Curt Hoppe's 'Downtown Portraits'

The work of Curt Hoppe, a longtime resident of the Bowery, is currently on view in two venues — Howl! Happening (above) and the Frank Bernaducci Gallery — in an exhibit titled "Downtown Portraits."

Here are more detail via the EVG inbox...

"Downtown Portraits" explores Hoppe’s work as a photographer and realist painter — penetrating layers of cultural history to reveal the changing faces of the neighborhood. The 105 photographs in the series will be shown at Howl! Happening, while 20 larger-than-life paintings will be shown at Frank Bernaducci Gallery.

Hoppe, a realist painter and photographer, has enjoyed a successful 40-year career driven by meaningful relationships with pioneering downtown creators. While many of the artists, writers, musicians, activists, and art entrepreneurs appearing in the photographs that make up the series at Howl! are now well known, this project is conceived not as a hall of fame but as personal homage.

Hoppe has been inspired not only by his subject's youthful achievements but also by their lifelong perseverance and creativity. These are definitely not images of beautiful young creatives, but rather visions of determined survivors who continue to influence our culture.

"I want this exhibition to be forward-looking," he says. "These artists found a way to survive and to thrive, and their wisdom continues to have a profound impact on today’s culture. We're cooler now than we were back then. Our lives are on our faces."

His project is not about vanity or celebrity or self-promotion, but rather, like a yearbook of friends one hung with, learned from, and created mischief with, the show traces the lines of connection of some of the most influential creators of our time including John and Charlie Ahearn, Penny Arcade, Patti Astor, Beth B, James Chance, Diego Cortez, Brett DePalma, Jane Dickson, Coleen Fitzgibbon, Richard Hambleton, John Holmstrom, Lady Pink, Arto Lindsay, Colette Lumíère, Tom Otterness, Walter Robinson, Marcia Resnick, and Robin Winters, among others.

[Photo from the Frank Bernaducci Gallery]

The exhibits are up through May 22. Find more info here.

Howl! Happening is at 6 E. First St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday

The Frank Bernaducci Gallery is at 525 W. 25th St. in Chelsea. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday

Previously on EV Grieve:
Bettie and the Ramones head back to the Bowery

Lower East Side artists now larger than life — on canvas

Q-and-A with Curt Hoppe: Living on the Bowery, finding inspiration and shooting Mr. Softee

Avenue A and Omega

A quick follow-up to the (now updated) post from Tuesday about the new deli that opened on the southeast corner of Avenue A and Second Street ... signage is up — welcome Omega Salad Bar & Deli (not the name we expected!) ... as is the ramped entryway.

The previous post has more details on what his transpired here at 20 Avenue A in recent years.

Friday's parting shot

Volunteers were out today chalking on Fourth Street (and elsewhere) as part of Lower East Side History Month. Find the full events calendar here.

Thanks to Derek Berg for the photo! (Find more of his work on Instagram.)

Dream on

Death & Vanilla, who hail from the Swedish city of Malmo, have a new album — "Are You A Dreamer?" — out next Friday on Fire Records. This audio track is for "Nothing Is Real."

The 12th Street bike lane will return

An EVG reader reports that workers tore up 12th Street last night ... the reader, who sent the above photo, noted this between Avenue B and First Avenue. Gone for now is the bike lane that arrived back in the fall.

And we heard from other readers who were confused about what's happening here. After all, the city announced last Thursday that the 12th Street and 13th Street bike lanes would remain despite the full L-train shutdown called off by Gov. Cuomo in early January. Did the city change its mind?

Via Twitter, the DOT said the painted bike lanes will return...

This roadway was milled this week. There is typically a two week gap between milling and paving to allow utilities and others to repair the infrastructure below the street.

— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) May 3, 2019

As was announced last week, DOT will be adding more delineators and loading zones along 12th/13th Streets. More info: https://t.co/oU7IHQw2Yb

You are welcome to share transportation suggestions at any time here: https://t.co/C4A23H2Cu2

— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) May 3, 2019

EVG Etc.: Seniors march for their M14 stops; cats gather on 11th Street tomorrow

[Signage still intact on 1st Street. Photo by riachung00]

An increase in reported hates crimes, NYPD says (The Post)

New Yorkers argue rent law reforms at Assembly hearing (amNY)

Seniors speak out against possible cuts to M14 local service (CBS2 ... Patch ... previously on EVG)

Top cop explains bike-bell crackdown in Tompkins Square Park (Gothamist ... reaction at Streetsblog... previously on EVG)

On Fifth Street, this one-bedroom residence spans over four levels and includes three outdoor spaces, and it's for sale (6sqft)

Sietsema digs that pleasing big tray of chicken at Jiang Diner on Fifth Street (Eater ... previously on EVG)

There's a pop-up cat cafe on 11th Street tomorrow (Instagram ... B+B)

You can dine outside at Kossar's on Grand Street now (The Lo-Down)

Bike Expo returns to Basketball City this weekend (Official site)

Farewell to the White Horse Tavern (Grub Street)

The Old School Kung Fu Fest returns (Anthology Film Archives)

A wide-ranging interview with CJ Ramone (Consequence of Sound)

... via the EVG inbox... more details at this link...

Ecological City: Procession for Climate Solutions on Saturday, May 11, with 20 site performances celebrating ecological sustainability initiatives throughout the community gardens, neighborhood, and East River Park waterfront on the Lower East Side. Ecological City 2019 features a spectacular creative community affirmation of the community’s vision for the #ESCR (East Side Coastal Resiliency) waterfront development plan, including a 40-foot Mobile Mural – LES Ecosystem of Sustainability.

RIP Susan Springfield of the CBGB art-punk band the Erasers. Read more about the band in this profile.

RIP Felicia Mahmood

Several EVG readers have shared the sad news that Felicia Mahmood, a longtime East Ninth Street resident, passed away on April 14. One reader said that she was 51. A cause of death was not disclosed.

Here's part of a tribute to her via the La Plaza Cultural Facebook page...

Felicia was a community leader, a mainstay of the 9th Street Block Association, a friend to all children and a huge part of the garden. Her infinite kindness, big laugh and bigger heart will be sorely missed.

The folks at La Plaza plan to host a memorial for her later this spring or summer — depending on the construction currently taking place in the community garden on the southwest corner of Ninth Street and Avenue C.

Updated 10 a.m.

There's a memorial service for Felicia tomorrow afternoon from 3-5 at the St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, Second Avenue at 10th Street...



Updated 5/6

There's a makeshift memorial for Felicia outside her apartment building on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C (thanks to Eden for the photo)...

Developers eye air rights at Campos Plaza for long-stalled 14th Street development

[The long-stalled 644 E. 14th St.]

Back in December, Mayor de Blasio announced that the New York City Housing Authority would sell its unused air rights to developers for the first time ever as part of plan called NYCHA 2.0.

The cash-strapped NYCHA said that it would transfer a portion of its 80-million square feet of air rights to generate $1 billion in capital repairs for nearby developments.

PincusCo examined city records to find that several developers have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobby the city for these air rights.

Many familiar names are on the list. According to the PincusCo investigation, Madison Realty Capital hired one of the city’s most active government lobbying firms, Capalino+Company, to approach NYCHA about the air rights at Campos Plaza II adjacent to the long-stalled development at 644 E. 14th St. at Avenue C.

Per PincusCo:

Madison Realty is not the fee owner, but the lender on the project. The property owner, Shulamit and Shaya Prager’s Opal Realty, purchased 644 East 14th Street for $23 million in 2016, from the Rabsky Group. At the same time, Opal borrowed $52 million from Madison Realty Capital.

How the firm will obtain air rights from NYCHA for its site is not clear, however, because the adjacent NYCHA development, Campos Plaza II, has no available residential air rights, according to a PincusCo Media analysis of city land use records.

That said, Madison Realty almost certainly has a legitimate strategy to obtain air rights. The firm may be seeking an upzoning on the NYCHA parcel, which would make air rights available.

Or alternately, the developers may be seeking a lot merger with two other tax lots co-owned by NYCHA that have more than 300,000 square feet of community facility space available. That would allow the developers to build, for example, a college dormitory space for students. Scores of New York University students live in apartments across the street at Stuyvesant Town. Madison Realty did not respond to a request for comment.

As previously reported (see the links at the bottom of this post), the pre-air-rights plans called for a 15-story residential building with space for a health-care facility.


[The most recent rendering of the development]

There hasn't been much, if any, activity at this southwest corner of 14th Street and Avenue C in 15-plus months. According to city records, the new building permits expired in December. As the PincusCo report notes, this stall may be intentional. "With additional air rights, the project could presumably be larger."

Also, in late January, the Commercial Observer reported that Second Avenue Deli owner Jeremy Lebewohl filed a $10 million lawsuit alleging that his five-story residential building at 642 E. 14th St. sustained damages by the foundation work next door at No. 644.

As for the currently stalled new development, here's a rehash of the info I received on the project in September 2016:

Madison Realty Capital (MRC), an institutionally-backed real estate investment firm focused on real estate equity and debt investments in the middle markets, provided a $52.0 million first mortgage loan for the acquisition of a development site in the East Village and construction of an approved 76,259 square foot mixed use development on the site.

The plans for 644 East 14th Street include 50 residential units, 8,064 square feet of retail space with 200 feet of frontage on 14th Street and Avenue C, and 21,575 square feet of community facility space.

The property is located at the corner of 14th Street and Avenue C, along the Northern border of the East Village and directly across the street from Stuyvesant Town. Residential units will offer contemporary finishes and large balconies with East River views. The borrower is currently finalizing a lease with a major New York hospital to occupy the entire community facility portion of the new building.

This corner property previously housed the single-level R&S Strauss auto parts store, which closed in April 2009.

In 2015, Madison Realty loaned $124 million to Rafael Toledano, a then 25 year old with no track record as a landlord so that he could buy a portfolio of 15 buildings, mostly in the East Village. He eventually defaulted on Madison's loan.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Development back in play for East 14th Street and Avenue C

More details on the sale of 644 E. 14th St.

Here comes a 15-story retail-residential complex for East 14th Street and Avenue C

Prepping the former R&S Strauss auto parts store for demolition on East 14th Street and Avenue C

City OKs 15-story mixed-use retail-residential building on 14th and C

14th and C now waiting for the Karl Fischer-designed 15-story retail-residential complex

14th and C still waiting for its Karl Fischer-designed retail-residential complex

Report: New owners for the empty lot at 14th Street and Avenue C

After another seizure, Desi Galli returns to service tonight on Avenue B

[Photo yesterday via @jimnobu]

Several EVG readers were alarmed — once again here — yesterday to find a "seized" sticker from the State of New York on the front door at Desi Galli.

This happened in late February as well, though the quick-serve spot selling Indian street food was back open at 172 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street the following night.

In a quick email exchange, owner PriaVanda Chouhan said that she just got out of court, and the restaurant would be back open tonight. When asked if she has worked out a deal with the landlord so this won't happen again, she responded: "Yes — he finally lowered my rent!"

The sibling of the well-regarded Desi Galli on Lexington Avenue and East 27th Street opened here in April 2016.

Egads! 7th Street Village Farm morphs into an E Smoke shop

Derek Berg was present yesterday morning for the ceremonial swapping of the awning on the southwest corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street ... where the 7th Street Village Farm became...



... an omnipresent E Smoke & Convenience shop, selling things like (just one of everything?) Beverage, Cigar and Snack, per the awning. (Does the AP Stylebook say to use e-smoke and not e smoke?)

The corner space had been for rent... and there was even an awning switcheroo back in August 2017.

Anyway, as noted before, this space has been some kind of market/deli for years now...


[Photo from 1979 by Michael Sean Edwards]

Thursday's parting shots

EVG reader Dan Scheffey took these photos earlier today... showing the ongoing demolition on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place... and subsequent road work...



Welcome to the neighborhood!

Another good reason to close the store today

Earlier today, we noted that Army & Navy Bags over at 177 E. Houston St. between Orchard and Allen was closed today so the owner could attend his daughter's graduation.

Spark Pretty, the vintage clothing shop over at 333 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, also had a perfectly good reason to close up today... Cher is at the Barclays Center tonight ...


[Image via Instagram]

A visit to the Bhakti Center on 1st Avenue

Interview and photos by Stacie Joy

I walk by the Bhakti Center, 25 First Ave. near Second Street, all the time, especially on my way to and from the Second Avenue F stop, but I’d never ventured in before. I’d seen folks from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (sometimes colloquially referred to as Hare Krishnas) outside the building singing, chanting and dancing.

I was very curious about the space — it has ashrams, yoga and meditation spaces, at least one kitchen, a temple, a priest room and a rooftop deck among other spaces, including a ground floor Ayurvedic restaurant. I met with Syama Masla (director of yoga studies), who gave me a tour, and who also solicited the help of Jai Giridhari (director of meditation studies) in answering some of my questions about the Bhakti Center.


[Syama Masla]

There’s a lot going on — such as more familiar programming like yoga and meditation — on any given day. What are some of your offerings that people may not be aware of? How does the Center serve the community?

Outside of daily yoga and meditation classes, the Bhakti Center offers countless opportunities for all to join our community. Book clubs, kirtans [yogic chanting], and social initiatives like sacred ecology and end-of-life care services to name a few.

We offer community groups too. In these groups we provide a social and spiritual anchor for all faiths to come together and grow. One of the biggest problems in today’s society is social media, that we are connected via phones and disconnected in person. These groups help us to reconnect on a heart level!




[Vasudeva Das, Temple director]





What do you have to say to people new to the culture and practices of Bhakti yoga; people who may be too intimidated (or cynical!) to try it?

If you are looking for a spiritual home in NYC give the Bhakti Center a try. Whether you are someone who has no, little, or much spiritual faith...you are welcome here.



What is the Center’s relationship with Divya’s Kitchen on the ground floor, which New York magazine recently named one of the top-10 places in NYC to eat vegan food?

Divya and her husband Prentise are dear friends and community members of the Bhakti Center. We are grateful to have their wonderful and delicious restaurant on our ground floor. Divya’s Kitchen also runs a nonprofit ayurvedic cooking school out of the Bhakti Center called Bhagavat Life.





The neighborhood has changed quite a bit since Srila Prabhupada first brought the culture of bhakti to the West through kirtan in Tompkins Square Park. Does the East Village still seem like a spiritual home for you?

Yes, absolutely. The East Village is alive with open minded and adventurous people — the perfect type of people who appreciate the Bhakti Center.

What’s next for the Bhakti Center?

We plan to keep expanding our offerings to serve the community and beyond. Our programming is really starting to develop and each season we see rapid improvements in terms of the number of people coming through the center.

This summer we welcome back one of our spiritual inspirations Radhanath Swami for two full months! When he comes to town the atmosphere is always exciting.




[Dhyana Masla, left, director of community development, with her sister Syama]







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You can keep up with Bhakti Center on Facebook and Instagram.

Graduation Day

Army & Navy Bags over at 177 E. Houston St. between Orchard and Allen is closed today... for a very good reason, per the signage...



Closed to attend daughter's graduation!



I like this touch – a simple way to humanize a business. Of course, you never want to get too cutesy about such notes.