Avenue A is for [construction] Action

Work commenced last Wednesday at the former Mary Help of Christians property along Avenue A between East 11th Street and East 12th Street.

As you've likely noticed, Avenue A between East Sixth Street and East 14th Street is becoming an now an active construction zone. Let's tally it up...

98-100 Avenue A between East Sixth Street and East Seventh Street



Work continues on Ben Shaoul's 8-story retail-residential complex ... a project already two years in the making...



438 E. 12th St. (aka 181 Avenue A)



The new plywood and renewed construction activity arrived last week where the Mary Help of Christians church, school and rectory once stood ... where there will be a 6-floor mixed-use building with ground-floor retail and 82 market-rate condos via developer Douglas Steiner.



The rendering on the plywood notes that the project will be completed in August 2017...



500 E. 14th St. at Avenue A



We're two months into the digging and pile-driving here ... the site will yield a 7-floor retail-residential building via Extell Development.

Bonus construction!



Whatever these guys have been doing at East 13th Street in recent months.

Ditto for the wall renovation at the East Side Community School on East 12th Street.

Upcoming!



Avenue A and surrounding side streets should get even more construction at the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office on East 14th Street. Plans are calling for an 8-story residential building with ground-floor retail here just west of Avenue A. In addition, there are two 6-story condos coming to East 13th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

So Avenue A is for...

Observer editors write, 'it's time to take back Tompkins Square Park'

In an article published last Friday, the Post noted that there are people sleeping in Tompkins Square Park, calling it a "homeless haven" ... one unnamed parks worker said that the place is "riddled with bums who have drug problems."

The Park is receiving more attention this week in an editorial signed by the Editors at The Observer titled "Take Back Tompkins Square Park. And New York City."

Here's an excerpt:

Tompkins Square Park has been an accurate barometer of where the city is headed. Known for decades as “Needle Park,” its disarray and lawlessness reflected a dysfunctional, ungovernable city. The restoration of its beauty over the last 20 years has heralded an era where residents and a vibrant collection of small businesses near the park — is there a single better food in all of New York City than the jalapeno cheddar cream cheese at Tompkins Square Bagels? — have thrived. Let’s not let that progress slip through our fingers.

This week, members of the Observer editorial board visited the park. It was a gorgeous summer day and workers were sweeping up, dogs were playing, a small group was practicing Falun Gong, men were playing chess. And at least six people were sleeping on cardboard boxes on the lawn. One park worker, Nelsy, told the Observer that Police Commissioner Bill Bratton personally visited the park on Monday. Perhaps he was inspired by the Post story to take a look and if so, we applaud his leadership. But it will take more than a visit. The city needs a strategy and the determination to stick with it.

It’s time to take back Tompkins Square Park and beyond. Before it’s too late.

The piece quotes an EVG commenter (one of 105 on our post on the article) who wrote, in part: "There are junkies, most of whom are men, passed out, sleeping, without shoes, often waking up and screaming. Some of them talk to themselves and have incoherent conversations."

To which the Observer responded: "It may not be violent criminal behavior at first, but the cancer of lawlessness will metastasize. It will get worse."

Read the whole piece in The Observer here.

By the way, Observer publisher Jared Kushner owns upwards of 30 walk-up buildings in the East Village, including 165 Avenue A, home of Tompkins Square Bagels.

As for Bratton's visit, we heard from a reader that the NYPD was in the Park yesterday "to clean up."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Post reports Tompkins Square Park 'has become a homeless haven' (105 comments)

A look at the backlogged work orders and violations of local New York City Public Housing properties

[Photo of Scott Stringer from Monday's press conference]

According to a damning audit that City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer released on Monday, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) makes its residents wait for weeks, months and sometimes even years before fixing serious problems.

In addition, "NYCHA officials have repeatedly fixed the numbers in the their backlog of repair requests without actually fixing the problems," as the Daily News put it.

Per the report (find the summary here; the news release here):

The audit ... revealed that NYCHA drastically under-reported data on its maintenance backlog, failed to properly train staff to get rid of mold, mildew, and excessive moisture conditions in tenants’ apartments, and fell dramatically short when it came to meeting its own deadlines for repairs.

The audit also found that the NYCHA routinely closed non-emergency work orders if residents were not home when workers visited their apartments. In total, the audit found 55,000 backlogged repairs ... while it took the NYCHA an average of 370 days to fix safety violations.

We asked Stringer's office for the stats on NYCHA properties in the East Village and Lower East Side.

The work order backlog numbers are as of July 2014 and violations are as of September 2014:

• 45 Allen Street: 42 backlogged work orders, 4 outstanding building violations
• Baruch Houses: 904 backlogged work orders, 55 outstanding building violations
• Bracetti Plaza: 20 backlogged work orders, 2 outstanding building violations
• Campos Plaza: 87 backlogged work orders, 5 outstanding building violations
• First Houses: 19 backlogged work orders, 1 outstanding building violation
• Gompers Houses: 147 backlogged work orders, 9 outstanding building violations
• LaGuardia Houses: 275 backlogged work orders, 26 outstanding building violations
• LES Consolidated: 180 backlogged work orders, 30 outstanding building violations
• Meltzer Tower: 60 backlogged work orders, 1 outstanding building violation
• Riis: 718 backlogged work orders, 43 outstanding building violations
• Seward Park Extension: 121 backlogged work orders, 16 outstanding violations
• Smith: 468 backlogged work orders, 32 outstanding violations
• Vladeck Houses: 335 backlogged work orders, 42 outstanding violations
• Wald: 330 backlogged work orders, 8 outstanding violations

For their part, NYCHA officials said that Stringer was recycling old data.

Per DNAinfo:

"Reviewing old work order data from January 1, 2013 — July 31, 2014, the audit measure a long-acknowledged, well-documented issue, which the new leadership at NYCHA was brought onboard to fix," NYCHA Chief Communications Officer Jean Weinberg said in a statement.

Stringer is "recommending investing in technology to track repairs in New York City’s public housing similar to the CompStat program that the Police Department uses to map and respond to crime," per The New York Times.

Contrada has not been open lately

Multiple readers have noted that Contrada, the Mediterranean-influenced restaurant on Second Avenue at East Fourth Street, has been closed since at least Saturday... a look inside reveals a nearly empty space... and someone has removed the Contrada menus from outside...



In addition, the restaurant's phone is temporarily disconnected ... and Open Table isn't accepting any reservations at this time. (There isn't any mention of a vacation or other temporary closure on Contrada's social media properties.) We reached out to proprietor Eric Anderson to see what might be going on with the space.

In the spring of 2014, the space evolved from Calliope, a French bistro, to Contrada... this after the departure of chefs Ginevra Iverson and Eric Korsh in January 2014.

As for Contrada, they were trying to do something different, making connections with the local art community ... including a brunch-time conversation with "Invisible Hand" director Ken Rus Schmoll and a celebration of Dylan Thomas, among other events.

Photos Saturday by Derek Berg

[Updated] Hey, you can buy 190 Bowery again (again)!

Developer Aby Rosen of RFR Realty bought the landmarked 190 Bowery from photographer Jay Maisel for a reported $55 million last year.

Back in November, Rosen was ready to flip the property, according to the Commercial Observer. However, that apparent re-sale never transpired ... but! It looks as if the historic Germania Bank Building on the corner of Spring Street is back on the market, Curbed reported earlier today.

Here's part of the Cushman & Wakefield listing:

The open floor plans combined with the property being delivered vacant, offer an unusually large blank canvas for a developer or user to execute a myriad of potential visions, including a boutique residential condominium, a retail flagship, or a truly historic and one-of-a-kind single family residence. Regardless of the strategy, the end result will change the landscape of the Bowery for years to come and will be a project unmatched in the price premiums it obtains.

There isn't any mention of the asking price (presumably it's higher than $55 million). No word on what happened to the previous tenants (a company made up of agencies representing creative professionals) who reportedly signed to lease part of the space.

Meanwhile, maybe there will be time for another art show here.

Updated 7-15

Oh, never mind! Reps told Curbed the building is NOT being resold...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Let's buy this building! 190 Bowery apparently back on the market

Take a last look inside the mysterious 190 Bowery

This morning on East 7th Street

Photos by Peter Brownscombe...

Ben Shaoul curtails rooftop ragers at Bloom 62

[EVG photo from August 2014]

Over on Avenue B and East Fifth Street, Ben Shaoul's Bloom 62's roof deck had been attracting attention for its parties.

However, effective immediately, the party's over for now atop the former Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, which Shaoul bought and converted into high-end rentals.

A tipster shared a 10-page memo dated yesterday to the building's residents.

As you are aware, we have made several attempts to enforce the roof rules for the safety of all residents and their guests.

The roof is intended to be used and enjoyed by all residents in this building; however that is no longer the case. As a result of excessive parties, most of which have gone on well after permitted hours, the amenity space has been destroyed – and regrettably this has occurred too many occasions.

The most recent incident left the amenity space looted: alcoholic beverages, beer bottles, graffiti on the ledge, items thrown from our roof over to neighboring rooftops and broken furniture. This is simply unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated.

We regret to inform you that due to the events that have transpired on the roof, the Landlord is CLOSING the roof effective immediately. Access will be limited to emergency use. Anyone found on the roof in a non-emergency related capacity will be considered trespassing and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Once repairs have been made a revised roof schedule will be circulated.

However, at this time we are not providing residents with a new opening date. We understand this might be upsetting to those of you who have not participated in the destruction of private property — however it is our responsibility as a Landlord to ensure the use and enjoyment of every resident in this building, the safety of all its residents and our desire to respect our neighbors and the community in which we live.

We hope that this pause will encourage those residents and their guest(s) to reconsider their actions and remember that they are living in a community of fellow residents. We are optimistic that once the roof reopens, residents will treat this very special amenity with respect and help promote common courtesy by following the guidelines set forth by the Landlord.

The memo included several photos. (Per the memo: "We have included photos of the most recent incident below — they are incredibly telling and disheartening.")





The building is currently on the market for $80 million.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Local politicians reach out to Ben Shaoul as re-sale of the Cabrini Nursing Center seems likely

More details on Cabrini's closing announcement

Have you heard the rooftop parties at Ben Shaoul's Bloom 62? (52 comments)

10 stories of condos in the works for the long-vacant corner of 4th Avenue and East 10th Street

[Photo from 2012]

There are new plans for the long-empty corner space on Fourth Avenue and East 10th Street.

As New York Yimby first reported:

New building applications were filed over the weekend for a 10-story, eight-unit building on the site. The first floor would hold 2,600 square feet of retail, followed by nine stories of apartments. Those eight units would spread across 22,934 square feet, for an incredibly spacious average unit of 2,866 square feet. These will clearly be condos, and expensive ones at that. The Schedule A doesn’t specify, but we expect one apartment per floor with a penthouse duplex on top.

And this is one of the renderings that have been attached to the corner…



The lot hit the market in June 2013 for $24 million.

There were once plans to build a 13-story hotel here, though the city never OK'd that proposal, as Curbed reported in 2009.

The previous tenants, including the Green East deli and St. Marx Music (and previously the Atlas Barber School), were cleared out in early 2007.

NYY also noted that the development will include a four-story, turn-of-the-century townhouse next door at 82 E. 10th St. Not sure if that means renovate and add on to the existing building … or demolish and build on the property… (Turn to Vanishing New York for more on this history of 82 E. 10th St.)


[82 E. 10th St. via Google]

Previously on EV Grieve:
The 'tremendous retail potential' of East 10th Street and 4th Avenue

Meanwhile, in Riverdale...

Comics Alliance had this exclusive over the weekend:

Yes, it’s true. In 2016, Riverdale’s typical teenagers will be teaming up with New York City’s original punks in a musical crossover for the ages ... a special comic that brings together the formerly disparate worlds of CBGB’s and Pop’s Chocklit Shop in a hyperspeed bubblegum battle of the bands.

Here's writer Matthew Rosenberg speaking about the project at ComicCon:

“It might seem strange to some people to combine these things, but there’s really no divide for me… Archie is what got me into comics, the Ramones are what got me into punk rock, and those two things have always been connected for me. The Ramones are my punk rock heroes, they’re really very comic booky, and Archie has a long history of being connected to music, and being willing to try new things and do cool new stuff, so to me, this makes perfect sense.”

A look at Eleventh and Third's expanded lobby

Oh, just noting the recent reveal at Eleventh and Third, the 12-floor building that recently went through a top-to-bottom luxury renovation (on East 11th Street and Third Avenue).

Workers have been expanding the lobby and adding a second level on East 11th Street...



According to the Eleventh and Third website:

Whenever you are coming or going, the lobby caters to comfort and convenience with casual seating, power stations, WiFi, espresso machines, and, of course a 24/7 concierge.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Someone actually paid $57 million for this East Village building

Reimagining this 12-story East Village building, now on the market

NY Copy & Printing forced out of longtime E. 11th St. home, opening second location on E. 7th St.

Eleventh and Third indulges in some nonsensical branding

Rebranded 'Eleventh and Third' will have rentals upwards of $10k

BREAKING: CVS is the 1st retail tenant for the Death Star!

[EVG file photo]

Well, 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/the Death Star has signed its first retail tenant, as the headline explained.

The Real Deal has the scoop:

Minskoff Equities’ angular, noir office building at 51 Astor Place has found a fittingly antiseptic lessee to sign on as its first retail tenant.

CVS, the pharmacy whose desire to maintain a squeaky-clean image led it it to stop selling cigarettes, has signed on to be the building’s first bona fide retail tenant since the retail space hit the market about two years ago, The Real Deal has learned.

The store is moving into roughly 11,500 square feet on the East Village building’s ground and concourse levels, according to developer Edward Minskoff.

Residents should be well-covered now with large drug store choices in the immediate area. There's already a huge Walgreens on Astor Place. And the Kmart on Astor Place with a large pharmacy area. Not to mention the recently expanded Walgreens on East 14th Street and Fourth Avenue … and the Duane Reade locations on East 14th Street and Third Avenue … and East 14th Street and Broadway ... and the Duane Reade that's rumored to be expanding on Third Avenue and East 10th Street. And… updated 5:03 p.m. Yes, and the Duane Reade on Broadway near East 10th Street...

Previously on EV Grieve:
3 retail spaces available at 51 Astor Place (22 comments)

You can finally shop at 51 Astor Place!

H/T to EVG regular Pinch!

Cops: This cyclist has nabbed 2 phones from pedestrians

Last Thursday we shared that Dashcam video showing a cyclist snatching a phone from a woman walking west on Seventh Street at Avenue A.

Apparently the cyclist has two victims...



On Saturday, the Post used this incident to help illustrate how the city is falling into ruin under Mayor de Blasio's watch...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Video: Cyclist snatches woman's phone on Avenue A; Citi Biker follows in pursuit

A memo from the NYC Department of Pedestrian Etiquette

[Click on image to enlarge]

EVG reader Katherine spotted this memo in the front door of a building along East Seventh Street… on official (heh) NYC Department of Pedestrian Etiquette...

Per the sign:

Effective April 1, 2016 all new residents and visitors to New York City Over the age of 16 will be required to take a mandatory training session on Proper Etiquette for navigating the sidewalks and streets of the greater metropolitan area.

And?

Upon completion of training, applicants must then pass an oral and practical exam in order to qualify for a NYC DPE Pedestrian Permit. Any mistakes will result in denial of permission to enter the city for a period of no less than one year.

Click on the image for what the examples of the violations might include… "stopping on a bike path with a big group to take pictures of squirrels" …

Here then, the new Moishe's Bake Shop sign

[EVG file photo]

Back in April workers removed the damaged Moishe's Bake Shop sign (in the middle of the night) in order to repair the facade at 115 Second Ave. near East Seventh Street.

Yesterdays, workers put the new sign in place under the watchful eye of owner Moishe Perl, as these photos by Derek Berg show…







Perl told WPIX that the sign sustained damage following the deadly gas explosion on March 26. "We got a violation last week that it’s shaking. We have to take it off and fix it," Perl told the station on April 20.



Previously on EV Grieve:
After midnight, workers remove the Moishe's Bake Shop sign (19 comments)

What lies beneath the Moishe's sign

Moishe's has a new (temporary-looking) sign

La Lucha space for rent on Avenue A

The 6-year-old La Lucha quickly shut down after service last Wednesday night, as we first reported.

And just like that the for rent sign from landlord Steve Croman's 9300 Realty arrived on the front window of the taco shop at 147 Avenue A between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street. (The listing isn't online just yet.)

As for La Lucha, the proprietors left this message on their Facebook page:

New location coming soon. Due to the outrageous cost of operating in the village we decided it's best to relocate. In the mean time catch our Taco truck on Franklin Ave in Bedford, BK.

Looking at One Great Jones Alley, 'a private paradise'

Renderings for the 12-stories of condos coming soon to the former open-air shops on Broadway near East Fourth Street have made the rounds in recent years…



Curbed has more details on what to expect from the 16-unit project now known as One Great Jones Alley, which will include a "private gated alley" ...



So the residential entrance will be via Great Jones Alley off of Great Jones Street…



Here's the rendering via broker Fredrik Eklund …



And more!

A photo posted by Fredrik Eklund (@fredrikeklundny) on Jul 10, 2015 at 8:06am PDT

And even more!

One Great Jones Alley features "a private gated alley, private driveway for your car, 24hr doorman, a spa and entire level of a waterclub, yes we call it a private paradise... and then the 16 residences above.... Half and full floor apartments, and an insane penthouse with 360' views of New York City!"

As for a little history of Great Jones Alley, we'll turn to The New York Times:

The slang term "jones," meaning an addiction to drugs, is said to have originated among addicts who lived in Great Jones Alley, off Great Jones Street, between Broadway and Lafayette Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Retail plans revealed for 12-floor condo building replacing open-air market on Broadway

NoHo flea market gutted ahead of new condo project on Broadway

Signage arrives for interesting new business on East 14th Street

The sign has arrived at the Domino's Pizza location opening soon enough at 440 E. 14th St. just west of Avenue A…



The space was previously home to the 99-Cent Discount Center, where things were often more than 99 cents.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Interesting new business opening on East 14th Street

Work continues at interesting new business coming to East 14th Street

Out with Euzkadi on East 4th Street

Workers have been gutting Euzkadi, the now-closed restaurant at 108 E. Fourth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue this past week…



… including removing the Euzkadi mosaic…



We're not sure exactly when Euzkadi closed. People seemed to like the tapas … which New York magazine called "traditional and boldly flavored Basque cuisine."

As for what's next … a Japanese restaurant called Benemon is expected to open here later next month. According to the application (PDF!) for a new liquor license at the CB3 website, Benemon will serve "Japanese rice bowls with small plates." Benemon is expected be open noon to midnight seven days a week.

Photos by Derek Berg

Joli Beauty Bar coming to East 1st Street

The coming soon sign is up for the next retail tenant at 44 E. First St. … Joli Beauty Bar…



Here's more about Joli via a post at Racked back in the spring:

Joli Beauty Bar [is] a "French café"–inspired space for makeup applications and lessons, a retail store for under-the-radar beauty brands, blowouts, "depuffing" treatments, and gel nails — all of which you can elect to get with a glass of wine or specialty cocktail in hand.

You can find the Joli website here.

The previous tenant, the plant store/boutique Green Fingers, moved to Rivington Street earlier in the year. The western storefront was briefly home to the hyped laundro-bar Wash House.

Julius Klein had the eastern storefront for years before he was Cromanated in the spring of 2012.

Scarab Lounge space for rent on 1st Avenue

Scarab Lounge has closed at 139 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and East Ninth Street … the for rent sign in the window was preceded by a Marshal's Legal Possession notice dated last Monday…



Don't know too much about the hookah bar … other than what we read on Yelp … and found during their brief time on Twitter…

Hope everyone had a great & safe holiday with friends and family! p.s. We're open till 3AM Christmas Day

— Scarab Lounge (@ScarabLounge) December 26, 2011

Disappointhenge

Stupid clouds... East 14th Street tonight for Manhattanhenge...





There's still tomorrow night...

Half Sun on the Grid
Monday, July 13 8:21 P.M.

Photos by Peter Brownscombe