RIP Ball Park Lanes

Every so often we venture away from the neighborhood... yesterday, we were reminded that we never ran this post after seeing the news of a planned high-end hotel near Yankee Stadium...

On a recent trip to Yankee Stadium, I was sorry to find that the Ball Park Lanes was sealed up and for sale... In June 2010, Gothamist reported that the 51-year-old bowling alley was closing for renovations. Despite an ongoing landlord dispute, they expected to be back open by the end of last year's baseball season.

So I thought that I'd find them up and running this season... but when I went to my first game late in the summer, I stopped by for a pre-game beer at the bowling alley's snack bar.

[JVNY]

Apparently the landlord had won.

The bowling alley was directly across the street from the old Yankee Stadium ... Jeremiah put Ball Park Lanes on his endangered list before the arrival of the new stadium. (Read his post here.)

Massey Knakal is listing the space. It's going for $4.3 million.

Hard to say what will come here... there is a lot of potential, as plans show. Great for community space and affordable housing — if that's what ultimately comes here.

Not so good for baseball history buffs...

[The southern wall outside Ball Park Lanes]

[Location of the former Yankee Stadium]

Previously on EV Grieve:
With high rises and new shops in the works, it's time to take a look at the area around Yankee Stadium

At the new Yankee Stadium

Meanwhile, across 161st Street...

The East Village pep talk diaries

Last Tuesday, we posted an email from a longtime East Village resident who was losing faith in the neighborhood. We asked for people to submit comments on the things that they like about the East Village. So far we're at 62 comments. Like this one:

Anonymous said...
I also highly recommend early-morning Sunday walks! Far east 14th, with storekeepers hosing the sidewalks. It's very peaceful. More to love:

St. Mark's Church in the Bowery

Chico murals and Jim the Mosaic Man

Trash & Vaudeville

East Village Books (St. Marks b/t 1st/A)

We'll periodically post some of the comments. Read all the comments here.

And now, photos of Ice-T in front of Sunny & Annie's

Today, crews from "Law & Order: SVU" were filming around the neighborhood... in front of Sunny & Annie's on Avenue B at Sixth Street in particular...Not exactly newsworthy given how many times something from the "Law & Order" franchise filmed around here through the years...

Still! It gave us a chance to add to our Ice-T collection... courtesy of Bobby Williams...

EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

[The Mosaic Man and Jesse Jane on Second Avenue and St. Mark's yesterday. By Bobby Williams]

About the love affair between a man and the NYC subway line (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Bob Arihood's photos at the Occupation of Wall Street (Neither More Nor Less)

Support the East Village Greenway Project (Stuy Town Living)

Crusties in the fall (East Village Corner)

An illegal rat poison ring broken up in Chinatown (The Lo-Down)

Auctioning of Elaine's (Eater)

Alex celebrates a milestone (Flaming Pablum)

A look at King Bloomy's Upper East Side townhouse (Curbed)

The hookers of Soho — in 1870 (Ephemeral New York)

Lou Reed and Metallica's 'Lulu' poster banned by London Underground (NME)

Debbie Harry discusses her hits (Entertainment Weekly)

Dee Dee Ramone would have been 60 this past Sunday (Punk Turns 30)

Here's Dee Dee in a scene from "What About Me," filmed in the neighborhood in 1991...



Read more about the movie by East Village filmmaker Rachel Amodeo here.

The Bean Truck debuts

...earlier today... in front of their old storefront on First Avenue and Third Street. Via jdx.

[Updated] The East Village IHOP is now OPEN

This news comes via Jennifer, who's across the street at Xoom.

Now accepting First Meal photos via grieve98@gmail.com

Updated 1:00 p.m.:

Speaking of photos... EV Grieve reader Rebecca just sent us this one... "Great service and familiar food."

Check out the carry-out menu in the interim...

The Cooper Square Hotel gets the OK to be Balazsed

As we noted, hotelier Andre Balazs is taking over the troubled Cooper Square Hotel. And last night, Balazs was at the CB3/SLA meeting to seek a transfer of the Coop's liquor license to his Standard chain.

A shame we missed it. Heard it was some good theater. Per Jetty-Jane Connor's report at Eater, one resident in favor of the transfer said, "We have the option to choose between badly managed nightlife or well managed nightlife, and I firmly believe having an upscale, well-managed establishment will be an improvement to this neighborhood."

The CB3/SLA committee didn't seem to mind that any this may very well turn into the Meatpacking District East. (Or maybe it already has.) The transfer received the committee's unanimous approval.

Here's DNAinfo's recap from the meeting.

[Balazs image via]

Little Italy parking garage will receive a 'superstructure' residence with squash court

During an early-morning walk down Mulberry Street Sunday before the Feast, I stopped to look at the parking garage here between Prince and Spring ... As far as parking garages go, this one has a nice, um, Little Italy feel to it...

Curious about the address, I did a little research ... Well! I learned that the building is for sale:

Massey Knakal has been exclusively retained for the sale of 224 Mulberry. This once in a lifetime opportunity to develop a premier single family residence, boutique condominium, retail flagship or exclusive office. 224 Mulberry, in the heart of chic SOHO/Nolita, offers the opportunity that is almost impossible to find in New York City. Simply put, where in New York City can one find on-site parking, a protected panoramic view that is unique to the neighborhood, and 75 feet of width, all in one building?

And the rendering on file:

According to a video from the construction manager of the project:

The new luxury residence features a family and chef’s kitchen, squash court, 5 bathrooms, a private elevator, multiple terraces and many more high-end residential features and finishes. Specified items include a Shuco curtain wall system, a Levolux louver screen and Trespa paneling for the exterior.

One especially interesting engineering detail allows the new building superstructure to rest on isolation pads in order to minimize the transfer of vibration and noise from the parking garage below, which will remain in operation once the project is complete.

Here's the video that explains how all this is going to work ...

Planning the addition/alteration to 224 Mulberry Street, New York City from RJ Diaz on Vimeo.

And luxury housing reaches a whole new absurd level...

Breaking: IHOP not open yet on East 14th Street

We had today circled on our calendars as the EVIHOP opening day on East 14th Street ... And, although it looks open with a handful of diners inside, an IHOPPER says that they are still training... and she hesitated to even speculate when they might open. But soon enough. Probably!

And we got the to-go menu. Sorry. No deliveries!

Meanwhile, Yelp is ready for your East Village IHOP reviews

Lights unwrapped in Tompkins Square Park

Yesterday, we mentioned that a handful of lights were still covered in Tompkins Square Park from the summer film series that ended on Sept. 8... However, some time late yesterday, someone uncovered the lights...

Melanie at East Village Corner said that a WPIX crew was in the Park yesterday doing a story on this... dunno if the story ever ran. Didn't see it on the WPIX website.

CB3/SLA votes against renewal for Heathers

[Heathers owner Heather Millstone and her attorney face the CB3/SLA committee. Photo by Shawn Chittle]

Heathers on East 13th Street is on the agenda for tonight's CB3/SLA committee meeting for a "renewal with complaint history" ... And after a lengthy debate, the committee has voted to deny the bar's request for the renewal, Shawn Chittle reports from the meeting.

The Times checked in with a lengthy article in January 2007 about the ongoing noise issues between the bar and neighbors.

Nearby neighbors said that Heathers is the worst offender among the bars on the northern stretch of Avenue A (and the side streets). The matter may be taken up with the full Community Board on Sept. 27.

In any event, the State Liquor Authority has the final say in these matters. This doesn't mean that Heathers will close. For instance, the CB3/SLA committee voted to deny TenEleven's license renewal in July, though the SLA later approved it.

Grub Street has more here.