Reminders: Deadline approaching for you to llustrate how scary you find NYU’s massive expansion plans

Remember, the the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) is inviting you to submit your best design illustrating just how scary you find NYU’s massive expansion plans. See the rules and contact information here. (Bottom of the post.) Deadline is tomorrow. Gather around designers...

[Updated] Breaking: Explosion reported at the ConEd substation on East 14th Street

Around 7:45 tonight, residents near the ConEd substation on East 14th Street and Avenue C reported hearing an explosion. However, many people thought it was thunder... until the FDNY responded... Breaking

According to EV Griever reader Robert Galinsky: "Big explosion, giant black plume of smoke, no flames." A witness at the scene said that it was a gas leak.

More emergency crews are responding to the scene...

In any event, 14th Street at Avenue C is cordoned off... the M9 and 14D buses were being rerouted... Avenue C is blocked off at 12th Street.

Updated:

Just after 9, @aimeeweiss noted that most of the emergency crews packed up and left the scene...

Earlier today outside 7A

[Bobby Williams]

UCBeast opens tonight on Avenue A

From the EV Grieve inbox... This is from a reader who found it somewhere... I didn't see anything about the opening at the UCB website as of 4:15 p.m.

It gives me great joy to be able to announce that UCB’s long awaited East Village venue — UCBeast — will be open as of tonight at 7:30 pm. A new website will be forthcoming in the near future.

Please come check out the new space (155 E. 3rd Street and Avenue A). There is an attached bar (The Hot Chicks Room), where we’ll be serving soft drinks to start out and beer and wine soon.
The theatre itself is a beautiful 124 seat space, totally refurbished with brand new seats and fixtures, that will make for some great live comedy, despite the notable absence of multiple columns blocking significant portions of the stage.

Stop on by and buy a ticket at the door! Or use your improv Student ID for free entry to shows marked with an *

UPCOMING SHOWS!
Tuesday 9/6 (today)
8pm - FREE - Wild Girls Gone (movie screening)
10pm - FREE - Mystery Team (movie screening)

Wednesday 9/7
7:30pm - $5 - Outlook of the Poet + Two Man Movie *
9:00pm - $5 - Doppelganger + Cheating On Harold (this week: Standard Oil + Very Good Kiss) *
11:00pm - free - The Improv Jam (hosted by Grandma’s Ashes) *

Thursday 9/8
6:00pm - free - Oh, Hey Guys (storytelling open mic, hosted by John Flynn)
7:30pm - $5 - Adam Wade: BIG HEART
9:00pm - $5 - Totally JK (hosted by Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkel)
11:00pm - free - Gutbucket (stand-up open mic, hosted by Rob Stern and Amber Nelson)

Friday 9/9
7:30pm - $10 - Diamond Lion
9:00pm - $10 - Creaghead & Company Industrial Showcase
11:00pm - $5 - Gentrify

Saturday 9/10
7:30pm - $10 - AIRWOLF: Let’s Go Back To Your Place
9:00pm - $10 - The Extended Play E.P. Music Album Release Party with TJ Miller
11:00pm - $5 - Underground Americana (w/ Jeff Rubin, Lang Fisher and more)

Sunday 9/11
7:30pm - $5 - Two Fun Men + Off The Cuff
9:00pm - $5 - Hot Soup11:00pm - $5 - Fresh Out (hosted by Adam Conover)

Monday 9/12
8:00pm - $5 - Wheelhouse (hosted by Will Hines)
10:00pm - $5 - Improv Nerds *

Tuesday 9/13
8:00pm - $5 - After Hours with Gene Hackman & Friends
10:00pm - $5 - It Is It (hosted by Adam Lowitt)
— Nate Dern, Artistic Director

Gentrify Brooklyn moving to the new UCBeast on Avenue A; first show Friday night

It appears that the Upright Citizens Brigade's East Village outpost on Avenue A has an opening date. The Gentrify Brooklyn comedy show takes up residency here starting Friday night. Per the troupe's Facebook page:

GENTRIFY is moving to the Upright Citizens Brigade's new theater UCBeast THIS FRIDAY at 11pm!

The new Gentrify will be bigger, better, funnier, Getrifyier, and somehow, perhaps, impossibly, even Brooklynier.

GENTRIFY is a killer comedy variety show every Friday at 11PM at UCBeast, Avenue A between 3rd and 4th Streets. Be there!

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Your 'Hot Chicks Room' sign update

[Updated] Resident starting a petition to have the 'Hot Chicks Room' sign removed at the Upright Citizens Brigade

Breaking: UCB will remove the 'Hot Chicks Room' sign!

EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

[Bobby Williams]

Coney Island road trip with The Chillmaster (Marty After Dark ... and video of the Chillmaster dance via YouTube)

A depressing Surf Avenue now and then (The Gog Log)

Revisiting Coney Island's World in Wax Musee (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

What evil lurks in the Tompkins Square Park Chupacabra Hole? (Neither More Nor Less)

Lower East Side galleries are hosting a fall season opener tomorrow night (The Lo-Down)

Someone tossed a 40-ouncer of Coors Light through the glass ceiling of an LES restaurant (Eater)

Remembering Piels (Ephemeral New York)

A victory for the Bowery Lighting District (BoweryBoogie)

Which explains the 7 24 year olds living in 4C: Solo living drops in Manhattan (AP)

Former Veniero's baker opens his own place in Bay Ridge (Daily News)

Color photos of New York from the 1940s (The Atlantic)

Speaking of The Atlantic — The Awl co-founder Choire Sicha's reading list includes EV Grieve (The Atlantic Wire)

Are you there God? It's me, Veselka

A "Today" show correspondent filed a report early this morning from Veselka on Second Avenue... We look forward to seeing this online, perhaps. Meanwhile!

Per the TV, Veselka has "God amazing food."

Well, we love The Baczynski, but we're not quite ready to put it in God's stratosphere.

Photo via Shawn Chittle.

Outrage over total demolition of historic East Sixth Street townhouse

A few weeks ago, we pointed out the ongoing demolition at 331 E. Sixth St., described in a real-estate listing this way: "this home with its magical Tuscan inspired garden proves to be one of the finest East Village houses available."

Yesterday, Labor Day, we walked by and saw workers on the scene ... and not much else. This house that dates to 1852 is now a pile of rubble.

So much for the DOB permits that show that "side masonry walls to remain." As far as we can tell from the street, nothing remains.

We've heard from a few outraged neighbors about this. Meanwhile, a Very Special Tipster noted the following message outside the construction site.

For more on the property, read Off the Grid's post on it here.

First Avenue white out

As we first pointed out, the Bean will open up in the retail space at 147 First Avenue at Ninth Street, the former home of Anjelica's Herbs ...

As Curbed reported last year, developer Terrence Lowenberg of Icon Realty is the owner of 147 First Avenue ... and he hired Ramy Issac — "the controversial penthouse king of the East Village" — to design the luxury apartments coming to the upper floors here...

Per the DOB, there aren't any additional floors or penthouses slated for the property. While Issac & Stern haven't released any renderings, we have an idea of what it might look like... As you may have noticed in recent days, workers spent the weekend painting the building white...

Friday!

Saturday!

Sunday!

Monday!

One reader thinks the building will ultimately "look like something that blew in from the Hamptons."

EV Grieve reader Anthony Devers passed along a few before shots...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ninth Street and First Avenue shocker: Motel ... Hello?

Blockbuster: 147 First Ave. set for demolition

Parking lot becomes another parking lot — for now

As we reported last week, the Manhattan Parking Group was closing its lot at 74-84 Third Ave. at 12th Street. On Thursday morning, crews arrived to remove the signs.

According to multiple sources, this space will some day house a new apartment building. There's nothing on file yet with the DOB to suggest anything imminent.

Meanwhile, new management took over the lot last Friday, though one source said this was a temporary arrangement.

Meanwhile, workers are testing soil samples to monitor the water level here... such exploratory drilling is required prior to the start of any construction project...

The good, the bad and the Ugly Kitchen

Sorry, a little early for that headline...

Here on Restaurant (turnover) Row on First Avenue, Grub Street noted that Ugly Kitchen is likely Soft Opening this week at the now-departed Veloce Pizzeria space.

This past weekend, a Very Special Tipster© caught a glimpse of Ugly Kitchen's exterior ...

...and here is the Soft Opening drink menu ... starting with an $11 Cucumber Peach Martini described as "Organic Cucumber Vodka and peach."

... and the food menu.

We rather like the reflection of the Golden Arches in the menu.

P.S.
Anyone know what happened to the tree in front of this address?

Please do not walk into the East Village IHOP

An addition to the "we are not open" sign on the EVIHOP on East 14th Street...

You will have to wait two more weeks.