Cooper Craft and Kitchen restores dignity to the corner of Second Avenue and Fifth Street

At least from the outside. The plywood is down at Cooper Craft and Kitchen, here on the corner ... former home of the horrible-looking pink spaceship, Kurve.

The space will be a craft-beer-focused bar-restaurant from the team behind Dempsey's and Sláinte. With a lot of barrels inside, probably.

Noted

Spotted at Second Avenue and First Street.

Earlier today on Seventh Street

...near Second Avenue... By Bobby Williams.

[Updated] About that Time Warner cable outage in the Lower East Side

Is that end of today like 5 p.m. or 11:59 p.m.?

Previously.

UPDATED: 6:30 p.m. — Seems to be up and running. In time for "Road House" on AMC tonight.

h/t @pablo_escolar

Your chance to see inside a historic townhouse on East 10th Street tonight (complimentary wine alert!)

The beautiful homes at 123-125 E. 10th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue have been on the market for more than three years... oh those handsome single-family Anglo-Italianate townhouses!

Here's the listing at Rubicon:

If you were to travel back in time to New York City in 1854, it would appear virtually unrecognizable. Yet, arrive at Renwick Triangle, formed by the intersection of Stuyvesant Street and East 10th Street, and it would seem as if time stood still. Of all James Renwick's masterpieces in this corridor, one stands out as more imposing and grander than the rest. Architecturally paired, 123 East 10th Street and 125 East 10th Street are now offered for sale together. At 28 feet wide, of grand scale and proportions, with approximately 8,400 square feet of interior space, and a large, terraced rear garden, this presents a new owner with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a modern home at an iconic address. Behind an exceptionally handsome facade, 5 stories tall including an English basement, this magnificent townhouse has 18 fireplaces, original moldings, detailed mantelpieces and an ornamental cast-iron "Juliet" balcony which runs the width of the building. Since this townhouse is located in the middle of the St. Mark's Historic District, the extraordinary morning light and tranquility will be forever preserved. Given the scope of this offering, Rubicon Property has created a prospectus on this residence, its history and its future, which can be furnished on request by qualified buyers or brokers

Oh, the point of bringing this up now? There is an open house at 123 E. 10th St. tonight from 6-9. With complimentary wine! (Woo!) Says a Rubicon rep: "This is a magnificent opportunity to look into a piece of history." And Rubicon donates a $1 to charity: water for every person who signs in for the open house.

And the combo houses are yours for $12.95 million.

Chico creates tribute for Bob Arihood at Ray's Candy Store

Yesterday after, we posted photos of Chico working on a mural for the Ray's Candy Store awning on Avenue A ... Single Linds Reflex, who worked with Chico on the concept, was there to watch it happen ... Here's a sort of Blogger time-lapse with the final work ...

And later... Chico talks with Lucy and Ray...

Claim: Like no one seems to have cable

We're getting all sorts of reports of widespread (East Village) Time Warner Cable/Road Runner outage this morning... been out since last night around 11. Which meant we had to create today's posts via our Brother International SX-4000 Portable Daisywheel typewriter with Perfectype professional touch keyboard. Blame this guy?

IHOP's suburbification of East 14th Street complete, we hope

Wow. Just seems like June 12 yesterday when we first saw the warning sign on East 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

And yesterday, workers put the finishing touches on the IHOPnopy...

Per EV Grieve reader Tom:

Wow. First the extra-wide awning, then the 3-story high banner, and now the sidewalk canopy. That's a whole lot of IHOP Blue!

I think they're trying to compensate for not being able to build one of those giant blue roofs found on classic suburban IHOPs.

[Manhasset IHOP pic via Tom]

Don't give anyone any ideas!

h/t Jennifer at Xoom for the IHOPalert...

The East Village pep talk diaries

[El Jardín del Paraíso, East Fifth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D. By Bobby Williams]

We recently posted an email from a longtime East Village resident who was losing faith in the neighborhood. We asked for people to submit comments on the things that they like about the East Village. We'll periodically post some of the comments, like this one.

Steph said...
Early morning walks.
Marble Cemetery — open hours are magical
International Bar
Tile Bar
Coal Yard
Chillmaster
Community gardens — can't express how much I love walking around on a summer weekend going into the gardens.
Summer weekends — w/o college kids and everyone being out of town makes me renew my love with the hood.
Hell's Angels
The sense of community and the diversity of people — it's still here. It's still better than all of Manhattan and don't even mention Brooklyn.

Read all the comments here.

Orphaned baby squirrel alert on Seventh Street

Spotted on Seventh Street near Second Avenue late yesterday afternoon. Thanks to EV Grieve reader David M. for the photo.

Old-timer Blarney Stone becoming a gastropub with 35 plasma TVs in the Financial District

Every so often we wander away from the neighborhood...

We've written before about our fondness for The Blarney Stone on Fulton Street near Nassau in the Financial District ... a fine place for some beers and affordable quality food from the steam table by the front door. And they open at 8 a.m. A good crowd. Office workers. Construction workers. Horse players. A few people working on a scheme.

[Photo by IrishNYC via Flickr]

The place closed for good in March 2010.

Now, a reader sends along the following item from UrbanDaddy with news of what this space is becoming...

Welcome to The Fulton, a 4,300-square-foot gastropub where the menu looks like it’s from a steakhouse and the flat-screens are invisible (except when they’re not), opening Saturday in FiDi.

This place feels like a long-lost executive’s lounge from the 1920s. There are diamond-tufted leather banquettes everywhere. Herringbone wood walls. Hanger steak frites. Old framed photos of Fulton Street (circa horse-and-buggy era). And a slew of cracking antique mirrors... that happen to conceal 35 state-of-the-art invisible plasmas.

So when a game isn’t on, and the TVs are off, every set will be hidden behind two-way glass. Perfect for when you want to quietly sip on a Ginger Inn (that’s vodka with guava, lime, raspberry and ginger) while splitting short ribs and cheddar grits with that comely market analyst.

Like the sound of the "old framed photos of Fulton Street." A little history for the lifeless.

Don't be shy, ladies and gentlemen... step right up!

Earlier today in Tompkins Square Park. By Bobby Williams.

Chico creating a mural honoring Bob Arihood at Ray's Candy Store

In progress now on Avenue A. We understand that it will be a portrait of Bob on one side... and Ray on the other side. Photo via Single Linds Reflex.

And here are two more in-progress photos... via @biggayicecream ...

'There is still community in the East Village'

East Village resident (and reporter) Lilly O'Donnell wrote an essay on last night's Bob Arihood memorial for Gothamist. An excerpt:

[T]here was a sense that one more piece of “the old neighborhood” was gone. "I hope this is not a wake for the East Village itself,” said Eddie Dunn, who has lived in the neighborhood for half a century. “He represented something that’s disappearing.”

But the crowd that gathered in front of Ray’s Candy Store on Avenue A proved that there is still community in the East Village, no matter how much people like to say otherwise.

Read the whole essay here.

At the memorial for Bob Arihood last night

Community members gathered last night outside Ray's on Avenue A to honor their friend Bob Arihood, who recently passed away... Several people, including Ray, John Penley, Clayton Patterson and Chico, talked about their longtime friend...

Bobby Williams was there and took these photos...

...and Jewels even pulled down his pants in Bob's honor... an act that Bob caught on film many times through the years.

BoweryBoogie has more here ... including a video. Jill posts her thoughts from last night here. Patrick Hedlund filed his report for DNAinfo here.

One attendee remarked how strange it was not to see Bob there, standing in the background, chatting, observing ... and taking photos... a sentiment that we'll likely be thinking at every local event in the weeks and months to come...

There's talk of a memorial concert in Bob's honor Saturday afternoon in Tompkins Square Park. We'll pass along the details once organizers finalize the plans.

Updated:
Dave on 7th passes along this photo from 6:15 this morning... candles still burning brightly...

On East 12th Street, a 'rambling home' renting for $18,500 monthly

So 215 E. 12th St. is now on the market. Here's what you get for $18,500 a month these days. Per the Stribling listing:

Majestic 4 story 25 foot wide townhouse brimming with original detail, charm and a chic sensibility. Even the toughest critic will be impressed by the sheer scale and expanse of the 43 foot living and dining room situated on the parlour floor. This dramatic north and south facing room has two wood burning fireplaces,14 foot ceilings and 9'4" windows. The huge renovated eat in kitchen,(30'x7'8") with beautiful marble counters and floors, high end appliances,including a 6 burner restaurant grade stove, has a door to the small terrace and a staircase to the enormous garden which is 45'4x25. The 3rd floor has the large bright master bedroom (15'7x22) with dressing room, a sitting/tv area and ensuite good condition original bath. Travel down the hall to the 2nd bedroom across from the hall bath. Upstairs are 3 additional bedrooms,a tv/playroom and a large renovated bath with 2 sinks, soaking tub, double shower and 2 windows. The entry floor has laundry/mudroom and an additional room that could be a bedroom/office which has access to the garden. This light filled, rambling home has 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, high ceilings, dramatic arched doorways, hardwood floors,laundry and a large garden. Owner prefers to rent furnished but unfurnished is possible — pets on a case by case basis

Hey, why isn't there a mention of that backyard basketball hoop in the listing?