EV Grieve

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

City apparently selling these ornamental light poles on Cooper Square

[Image via Google August 2013]

Yesterday, EVG contributor Derek Berg noticed an electrician removing the handful of ornamental light poles that lined the west side of Cooper Square.

The worker said that the city was going to auction off the lights …

… which are no longer needed with the Cooper Square/Astor Place revamp … the area right here will be known as the Village Plaza — "Sunny, open plaza with diverse seating options and tree planting; serving both students and local residents."

Monday, June 9, 2014

The F train will be screwed up (more than usual) this week

A reader just passed along a heads up ... noting that, starting tonight at 10, the F train won't be stopping around here this week as part of the MTA's "Fastrack" program (subway maintenance, cleaning, etc.).

This is only from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. At other times the F will be just perfect!

Visit the MTA website for more on the maintenance and some shuttle-bus alternatives and what not.

Some love for the Stage Restaurant

[Photo by Michael Seto]

Oh, just catching up to this love-piece on the great Stage Restaurant at Fork in the Road from Thursday.

From Why Stage Restaurant Might Be the Best Diner in NYC:

Mid-afternoon, Roman Diakun, proprietor of the East Village's Stage Restaurant (128 Second Avenue, 212-473-8614), walks down from his apartment above to check in on his customers and items being prepped for dinner. Raised in Poland via Ukraine, Roman has owned the restaurant since 1980, and over the decades, he has seen the East Village become home to David Schwimmer's townhouse, green juice bars, and Momofuku. This city is still full of diners, and Stage remains one of the greatest.

Wooden siding and framed reviews from the early 1990's cover the walls at the Stage, and there's no bathroom here. There are also no tables, just one long, Formica-topped counter running the length of the narrow restaurant where first timers mingle with locals, Eastern Europeans, old-school East Village-beatniks, and hipster urban professionals. No one gets special treatment here. As a friend said, it's like a clubhouse with an open admission policy — all you need to do is walk in.

As we first reported, the building here just south of St. Mark's Place that houses the Stage was sold to Icon Realty last fall. Per Fork in the Road on this development: "Roman says the restaurant's future is uncertain, but it's got at least a few more good years left on the lease."

Back in October, we heard that the Stage had six years remaining on their lease.

Previously on EV Grieve:
An appreciation: Breakfast at Stage

Troubling talk about 128 Second Ave, and the long-term future of the Stage

About all those bank branches

Anne Kadet filed an enlightening (and depressing!) article this past weekend at The Wall Street Journal that explores a question we all ask: Why are there so many *&^%%#&*(#()!!@ bank branches in NYC? (You may find the article here, though you may need a subscription to access it.)

The TD branch at the former Mars Bar space on Second Avenue and East First Street is the jumping off point for the piece, which tells us that, in the past 10 years, "the banking gods" dropped 461 new branches on the city, bringing the total to 1,763. Per the article: New York City has one bank branch for every 4,700 residents, more than twice the national average.

To the article:

The most obvious reason for all the banks in the Big Apple? New York is where the money is. Gobs and gobs of money. According the latest FDIC report, bank branches in the five boroughs hold a collective $850 billion in cash — that's 21% of the nation's deposits.

Of course, a lot of that cash is corporate savings stashed in commercial banks. But even when it comes to consumer cash, New York is hot. The typical retail bank branch holds just $35 million in deposits, which is roughly the break-even point. TD's typical NYC branch, meanwhile, holds $125 million. That pretty much explains why it can outspend the city's mom-and-pop shops when it comes to paying rent.

TD, in particular, is aggressively expanding and opening new branches in the city.

Regional President Chris Giamo, who is in charge of TD's New York operations, tells the Journal about a customer survey that the bank conducted.

[C]ompared to the rest of the nation, New Yorkers are obsessed with branch convenience. While folks in other towns value frivolities like friendly service, New Yorkers more often rank convenient ATMs and branches a top priority. They want locations near their homes, their offices and the offices of their spouses, says Mr. Giamo. They want to see their bank everywhere they go.

From the sound of it, you soon will see a bank branch everywhere.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The former Mars Bar is becoming a fucking bank branch

So where's that fucking bank branch that's taking the former Mars Bar space?

The fucking TD Bank signage arrives at the former home of the Mars Bar

The fucking TD Bank branch is now open on Second Avenue

Gut renovations underway at 324 E. 4th St., most recently the makeshift gallery for Hanksy and Co.

The gut renovations recently started at 324 E. Fourth St., where there are approved plans to add three new floors to the existing building here between Avenue C and Avenue D.

DOB plans documents show that No. 324 will eventually be home to 11 apartments.

In December and January, the empty tenement served as a makeshift gallery for Hanksy and a group of 40-plus artists.

There was talk that Hanksy would return here for one last show before the renovations started. However, as far as we know, that never happened.

Previously on EV Grieve:
2 new floors, gut renovation in store for empty tenement that last housed a Hanksy art show

At Hanksy's 'Surplus Candy' art show in an abandoned East Village tenement

321 E. 3rd St., now with boxy rendering

Back on May 28 we pointed out that the plywood had arrived at 321 E. Third St. near Avenue D, where a 6-floor, 30-unit apartment building will rise from the empty lot.

Since then, this thing showed up on the lot…

… and someone was kind enough to add the rendering to the plywood… not a lot of detail here. Looks like a cinder-block box…

Queens-based Venetian Management LLC is listed as the owner on DOB records. Gerald J. Caliendo is listed at the architect of record.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Another parcel of East Village land ready for development

Plywood arrives at East 3rd Street lot, site of incoming 6-floor apartment building

347 Bowery wrapped and ready for demolition

We first spotted the permits to demolish the Salvation Army's former East Village Residence on the Bowery at East Third Street back in January.

Now workers have apparently finished with the sidewalk bridge and scaffolding at the site. (The first of the demo gear arrived on May 28.)

Bowery Street?

The sidewalk bridge partially collapsed on June 1. Witnesses said it was struck by a box truck.

The three-story building will give way to a 13-floor, 30,000 square-foot mixed-use residential development that may or may not include same-floor parking privileges.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Whatever happened to that really ugly hotel planned for the Bowery?

Permits filed to demolish former Salvation Army residence on the Bowery

The Salvation Army's former East Village Residence will be demolished on the Bowery

Looks like 347 Bowery will be home to a 13-floor mixed-use residential development

Oh and another $1 (99 cent) pizza choice for the East Village

This one just opened at 71 Second Ave. near East Fourth Street.

An aside, kinda: Any idea why the fresh is so small on the sign?

The space was previously home to the Cool Gear shop.

Purple Rain on Avenue A

Just noting the rather awesome new roll-down gate art at Mikey Likes It, the four-week-old ice cream shop at 199 Avenue A near East 12th Street.

The Prince mural, created by Bronx-based artist Andre Trenier, is in honor of the shop's Flavor of the Month: Purple Rain (double blueberry ice cream with cheesecake chunks).

The Mikey is the owner Mike Cole, a lifelong resident of Stuy Town.

[Photo via Instagram]

Read more about the shop here.

Raising Keith McNally's Cherche Midi sign on the Bowery

We entertained ourselves for a few minutes Saturday morning watching workers hoist signage for Keith McNally's Pulino's replacement on the Bowery and East Houston …

Dunno too much about Cherche Midi. Eater says they will feature French food from Shane McBride, who's currently executive chef of Balthazar. Zagat reports that they are taking reservations starting on Friday.

As for the sign, much more understated than the red beacon that was Pulino's.