison bore responsibility for not shutting off the gas during the visit to the property earlier that day.

• June 2017 — Nexus pays $9.15 million for the empty lots at No. 119 and 121 between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. Public records show that Maria Hrynenko's companies — MAH Realty and Kiev Realty — were the sellers.

• August 2017 — An obituary at the Pizzi Funeral Home website states that Michael Hrynenko Jr. died on Aug. 25. He was 31. A cause of death was not disclosed.

• October 2017 — City officials unveil the new street blades that co-name the northwest corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street after Moises Locón, 27, and Nicholas Figueroa, 23, who died in the gas explosion.

• February 2018 — Nexus Building Development Group files plans to build a high-end condo at 119 Second Ave.

Postscript:

Hrynenko was expected to be back in court this past Friday. Records show that Hrynenko and the other accused have appeared in New York County Criminal Court 12 times since February 2016 with the same outcome — "adjourned/bail continued."

Baci e Vendetta has closed on Avenue A: 'it simply wasn't sustainable'

Baci e Vendetta has closed at 131 Avenue A after nearly 16 months in service.

Veteran restaurateur Paolo Secondo was set to take over the Italian cafe for a new concept. Secondo received the OK from CB3 last month for a new beer-wine license for the space here between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

However, Nic Ratner, a partner in Baci e Vendetta, told me that the deal with Secondo fell through ... "and as a result we shuttered Baci e Vendetta and returned the space to the landlord."

"We gave the beer and wine thing a go with a heavier emphasis on food and it simply wasn't sustainable," Ratner told me via email.

Ratner said that he and his business partner Robert Morgan, whose bars include Kingston Hall on Second Avenue, will focus on the return of the Ninth Ward at 180 Second Ave.

Baci e Vendetta opened after an extensive gut renovation in December 2016. This space was the 10 Degrees Bistro until the fall of 2015 ... and the Flea Market Cafe before that.

Expect a for lease sign here before too long.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Team behind Shoolbred's and Ninth Ward vying for 10 Degrees Bistro space on Avenue A

Restaurant in the works for former Golden Food Market on 1st Avenue and 7th Street

A restaurant appears to be the next tenant for the former Golden Food Market space (118 First Ave.) on the northeast corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street...



The restaurant owners have already affixed the CB3 notices on the front door to show they are on the April SLA committee docket for a full liquor license...



CB3 has not yet released the April schedule of meetings just yet.

Golden Food Market closed last July after 35 years in business. The staff had said that the lease was up for renewal and the new landlord wanted an increase that was more than they could manage.

An LLC with a West 11th Street address bought the building in the spring of 2017 for $5.8 million, according to public records.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Golden Food Market closes on 1st Avenue and 7th Street

Retail-restaurant-medical space available at 4 St. Mark's Place

A new for lease sign for retail-restaurant-medical space is up at the under-renovation 4 St. Mark's Place...



Here are the details via the listing:

Space/Size:
Parlor Level, 2,500 SF

Frontage:
Approx. 18 FT Ceiling Height: Approx. 13 FT

Possession:
September 2018

Term:
Negotiable

History:
The space was previously occupied by Trash and Vaudeville ... and has historically been an epicenter of counterculture, bohemia and rock-and-roll. This landmark building is now being gut renovated, modernized and fully restored.

Last month, it was reported that Wanyoo, a Shanghai-based cyber cafe chain, had signed a 20-year lease for the two-level retail space at this address between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

The new listing — via a different broker who was showing the space previously — is for the parlor level. Perhaps the cyber cafe is just taking the lower level? (I reached out to the brokers to learn more about the status of the space.)



The landmarked Hamilton-Holly House, built in 1831, was once owned by Alexander Hamilton’s son. The building changed hands for $10 million in the spring of 2016 for $10 million.

Trash & Vaudeville relocated to 96 E. Seventh St. in early 2016.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: After 40 years, punk rock mainstay Trash and Vaudeville is leaving St. Mark's Place

4 St. Mark's Place is for sale

More residential units and a 5th-floor addition in the works for landmarked 4 St. Mark's Place

Club Cumming temporarily suspends live music

Back on Thursday, Page Six reported that Club Cumming on Sixth Street was under investigation by the State Liquor Authority for its live music programing ... which was happening without a live music permit.

This is part of what an SLA rep told Page Six: "The SLA opened an investigation after receiving complaints from the local Community Board that the licensee was not complying and charged the bar with failure to conform on February 23, 2018. Club Cumming can submit an application to change their method of operation to allow for live music/DJs."

In a statement to Page Six, CC partner Daniel Nardicio acknowledged the error, chalking it up to a "rookie mistake" on the SLA paperwork.

At the start of the weekend, the bar-cabaret between Avenue A and Avenue B announced it was temporarily suspending its live music and DJs until the issue was sorted out...

A post shared by Club Cumming (@clubcumming) on Mar 23, 2018 at 7:40pm PDT

The bar owners, including actor-author (and East Village resident) Alan Cumming, are currently collecting signatures in support of the updated license with the SLA.

Club Cumming opened last September in the former Eastern Bloc space. Since then, the CC's small curtained stage with a piano has hosted to a number of events, including a variety show featuring Amanda Lepore ... a piano night in which Paul McCartney and Emma Stone stopped by and sang a song from "The Little Mermaid" and a birthday tribute to Liza Minnelli...

@officiallizaminnelli and @alancummingsnaps would be proud! #Repost @lauren_elder with @get_repost ・・・ How we paid tribute to our Birthday Queen #lizaminelli last night at @clubcumming with @mattawhoisnoisy on the mic, @brianjnash on keys, @huntercanning on cake, and EVERYONE on bells! #clubcumming #happybirthday #ringthembells #singalong

A post shared by Club Cumming (@clubcumming) on Mar 13, 2018 at 7:58pm PDT

Report: Cherche Midi looks to be closing on the Bowery

[Image via Instagram]

Cherche Midi, Keith McNally's French brasserie on southwest corner of the Bowery and Houston, appears to be closing this summer.

Rumors were circulating earlier last week about the impending closure. On Friday, Patch reported that the restaurant had filed paperwork with the state about the matter:

The restaurant will close on June 11, according to a notice filed with the state. Under New York law, private employers must provide written notice if their business will close, suffer a mass layoff or relocate. The notice says that Cherche Midi will lay off 46 employees because of a "plant closing." The closing date is listed as June 11 on the notice. It lists the reason for the relocation as "economic."

The restaurant has not made any official comments yet about its fate.

McNally, who also runs the Odeon, Balthazar, Minetta Tavern and Augustine in the Beekman Hotel, opened Cherche Midi in the summer of 2014.

This replaced McNally's Pulino's Bar and Pizzeria, which apparently tripled nearby rents and caused men to urinate in the co-ed sink. Pulino's opened in March 2010.

This would mark the second high-profile restaurant to close on the Bowery and East Houston since last August. Daniel Boulud shut down DBGB Kitchen and Bar after eight years in the Avalon Bowery complex between First Street and Houston.

"In this location, it’s busy on weekends but erratic in the early part of the week," Boulud told The New York Times. And per Eater: "The neighborhood is changing," he said of his decision to close the "very good restaurant."

Both restaurants opened around the time of the start of the East Houston Reconstruction project, which is now just five years behind schedule.



The area in front of DBGB remains torn up, as workers are apparently grappling with underground utility issues...

Week in Grieview

[Photo from yesterday in Tompkins Square Park]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

After nearly 26 years, Three of Cups is closing on 1st Avenue; Emmy Squared arriving next? (Thursday)

Police searching for suspect in weekend attacks on Avenue B (Tuesday)

Report: Kushner Co. filed false paperwork with the city over number of rent-regulated tenants (Monday)

The Marshal takes possession of the Subway (sandwich shop) on 1st Avenue (Wednesday)

Goodbye Sudan (Tuesday)

Cocktail specialist looking to take over Double Wide on 12th Street (Monday)

EastVille Comedy Club space for rent on 4th Street (Tuesday)

Bookstore coming to the former St. Mark's Bookshop on 3rd Street (Wednesday)

A diner for the former Empire Biscuit space on Avenue A? (Tuesday)

The Brant Foundation's 6th Street outpost looks close to completion (Thursday)

Positive vibes: Aum Shanti on the move to larger space on 14th Street (Monday)

Vintage photobooth finds a new East Village home (Friday)

A few more details about the incoming Moxy East Village on 11th Street (Thursday)

Dim Sum Palace planned for 59 2nd Ave. (Monday)

Target is hiring on 14th Street and Avenue A (Monday)

24 2nd Ave. getting its limestone exoskeleton (Tuesday)

The former Sunshine Cinema will be demolished in 2 months (Thursday)

It snowed (Wednesday ... and here ... and here ... and here)


[Photo Wednesday by Derek Berg]

... and this past week workers removed a tree outside the former I-bar space on First Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place... apparently the tree was diseased and needed to come down...



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Sticky fingers: Stolen tablets and smartphones

The 9th Precinct tweeted this yesterday... the NYPD is looking for these guys who are suspects in a burglary at Atomic Wings on First Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street...

The #NYPD is asking your assistance in identifying the persons pictured below #wanted for a burglary in the #EastVillage. On March 21 at 10:16AM one entered @AtomicWings on 1St Ave & removed 5 tablets. If you have any information we ask you to 📞 #800577TIPS pic.twitter.com/8f1wAvnnhS

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) March 24, 2018

...and more sticky fingers...

Do you recognize this person with Sticky Fingers? On March 11 at 1:50AM she removed 2 phones from a victims purse while she was wearing it inside a bar on #Bowery. If you can ID her 📞 #800577TIPS #NYPD #EastVillage pic.twitter.com/6UrT0E0XJF

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) March 23, 2018