EV Grieve

Thursday, February 16, 2012

It's a great morning for a run!

Second Avenue and East Fourth Street this morning. Escapee from Dolphin Fitness?

Photo and headline inspiration via EV Grieve reader Blaine.

The other secret old movie theater in the East Village

There's not much new to report on the long-empty 185-193 Avenue B at East 12th Street. There is a demolition application on file already with the city (dated Sept. 20). And, according to the DOB, plans for a mixed-use seven-story building with 44 units are pending with the DOB. (You can read a short history of what's happening with the space here.)

On Friday, EV Grieve reader Ron Z. noted some activity at the building...

Yesterday, another reader noted, "Construction work going on this AM, door wide open. They appear to be drilling un middle of auditorium floor."

Given the interest in the hidden theater behind the now-shuttered East Village Farms on Avenue A, thought it might be a good time to revisit this space.

The address was a movie theater for many years, first the Bijou in 1926, then the Charles. (The theater closed in 1975, and a church took over the space.) A fire nearly destroyed the building in October 2006.

A reader got inside the space back in July 2009 ... at the time, he sent us these photos — and diagram!

We went inside the space in June 2010...

Here's the Charles in 1966. (Via.)

You can see the Charles here in this shot from 1949. We're looking north from 11th Street. (Via.)

Anyway, just wanted to take another look here before the building comes down.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Revival planned for church and theater on Avenue B

Inside the Charles

Former landmark countercultural theater now for rent on Avenue B

7-story building in the works to replace former countercultural theater/church on Avenue B

[Updated] What would you rather see at 51 Astor Place?

Yesterday, we posted updated photos (thanks to Curbed's discovery) of 51 Astor Place ... and there was pretty much a Universal Ugh from commenters here and on Facebook about the look of the building... (Alex calls it DisAstor Place at Flaming Pablum...)

One of our favorite responses, via Richard Bensam:

It dwarfs its surroundings and is actually less appealing than the building it replaces -- something many previously thought impossible.

On the upside, now the herbivorous primates of the East Village will finally learn how to use the femur of an antelope to crack open the skulls of tapirs and become omnivores, ensuring their future evolution into humanity. Later, their remote descendants will discover an exact duplicate of 51 Astor Place buried on the Moon.

Several people asked if the developer could just keep the empty lot the way it looks now...

Bobby Williams took the above shots on Monday afternoon.

Well, anyway, the developer probably has a few dollars tied up in this project (whistling)...

Still, we can be democratic about it. Let's put it to a~~n unbiased~~ vote.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Updated:

Curbed is offering a $100 gift card to St. Mark's Bookshop for the best redesign of 51 Astor Place. Smurfs are always good.

Previously on EV Grieve:
51 Astor Place demolition begins July 1; 17 months to build new black-glass tower

East Village — the new Midtown?

Workers chopping down the trees at 51 Astor Place

An apartment for power-tool lovers

Here's a newly refurbished apartment at 91 E. Third St. ... kind of difficult to get a feel for the place now. Several of the photos the real-estate folks posted on Streeteasy look like this...

Decorating ideas or proof that the place really is renovated? Anyway, two bedrooms for $1,990 per the Streeteasy listing. Which seems a little too good to be true (I know!) given that the median price for two bedroom apartments is $3,600. The median price for a studio, per Streeteasy, is $2,000.

Strange how one day $1,990 seems like a deal.

[Updated] Coming soon

More canopies and signs and stuff at 5 Napkin Burger on 14th Street and Third Avenue... Opening "really, really soon" per their Twitter account ...

[AC]

Grub Street is reporting that 5 Napkin is opening on Monday.

...and a new sign announcing the spring arrival of Boukies on Second Avenue at Second Street...

[Bobby Williams]

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Real bar part of fake set now on East Ninth Street

Kettle of Fish joins the East Ninth Street Coen Brothers's brigade for tomorrow's "Inside Llewyn Davis" filming...

What time is the Packers game on...?

Previously.

Breaking: Starbucks sign has arrived on First Avenue

Happening right now on First Avenue at Third Street...

Via EV Grieve reader Steph....

Any guesses when it will open~~, get tagged~~?

51 Astor Place Death Star more Death Starry than previously thought

Hoo boy.

Curbed has the news this morning that a 51 Astor Place website is up and running... featuring new, more imposing, renderings....

Curbed notes several of the building features: a private green roof on the fifth floor, a tenant-accessible green roof on the 13th floor, and an urban plaza on the corner of Astor Place and Third Avenue.

And Curbed also hears that IBM and Microsoft are looking at office space here.

We'll be back with more after running over to the Continental for five shots of anything for $10.

Previously on EV Grieve:
51 Astor Place demolition begins July 1; 17 months to build new black-glass tower

East Village — the new Midtown?

Workers chopping down the trees at 51 Astor Place

Coen cars

RyanAvenueA sent along these shots from East Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... a few of the ~~jalopies~~ cars that the Coen Brothers will use in filming "Inside Llewyn Davis" today ...