Saturday, March 12, 2016

Pop-up gallery at 95 Avenue B through March 21



The recently renovated space at 95 Avenue B between East Seventh Street and East Sixth Street will be home to the Mary Sky pop-up gallery through March 21.

The show here is titled Online Resource... here's more about it via the Vermont-based Mary Sky website:

Online Resource is an exhibition existing in both web and live formats, the first of its kind. The web exhibition is permanently on view at the portal below and onlineresource.co.uk

A wholly unique exhibition will be on view in the gallery for ten days only. The gallery show features "gifs brought to life" in paint and multimedia.

The opening was last night (sorry!) ... the exhibit officially opens today...

Gallery Open Hours: March 12-21, 11 am-9 pm
Artist Talk: Sunday March 13, 3 pm-4 pm

As we understand it, the space here is still for lease. The building went through a gut renovation last year. Part of the building was formerly home to Tu Casa, the recording studio that had been around since 1972.

Updated 3/13

There will be another exhibit in the space from March 25-28. Find details here.

Friday, March 11, 2016

Reader report: Car jumps curb, collides with Dunkin' Donuts on 1st Avenue


Close call outside the Dunkin' Donuts on First Avenue and East Sixth Street early this evening.

According to witnesses, an older man was backing into a parking spot in front of the McDonald's when he apparently hit the accelerator by accident, driving up onto the sidewalk outside Dunkin' Donuts, taking out part of the railing in the process...



... narrowly avoiding hitting an estimated six people, including EVG Facebook friend Mike Diaz, who shared these photos...





The driver was also not injured, though he was taken to a hospital as a precaution.

Updated

Here are two more photos via Derek Berg showing the aftermath...



Time for Pony Time



Seattle bass-and-drum duo Pony Time will be making their first NYC appearance in several years coming up on April 11 with a show at Shea Stadium BK in Williamsburg.

The video here for "Go Find Your Own" is from 2013.

Yuca Bar is back open tonight


[Photo by Steven]

Yuca Bar has been closed since last Sunday night's fire in an apartment above the restaurant on Avenue A and East Seventh Street... according to a sign on the door, Yuca returns this evening ... "with full bar and reduced menu" starting at 5:30.

The Hare Krishna tree is showing some green in Tompkins Square Park



Thanks to Goggla for the photo today...

And a bonus photo at the Park entrance on Avenue A and East Ninth Street...

Selling 123 Second Ave.


["Building sketch for illustration purposes only," via Compass]

George Pasternak, the landlord of 123 Second Ave., put the vacant plot of land up for sale, asking $9.7 million, as the Post first reported on Monday.

His building, which housed Pommes Frites and Sam's Deli, was destroyed along with two others last March 26 after a fatal gas explosion next door.

The marketing materials from the Compass brokerage firm are making the rounds. A tipster shared an email with us that included the above illustration and a link to the listing:

Vacant lot (25’ x 100’) for rental or condo development with commercial overlay offered for sale. 1031 exchange opportunity, in prime East Village location (2nd Ave and 7th Street), and currently zoned C1-5/R7A. FAR ranges from 3.45-4.6 subject to the DOB approval of proposed/planned build out, to be filed by potential purchaser post closing. Building sketch for illustration purposes only.

As Lois Weiss reported for the Post on Monday about the three fallen buildings, 119, 121 and 123 Second Ave.:

[A]ll three properties were reclassified from apartments in Tax Class 2 to vacant land in Tax Class 4, which will bump their expected rates starting July 1.

While only Pasternak’s lot is for sale, each of the three lots, including the corner at 119 Second Ave., can host 10,000 buildable square feet for apartments, residential condominiums plus stores.

As previously reported, the DA last month charged No. 119 and 121 landlord Maria Hrynenko and her son, Michael Hrynenko Jr., with involuntary manslaughter ... as well as contractor Dilber Kukic and an unlicensed plumber, Athanasios Ioannidis. (A fifth person, Andrew Trombettas, faces charges for supplying his license to Ioannidis.)

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, someone placed more posters of the victims — Moises Ismael Locón Yac and Nicholas Figueroa — on the fence that surrounds the property...


[Photo by Lola Sáenz]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Updated: 2nd Ave. explosion — landlord, 3 others charged with 2nd degree manslaughter; showed 'a blatant and callous disregard for human life'

Former residents talk about landlord Maria Hrynenko: 'it was clear she wanted to get rid of anyone with a rent-regulated apartment'

Report: 123 2nd Ave. is for sale

Owners of Eleven B propose to open a Mexican restaurant in the former Mercadito space on B


[Photo via @salim]

Mercadito has been closed now for just about a year at 179 Avenue B between East 11th Street and East 12th Street.

If things work out, then there looks to be another Mexican restaurant opening in the space. Vincent Sgarlato, who owns Eleven B and 11B Express almost directly across Avenue B, will appear before CB3's SLA committee meeting on Monday for a new liquor license for the former Mercadito.

Paperwork (PDF!) made available to the public at the CB3 website shows a configuration of 19 tables and 38 seats. The proposed hours are 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday-Thursday; until 3 a.m. on Friday-Saturday.

There is not a working name listed just yet for the new restaurant.

CB3's SLA committee meeting is Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

P.S.
While on the topic of Mercadito... the former Mercadito Cantina space at 172 Avenue B between East 10th Street and East 11th Street remains empty and for rent. The space has been vacant since January 2011.

At the former home of the Broadway flea market, condos will cost upwards of $22 million


[EVG photo from last summer]

As previously noted, renderings for the 12-stories of condos rising at the former open-air shops on Broadway near East Fourth Street have made the rounds in recent years.

The Post had more details in an article yesterday titled "What it’s like to live on one of NYC’s secret streets." (H/T Curbed!)

The 16-unit project is known as One Great Jones Alley, which will include a "private gated alley."



According to the Post, sales will launch on St. Patrick's Day (woo, March Madness!). The units will will be priced from $4.62 million to $22 million. (Woo, March Madness!)

There's also a teaser site with a few more details and renderings... such as the master bathrooms...



... and the spa...



According to the One Great Jones Alley website, "the private wet spa pays homage to the bathhouses that once populated this area of Downtown Manhattan, incorporating Corten steel, Venetian plaster, stone, glass and wood throughout."

(Woo, March Madness!)

Previously on EV Grieve:
Retail plans revealed for 12-floor condo building replacing open-air market on Broadway

NoHo flea market gutted ahead of new condo project on Broadway

Looking at One Great Jones Alley, 'a private paradise'

Renderings via One Great Jones Alley

Something new for 9 St. Mark's Place, but not St. Mark's Place



A new sign arrived in late February at 9 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...



The upstairs space will soon be home to Nohohon Tea Room, a bubble tea shop with a location in Toronto.

Here's more about their product via their website:

Nohohon Tea Room offers a healthier alternative flavours for bubble tea enthusiasts! Keeping true to the owner roots our green teas are imported from Japan and are steeped to the every guests’ order. Nohohon Tea Room specializes for Matcha drinks, which are hand whisked to each order ensuring maximum freshness.

Our tea is white-sugar Free and uses no artificial powders or powdered milk in the drinks. Pure sugar cane and organic agave are used as a basic sweetener. We also offers an option of sugar-free sweetener and dairy alternatives, Almond milk and Soy milk to cater to your dietary needs. We are also able to offer Vegan and Gluten-Free bubble teas ...

According to Bedford + Bowery, who first reported on Nohohon's arrival, this will make the sixth business to sell bubble tea in this block of St. Mark's Place. (And probably not the last.)

This space was previously home to the Brooklyn Dark Hemp Bar, which closed after just three months last October when the city said the cafe needed four sinks — one for soaking dishes, two others for sanitizing and rinsing dishes, and one for hand washing.

We don't know how many sinks are inside now ... at least three...



Previously on EV Grieve:
First U.S. hemp bar is now open on St. Mark's Place

[Updated] City forces the country's 1st Hemp Bar to close on St. Mark's Place

St. Mark's Place without the Trash & Vaudeville signage; No. 4 in contract



Meanwhile, across St. Mark's Place, workers removed the rest of the neon signage at Trash & Vaudeville at No. 4 on Wednesday.

As you know, the shop is relocating from its home here since 1975 to 96 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. They haven't announced an opening date just yet. Their website remains open for business should the need arise in the interim.

Last November, 4 St. Mark's Place, the landmarked building whose first owner in 1833 was Alexander Hamilton’s son, arrived on the market with an asking price of $11.9 million.

According to the Eastern Consolidated website, the building is in contract...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: After 40 years, punk rock mainstay Trash and Vaudeville is leaving St. Mark's Place

'Gentrification in Progress' tape arrives at former Trash & Vaudeville and Stage Restaurant spaces

How to get involved with Gardens Rising this year


[EVG file photo of Orchard Alley on East 4th Street]

As previously reported, Gardens Rising is a Superstorm Sandy inspired, HUD-funded grant through New York State for flood control green infrastructure in local community gardens.

And now via the EVG inbox...

Meet the Gardens Rising Steering Committee
You are invited to the first public meeting of the Steering Committee!
Sunday, March 13 at 4 pm
Sixth Street Community Center
638 E.6th St between Avenue B and C

Gardens Rising has an excellent Steering Committee in place!
The selection process has just been completed.
We are very grateful to this very talented group of people who have volunteered their time and energies to help improve our community.

Welcome new members of The Steering Committee:

• Tessa Huxley, former Director of Battery Park City Parks Conservancy
• Brigid Keating, Senior Project Manager of NYC Economic Development Corp
• Jack Linn, long-serving Assistant Commissioner of the NYC Dept of Parks and Recreation
• Ilan Kutok, Director of Green Infrastructure NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation
• Carlos Martinez, Assistant Director, NYC GreenThumb (non voting member)

They join the five elected Steering Committee gardeners:

• Sarah Zaborowski, representing the Great North Group, which are the 12 gardens on 11th, 12th and 13th Sts.
• Shawn Dahl, representing the El Pueblo Group, which are the eight gardens on 7th, 8th and 9th Sts,
• Carmine D'Intino, representing the Middle Earth Group, which are the nine gardens on 4th, 5th and 6th Sts.
• Herman Hewitt, representing the Mundo Verde Group, which are the eight gardens on 2nd and 3rd Sts.
• Kristin Ellington, representing the Southland Group, which are the ten gardens below Houston St and west of First Avenue.

The Steering Committee consists of nine members elected and selected from the greening community and one non-voting member from GreenThumb. The Steering Committee is responsible for adopting a Master Plan for the construction of storm water abatement measures in our community gardens.

Please come and meet the Steering Committee and have your voice heard. Gardens Rising is a very public process. Your input is essential to the success of this project.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

This time of night



New Order played a sold-out show tonight at Radio City... which is good enough reason as always to trot out this footage of New Order's first NYC concert, which took place at the Ukrainian National Home on Second Avenue between East Ninth Street and St. Mark's Place on Nov. 19 1981.

Here is the entire show...



Our friend Karate Boogaloo has more about this show at Stupefaction.

P.S.
And we will save Alex from having to leave this comment: It's not really New Order without Peter Hook.