What happened to the DeRobertis neon sign on 1st Avenue?

The sidewalk bridge recently came down outside the under-renovation 174-176 First Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street...



Several people, including Jeremiah Moss, noticed something missing on the post-renovation exterior: the neon "Pastry Shoppe" signage that belonged to the longtime tenant here: DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe.


[EVG photo from 2013]

DeRobertis closed shop after 110 years in business in December 2014. The economy, age and health reportedly compelled the four DeRobertis siblings to sell the building (for $9.9 million, per public records).

Black Seed bagels opened in the DeRobertis retail space in October 2015. At the time, Black Seed co-owners Matt Kliegman and Noah Bernamoff said they wanted to keep the classic neon.

Per Off the Grid in 2015:

In response to inquiries from Off the Grid, Bernamoff and Kliegman ... tell us they also intend to keep the neon sign out front. Its fate was unknown; a member of the DeRobertis extended family had explained to Off the Grid that when the family chose to sell the building, they left the sign up because it had been affixed for so long that they feared removal could damage the facade.

“It’s not going anywhere,” Kliegman said today. Added Bernamoff, “We prefer to keep the neon as intact as we possibly can without misleading people.” They may choose to light only the “pastry shoppe” portion, for example...

Last week, Kliegman and Bernamoff said that they hope the sign returns.

Per a Black Seed rep: "The sign belongs to the building owner and we are not privy to their specific plans for the property, which traded hands again since the DeRobertis family sold the building over three years ago."

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Updated noon:


Per the Black Seed rep: "The plan was always that the building owner would refurbish the sign. The current owner, who was actually able to get the construction done ... has told us that the sign was removed to protect it and they are indeed working to refurbish it."

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In May 2018, High Point Property Group bought the five-story walkup for $12.1 million. The seller was a joint venture between EBMG, LLC and AMJ Equities, according to The Real Deal.

In late 2015, the DeRobertis family decided to open another bakery in Clifton, N.J.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ugh: The 110-year-old DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe closes after Dec. 5 (43 comments)

[Updated] 110-year-old DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe looks to be closing once the building is sold

174-176 First Ave., home of DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe, is for sale

Let's take a look at the DeRobertis in-house bakery

Anything to lose sleep over? That empty Raymour & Flanigan space on 14th Street

[Top 4 photos from April]

The Raymour & Flanigan Sleep Shop sits empty now in the base of the Con Ed HQ on 14th Street at Irving Plaza... this outpost of the furniture retail chain moved around the corner to Union Square East earlier this spring...



We've talked with a few people curious about what might be going into this 15,000-square-foot retail space (across from the incoming tech hub) ...



While we mull that over... some legal documents arrived on the door the other day on behalf of the landlord, Con Ed ...



... there's some legalese about a money judgement in the amount of $435,103 (and 77 cents) ...



That's a lot of Comfort Sleeper Sofas.

A reminder that First Lamb Shabu is coming soon to 14th Street

There hasn't been much activity of late to note at First Lamb Shabu, which emerged from behind the plywood at 218 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue last fall.

Now, however, a coming-soon sign is on the storefront...



As previously reported, this will be the first Manhattan outpost for the Beijing-based hot pot chain with more than 300 locations in China.

The Commercial Observer reported back in April 2018 that the company, which has a location in Flushing, signed a 10-year lease for the space with a $20,000-per-month rent.

The storefront has been empty for several years, ever since Dunkin' Donuts (DD!) decamped for a smaller space on the block in August 2015.

Sunday's parting shot

Tonight's sunset from Astor Place by EVG reader Doug...

Time passages

[Photo from Friday]

This weekend, Al Diaz and Curt Hoppe collaborated on a mural outside The Quality Mending Co. on the corner of Prince and Elizabeth.







The final product include's Diaz's text- and message-oriented work with Hoppe's portrait photography...

"Time pulls us along as present becomes past. People, pets, places and possessions all turn into memories..."

"This piece is not for selfies ... just stop, read and think," Hoppe told me.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The EVG podcast: Al Diaz on BOMB1, SAMO© and Basquiat

Curt Hoppe's 'Downtown Portraits'

Week in Grieview

[Photo on Astor Place by Derek Berg]

Posts from this past week included...

What is happening at Gem Spa? (Tuesday)

The 14th Street busway debuts on July 1 (Wednesday)

Amelia and Christo's 2nd 2019 chick dies (Tuesday)

A visit to Zadie's Oyster Room on 12th Street (Wednesday)

Q&A with the director of the short film "Deborah Harry Does Not Like Interviews" (Friday)

Supper's 1970s-style subway-car look on 2nd Street (Tuesday)

Report: Former Hells Angels HQ will become 22-unit residential building with retail (Monday)

A look at 131 1st Ave., currently being divided into 3 retail spaces (Tuesday)

Tree Bistro returns, though without the garden space for now (Friday)

Last weekend for Miscelanea NY (Friday)

Tai Thai is back in action (Wednesday)

183 Avenue B will be demolished for a new 8-story residential building (Thursday)

Going 'Ape' over this gate at the East Village Vintage Collective (Monday)

Reader report: "marauding drunks" kill young tree on 7th Street (Thursday)

#NoKidsInCages spotted on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday)

Bike lane paint returning to 1st Avenue (Monday)

Taking a seat for social change in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday)

Ray's Candy Store the setting for one of these "East Side Stories" at the Metropolitan Playhouse (Friday)

"Sayonara, Bitches" — about the last show at Art on A Gallery (Thursday)

Joe’s Steam Rice Roll debuts on St. Mark's Place (Monday)

Ravi DeRossi bringing Indian cuisine to his former Fire & Water space on 7th Street (Wednesday)

Roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour at Tompkins Square Park (Sunday)

Signage is up for Auriga Cafe on Avenue A (Monday)

Gabriel Stulman seeking sidewalk cafe license for Great Jones Cafe replacement The Jones (Monday)

Squish Marshmallows only taking appointments for the summer (Wednesday)

Jin Kitchen and Bar closes on 3rd Avenue (Thursday)

Farewell to the leaning tree of 3rd Street (Tuesday)

Blue Bottle Coffee now open on Astor Place (Monday)

Whiteout at the former Sidewalk (Monday)

... and that is NOT a new logo for Trader Joe's at the retailer's space coming to 432 E. 14th St. ...



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Eddie Boros returns to 5th Street

Noah Scalin created this painting of Eddie Boros (RIP 2007) and the Tower of Toys (RIP 2008) outside Lavagna on Fifth Street and Avenue B as part of the 100 Gates Project.

Boros — “a charismatic, sometimes cantankerous artist,” per the The New York Times — lived his entire life in an apartment across the street. Some of his art is still on the walls at Sophie's down the street.

Saturday's parting shot

A scene from 13th Street and Broadway via Vinny & O...

Remembering June 15, 1904 — the General Slocum Disaster

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The General Slocum on fire in the East River, 1904. Named after #CivilWar General and Congressman Henry Warner Slocum, the steamboat was built at the Devine Burtis shipyards in #RedHook and launched in 1891. On June 15th, 1904, congregants of the St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in the #EastVillage (then nicknamed Kleindeutschland, “little Germany") set out for their annual excursion to a Long Island picnic ground. The steamer, filled with nearly 1,400 people eager to enjoy the beautiful day, left from a pier off of East 3rd Street. Just before 10 A.M., as the boat was passing Blackwell’s Island (now #RooseveltIsland), a crew member noticed smoke billowing out from under the deck. It was quite windy on the water, and the blaze quickly spread. The crew hadn’t gone through a fire drill, and the fire hoses they tried to use were defective. Soon, the steamer had entered the tumultuous #HellGate, and Captain William Van Schaick declined to beach the ship along the #Queens shore, instead making the fatal decision to head towards North Brother Island. People strapped their children into "never-sink" life vests and tossed them overboard, only to watch in horror as they were pulled beneath the water, as the vests were filled with rotten cork that became heavy and dragged them down. The lifeboats were completely inoperable, as they were cemented to the deck by paint or tied down. Many of the passengers couldn’t swim, and they were faced with the horrific decision to be consumed by the flames or drown. The steamboat's burning shell wound up sinking in the water off of #HuntsPoint in the #Bronx. For days, bodies washed ashore on nearby North Brother Island. 1,021 people died on that day, making it the worst maritime disaster in the city's history. Van Schaick was sentenced to 10 years at #SingSing prison, but only served 3 years, and was later pardoned. The tragedy decimated the once vibrant neighborhood of #Kleindeutschland, with most of its residents moving to #Yorkville or #Queens. Many of the victims were buried at Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery in Middle Village #NYC #GeneralSlocumDisaster #onthisday #history #maritimehistory #NYChistory #DiscoveringNYC

A post shared by Discovering NYC's History (@discovering_nyc) on Jun 15, 2019 at 6:03am PDT

Ghost signage plywood on 7th Street

A recent item to note. EVG reader Paul Gale spotted this on the Seventh Street side of 113 First Ave., where workers are apparently ripping out the wall for more windows at the E Smoke & Convenience shop.

Next to the MCA mural (which we hear is staying put) are pieces of an old wooden sign...



As Paul points out, it's upside down, but it reads:

H. WOLLIN
Surgeon Dentist
Crown

This was, of course, from the era in which "surgeons" pedaling jacket crowns were as prevalent as today's bubble-tea shops. As I reported at the time, these crowns were effective, but didn’t last long because of microcracking that occurred during the cooling phase of fabrication and caused issues to the crown and underlying tooth or gum. The later introduction of dicor crowns, which were cemented with zinc phosphate, were more effective.

Anyway, another reader suggested that this plywood may be remnants of some period piece that filmed in the neighborhood. ("Mrs Maisel"?)

Go inside the gates today at the New York City Marble Cemetery

It's another Neighborhood Open Day today (Saturday, June 15!) at the New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

From noon to 6 p.m. you'll have the opportunity to take in the usually gated space and learn more about its history.

Here are the remaining open days for the summer:

• Sunday, July 14
• Saturday August 17

Meanwhile, the New York Marble Cemetery at 41 1/2 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street will have open days on:

• Sunday, June 30
• Sunday, July 28
• Sunday, Aug. 25

The cemetery is open those days from noon to 4 p.m.

Friday's parting shot

Photo of the building on the southeast corner of Fourth Street and Avenue B this morning...