Elvis Presley in New York City

Elvis Presley was born on this date in 1935. On this occasion, we look at some of his time in NYC...

Here's an excerpt from a press conference he did June 9, 1972, at Madison Square Garden in the Mercury Ballroom at the New York Hilton prior to a four-show stint at Madison Square Garden. (Yes, I did post this 3 years ago.)



Here's a transcript of the press conference.

Also!

There is the Elvis-Mary Tyler Moore vehicle Change of Habit from 1969, one of the most grittily gritty movies ever made about New York and drug habits.

Per IMDB:

This movie is a stark portrayal of life among a group of heroin addicts who hang out in "Needle Park" in New York City. Played against this setting is a low-key love story between Bobby, a young addict and small-time hustler, and Helen, a homeless girl who finds in her relationship with Bobby the stability she craves. She becomes addicted too, and life goes downhill for them both as their addiction deepens, eventually leading to a series of betrayals.

Oh wait. That's the description for "The Panic in Needle Park." Sorry.

No, Elvis is a doctor. MTM is a nun. Bring some butter for this corn. "Flapper skirts on a bride of Christ! I don't like undercover nuns." Zing! Here's the first 8 minutes (with Spanish subtitles...) showing some vintage Midtown NYC.

Work finally under way on long-awaited Tompkins Square Park men's room documentary

OK, that's a joke. I think. Just a photo of some kind of film crew in the Park today... By Bobby Williams

Today on Avenue A

By Bobby Williams.

Gangster Squad Night at Theater 80 on St. Mark's Place tomorrow

Tomorrow night, The Museum of the American Gangster at 80 St. Mark's Place (aka Theater 80) is hosting a party for the launch of the new movie "Gangster Squad," starring Sean Penn, Ryan "Don't fight in Astor Place" Gosling, Nick Nolte and Josh Brolin.

Via Facebook...

Gangster Squad Night!

Tuesday January 8th, 2013

Doors open at 6pm
7 pm Screening of the 1931 Warner Bros Gangster flick THE PUBLIC ENEMY
8:30pm Join us at the William Barnacle Tavern for Gangster Squad prizes, screening passes and $2 off Absinthe!

No ticket or RSVP required! Screening and bar capacity is on a first come first served basis.

Gangster Squad in Theater's January 11

Noted

Via Grub Street, we learn about a self-professed "Starbucks-addict" who is going to visit every Starbucks in Manhattan in 2013. And blog about it here.

Per his blog's About section: "It is my theory that Starbucks can serve as a guide to the neighborhoods of Manhattan, with each store a reflection of its surroundings."

Ukrainian Christmas, and the St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church

EVG regular Mykola (Mick) Dementiuk reminded us that today is Ukrainian Christmas ... (and Orthodox Christmas Day).

[Via WallyG on Flickr]

And here's a little history of the St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church ... via the church's website...

The first record of a Ukrainian liturgy of the Byzantine tradition was celebrated in the church basement of St. Brigid located on Avenue B, on April 19, 1890 by Father Alexander Dzubaj. In 1892, the Greek Catholic congregation purchased St. Ilee in Brooklyn. Even in those days similar to today, land in New York City was very expensive and Ukrainian immigrants so poor, that it was not feasible for them to purchase a church or land in the city. Thus, it took Ukrainian Catholics another 13 years before they founded St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in 1905.

Late in 1905, the Ukrainian community of Manhattan purchased the Colgate Chapel from a Baptist congregation on East 20th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. The chapel was converted into the Byzantine Ukrainian Catholic style and hence was born the first church of its kind on the island of Manhattan.

The new church was dedicated to Saint George and well maintained from its inception. In 1911, the need for a larger church was obvious and the congregation of St. George purchased a Methodist church on 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. The new location was immediately converted to the Greek Catholic style in order to serve a growing Ukrainian catholic community.

The current church building of St. George was built in 1978.

Here are two undated photos of the apartment building that stood on the southeast corner of East Seventh Street and Shevchenko Place before the current church was built... in the first shot, you can see the dome of the original St. George in the background ... (going east on Seventh Street...)

...this shot is from East Sixth Street looking north along Shevchenko Place to East Seventh Street ... you can see McSorley's straight ahead... the apartment building where the church is now is on the corner... and you can see a bit of the St. George Elementary School and St. George Academy in the near right corner...

[Via Facebook]

Claim: Second on Second closing this month on Second Avenue

Second on Second, the 10-year-old karaoke bar on Second Avenue, is closing at the end of the month, according to a tipster...

The tipster said that there was a rent hike, but it wasn't all that unreasonable. While business had been lagging a bit ... the tipster believes that there is still a market for karaoke...

No word on what might be next here. It's a cavernous space that will likely be highly desirable for some new venture...

So, after this month, the Cock will be the last bar left on the block here between East Second Street and East First Street. The Urge, the gay bar/club at 31-33 Second Ave., closed after New Year's Eve. They are expected to reopen this year at the long-vacant 14 Avenue B.

And you can expect some big changes soon enough a storefront away from Second on Second at 31-33 Second Ave. ...

As we reported on June 27, Ben Shaoul is planning on adding three floors to the existing building.

Lastly, Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken will eventually be taking over the corner space at East First Street. Oh, and there's always Mars Bar 2.0.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ben Shaoul planning a 3-story addition at 31-33 Second Ave.

The former Whole Earth Bakery and Kitchen is now for rent on St. Mark's Place

The "for rent" sign went up here at 130 St. Mark's Place on Saturday. A full dumpster sits out front. The vegan bakery, which had been at this location since 1991 (34 years in business total), closed for good on Dec. 29.

Aside from rising rents, business had been down... and, of course, Sandy didn't help matters.

Owner Peter Silvestri held an auction at the store on Dec. 30...

[Courtesy of Bill the libertarian anarchist]

Meanwhile, The Villager reports this week that seven activists, organized by Fran Luck, traveled to Westchester County on Dec. 28 to hold a protest in front of Whole Earth landlord Ronald Friedman's office.

Per the article:

“We went up to Tarrytown because landlords who pull the strings on our community from afar, and without any consequence, should know that we will come to their communities to respond,” Luck said.

Whole Earth Bakery’s rent rose from $1,100 a month in 1991 to $5,300, an increase about three times faster than the rate of inflation.

205 Avenue A primed for 2 new floors

Back in August, we reported that a resident-free 205 Avenue A between East 12th Street and East 13th Street was getting a two-floor extension courtesy of developer Terrence Lowenberg and architect Ramy Issac.

Workers have been gut-renovating away these last few months... and now on the roof, the first sign of the new floors to come...

Meanwhile, here's an angle from the rear ... where it appears that workers gave been extending the back of the building as well...

[via EVG regular Greg Masters]

Max has apparently closed on Avenue B

As Eater first reported last Jan. 31, Max, the Avenue B stalwart, was expanding to Williamsburg some time in the near future... a few days later The Wall Street Journal reported that they would actually be closing the Avenue B location when the Brooklyn space was ready ... not sure what the status is with the expansion.

A reader noted the following yesterday...

@evgrieve Saw furniture being loaded into a truck this morning from Max on Ave B... any clue what's going on?

— James Feldman (@james_feldman) January 6, 2013

Another tipster reported that Max has, indeed, served its last meal here, as of New Year's Eve ... the place was closed last night...

Per the Journal last Feb. 3:

Luigi Iasilli, an owner, wrote in an email that he plans to close the East Village location as the neighborhood is getting "slow."

"I finally found what I believe I was looking for," he said of his Williamsburg site. "For me, [it is] going back to the roots, small space, $3,000 rent, a small yard, a mixed ethnic neighborhood with only a bodega across the street."

There are rumors that the east side of the Avenue here between Third Street and Fourth Street, the stretch of storefronts that included the LeSouk empire and Max, will receive a few extra floors during an upcoming renovation ...

[EVG file photo]

EV Grieve Eatery Etc.: Little Italy Pizza space for rent; Gruppo signs up on Avenue B

On Christmas Eve day, EVG regular Stephen Popkin spotted workers quickly cleaning out the short-lived Little Italy Pizza joint at 23 Third Ave. at St. Mark's Place. How quick was it? Noted one commenter:

I passed by just as the workers were hilariously loading trays of fresh pizza dough along with half used cans of tomato sauce and olives in the back of a white van while trying not to spill them all over the place. A guy carrying out a deli cheese slicer said they needed to leave in a hurry.

The space is now for rent... the listing isn't online just yet...

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Signage update on Gruppo, which is relocating to a new home down Avenue B... to 98 Avenue B between East Seventh Street and East Sixth Street ...

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And there's this...

@evgrieve@eastvillageny One of our regulars found our sidewalk sign, that was stolen during #SantaCon! Thanks. twitter.com/pangeanyc/stat…

— pangea (@pangeanyc) January 6, 2013

Drunken Santas apparently stole it that one awful day ... it randomly appeared Saturday night on East 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

Here's your new Duane Reade signage on First Avenue; plus — will they keep the clock?

Oh! Back in May, a tipster told us that the Duane Reade on East 14th Street was moving into the former HSBC branch (the one that some residents tried to save) on First Avenue just north of 14th Street. Signage is now up. Think that clock that never has the right time will stay?

Anyway, a drug store is sorely needed here... as neighbors would have to walk directly next door to the CVS otherwise.

And the Duane Reade around the corner will eventually close ...

We Grievestrated the move on Oct. 2 ...

The soon-to-be-former Duane Reade space remains on the market (PDF) ... Seems like a perfect spot for a Walgreens!