246 E. 4th St. looking pretty in pink

[Photo from Nov. 15]


[Photo from Saturday]

The work on the southeast corner of Avenue B and Fourth Street appears to be wrapping up... as you may have noticed, a crew has been painting the building pink... here's a look this afternoon...





Been causing a few John Mellencamp flashbacks.

Anyway, 246 E. Fourth St. (aka 53 Avenue B) now joins the rarefied air of other pink buildings in the city.

[Updated] City council members talk up new L train entrance coming to Avenue A

As we posted earlier this month, an observant EVG reader looking at the 237-page PDF of the MTA's 2015–2019 Capital Plan noticed there was money budgeted (and approved!) for a second set of entrances for the L stop at First Avenue.

Now our local City Council members have issued a joint statement about the new L train entrance coming to Avenue A:

The MTA 2015-2019 Capital Plan, which was approved by the MTA Board on October 28, includes $71.9 million for a new entrance to the overcrowded First Avenue stop on the L train. The funding is part of the MTA’s $300 million Core Capacity program, and will improve both safety and accessibility for straphangers who use this station every day.

Council Members Dan Garodnick and Rosie Mendez, who represent the area, had pushed for the MTA to allocate sufficient funds for this improvement.

The current entrance creates significant bottlenecks, which lead to safety issues and can make entering and exiting the station extremely difficult. The station has also been identified by the MTA as one of 100 “Key Stations,” which experience heavy traffic or have critical connections between train lines and neighborhoods. Because of this designation, the planned new entrance will also comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and be accessible to individuals with disabilities.

“This station has gotten crowded beyond its capacity, and straphangers need relief,” said Council Member Garodnick. “A new entrance is going to make a huge difference, and will make the station infinitely more safe.”

"I applaud the MTA and I am grateful that it will be moving forward with our request for an alternate entrance/exit at Avenue A for the First Avenue L train stop. This train stop is so overcrowded that it is unsafe. Everyday individuals arriving and departing from the 1st Avenue confront a huge crowd of people rushing from or to the bus. This new entrance is needed now more than ever since there are several nearby residential development projects that will increase the neighborhood population." – Councilwoman Rosie Mendez, District 2

Not sure where exactly this new entrance will be…



In September 2014, an EVG reader spotted a crew doing a little soil sampling at this spot on the north side of 14th Street along Stuy Town … perhaps this might be the location for the entrance/exit…


[Photo from September 2014]

Updated 6:28 p.m.

Sen. Brad Hoylman's office also released a statement earlier today. It reads in part:

With the approval of its 2015-2019 Capital Program, the MTA is finally set to begin construction on a new entrance for the L Train First Avenue stop. Construction of the new entrance at 14th Street and Avenue A is an effort by the MTA to alleviate congestion and overcrowding that has long affected riders at the First Avenue stop. Senator Hoylman's statement on construction of the new entryway is below:

“I am pleased that the MTA has included a new L Train entrance at the 14th and Avenue A stop in its 2015-2019 capital budget, setting aside $40 million for improvements on the L line and an additional $59.1 million to make the First Avenue station ADA compliant.

“The western end of the platform has become a serious safety concern as straphangers mass near the station’s only entrance, creating dangerous overcrowding at the platform’s edge and potential obstruction of egress during emergencies.

“In light of Extell Development’s planned construction on the block of 14th Street between Avenues A and B, I wrote to Extell in February 2014 urging them to contribute to the construction of a desperately needed second entrance at the First Avenue stop. The MTA’s full backing of a new point of entry and exit for this station is particularly welcome news, and I encourage the MTA and Extell to work collaboratively to ensure that the construction is completed in a timely manner."

Previously on EV Grieve:
A Davey Drill and a dream

Is an Avenue A entrance for the L train in our future?

Avenue A L train entrance closer to a reality … some day

115 Avenue C is for sale

[Image via Douglas Ellian Commercial]

The building between East Seventh Street and East Eighth Street arrived on the market last week.

Per the listing (PDF!):

Douglas Elliman Commercial, as exclusive agent for ownership, is pleased to offer this mixed use building for sale located ... The property’s frontage is on the avenue and benefits from abundant foot traffic between 7th and 8th Street.

The building features steel beam structural support, concrete floors, upgraded electric, new roof, 20 feet of frontage, and 1,300 SF of air rights for additional development. Unique East Village opportunity for owner- occupied building with prime restaurant potential.

This 3-story building is configured with a restaurant on the 1st and 2nd floors, an office on the 3rd floor, and a functional basement. The property is in a great location for restaurants, retail, and is in close proximity to Tompkins Square Park.

OFFERING HIGHLIGHTS:
• Owner-user residential and restaurant
• High quality, turnkey restaurant buildout
• Mixed-use opportunity with development rights
• Potential for north facing, lot-line windows

The price: $4.95 million. So you get some possible air rights in this deal. And "abundant foot traffic."

The operators of the two most recent restaurants to try this address might disagree with the foot traffic comment. Le Jardin Bistro, the low-key French bistro, closed here in the late spring. And Apartment 13 before this.

Anyway, now that No. 115 is being shown to potential suitors, guess this is why workers recently cleaned up the unused, weed-strewn lot adjacent to the building… Part of Eastville Gardens (RIP El Jardin de la Esperanza) now…

How about some 99¢ pizza for Avenue A

Workers have raised the "99¢ Pizza Coming Soon" sign in between two vacant storefronts on Avenue A near East Sixth Street.



We've seen workers gutting the inside of the former Benny's to-go space in the past few days.

On either side, the former D-Lish Pita ($6k) and Benny's ($22k) storefronts remain for rent.

328 E. 14th St. is for rent

The storefront between First Avenue and Second Avenue has been a carousel of food places of late. Back in March, Vegtown became the third venture following Chubby Mary's and Led Zeppole to close here in the last three years.

Now the for rent signs have arrived.

The flyer for the space mostly notes the chain stores located nearby…



Also nearby: Madman Espresso, Nowhere Bar, O'Hanlon's (painted red again!), Steve's Express Shoe Repair and Hotel Tortuga, among others.

One listing puts the monthly rent here at $8,500.

Previously on EV Grieve:
4 months after moving across East 14th Street, Vegtown closes

6th Street switcharoos: Another name change for La Esquina Burritos and Bar; Spice Cove exits

As we pointed out back in March, Figaro Cafe Bistro Bar & Grill changed its names/concepts to La Esquina Bar & Grill here on First Avenue at East Sixth Street... Perhaps to alleviate any confusion between this La Esquina and the Kenmare Street establishments (La Esquina Taqueria and Cafe/La Esquina Brasserie & Tequila Bar), the name evolved to La Esquina Burritos and Bar.

And some time in the past two weeks, the place changed names again, to East Village Burritos and Bar.

Unfortunately, the name change hasn't inspired any additional dinership... when we walked by on Friday evening, the restaurant was empty...



After Banjara left the corner, Figaro Villaggio, an Italian bar-restaurant, opened in January 2014. They later changed the name to Figaro Cafe Bistro Bar & Grill and, by November 2014, gave up part of the space to an Indian restaurant called Apna Masala. (All from the same owners, as we understand it.)

-----

And at 326 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, Spice Cove has closed... and Banana Leaf, a Sri Lankan restaurant on West 28th Street, is on the way in...





Spice Cove and Banana Leaf apparently share the same ownership, and will serve Sri Lankan and Indian specialities from both restaurants.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Banjara space yielding to Figaro Bistro Grill, 15 comments

Banjara moving soon to the Haveli space on Second Avenue

Indian cuisine returning to the corner of 1st Avenue and East 6th Street

Figaro Cafe Bistro Bar & Grill is now La Esquina (not that one) Bar & Grill

La Esquina Burritos & Bar signage up on 1st Avenue

Week in Grieview

[A mobile for the former Mobil station on Houston and C]

RIP Steven Steinberg, the third generation owner of New York Central Art Supply (Tuesday)

Renovating the LES apartment of Jim "The Mosaic Man" Power (Monday)

The annual New York Cares Coat Drive is underway (Wednesday)

RIP Walter Przedpelski, who lived 91 years in the same apartment on East Ninth Street (Thursday)

The upscale hotel bar with a pool named for the late environmentalist Adam Purple (Wednesday, 42 comments)

Part of the former Alphabets storefront will serve as sales office for Ben Shaoul's 100 Avenue A (Monday

Out and About with Karen Platt (Wednesday)

Ongoing construction at condoplex on Avenue A enters the swimming pool phase (Thursday)

East Eighth Street and Avenue C, home to 5 restaurants in recent years, is now on the market (Tuesday)

Handing out the litter summonses (Wednesday)

Autre Kyo Ya coming soon to the former Barrel space on Stuyvesant Street (Monday)

An assessment of the dangerous East Houston-Avenue B/Clinton Street intersection (Thursday)

The apartment where the golden rule "is that no one else can tell anyone else to be quiet" (Tuesday)

Holiday lights arrive on East Ninth Street (Thursday)

Live music ends for now at Elvis Underground (Monday)

Demo work starts on the southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and 10th Street (Friday)

New Stuy Town owner pledges to keep a grocery story on East 14th Street, but it may not be Associated (Monday)

Thanksgiving at Odessa (Friday)

4 St. Mark's Place is for sale (Friday)

The former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office is pretty much gone (Monday)

Icon Realty made 5x what it paid in sale of two East Village buildings (Friday)

Renovations at Village 7; reclining seats coming soon (Saturday)

Maison Kayser opening a large bakery on 13th and Broadway (Thursday)

A #lovewall for St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)

The new residential building at 321 E. Third St. (Wednesday)

... and here are two of the mosaics that French street artist Invader has placed around the East Village in recent days ... on East Fourth Street and First Avenue...



... and Avenue A and East Third Street...



There are more, like on the former Chase branch on St. Mark's and Second Avenue ... and there's a Lou Reed mosaic on St. Mark's Place between A and First Avenue. BoweryBoogie has an LES rundown here.

And tomorrow night is the The 5th annual Last Waltz tribute to benefit Food For Life at Tompkins Square Park...



Find details here.

Noted

EVG reader Robert Galinsky came across this scene on East 12th Street and Avenue B late Friday afternoon...

No idea at this point what sequence of events occurred to cause this to happen...

Sunset spectacular

[Via @EvillPunki]

The top photo is from East Ninth Street and Avenue C...

And here's another vantage of the sunsetting sky via Shawn Chittle...



Updated

Here's one from Felton Davis from East Third Street (find more of his sunset shots here)...



... and from East 14th Street by James and Karla Murray...



... and from Tompkins Square Park by Lola Sáenz...



... and from wherever exactly Bobby Williams was...

24 hours (or so) in the life of a discarded sofa section on 2nd Avenue

We begin yesterday afternoon on Second Avenue and East Seventh Street...

Before heading south a few blocks... presto — new sidewalk cafe!



Then it was back where it started...



And today, the sofa section went south a few blocks again, where its value was certainly raised with the addition of some street art...



... and continued to do what it knows how to do best — provide a comfortable place to sit...



Photos by Derek Berg

Bringing Lil Crazy Legs to life on East 7th Street

Back on Friday, artist Ernest Zacharevic created this tribute to Lil Crazy Legs on East Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue (next to Porchetta)…



The work is the last in a Replay wall collaboration series around NYC with photojournalist Martha Cooper.

Zacharevic, who's based in Penang, Malaysia, has been recreating Cooper's photos from the 1970s-80s. Lil Crazy Legs — aka Richard Colón of the Bronx-based Rock Steady Crew from the early 1980s — is on the cover of her photo book "Hip Hop Files: Photographs 1979-1984."



Top photos by Derek Berg yesterday.

The Caffe Bene on Avenue A looks very close to opening

Here on the southeast corner at 13th Street…





… there are CB-branded door handles and an ATM inside too…





No word on an opening date, but it would appear to be close to being ready.

This location of the cafe from the company based in Seoul, South Korea, will also serve beer and wine.

Previously on EV Grieve:
2 Caffe Bene locations coming to the East Village (45 comments)

Reader report: Rent hike washes away longtime Avenue A laundromat

Work starts on the 2 Caffe Bene spaces in the East Village

Brewing Soon signage arrives for Caffe Bene on Avenue A

Renovations at Village 7; reclining seats coming soon

Been meaning to note all this at the AMC Village 7 on Third Avenue and East 11th Street … where renovations are in full swing. (You've probably noticed fewer movie choices here of late…)









The final product will include some reclining seats in the auditoriums… (do these things operate with quarters?)



Oh, and "Sicario" was pretty good, though I saw it at Kips Bay…

Renovations at Dunkin' Donuts sees (temporary?) removal of big Dunkin' Donuts cup from marquee

As we exclusively revealed last week, the Dunkin' Donuts on First Avenue and East Sixth Street closed on Nov. 13 for renovations. (Actual renovations, not "renovations.")

Anyway, as we closely monitored the situation here every single day, we noticed that the iconic giant Dunkin' Donuts coffee cup is no longer on the marquee…



No word yet if/when the DD cup will return. (It was looking rather weathered.)

For now, the DD cup will live on in our memories… and Flickr…


[Photo from 2009]