Former Red Square lobby gets the plywood treatment on East Houston

Renovations continue over at 250 E. Houston St., the former Red Square here between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The 13-floor building changed hands for a reported $100 million in the fall of 2016.

The Dermot Company has stated they are "creating a more updated style and fit for the cool East Village neighborhood" with the renovations at the retail-residential complex with the Tibor Kalman-designed rooftop clock.

Apparently now it's time to revamp the entryway for residents... from the old...


[EVG photo from June 2017]

... to the pizzazzy ...



Red Square opened for occupancy in June 1989. Workers removed the building's statue of Lenin from the roof in September 2016. It's now standing on a nearby rooftop on Norfolk Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Rumors: Red Square has been sold

New ownership makes it official at the former Red Square on East Houston

Apartment listings at 250 E. Houston look to offer glimpse of former Red Square's future

Long-vacant retail space hits the rental market at 250 E. Houston St.

217 E. 3rd St. sells for $5.1 million

There's a new owner for 217 E. Third St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Here's part of a news release via Cushman & Wakefield:

An undisclosed buyer acquired the property from the estate of Michael Mendez for $5.1 million. The mixed-use property consists of a vacant turn-key restaurant space on the ground floor and three free-market, floor-through apartments. The property is approximately 4,160 square feet above grade, not including a one-story structure situated at the rear of the site and separated by a small courtyard area.

Additionally, the property includes 4,700 square feet of air rights and a useable basement that houses mechanicals and a storage area.

Public records show that an LLC with a Pleasantville, N.Y., address is the new owner. The address matches up to management company Ogrin Associates, a longtime NYC landlord.

And does anyone know what that "one-story structure situated at the rear of the site" is used for?

The last tenant in the retail space was Corlear's NYC, a "Pre-Prohibition style bar executing vintage cocktails." They closed some time in early 2017.

The building arrived on the market last July with a $6 million ask.

Taco Bell nearly ready for Taco Belling on 1st Avenue

Heading north for a second... where the Taco Bell is looking nearly ready to start serving up its specialties like the Chalupa Supreme® and XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito here on First Avenue near 18th Street ... next to the Ponce De Leon Federal Bank (if that helps place it) ...



It will be opening soon, per the signage... with generous hours of 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day except Sunday, when it doesn't open until 8 a.m. (and closes at midnight) ....



This is one of 50 locations (no kidding) that Taco Bell plans to open in NYC in the next five years. (There's also one coming to 647 Broadway near Bleecker that will serve alcohol.)

For nearly 25 years the First Avenue address was the Adriatic until its sudden closure in 2015. Visana, a problematic pizzeria-speakeasy combo, closed down last summer, as Town & Village detailed.

P.S.

My only memento from the long-closed Taco Bell at 58 Third Ave. near 11th Street...

Week in Grieview

[Early morning the other day in Tompkins Square Park]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

About the ongoing issues with the NYCHA (Monday)

Historic Bathhouse Studios for sale on 11th Street (Wednesday)

At Three Jewels, there's coffee out front, and ancient Tibetan wisdom in the back (Friday)

Bravo Supermarkets coming to Avenue D (Tuesday)

Ariel Palitz named NYC's first Night Mayor (Wednesday)

Making room for Mount Sinai's new EV hospital (Tuesday)

Time to rent at EVGB, where studios ('lofts') start at $3,695 (Thursday)

Bar taking over former HiFi space on Avenue A is called Coney Island Baby (Thursday)

Third Street Music School Settlement alum 1st person ever to achieve a double EGOT (Monday)

Cows, pigs and chickens now adorn the walls at the former vegan favorite Angelica Kitchen (Monday)

Reader report: Joe and Pat's will open in 3 weeks (Wednesday)

The Swiss Institute announces June 21 opening on St. Mark's Place and 2nd Avenue (Wednesday)

Mohan's Tattoo Inn arrives on 14th Street (Tuesday)

Catching up with Dora, wing on the mend (Tuesday)

Mahalo New York Bakery debuts on 9th Street (Friday)

Your subway delay map (Saturday)

Rent freeze fight underway for 2018 (Friday)

The Chelsea Thai signage is up on 1st Avenue (Wednesday)

"Give me back my package you bastard" (Friday)

End of days at the St. Denis (Thursday)

The for-real Target signage has arrived at EVGB (Monday)


[Flashback to Wednesday via Derek Berg]

Storm brought down this tree on 6th Street (Wednesday) Milk truck KOs Avenue B tree (Monday)

Report: Developer lands $91 million loan for the Moxy East Village (Saturday)

Former Artichoke Pizza space for rent on 14th Street (Monday)

DOH temporarily closes Pinky's on 1st Street (Monday)

... and from the Citizen app crime files this past week...



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'God' willing, this CBS pilot will be filming on Avenue C the next 2 days

Crews for a CBS pilot called "God Friended Me" will be filming on parts of Avenue C and Avenue D between Eighth Street and 13th Street tomorrow and Tuesday...



Here's the plot via Deadline Hollywood:

"God Friended Me" is described as a humorous, uplifting series that explores questions of faith, existence and science. It centers on Miles (Brandon Micheal Hall), an outspoken atheist whose life is turned upside down when he is “friended” by God on Facebook. Unwittingly, he becomes an agent of change in the lives and destinies of others around him.

Violett Beane will play Cara Weiss. Confident, compelling and quick-witted, Cara is a leading writer at an online magazine. Under pressure for her next big story, her life takes an interesting turn when she meets Miles — thanks to God’s friend suggestion. The cast also includes Suraj Sharma, Javicia Leslie and Joe Morton.

Rejected headlines:
Oh 'God' — another film shoot!

Why in 'God''s name would CBS order this pilot?

March 10

EVG reader Erin spotted this wee tree today on Second Avenue and Third Street... doesn't look as if it takes up much room — why not keep it up year round...?

Noted

New art installation in Tompkins Square Park courtesy of Jerry Foust (former proprietor of the Tompkins Square Park Art Bar).

Thanks to Goggla for the photo!

Updated 3/11

Someone vandalized the sculpture overnight...

In case there's ever a subway delay

[Click on image for the big view]

If you take the subway on a regular basis, then you know that every once in awhile there might be a slight delay with a train or even be some track repair work that alters the schedule.

Anyway! This new map might help. Developer Eric Markfield from Unfounded Labs shared this with me (and a few other people) — the Real MTA map, which shows delays and track work in real time.

As Curbed described it the other day:

The website features a near carbon copy of the MTA’s subway map, but it removes each line that’s currently experiencing delays, planned work, or service disruptions. What’s left is a network that’s far less expansive, but more accurate in real time for commuters.

The site also makes it easy to see what, exactly, is happening to the lines that are experiencing problems. The side panel lets you to click on each hidden line, taking you directly to the MTA Service Status report for those trains.

As the above screengrab shows, there are only a few lines without any kind of delay or schedule change as of 1:09 p.m. today... and likely for the remainder of the weekend.

You may also follow along on the Twitter — @realmtainfo.

Report: Developer lands $91 million loan for the Moxy East Village

[Photo from today, Saturday!]

An item from this past week to note: The Lightstone Group landed $91 million in financing for its Moxy hotel project on 11th Street, as The Real Deal reported.

Bank of the Ozarks provided the debt for the upcoming 311-key hotel at 112 East 11th Street, to be called Moxy East Village. The financing includes $63.1 million in new loans as well as an existing $27.9 million loan from Goldman Sachs that Bank of the Ozarks will now assume. Goldman Sachs previously provided $85 million to Lightstone for the project.

The Moxy website still lists an opening date of late 2018 for this hotel between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...



To make that deadline, the crew here will need to pick it up... a look through the blogger portal on the double plywood shows that workers remain in the deep pit stages of the foundation...



The 13-story hotel will include a variety of eating-drinking options and a dedicated Instagram account.

Previously on EV Grieve:
An updated look at that Moxy hotel for 11th Street

Lucy's

[Random Lucy's photo from 2009!]

The March 19 issue of The New Yorker includes a short Bar Tab feature on Lucy's, 135 Avenue A:

In the back, East Village lifers shot pool, and a man celebrated his roommate’s arrest, which had resulted from a brawl over unpaid rent. Flush for now, he bought a round of Serbian slivovitz (a throat-burning plum brandy) and toasted the N.Y.P.D. in absentia.

[Above photo of Lucy from New Year's Eve 2015 by Peter Brownscombe]