Demolition permits filed for former Church of the Nativity and La Salle building next door

[Photos by Josh Charow]

Last week brought news that Gemini Rosemont, an L.A.-based real-estate investor that specializes in "tenants in high growth and tech centric industries," bought the former Church of the Nativity property on Second Avenue as well as the former La Salle annex next door for $40 million.



In addition last week, the demolition permits were filed for both buildings, per DOB records.



For now, the corner building at Second Street, 38 Second Ave., is not part of the unspecified new development expected here. (But a lot of observers figure that status will change.)

The Church of the Nativity closed after a service on July 31, 2015, merging with Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street.

No word yet on what Gemini Rosemont has planned for their new East Village parcel. Their other NYC projects include the 13-floor, 45-unit condoplex on 14th Street and Sixth Avenue that will look something like this...


[Rendering via Binyan Studios]

Thanks to Josh Charow for the photos!

The Starbucks on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place reopens today

[Photo yesterday by Steven]

The neighbor's Starbucks locations have been closed since around March 20. Now, however, the outpost on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place reopens this morning (March 30) only for mobile ordering via the Starbucks app or delivery via Uber Eats.

The hours: Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a 7 a.m. open on Saturday and Sunday.

According to a rep, the St. Mark's outpost will be the only Starbucks location open in all of lower Manhattan as of now.

Report: These 9th Street tenants don't have to pay rent until building has C/O, judge rules

[Photo by Steven]

ICYMI: Tenants at 331 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue will not have to pay rent until their landlord, Kushner Companies, secures a certificate of occupancy for the building.

Details via The Real Deal:

Residents of the building at 331 East 9th Street will also be allowed to stay in their apartments without paying any back rent, according to the decision that State Supreme Court Judge Frances Ortiz handed down ...

The nine-unit East Village property is one of several that Housing Rights Initiative and Bronx Councilmember Ritchie Torres announced Kushner was operating illegally at a press conference last March.

The property was built around 1900, meaning it was exempted from the city’s certificate of occupancy requirement, according to HRI. However, after buying the building in 2013 for $20.25 million, Kushner Companies added a floor to build luxury penthouses, a substantial alteration that meant the property would now require a certificate of occupancy, HRI said.

Ortiz agreed with this in his ruling, writing that “the addition of an entire floor on the top of the building constitutes a substantial alteration, thereby requiring petitioners to obtain a C of O for the entire building.” He added that “no rent is collectible by the petitioner [Kushner] when a building lacks a valid certificate of occupancy.”

The real estate company never received a permanent certificate of occupancy because of building code violations, according to HRI. The housing watchdog group helped the building’s tenants organize and refuse to pay rent.

Kushner Cos. COO Peter Febo said the the judge's ruling was wrong. They plan on appealing once courts reopen after the coronavirus crisis.

The Kushners started buying up East Village buildings in early 2013.

Black Seed Bagels closes for duration of coronavirus outbreak

Black Seed Bagels decided to shut down after service yesterday afternoon. The shop's locations, including the East Village outpost on First Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street, are closed until further notice.

In an Instagram message, the owners wrote in part:

Thank you for your incredible support over the past month as we navigated how to best serve our guests and take care of our employees, as well as others in the hospitality industry.

At this time, we have decided to temporarily close our shops ... in order to do our part to protect the health and safety of our loyal staff, customers, and the general public.

H/T Steven!

Week in Grieview

[Spring on 10th Street]

Posts this past week included...

• Marking the 5th anniversary of the deadly 2nd Avenue gas explosion (Thursday) A message from Nixon Figueroa and Ana Lanza, Nicholas Figueroa's parents (Thursday)

• RIP Nashom Wooden (Tuesday)

• Local business resources via EVIMA (Monday)

• Development deal for former Church of the Nativity includes the La Salle space next door (Wednesday)

• Checking in on TabeTome (Tuesday)

• Veniero's closes for the duration of the coronavirus outbreak (Saturday)

• No more hoops for now at the Tompkins Square Park basketball courts (Friday)

• The Union Square Trader Joe's is back open (Friday) Union Square Trader Joe's temporarily closed after employee is suspected of having COVID-19 (Tuesday)

• Checking in at Il Posto Accanto (Thursday)

• This week's NY See (Thursday)

• East Village Organic now closed for the next week (Friday)

• S'MAC's curbside service (Monday)

• Gem Spa is closed for now (Monday)

• RIP Edd Conboy (Thursday)

• Local community gardens are now closed to the public (Sunday)

• Report: Gregg Singer offers former P.S. 64 for use as a medical facility during COVID-19 crisis (Monday)

• Brooklyn Dumpling Shop setting up shop on 1st Avenue and St. Mark's Place (Monday)

• Soil testing underway at the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place (Monday)

• An East Village stay-at-home shopping list (Monday)

• Despite health crisis, critics persist (Wednesday)

• The return of the psychic hotline? (Saturday)

• CheLi signage up at 19-23 St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)

... and thanks to Joseph Cavalieri for this great shot of the magnolia tree in the New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street...



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Follow EVG on Instragram or Twitter for more frequent updates.

The COVID-19 memorial on Avenue A and 10th Street

This memorial arrived on 10th Street and Avenue A on Thursday. It was in memory of Edd Conboy, who died on March 20 of a stroke at age 70.

According to an EVG commenter, his brother Jim was unable to have a memorial or funeral during the COVID-19 outbreak. And this was a way to help pay tribute to him.

The memorial is evolving to honoring those who have died of COVID-19 around the world, with updated statistics on the mirror...



The inscription on the mirror reads in part, "u are not alone, We all reflect your spirit."

... and this message — "Stay 6 feet apart or be 6 feet under" — was added some time yesterday...

Checking in on New Yorkers Foodmarket

New Yorkers Foodmarket, 107 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street, is an uncrowded grocery option (especially now that Key Food on Avenue A always seems to have a line outside).

The market has plenty of essentials in stock, including fresh produce, canned goods, paper towels, soda, etc., as seen in these photos from yesterday afternoon...











Two recent visits found just a handful of shoppers inside, all at a comfortable distance from one another.

New Yorkers Foodmarket is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Saturday's parting shot

A moment on Broadway near 11th Street earlier today... photo by Derek Berg...

A talk with retail food workers during the COVID-19 outbreak

If it's of interest... Vogue has a feature online about grocery store and restaurant employees working during the coronavirus outbreak.

East Village businesses are well-represented: Layne Rawlings of East Village Organic on First Avenue; Viviana Robles and Gabriela Maldonado of Westside Market on Third Avenue and 12th Street; and Liz Quijada, the co-owner of the cafe Abraço on Seventh Street.

And in the photo above, there's Lesya Pshyk, who works at the East Village Meat Market. "I’m responsible to help the people of New York, but I’m also worried about my children and my mother sitting at home. I’m very positive; that’s the main thing. I think everything is going to be alright."

Find the full article here.

Photo via Twitter by Sinna Nasseri

Veniero's is closing after today for the duration of the coronavirus outbreak

Today (March 28) is the last day for walk-in service at Veniero's Pasticceria & Caffe, 342 E. 11th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

And today then, cakes, cookies and pastries at the circa-1894 bakery are 50 percent off (IN STORE ONLY).





Venirero's is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today.

Thanks to Lola Saénz for these photos!

Updated 11:54 a.m.

The closure extends to all facets of the business, including deliveries...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Veniero's Pastry (@venierospastry) on Mar 28, 2020 at 6:11am PDT

The return of the psychic hotline?

In case you were wondering how some neighborhood psychics were adapting to the current business landscape...

This week in East Village street scenes

[By Ben Lebovitz]

Second Avenue (above) ...

St. Mark's Place...


[By Christopher Pelham]

East River Park...


[Photo by Stacie Joy]

C-Town on Avenue C...


[By Dave on 7th]

First Avenue at Seventh Street...


[By Robert Miner]

The Bowery at Fourth Street...


[By Derek Berg]

The In Between Days of our lives

Back to 1985 with "In Between Days" by the Cure...

The Union Square Trader Joe's is back open

The Union Square Trader Joe's location, along with the wine shop next door, reopened this morning on 14th Street.

EVG regular Pinch reports a line to get in as well as a shipment of groceries.

This location, as well as several others in NYC, closed for a "thorough cleaning and sanitization" after an employee "either tested positive for COVID-19 or is receiving treatment for a suspected case," according to a statement on the Trader Joe's website.

The TJ's website reports that an employee of the wine shop who tested positive for COVID-19 was last present in the store on March 22.