Chase, the newish tenant on the southwest corner of West 16th Street and Union Square West, has erected its new vertical sign on the building — a bland attempt at replicating the familiar neon that was here for 60-plus years.
A little history. The Coffee Shop, the Brazilian-American diner run by former Wilhelmina models, closed here in October 2018 after 28 years in business. The Chase branch opened on Dec. 17 ... along with Chase-partnered Joe Coffee. (There's also another vegan quick-serve outpost of by CHLOE on the 16th Street side.)
During the renovations, workers removed the 1950s-era Coffee Shop neon sign — which belonged to the cafe (called Chase, oddly enough) that predated the Coffee Shop by several businesses.
There was some hope that the old sign would return after a cleaning/refurbishment. Obviously that isn't happening.
Foundation work continues for the 9-story office building coming to 143 E. Houston St. between Eldridge and Forsyth ... at night, the site looks like the bombed-out ruins of a building...
The property was home for 17 years to the five-screen Landmark Sunshine Theater. The Sunshine closed two years ago today — Jan. 21, 2018.
Almost one year ago to the day, Citi Bike announced citywide expansion plans for its fleet, a plan that included two new docking stations in the East Village — First Avenue at Fifth Street and 12th Street at Avenue C.
The First Avenue docking station arrived the middle of last month. And now last week, the docking station showed up on 12th Street and Avenue C...
This new Citi station features 41 docks for bikes.
There has been activity in recent weeks inside the vacant storefront at 139 E. 12th St. at Third Avenue... and late last week the sign arrived for the new tenant — the iSouvlaki Greek Grill, which looks to fall into the "fast casual" category.
The owners are said to be from Merakia on West 21st Street, the same proprietors who were behind the previous venture here — Greekito, which featured Greek tacos, beer and wine, and coffee.
On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day... a look at what's left of the World Peace mural (circa 2010-2011) that includes his image on 12th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C...
Unfortunately, parts of this wall that faces the Children’s Workshop School have chipped away in recent years ... enough of the mural remains, though, to convey a message.
You may have noticed the flowers outside the former Bar Virage on the northeast corner (we were justtalking about this space) of Second Avenue and Seventh Street this morning...
Baji Baji debuts today at 145 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. They are open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ... and after a break, 5 to 11 p.m.
As we've been noting, owner Jay Yang decided to revamp China Star here... and the renovations — and subsequent inspections by the FDNY and Con Ed — took longer than expected...
The quick-serve restaurant recently launched an Instagram account if you want to take a look at their dishes (Yang said previously that despite the name change, the menu will mostly remain unchanged) ...
While doing some research on another topic, I came across this article from The New York Times in July 1998 on the Immaculate Conception Church on 14th Street at First Avenue.
Some history...
Across from the stark red-brick boxes of Stuyvesant Town, the 1896 Immaculate Conception Church at 414 East 14th Street looks like a little French village.
The Gothic-style complex is only half of what was originally built, but the parish has taken good care of its second-hand assemblage ...
Immaculate Conception was built as Grace Chapel, an Episcopal mission established by Grace Church, at 10th and Broadway, one of New York's richest and most influential parishes in the 19th century. Begun in 1894, the chapel, seating 800, was the focal point of a large complex including a parish house, clubhouse, clergy house and infirmary. It was built to serve the poor Protestants in the area.
Immaculate Conception Church was originally across the street at 505 E. 14th St. However, the church was demolished when the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company began developing the Stuyvesant Town housing complex.
So in 1943, Immaculate Conception bought the old Grace Chapel complex.
• Trio responsible for the deadly 2nd Avenue gas explosion sentenced to 4 to 12 years in prison (Friday) ... Convicted gas explosion landlord Maria Hrynenko out on bail; hired help remains behind bars (Saturday)
• RIP Matthew Maher, longtime owner of McSorley's (Monday)
• About those detailed East Village drawings at the new Trader Joe's on 14th Street (Wednesday)
• Updated: NYPD investigating report of man shot with a pellet gun on Avenue C (Thursday)
• Performance Space New York introduces the Keith Haring Theatre on 1st Avenue (Thursday)
• Farmwich pops up with speciality sandwiches at Ben's Deli on Avenue B (Monday)
• Police searching for 2 suspects in knifepoint robbery at Anwar Grocery on Avenue B (Wednesday)
• THIS is actually the new home for the Half Gallery on 4th Street and Avenue B (Thursday)
• Police searching for suspect in early morning stabbing in East River Park this past Dec. 24 (Tuesday)
• Latest Post "exclusive" is a story EVG reported on 11 months ago (Wednesday)
And it marked the first snowfall of the year, of the decade... it eventually turned to sleet... before then, a few familiar snowy scenes from around the neighborhood...
... and here are two street scenes via Vinny & O...
... and Salim shared this from outside Josie's on Sixth Street...
However, per published reports, their lawyers said they planned to appeal and were trying to get their clients out on bail.
According to public records, landlord Maria Hrynenko made bail yesterday as she awaits an appeal of the case ...
The other two who were sentenced, contractor Dilber Kukic and unlicensed plumber Jerry Ioannidis, remain at the Manhattan Detention Center...
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Michael Obus handed down prison sentences of between four and 12 years each — depending on their behavior behind bars — in state prison. The defendants faced a maximum of 5 to 15 years each.
“What the defendants did, in a matter of speaking, was roll the dice with the lives of many people,” Obus told the courtroom. “The results, as we know, are catastrophic.”
However, Obus said that he was giving the defendants a break on their prison time because they were older and “did not intend to blow up the building,” as the Post reported.
“It’s not enough. It’s a joke,” Nixon Figeuroa, whose son Nicholas died in the explosion along with Moises Locon, told reporters. “What kind of justice did you give us? You didn’t give us no justice. It’s a slap in my son’s face.”
Kukic was the only defendant to speak to the court yesterday, according to CBS 2.
“He said that he would gladly give up his own life for the lives of the people who lost their lives,” Kukic’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo said.
Here is a breakdown of the convictions via the DA's office:
MARIA HRYNENKO, D.O.B. 11/26/1959
Rockland, N.Y.
Convicted:
Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 2 counts
Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 9 counts
Assault in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor, 4 counts
Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, 1 count
Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 2 counts
Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 9 count
Assault in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor, 4 counts
Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, 1 count
Falsifying Business Records in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, 2 counts
Sentenced:
4-to-12 years in prison
DILBER KUKIC, D.O.B. 6/9/1975
Bronx
Convicted:
Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 2 counts
Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 9 count
Assault in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor, 4 counts
Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, 1 count
• In NYC, 404 people considered homeless died between July 2018 and June 2019, which is 39 percent more than the previous time period (Gothamist)
• A suspect slashed his wrists in a Seventh Street apartment yesterday morning before police executed a warrant for his arrest (The Post)
• Approximately half of the luxury-condo units that have come onto the market in Manhattan in the past five years are still unsold (The Atlantic)
• Nest-building time in Tompkins Square Park for red-tailed hawks Amelia and Christo (Laura Goggin Photography)
• The International Center of Photography will officially open its new 40,000-square-foot museum and educational center on the Lower East Side next Saturday, Jan. 25 (The Lo-Down)
• RIP John “Butch” Purcell, known to many in the community as the mayor of Stuyvesant Town (Town & Village)
• How did Gov. Cuomo come up with the L-train repairs coming in $76 million below expected costs? (WNYC)
• "The Naked Fog," a long-lost sexploitation film by Joe Sarno from 1966, screens tonight and tomorrow night at 7:30 at the Anthology Film Archives (I saw it last night!) Read more about it here. It's part of the Anthology's "Beyond Cassavetes" series.
• The Village East on Second Avenue and 12th Street is playing several Oscar-nominated films, including additional screenings of Best Picture nominee "JoJo Rabbit" ... they're also showing the Oscar-snubbed "Uncut Gems" (Official site) ... You could also support Cinema Village on 12th Street between University and Fifth, which is screening "Joker" and "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood" (Official site)
• Here's the lineup for the second-annual New Colossus Festival happening in March at several EV and LES venues (Official site)
• Alex recalls a night out with Rush, and RIP Neil Peart (Flaming Pablum)
