Discarded art featuring lyrics from "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails.
Photo on Seventh Street today via Derek Berg...
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Wednesday's parting shot
Discarded art featuring lyrics from "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails.
Photo on Seventh Street today via Derek Berg...
What would Freud say?
Discarded items on Seventh Street near Avenue A include boxing gloves, a basketball and a copy of Freud's "On Dreams."
Photo today by Derek Berg...
You may now book a room for October at the Moxy East Village
Reservations are now being accepted for dates this fall at the Moxy East Village, the 13-story, 286-room hotel from the Marriott brand here on 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...
Oct. 6 is the first day for any availabilities ...
Here's hotel info from a recent news release:
Conceived by Rockwell Group as a vertical timeline, each floor of the hotel draws inspiration from a different era in East Village history, from the earliest settlers to the punk era to today. Moxy East Village offers 286 design-driven bedrooms, co-working spaces, tech-savvy amenities, and cultural programming that reflects the richly diverse fabric of the neighborhood.
The various rooms include walk-in rain showers, "retro" telephones and "personal screen casting technology" (aka Netflix, Pandora, etc.).
As for drinking and dining, as previously reported, Tao Group is the food and beverage operator and the Lightstone Group's partner at the Moxy East Village. Plans include a lobby bar and café, a 2,600-square-foot rooftop bar and a French-Mediterranean restaurant from chef Jason Hall.
... and here's the most recent hotel rendering...
...and what it replaced...
[Photo from May 2016]
The foundation work got underway here in August 2017. Workers demolished the five residential buildings that stood here in the fall of 2016.
Previously on EV Grieve:
At the rally outside 112-120 E. 11th St.
6-building complex on East 10th Street and East 11th Street sells for $127 million
Preservationists say city ignored pitch to designate part of 11th Street as a historic district
Permits filed to demolish 5 buildings on 11th Street to make way for new hotel
New building permits filed for 13-story Moxy Hotel on East 11th Street across from Webster Hall
Curiosity about the anonymous buyer behind the sale of the Boys' Club Harriman Clubhouse
Last Wednesday, news arrived that "a wealthy, anonymous individual" had purchased the the Boys' Club Harriman Clubhouse on Avenue A and 10th Street.
We had heard rumors in previous weeks of such a transaction; and that the Boys' Club would continue to lease space here for another year.
As for the buyer, per Crain's:
Paul Wolf, a real estate broker and adviser who specializes in working with nonprofits and who represented the foundation, said the buyer wanted to remain anonymous. Wolf said the buyer was planning to sell the property, potentially at a substantial loss, to a nonprofit that would maintain its civic use.
"The goal is to keep this as a community facility," said Wolf, who is co-president of the firm Denham Wolf. "The intent is to sell it to a nonprofit at a lower price than the purchase price."
As the Daily News noted, "The buyer, who bought the land as a foundation, wants to remain anonymous, according to the sources, one of whom said he had to sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of the deal."
The deal here has residents recalling the anonymous donor who came to the rescue of St. Brigid’s on Avenue B and Eighth Street in 2008, sparing the circa-1848 building from demolition and making it possible for the structure to be reopened as a parish church.
Per the Times in May 2008:
The Archdiocese of New York announced on Wednesday that a donor had come forward with an “unexpected but very welcome gift” of $20 million after a private meeting with Cardinal Edward M. Egan, the archbishop of New York.
The gift includes $10 million to restore the building, at 119 Avenue B; $2 million to establish an endowment for the parish “so that it might best meet the religious and spiritual needs of the people living in the community”; and $8 million to support St. Brigid’s School [ed note: closed now as of June 2019] and other Catholic schools in need.
We never heard definitively, but — via the rumor mill — the leading candidates behind saving the church were Irish-American philanthropist Chuck Feeney, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, Donald Trump and Mel Gibson. (And Matt Dillon!)
Now various residents and readers are searching for clues behind the identity of the person who bought the Boys' Club building, which opened in 1901.
Public records show that the 7-story building was sold to 287 East 10th Street LLC c/o Denham Wolf Real Estate Services for $31.725 million, as per the "Details" document and page 12 of the deed accessed here.
According to public records, Boys' Club Executive Director Stephen Tosh represented the Boys Club in the sale. Carey Thope (or Thorpe) represented 287 East 10th Street LLC. It's unclear at the moment who Thope/Thorpe is. Interestingly enough, 287 East 10th Street LLC is not listed in the Division of Corporations - New York State Department of State database.
So the searching and guessing will continue.
Meanwhile, Sen. Brad Hoylman shared his thoughts on the developments here. He spoke out against a potential sale last fall with several other local elected officials who had concerns about the loss of the services the Boys' Club provides to the neighborhood:
"Whoever this angel investor is, I want to thank them on behalf of our community. They are saving a century-old community facility from being converted into luxury condos or a high-priced hotel, which sadly has been the real estate narrative for the East Village.
While I wish the Boys’ Club had never put the Harriman Clubhouse on the open market in the first place, I’m grateful to them for finding this angel investor that will allow young people and families in our community to continue to benefit from this splendid facility.
I’m hopeful that the unnamed foundation will work with Community Board 3, elected officials, and other local stakeholders to ensure that community organizations have a place in the new building and that the Boys’ Club, which is reportedly taking space in the building, will decide to stay in this location and continue to provide the essential services it offers to boys and young men."
Previously on EV Grieve:
Conspiracy theories: Who was the anonymous donor behind St. Brigid's $20 million donation?
More speculation on the 'saint' who saved St. Brigid's
Local elected officials urge Boys' Club officials to postpone sale of the Harriman Clubhouse
Boys' Club of New York selling East Village building; will remain open through June 2019
During noon rally today, local elected officials will seek postponement of Boys' Club building sale
[Updated] Exclusive: The Boys' Club of New York puts the Harriman Clubhouse on the sales market for $32 million
Boys' Club fast tracks sale of East Village clubhouse as final bids are due Oct. 30
RUMOR: The Boys' Club building on 10th and A has a new owner; will remain in use as a nonprofit
The Village East screening Quentin Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood' in 70mm
When Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood" opens tomorrow (July 25) at City Cinemas Village East, it will be just one of five theaters in the country to show the film in 70mm.
Tarantino's well-reviewed ode to 1960s Los Angeles and the movie industry stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt and Al Pacino, among others... and it continues the filmmaker's commitment to celluloid. (Here's a 70mm explainer.)
His last film, "The Hateful Eight," also played here in 70mm in the Village East's Jaffe Art Theatre. ("The Master," Dunkirk" and "2001: A Space Odyssey" are other films to screen here in recent years in 70mm.)
You can find ticket info for the theater, Second Avenue at 12th Street, at this link.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Report: the M14A tops the slow-bus charts
As amNY reports, the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign and TransitCenter announced today that the M14A is the recipient of the 2019 Pokey and Schleppie Awards, which highlight the slowest and least reliable bus service in the city.
Per amNY: "With an average speed of 4.3 miles per hour, the M14A moves slower than a manatee, which can glide through water at a crisp pace of 5 mph."
It's possible that those M14A times will speed up with the July 1 introduction of Select Bus Service along this route.
Mount Sinai Beth Israel offers more details on new East Village hospital, plans for the former Rivington House
[Where the new 7-floor hospital will rise on 13th Street]
Mount Sinai Beth Israel officials yesterday released more details on their "$1 billion downtown transformation."
For starters, they have submitted an application to the state Department of Health to close and relocate Mount Sinai Beth Israel from its current location on First Avenue and 16th Street to Second Avenue and 13th Street.
As previously reported in the fall of 2016, the Mount Sinai Health System is in the midst of its years-long project to rebuild Mount Sinai Beth Israel, transitioning to a network of smaller facilities throughout lower Manhattan.
The plans include an expanded facility on 14th Street and Second Avenue, which includes a new 7-story hospital on 13th Street on the lot where a now-demolished 14-floor building that housed training physicians and staff once stood.
Per the Mount Sinai Beth Israel news release yesterday:
Demolition for the planned site of the new Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital was completed earlier this year and, pending approvals, Mount Sinai anticipates breaking ground in early 2020.
Expected to open in 2023, the new hospital will feature all private inpatient beds, cutting edge cardiac and neurologic interventional services, an operative platform, and a state-of-the-art emergency department. It will be integrated with the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, allowing for enhanced Ophthalmologic and ENT clinical services, including a 24/7 eye trauma emergency department, and access to state-of-the-art imaging, pharmacy, and laboratory services. In the meantime, the current MSBI hospital and emergency department will remain fully open and accessible until the opening of the new hospital.
And a new rendering of this facility — this is the view of Second Avenue from 13th Street... showing existing structures as well as the revamped current facilities and new hospital...
Also announced yesterday, more details about use of the former Rivington House:
Included in the $1 billion Downtown plan is a $140 million commitment to create a comprehensive, community-oriented behavioral health center: The Mount Sinai Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center.
The new facility, located at the site of the current Rivington House, will offer downtown residents a holistic approach to mental health and become a one-stop location for psychiatric, addiction, physical health, and social service needs. ... The site will not include methadone treatment services.
The sale of the Rivington House, a six-story, 119-year-old building at 45 Rivington St., "represents one of Mayor Bill de Blasio's biggest black eyes," as Gothamist once put it.
In February 2015, the Allure Group paid $28 million for the property, promising that 45 Rivington — the former Rivington Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation — would remain a health facility. In November 2015, a city agency lifted the the deed in exchange for the Allure Group's $16 million payment to the city. Allure then reportedly sold the property for $116 million to a development group with designs on a condoplex for the property that overlooks Sara S. Roosevelt Park, unleashing an outpouring of outrage.
The condo plans never moved forward. Crain's first reported on Mount Sinai's plan to lease the space last December. (The move caught Rivington House advocates by surprise.)
In reporting on yesterday's expansion news, Crain's noted that since acquiring Beth Israel Medical Center in a deal with Continuum Health Partners in 2013, "Mount Sinai has lost a significant amount of money on the medical center's East Village and Brooklyn campuses." How much? "Those campuses lost $104.6 million last year on $904.9 million in operating revenue. That was an improvement from a $124.2 million loss in 2017."
Find more info on the Mount Sinai Beth Israel restructuring at their FAQ page.
Previously on EV Grieve:
An empty lot awaits the future home of the new Mt. Sinai Beth Israel Hospital on 13th Street
Permits filed to demolish Mount Sinai's 13th Street residential building
Mount Sinai Beth Israel files plan for 7-story hospital on 13th Street
Coffee and Calexico for 2nd Avenue
Get ready for a Coffee and Calexico combo on Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. (To be clear, these are separate businesses who are just new neighbors.)
The new outpost for the Calexico chainlet that we've been writing about this past year (here and here) at No. 99 is ready to open. Signs on the front note that the Cal-Mex restaurant is closed for private parties at the moment...
Updated: A reader says that Calexico is now in soft-open mode.
Meanwhile next door, the 787 Coffee shop is coming together... the Coffee signage just arrived (H/T Steven!) ...
UPDATE 7/26: 787 is now open
As reported on July 8, this marks the second 787 outpost for the East Village. The shop, which grows and roasts its coffee in Puerto Rico, arrived on Seventh Street near Avenue A last October.
Chinese Graffiti has not been open lately on Avenue A
Multiple readers have noted that Chinese Graffiti has not been open during announced business hours of late. They were closed the past two weekends.
There isn't any message on the door here at 171 Avenue A about a closure — temporary or permanent. Yelp lists the Asian-American gastropub as closed as does Resy. Chinese Graffiti's phone is not in service and its website is offline. Nothing on its social media properties either.
Chinese Graffiti just opened here between 10th Street and 11th Street on March 8. It drew praise from Gothamist, who noted Chinese Graffiti's more offbeat menu items such as the Pork Belly Cotton Candy.
No. 171 may be ready for doomed restaurant location status. Recent ventures here include Chao Chao, which closed without any notice to patrons in May 2017 after six months in business. Chao Chao evolved from Soothsayer, which opened in January 2016. Soothsayer, from the same operators, also closed without any notice to patrons at the end of September 2016.
And because someone always brings this up... No. 171 was once the home of Rat Cage Records and 171A, the illegal club-turned-rehearsal studio that produced records by Bad Brains and the "Polly Wog Stew" EP by the Beastie Boys.
Pizza Rollio has closed on 9th Street
[Photo by Steven]
Pizza Rollio has closed after 10 months in business, and the space is for rent here at 437 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. The shop had been dark in recent weeks, and the real-estate signage arrived last week to make it official.
The pizzeria specialized in super-thin, arugula-topped pies served in long strips. The owners operate similar establishments in the Philippines. They also have outposts on West 18th Street and in the Plaza Hotel Food Hall.
This storefront on Ninth Street was previously the longtime home of the salon Crops for Girls.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Pizza Rollio bringing its skinny slices to 9th Street
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