Why the area behind the fieldhouse in Tompkins Square Park has been locked

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

As previously reported, the area of Tompkins Square Park behind the fieldhouse/office has been locked to the public since Nov. 8. Since then, park-goers have not had access to the space that includes the Slocum Memorial Fountain as well as picnic tables, sprinklers (during the summer) and other less-traveled spaces. 

There isn't any signage to explain why this part of Tompkins is no longer accessible to the public.

One Park worker previously said this happened after Sue Donoghue, commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, paid a visit and saw used needles in this area. (The Parks Department did not respond to previous requests for comment.)

This past week, Parks employees told EVG contributor Stacie Joy that there is a broken pipe in the basement of the fieldhouse, which required them to shut down this part of the Park. The restrooms are currently closed back here.

The employees provided Stacie with access to the currently locked space...

The workers said the closure had nothing to do with the uptick in drug use (and a reported OD), though they admitted the area had been used for drug activity.

Parks officials hope to have the pipe and building repaired and then will reopen the area. No set date, just "hopefully soon." 

The Parks employees also said that people have been cutting through the netting and getting over the fence to access this space, which has interrupted/delayed the repair time.

The Parks Department is expected to rebuild the fieldhouse. According to the Parks Department website, the city has been awarded the contract to a contractor ... and is awaiting registration via the Comptroller's Office. 

Once construction starts, work is expected to take 12-18 months, per the Parks Department.

About the ongoing removal of the former Kindred curbside dining structure

Top photo by Jefferson Siegel/2nd photo by Steven 

This past Wednesday, workers continued removing the curbside dining structure from outside the former Kindred space on Sixth Street at First Avenue. 

Workers took down one section starting in early November...and several weeks passed before the demolition resumed.

As previously noted, the Department of Transportation placed a termination notice here on Oct. 15... giving 24 hours' notice that the city would remove the structure, which never happened. 

This is how the outdoors looked yesterday ...

We asked Kindred partner Moshe Schulman about what is happening here. 

"The city did flag us and wanted to take down all of [the curbside dining], but we were in process of securing a new tenant, so I worked with DOT to hold off on taking anything down until we had a clearer idea of what the plan was," Schulman said via email. "The new tenant only wanted one patio so we took down the second portion and left one up for them to handle." 

He was unaware that the (unnamed) incoming tenant had most of the remaining structure discarded. 

Schulman, who also operates Ruffian on Seventh Street, said that it was in great condition "but they must have a plan." 

Kindred's outdoor structure was one of the better spaces around... and during the day, starting in September 2020, they rented tables to remote workers for $25 per person, which included coffee, WiFi and bathroom access. 

 "[We] spent a lot of time detailing it and building it to be a great space," he said of the efforts to offer a remote work option to residents as well as create a revenue source for Kindred during the pandemic. 

Kindred closed on Aug. 14 after two-plus years in service.

Meanwhile, in an op-ed for Streetsblog last week, local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera called for a more creative and bold outdoor dining program, and for another Council hearing on the matter. 

An excerpt:

In order to get our bearings in our post-pandemic "new normal," a thoughtful reset of this program is necessary, with the allocation of the appropriate resources to protect safety and enforce rules. The City Council should hold a fair hearing to give the public the opportunity to weigh in on the future of the program, in a way that maximizes its potential for businesses and protects the quality of life of residents. 

The makeshift dining enclosures we see that are worn down and immovable are not reflective of the path forward. The lack of enforcement of the temporary program has led to excessive garbage and pests, narrowed sidewalks, and noise late into the night. These impacts on neighborhoods are undeniable, and can be addressed with meaningful reforms, strict enforcement, and straightforward guidelines that support small businesses without disrupting our communities.

Streetsblog noted that a second public hearing likely isn't happening. 

[Updated] Employee from Ray's Pizza in critical condition after an early morning hit and run

A 53 y/o employee from Ray’s Pizza in the East Village is in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle at the corner of Third and St Marks Place. His coworkers say he went outside after his shift and was hit. Police are now investigating this as a hit and run @PIX11News

— Kiran Dhillon (@KiranDhillonTV) November 27, 2022

Updated 11/29

The employee, Lucas Jimenez-Aburto, has died from his injuries sustained in the hit and run, amNY reported.

Cops say Jimenez-Aburto was crossing 3rd Avenue against the signal when he was struck by a motorist traveling northbound with a green light, but well above the speed limit. The driver fled the scene, and police have not positively identified the perpetrator or their vehicle.

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We don't know anything more than what was already been reported.

According to the Daily News: 

A hit-and-run driver struck and critically injured a man leaving work in the East Village early Sunday. Police found the 53-year-old victim unconscious about 5:45 a.m. on St. Mark's Place near Third Ave. with head injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle, police said.

PIX 11 reported the man worked at Ray's Pizza & Bagel Cafe on the SE corner of the block. Police do not yet have a description of the vehicle involved, per ABC 7.

The entry onto St. Mark's Place has been compressed with the new building construction on the NE corner.

Week in Grieview

Posts from this past holiday week included (with a photo last night from Seventh Street by Derek Berg) ... 

• Middle Collegiate Church seeks permission to demolish the remaining façade of its fire-damaged structure on 2nd Avenue (Tuesday)

• The last days of Raul’s Barber Shop (Saturday) 

• 96 Tears debuts on Avenue A as a tribute to Howie Pyro (Monday)

• The 2022 Cookie Walk has been canceled (Monday) 

• Check out the crime noir 'The Crusaders,' filmed in the East Village (Saturday) 

• Distributing free turkeys to local residents ahead of Thanksgiving (Thursday) 

• A quick visit to Butterdose, now open on 13th Street (Tuesday) 

• Report: City's first NFT restaurant slated for the former Sunshine Cinema location on Houston (Monday) 

• An Instagram account to follow (Wednesday) 

• Some of the very best of Donald Sutherland at Metrograph (Wednesday) 

• A Snack Stop for St. Mark's Place (Monday) 

• Shake Shack signage appears outside new Lower East Side outpost (Tuesday) 

• Where you'll be able to find the Goodies on the Bowery (Monday) 

... and the solar-powered lights via the Parks Department that arrived early last month on Seventh Street and Avenue A were recently moved inside Tompkins Square Park to the chess tables (night chess?) ... and we finally saw them in use Friday evening ... (thanks Stacie Joy for the pic!)... the regulars here decamped to nearby benches...

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Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

Check out the crime noir 'The Crusaders,' filmed in the East Village

"The Crusaders," a 24-minute crime drama filmed entirely in the East Village, is now available to view on YouTube. 

This is the first film for Maxx Starr, co-owner of Fun City Tattoo on St. Mark's Place, who wrote and directed the short whose locations include International Bar on First Avenue and Nublu Classic on Avenue C. 

You'll recognize some familiar East Village faces as well, including lead Tessa Gourin and veteran character actor Peter Greene. You can watch it here. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• At the NYC premiere of 'The Crusaders'

Noted

Photos by Stacie Joy 

A comfy chair without "bugs or badness" up for grabs on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...

The last days of Raul’s Barber Shop

Photos by Stacie Joy 

After 60-plus years on Avenue B, Raul's Barber Shop has closed its doors. 

First, a quick bit of positive news: Raul's already secured a new location nearby and will be up and running very soon. As for 11 Avenue B between Houston and Second Street ... Steve Croman took over as landlord in 2020, and that's all you need to know. 

Raul Velez Sr. has been at the head of his eponymous barber shop for 61 years...he and his son Junior still run the business. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by for a last look at the space, which includes murals created by Antonio "Chico" Garcia...

We will have more about Raul's new outpost in the days ahead... when it's going as Jay Joe's Classic Cuts at 256 E. Third St. between Avenue B and Avenue C...

Oh yeah

 

A Thanksgiving palate cleanser with the Osees... from a recent six-song performance on Seattle's KEXP. 

The Los Angeles-based band will be out at Brooklyn Made on Dec. 16-17.

Enjoy the Tree Ride!

The Tree Riders are now offically open for their 12th season on Second Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street outside St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery. (Thanks to William Klayer for the photo!) 

Revisit our feature on them here.

EVG Etc.: NYCHA residents demand repair reforms; The Drunken Canal announces last issue

Some recent headlines (with a photo yesterday on Avenue A at 14th Street via EVG reader Doug)... 

 • NYCHA residents from the East Village and Lower East Side call on the mayor and NYCHA officials to improve its repair process and how it maintains the city's aging government housing (ABC 7 ... amNY) 

• The state's cannabis regulatory board approved 36 of potentially 175 pot-selling licenses Monday — with at least 13 of them to be based in NYC (The City) 

• To honor World AIDS Day, the Anthology Film Archives in Second Avenue and Second Street will present two programs as part of Day With(out) Art (Details here) 

• NYC theater on a budget with some EV options (Gothamist)

• Danny Fields is giving Iggy Pop history lessons (Page Six)

• Actress Spencer Grammer recalls trying to break up a fight in August 2020 outside Black Ant on Second Avenue (People... previously on EVG) 

• Recently opened Broome Street gallery champions women artists of color (Artsy) 

• Anna Sorokin self-promotion tour continues from her East Village apartment (Variety) 

• NYC's best wine bars are on the LES says this article (Condé Nast Traveler) ... The Times has its own list, with some EV picks, right here.

• LES history as seen through Seward Park (The Bowery Boys) 

• Christo, Amelia and raptor season (Laura Goggin Photography) 

... and the editors of The Drunken Canal, conceived in the East Village, announced its final issue...

THE FINAL ISSUE IS HERE, and its none other than Lucky Number 13. In a gesture to thank you for all the love, support, submissions, hate, kisses, hugs, free drinks, we are giving our farewell issue to YOU. Starting tomorrow @ NOON, you have 48 hours to send us whatever you want❤️ pic.twitter.com/cShQtvyiSu

— the drunken canal (@thedrunkencanal) November 21, 2022

Thursday's parting shot

Thank you to EVG reader Andrew Weiss for sharing this sunrise shot from this morning...

Distributing free turkeys to local residents ahead of Thanksgiving

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

On Tuesday, community members came together to distribute 120 turkeys to area residents who might need a little help this holiday season during these financially challenging times. 

The giveaway occurred at the CLLCTV.NYC art space on Third Street just east of Avenue B. As in previous years, the sponsors included Joey Aponte and Dennis Aponte, owners of the Cabin NYC on Fourth Street, the NYPD Hispanic Society, Johnny Marines and local entrepreneur Freaky Frige.

It was a way for these residents to give back to their LES community...

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by to take in some of the Thanksgiving cheer...