EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

When Clayton Patterson decided to paint a non-commissioned mural on Houston and the Bowery in 1980 (The Villager via BoweryBoogie)

A collection of hardcore '80s photos (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

A drink at Gargiulo's in Coney Island (Eater)

Op/Ed: Support CB3′s SPURA Planning Guidelines (The Lo-Down)

Baby Fat Larry!: Mobsters still have cool names (Gawker)

Drug dealers circulate business cards in the EV and LES ... and eventually get busted (The Post) Here's one of the cars, via the Post...

A look at Mechanic's Alley (The Gog Log)

In search of a Warhol street shot (Flaming Pablum)

PETA responds to the dog-killing-rat-story in Washington Square Park (NYC the Blog)

Oderus Urungus butt shot while passed out at Idle Hands — no need to thank me! (Neighborhoodr)

And off topic: Steampunk Palin (BoingBoing)

How's the food at Yaffa Cafe these days? (East Village Eats)

And here's a midnight shot of Yaffa courtesy of jdx ...

And let's hear it for the overnight snowfall! Woo! A shot looking west on 10th Street toward Avenue C early this morning via Bobby Wiliams...

Why do the French hate us?

On Tuesday, we saw the first rendering of the new boutique hotel being built on the Bowery by the Paris-based Louzon Group ...

Oh, sure... we had some fun with the design... but the joke's on us. Late yesterday afternoon, the Observer (via Curbed) unleashed the NEW rendering... This is not a joke.

Per the Observer:

As you can see in these new renderings provided by the building's architect, Gene Kaufman, it has light up balconies that will shimmer at night, bringing a bit of that dance-club flare back to the cleaned up thoroughfare.

And some Curbed commentary:

"It also has what appears to be a Jumbotron. The Bowery goes Times Square! So when can we expect the M&M's store?"

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reactions to new Bowery hotel: 'It would be cheaper and more useful just to blow up the building and leave a 30-foot crater'

Hotel architect says the Bowery 'is already the epicenter of cool'

[Deer photo by AWKWORD]

Speaking on the new hotel coming to 347 Bowery... I finally got my hands on the official news release. It doesn't disappoint.

New York, NY – January 18, 2011 – Eastern Consolidated announced today that Paris, France-based Louzon Group has acquired 347-349 Bowery, a development site now occupied by a three-story commercial building formerly used as an SRO by the Salvation Army.

The property is the first U.S. acquisition for the Louzon, an investment group which owns and operates several restaurants in Paris as well as one location hotel. The group has plans to construct a 72--room boutique hotel at the site with a restaurant operated by one of the most famous Parisian brands.

Eastern Consolidated’s Senior Directors and Principals Alan P. Miller and Robert Ortiz procured the Louzon Group, while Jonathan S. Plotkin of Colliers International acted on behalf of The Salvation Army, the seller.

According to Mr. Miller, the site perfectly suited Louzon’s criteria — an East Village location, the appropriate size, and vacant. Mr. Plotkin marketed the site through his firm Colliers requesting proposals from previous interested parties. Ultimately, Louzon prevailed in the bidding, closing the transaction for all cash.

“Until recently, the Bowery was one of the last places one would go to find great design, or great food, but now that it is already the epicenter of cool, this project will advance the qualitative side, bringing established, internationally renowned hoteliers and restaurateurs and a new signature building that speaks about seriousness as much as -- or even more than -- style,” said [Alan] Kaufman who is the design architect for the project.

I guess they don't know that the Post said the Bowery is "out" for 2011.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Your guide to the doomed corners of the Bowery

Bars to drink in Sunday evening where you won't have to watch the Jets

Not at all comprehensive... just a few bars without TVs... not that there's anything wrong with TV. Or the Jets. We love the Jets! Go Jeter!

• Bar on A (we understand that the TV has been retired)
• Burp Castle
• Coal Yard
• The International Bar
• KGB Bar
• Mars Bar
• Max Fish
• Scratcher
• Swift Hibernian Lounge

Also! If you're on the fence (kind of want to see some of the game, but not really), then consider the Grassroots... they have the lone TV leftover from 1991 at the south end of the bar... the Jets uniforms will likely look orange, though... the color on the GR set has been wonky the past five or so years...



Feel free to name other TV-free bars in the comments... (and Hookah bars don't count...)

And, of course, there are many fine (and unfine) bars where you can watch the Jets beat the Pirates.

Dough Ray Me...

Seeing these photos of Ray's by EV Grieve correspondent Bobby Williams reminds me that I need to swing by to try out one of the new menu offerings... Bob Arihood has documented a few of these items, such as the crepes... and the fried dough... I'll go for the $5 turkey sandwich first...

Tonda has been closed of late

Tonda, the pizzeria at 235 E. Fourth St. near Avenue B, has been closed the last few evenings... You can see them maybe closing on a winter Monday or Tuesday... but a Wednesday and Thursday night too?

I sent Tonda an e-mail, though no one responded. The phone number still works. An outgoing message provides their hours, dinner Sunday through Thursday 5:30 to 11 pm, till midnight on Friday, with brunch on Saturdays and Sundays... The pizzeria, housed in the former EU space, opened in the spring of 2009... As Eater noted last month, Tonda has been on the block ...Per Eater: They're asking for $250,000 key money and a $10,750 a month lease.

Live above Superdive!

That's right! Now's your chance... there's a new listing this week for 200 Avenue A... Here's the description via StreetEasy (the link to the realtor was broken...):

Duplex with Roof Deck!*2 Baths!*A Must See!
Huge duplex with 2 baths.
Roof deck that is private to this unit.
New hardwood floors.
20 Foot Lofty Ceilings.

The one-bedroom unit is going for $2,400... Think how close you'll be to the action once Superdive reopens! And with two bathrooms, you may be able to charge Superdivers to use your restroom when their lines get to0 long...

The former Paul's Boutique burns down on the Lower East Side

A little outside our usual coverage area... However, several readers sent word of a fire on the Lower East Side... Per a tweet by @winedanddined:

"Wow...the Three Monkeys at Ludlow and Rivington on Lower East Side just burned down."

[Photo via @winedanddined]

This corner was once Paul's Boutique, made famous by the Beastie Boys. (BoweryBoogie has more on that here.)

According to DNAinfo: "The fire department received a call about a fire in the first floor of the restaurant at 99 Rivington St. about 8:11 p.m. The fire was put out by 8:46 p.m., FDNY said."

There weren't any reported injuries.

[Via @hwmk]

Interestingly enough, BoweryBoogie noted just last week how some residents were unhappy with the noise coming from Three Monkeys at night...

[Via @john_swaggerdap]

Earlier today in Tompkins Square Park

A few Tompkins Square Park photos from late this afternoon courtesy of EV Grieve correspondent Bobby Williams... a few kids apparently started a fight, which promptly brought a large police presence....

Smoking Volvo prompts fire scare

A reader notes heavy FDNY presence on East Eighth Street near Avenue C a little bit ago... three trucks and an ambulance...

According to the reader, a smoking manhole under a Volvo (here come the jokes!) prompted a resident to call 911... However, there was nothing apparently amiss under the Volvo.

There is now a large hole in the middle of Seventh Street

Between First Avenue and Second Avenue is presently closed... and the DEP is on the scene.

Nothing yet on what's going on here...

NYPD looking for couple in connection to a Ninth Street mugging

From the Crime Blotter in The Villager this week:

Police are seeking public assistance in locating a man and a woman wanted in connection with a Sat., Jan. 8, mugging of a woman at 5:26 a.m. in front of 608 E. Ninth St. between Avenues A and B Avenues B and C. The man grabbed the victim, 26, from behind, demanded her bag, threw her to the pavement and fled with the bag, police said. The mugger was described as a black man between ages 35 and 45, wearing a dark knit cap with white trim, a gray hooded jacket and a long coat with fur trim. His accomplice, described as a black woman, between ages 35 and 40, in a red or orange coat with a hood, a dark hat and carrying a purse, was acting as lookout, police said. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or make a report online at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or text to CRIMES (274637) and enter TIPS577. All calls are confidential.

Verizon doesn't allow murals on its buildings — except for in Southern California

Earlier we posted an item about Verizon's ongoing battle with graffiti on their Second Avenue building... Perhaps a local artist like Chico could create a mural here? But! A Verizon spokesperson told DNAinfo, "We typically do not permit murals to be painted on our buildings" ... adding that the company will continue to paint over the graffiti as it goes up.

As EV Grieve reader T.E.V.B. pointed out in a Long Beach, Calif. newspaper... the article, titled Mural Brightens Verizon Wall, highlights the work of Long Beach-based muralist Roy Herweck.

Anyway, as for the Verizon wall on 13th Street, T.E.V.B. said, "A community mural there is a great idea."

[Image via]

Verizon brass content to keep battling graffiti artists on 13th Street

We've been documenting the battle for the brown wall here at the Verizon building on 13th Street at Second Avenue... (Previously.)

At DNAinfo, Patrick Hedlund checks in with the Verizon folks to see what the next steps are.

"We'll try to clean it off, and the next thing you know…" said Verizon employee Sam Ashraf, who manages the phone company's retail store in the building. "It just looks bad."

The NYPD's 9th Precinct has observed the building for years, even sending undercover officers to stake out the site and making numerous arrests, said Det. Jaime Hernandez, a 22-year-old veteran of the neighborhood.

To deal with the graffiti scourge, Hernandez suggested that Verizon bring in a muralist to paint the wall, noting that street art rarely gets run over by vandals because of the respect given to the work.

However, a Verizon spokesperson said that they don't allow murals to be painted on their buildings, and that they'd simply continue to paint over any new graffiti.

Sounds good coming from the company HQ. But what about the people on the ground here?

Ashraf told Hedlund that he's tired of seeing the eyesore each day on his way to work.

"It's miserable," he said. "But it's New York."