Welcome to the neighborhood, Mr. Sarkozy

Oh, we were enjoying a leisurely walk one recent evening and we spotted Olivier Sarkozy, half-brother of the former French president and beau of Mary-Kate Olsen, standing on the sidewalk outside the lovely James Renwick-designed home at 123 E. 10th St. that he reportedly purchased last summer.



While reports said that he bought No. 123, we thought we also saw him enter the adjacent property at No. 125 (both were on the market) with the movers, who were carrying various boxes marked "Sarkozy," like the one in the back of the van marked "Bridgehampton Dishes."



We did not spot any marked, say, "Mary-Kate's pots & pans."

And the Di Bella Bros. sign is hidden once more on East 13th Street

On Monday, EVG regular evilnyc noted that there was some sign work going on at the Hamptons Market on First Avenue ... workers removed the sign on the north side of the building, which revealed ... the beloved previous tenant ...



...Di Bella Bros., the Italian deli that dated to 1925.

Obviously this was going to be a short-term reveal... sure enough, a reader noted that the Hamptons Market sign returned yesterday...



...looking as if it belongs more in a food court than on a city street...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Di Bella Bros. ghost signage uncovered on East 13th Street

East Houston Wine & Liquor is now open in (at?) Red Square

East Houston Wine & Liquor opened Monday on East Houston in the Shoppes at Red Square ... and they're having a 10-percent-off deal the first week. (Nice of me to tell you that five days in!) ... the space was previously home to a spa-salon.

I browsed the aisles... not sure about prices, since I make all my liquor at home in the tub. (Soapy, but effective!) Maybe if you go you can tell me what you think of the place in the comments. A few other details — they deliver and they have nice refrigerator magnets.

BoweryBoogie noted the opening back on Wednesday.

Spring on St. Mark's Place

By Bobby Williams.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Mini UFO on Avenue B? Via Bobby Williams]

Christine Quinn threatens media who run ad she doesn't like (The Village Voice)

Police say this guy tried to steal a purse on East Eighth Street (CBS)

Another fucking FroYo chain invades NYC (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

EV artist Stephen Tashjian (Tabboo!) has a new book out (Paper)

The East Village of a TV show called "Mad Men" versus the actual neighborhood in the 1960s (The New York Times)

Great old-timer Pizza Box closing on Bleecker (BoweryBoogie, Flaming Pablum)

TR Crandall Guitars now open on East Third Street (DNAinfo, previously on EV Grieve)

A tribute to 6 great diners (The Lo-Down)

Summer in the City, Spring edition (Slum Goddess)

DBGB hosting a pig roast featuring special guest Marky Ramone (Eater)

And, as we exclusively reported last night, it rained. And thundered!

Yeoooooooooow.
— evgrieve (@evgrieve) April 11, 2013

Also! Mark Benigno put together a composite of the lightning strikes...

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

So 200 E. 11th St. at Third Avenue is now on the market. Per the Massey Knakal listing: "Rarely do downtown elevated apartment buildings become available for sale. When they do, it is even more unusual that they are as untouched and with so much upside potential as 200 East 11th Street (AKA 55 Third Avenue)."

Indeed.

A deeper look at the listing (PDF!) shows what the new owner could do, such as converting one bedroom units into to two-bedroom units.

But! The biggest changes — at least for passersby — would happen on the outside of the building, where the listing notes "[a] buyer may wish to expand the residential floor plate above and restore the building above by reskinning glass."



Let's take a closer look at this reskinned glass.



The new rendering doesn't happen to show the current retail clients — M2M or the copy shop. The third storefront is home to The Smith.

There's no price listed for the building.

Here comes David Schwimmer's rooftop garden

EVG reader Eva notes that there's a special delivery being, um, delivered to David Schwimmer's new Mansion this morning on East Sixth Street.

"There is a lot getting dropped onto the roof of the Schwimmer manse.

Trees and a huge silo shaped thing just landed. Yes, full-grown trees are being hoisted onto the roof.

Eva promises to alert us when (if!) the Belize Oval II Hot Tub Spa goes up...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Is David Schwimmer the 'Friends' star who now owns the demolished 331 E. Sixth St. townhouse?

Outrage over total demolition of historic East Sixth Street townhouse

Here is David Schwimmer's East Village home

'Mania Days' back on Avenue A today; KATIE HOLMES HIGH ALERT

You may have noticed the fairly large production camped out in various streets around the neighborhood... such as Avenue A and St. Mark's Place...



...where crews were filming a scene yesterday for "Mania Days" at the Odessa Cafe...







...and the crew is back filming today...



We didn't mention this earlier because ... THE MOVIE STARS KATIE HOLMES, the former East Village resident who broke our collective hearts last summer following the dissolution of her fairytale marriage to actor Tom Cruise. (Ah, love is so fickle...)

And we were worried about The Pandemonium this sighting might cause. And you thought you'd never see her here again! (Except for a few weeks ago on Avenue B.)


[Via Just Jared]

Anyway, on a more serious note, the movie sounds serious. Per Just Jared:

The 34-year-old actress is reportedly starring in the film about “a manic depressive rapper (Luke Kirby) who gets involved with a manic depressive poet (Holmes) in a passionate affair that results in a pregnancy.”

Spike Lee is a producer; Paul Dalio, a producer at the David Lynch Foundation, makes his directorial debut. (Perhaps worth noting that his father is billionaire Ray Dalio, founder of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates.)

Anyway (again). Pensive Katie! on Avenue A... thinking about Mamani Pizza...


[Via Celebrity-Gossip-Net]

Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village reeling over breakup of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes

Non Katie Holmes photos by Bobby Williams

Your chance to have your bicycle blessed

Via the EV Grieve inbox...

What: Saint Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery will be holding its 1st annual Blessing of the Bicycles. The event is ecumenical and welcoming to all cyclists of all persuasions wanting to take a moment to contemplate a safe cycling season and to get their bikes blessed.

When: Saturday April 20, 2 pm. In case of rain the Blessing will be moved to the same time on April 27.

Who: Open to all ages and cyclists of all skill level and experience.

Why: With expanded bike lanes and a new bike share program about to begin bicycle ridership is set to increase for 2013. New York City is a wonderful place to bicycle; cycling is good exercise and an alternative mood of green transportation. Saint Marks Church-in-the-Bowery is encouraging the community to consider cycling as part of their transportation and recreational options and offering a blessing to cyclists and their bicycles in contemplation of a safe and joyous bicycling season.

Conversations tonight about possible improvements to Tompkins Square Park

[Tuesday in Tompkins Square Park via Bobby Williams]

Tonight, CB3's parks committee will hear a request for support "for possible improvements to and restoration of Tompkins Square Park," per the meeting agenda. The East Village Parks Conservancy has a draft proposal for a three-phase restoration project. (Find a PDF of the proposal here.)

A few snippets from the proposal....

Tompkins Square is one of New York City’s most storied and beloved public squares, first opened in 1834 after the Stuyvesant family gifted the land to the city.

Over time, the Park’s design has been repeatedly altered to accommodate the politics and needs of the neighborhood’s growing population. Renovations in the 1960’s and 1990’s stripped the park of its elegant historic character.

It is time to envision a plan for the park that both looks forward in programming and sustainability and also back in materials and details to restore the park’s design integrity.

The first phase:

"Restore the park perimeter and entrances, reconstruct pavement, curbs and fencing, install tree guards, prune and plant trees. Link to the park’s history and surrounding gardens."



Anyway, all this is in the draft proposal phase, but the conversations are starting... CB3's parks committee meets at 6:30 p.m. at the BRC Senior Center, 30 Delancey Street.

Oh, the PDF includes this shot of the Park via 1934...



All this aside, what would you want to see improved in the Park?