Just a few more hours left for Veselka at the First Avenue/Houston kiosk

Matt Duckor at The Feast reports this morning that Veselka closes today at noon at the First Avenue/Houston kiosk. They'll be vacating the space to make way for S'MAC. Meanwhile, Veselka Bowery is expected to open in the next year or two.

[Photo by Matt Duckor]

New Seventh Street mansion re-emerges with additional floor

The Economakis Manor isn't the only recently unveiled, newly minted single-family home in the East Village... Here we are over at 64 Seventh Street between Second Avenue and First Avenue. (Or, for coffee fans, between Van Leeuwen and Abraco.)

Before!

Jeremiah wrote extensively about the history at this address in March 2010. (Read his post at Vanishing New York here.) It has been the Les Deux Megots coffeehouse that attracted everyone from Allen Ginsberg to William F. Buckley Jr. ... as well as the Paradox, the macrobiotic restaurant where Yoko Ono and Loudon Wainwright III both worked...

According to Streeteasy, this 1837 Federal Townhouse was originally part of Peter Stuyvesant's parcel of land.

Today!

It's now a single-family home again just like in 1837 ... though now with an elevator. Per the Streeteasy listing, the new owner bought the place in April 2008 for $5.7 $5.3 million.

The house is configured with 13 windowed rooms: three interior rooms, a kitchen on the main floor, three bathrooms and four fireplaces.

Meanwhile, we're not sure what kind of welcome wagon the new tenants will receive from neighbors. According to the DOB, there have been 22 complaints filed against 64 Seventh St. in the past 12 months, ranging from "illegal work on Saturdays" to some steel beams used for the additional floor causing some walls to crack at 62 Seventh St.

Will tonight mark the last call at the Mars Bar?

That's what people keep asking us.

Short answer: We have no idea. June 30 was the date some reliable sources had mentioned earlier in the month; the same date that Joe's Locksmith next door and some of the tenants upstairs are moving out.

However! Two reliable sources have said that Hank has put in the weekend liquor order. So either tonight will be a helluva blow out, as one of the sources put it, or the bar will be open for what promises to be a lucrative holiday weekend.

So if you're thinking about going tonight for one last time, then go ahead and stick to those plans. Worst case is you'll have to go again in a week or two or so.

One thing we can say with some certainty: The bar stools are disappearing. One regular noted that people have already been taking them as souvenirs.

Just in case — dibs on the toilet seat!

Extra Place is turning into a big sidewalk

We've been watching the work of late on Extra Place. A worker said that they were installing new pipes or something.

Before!



And now look what's happening... it's getting sidewalked!

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

Oh no! No more skateboarding! Or dogwalking! Or basketball playing! Or "Wonder Woman" posing!

Four years later, maybe it really will look like this some day...



Someone please get Cheetah Chrome on the phone...

Is your landlord harassing you, being a general pain in the ass?

[Photo by Dave on 7th]

GOLES is holding a workshop tonight on how to deal with harassment from landlords, presented by tenant attorney John Gorman.

Details from GOLES:

Town Hall Meeting
Tonight at 7
PERSEVERANCE HOUSE
535 EAST 5TH STREET (BTW AVE. A & AVE. B)
• Do you have repairs that the landlord refuses to do?
• Is your landlord treating you with no respect and dignity?
• Are you being taken to court without a justifiable reason?
• Are you receiving inaccurate rent statements?

IF YOU ANSWER YES TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS, THEN YOU ARE A VICTIM OF LANDLORD HARASSMENT.
COME TO A COMMUNITY FORUM: FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN STOP YOUR LANDLORD FROM HARASSING YOU!

Tonight in Tompkins Square Park: 'Raging Bull' (and Don King?)

Tonight marks the first of the free music-movie nights in Tompkins Square Park. This evening's film entertainment: "Raging Bull." (Bring the kids!) And we're told that Don King is introducing the movie. Seriously.

The details:
Featured Music: Raging Bluegrass, with Odetta & Gryphon
Gates open at 6:00 pm. Movie starts at sundown

(Gates?)

Here's the trailer...



Oops. I think we made a mistake.

Anyway! And the rest of the schedule...

July 7 — Coming to America
July 14 — The Warriors
July 21 — Star Trek
July 28 — Arthur
Aug. 4, — Pope of Greenwich Village
Aug. 11 — Kickass
Aug. 18 — Rosemary’s Baby
Aug. 25 — The Godfather
Sept. 1 — Stake Land

Here's the official website for the summer movies.

On the CB3/SLA July docket: the bakery bar; other stuff!

Oh my! We're still sorting through this month's CB3/SLA madness... and along comes the docket for July! Drowning... in... liquor ... licenses...

Kidding! ... So the fun continues on Monday, July 18 at 6:30 pm — JASA/Green Residence, 200 E. Fifth St. at the Bowery.

Here are a few of the items on the agenda...

Renewal with Complaint History
• 1011, 171 Ave C (op)

Complaints? Teneleven? This is a fine neighborhood bar.

Applications within Resolution Areas
• Tozzer Ltd, 112 Ave A (alt/op)

Hmm... 112 Avenue A is the Niagara's address...

• Solo Pizza (Solo Pizza Inc), 27 Ave B (wb)

• Duke's (Lime 673 Inc), 129 Ave C (op)

• The Cardinal Restaurant #1 Inc, 234 E 4th St (wb)

• U2 (Joy Café Inc), 6 St Marks Pl (3rd & 4th Floors) (wb)

U2 (or 2U) karaoke is looking to make a comeback here at the former Mondo Kim's.

• TDD & G LLC, 126 St Marks Pl (op)

The former Why? Curry space which is now called what?

Alterations/Upgrades
• The Toucan & The Lion (Type A Goods LLC), 342 E 6th St (alt/up/op)

The former Mara's Homemade.

• Bowery Tech Restaurant LLC, 327 Bowery (alt/up/op)

An alteration of some sort for the Bowery Electric...

• Pangea (Judex Enterprises Inc), 178 2nd Ave (alt/op/sidewalk café)

• Vandaag (Better Living Food Corp), 103 2nd Ave (alt/op)

New Liquor License Applications
• Asian Chef Express Inc, 96 3rd Ave (wb)

• Shima Japanese Restaurant (H&T Restaurant LLC), 188 2nd Ave (wb)

• Phoenix (Hughes Murray Walsh Corp), 447 E 13th St (op)

• Sweet Boutique (Sweet Boutique NY Ltd), 85 2nd Ave (wb)

Ah! The bakery bar moving into the former Sin Sin space...

• Company, 242 E 10th St (op)

• To Be Determined, 700 E 9th St (op)

Hmm, this is the address of Banjo Jim's ...

• To Be Determined, 308 E 6th St (op)

This is Zerza, the Moroccan place...

• To Be Determined, 81 E 7th St (op)

This is Krystal's Cafe 81, with the shamwow sign.

School official: Open Road Park closure is temporary

As we first reported, officials from the East Side Community High School on East 12th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue closed Open Road Park last week.

School officials held a meeting to discuss the Open Road Park's future yesterday afternoon at 4. EV Grieve reader dwg was there, and filed this report:

Mark Federman, the principal of the school, spoke to a handful residents and a group of skaters. A woman from Open Road was there, the guy who runs skateboard classes, assistant principal, custodian and a rep from Rosie Mendez's office.

Basically the park was closed because of increasing incidents of trash and debris, smoking cigarettes, marijuana — some selling of marijuana ... and skaters and others in the park before or after hours and trouble with people not respecting set school or other programmed activities.

Federman said the closing is temporary ... to revaluate the hours and increase supervision and come up with defined hours and rules for the park. He said things got a little lax and they need to improve on that.

Open Roads is going to post new signs soon with park hours, rules and regulations ... and then the park will open again. No date was given but sounded like a week or so.

Everyone got a chance to speak and voice concerns. Federman is concerned and aware and wants to keep it open, but run a little tighter program.

The Local East Village has a meeting recap here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Open Road Park closed now on 12th Street

Why the Open Road Park is closed

At Mona's, all that jazz, some nights

In case you missed it (like us!), The Wall Street Journal checked in with a piece on Mona's the other day ... with a diary-type entry about the bar's emerging musical showcase... Per the article:

The grapevine has it that Mona's, a plain-looking bar on Avenue B off 14th Street, is ground zero for an emerging late-night scene of young swing and traditional jazz players.

And, during non-band hours, the jukebox is quite good...

Your guess is as good as mine

Third Street and the Bowery today. Photos by Bobby Williams.

Today in photos of hot dogs

Somewhere along Avenue A. Photo by Bobby Williams.

New York City history through the lens of Ai Weiwei

[Outside Tompkins Square Park, 1986 — Ai Weiwei]

From the EV Grieve inbox ...

Asia Society Museum presents an exhibition of 227 photographs taken by famed Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, capturing the history, culture, and atmosphere of 1980s New York from his unique perspective.

The exhibit opens today, and closes on Aug. 14.

Asia Society Museum
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street)
Details here.

Ray at the start of the day

Ray this morning. Photo by Dave on 7th.

Part of JR's artwork from the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall already for sale on eBay

Less than a week since JR hung his "Lakota, North Dakota" mural, a piece of the artwork has showed up on eBay.

Own a piece of Street Art History!
Auction is for 2 sheets (approx. size 24"x"36") of excess paper used on the actual wall installation process located on Houston Street and Bowery in New York City.

And you can buy it now for $125. Of course, this isn't the first time a piece of this wall has shown up on eBay.

Previously on EV Grieve:
What a piece of Shepard Fairey's vandalized Deitch Wall mural is going for on eBay

eBay seller dares people to bid on piece of Shepard Fairey's mural

Community Board 3 rejects proposal for restaurant-bar-performance space at 34 Avenue A; here comes Subway?

By a vote of 27-5, according to Shawn Chittle who was at the meeting. (Another reader said it was 25-7.) In any event, the State Liquor Authority requires Community Board approval for liquor license transfers. This was for a new license within a resolution area. We'll have more on last night's debate and vote later.

Meanwhile, what's next for the former Mo Pitkin's space? The CB3/SLA committee voted down a similar proposal from Todd Patrick and company in March.

There is always that rumored (and effective scare tactic) fast-food joint. And fast food has been mentioned coming here if operators couldn't secure a liquor license. The building is for sale. (A commenter claims there is a draft lease on the table for a Subway here. )

Last June, EV Italian eatery guru Frank Prisinzano said that the landlord of the former Graceland space on Avenue A and Second Street had four prospective tenants: Frank's fast-food Italian joint, a bank, a 7-Eleven and a bank.

CB3 rejected his plans for Raguboy last June. The space at Avenue A and Second Street remains vacant.

Is it better vacant than a restaurant or bar?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Phil Hartman bringing a 'performance venue' back to former Mo Pitkin's space

[Updated] Bringing 'the tradition of the old Knitting Factory and Tonic' to 34 Avenue A

Because you want to know more about the plans for 34 Avenue A

An update on the plan to save UNDER St. Marks

As we reported back in March, 94 St. Mark's Place is for sale... the building houses UNDER St. Marks, which is operated by Horse Trade Theater Group.

Here's an update on what has been happening... and what the plans are for UNDER St. Marks via the Horse Trade website:

Since we learned that our building was up for sale, we have had good meetings with our landlord, and he has promised to work with us to buy the space. There have been no other offers on the building.

We are developing plans to convert the building into artist housing, expand the seating capacity of the theater, and create a coffee shop/wine bar/lobby entrance to the theater. We are investigating multiple ways to make the space self-sustained and green, including creating a green rooftop, using the artist housing as a B&B when empty and working out the plans for the lobby space.

We have an architect, lawyer, and realtor who will donate their time to create the plans and package needed to go after larger funders. We have put together a fundraising committee and we are recruiting new boardmembers.

We have ongoing fundraising events planned in the space for the coming months. We have raised 20% of our funding goal with only 10 percent of our friends contributing. We are asking 1,000 of our friends to help us by giving $50 by July 4. Click on the link to our indiegogo page here and learn more about the project and about our well-loved and well-used theater space.

This video provides more details...



Find them on Facebook at Save UNDER St. Marks And for a list of upcoming shows, please go here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
94 St. Mark's Place on the market, and what will it mean for Under St. Marks?

A fake window for Verso on Avenue C

On Monday, EV Grieve correspondent Bobby Williams noticed that someone had painted a window on the outside wall between two existing windows at Verso, the Italian restaurant that opened last month on Avenue C at Eighth Street... (Chico was on the scene too, though we're unsure if he was there to lend a hand or just passing by...)

...and the final product...

And, as we've said before, that to-go window rumor never materialized here...

Super Saving Store closing on 14th Street

Here at 14th Street and Third Avenue... some signs say "store closing" ... others say "closing for renovations." We asked one of the fellows guarding the sales racks. Didn't exactly get a straight answer. Ultimately, the store is closing for good.

Not a surprise. The store is in the shadow of the luxury 123 Third Avenue, where residents likely won't have a need for butt-revealing denim shorts (two for $10!). The other corners include the Duane Reade and the incoming 5 Napkin Burger. Meanwhile, a few of the 99-cent stores remain on 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...

About that new bench with blood on it

EV Grieve reader Peter sends along a note about the new bench adjacent to the MTA ticket machines on Second Avenue just south of 14th Street.

"That bench is currently covered in blood. 311 is no help. MTA reps (about 6 of them) just shrugged it off twice in two days. Don't know who to call for this one. Any ideas?"

And here are two photos...

Peter says that the blood has been there for five days. He has talked with the MTA officials who congregate there to issue tickets to fare beaters. They say that it's not their bench, so it's not their problem. It's a city bench, apparently.

Anyway, we took a look for ourselves...

Blood? Or maybe a melted dessert from Milk Bar around the corner?

At the Community Board 3 meeting

Shawn Chittle reports that there are large groups waiting to speak both for and against the proposed restaurant-bar-performance space at 34 Avenue A.

Plenty of good seats still available... come on down to PS 20 - 166 Essex St., (Between East Houston and Stanton Street)