EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

Why a 31-year veteran of the LES is moving to Iowa (The New York Times)

A class war in Little Italy? (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Subway scenes from yesteryear (Stupefaction)

East River relocates to Houston and Allen? (Runnin' Scared)

Queens neighborhood where Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald and other prominent African-Americans lived now a historic district (Curbed)

Inside the new Italian cafe on East Houston near Norfolk (BoweryBoogie)

F Train woes this a.m. (Gothamist)

The return of Freddy's in Brooklyn (NYPress)

Staten Island Chuck sees early spring, doesn't bite Bloomy (NYPost)

You likely won't be able to blame NYU for 35 Cooper Square's destruction

The chatter about the future of 35 Cooper Square all leads to one place: DORM.

Well! The NYU Local asked NYU spokesperson John Beckman about the space:

No, we’re not buying the Cooper Square property.

It’s interesting—before our [2031] planning effort, and the strategy for developing the superblocks, this is the kind of opportunity we might have pursued. And if we are ultimately unsuccessful with the plan for the superblocks we are bringing through the City approvals process, this is the kind of nearby property — even though controversial — that we’d be led to consider as an option.

The East Village of Nelson Sullivan

The following post was written by EV Grieve contributor Shawn Chittle:

Long before Twitter, Facebook, cell phones and cell phone cameras — in 1980s New York — there was Nelson Sullivan. He pointed a bulky 8mm video camera with a wide fisheye lens at himself and filmed everything. As the first video "lifecaster" he was years ahead of his time. Not a narcissist by my definition, but someone who wanted to document the culture that he clearly realized was something special. I have a bunch of his stuff. Sadly, he died in 1989 of a heart attack.

This clip below was just released yesterday — destined to become a classic as Avenue A, East 6th and Avenue B are captured in all their grimy glory. In this video, he tries to get a table at (a yellow painted) Sidewalk Cafe, but "all the freaks" have the tables. Instead he improvises and drops in on his friend who lives on East 6th Street and Avenue B. They all head back to find friends and an empty table at Sidewalk where the video fades out.

Waiting for a Table at an East Village Sidewalk cafe



Previously on YouTube. (Find more of Nelson's work on YouTube here.)

A Trip to Avenue A in NYC



You can read more about Nelson and his role documenting his surroundings during the 1980s here. He died of a heart attack on July 4, 1989.

On keeping 'street art safely pristine'

Nice piece in Artinfo about the ongoing drama with the Kenny Scharf mural on Houston and the Bowery. (Read the article here.)

The article, written by Emma Allen, focuses on the surveillance cameras and alleged 24/7 mural guard put in place by the wall's owner, Tony Goldman and his Goldman Properties ... to the article:

"There's no guard there now," countered Tony Goldman's prickly personal assistant, when asked if Goldman Properties had hired someone to protect the work. To which Goldman himself added in an email: "We had a guard there while the paint was drying," after Scharf touched it up. "There were many people in the street and we did not want the new paint damaged. The cameras remain."

And!

"While the guard may be gone, larger questions of whose job it is (if it is anyone's) to keep street art safely pristine persist. Beginning in 2008, the works created for the East Houston space — collaborations between Goldman and galleries around the city, from Deitch Projects to The Hole, to Kasmin — have been executed by artists whose 'street art' sells in galleries and at auction for thousands of dollars. And while it seems logical to try to protect such valuable, and often beautiful, artworks from the destructive impulses of ruffians, the Houston Street wall once in fact was the uncontested terrain of those who made art outside of, and often in opposition to, the art establishment."

And Billy Leroy has the best line, which ends the piece: " ... it's funny, five years ago no one gave a shit about the wall, and now it's become the epicenter of the art world."

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 24/7 security guards now on duty at the Bowery-Houston mural

35 Cooper Square: Ownership and plans

Roland Li at Real Estate Weekly has the latest details on the future of 35 Cooper Square. Highlights from his article:

• The current owner of 35 Cooper is the Arun Bhatia Development Organization, which has built dorms for the New School and seven condo towers, most recently 139 Wooster Street, and an unnamed partner

Rooftop at 139 Wooster

• They haven't decided whether to demolish the building
• They want an "as of right, mixed-use" building, but haven't decided on specifics
• The entire lot has a buildable up to 28,998 square feet
• More details will be provided in "three or four weeks"

Meanwhile, remember that you can help by signing the online petition, which you can find here.

[35 Cooper art via]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Something 28,998 square feet or so coming to Cooper Square (and goodbye Cooper 35 Asian Pub?)

Doom and doomer: More of Cooper Square primed for development

Cooper 35 Asian Pub part of development deal on Cooper Square

Cooper 35 Asian Pub putting up a fight before being torn down

Mercadito Cantina now has a goodbye sign up

Well, it's not exactly teary, but it is a sign. Perhaps it will make this neighbor happy.

[Thanks for @volt4ire for the photo!]

Previously on EV Grieve:
About Mercadito Cantina closing: 'Open letter to EV Grieve and CB3'

Reader: Lack of a goodbye note makes Mercadito Cantina 'a bad neighbor'

UGH: DOH shutters the beloved Donohue's Steak House

Saw this link via Jeremiah's yesterday... the DOH has shuttered EV Grieve favorite Donohue's Steak House on Lexington near 64th Street ... And it's not real pretty:

I'm hopeful that they can get all this cleaned up and reopen soon...

Previously on EV Grieve:
The timeless appeal of Donohue's Steak House

People who are a month late for MulchFest

We had the official MulchFest in Tompkins Square Park (and elsewhere!) back on Jan. 8 ... Perhaps there's another one coming up? (I didn't see it listed anywhere...)

Regardless, EV Grieve contributor Bobby Williams came across new piles of dead trees in the Park yesterday...

Seems to be better than tossing the trees on the banks of snow and trash lining some sidewalks...

Noted

UFA President Steve Cassidy responding to Mayor Bloomberg's aim to cut staff at 60 of the city's busiest engine companies from five to four firefighters per truck to save $30 million a year in overtime.

"He also said we should line up for hot chocolate in Central Park after the blizzard on Dec. 27 when he flew back from Bermuda. This is somebody who is a little out of touch with New Yorkers."

(NYPost)

MTA preps for tomorrow's ice storm by having its buses break down today

Earlier this afternoon on Avenue A between Sixth Street and Fifth Street. Photos via EV Grieve correspondent Bobby Williams.

A truism about drinky winks

At the Blarney Cove on 14th Street.

A victory for chocolate libraries everywhere!

From Fork in the Road:

Remember that debacle over the Chocolate Library, the East Village chocolate shop whose owner was forced to change its name to Chocolate 101 after the education department told him the law forbade the use of the word "library" in business names? In a victory for the owner, Byron Bennett, he's now allowed to call his place a library.

Via Diner's Journal.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Chocolate Library ready for checkout

EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

Saving the old Indian trail around Astor Place (Curbed)

The New York of Whit Stillman's "Metropolitan" (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Pulino’s among the NYC eateries where a reservation doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be seated anytime soon (NYPost)

A new, micro-budgeted film festival for the LES (The Lo-Down)

Another hookah bar for the LES (BoweryBoogie)

Looking at the CB2/SLA February docket (Eater)

Al Qaeda targeting Wall Streeg bigwigs? (Gothamist)

Benefit to pay hip hop legend Kool Herc's medical bills (DNAinfo)

And more from last night's birthday celebration for Ray... This shot is by Vivienne Gucwa. She has more shots on her Flickr page.

And is it safe to go outside yet?

["Day After Tomorrow" image via]

At Ray's, a Coke and a smile — big smiles

As mentioned, Ray has turned 78, and some friends had made some birthday-related festivities.

Which is why Gal Friday was on the scene last night with some cheesecake and candles and stuff ... Several readers were on hand, and passed along photos for our family-friendly site.

And from jdx ...

Look for more shots later at Nadie Se Conoce and Slum Goddess.