Tuesday's parting shot

Photo on Second Avenue today by Derek Berg...

Straight shooters: Marvel Studios brings 'Hawkeye' to 4th Street for Disney+ series

Crews for the Disney+ series "Hawkeye" — via Marvel Studios — were filming on Fourth Street today at Avenue A... where EVG contribuor Stacie Joy took these photos...

... including of leads Hailee Steinfeld and Jeremy Renner in full costume...

... Renner is reprising his Marvel Universe role as the superhero Hawkeye and his alter ego Clint Barton and Steinfeld plays his protégé Kate Bishop (also known as Hawkeye) ... (had to look all this up)... glad to see the Wine & Champagne's sign get some screen time! 

... there was also filming down the block at Avenue B, as we noted yesterday ... with some fake snow ... and the Half Gallery dressed like an old-school hardware store...

... and Lucky the Pizza Dog also made an appearance...

The filming continues tonight. 

This also appears to be one of the biggest TV-film shoots in recent memory, arguably up there with "Die Hard With a Vengeance" (in Tompkins Square Park) and "The Devil's Advocate" (at Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street).

More of the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church comes into view

Workers continue to haul out the remains of 48 E Seventh St. at Second Avenue... which is providing for a better view of the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church structure... these photos are from around 3:45 today... (hopefully we'll get some much better shots tonight when the corner is flooded with the spotlights) ...

Hope remains that the remaining structure is stable, and can remain in place ahead of a rebuild... there hasn't been any official word about this to date...

The 128-year-old church was all but destoryed during the early-morning, six-alarm fire on Saturday.

The church is currently fundraising on its website to help rebuild. 

Headless Santa now free to terrorize Rite-Aid shoppers on 1st Avenue

Here comes Headless Santa Claus! 

EVG reader Daniel shares these photos from the Rite-Aid on First Avenue at Fifth Street, where, according to employees, someone stole the head right off of this Santa last night. 

For now, the Santa remains in place, right near the depleted shelf of Entenmann's ... 

So hang your stockings and say your prayers 'cause Headless Santa Claus comes tonight...

Permits filed to demolish the former B Bar & Grill on the Bowery

 

Permits are now on file with the city to demolish the one-level structure that has housed the B Bar & Grill on the Bowery at Fourth Street since 1994.

As reported last fall, CB Developers paid $59.5 million for a stake in 358 Bowery, previously a gas station before its conversion into the onetime hotspot. B Bar owner Eric Goode, who owns a handful of hotels including the Bowery Hotel, has been assembling air rights to build a larger development on this corner space. 

B Bar was expected to close for good in August. However, the bar-restaurant never reopened after the PAUSE in March. As we reported back on April 3, nearly 70 B Bar employees were laid off without any extension of benefits or offer of severance pay.

No word on what new development will rise here. Likely not a hotel given that Goode has one right across the Bowery.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• CB Developers pay $59.5 million for an interest in 358 Bowery — current home of the B Bar & Grill and likely a new development

• B Bar & Grill lays off its staff without severance

As Westville Bakery exits, Superiority Burger set to expand on 9th Street

From the EVG tipline: Westville Bakery closed as of Sunday on Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. While there isn't any official notice of a closure, temporary or permanent, the shop was not open yesterday during usual business hours ... the space also looked as if someone emptied it out.

No one from Westville responded to an email or Instagram message about the closing.

Meanwhile, the tipster tells us that Superiority Burger will be taking over this space.

And the folks at Superiority confirmed the upcoming expansion, noting that they will also be keeping their current (and original and small) home across Ninth Street. 

Superiority also confirmed that the new space will not be used for indoor seating, and they are still shaping up their future plans for the Ninth Street spaces...

Westville Bakery, which offered a variety of sweets and cafe fare, debuted here in October 2018. It appeared to have a solid following — even after Sullivan Street Bakery moved in a few storefronts away in October.

Superiority opened in the East Village in June 2015... and has pretty much been a veggie juggernaut since it unleashed its first batch of quickly vintage Yuba-verde sandwiches and, say, hakurei turnip slaw.  

On 1st Street, Con Ed work shutters Cafe Himalaya and Prim Thai once again

Cafe Himalaya and Prim Thai have been dark here in recents weeks at 78 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

In late October, Con Ed's emergency repairs at the address forced the two small restaurants to shutter for a week... their reopening on Nov. 4 was apparently short-lived as they both had to shut down again, per several EVG readers.

There haven't been any updates on either the Cafe Himalaya and Prim Thai Instagram accounts... and no one from Cafe Himalaya, the 18-year-old family-owned Tibetan/Nepalese restaurant, responded to queries about their status. It has been a particularly tough year for them: In early October, someone broke in and stole their cash drawer.

Photo from Sunday evening

Previously on EV Grieve:

Checking in on Cafe Himalaya

Via Della Pace reacts to loss of longtime home on 7th Street

Workers yesterday demolished the remains of 48 E. Seventh St. at Second Avenue... the above photo by Steven shows the fire-ruined Via Della Pace in the morning. 

The rustic Italian cafe had been closed here since the fire back on Feb. 10. At the time, the owners were unsure if they would ever be able to reopen here.

Over the weekend, Via Della Pace responded on Instagram to the news of another fire in the building ... with a photo of a heart-shaped cloud ...

Giovanni Bartocci, the restaurant's co-owner and chef, has made headlines during the U.S. Open for his enthusiastic support of Italian tennis star Matteo Berrettini. 

Bartocci posted an emotional video clip on Instagram Saturday as he watched firefighters hose down 48 E. Seventh St., where the cafe first opened in 2001. (In one bit of positive news, it appears he was able to salvage the original Via Della Pace sign from the building.)

Meanwhile, it's very possible that we'll see a return of Via Della Pace one day. Bartocci was on the November CB3-SLA agenda for a new liquor license for 87 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery, according to public documents filed on the Community Board website. The item was ultimately a scratch from the agenda. 

87 E. Fourth St. has been vacant since Cucina di Pesce closed in September 2018.

The Checkers on 1st Avenue closes

The Checkers outpost on First Avenue between 13th Street and 14th Street has closed... as the photo by Pinch shows, workers have removed the Checkers sign ... and the space is empty...

This location reopened in September after a 6-month closure during the pandemic.

Checkers debuted here in December 2014.

Monday's parting shot

A message on the northeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street for the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church ... photo by Steven...

Workers have demolished the remains of fire-damaged 48 E. 7th St.

Here's a noontime look at the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street... the former 48 E. Seventh St., which once housed Cafe Mocha and Via Della Pace in the retail spaces, is now mostly rubble... Steven took these photos...

The Middle Collegiate Church's façade remains standing, and there is hope that it can be saved...

This is a view from Seventh Street...

Second Avenue remains closed at St. Mark's Police... the NYPD is directing southbound traffic over to Avenue A.

Updated 6:30 p.m. 

A few early evening photos...

Updated 7:30 p.m. 

And via 7th Street Neighbor...

Previously.

Marvel Studios will be filming the 'Hawkeye' Disney+ series in the East Village this week

You've likely seen the signs around Avenue A and some side streets for something called "Anchor Point," which is actually the working title of "Hawkeye" ... the new series for Disney+ based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. 

As I cut-n-paste from the Internet: "It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The series takes place after the events of the film 'Avengers: Endgame.'" 

Anyway, it promises to be a big shoot tomorrow... with production vehicles expected on an array of side streets... from Fourth Street to 10th Street and First Avenue to Avenue C... check out the streets on the posted move-your-vehicles notices...

Ahead of the shoot, the Half Gallery on Fourth Street and Avenue B has been transformed into an old-time heating-appliance store, as these photos by Stacie Joy show... (and this prompted some confusion among residents, a few who tried to enter the fake storefront...)

There was some filming in downtown Brooklyn last week. The cast reportedly includes Hailee Steinfeld, Alaqua Cox, Tony Dalton, Vera Farmiga, Florence Pugh and Jeremy Renner.

And this is not the first time a Marvel series has been filmed in the East Village. Flashback time.