Audrey Hepburn print continues curbside tour

[Jan. 29 via Steven]

From Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place... to the Bowery and Great Jones this morning...


[Photo via Lola Sāenz]

I Am a Rent-Stabilized Tenant

East Village resident Susan Schiffman has been photographing the apartments of rent-stabilized tenants living in the East Village for her Instagram account, I Am a Rent Stabilized Tenant. She will share some of the photos here for this ongoing EVG feature.



Photos and text by Susan Schiffman

Tenant: Joey, since 1995

How did you find your apartment?

I’ve been in this apartment on and off since 1995. A couple of times when I was homeless I lived on a couch right here in this spot. Another time when Babs’ roommate didn’t want to give up his share but he wanted to move in with his boyfriend, I sublet his room. The tower room, I call it, because it’s right next to the steeple on the church next door. Then he moved back in.

I screwed myself on that one, because I kind of counseled him to not staying with his boyfriend if he wasn’t happy living there with him. I became homeless again. That was all the last millennia. This millennia when Babs started getting really sick, she moved back to St. Louis. I met Babs and her director friend when they cast me in a commercial. I met her at a gay rock-and-roll club down at Don Hill's on Greenwich and Spring. It was called Squeeze Box. It was a gay rock-n-roll night on Friday nights. So there I was on Friday night after drinking at the Wonder Bar on Sixth Street and another place called the Bar, which is by the Boiler Room near Second avenue and Fourth Street. I drank a lot of vodka on that corner.

After that we went to Don Hill’s. On Friday nights it was drag queens playing rock-n-roll. Mistress Formica. It was great. I like beer and rock-n-roll. I shake it too. I’ve been known to go to a disco. I’m more into the rock-n-roll thing. Weed and wine. There she was. Her and her director friend came up to me and said “we would like to use you in our commercial if you’re available.” Babs was an actor, she did voice-over. She had a great voice, great diction, great vocabulary. Unfortunately, she had to leave the apartment. It was still in her name. It was hard for her to keep track of and her health. That was 2002.

Babs and I were practically married, but we weren’t. She was going to marry me but then she married another guy who needed a Green Card. He was going to work at the U.N. and take care of her. But that didn’t work out. I had just started at NYU in 1997 and I wanted to marry her so she could use my benefits. And we were kind of together anyway. I had boyfriends and she had girlfriends but we were still like lovers. We were inclusive. We didn’t discriminate. If there was a vibe, there was a vibe. We never forced each other to change. We would sleep together.

The landlord knew about our friendship. She said, "take your time, go month to month. When you’re ready I’ll let you sign the lease in your name."









What do you love about your apartment?

I don’t take it for granted at all. My whole life is below 14th Street. I live and work within 10 minutes. I work by Washington Square Park and I live by Tompkins Square Park. I do not take that for granted.

It’s almost like a shrine to Babs. She would be pissed if she heard me call it that.

I grew up here with Babs. We had so many great memories. That’s Saint Mark's over there. I see all kinds of parades on Saint Mark's from up here. This is the Chrysler Building chair and this is the Empire State Building chair. The lights just went on the Chrysler Building. It's 5:30.















If you're interested in inviting Susan in to photograph your apartment for an upcoming post, then you may contact her via this email.

Still House relocating to 9th Street

Still House, which sells jewelry and home goods, is moving from 117 Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue ... to 307 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue (next to Mudspot) ...

The signage for the Ninth Street location arrived yesterday...



EVG correspondent Steven, who shared these photos, said that they will be making the move in about three weeks.

The Ninth Street space was previously the women's boutique Pinkyotto.

A look at the former GG's space on 5th Street

GG's ended its three-year run on Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B two months ago to the date — Dec. 23.

The pizzeria's ownership decided to focus on other projects. It had been reported that Emmy Squared, the Williamsburg pizzeria serving Detroit-style pizza, was taking over. (CB3 OK'd their new liquor license back in December.)

A few readers asked what was happening with the space... there hadn't much activity here. In fact, a look inside in late January showed a motorcycle parked in the former dining room...



Since then, the space has been cleared out...



I reached out to the Emmy Squared folks a few weeks back... and they didn't have any updates just yet. They originally expected to open this spring, per Eater.

Emmy Squared is also opening an outpost soon in Nashville.

Sunset at the Sunshine

This Sunset mural went up last evening on the gate of the former Sunshine Cinema on East Houston ... not sure at the moment who the artist is, and if the new owners of the property — who plan on putting in a 9-story boutique office building — commissioned the work.

The Sunshine closed on Jan. 21.

Thanks to @michaelkbusch for the photo earlier today!

Updated 9:30 p.m.

Faust is the artist. (H/T Mike H!)

EV Grieve Etc.: Recognition for composer Julius Eastman; props for Szechuan Mountain House

[C.H.U.D. 3? Photo on 1st Avenue by Derek Berg]

Homeless woman on First Street awaits reunion with her pit bull named Red (Daily News)

28 years after his death, composer Julius Eastman, who lived in the East Village, gets a publishing deal (The New York Times)

A former top city official sues Mayor de Blasio for $5 million-plus over claims he was illegally fired for blowing the whistle on alleged City Hall corruption (The Post)

More about the clay pot cooking at Clay Pot on St. Mark's Place (Eater ... previously)

A visit to Spark Pretty on Ninth Street (Nylon ... previously)

How did the subway delays get so bad? (The New York Times)

A Q-and-A with East Village-based author Arthur Nersesian (Convicts ... previously)

Boubouki closing in the Essex Street Market next week (The Lo-Down)

NYU prez apologizes after dining hall serves Black History Month meal that included red Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water as well as ribs and collard greens (Washington Square News)

Roland, auctioneers of antiques, leaving its home in the St. Denis building at 11th Street and Broadway (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

The films of Iranian documentarian Mehrdad Oskouei (Anthology Film Archives)

Cop Shoot Cop alumni news (Flaming Pablum)

More pics from the Mr. Lower East Side Pageant (Slum Goddess ... previously)

"Way Out West" with Sonny Rollins (The Village Voice)

Three stars for Szechuan Mountain House on St. Mark's Place (Eater)

The Who’s 1968 Live At Fillmore East — the former concert venue on Second Avenue at Sixth Street — has been fully restored and mixed for an April 20 release (Addicted to Noise)

5 Pointz owner plans to appeal $6.7M settlement verdict (Curbed)

The building that used to house Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s Karpas Health Information Center on First Avenue at 18th Street has been sold and will soon be demolished (Town & Village)

Airbnb and the unintended consequences of "disruption" (The Atlantic)

And watch bearded drag queen Levonia Jenkins performs Fergie's recent rendition of the National Anthem at Club Cumming on Sixth Street (via Hornet)

A spin through Downtown Yarns on Avenue A

East Village-based photographer Gudrun Georges recently highlighted one of her favorite shops in the neighborhood — Downtown Yarns, 45 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street.

From Gudrun's photo site:

Rita Bobry, the owner who studied art and loves to work with colors, opened this gem of a store 17 years ago ...

The store has a finely edited collection of yarns, many of them local and sustainable, as well as all of the necessary supplies for the needle crafts.

The store offers a whole range of classes from beginner classes to advanced sweater design workshops. The super friendly staff is always happy to help.

There is Rita who besides being an expert knitter always comes up with the most stunning window displays.

You can find more of Gudrun's photos from Downtown Yarns here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Favorite East Village places: Ink on A

Avant-Garde-Arama at Performance Space grand re-opening

[Alexandra Tatarsky]

Photos and text by Dan Efram

Performance Space New York — formerly PS 122 — celebrated its grand reopening with a free night of their longest-running program "Avant-Garde-Arama" on Sunday night.

The multi-stage show welcomed hundreds of people to check out the wonderful renovated venues in the building on First Avenue at Ninth Street and kick off its new season in earnest. You can find the full list of performers here.


[Pharmakon]


[Cornelius Loy]


[Pat Oleszko and Brooks Leslie]


[Murray Hill backstage]


[Charles Dennis]


[Salley May]


[The audience]

Performance Space is hosting an East Village Series through June. Find that schedule here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Here's the sidewalk bridge-free corner of 9th Street and 1st Avenue — and the 122 Community Center

Come along on a tour of the under-renovation 122 Community Center on 1st Avenue

All is quiet at 75 1st Ave.

The first level of the incoming condoplex at 75 First Ave. recently made it above the plywood here between Fourth Street and Fifth Street... However, the site remains locked up... the city served up a full stop work order back on Jan. 12.

The DOB complaint notes "no protection for pedestrians" (not all that safe for cyclists either as the construction site and trucks take up the bike lane) ...



DOB records show that there's an outstanding $10,000 penalty due as well for "failure to designate and/or have a construction superintendent present as required."

Sales commenced last August for the 8-floor, 22-unit condoplex. The four units on the market are asking between $1.79 million and $2.25 million.



Things seem to be progressing pretty slowly here. We noted the foundation work here dating back to October 2016. And it's not a very large site.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Developer: A shorter building in the works now for 75 First Avenue

High-rise for 75 First Avenue back in play

Long-stalled First Avenue site now has a brand-new rendering

Report: Long-dormant 1st Avenue development site changes hands

Plywood report and the future of 75 1st Ave. (Spoiler: condos)

Sales underway for Rite Aid-adjacent condoplex on 1st Avenue

Last weekend for the Stone on Avenue C

The Stone wraps up its 13-year run (some 7,500 performances, and no refreshments or merchandise!) this weekend on Avenue C at Second Street.

John Zorn announced back in December 2016 that he would be relocating his experimental performance space ... which turned out to be at the Glass Box Theatre at the New School. (Zorn has been hosting weekend residencies there since June.)

As the Voice reported in early 2017:

He will continue as artistic director of the nonprofit venue, with musicians doing all the curating and volunteers providing support. Artists will continue to receive all revenue from tickets, which will remain priced at $20. The seating capacity — 74 — will stay the same. “And our aesthetic will not alter one bit,” Zorn said.

For Zorn, the move isn’t one of need, his club’s lease wasn’t up. “It was simply time for a change,” he said.

The final show on Avenue C is Sunday night. Find the lineup of remaining shows here.

The corner space hit the market last August. The listing, which stipulated "no bars," is off the market as of Dec. 17.

The NYPD's 9th Precinct hosting a blood drive tomorrow (Thursday!)

Noon to 6 p.m. at the Ninth Precinct, 321 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Checking in on the dislodged Webster Hall marquee

As we first reported back on Sunday, the Webster Hall marquee became partially dislodged from the front of the landmarked building on 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

On Monday, workers started erecting a sidewalk bridge for protection until repairs can be made. Steven shared these photos from this morning ... where workers appear to continue to secure the marquee...



With the temporary structure in place, 11th Street is open again to traffic.

The new owners of the building, Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment, along with AEG-backed The Bowery Presents, filed permits in December to renovate the facility — for use in years ahead as a concert hall — and make it ADA compliant. Those permits are still waiting the city's approval, per the DOB.