A new playground is coming to P.S. 19

[Photos by Steven]

Several readers pointed out that work started in late January on the playground behind P.S. 19 on First Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street...





The project was announced more than a year ago to the school's community... here's more from a letter at the time (January 2017) from Principal Jacqueline Flanagan:

We are thrilled to announce that due to a generous grant from Council Member Rosie Mendez and the Trust for Public Land, the schoolyard at P.S. 19 will be getting a new playground. Starting this January, The Trust for Public Land and landscape architects will work with students, staff, parents and community members to design and build a new school and community playground on our schoolyard.

Established in 1972, The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a nonprofit organization that is committed to bringing open space and recreational resources to communities underserved by parks. TPL’s NYC Playgrounds Program has created 66 new playgrounds in NYC over the past 20 years. In addition, TPL has led community design at another 123 schools participating in the former mayor’s Schoolyards to Playgrounds Initiative.

One of the unique features of TPL’s Playgrounds Program is that students, parents and community members design the new park. Previous playgrounds have included running tracks, basketball courts, artificial turf fields, trees, gardens, outdoor classrooms, game tables, water fountains, playground equipment and murals.

P.S. 15 (The Roberto Clemente School) on Fourth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D was the recipient of a new playground in 2016.

Here's a photo of the completed playground...


[Maddalena Polletta/The Trust for Public Land]

No word on when the new playground at P.S. 19 is expected to be complete.

This paper plate might just save you (from something)

Mystery surrounds this paper plate signage that Eden spotted (and shared on The Twitter) ... it's not immediately clear what might happen if one would remove the paper plate ... we would send a team to investigate, though Eden can't quite recall exactly where this is located (roughly Houston and First Avenue). Anyway, regardless of where you are, just leave any suspended paper plate as it is.

Now playing

The former Sunshine Cinema on East Houston looking as if it has been closed for a lot longer than 16 days...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Discarded theater seats and goodbyes at the Sunshine Cinema

The 9-story boutique office building coming to the former Sunshine Cinema space

Bank branches everywhere no more

[File photo of the former Citi branch on Avenue A]

Last week we noted that the Santander branch at Avenue A and Fourth Street is closing on April 27. At that time, Avenue A will be bank-branch free.

Apparently the days where you could count on a bank branch opening in every recently vacated retail space are coming to an end. (How far we've come from 2014!)

The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) today looks at the trend of banks cutting back as more customers move online.

To the article...

The number of branches in the U.S. shrank by more than 1,700 in the 12 months ended in June 2017, the biggest decline on record, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of federal data.

Branch numbers fell again in the second half of 2017, according to related data submitted to bank regulators and reviewed by the Journal. That would add to the thousands of locations closed following the financial crisis, and is the longest stretch of closures since the Great Depression.

Many of the closings were in big cities and surrounding suburbs, where branches were consolidated largely because of falling foot traffic.

And!

Banks say they carefully consider which branches to close, examining deposit levels at each branch and commute time to the nearest location. “We continue to evolve and optimize our branch network to ensure that we’re operating as efficiently and effectively as possible,” a Capital One spokeswoman said.

For decades, banks needed to add new locations to grow, pushing the number of U.S. branches to a peak in 2009. But in the aftermath of the financial crisis, some started closing branches to save money — and then kept closing them to contend with low interest rates and higher regulatory costs.

Along the way, lenders realized they could maintain their deposit levels with fewer locations in a digital world where customers often prefer banks’ mobile apps and ATMs.

At this point we may need to retire the "bank branches everywhere" tag.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Capital One® departs 14th and 3rd (bank branch down!) for new Union Square home

Chase space on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place is for rent

The East Village is down 2 Chase branches

Today in East Village tsunami warnings

This alert is making the rounds...



There are no tsunami warnings in effect at the current time. Again, there are no tsunami warnings in effect.



H/T Ali Rogers

Some reasons to shop on 9th Street Thursday

A handful of business owners on Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue have joined forces to host a "shopping crawl" on the block from 4-7 p.m. this Thursday to help inspire locals to shop local. The participating stores are offering a discount on selected items... the map below has the details...


[Click on image for a full view]

Activity at the long-empty 204 Avenue A

Residents yesterday spotted a Davey Drill taking (presumably) core samples from outside 204 Avenue A, the bricked-up building here between 12th Street and 13th Street.

According to public records, the NYC Housing Preservation and Development owns the property. There's nothing on file at the DOB to suggest any future development just yet. (There is a recent filing for "facade repair" at an estimated cost of $4,450.)

No. 204 has been vacant since at least 2009.

A look at Google Street View shows the building in use in September 2007...



By 2009 the place had been boarded up.

H/T dwg!

Popup Florist popping up on 7th Street

Popup Florist, a plant and floral design company, is opening a storefront this month at 63 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The company, founded by former fashion designer Kelsie Hayes in 2016, has been operating out of a 40-square foot retail/workspace in The Gansevoort Market. The Popup Florist website notes that they have worked with brands and retailers such as Theory, Barneys New York, Facebook, Covergirl and Pottery Barn.

The space was previously home for a short while to the Roll It Up ice cream shop.

Bejeweled NYC, a piercing studio, is Popup's new neighbor on the other side of the front steps ...

165 Avenue B is for rent — again

[Photo from November]

Back in November, the long-empty storefront at 165 Avenue B became home to a production studio for Avänt Candle, an online seller that promises "the ultimate candle experience," including the 365 Annual Candle with 720 hours-plus of burn time for $360.

It looked as if the space would become a retail outlet as well.

Not sure whatever happened to this venture. (Avänt Candle continues on online.) The storefront is empty again ... and the for rent sign arrived again last week...



As previously noted, the space between 10th Street and 11th Street has been vacant for years. A restaurant serving Cantonese-style food was in the works, but that never materialized. The last tenant was the junk-thrift shop Waldorf Hysteria more than 10 years ago.

H/T Salim!

Previously on EV Grieve:
165 Avenue B back on the market

165 Avenue B has been sold, and 2 apartments are on the market

EV Grieve Etc.: Helping the homeless in NYC; viewing the work of Peter Hujar

[Levitating in Tompkins Square Park today. Photo by Derek Berg]

Representatives from four advocacy groups discuss how New Yorkers can best channel their resources when it comes to helping the homeless (Curbed New York)

Why isn’t homelessness seen as a national crisis? (Curbed)

About the six LES nonprofits who will benefit from the $1.25 million Rivington House settlement (The Lo-Down)

Displaced tenant drama at 85 Bowery (BoweryBoogie)

Study: Airbnb is making rents in New York City spike (CNBC)

Howl! buys on the Bowery (Crain's)

Alex Ross Perry's latest film, "Golden Exits," starts Friday (Metrograph) Sing along to "Grease" next Monday night (City Cinemas Village East)

Booking a drip at NutriDrip’s Drip Lounge on First Street (NBC News)

The Morgan Library & Museum is currently showing works from the 1970s-80s of East Village-based photographer Peter Hujar, on view through May 20. Hornet has a preview today of "Peter Hujar: Speed of Life" here.