Next week: The Follow Me Friday Small Business Crawl on 2nd Avenue

Via the EVG inbox...

Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Rosie Mendez today announced the Council will host a “Follow Me Friday” tour of the East Village with local business owners, community members and elected officials on Friday, May 29.

The Follow Me Friday Small Business Crawl will help highlight and promote East Village businesses recovering from the aftermath of the March 26 building explosion ... and will begin with a moment of silence at the site of the explosion on 2nd Avenue and 7th Street. The small business tour will begin at 5:30 PM and will include the following stops:

• Moment of silence for victims of recent explosion (Northwest Corner of 2nd Avenue and East 7th Street)
• Tour of Moishe’s Bake Shop (115 2nd Avenue)
• Tour of New Yorker Market (550 2nd Avenue)
• Tour of Café Mocha (116 2nd Avenue)
• Tour of Bar Virage (118 2nd Avenue)
• Tour of Himalayan Vision (127 2nd Avenue)
• Tour of Enz’s (125 2nd Avenue)
• Tour of Jimmy’s No. 43 (23 East 7th Street)

Those wishing to join the event should RSVP by sending an e-mail here

The John's of 12th Street documentary is now available for home viewing

[EVG file photo]

"John's of 12th Street," the documentary by Brooklyn-based filmmaker-editor Vanessa McDonnell, is now available as of today on Fandor and Vimeo on Demand.

The 65-minute film had its debut last November.

Here's a quick description:

"John's of 12th Street" is a portrait of a century-old Italian-American restaurant in New York City, one of the last of its kind in a rapidly changing East Village. This observational documentary loosely follows the rhythm of the restaurant’s day, which swings between boredom and frenzy as the old rooms empty and fill, cataloguing the overlooked details of working life and a vanishing facet of New York City.

Watch John's on Fandor here … and on Vimeo on Demand here.

And to warm you up…

John's is located at 302 E 12th St. just east of Second Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Q-and-A with Vanessa McDonnell, director of the John's of 12th Street documentary

Union Square getting a bank branch-coffee shop combo because why not

So here's what is in the works for the southwest corner 14th Street and Broadway via Crain's ...

Capital One has come up with an alternative to the staid retail bank branch. It will launch a concept in Union Square, at 853 Broadway, on the building's ground, basement and mezzanine levels. The entrance will feature a large café operated by Peet's Coffee. The space upstairs will differ from a typical retail bank branch. Capital One will create a large work lounge, where customers can camp out and use free Wi-Fi.

Capital One, which operates several similar cafes across the country, is also eyeing a location on Lafayette Street near the Puck Building for another branch.

Immerse yourself in archival photos of NYC

The New York Public Library today unveiled OldNYC.org, an interactive map that brings its digitized collection of vintage photos to life by street/avenue/neighborhoods.

Per OldNYC:

This site provides an alternative way of browsing the NYPL's incredible Photographic Views of New York City, 1870s-1970s collection. Its goal is to help you discover the history behind the places you see every day.

And, if you're lucky, maybe you'll even discover something about New York's rich past that you never knew before!

Where did these images come from?
The images all come from the New York Public Library's Milstein Collection. While many photographers contributed to the collection, the majority of its images are the work of Percy Loomis Sperr, who documented changes to the city from the late 1920s to the early 1940s.

We clicked on Avenue A and East 10th Street...



... and found this shot (and more) from 1934...



Enjoy your Memorial Weekend. (And if you don't like historical photos, then....)

Today in photos of an abandoned carousel horse in Tompkins Square Park

Photographed by EVG regular William Klayer this morning... probably a good reason why it's here...

Demolition of 118 E. 1st St. begins to make way for 9-story residential building

Work is underway here between Avenue A and First Avenue, where the existing 3-floor building will be demolished … and a 9-floor residential building will rise…



As NY Yimby first pointed out last November, a developer operating under the name of Acacia 118, LLC is behind the project.

Per NY Yimby...

As with many new projects in neighborhoods that once only supported rentals, 118 East 1st will likely be condos, with its seven units divided over 12,500 square feet of residential space. The average size is a quite hefty 1,800 square feet, with duplexes on the top and bottom and full-floor units in between…

The city has yet to approve the plans for the new building.

This development can't sit well with the owner of Punjabi Grocery & Deli next door. Owner Jashon Singh has reported declining sales these past five years with the ongoing East Houston Reconstruction Project outside his front doors.

The work on East Houston, reportedly three years behind schedule, is expected to wrap up in August. Just in time for the new construction at No. 118.



The new building will also include a 250-square foot retail space on the ground level.

Thanks to EVG reader Gacin for the photos

Previously on EV Grieve:
118 E. 1st St. arrives on the market with so many possibilities, and air rights

118 E. 1st. St. will yield to a new 9-floor residential building

How displaced residents are faring after the 2nd Avenue gas explosion

[Photo Monday via Blue Glass]

City Limits files an in-depth look at the residents who lost their homes during the deadline gas explosion on March 26.

Here are a few excerpts from the piece:

The three buildings destroyed in the March 26 blast—45 East Seventh St. (119 Second Avenue), 121 Second Ave., and 123 Second Ave.—included 15 apartments. Adjacent buildings also sustained damage and many were ordered vacated. While most tenants buildings have reopened, at press time, five apartments at 125 Second Ave. and two at 41 East Seventh St. were still under vacate orders.

---

Kim-Nora Moses, 52, also lived at 45 East Seventh St. She and her husband, Robert Schmidt, 55, had a three-bedroom rent-stabilized apartment for 23 years, and paid close to $2,000 rent. Moses laments the loss of her gorgeous home, and where she is now pales in comparison. The couple, who had renter's insurance, moved into the same building as Guy this week with help from Cooper Square Committee. Their one-year lease is for a one-bedroom, with a monthly rent of around $800. Lease renewal for the building is dependent on income, and the couple earns too much to stay permanently.

---

Whatever their rent status, tenants who lost their homes need help. There is some monetary relief on its way to individuals and families affected by the explosion, for housing and material goods. The first installment of $45,000, from the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, was released to LES Ready on April 29. More than $150,000 was raised by donation, and LES Ready will disseminate funds based on need.

---

Read the whole article here.

Peter Brant meets the neighbors

[Another photo we use a lot]

On Tuesday night, as we noted, reps for Peter Brant were to meet with residents at Village View to discuss his plans for 421 E. Sixth St., the building he purchased last year for $27 million.

Posted flyers said that the owner would be present. Owner owner? Or owner as in owner of, say, the company overseeing the renovation project?



Well, according to an EVG reader who attended the meeting, "Brant was actually there. Yes. Cufflinks and all."

First, though, as previously reported, the building between Avenue A and First Avenue is intended to be a gallery space to display Brant's personal art collection. The intention is to have approximately two shows per year, with the first one scheduled for Fall 2016.


[Meeting photo via Bill the Libertarian Anarchist]

Back to Tuesday night's meeting, which the EVG reader described as intense, though Brant was "open, engaging."

Some guy asked Brant "Why don't you have your art displayed at your Polo Club?" To which Brant replied, "Because they play polo there."

Brant also said that he wasn't aware that the party on March 26 — for the world's top collectors of Dom Pérignon rosé — in the building would be what it was, that he was doing a favor for a friend. Per the reader, "He is aware how it affected the neighborhood."

He invited everybody to come to his foundation in Connecticut to see what he is all about. One woman kvetched that she couldn't get there, is anything closer? He said he has a building in Soho. Well, the guy was trying.

I'm starting to sound too much like I'm defending him.

Again, of all the things that could happen to this building, I think this seems like one of the best things. It will be a private space. Not a lot of people there. Maybe a couple of invite-only openings. I want to believe him. Basically it sounds like a garage to store some of his art.

Anyone who attended the meeting want to share his or her thoughts on Brant's plans?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Rumor: The Brant Foundation buying Walter De Maria's E. 6th St. studio for an exhibition space (19 comments)

Confirmed: Peter M. Brant buys Walter De Maria's amazing East 6th Street home and studio

1st permits filed for renovation of Walter De Maria's former home-studio on East 6th Street

A soft opening at the Brant Foundation's new space at Walter De Maria's former East 6th Street studio

More about the 1st show at Walter De Maria's former home-studio on East 6th Street

Here's what Peter Brant wants to do with his new exhibition space on East 6th Street

When the world's top collectors of Dom Pérignon rosé came to the East Village for dinner

Reader report: 421 E. 6th St. will house Peter M. Brant's personal art collection

Peter Brant's East 6th Street Outreach Tour 2015 continues

'Kids' today: 20th anniversary T-shirt and skateboards

"Kids" turns 20 this July ... and ahead of the reunion festivities next month at BAM ... Supreme has released a special edition series of skateboard decks and shirts for the film that introduced us to Chloë Sevigny and Rosario Dawson...

Dangerous Minds today published the news release from Supreme about the items:

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Larry Clark’s debut film, KIDS, the portrayal of NYC youth’s escapades in the early 90’s. Some were offended by the raw and anarchic world Larry Clark documented, for those that weren’t, the film became an important document of the time, place and culture.

Through photographing skaters in NYC, Larry Clark came to meet the film’s writer, Harmony Korine and star, Leo Fitzpatrick. The rest of the cast was pieced together with a variety of downtown New York characters including original Supreme team riders Justin Pierce and Harold Hunter. It is a testament to KIDS cultural impact that it resonates today just as much as it did in 1995.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary, Supreme is proud to release a collection of items featuring stills from the iconic film KIDS. The Collection will consist of a Hooded Sweatshirt, Long Sleeved T-Shirt, two graphic T-Shirts, and three Skateboards.

Here's a look at the stuff available to buy starting tomorrow ...



... and to round out your Business Casual wardrobe this summer...





"Kids" was filmed, in part, around the East Village... and it opened at the Angelika on July 21, 1995...

You will not need to rekindle friendships with people on the West Side this July 4

[Random 3rd Avenue jukebox photo — maybe Paddy Maguire's?]

The East River will play host to the city's Fourth of July fireworks for the second consecutive year.

Per The Wall Street Journal:

The show, sponsored by Macy’s Inc., will feature fireworks from two additional barges and is moving farther north along the river to give Queens residents a better view. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had long sought to return the display to the East River, saying it could be seen by more New Yorkers.

Last year, Mr. de Blasio moved the Independence Day celebration back to the East River after it had been displayed over the Hudson River since 2009.

The fireworks will launch from one double-wide barge south of the Brooklyn Bridge and four barges between 23rd and 37th Streets. The 25-minute show is scheduled to begin at about 9:20 p.m. on July 4 and fire 40,000 pyrotechnic shells into the sky.

The Fourth of July is held this year on July 4.