Ben Shaoul now has until the end of July to demolish his illegal penthouse on East 5th Street

[Photo of 515 E. Fifth St. from May 4]

Landlord-developer Ben Shaoul now has yet another deadline to remove the illegal penthouse at 515 E. Fifth St., according to the building's tenants association.

As we've been seemingly cutting and pasting for years, the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) ruled in 2008 that Shaoul needed to remove the 6th and 7th floors here between Avenue A and Avenue B. However, his attorneys had requested that the city grant a zoning variance to "permit the constructed enlargement, minus the penthouse, to remain" here.

On Tuesday, there was another hearing on the matter … and as a rep for the tenants association told us, the BSA is giving Shaoul until the end of July to provide proof that the penthouse has been demolished … then the BSA will reopen hearings on the variances that Shaoul and Co. are requesting.

Last September, the BSA gave Shaoul 60 days to complete demolition … but that never happened.

Anyway, there is some demolition-related progress. As we pointed out, workers assembled a sidewalk bridge outside 515 on May 4. In addition, the city approved a permit to remove the penthouse on May 6. (There is also an approved permit on file to remove the sixth floor.)

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 5 years later, another BSA hearing on illegal rooftop addition at 515 E. Fifth St.

Protest at 515 E. Fifth St. this morning, site of Ben Shaoul's illegal addition

The disappearing illegal penthouse of 514-516 E. 6th St.

Never-ending battle wages on over additional floors at 515 E. Fifth St.

Never-ending battle over additional floors at 515 E. Fifth St. promises to keep being never-ending

CB3 not into Ben Shaoul's zoning variance for 515 E. 5th St.

Another BSA hearing on Ben Shaoul's illegal rooftop addition; plus, rent 1 of the contested units!

BSA tells Ben Shaoul to remove the illegal penthouse on East 5th Street within 60 days

Sidewalk bridge arrives at 515 E. 5th St., site of Ben Shaoul's illegal penthouse conversion

The Black Rose is now open on Avenue A

[Photo via EVG reader JG]

The Black Rose, the new bar at 117 Avenue A between East Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, officially opened last night.

Several media outlets had previews yesterday, including Urban Daddy, which called Black Rose "an admirable mixture of a gritty Ave A bar of yore and a legit cocktail spot."

Bedford + Bowery had more details on the decor, noting that owners Joseph Daniele and Robert Payne redecorated the space with reclaimed objects, including recycled wood, metal and elements salvaged from film sets.

The photo gallery at Urban Daddy shows the bars rock roots, with framed photos of Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix, among other musicians/bands.

According to B + B, there will also be an occasional live act. "Musicians will stop by a couple times a month to play acoustic sets on nights with themes like disco, burlesque and LGBT."

The rock theme carries over to the cocktail menu, which includes drinks called "Light My Fire," Purple Haze" and "Personal Jesus."



Black Rose will eventually serve food, which DNAinfo reported on here.

The bar is open daily from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m.

The previous tenant here, The Odessa Cafe & Bar, closed Aug. 31, 2013. Several suitors made a run for the space, but nothing ever materialized until The Black Rose came along.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Building that houses Odessa Cafe and Bar for sale on Avenue A

Former GM from Tribeca's Tiny's & the Bar Upstairs part of team to buy the Odessa Cafe

Reader report: Odessa Cafe and Bar will remain open through Sept. 6

Former Odessa Cafe and Bar will serve comfort food specializing in Nashville Hot Chicken

Now what for the Odessa Cafe and Bar?

The Black Rose, 'a neighborhood rock and roll bar,' opening in the former Odessa Cafe and Bar space (71 comments)

Brewer-Mendez tenant notification bill passes Council

[Oh, by the way, we're working on your bathroom ceiling today]

From the EVG inbox…

Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer and Council Member Rosie Mendez today celebrated the Council’s passage of Int. 222, legislation requiring landlords provide tenants with advance notice for non-emergency repair work that will result in disruptions to building services.

The bill establishes a general baseline of 72 hours’ advance notice for most work. For work affecting elevators, the bill requires 10 business days’ notice for major alteration work and 24 hours’ notice for any other work that will suspend all elevator service for more than two hours.

This legislation, sponsored jointly by Mendez and Brewer, closes a gaping hole in the city’s tenant-protection laws, which currently provide no such advance-notice requirements.

“Tenants deserve fair warning and an opportunity to plan around disruptive maintenance work,” said Brewer. “It’s also no secret that no-notice quality-of-life disruptions labeled as ‘maintenance work’ are a frequent harassment tactic to push tenants out of rent-stabilized apartments. Our notice requirement will be easy for honest, everyday landlords and building managers to respect, but it will take another harassment tool away from abusive landlords.”

“This legislation codifies common sense and common courtesy,” said Councilwoman Rosie Mendez. “No longer will tenants come home from a hard days work to find out that work in their building is interrupting some basic service and/or possibly obstructing access to their apartment. This law requires that landlords notify tenants when such work will affect services and for how long.”

Many landlords and management companies already provide advance notice of planned repairs to tenants – but many do not. The reasonable notice requirements established by Int. 222 would help tenants plan ahead to minimize the impacts of these service disruptions on their lives, and also help tenants distinguish between disruptions for planned work on the one hand, and emergent service failures or landlord harassment tactics on the other.

Juice Press on East 10th Street (the one near Avenue A) closes for good

[EVG photo from March 1]

Back in early March, the Juice Press on East 10th Street near Avenue A closed for renovations … an employee at the Juice Press on East 10th Street near Second Avenue told us that this location would definitely be reopening in a few months.

Apparently those plans changed. An EVG reader shared this photo from yesterday, when a store for rent sign arrived in the front window…



A recent article at well + Good noted that Juice Press "is expanding faster than your body can absorb green juice nutrients." This is the first time that we actually heard about a JP closing.

Steve Croman's 9300 Realty is the landlord.

This Juice Press location opened in June 2011.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Juice Press on East 10th Street (the one near Avenue A) closes for renovations

Fat Sal's has closed on Avenue A; new owners to open another pizzeria

That's it for Fat Sal's, the pizzeria at 201 Avenue A between East 12th Street and 13th Street. Paper is up in the windows.

The owner sold the shop, and the new proprietor will keep the space as a pizzeria.

Meanwhile, neighbors upstairs are curious what, if anything, might happen with the ventilation duct that workers installed before Sal's opened…



As we understand it, the previous owner tried to little avail to reduce the fan noise that residents say would rattle their windows.

Fat Sal's opened in May 2011, taking over the space from APizzA.

Reader-submitted photos

Earthquake-compliant townhouse for sale on East 7th Street

[Image via Cushman & Wakefield]

There's a new listing for 203 E. Seventh St. We'll head to Cushman & Wakefield for the listing:

The subject is a 5-story townhouse located on the north side of East 7th Street between Avenues B & C. Completed in 2001, 203 East 7th Street is approximately 6,920 SF and consists of 4 spacious apartments with high-end finishes.

Of the 4 apartments, 1 is duplexed on the ground floor, 2 are floor-through units on the 2nd and 3rd floors and the 4th and 5th floor penthouse is a duplex with private rooftop access. In addition to the penthouse, the 1st floor duplex and 2nd floor apartment benefit from private outdoor space at the rear of the property. 203 East 7th Street is the perfect townhouse for an individual or family looking to live in one of Manhattan's most exciting neighborhoods.

Due to the rise in residential condominium prices citywide, renovated townhouses have become incredibly challenging to find. Each unit is separately metered for heat (gas), cooking gas and electric. Therefore the building would also be ideal for an investor looking for a turnkey opportunity. The building is located just a half-block east from bustling Tompkins Square Park.

The building is steel and concrete in addition to being earthquake compliant and fire resistant.

Asking price: $7 million

Former St. Mark's Bookshop space still for rent on 3rd Avenue

[Photo from April 23]

Back in April, we noticed that someone had removed the for lease signs from the former St. Mark's Bookshop space at 31 Third Ave. … perhaps ahead of a new retail announcement?

Well, no.

There are just new signs up for the broker…

Now!



Last September!



Here's the description of the space via the listing at Jones Lang LaSalle:

• Neighbors include: Cooper Union, Organic Avenue, The Smith,The Standard Hotel, St. John’s University, New York University,TD Bank, Muji
• Surrounded by retailers, restaurants and corporate offices
• Manhattan’s hottest tech and educational hub
• Firms in the area include: J.Crew, Facebook, AOL, IBM Watson
• Over 65,000 undergraduate and graduate students in the surrounding area
• Consistent foot traffic with St. Mark’s Place, Astor Place and Cooper Square steps away

The rent is available by request. (St. Mark's Bookshop had been paying $23,500 a month here, according to the Times.)

St. Mark's Bookshop moved last summer to a new storefront on East Third Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former St. Mark's Bookshop for lease

MoRUS hosting photo exhibit, fundraiser for Peace Museum NY

Via the EVG inbox...

Photos by New York-based photographers that speak to the theme “Cycle of Peace” will be showcased and for sale at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) tonight through Sunday to raise funds for PEACE MUSEUM NY.

Curated by Catherine Talese, the exhibition opens tonight and run from 7 to 11 p.m. at MoRUS, 155 Avenue C between 9th and 10th Streets, with live entertainment by activist/musical duo Bethany Yarrow and Rufus Cappadocia at 9 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Cycle of Peace exhibit will be celebrated through the weekend at MoRUS with such live entertainment as Janet Restino, performing poetry on Sunday at 7 p.m. and Lorena Ambrosio performing on Friday at 9 p.m. While the exhibit remains on view at MoRUS on Saturday, Community Peace Events will be held at La Plaza Cultural Community Garden on 9th Street and Avenue C from noon to 6 p.m.

Co-sponsored by Times-Up!, a Peace Bike Ride will begin at the Gandhi Statue in Union Square on Sunday at 2 p.m.
visiting the East Village and its community gardens and ending at MoRUS.

Find more details at the Facebook event page.

Report: Equinox signs deal for Ben Shaoul's new retail-residential complex on East Houston

The fitness club has leased the entire second and third floors of Ben Shaoul's incoming development on East Houston and Orchard, the Post reports.

There's still 30,000 square feet of retail for the renting, per the Post.

Ben Shaoul and Real Estate Equities, a Midtown-based firm, paid $75 million for the one-level group of properties next to Katz's on East Houston and Orchard Street. Demolition is apparently underway.

Shaoul's 10-story building will include 83 residential units.

Your weekly Black Seed bagels post

The sidewalk bridge went up yesterday outside 174-176 First Ave., where workers are rehabbing the space for the new tenant — Black Seed bagels...

And here's a look inside yesterday at the interior renovations of the former DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe space...



Thanks to EVG reader William Klayer for the shots!

Previously

Rocky picture show

Animal-control officers from the NYPD responded to a report of a sick or wounded raccoon yesterday in Tompkins Square Park...





EVG contributor Derek Berg, who took these photos, said that the officers were gentle with the raccoon, which one of them named Rocky. After getting checked out, the officers said that Rocky would be released...

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: Rineke
Occupation: Retired, 'Many Things'
Location: East Houston
Time: 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 11

I’m from Amsterdam. I moved to the city in 1991. Love brought me. I married my husband on New Year's Eve that year and we’re still married. Originally he’s from Philadelphia and he lived here.

He lived on 11th Street, next to an empty building that used to be The Ritz. Then Webster Hall opened. Things changed. The main ballroom, the techno was next to our kitchen. When they were really having a party the things that hold your pots on my stove would [vibrate]. When you sat on the toilet you could feel the vibrations in the water pipes.

If you can’t fight them, join them. So I went to work there as a receptionist. There were so many interesting people, weird people, wonderful people, but it was clear we needed to move because I couldn’t live like that. We had friends who wanted to buy something instead of paying rent, so I looked for a year and a half until we found something that we could afford and that was this house.

We bought it in 1994. It was an interesting period of time. My husband and the other person had [9-5] jobs, so they went to work. My husband was sometimes terrorized when he went to work because he had to wear a suit. But for women people were polite and respectful.

I came home once and I [noticed] a cleaver leaning against the front door. I thought, ‘that’s weird. I know if you have a fish head that’s not so good news if you find that.’ So I called the police and asked, ‘What does it mean if you find a cleaver leaning against your home?’ They asked me, ‘Do you want to be connected to lost and found?’ ‘No, I just want to find out if it means anything.’ ‘Oh, well hold on to it for a week because it might be evidence. If we don’t come back to you, just throw it away.’ The first year was full of these weird things.

I worked at the Amato Opera, but it’s closed now. It was funny because I was teaching arts and my husband retired. I wanted to do something and I discovered only then that there was this opera theater and they needed help in the costume department. I always made the costumes for school plays and we did Shakespeare. They said that I could come and help.

So the first season I did things and little projects and after the first season, the owner Anthony Amato asked, ‘Can you take over the costume department?’ I was scared to hell. When I started I didn’t like opera that much, but he changed that. When you’re exposed to something so intensely, you either run away or you develop a love for it. I worked until they closed in 2009.

Anthony was 89, I think, when he actually closed. He hoped his family could take over but it went different from what he imagined. There was nobody who really… it was impossible. He did everything, the auditions, the rehearsals, kept an eye on the finances, the scheduling, plus he would do the lights. He would install a new show every five weeks. He would direct; he was really amazing. Nobody can do that.

He wanted to help educate young singers. He was like a platform for young singers to experience and do a full opera. The big opera houses — you only get a chance when you are already there, but how do you get the experience? And sometimes people made it big and would happily come back to him and do a role, do a whole opera just for fun. That was a wonderful period.

Anthony was a short man, slightly taller than I am, but he was grand in everything he was doing. I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to work with somebody like that. It was such an inspiration. He was very old. Who still works from early morning to late at night with all the things he was doing? He had a passion.

The funny thing is that everybody wants a long life but nobody wants to grow old. He was an old man but he kept doing what he wanted to do. He just went for it. That was inspiring to see that you don’t have to become a boring person. His energy… I’m jealous.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

Another setback for B&H's return on 2nd Avenue

[Photo last week by Derek Berg]

B&H Dairy owners Fawzy and Ola Abdelwahed hoped to have their small lunch counter at 127 Second Ave. back open by now … and they were apparently a few inspections away from reopening.

However, this past Saturday during an inspection, the FDNY said that the B&H needs a new fire suppression system … which will push the opening back at least three weeks.

Fawzy and Ola have now taken to Kiva Zip, a crowdlending site for small-business loans to raise $10,000. The loan will go to repairs and renovations, employee salary and groceries when it is time for reopening.

On Kiva Zip, Ola writes that their 12-year-old son "is already looking forward to helping us, which makes me so happy! Maybe in the future he can continue the work like his parents, and continue to be the proud owner of B&H like his parents."

B&H, between St. Mark's Place and East Seventh Street, has been closed since the deadly gas explosion on March 26.

Previously on EV Grieve:
How to help 73-year-old East Village mainstay B&H Dairy get up and running again

Your chance to (legally) ride a Citi Bike for free tomorrow

[Citi Bike photo by Derek Berg]

Here are the details via the EVG inbox...

On Thursday May 14, Switzerland Tourism invites New Yorkers to experience the fun and freedom of bicycling in honor of Bike-to-Work Week. From 12:01 am to 11:59 pm, Citi Bike day-passes will be available for free at any Citi Bike station kiosk. This is the first time a partner has provided a free day of Citi Bike passes.

What makes Switzerland the perfect partner for Citi Bike? Easy: Switzerland offers 5,600 miles of cycling routes and 2,800 miles of biking trails as part of a program called SwitzerlandMobility. Switzerland is the place to go for anyone who wants to swap NYC's high-rise buildings for stunning mountain scenery and city bike lanes for well-marked cycling and mountain bike routes which crisscross a land full of surprises.

To ride New York City free on May 14 from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM, riders just need to swipe a credit card and select the 24-Hour Access Pass option. No promo code is needed. A $101 security hold may be placed on the card. Standard overtime fees apply to trips that last longer than 30 minutes.