A flea market at St. Stanislaus

Photos by Stacie Joy 

St. Stanislaus is hosting a flea market this weekend in the church's basement on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue...

Happening again tomorrow (Sunday!) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

There is also CAKE...

A Tonight to remember: Julia Cumming’s solo debut on Fallon

 

On Thursday, local singer-songwriter Julia Cumming performed "My Life," a song from her forthcoming solo record, on "The Tonight Show." 

She has been fronting the power-pop trio Sunflower Bean in recent years... this will be her first solo project. 

As we've noted, Julia was born and raised in a building on 14th Street and Avenue B. Her parents, Alec Cumming and Cynthia Harden, were in the band Bite The Wax Godhead. 

Julia shared on Instagram that "this was truly one of the best days of my life! It's been a huge dream of mine to play late night…and to get to do @fallontonight as my national TV debut AND my first ever solo performance was unbelievable." 

"Julia" is out on April 24 on Partisan Records.

ICYMI: 7 Bleecker St., longtime home of Robert Frank and June Leaf, is on the market

The longtime home of photographer Robert Frank and artist June Leaf is now on the market (as of March 9). 

The Federal-style townhouse at 7 Bleecker St., which dates to the early 1800s, is listed for $6.5 million. The couple lived and worked here near the Bowery for more than four decades. Frank died in 2019; Leaf in 2024. 

The property, located in the NoHo East Historic District, has largely remained as they left it — with a raw, studio-like interior shaped by years of creative use.

The current Corcoran listing, however, makes no mention of its former occupants and instead positions the home as a redevelopment opportunity. 

Bring your architect and imagination to re-envision this historic property as a bespoke masterpiece. Offering significant untapped potential, 7 Bleecker Street has an additional 3,724 square feet of buildable FAR available (subject to Landmarks approval), providing even more flexibility to bring your vision to reality. 

Whether transformed into a grand, single-family home or reimagined as a mixed-use property, to maximize the 25-foot frontage on Bleecker Street, with flagship retail or gallery space and residential units above, the possibilities are truly endless. 

Hopefully, the next owner appreciates the history within those walls. 

Curbed has more on the building's history and current state here.

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Friday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

As seen on Second Street near Second Avenue today... a cart labeled "For Our Street Siblings," filled with socks, scarves, hats, blankets, bottled water, and more.

A meditation on memory, loss and heritage

 

Tearless, thoughtless, the second record from Brooklyn's Nara's Room comes out on May 15. 

The video here is for the first single, the seven-minute ballad "Tucson." (Read more about the emotional backdrop for the song here.) 

Keep tabs on the band via Instagram... and see them live at Night Club 101 on Avenue A on March 28.

Friday's opening shot

A favorite passage in the neighborhood... a view this morning of Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue alongside the New York City Marble Cemetery. 

Enjoy the spring-ish weather today (high 57!) before the rain arrives tonight...

Works by Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh on view at Ki Smith Gallery on the LES

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Early work by artist-composer-musician Mark Mothersbaugh is the subject of an ongoing exhibit (until April 5) at the Ki Smith Gallery on the Lower East Side. 

Here's more about the show, titled "Postcard Superheroes and other Contemplations" ... 

This exhibition features two collections of screenprints created by Mothersbaugh in the late 1980s and early 1990s at Richard Duardo's Los Angeles printmaking studio. Included is the Postcard Superhero series, which began as 3.5-by-5-inch postcard-sized collages constructed aboard Richard Branson's boat in the 1970s and later translated into large-scale screenprints at Duardo's studio. 

The series comprises six collages printed with three different inks, each revealing distinct messages depending on the light in which they are viewed. The works incorporate phosphorescent ink that glows in the dark, fluorescent ink visible under black light, and standard ink seen in daylight. 

The second collection, produced around the same time, reflects Mothersbaugh's personal contemplations, expressed through his distinctive visual language. 

And a selection of the work by Mothersbaugh, lead vocalist and co-founder of Devo ...

... and gallery owner Ki Smith...

Ki Smith Gallery is at 170 Forsyth St. between Stanton and Rivington. 

Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, noon - 6 p.m.

The empty lot on 2nd Avenue between 2nd and 3rd streets is for sale

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The currently vacant lot on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street is now on the market. 

The property spans 14,019 square feet, with more than 100,000 buildable square feet, according to the listing from brokerage BKREA. 

A zoom-in on the property description:

The Site has been fully demolished and offers 14,019 square feet of lot area with approximately 161feet of prime frontage along Second Avenue. Zoned C6-2A (R8A), the Site permits a residential FAR of 6.02, which can increase to 7.20 through the Universal Affordability Preference (UAP) zoning initiative, yielding a total buildable envelope of approximately 100,936 square feet.

The Site will be delivered with 20,468.2 square feet of Inclusionary Housing Certificates, of which a purchaser may deploy 16,543 square feet to unlock fully free-market residential floor area. This bonus floor area increases the free-market residential buildable area to approximately 100,936 square feet, with an additional 3,925.2 square feet that can be sold to a development site within the same community board or within 0.5miles of 42 Second Avenue.

Here's a rendering of a possible development for the site shown on the listing.

Some history: In 2020, Gemini Rosemont spent more than $50 million to assemble the development ... buying the former La Salle annex at 38 Second Ave. and Second Street. The $14.5 million purchase of the four-story building was the third of three contiguous plots they acquired. The commercial real estate investment company closed on 42-44 Second Ave. and 46-48 Second Ave. (the former Church of the Nativity) in March 2020 for $40 million. 

However, as The Real Deal first reported in August 2023, the city revoked the building permits after Robert Proto, who owns 50 Second Ave. at Third Street, raised concerns about the development. 

Per TRD: "Proto made unceasing calls to officials for weeks, triggering an audit by the Department of Buildings that found code and zoning issues that had initially slipped past the agency." 

Gemini later decided to walk away from the project, ultimately putting the assemblage up for sale. 

In the new listing for 42 Second Ave., the marketing materials describe a project that has cleared several early hurdles.

According to the "neighbor update" document available when you request more information, the ownership group secured a demolition access agreement with the adjacent property at 50 Second Ave., allowing demolition of the buildings at No. 42.

After demolition, the developers sought to negotiate a construction access agreement with the neighbor. When those discussions stalled, they filed a Section 881 proceeding in New York State Supreme Court — a legal mechanism that allows a developer to seek court-ordered access to a neighboring property when work requires it. 

The materials state that the 881 proceeding was later withdrawn in 2023, as ownership began exploring a potential sale of the property. 

Two issues with the neighbor were described as still pending: a property-damage claim tied to the demolition phase, which the developers say is being handled through insurance, and a request from the neighbor for reimbursement of professional fees related to the 881 case, to be determined by a court-appointed referee. 

However, in an email with EVG, Proto disputes several aspects of that characterization. 

Proto said he raised safety concerns early in the process, arguing that the proposed plans for 42 Second Ave. could pose risks to his property. According to Proto, his building sustained damage during demolition, and he later filed a lawsuit citing alleged breaches of the access agreement. That case is scheduled for trial in April. 

He also disputes the claim that the Section 881 case was withdrawn because the property was being marketed for sale. He said the Department of Buildings placed the project plans under audit and revoked the permit after determining the plans were not code-compliant. 

Proto maintains that several issues tied to the project remain unresolved and said he intends to continue advocating on behalf of his tenants and his landmarked building. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• On 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street, an empty lot and lots of questions about what's next 

• The 2nd Avenue/2nd Street lot saga may have a new chapter

What it’s like living among 2 fraternities in 1 East Village building

Interview by Stacie Joy 

We're fortunate to receive a steady stream of compelling photos and videos from tipsters around the neighborhood.

This one — from a resident on Fourth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D — stood out. 

The resident says they've been kept awake by ongoing late-night activity, including rooftop parties and what they describe as frat-style hazing rituals in the backyard, and wanted to document what they've been experiencing. 

Thanks for sending the images (and video) along! What are we looking at in these photos? 

These were photos from various nights. The main one appeared to be a hazing ritual with the fraternity in the basement.

You said there is more than one fraternity in your building. Can you tell me when they moved in, which fraternities they are members of, and which schools they attend?

The frats all seemed to move in over the summer last year. The ones in the basement appear to be NYU (from their gear and what they yell), and according to their beer pong table, they're Kappa Sigma. The ones upstairs also seem to be from NYU, according to what partygoers have yelled in the hallways. 

What has it been like living there?

As I'm typing this, the frat upstairs is running through the halls, yelling, and banging on walls and doors.

There will be normal times here and there, where maybe they're out of town, but even now, during spring break, there's a lot of activity. The frat upstairs hosts frequent parties where their guests leave trash all over the halls and outside — mainly the ubiquitous red Solo cups and beer bottles/cans. 

The frat in the basement seems to be more respectful; they generally move inside by 10 p.m. and haven't been as destructive overall. 

Other neighbors in the building and the neighborhood at large have complained about them having hazing-type rituals out on Fourth Street, where they are yelling until all hours. 

On more than one night, I've received late-night texts from neighbors asking if I can do anything about the rooftop parties. This is just as likely to happen during the week as on weekends, which has really caused problems for those of us who have weekday jobs. 

The noise and banging are so significant that all of the pictures on my wall move from the vibrations. The cops and 311 have been called repeatedly; supposedly, they've found nothing. 

The guys upstairs haven't been friendly about keeping noise down or being good neighbors, but the ones in the basement are at least open to discussion and have made obvious efforts to keep the noise down overnight.

How are the two frats different from each other? 

The ones in the basement are both more respectful and more outrageous. That's probably just because we can all see what they're doing, whereas the other frats have their activities in their apartments or on the roof. The tied-up, half-naked nights in the garden are at least entertaining! 

Do you have any interaction with them? How are they as neighbors? What do other tenants in the building say? 

I've spoken to all of them. The basement one seems to try to be a good neighbor, at least more than the others. I've seen them cleaning the hall trash, holding open doors, and being polite, and where there's a complaint, they seem to try to tone it down. 

The upstairs groups, in contrast, are entitled, rude, and seem to have zero interest in anyone's well-being but their own. I think the takeaway is that it's upsettingly stereotypical that people coming into the neighborhood seem to have very little concern for being part of it or for the people around them. 

The majority of them don't appear to work or pay for anything themselves (overheard hallway yelling about "daddy paying"), and I can't help but think that they see themselves as having zero accountability since they have zero skin in the game.

The building was previously a mix of families and working people; we all basically kept to ourselves, but were a friendly group. Since the building was sold a few years ago, the rents have increased dramatically, and the quality of life has dropped to rock bottom. 

You mentioned having some issues with noise and parties. What steps, if any, has your landlord or management taken to address them? 

The landlord sent out one group email about the noise. Other than the one letter, I'm unaware of anything being done, and they generally ignore complaints. 

What is their musical taste like? 

Basic.

.  

What about beverage choices? 

Equally basic. The light beers, red Solo cups and White Claws are on full display. 

Can you speak a bit about the hazing rituals you have witnessed? Assuming that is what we see in some of these photos. 

The ones that I have seen seem to be rooted around, I guess, good-natured humiliation? They're usually centered on some sort of nakedness, regardless of the weather, and on subservience. 

Since it seems consensual and not dangerous, I personally don't have an issue with that part, outside the noise.

Report: Tenants displaced by deadly 2015 2nd Avenue blast sue over unpaid stipends

Former tenants of 119 Second Ave., which was destroyed in the deadly March 2015 gas explosion, have filed a new lawsuit, alleging the current owner of the site has failed to pay them roughly $1.7 million in required housing stipends, the Post reports.

According to the suit, filed Friday in Manhattan Supreme Court, four rent-regulated tenants say the owner — through Avenue Second Owner LLC — has not paid any of the funds they are owed following the destruction of their homes on Second Avenue. 

The site, where three buildings collapsed after an illegally tapped gas line triggered a deadly explosion on March 26, 2015, has since been redeveloped into a 21-unit luxury condoplex at 45 E. Seventh St. 

State regulations require landlords to either rehouse displaced rent-regulated tenants or buy out their leases when a building is destroyed. The tenants say neither happened.

Per the lawsuit, the four tenants are now owed a total of $1,709,087, plus interest.

The owner has challenged the stipends through multiple appeals and legal actions over the years, all of which have been unsuccessful, according to the filing. 

March 26, 2015, will mark the 11th anniversary of the explosion.

Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón died on March 26, 2015. Figueroa, 23, who had recently graduated from SUNY Buffalo State, was at Sushi Park, 121 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, and the site of the fatal blast, dining with a co-worker. Locón, 27, worked at Sushi Park.

The explosion injured over 20 others and leveled three buildings — 119, 121 and 123 Second Ave. No. 45 sits on two of the three lots. A third lot remains vacant.

In November 2019, a jury found landlord Maria Hrynenko, who took over ownership of the buildings after her husband, Michael, died in 2004, contractor Dilber Kukic, and unlicensed plumber Jerry Ioannidis guilty of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and related offenses for their role in the explosion.

Prosecutors said that Hrynenko, driven by greed, and her cohorts rigged an illegal system to funnel gas from 119 Second Ave. to 121 Second Ave. to save money.

In January 2020, they were each sentenced to four to 12 years in prison. Hrynenko remained out on bail for two more years as she waited for an appeal of the case. 

During the sentencing, Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Michael Obus told the courtroom, "What the defendants did, in a matter of speaking, was roll the dice with the lives of many people. The results, as we know, are catastrophic."

However, Obus said he gave the defendants a break on their prison time because they were older and "did not intend to blow up the building." 

"It's not enough. It's a joke," Nixon Figueroa, father of Nicholas, told reporters afterward. "What kind of justice did you give us? You didn't give us no justice. It's a slap in my son's face."

According to public records, Hrynenko, 66, was released from prison in October 2023 after serving 20 months. She was eligible for parole in November 2025. Her conditional release date was November 2029, and the maximum date is November 2033. It's not known at this moment why she was released early. Records show that she is under post-release supervision through this April.

Kukic, 50, was released on parole early last year; Ioannidis, 69, in January. 

Michael A. Hrynenko, Jr., Maria's son and a key figure in the gas explosion investigation, died on Aug. 25, 2017. He was 31, according to an obituary posted on the Pizzi Funeral Home website. The cause of death was never disclosed.

Signage alert: Tang Sushi on 2nd Avenue

Signage is up now for Tang Sushi at 97 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

Tang has its website up and running here, though there aren't many specifics about who is behind this venture. 

We've lost track of the various hot-pot businesses here between the Launderette closing in 2014 ... and the unlicensed cannabis shop Hi Society coming and going in 2023-24.

Reader report: Pinnacle Cleaners closing on 11th Street

From the EVG inbox... Choresh Wald shares the sad news that Pinnacle Cleaners is closing after 15-plus years at 299 E. 11th St., just east of Second Avenue.

March 30 is the last day (March 28 is the last day to drop off laundry). 

Staff is not going far, however. Signage says they will be working from New Sew Good Cleaners, 337 E. Ninth St., between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Milling the night away on Avenue A

Photos last night by Susan Schiffman 

Expect DOT crews back out this evening as the milling of Avenue A continues. 

Workers have been doing roadway work from 14th Street and will stop at Fourth Street, per the DOT website.

Avenue A above Fourth Street was set to be milled in the fall of 2024, though that work, apparently, got pushed back to now. 

Weather permitting, the city will be paving this stretch on Thursday and Friday nights, per the DOT.

Victory Tattoo NYC leaves storefront in former Hells Angels clubhouse on 3rd Street

A for-lease sign now hangs above the western storefront at 77 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

This marks the end of Victory Tattoo NYC's nearly four years here. In the summer of 2022, the shop became the first permanent retail tenant after the building-wide gut renovations were completed in the former HQ of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. 

Owner Vic Tamian said she even received the Hells Angels' blessing to open here. 

In an Instagram message, Tamian discussed what led her and staff to depart the neighborhood. 

Everyone at Victory Tattoo NYC is incredibly grateful to the Lower East Side for welcoming us into their hearts — and under their skin — and supporting us over the years. It was an honor to be part of the neighborhood. As the shop continued to grow, we ultimately decided to relocate and begin our next chapter in Gramercy at 152 E. 22nd St. 

We'll always honor our roots in the LES as where Victory Tattoo NYC first started. We're excited to continue welcoming both new and longtime clients as Victory Tattoo NYC grows into its next chapter.

The last of the HA members and/or their entourage left No. 77 at the end of March 2019 with plans to relocate to the Bronx. Until then, the Hells Angels had held the clubhouse since 1969. 

The two retail spaces, where the Angels once had their bar, entertainment area and storage space, became available in February 2022. The other storefront is home to the All Street Gallery.

The retail listing doesn't mention the previous longtime building tenants.