First Avenue at Sixth Street tonight... before it rained (again)...
Friday, July 7, 2017
'Melt' down
Siouxsie and the Banshees from 1983 with "Melt!" (and with Robert Smith). Always seemed like a good summer song...
Report: Owners of Babu Ji settle 2nd wage lawsuit
Eater reports today that Babu Ji has settled the second lawsuit.
Last fall, three employees of the restaurant’s now-shuttered East Village location accused Jessi and Jennifer Singh of withholding tips and failing to pay overtime. The same lawsuit claimed that Jessi Singh threatened servers and their families.
Settlement papers filed to public record earlier this week show that each of the three former employees will receive under $28,500 as part of the agreement, while attorney (and notorious restaurant thorn) Maimon Kirschenbaum’s firm will receive more than $44,000. The Singhs did not admit to wrongdoing as part of the deal.
Babu Ji, which opened on Avenue B in June 2015, is now at 22 E. 13th St. between Fifth Avenue and University Place.
The former Babu Ji space on B and 11th will be an Indian restaurant from the founder of Curry in a Hurry, Akbar Dawat and Café Spice, among others.
Photo from March
Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Babu Ji on Avenue B hit with another wage lawsuit
With court date looming, Babu Ji 'is taking a break' on Avenue B
A wake for the last willow trees at La Plaza Cultural
The last two willow trees in La Plaza Cultural on the southwest corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street will have to be removed.
A recent inspection by Manhattan Forestry confirmed what some members of the community garden had feared: the trees are rotting.
The willow (nicknamed Cher) in the corner of La Plaza by Avenue C looks especially bad ...
The other willow (aka Krusty) is located near the garden's gazebo.
Here's part of a missive that La Plaza shared:
Our weeping willow trees are around 41 years old. They were first planted in La Plaza thanks to a grant from Plant-A-Lot, and there were originally three willows and three linden trees all planted at the same time. One willow and one linen were toppled by Hurricane Irene. And another linden had to come down after Hurricane Sandy. And recently the Parks Department has determined that the willows are rotting from the inside and are in danger of falling. One even has visible fungus. The Parks Department has made a descion that they must come down and will take them down when they have the time. La Plaza Community Garden is saddened by the loss of our great willow trees and is reaching out to the community seeking people's opinion as to where we should go from here.
On Sunday afternoon, Rev. Billy and members of his choir will lead a weeping willow wake...
Per La Plaza executive director Ross Martin: "We have no idea when the city will come to perform this unthinkable yet necessary act, but it will be soon, so please join us one last time in the green shade."
[Underneath the green shade of Cher the willow tree]
Previously on EV Grieve:
Willow tree down in La Plaza Cultural
Tree muggers at the La Plaza Cultural
The plan to document the last month of Webster Hall's existence
[Photo from June]
As previously reported, the recently sold Webster Hall is expected to close in early August ... so that new owners Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment along with AEG-backed The Bowery Presents can begin renovations at the landmarked music venue on 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.
Now, a group of filmmakers are hoping to make a documentary on the club's final month.
Here's their pitch via Kickstarter:
Since 1886 Webster Hall has stood as a gathering place ... cultivating a welcoming environment that included anyone from the mainstream, fringe, underground, or anywhere in between to congregate in the same place at the same time.
On August 9th, 2017 Webster will be closing its doors for renovations. In 2018 it will reopen under corporate management. The Producers of this short wish to make a feature-length film documenting the last month of Webster’s current incarnation in an attempt to preserve its vibe.
You can read more about the project and it goals as well as watch a short at Kickstarter.
The filmmakers have been working at Webster Hall as stage hands since early last year.
"When we discovered that one of the city's last original music venues would be shutting its doors for a corporate clean-up, we were shocked to learn how uninformed both the Webster Hall staff and its neighbors were about the transition," Sanford Jackson, one of the documentarians, said via an email. "After speaking intimately with the staff about the upcoming changeover, we felt it necessary to utilize our talents as filmmakers to document a piece that will genuinely capture what Webster Hall represents within the East Village community and the city's rich nightlife history entirely."
And what have they learned so far during filming?
"One of the more universal themes we've found when talking to staff at Webster Hall is its sheer diversity in both clientele and its staff. On a single night you might expect a children's story book play in the basement, a death metal band in the studio, and an LGBT club night in the ballroom. Thousands of people under the same roof at the same time for remarkably different reasons," said Jackson. "That said, the stories we've heard were really just snippets of a larger tale — a simple introduction to the menagerie of bacchanalia teeming in the memory banks of it's diverse neighborhood and it's employees. We're hoping to capture as much of that as possible with this doc."
The East Village artists behind the Danceteria time capsule from 1984 that prompted a bomb scare in 2017
It's never good if they have to call the #NYPD when your time capsule is discovered. The capsule was deemed safe by ESU & the Bomb squad. pic.twitter.com/6cZxYRfahj
— NYPD Special Ops (@NYPDSpecialops) July 6, 2017
On Wednesday, an unexploded, World War 2-era bomb briefly shut down 21st Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue.
As you may have read, the suspicious-looking device turned out to be a bomb-shaped time capsule that belonged to the now-shuttered Danceteria.
In various published reports, John Argento, who owned the club until it closed in 1986, said that the capsule was an "empty practice bomb" that was buried in 1984 in an alley adjacent to the club ... to be unearthed again in 5,000 years. (Construction at the site ruined things for partygoers in 6984.)
Via The Beat, we learned that East Village-based artists James Romberger and Marguerite Van Cook were instrumental in creating and then burying the time capsule back in 1984 as part of a party to say hello to the year 6984.
As Van Cook wrote on Facebook:
We buried the time capsule which had one of Diana Ross’ fake eyelashes and Chi Chi Valenti g string among thousands of messages to the future. All the messages read ”fuck you” which seemed to be the only sentiment that people came up with. We had the ceremony in the adjacent alley to Danceteria ... I broke a bottle on the bomb casing! Wow!
[Image via the Beat]
And this may have a happy ending of sorts. Per CBS New York:
It isn’t exactly police protocol to give someone their old bomb shell back, but police say in a few days once it’s thoroughly searched, Argento can likely pick up whatever was inside.
The CBC has more on the story here.
Previously
Cholo Noir opens on 6th Street
[Via @CholoNoir]
Cholo Noir opened this week at 503 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.
Here's their description via @CholoNoir: "Chicano cuisine & speakeasy... celebrating Chicano culture through art, drinks, and a fusion of Mexican street food and backyard southwest BBQ."
CB3 twice denied a liquor license for the proprietors last year ... among other reasons, there are 20-plus full on-premises liquor licenses within 500 feet of the address. CB3 members also didn't see much public benefit from the concept on a mostly residential block in a nightlife-saturated neighborhood.
Given the amount of work they already put into the space, the owners then went to the State Liquor Authority for a license, which was apparently granted given that they are advertising margaritas on the sidewalk chalkboard.
Here's more via a Cholo Noir update from February at DNAinfo:
[T]he owners remain positive the eatery will be a good presence in the neighborhood, claiming Cholo Noir will be centered around the food, with cocktails to complement the menu.
“Most people don’t go into a Mexican restaurant and say, ‘Let’s go get wasted,’ but people do go for good Mexican food and they like to have something to complement it,” said Paul Le Mos, who plans to run the restaurant alongside Lennard Camarillo, former operator of West Village eatery Florencia 13.
The proprietors don't want to bring another noisy bar to the neighborhood, he said, but want to serve the community with great food and culture.
You can find the menu and more info at the Cholo Noir website here.
No. 503 was previously home for five weeks to Long Bay, a Vietnamese restaurant, in 2015. Several years earlier the space housed Gladiators Gym.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Another no for Cholo Noir
Thursday, July 6, 2017
A renewed effort to restore and preserve the Yiddish Theatre Walk of Fame on 2nd Avenue
If you've walked on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and 10th Street outside the Chase branch, then you've likely noticed the five-pointed gold stars set into granite celebrating names such as Abraham Goldfaden, Bessie Thomashefsky and Michal Michalesko ...
[Top two photos from 2014 by Derek Berg]
In 1984, Abe Lebewohl, who owned the Second Avenue Deli in this corner location, installed this Yiddish Walk of Fame to commemorate when the area was a vibrant Yiddish theater community in the early 20th century.
In recent years, many of the stars in the double row have become worn down or broken and are mostly illegible. Higher rents forced Second Avenue Deli to vacate here in 2006. (Lebewohl was murdered in March 1996.) Since then, the building's landlord, Jonis Realty, who's responsible for maintaining the sidewalks, hasn't apparently done much to repair the stars (though at the same time they didn't have them removed).
There's now a fresh movement afoot to preserve and protect the Walk of Fame in an effort led by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and several other community groups. Yesterday, EVG regular Daniel noted that reps for Friends of the Abe Lebewohl Yiddish Walk of Fame were collecting signatures of support on this corner...
Here's more on the history of the Walk of Fame ... via the GVSHP...
The Second Avenue Deli closed its doors at this location in 2006. Luckily, the Walk of Fame remained despite the closure. But now this civic tribute is deteriorating. Friends of the Abe Lebewohl Yiddish Walk of Fame is working to promote the history and culture of Yiddish Theatre and the neighborhood inspired by the granite stars first embedded in the sidewalk of Second Avenue by restauranteur Abe Lebewohl. GVSHP is proud to be working with fellow stakeholders, with the support of the Lebewohl family, to secure the future of this important piece of our neighborhood history.
Here's what they have planned ...
Friends of the Abe Lebewohl Yiddish Theatre Walk of Fame seeks to preserve, educate, inspire and reinstall a recreation of the historic plaque tiles in the area of cultural relevance and with long term stewardship. We will work to gently remove the original plaque tiles.
Exhibit them as part of a permanent or traveling exhibition. Support programming that highlights the Yiddish Theatre and the neighborhood, and inspire the continuation of the rich artistic tradition. And we will commission a recreation of the original plaque tiles to be reinstalled somewhere relevant and nearby, with long term stewardship as our goal.
Learn more about the preservation efforts here.
A few dining details about Joe and Pat's, the Staten Island pizzeria opening on 1st Avenue
Work continues over at 168 First Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street. (Given the scaffolding and construction netting, it appears that the entire building is getting a rehab.)
Joe and Pat's, the pizzeria and restaurant that debuted on Staten Island in 1960, is opening a location here, in the former longtime home of Lanza's.
The pizzeria's owners are on this month's CB3-SLA docket for a new liquor license for the space. The questionnaire on file ahead of that CB3-SLA meeting reveals a few more details about what diners can expect at the the East Village Joe and Pat's.
For starters, aside from pizza, Joe and Pat's will offer an "extensive menu" of Italian food. (Find their menu from the Victory Boulevard location here. Or check out their Instagram account here.)
The proposed hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday; and until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The configuration shows seating for up to 43 diners, including use of the rear yard, where there are five tables. (It's not clear if this is an enclosed space. And the rear yard space won't be in use all hours.)
Earlier this year, New York magazine wrote that Joe & Pat’s offers the best of Staten Island pizza. "Its pies are the ultimate version of one of the borough’s dominant styles: thin-crust, vodka-sauced bar pie. Open since 1960, it doesn’t look like much, but the pizza is magnificent."
The July CB3-SLA committee meeting is July 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Ian Schrager's Public Hotel, 215 Chrystie St. just below Houston.
Films on the Green: 'La Cérémonie' Friday night in Tompkins Square Park
Films on the Green, a free French film festival in NYC parks, will screen the first of two films in Tompkins Square this Friday evening. (This year, for the 10th anniversary of the series, Films on the Green is featuring 10 guest curators, including Wes Anderson, Jim Jarmusch, Isabella Rossellini and Laurie Anderson.)
• Friday, July 7, 8:30 p.m.
"La Cérémonie"
By Claude Chabrol, 1995, starring Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Bonnaire
Film selected by the creator of the series "Mad Men," Matthew Weiner
... and next week in Tompkins Square Park...
• Friday, July 14, 8:30 p.m.
"Port of Shadows (Quai des brumes)"
By Marcel Carné, 1938, starring Jean Gabin and Michèle Morgan
Film selected by Laurie Anderson
Find the full schedule here.
The new view of 10th Street from 11th Street
Just a quick look at where 112-120 E. 11th St. stood between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue... the five circa-1890 tenement buildings were demolished ...
Work on a 13-story hotel for Marriott’s Moxy brand will commence as soon as the city approves all the necessary permits. According to the DOB website, the plans for the 300-room hotel were last disapproved by the city on June 9.
The Lightstone Group paid Pan Am Equities $127 million for six-building portfolio — 112-120 E. 11th St. and 85 E. 10th St., which survived the hotel purge ... though residents in the back of the building will, unfortunately, have months-long views and sounds of the hotel construction ... then permanent views of the actual hotel.
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Report: Steve Croman sued to stop his father from managing 3rd Avenue properties
Jacobson filed a lawsuit in Manhattan State Supreme Court today "claiming his partner’s dubious practices harmed the company, and asked a judge to appoint a receiver to manage the business."
Per TRD: "Croman is the sole manager of the properties, according to the operating agreement, and should he cease being manager for any reason, his father, Edward, will take over as the manager."
Last month, Croman pleaded guilty to charges of grand larceny, tax fraud, and an additional fraud charge relating to false statements. As part of the deal, he will spend one year at Rikers. Croman will be sentenced on Sept. 19. (A civil case related to his tenant harassment tactics continues.)
A Croman spokesperson called the arguments "false" and said Jacobson had a history of filing frivolous lawsuits, TRD reported.
The businesses at these addresses include Linen Hall, the Penny Farthing and Bruno Pizza.
The former Church of the Nativity one step closer to hitting the sales market on 2nd Avenue
[EVG file photo]
On Friday, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York relegated 16 churches to profane use — the first step toward a property sale. On that list: the former Church of the Nativity at 44 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street.
[Image via @NativityNYC]
The church closed in July 2015 as part of a massive consolidation reportedly due to changing demographics and a shortage of priests available to say mass. The Church of the Nativity merged with Most Holy Redeemer Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.
Archdiocese officials allow 10 days for parishioners to appeal the decree of a closed church. (As one Nativity activist noted, the Archdiocese made the announcement on a Friday before a long holiday weekend, which cut into the time to prepare an appeal.)
The Friends of Nativity have proposed a Dorothy Day Shrine and retreat center with services for the homeless at 44 Second Ave. Read more about that proposal here. (The space in front of the now-closed church has been a spot for the homeless of late.)
There has been speculation that the block from the church to Second Street will eventually yield to a luxury retail-residential complex...
[EVG file photo]
Developer Douglas Steiner bought the Mary Help of Christians property, including the church, school and rectory, from the Archdiocese for $41 million in 2012 to create his Steiner East Village on Avenue A between 11th Street and 12th Street.
The first Nativity church, located at 48 Second Ave., was built in 1832. This building was demolished in 1970 after a fire. It was rebuilt by parishioners at 44 Second Ave.
Previously on EV Grieve:
As the Church of the Nativity closes for good tonight, take a look at the original structure
Parishioners fight to save the Church of the Nativity on 2nd Avenue
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