The laundromat on 5th and C will remain a laundromat

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Renovations continue on the SW corner of Avenue C and Fifth Street, the longtime home of a laundromat. 

The Avenue C Laundromat was expected to close whenever the owner sold the property at 69 Avenue C. There was speculation that the two-story building would be demolished for some kind of new residential development. Who buys a laundromat and keeps it a laundromat!? 

Well, according to TradedNY this past July, Hildreth Real Estate Advisors bought the property from Gwangil Kim for $3.4 million. 

And the business will remain a laundromat — called My Sunny Laundry. 

Here's a look at the ongoing renovations from recent days ... including a new Pepsi machine... 

The Dolly Llama remains closed for renovations

Photos by Steven 

The Dolly Llama has been closed since the late summer at 137 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

According to the gate signage, the ice cream and waffle shop, which opened in March, is "temporarily closed for remodeling and a refreshed look."

Dolly Llama Watchers (oh, there are some!) wondered why they might need a refreshed look after just six months. 

In any event, the EV location is no longer listed on the Dolly Llama website. And based on the mail and leaves inside the front doorway, no one has been inside of late. However, in an Instagram message, management said they didn't have a reopening date yet but hoped to soon.

The Dolly Llama started in Los Angeles in 2017, and there are multiple locations now in the United States. 

Wednesday's parting shot

By Lola Sáenz 

A moment on St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue today... a photo opp with a found portrait of Christopher Reeve... amidst a backdrop of a water main issue on the block between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (Haven't heard the full story yet about what happened here...)

Meanwhile, on St. Mark's Place...

Photo by Cecil Scheib 

Everyone, let's please give a warm EV Grieve welcome to ... the ... Con Ed Dance Squad! 

As seen today on St. Mark's Place east of First Avenue...

Noted

Photo by Steven 

From this morning on Astor Place... when the Baby Trump balloon made a pitstop on Astor Place... the 19-foot-tall diaper-clad baby first appeared in the U.K. in July 2018, and made its NYC debut later that year... there are reportedly six replicas in circulation in the U.S. for various protests.

RIP Richard 'Pete' Peterson

EVG reader Annie Gosfield shares the sad news about the passing of Richard "Pete" Peterson, "a well-loved neighbor" who lived at 305 E. 12th St. since 1968. He was 83. 

His nephew said that Pete died during a brief stay in the hospital due to heart problems. 

He loved plants and shared his gardening skills with adjacent buildings between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Here's a look at the renovated interior of the long-vacant 6 Avenue B

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Last week, EVG's Stacie Joy pointed out that workers had removed the scaffolding and construction netting from 6 Avenue B, the long-empty and currently under-renovation building on the NW corner of Avenue B.

Given this high-profile corner, there has been a lot of curiosity about the address and its fate (there were ultimately unfounded concerns at one point that this might be demolished for either a new building or part of a more extensive development).

The top photo shows you how the exterior is shaping up. Let's take a look inside the 6-floor building.

So far, the hallways and stairwells have retained some of their original charms — albeit buffed up — with the exposed brick, tiled floors, and classical staircase ironworks ...

The residential units are a different story... the pre-war details (take a look here) have been stripped away... in favor of designer-y desert-sand floors and cabinetry... 

... the oversized bedrooms have been chopped up into several small units...

Amenities look to include in-unit laundry and mini split air conditioners...

Some units include a view of Houston and Clinton (good for checking the weekend lines at Clinton St. Baking Company)...

... and a view of the foundation work for the 11-story building coming to 280 Houston St. ...

We have yet to see any listings for the refurbished units.

To recap some recent history here... an LLC linked to Penn Capital South, whose portfolio includes multiple EV properties, bought the building in February... but they didn't keep it long — it's back on the market. (The retail space is for lease, too... here's the listing.)

This was one of the abandoned buildings owned by the estate of the mysterious team of Arthur and Abraham Blasof, both long deceased. However, No. 6 has been generating some income with the cell-phone towers on the roof. 

The liquor store in the retail space closed when the owner passed away in the fall of 2009 at age 89. (Chico created the tribute to her on the gate in February 2010. Will it stay?)

As we've pointed out (here and here), the building was in dismal shape and needed significant work to bring it up to code. Before the renovations, the DOB had cited No. 6 for emergency repairs several times in recent years.

Previously on EVG: 

• Because you've always wanted to know what the inside of the long-empty 6 Avenue B looks like 

• Let's take another look at the eerie remains of the long-abandoned 6 Avenue B 

• Time passages: Check out the interior of the long-empty Mom's Liquor Store on Avenue B

Openings: Hello, Yam! on 9th Street and Avenue A

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Hello, Yam! made its soft-opening debut on Friday at 443 E. Ninth St. at Avenue A...

The small shop with a few outdoor tables offers dessert options with Japanese sweet potatoes ... as well as parfaits and coffee drinks...

Hours: 1-9 p.m. during the week, until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed on Tuesdays.

You can follow Hello, Yam! on Instagram here.

A New signage era for Big Arc Chicken

Multiple tipsters pointed out the changing of the signage at longtime reasonably-priced Middle-Eastern-halal-food spot Big Arc Chicken... now going as New Arc Chicken at 233 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street.

Signage aside, we're not sure what else, if anything, has changed... might mean time for another visit ...

Tuesday's parting shot

A view of Midtown this afternoon...