Finding a quiet area of Tompkins Square Park, near the Avenue B playground construction zone, to practice the short game this morning ... photo by Steven.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Getting a quick round in before the rain today
Finding a quiet area of Tompkins Square Park, near the Avenue B playground construction zone, to practice the short game this morning ... photo by Steven.
The disappearing northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place
Workers continue to demolish the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place... the building that previously housed Korilla BBQ is about half of what it used to be (the building that housed the Continental next door is still standing) ...
... you can catch a glimpse of what's left behind the construction shroud...
As you likely know, 3 St. Mark’s Place, 23 and 25-27 Third Avenue are coming down to make way for an office building with ground-floor retail.
The size of this new building has yet to be determined. As previously reported, Real Estate Equities Corporation (REEC) wants to transfer the air rights from the landmarked Hamilton-Holly House at 4 St. Mark's Place to add more square footage to their office building, a move that has had its critics.
In June, the LPC ultimately lent its support to the plan, and has issued a report to the City Planning Commission to allow the proposal under a specific zoning resolution.
The City Planning Commission will likely sign off on the project next as part of the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. City Council will have the final say on the size of the Morris Adjimi-designed building.
[The proposed 3 St. Mark's Place as seen from Astor Place]
Meanwhile, as you may have noticed, someone recently wrote an obituary on the west-facing wall of 5 St. Mark's Place...
RIP St. Mark's...
This wall was once home for years to the John Spacely "Gringo" mural... from 1983 to the early 2000s ...
[Image via]
And a view from 1983 via the "Lower East Side: Back In The Days" Facebook group...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Demolition permits filed for northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place
End is nearing for the businesses on the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place
New building plans revealed for 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place
Concern over potential air-rights transfer for new office building on St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue
Developers of 3 St. Mark's Place are looking to increase the size of their proposed office building at 3rd Avenue to 10 floors with air-rights deal
The lobbyists behind the air-rights transfer and zoning variance for 3 St. Mark's Place
Final demolition phase for 1 St. Mark's Place; more questions about lobbyists attached to project
Report: LPC approves transfer of air rights across St. Mark's Place
Live at 1 St. Mark's Place this summer; views of 51 Astor Place are free
The Tompkins Square Library will pop up tomorrow at Ninth Street Espresso (on 10th Street)
[Image via Instagram]
The folks from the Tompkins Square Library on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B will be bringing their pop-up cafe branch to Ninth Street Espresso — the location a few doors away at 341 E. 10th St. — tomorrow.
Here are details via the Library's website:
We will offer books about the neighborhood, its history, culture and artists. We will check them out for you at the café!
Pop Up Library café Corner upcoming dates:
Thursdays, Aug. 29, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Thursdays, Sept. 12 and 26, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Thursdays, Oct. 10 and 24, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to the Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street
Brooklyn's the Modern Chemist opening an outpost on East Houston
Work continues inside 181 E. Houston St., where TMC, "a non-pharmacy version of the Modern Chemist" in Brooklyn (as the Times put it back in April), is opening soon here between Orchard and Allen. The TMC initials arrived on the front door yesterday.
The Modern Chemist opened in Park Slope in 2010, and later expanded to Gowanus and Dumbo.
Per the Times, "the high-end shop sells drugstore goods like cosmetics and novelty items."
Here's more background via the Modern Chemist website:
Unimpressed by faceless chains, founder and pharmacist Carlos Urriola opened the first location in Park Slope in 2010, which quickly became a staple in the neighborhood. A growing demand prompted the launch of a second location in Gowanus. As our stores have grown, so has our team, with the addition of pharmacist and partner Par Vora.
Fast-forward to 2017, our most exciting year yet! This third and largest outpost brings our unrivaled service to Dumbo’s residents, workers and visitors alike. In addition to traditional pharmacy services, we also provide a recharge station, gourmet food and coffee, curated selection of personal care and beauty products, wellness experts-in-residence and a relaxing outdoor space.
Speaking of faceless chains, the CVS on the corner of Houston and Orchard is still not open (despite signage, since covered, pointing to an Aug. 25 debut).
This TMC storefront, along with Dr. Smood next door, is the former American Apparel space that closed in October 2015.
An LES coffee casualty
A for rent sign now hangs in the front window at 182 Allen St., bringing an end to this outpost of Hedgehog Coffee between Houston and Stanton.
There wasn't any notice about a closure at the shop or online. Hedgehog only arrived at this narrow space last August, taking over for the Swedish espresso bar Konditori.
Hedgehog Coffee also has a location in Park Slope.
Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea signage arrives on St. Mark's Place
The Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea signage is now up 33 St. Mark's Place.
As previously noted, the chainlet, with an outpost in Flushing, takes over the space from CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice, the Taiwan-based chain that closed in late May after nearly five and a half years in business.
This space here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue was Rockit Scientist Records until the spring of 2012. There was also, for a sec, Iris Cafe.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Rockit Scientist Records to become a bubble tea shop on St. Mark's Place
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Last week to comment on the city's plans to close East River Park
[East River Park photo from Saturday]
Friday (Aug. 30!) is the deadline for public comments on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR).
This link has details on how — and where — to comment.
By now you likely now the story behind the ESCR project, a coastal protection initiative jointly funded by the City of New York and the federal government, aimed at reducing flood risk due to coastal storms and sea-level rise. ESCR is the first element of the city’s "Big U" plan to protect Lower Manhattan from surges like those seen during Superstorm Sandy.
As part of the project, city officials, starting next spring, plan to close East River Park for three-plus years, elevating it with 8- to 10-feet of soil and chopping down trees, etc., from Montgomery Street to East 13th Street.
Some residents, referring to it as the Kill Our Park Plan, have asked for the demolition and reconstruction of East River Park to take part in phases so that they continue to enjoy some of the amenities that the public space provides. (The revised plan, unveiled last fall, dramatically changed course over what had been discussed the previous four years. Community stakeholders said they felt blindsided by the changes.)
For more background:
• The official East Side Coastal Resiliency Project page is at this link.
• "A Beginner’s Guide to the NYC Environmental Impact Statement for the East River Park" via East River Park Action is here.
• A primer on the East River Park's past and future by the Village Preservation is at Off the Grid.
Also, this Gothamist piece has a nice background of what has transpired to date.
You may also breeze through the mostly unreadable Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the project here. There are hundreds and hundreds of pages of documents with footnotes and collateral materials (the table of contents alone is a unwieldy 32 pages).
The final vote via City Council is expected in late September.
And tonight (Aug. 27), the East River Park Action group is hosting a meeting at the Sixth Street Community Center between Avenue B and Avenue C (more details here) ...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: The reality of storm-proofing East River Park in 2020
Storm center: Questions linger over updated plans for the East Side Coastal Resiliency project
At East River Park
No winners yet in Tompkins Square Park synthetic turf battle
[Art via]
The New York Times finally checks in on a story that we (and other outlets) have been following these past two months — the city's desire to place a synthetic turf on the concrete courtyard (aka TF) in Tompkins Square Park.
As we reported on July 2, the city has plans — apparently only known to residents who may have attended a Community Board committee meeting in May — to cover the multipurpose courts in the northwest corner of Tompkins Square Park with synthetic turf, a move that surprised and upset a major user of that space for 30-plus years —skateboarders.
The turf project, happening at several area parks, is a result of the city's flood-protection plan that will close East River Park next March for 3.5-plus years. The city needs to find space for the sports teams and youth leagues who use the fields along East River Park.
And now, to the Times (find the full article here):
“We don’t have anything against asphalt,” said Liam Kavanagh, the Parks Department’s first deputy commissioner. “There’s always going to be need for asphalt spaces in our system. But when you have a situation where you are balancing literally thousands of hours of permitted youth sports that don’t have a place to go, we have to prioritize youth sports.”
The Parks Department prioritizes the permitted sports, Mr. Kavanagh said, because of the amount of time groups like the Little League spend organizing and raising funds from the private sector for this “real New York City tradition.”
And...
The skateboarders said they cannot skate on artificial turf. Sidewalks and streets are legal to skate on, they added, but not necessarily safe for themselves or pedestrians.
Tompkins Square Park, which reopened in 1992 after large-scale renovations, appeals to the skateboarders because of its lack of ramps and handrails. Rookies can feel intimidated in skate areas with obstacles, they said. The park’s flat surface enables all users to learn from one another.
Last month, reps for the skateboarders met with the Parks Department. Both sides have reported that it was a productive meeting. The department has since said it has made no decision on when — or if — it would install the turf.
You can find the petition — titled "Save Tompkins Square asphalt!" — here. As of last evening, there were nearly 31,000 signatures.
EV resident Adam Zhu, 22, who started the petition told this to the Times: "There is something important about this specific spot, and that has to do with the history of the park at large and our personal history with the park — having grown up here, met all our friends here.
"I’m not fighting to make this a skate park,” he added. “It’s a multiuse park, and it functions very well as is."
Previously on EV Grieve:
Skateboarders upset over plan to add synthetic turf to the northwest corner of Tompkins Square Park
Brasserie Saint Marc — still coming soon to 2nd Avenue
[Photos yesterday by Steven]
The longtime-coming Brasserie Saint Marc at 136 Second Ave. now has coming soon signage here between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street ...
As we've noted, a lot of work has gone into getting the former Bar 82 (RIP March 2013) into restaurant shape. The construction plywood went up three-plus years ago — May 6, 2016 to be exact.
The applicants, listed as Greg Lebedowicz and Jerry Lebedowicz, were previously licensed for Nitedreams in Greenpoint from 2003 to 2008. In July 2018, CB3 OK'd a full liquor license for No. 136. According to the meeting's official minutes, part of the space will host events, meetings and dinners by organizations from the local Ukrainian community.
The restaurant has an Instagram account, where you'll find a few of their coming-soon dishes...
The former Bruno Pizza space is for rent on 13th Street
The retail space at 204 E. 13th St. just east of Third Avenue is now on the market...
The asking monthly rent for the space — 1,300 square feet on the ground floor, with another 1,300 in the basement — is $12,950, per the listing.
The previous tenant here, Bruno Pizza, never reopened after an early morning fire broke out in the top-floor apartment last November. The fire caused extensive water damage to the pizzeria, which first opened in July 2015.
Sharon's Laundry Service was in the space before its restaurant conversion via landlord Steve Croman.
The totem of Broadway
EVG reader Doug pointed out that workers recently removed the construction netting from the all-new 809 Broadway between 11th Street and 12th Street.
The building — 10 floors stacked on top of the previous five-story structure — will house 10 luxury condos, including a triplex penthouse on the top floors.
ODA-Architecture describes the project like this:
Situated on a diagonal segment off Broadway, Lot 809 stands like a totem indicating the visual entrance to Union Square. The neighborhood’s characteristic street scape is extended to the building’s façade by stacking and shifting the floor plates, thereby creating enlarged spaces, and protected outdoor terraces.
This address was once the longtime home — until 2013 — to Blatt Billiards, a pool table manufacturer that had owned and occupied the building since 1972.
Blatt principals Ronald Blatt and Bruce Roeder reportedly sold the building to 809 Broadway Holding LLC, a partnership of three private investors led by its principal Ariel Rom.
Previously on EV Grieve:
'Concrete blowout' at Broadway condo project damages neighboring building
Monday, August 26, 2019
On National Dog Day, here's a new City Kitty mural
Here's a look at the just-completed mural outside Avalon Chemists and the Second Avenue F stop by City Kitty... featuring the 99-cent pizza slice...
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