5th Street tenants speak out against construction as harassment and lead exposure

Tenants in two buildings on Fifth Street spoke out last week against construction as harassment and potential lead exposure on the block between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

The residents from 216 E. Fifth St. and 236 E. Fifth St. were joined by the Cooper Square Committee and Lead Dust Free NYC Coalition as well as a handful of local elected officials. 

In a statement from the Cooper Square Committee:

Residents of both (pre-1960) buildings have reported work performed outside of the parameters of Local Law 1 of 2004, with disregard for tenant safety. Tenant complaints include work performed by contractors without proper EPA certification, without air scrubbers running or zip covers installed on doors, nor were other measures taken to control the dispersion of construction dust from units where demolition took place.

Public records show that the Sabet Group purchased No. 236 in early 2019. 

A member of the 236 E. 5th St. Tenants Association said that the landlord "has been engaged in ongoing demolition and renovation of over 15 units, without complying with the lead dust regulations of the Tenant Protection Plan (TPP) ... thereby exposing tenants to dangerous levels of lead." 

Meanwhile, No. 216 changed hands in a sale recorded last August, public records show. Tenants identified the landlord as NYU student Caspar Moll-von der Wettern. 

Members of the tenants association "recounted clouds of dust and debris circulating throughout the buildings, neglected repairs, unlawful solicitation of buy-out offers and unresponsive management." (There are numerous recent complaints on file with the DOB here.)

"These two buildings on East Fifth Street, just a stone's throw from one another, tell a story which will resonate for many tenants around this city: a continuous battle for their safety and security in the face of hazardous building renovations," Yonatan Tadele, a housing organizer at the Cooper Square Committee, said in a statement. 

The Lead Dust Free NYC Coalition released video highlights from the rally on June 30...

 

Evil Katsu bringing the sandos and sets to 9th Street

You may have noticed the recent arrival of the Evil Katsu signage at 435 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

This will be the first brick-and-mortar space for the quick-serve restaurant that offers various katsu sets, sandos (aka Japanese sandwiches) and sides. 

Three East Village residents — Asher Sendyk, Chris Wagenlander and Hai Oliveira — are behind Evil Katsu, which got its start late last year as a pop-up ghost kitchen providing takeout and delivery on the Lower East Side.

The three hospitality veterans found themselves out of work during the pandemic last year and decided to start their own business on a month-to-month lease with the hopes that it would catch on. (It did.)

You can read our interview with Sendyk from December right here. You can follow them on Instagram for opening updates.

Thanks to Steven for the photo and to Vinny & O for also sending along some pics.

Chinatown mainstay Dim Sum Go Go opening an East Village outpost

Looks like Michelin- and Zagat-rated Dim Sum Go Go is opening an outpost at 221 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. 

According to the @TradedNY account, the popular Dim Sum Go Go signed a lease late last month for the 1,600-square-foot space. This will be their second NYC location outside the 21-year-old flagship space at 5 E. Broadway in Chinatown. 

The First Avenue address was previously Punto Rojo, the reasonably priced bakery-restaurant that served traditional Colombian food here until late 2019. 

H/T Upper West Sider... photo by Steven

Wednesday's parting shot

A Citi Bike scene on Avenue A today via Derek Berg...

Details about an East Village Gallery Crawl tomorrow evening

East Village resident Scott Orr has organized a Gallery Crawl for tomorrow (July 8) evening from 6-9 featuring two small spaces: The Phatory on Ninth Street and EV Gallery on 11th Street. 

"I'm doing it because I love art and I love the neighborhood and these two fantastic galleries are in dire need of help right now," Orr said. "We're hoping the East Village Gallery Crawl will become a tradition and that it will be expanded to include others."

Here are more details via the EVG inbox...

Just two blocks apart, The Phatory at 618 E. Ninth Street and EV Gallery at 621 E. 11th St., both between Avenues B and C, will be featuring the work of two exciting and innovative artists. 

And if the travel burden becomes too much, Lucky on B, at 168 Avenue B, is exactly halfway between the two venues and will be offering drink specials all night and hosting an after-party for art lovers.

The Phatory is re-opening its show of the work of Korean-born artist Eung Ho Park while EV Gallery is featuring photographer Lane Diko.  

Organizers say the event is only for vaccinated residents. Masks are required inside the galleries. 

A lobby note on 7th Street

An EVG reader shared this note from a lobby in a building along Seventh Street... where a resident is asking neighbors about a missing delivery — an air conditioner. 

The resident added on to the original note, stating that the A/C was left in the vestibule. 

In answer to the question, Anyone know what happened to it? ... someone else wrote: 

Well, let's see... 

• A big box with the words "air conditioner" all over it 

• Visible from the street on a hot day 

-- Maybe aliens beamed it up?

Retail space on the market at 20 St. Mark's Place

A new retail-restaurant for lease banner hangs on 20 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

We've been wondering what might be happening with this landmarked building. Hard to believe that the Grassroots Tavern has been gone this long already, closing after service on New Year’s Eve 2017... ending a 42-year run in the lower space. The upstairs retail tenant, Sounds, shut down in October 2015.

As noted many times before, No. 20, known as the Daniel LeRoy House, was built in 1832. It received landmark status in 1971 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Past lives of this subterranean space — via Daytonian in Manhattan — include a theater-saloon called Paul Falk's Tivoli Garden in the 1870s... in the 1930s, the Hungarian Cafe and Restaurant resided here before becoming a temperance saloon called the Growler.

After the Grassroots closed, Bob Precious tried to open a bar-pub here, but those plans never materialized after 18 months. 

Applicants for Ichibantei had been on the CB3-SLA agenda multiple times dating to November 2018 for a liquor license for a new restaurant in the former Sounds storefront. There was speculation that they were also taking the GR space.

And in recent years, we've seen some extensive gut renovations occurring inside the former Grassroots, where some pretty cool murals were uncovered from a previous business life. 

Meanwhile, the new retail listing for No. 20 isn't online just yet. 

Previously on EV Grieve:
• New owner lined up for the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place

• 20 St. Mark's Place, home of the Grassroots Tavern, has been sold

• Last call at the Grassroots Tavern

• Behold these murals uncovered behind the bar at the former Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place

Sale of 109 E. 9th St. made official

The five-story building at 109 E. Ninth St. that housed the now-closed Central Bar recently changed hands — as of June 28 — for $3.35 million, according to the @TradedNY account.

No. 109 between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue features 13 residential units and a retail space. 

The longtime owner was listed as a trust with a Los Angeles address. The name of the new owner has not hit public records just yet.

According to the New York Business Journal: "The property's current zoning allows for up to 15,000 buildable square feet and the possibility for future development or air rights sales."

The Central Bar, the bi-level sports bar-lounge, closed this past March. In a letter to patrons, the bar owners noted: "Our landlord has sold the building and the new owners will not be keeping us as tenants."

Some years back, the address was home to Pageant Book & Print Shop, and its storefront served as a location for Neil Simon's "Chapter Two" and Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters." 

You can now find Pageant Print Shop at 69 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Fun City Tattoo expands on St. Mark's Place

Fun City Tattoo has expanded into the adjacent storefront at 94 St. Mark's Place here between Avenue A and First Avenue. (Thanks to Steven for the pic.) 

The business, which dates to the 1970s, arrived on St. Mark's Place in 1989... with Big Steve and Maxx Starr taking over as owners in July 2013. 

The empty space next to Fun City was previously O! Nigiri The Rice Ball Factory, which closed early on during the pandemic last year.

Storm damage: reports of trees and limbs down; Ace Bar's curbside structure collapses

The high winds from this evening's thunderstorm KO'd a tree outside 323 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B... coming to rest on a car in the process, as these photos from a longtime reader show...

Hard to tell from the pics, but it appears the car may have been spared serious damage... and no injuries. 

Meanwhile on Avenue B at Seventh Street (thanks @theenemieslist1!) ...

From 11th Street and Second Avenue (not 12th as ID'd on the tweet)...

Someone's car got WRECK'D on 12th and 2nd pic.twitter.com/Nftt1r2Os5

— Paul Gale (@ImPaulGale) July 6, 2021

And on Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B, the curbside structure outside Ace Bar flipped over... (thank you @tjack411) ... also no injuries reported here...

The FDNY helped stack up the remains of the structure...

A news box for The Shadow

There's a new news box with free copies of The Shadow — billed as the city's only underground newspaper — on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place (SW corner) ... 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos from yesterday... the box contains the two most recent issues... 

"This is the first time we've put out a free box. We thought we'd give it a try and see how it goes," publisher Chris Flash told Stacie. "We hope that we can turn others on to publishing as well."

Look for another box coming soon to Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place. 

The Shadow got its start in March 1989.

The Ottendorfer Library branch reopens today

The Ottendorfer Library reopens today at 135 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

This is the first time that Ottendorfer has been open since March 2020... and as of today, this location — as well the rest of the NYPL branches, including Tompkins Square — is offering nearly full service: general library use and seating, unlimited browsing, computer access and more. In-person programming and classes will return in the coming months. (Tompkins Square had been open just for grab-and-go service. Hamilton Fish Park Library on East Houston remains closed for renovations.)

Ottendorfer will also be featuring a new series of paintings from East Village-based artist, educator (and parent) EiLeen Doster that celebrates summer in the city. 

Hours: Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Masks are required for patrons at all NYPL branches.