EV Grieve

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Work underway on 10-story condoplex at 4th Avenue and 10th Street

Looks as if work has officially commenced for the 10-story retail-residential complex at the southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and 10th Street...

To recap, there are approved plans for a 10-story building ...with retail on the ground floor and 12 dwelling units above. The residential portion encompasses more than 24,000 square feet, so those units will presumably be condos. Floors 2-5 will each have two units while 6-8 will each have one unit while a two-level duplex to top things off. The plans also show a rooftop "recreation space" ... with more outdoor space on the ground level. Residential perks include a media room, an exercise room and storage for seven bikes, according to the permits.

SBLM Architects are listed as the architects of record. We didn't spot a rendering at their website.

However, we've seen several renderings for this lot elsewhere. The most recent one was posted at CityRealty ... it is listed as 80 E. 10th St. ...

This is the wrong corner, though. The above rendering is on 13th Street at Fourth Avenue. Perhaps a potential sign of things to come to that currently one-level corner building?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Demo permits filed to raze southeast corner of 4th Avenue and 10th Street

The 'tremendous retail potential' of East 10th Street and 4th Avenue

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

With new building OK'd, corner of 4th Avenue and 10th Street finally ready for razing

Clay Pot, from Hong Kong to St. Mark's Place

Signage is up for a new restaurant called Clay Pot at 58 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

According to their Facebook page, they will be serving "traditional Hong Kong style open-flame cooked clay pot rice."

Here's more:

Clay Pot Rice – a literal translation from the dish called “Bao Zai Fan” (煲仔饭) – is revitalizing a traditional style of cooking rice in a clay pot over an open-flame setting. A flavor packed combination of aromatic Jasmine rice, topped with fresh ginger, scallion, a splash of soy sauce, and enriched with your choice of protein, come together to deliver your taste buds on a powerful and savory exotic journey.

From the streets of Hong Kong ✈️ all the way to New York City!! We are super excited to announce our grand opening soon on St.Mark's Place. pic.twitter.com/mM6QHhiYvI
— Clay Pot NYC (@ClayPotNYC) February 6, 2017

Hakata Hot Pot and Sushi Lounge closed here at the end of February 2016. (Hakata Hot Pot combined with sister restaurant Zen 6 the next block to the west at 31 St. Mark's Place.)

Natori, a longtime favorite, closed at this address in November 2012.

Monday, February 6, 2017

Sugar Cafe has closed

As expected, the 24/7 cafe on Houston and Allen shut its doors after service yesterday.

This note greets patrons...

BoweryBoogie had previously heard that a rent increase — perhaps as much as double the current ask — was behind the closing.

The narrow cafe had been here for 10-plus years.

For now, a few desserts remain behind ...

Today in photogenic squirrels in Tompkins Squirrel

Another day, another squirrel doing something adorable (or terrifying, depending on your opinion of squirrels) in Tompkins Square Park...

EVG Senior Squirrel Correspondent Steven spotted this squirrel enjoying some sap from a tree near Avenue A and Ninth Street...

Naturalists have noted that when a squirrel's stash of pinecones and nuts gathered during the summer and fall run low, they will often turn to sap for an energy boost... sap as well as pizza, crackers, bananas, pumpkins and Hershey's Cocoa.

Noted

As of this morning, this fuzzy artwork — on two sheets of plywood — sat outside 19-23 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... it's not immediately clear what this is (or was) It was placed out here sometime late on Saturday, as far as we know...

[Photo by Derek Berg]

Guess/theories are welcome (and LinkNYC, Lady Gaga or Tom and Gisele have been eliminated as suspects).

A look at the Moxy Hotel coming to 11th Street

Demolition work continues at 112-120 E. 11th St., where five walk-up buildings are coming down to make way for the 13-story hotel for Marriott’s Moxy brand here between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

Meanwhile, we hadn't seen any renderings for this 300-room hotel aimed toward the Millennial set. Stonehill & Taylor are the architects of record. (They designed the one going up in Chelsea.) However, their website didn't have anything on the East 11th Street property.

Turns out that we were looking in the wrong place. CityRealty had the first look back in December ... via Flintlock Construction...

[Rendering via Flintlock Construction]

Thoughts?

Work permits on file with the city show that the hotel will be 78,361 square feet — about 250 square feet per room. In addition, the permits show a lounge in the hotel's basement along with an "eating and drinking establishment with accessory terrace." The application also shows a lounge and another eating and drinking establishment on the first floor/lobby (not sure if these are connected) ... as well as a "grab n go" food and drink space. There's also another bar-restaurant planned for the top floor.

The permits, first filed in September, are still awaiting the city's approval. They were disapproved (again) on Friday, per the DOB.

Local residents, preservationists and local elected officials have all spoken out about the demolition of the "landmark-elegible" buildings and loss of housing.

The Moxy website shows that the 11th Street hotel is expected to open in late 2018.

And if you're new to the Moxy brand, here's more via its website:

Moxy is a boutique hotel with the social heart of a hostel. A free-spirited place where you can do all that crazy fun stuff you’d never think of doing at home, together with likeminded spirits you’d otherwise never have met.

Yes, the WiFi is speedy and the cushy beds are freshly made, but more importantly, the bar is always open and the crew is always on. Whether you’re staying for the night or just a nightcap, you’ll see why it’s no place like home.

Previously on EV Grieve:
6-building complex on East 10th Street and East 11th Street sells for $127 million

Report: 300-room hotel planned for East 11th Street

Preservationists say city ignored pitch to designate part of 11th Street as a historic district

Permits filed to demolish 5 buildings on 11th Street to make way for new hotel (58 comments)

At the Moxy hotel protest on 11th Street last evening

Tsukimi bringing sushi to 10th Street

Sushi is coming to the small, subterranean space at 228 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Applicants for Tsukimi are on this month's CB3-SLA agenda for a beer-wine license. (The meeting is tonight, though this item won't be heard in front of the committee.)

According to the questionnaire (PDF here) on the CB3 website, Tsukimi will be open from 6 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Sunday. The space will have four tables seating eight people plus a 10-seat sushi bar.

The application shows the Tsukimi Kaiseki Menu (9 courses) at $85 per person.

The applicants also run SakaMai, which opened in 2012 on Ludlow Street.

No. 228 was home until last September to Dieci, which closed after 10 years in service.

196 Orchard's 'Culture & Cuisine'

An EVG reader asked if we had seen the stencils on the plywood at Ben Shaoul's incoming luxury condos on Houston and Orchard...

Residences ... culture & cuisine... It's part of the branding for the building, which will include a two-level Equinox (gym). The 196 Orchard website includes a 46-page digital publication/advertorial called "The Orchard Review." (You can access it here.)

Turn-of-the-century tenements with patina facades house biodynamic wine stores. The corner slice joint rubs elbows with the starred cuisine of Wildair and Contra. And a perfect date night is sharing a Katz's pastrami followed by a scoop of black sesame from Il Laboratorio del Gelato.

Anyway, the available condos here in the 11-story, 94-unit building range from a 551-square-foot studio for $1.075 million to a 2,069-square-foot three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom apartment asking $5.995 million.

Work is still in the foundation stage, as a look through the blogger portals show...

Sales for the residences launched back in September. A few weeks ago, the Lo-Down asked a Ben Shaoul spokesperson how sales were going here. The response: "While sales have been robust with multiple units placed under contract since launching sales in mid-Fall of 2016, the Sponsor is not disclosing specific figures at this time."