Neighbors continue show of support for Arun Bhatia

Spotted outside the formerly historic 35 Cooper Square. Still no word yet on what developer Arun Bhatia has planned for this parcel at East Sixth Street.

To the seat with the clearest view

Spotted at the demolition perimeter of what used to be the Mars Bar and the sidewalk at Second Avenue Between Houston and East First Street... Via EV Grieve contributor jdx.

First tags for Retna's new mural on Houston and the Bowery

Nearly 10 days after Retna finished up work at the Houston/Bowery mural wall, the inevitable first tags have arrived...

3 scenes from today

In no particular order.

Trimming trees on East 11th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C...

Responding to a false alarm (faulty alarm) at the Standard East Village...

Putting down new dirt in Tompkins Square Park...

Photos by Bobby Williams.

Facade at 540 E. Sixth St. is crumbling onto the sidewalk

Per a resident here on Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B: "Part of it fell last night. Police and Fire Department came. Still seems very unsafe."

Last update is that the landlord was on the way.

At the DOB website, the NYPD "REQUESTED STRUCTURAL STABILITY CHECK DUE TO FALLING DEBRIS."

Lyndonville Properties is listed as the owner at the DOB. The building dates to 1920.

The End is Here for Billy's Antiques and Props: The trilogy

Billy's Antiques and Props as we know it is gone... In case you missed the closing ceremonies this past weekend... through the magic of Vimeo, a closing in three parts...

Part 1. Preparation of the party

Part 2. The Party

Part 3. The Burial

Directed by Jenner Furst

Can't wait for the director's cut!

Noted

From Page Six today... under "Sightings"...

DANIEL Radcliffe, preparing to play Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, having his hair permed and dyed darker by Louis Licari at his Fifth Avenue salon.

DOB disapproves plans for former East Village Farms

According to the Department of Buildings (DOB) website, city officials have disapproved initial plans last Thursday to renovate the former East Village Farms at 100 Avenue A.

Here's the all-cap job description filed on Feb. 21, as we reported:

TO RENOVATE EXIST. HIGH TWO STORY BUILDING INCLUDING THE EXPANSION OF THE CELLAR FLOOR, THE RAISING OF THE ENTIRE SECOND FLOOR AND INSTALLING A NEW STOREFRONT. 2) TO ADD A NEW PARTIAL THIRD AND FOURTH FLOOR FOR ONE DWELLING UNIT WITH A ROOF GARDEN ON THE 2ND FLOOR ROOF ACCESSORY TO THE DWELLING UNIT.

The DOB files have Flushing-based Paul Mok as the architect engineer of record. According to the DOB, Mok was one of 20 NYC-based architects or engineers to find themselves on the "Voluntary Surrender of Privileges" list.

Mok's name also turns up in The New York Times archives. He was associated with the so-called "Leaning Tower of Flushing," a problem-plagued 15-story condo at 143-51 Roosevelt Ave.

As the Times reported on July 14, 1998, "there were constant leaks, and residents in the corner apartments started to complain about cracks appearing in their floors. Complaints to the condominium board, which was dominated by the developers, went largely unheeded. In 1994, a new board was elected and complaints were filed with the State Attorney General's office, along with lawsuits against the building's developers and builders. The Attorney General has a lawsuit pending against Paul Mok, the engineer and architect who designed Vista."

The Times noted that city inspectors found that the building "had been built as though it were a low-rise structure and that it had no steel structure for bracing."

Meanwhile, workers have removed most traces of the former East Village Farms, which closed last month.

[Bobby Williams]

Now, the place sits mostly empty... waiting for whatever the revised plans are...

Previously on EV Grieve:
A little bit of Hollywood on Avenue A

East Village Farms is closing; renovations coming to 100 Avenue A

Inside the abandoned theater at East Village Farms on Avenue A

Reader reports: Village Farms closing Jan. 31; building will be demolished

Going deeper and deeper at the big Second Avenue sandbox

Every so often we like to jump the fence here at the former 9-17 Second Avenue... to check in on the progress of the hole... (Has it really been one month since our last look?)

[Monday]

[Saturday]

[Saturday]

Making its way below street level... as you were.

Also, we heard this story that, when people were cleaning up the Mars Bar, someone found a series of old tunnels below the bar that dated to the Civil War... We asked a few people who may know these kinds of things, and they chalk this one up to an urban legend.

Previously.

Through the years with 2 Cooper Square's retail

Back on Feb. 1, Bloomberg News reported that, for some reason, the investment arm of Kuwait’s social-security system — Wafra Investment Advisory Group Inc. — bought 2 Cooper Square.

With this purchase, came some changes.

Like the ground-floor retail... early on, we had this classic bit of real-estate advertising... Subtle, gang!

Then RFK took over the retail leasing in July 2010 ... for the 22,764 square feet of retail/restaurant space ...

And now! Please welcome the new team...

We didn't spot any leasing information online just yet at CBRE ... In an event, to date, leasing the retail here has seemingly been a challenge the last two or so years...

Previously on EV Grieve:
'Draconian regulations' for 2 Coop's pool and club

2 Cooper residents treated to views of Josh Duhamel's abs, ball sack

Normal business opening on Seventh Street

Between Avenue A and First Avenue. There has to be a catch. So, for $695, you get a haircut AND a whole hog dinner with all-you-can-drink craft beer? Your hair is treated with black truffle oil and (old vines) sherry first? This can't just be a barber shop, right?

Anyway, as far as we know, it's just a barber shop.

Centre-fuge public art project debuts new work in Cycle 2

Oops. Crap. We forgot to mention this yesterday... the artists involved in Cycle 2 worked this past weekend on the trailer here on East First Street west of First Avenue... and the artists were finishing up early yesterday evening...

And for the whole background ... from the EV Grieve inbox...

Centre-fuge Public Art Project is proud to present Cycle 2, the second installation of art on the rotating outdoor gallery at First Street and First Avenue.

In mid-2011 a drab, gray trailer, serving as a temporary office for workers on the 2nd Avenue subway line, popped up on the South side of First Street. For one year Centre-fuge Public Art Project transforms the trailer into a rotating street gallery. Up to seven artists at a time create work on all visible sides of the structure with the art changing every other month.

The goal of Centre-fuge is not only to re-beautify this incredible block, but also to encourage the community to express itself in a public forum. With the closure of half of Houston Street, making underground way for the 2nd Avenue Subway line, the ever-growing presence of construction makes the block feel less like a neighborhood full of individuals and more like a work site full of barricades and jackhammers. The project is dedicated in memory of friend, creator and Lower East Side neighbor, Mike Hamm.

Artists represented in Cycle 2 of Centre-fuge are Claw Money, Eiknarf, John P. Dessereau, Julius Klein, Kenny Rodriguez and Yuri Velez, with a collaborative piece by Mastro and Ben Angotti. Centre-fuge is brought to you by founders Pebbles Russell and Jonathan Neville.

And for more information and bios of the Cycle 2 artists, please go here.

BoweryBoogie had coverage...

Previously.