You're gonna need a bigger bike

A scene today outside St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery on Second Avenue at 10th Street where the Tree Riders NYC sell some of the largest Christmas trees around... thanks to @GMKevv for the photo ...

Dante and Diego's adoption is the feel-good story that we need right now

On Sunday, I posted that Dante and Diego, the two bonded senior labs that belonged to Chile, the longtime 12th Street resident who recently passed away, had been adopted together by a couple in Brooklyn.

Reps from Animal Haven, the nonprofit animal shelter, took the dogs in on Nov. 27. Chile's neighbors rallied to keep Dante and Diego together following his death.

Animal Haven shared the adoption story on Instagram:

The couple recently had to say goodbye to their senior lab. As lifelong dog lovers, their home was empty and quiet, and they decided it was time for a new addition.

So they came to Animal Haven looking for a new puppy. But after seeing Dante and Diego and hearing their story, they knew in their hearts that those old souls were the dogs for them. It was fate.

Dante and Diego are now happily home, less than one week after losing the only home they'd ever known. We are beyond thrilled!

"This is what we dream of for all of our animals," said Jenny Coffey, Animal Haven's director of community engagement, who facilitated the rescue. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone in this amazing, animal-loving NYC community who shared and participated in Dante and Diego's journey!

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A post shared by Animal Haven (@animalhaven) on Dec 4, 2018 at 12:19pm PST

Educator: Turning the former Church of the Nativity into luxury housing would be a 'sordid use' of the property

[EVG file photo]

I haven't heard anything the former Church of the Nativity on Second Avenue in almost a year to the date.

On Dec. 2, 2017, Friends of Nativity Church and the Cooper Square Community Land Trust held a prayer service and advocated that the property be used for low-incoming housing.

First, some background before getting to the point of bringing this up now.

The church closed in July 2015 as part of a massive consolidation reportedly due to changing demographics and a shortage of priests available to say mass. The Church of the Nativity merged with the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The Friends of Nativity had previously proposed a Dorothy Day Shrine and retreat center with services for the homeless at 44 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street. (Read more about that proposal here.)

This past summer, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York desacralized the former church, clearing the way for a potential sale of the desirable property.

Last Thursday, Rebecca Amato, a professor at NYU and associate director of the school's Urban Democracy Lab, presented on the Church of the Nativity at the Pontifical Council for Culture’s international conference on cultural heritage in Rome. The topic of the conference, "Doesn’t God Dwell Here Anymore?," facilitated discussion about reusing church landholdings after they are decommissioned.

According to her presentation, the Archdiocese of New York has sold at least 19 sacred properties for luxury development since 1996. (Hello Steiner East Village!)

In an interview with the National Catholic Reporter published Monday, Amato makes her case for using the site for the needy. (H/T to The Lo-Down who linked to this article yesterday.)

An excerpt from the article:

Amato ... said former parishioners proposed to purchase the decommissioned church for $18 million to develop low-income, senior and homeless family housing.

The alternative plan is to sell the property for a reported $50 million and build a luxury residential development, which Amato said would be a "sordid use" of a once-sacred edifice.

Although not all of the residents in the area were parishioners, decommissioned churches like the Church of the Nativity continue to be an integral part of "the fabric of a neighborhood," Amato said.

"Those are the kind of things that are destroyed by global investment firms, but they shouldn't be destroyed by the archdiocese; they shouldn't be behaving the same way," Amato said.

The proposal to convert the parish into low-income housing would greatly benefit the residents near the church, Amato said. Predominantly made up of Catholics of Puerto Rican descent, residents find themselves not only "displaced by housing issues, evictions, rising land costs but now they're being displaced by their own Catholic Church, by the archdiocese."

"So, the idea of selling this property — that is so associated with the Catholic Worker [Movement] and advocacy for the poor — for $50 million is astounding on so many levels."

And the Archdiocese's take:

Joseph Zwilling, communications director for the New York Archdiocese, acknowledged that several proposals for the site were reviewed, including the proposal submitted by the church's former parishioners.

Nevertheless, he said, "the parish needs to receive fair market value for the property so that the parish and the archdiocese can continue to meet the pastoral, charitable, educational — and housing — needs of the people we serve."

Zwilling also explained that the proposed sale of the property "is by and for the parish, not the archdiocese."

He also said that proceeds from the sale of the Church of the Nativity, which was merged in 2015 with a neighboring parish — Most Holy Redeemer — would not go to the archdiocese, but the parish.

You can read another interview with Amato along with more background in this article at America Magazine.

Not mentioned in this articles: This past July, Provincial Superior Father Paul Borowski announced during a mass at the Most Holy Redeemer that the Redemptorists would be turning the parish back to the archdiocese in the summer of 2019. (Among other reasons, he cited older and fewer priests.) As I understand it, the church, which was completed in 1852, will be administered by a Diocesan priest starting next summer.

Previously on EV Grieve:
As the Church of the Nativity closes for good tonight, take a look at the original structure

Parishioners fight to save the Church of the Nativity on 2nd Avenue

Parishioners hope their prayers are answered with former Nativity space on 2nd Avenue

[Updated] Eliza's Local now open at 2 St. Mark's Place

[Photo Monday by Steven]

We haven't seen much, if any, activity at 2 St. Mark's Place, the former St. Mark's Ale House near Third Avenue/Cooper Square... until Monday, when a worker was out painting the exterior.

CB3 OK'd a liquor license for the new owners of the space back in May. The owners for the new venture at No. 2 also run Draught 55, a brew pub (40 taps!) at 245 E. 55th St. that opened in 2012.

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Updated 12/6

The new saloon is called Eliza's Local... and they are now open. The bar is named for Elizabeth Hamilton (aka "Eliza") co-founder and deputy director of the first private orphanage in New York City. She was the wife of Alexander Hamilton. She lived next door at 4 St. Mark's Place in what was later known as the Hamilton-Holly House.
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According to the questionnaire at the CB3 website, the still-unnamed restaurant serving "American pub food" has a certificate of occupancy for 74 people, spread out over 19 tables and a 10-seat bar. The new place plans to operate from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays through Wednesdays, with a 4 a.m. close Thursdays through Saturdays.

The restaurant adjacent to the entry of the St Marks Hotel has been empty since Ayios Greek Rotisserie quietly closed at the end of 2017 after 16 months in business. St. Mark's Ale House had a 21-year run until July 2016. (And once upon a time it was the second location of the Five Spot Cafe.)

Previously on EV Grieve:
Cafe in the works for 2 St. Mark's Place, previously Ayios and St. Mark's Ale House

Concern for China Wok, which has not been open lately on Avenue B

China Wok, the reliable quick-serve Chinese restaurant on the corner of Third Street and Avenue B, has not been open in recent days, fueling concerns among patrons that they have closed for good.

The storefront has been on the rental market. The current listing notes an asking rent of $6,495 a month. The space can also be combined with the empty storefront next door for a few thousand more.



There is an unconfirmed neighbor report that the Marshal took legal possession of the space on behalf of landlord Steve Croman. (There is another unconfirmed claim that the rent was raised to the asking amount from $2,500.)

H/T Stacie Joy!

And an EVG Instagram post from late in the summer...

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3rd and B • #eastvillage #chinesefood

A post shared by EV Grieve (@evgrieve) on Aug 23, 2018 at 5:55pm PDT

My favorite comment from this Instagram post: "The fan on the side that drips grease into the cardboard on the sidewalk 😍😍"

TabeTomo debuts on Avenue A

That new ramen shop that we told you about last August is now in soft-open mode at 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

Eater had a preview yesterday of TabeTomo:

Starting today, NYC will finally have a ramen shop where tsukemen is the star. Chef Tomotsugu Kubo’s new restaurant TabeTomo, opening today, will go all in on the dipping ramen in a petite space...

Kubo has credentials that make this opening promising. The chef previously worked at the Tokyo location of Tsujita and helped open the LA location of the ramen sensation, where the restaurant that has one of the longest waits in the city. Like TabeTomo, Tsujita specializes in tsukemen, a style where room temperature noodles are dipped into an ultra-hot, ultra-rich broth.

But Kubo’s NYC restaurant will be more upscale than Tsujita, he says. It has 24 seats and a 16-seat wood bar. Warm, low light provided by hanging lanterns, a brick accent wall, and wood throughout give the restaurant a romantic vibe.

And more opening buzzzzzz via The New York Times:

In New York, Mr. Kubo says he will take up to 60 hours to simmer his broth to deep perfection. The noodles are thicker than garden-variety ramen, the better to sop up the soup, and additions like eggs, pork belly, spinach and dried seaweed can dress up the meal. Regular ramen bowls are also served. Donburi rice bowls topped with sashimi or fried chicken, among other options, are also on the lineup, along with appetizers like crisp chicken skin, braised pork belly, edamame and pickles. The focus of the room is a large counter with seating on three sides.

TabeTomo is offering a limited menu until its GRAND opening next Monday.

This is the second L.A. ramen transplant to venture into the East Village this year. Tatsu Ramen, with two locations in Los Angeles, opened its first NYC outpost in July at 167 First Ave.

Baci e Vendetta closed at 131 Avenue A in March after nearly 16 months in service. Nic Ratner, a partner in Baci e Vendetta, said that business for the Italian cafe wasn't sustainable with only a beer-and-wine license.

This space was the 10 Degrees Bistro until the fall of 2015 ... and the Flea Market Cafe before that.

H/T Steven!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Veteran of hit L.A. ramen shop behind new noodle venture at 131 Avenue A

Tuesday's parting shot

A look inside the incoming Madam Vo's Barbecue on Second Avenue at Sixth Street late this afternoon via Derek Berg...

Superhero's welcome

A look at the recently completed (as of yesterday) Spider-Man mural on Second Street at First Avenue... created by Chilean-based artist Otto Schade (courtesy of East Village Walls). The mural is a tribute to the late Stan Lee.

Well it's 1969 OK

Thanks to the EVG readers who pointed out this post via @NYTarchives... showing Gem Spa (Gems Spa then) on the corner of St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue circa 1969...

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The word “iconic” gets thrown around a lot these days, but when it comes to New York City street life, Gem Spa, at St. Mark’s Place and 2nd Avenue, warrants the description. Just 6 months before the @nytimes staff photographer Carl Gossett Jr. captured the famous storefront in 1969, the paper described the corner soda fountain as a “hippie hangout.” In the subsequent years, Gem Spa would become a neighborhood anchor for the punk and New Wave music scenes, and be featured in an eponymous painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat and a poem by Allen Ginsberg. #eastvillage #newyork #history #photography

A post shared by The New York Times Archives (@nytarchives) on Dec 3, 2018 at 1:32pm PST

Headline H/T

Where the gas stations were

In the past four years, the last three area gas stations have closed, replaced by high-end new developments. Here's an update...

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Lafayette at East Houston Street

The BP station closed in April 2016... (the Irish pub Puck Fair was also on this parcel)...


[EVG file photo]

... and here's a look at the new 7-story retail-office complex as of Friday at 300 Lafayette St. ... the building will include 30,000 square feet of retail and 53,000 square feet of office space...



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Second Avenue at First Street

The gas station — first a Gulf, then BP — closed in July 2014...


[EVG file photo]

... and here's the 10-story condoplex shaping up as of Saturday...



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Avenue C at East Houston Street

The Mobil station closed in September 2014. It was the last one in business in the East Village...


[EVG file photo]

... and as of Saturday, workers are still down in the foundation of what will be a 10-floor building with 45 luxury rentals via BLDG Management ...



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With these closures, there is one gas station in the city below 14th Street — a Mobil on Eighth Avenue near East 13th Street. There is also a BP on East 23rd Street at the FDR.

Previously on EV Grieve:
How much longer will the East Village have gas stations?

The East Village will soon be down to 1 gas station

RUMOR: Gas station going, boutique hotel coming on Second Avenue? (31 comments)

BP station on 2nd Avenue closes this month

Have you seen the glass tower in the works for Lafayette and East Houston?

Filling up: the status of 2 former East Village gas stations

Report: Boutique office building on East Houston and Lafayette at BP site a go

BP station on East Houston and Lafayette closes April 14

Report: Lack of gas stations downtown a concern

Wara bringing Japanese cuisine and Batsu theater to 1st Avenue

[Photo from November]

Wara, a Japanese izakaya restaurant and dinner theater, is slated to open at 67 First Ave. at Fourth Street in the spring.

Wayne Yip, who owns Jebon Sushi at 15 St. Mark's Place and Clay Pot at 58 St. Mark's Place, is also behind this new venture.

CB3 OK'd a beer-wine license for Wara this month. According to the questionnaire (PDF here) at the CB3 website, Wara will be open from noon to midnight daily. The space has 18 tables seating 64 guests.

Real Estate Weekly had a few more details yesterday:

The experiential dining experience features sushi, Japanese pub-style eats and a Batsu theater, a show where actors are comically punished after losing a competition or bet.

Wara, whose name translates roughly to “laughing out loud,” took a 15-year lease at the corner spot ...

The asking rent was $15,500 a month, according to Sinvin Real Estate’s Steve Rappaport, who represented Wara. The landlord, Landlord Icon Realty, was represented in-house by Zach Levine.

Jebron also hosts Batsu theater in its basement lounge.

The Korean cafe Space Mabi closed here without any notice to patrons last month after a year in business.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Guayoyo has been closed now for 1 year

Gastropub — 'Your new playground' — slated for former Guayoyo space on 1st Avenue

Space Mabi closes 1 year in on 1st Avenue

Dim Sum Palace debuts on 2nd Avenue

Dim Sum Palace is now up and running under the sidewalk bridge in one of the storefront spaces at 59 Second Ave. between Third Street and Fourth Street.

We first spotted the signage for the restaurant back in March. As noted then, the owners also run two locations of Dim Sum Palace in Midtown.

You can find their fairly extensive menu here. Their hours are 11 a.m. to midnight daily.

CB3 OK'd a beer-wine license for them this month.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Dim Sum Palace planned for 59 2nd Ave.

The incoming Dim Sum Palace has a large menu on 2nd Avenue