Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Report: Madison Realty Capital now managing Raphael Toledano's East Village portfolio


[East 5th Street buildings that were part of Raphael Toledano's portfolio]

On Friday, Judge Sean Lane of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York OK'd Madison Realty Capital to replace Raphael Toledano as the property manager of 15 East Village buildings while a deal to transfer the ownership is worked out, The Real Deal reports.

Madison, the lender on the properties and secured creditor, is negotiating a deal to acquire the deeds from Toledano’s Brookhill Properties. Sources close to both firms said they have signed a term sheet outlining a deal in which Madison would pay a sum of less than $10 million, which Toledano would use to pay off other creditors.

Last month, an affiliate of Toledano's Brookhill Properties filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on the portfolio of multifamily walk-ups. In 2015, Toledano purchased 28 buildings from the Tabak family for a total of $140 million.

Madison has reportedly said that Toledano owes some $140 million, including $125 million in loans against the 15 properties, plus interest and attorneys’ fees.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Foreclosure notice arrives on Raphael Toledano-owned building on 12th Street

Report: Raphael Toledano files for Chapter 11; $145 million deal for EV portfolio is off the table

Raphael Toledano tenants take to Midtown streets to speak out against their landlord and his lenders

Full FULL reveal on 1st Street, Avenue A and the Bowery

Workers recently removed the remaining sidewalk bridges and construction netting to provide full Full reveals at three new developments...

64 E. First St.



There are six, full-floor residences here between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... at the site of the former horrible hookah hotspot LaVie.

The website for 64 East — located [heh] in the "Bowery District" — shows that only one unit (just under $3.3 million) remains for sale. David Schwimmer reportedly just checked out a unit here for a possible bachelor pad.

438 E. 12th St. (aka Steiner East Village)



There's a full FULL reveal on the 11th Street and Avenue A sides of developer Douglas Steiner's Steiner East Village... the 12th Street side still remains under wraps...



The 7-story, 82-unit building officially at 438 E. 12th St. features homes starting at $1.1 million. There are currently seven units listed as available at the Steiner East Village website. Amenities include a 24-hour lobby concierge, 50-foot-long pool, spa, gym, library, etc.

There is, at the moment, some address chaos on the sidewalk bridge...



Steiner bought the former Mary Help of Christians property in 2012 from the Archdiocese of New York for $41 million.

319 Bowery



The sidewalk bridge is gone from outside 319 Bowery, undergoing a condo conversion after 45 years as the Amato Opera here between First Street and Second Street. (This four-story brick building was a cigar factory from 1899 to 1926.)

We recently noted that the retail space here is asking $34,995.

The developer is Steven Croman, who's facing suits in both civil and criminal court.

Monday, April 17, 2017

Caffe Bene closes on St. Mark's Place


[Photo yesterday by Steven]

The Caffe Bene outpost at 24 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue closed on Saturday ... workers were spotted removing boxes yesterday.


[Photo this morning by Steven]

This location, one of 1,600 worldwide that is part of the South Korean-based company, never seemed all that busy since opening in December 2015.

Apparently they weren't attracting their target audience.

According to brokers quoted in the Commercial Observer in August 2015, the building's landlord, Beame Realty, "is looking to tap into the hedge funds and tech companies coming to 51 Astor Place, as well as the New York University and St. John’s University crowd."

Caffe Bene had signed a 10-year lease, with asking rent in the $240 per-square-foot territory.

The storefront previously housed a Pinkberry, which closed at the beginning of 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
2 Caffe Bene locations coming to the East Village

Work starts on the 2 Caffe Bene spaces in the East Village

Demolition watch: 118 E. 1st St



Workers have pretty much taken care of the former three-level tenement at 118 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue...



Through the blogger portal you can see that the front steps now lead to ... nowhere really... the pit...



As previously noted, the existing structure is yielding to a 9-story residential building. In total, there are seven units divided over 12,500 square feet of residential space (likely condos). The building will include a small retail space on the ground floor.

Still no sign of a rendering via Warren Freyer's Freyer Architects. You'll have to make do with the zoning diagrams on file with the city ...



No. 118 was one of five new East Village projects identified by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation as an oversized new development ... "in the neighborhood's affordable housing zones [that] were approved by the city without requiring affordable housing."

According to their investigation released in February 2016 (find the latter to the mayor here), the city approved new developments "with greater square footage than allowed for market-rate developments, without requiring any affordable housing either on-site or off, as mandated by law."

Previously on EV Grieve:
118 E. 1st St. arrives on the market with so many possibilities, and air rights

118 E. 1st. St. will yield to a new 9-floor residential building

Demolition of 118 E. 1st St. begins to make way for 9-story residential building

The owner-founder of JuiceGo on 9th Street dies


[Photo by Steven]

JuiceGo opened in late February at 333 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Several readers had noticed that the storefront, which sells a variety of made-to-order cold-pressed juices, smoothies, salads and sandwiches, hasn't been open lately. There hasn't been any sign on the storefront noting a temporary closure.

Sadly, it turns out that founder-owner Satish Patel died on April 9.


There's no word at the moment when/if JuiceGo might reopen.

In announcing the signing of the 10-year lease here last August, Eastern Consolidated noted:

“JuiceGo is a groundbreaking concept because its owner/founder Satish Patel has developed a unique cold press juicing device that produces 100 percent fresh and nutrient-filled cold pressed juices that are made-to-order on site. Mr. Patel has extensive experience in the health food industry, having owned one of the largest produce markets in New Zealand. He’s also spent 15 years managing and owning a number of hospitality businesses in the United States, and decided to open his first JuiceGo shop in New York City.”

On 3rd and 13th, Bluemercury arriving; dinosaur mural not yet extinct



Bluemercury, the luxury beauty retailer, is the incoming tenant for the southwest corner of Third Avenue and 13th Street, as these photos via EVG reader Laura K. show...



They are currently looking to hire "beauty junkies." (A nod to the area's "Taxi Driver"-era past?)

Gothic Cabinet Craft shop closed in January 2016 after 47 years in business on this corner. A listing showed that the asking rent here was nearly $30,000 a month. The owners of Brazen Fox across the street were interested in opening a bar-restaurant here, but those plans never took hold.

Early last fall, workers wrapped up the building with a sidewalk bridge and construction netting for "emergency" façade repairs... an EVG reader at the time wondered if this might be the end for the dinosaur mural ...


[Photos from last fall]





But! The workers came and went after a few months ... and the mural has survived for now...



Anyone know the back story of this particular mural?

Looking for signs of Artichoke on 14th Street



Last November, we noted that Artichoke was apparently moving to a new space directly across 14th Street from their current compound.

Several people have asked if this was still a go. Well, DOB permits show that Artichoke signage is in the works for No. 321 between First Avenue and Second Avenue...


[Click to go big]

There haven't been any formal announcements just yet.

We did recently detect a piece of discarded Artichoke crust outside the new locale...





One EVG reader who lives near Artichoke says that the move can't come fast enough... calling Artichoke, who opened here in 2008, a bad neighbor, with crowds, bright lints and the "constant humming of the old exhaust vents" ...



There are currently nine Artichoke locations, eight in NYC and one in Berkeley, Calif.

Disc-O-Rama closing on 8th Street



A little news outside the neighborhood in case you haven't heard ... the Disc-O-Rama on Eighth Street between MacDougal and Sixth Avenue is closing on April 28.

Sales are up to 40 percent off now.

Disco-O-Rama first opened in NYC in 1976, per their website. I recall the location on Union Square and West Fourth Street closed some years ago. Not sure about the Moscow location that was always present on their signage.

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Easter Sunday's parting shot



Photo on St. Mark's Place today by Raquel Shapira

Week in Grieview


[Photo on Astor Place by Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

Kelly Hurley, who was struck by a box truck while biking on First Avenue at Ninth Street on April 5, died from her injuries. (Friday) Reactions to Hurley's death (Friday)

Joe and Pat’s mark their arrival on First Avenue (Wednesday)

Slashing reported outside Karma on First Avenue; bad night gets worse for victim (Wednesday)

RIP Guilherme Barreto (Wednesday)

Out and About With Elizabeth Atnafu (Wednesday)

The Irish Times Pub and Eatery NYC has plans for 10th Street and Avenue C (Wednesday)

Annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival set for Aug. 27 in Tompkins Square Park (Monday)

Owners of Mable's Smokehouse in Williamsburg looking to bring Tex-Mex to Second Avenue (Tuesday)


[Photo in Tompkins Square Park by Grant Shaffer]

D.L. Cerney is now open on Ninth Street (Saturday)

Porchetta returns (for six weeks) to Seventh Street (Monday)

Former men's boutique space yields to a threading and waxing salon on Ninth Street (Wednesday)

Report: David Schwimmer looking at new East Village homes (Thursday)

Sister Midnight debuts on Avenue A (Tuesday)

History of La Plaza Cultural now on display (Thursday)

The Post reports on the "East Village crime wave" (Monday)

Cherin moving to a larger space next door on Sixth Street (Thursday)

Danny Meyer's incoming pizzeria looking for CB3 approval for a 4-table sidewalk cafe (Thursday)

Report: Alan Cumming to help revamp Eastern Bloc on Sixth Street (Tuesday)

Baron's Dim Sum slated for Sixth Street (Thursday)

Ravi DeRossi's Coup opens; profits go to organizations threatened by Trump White House (Friday)

... and new art on the gate at East Village Social on St. Mark's Place... photo by Steven... and the art is by @KwueMolly, @StarFarther and @Himbad...



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Remembering David Peel



Friends of David Peel turned out yesterday afternoon to honor the musician during a memorial wake at the Peter Jarema Funeral Home on Seventh Street...



Later, there was a singing tribute of his music in Tompkins Square Park...







The longtime East Village resident — known for his 1960s anthem "I Like Marijuana" and later for collaborations with John Lennon and Yoko Ono — died on April 6. He was 73. (The Times has a feature obituary here.)

His burial is tomorrow morning at 11 at Calverton National Cemetery in Riverhead, N.Y.

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Top two photos by Chris F.

Bottom three photos by Steven

Saturday, April 15, 2017

D.L. Cerney is now open on 9th Street



As we noted a few weeks ago, the D.L. Cerney boutique was opening a new storefront for its hand-made, vintage-style clothes at 324 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

EVG correspondent Steven caught up with co-owner Linda St. John yesterday outside the now-open shop.

St. John closed her previous location on Seventh Street at the end of 2012 after 28 years in business ... to leave the city for awhile and focus on her art and writing.

Her hours are noon to 8 p.m.