evilnyc just sent this shot of that wall today...
Monday, February 6, 2012
Graffiti-free Verizon building lasts less than one week
Last Tuesday, evilnyc passed along photos of Graffiti Free NYC cleaning up the East 13th Street side of the Verizon building at Second Avenue...
evilnyc just sent this shot of that wall today...
evilnyc just sent this shot of that wall today...
[Updated] Mainstream media confirm that David Schwimmer owns destroyed 331 E. Sixth St.
The New York Post checks in today with a story on 331 E. Sixth St., the formerly historic townhouse that we've been writing about hereabouts for the past six months.
The Post gets "sources" to confirm the David Schwimmer connection.
Schwimmer bought the home through a limited-liability company, 331 East 6th Street Townhouse LLC. Although his name is not attached to the deal, sources briefed on the purchase confirmed that Schwimmer is the owner.
In addition, Schwimmer, the LLC manager Gary Kress and 331 East 6th Street Townhouse LLC all share the same Santa Monica, Calif., address.
Schwimmer, Kress and the project’s architect all didn’t return calls for comment. But future neighbors were willing to sound off.
Indeed!
“All the new people are yuppie transients. If I see David Schwimmer on the street, I’ll be sure to give him my two cents!” said Charlett Hobart, a retired independent contractor who has lived on the block for the past 37 years.
“People who have been living here a long time don’t like new people coming in” and tearing down old buildings, she explained.
Updated:
One nugget from the Post story that we didn't mention first time around...
Schwimmer, 45, snapped up the property for $4.1 million in 2010 — and the city Landmarks Preservation Commission send him notices on March 31 and May 27 of last year that it could get landmark status by the end of 2012, said commission spokeswoman Elisabeth de Bourbon.
But by September 2011, the building was gone, just four months after the city’s latest letter was sent to Schwimmer’s representatives.
So, just to spell this out, Schwimmer or his people knew that the building was under landmark consideration, yet they hurried and destroyed it anyway.
Let's go back and look at the questions that we asked on Sept. 8:
We're wondering why:
• With all the available upscale townhouses on the market in the city, why did he buy this historic building only to tear it down?
• Didn't his people think tearing down this historic townhouse would raise the ire — and suspicion — of neighbors?
• What was so special about this particular location? Proximity to Indian food?
• How often will a busy person like Schwimmer actually even stay here?
Previously on EV Grieve:
Is David Schwimmer the 'Friends' star who now owns the demolished 331 E. Sixth St. townhouse?
Outrage over total demolition of historic East Sixth Street townhouse
RIP Bob Spedalere
A few friends of the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place passed along word that Bob Spedalere, a longtime bartender there, died last Thursday. He was 65.
We don't have a lot of details, though we understand that he had been in the hospital. There is a wake today at Provenzano Lanza, 43 Second Ave., from 2-5 p.m. and 7- 9 p.m.
It's likely that you saw Bob with his beloved dog Zach walking around St. Mark's Place ... or maybe even in the Grassroots. (Zack died several years ago.)
Been a difficult time for Grassroots regulars. John Leeper, another longtime bartender there, died last November.
[Photos via Facebook]
We don't have a lot of details, though we understand that he had been in the hospital. There is a wake today at Provenzano Lanza, 43 Second Ave., from 2-5 p.m. and 7- 9 p.m.
It's likely that you saw Bob with his beloved dog Zach walking around St. Mark's Place ... or maybe even in the Grassroots. (Zack died several years ago.)
Been a difficult time for Grassroots regulars. John Leeper, another longtime bartender there, died last November.
[Photos via Facebook]
RIP Connie Bush
There's a memorial for Connie Bush outside 220 E. Fourth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. Bush, the director of the Cornelia Connelly Center, died last Monday after a battle with breast cancer. She was 57.
She co-founded the school for girls from low-income families back in 1993.
Per her obituary:
Connie played with the Bronx Symphony Orchestra and traveled to Europe each winter to play violin with the Manhattan String Quartet. She spent weeks each summer cooking meals for 82 girls and counselors at the Camp Holy Child in Lake Placid, NY; and frequently sped back to Northeast Pennsylvania after working a seventy hour week to prepare a gourmet dinner complete with Martha Stewart accompaniments for her family.
You can read more about her life and work here.
The beginning of the end for 76 Third Ave.
Work crews have started emptying out the remains of 76 Third Ave., most recently Yummy House...
The temporary parking lot has been chopped up to make room for the construction stuff...
Will this finally be our chance to find out what's behind those windows? Look, in the lower window — the curtains are gone!
And the future here...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Those persistent rumors about 74-76 Third Avenue and the future of Nevada Smith's
The East Village will lose a parking lot and gain an apartment building
The temporary parking lot has been chopped up to make room for the construction stuff...
Will this finally be our chance to find out what's behind those windows? Look, in the lower window — the curtains are gone!
And the future here...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Those persistent rumors about 74-76 Third Avenue and the future of Nevada Smith's
The East Village will lose a parking lot and gain an apartment building
With a rubble yell: Here's 51 Astor Place these days
Just a quick post to document what's left of 51 Astor Place... the former Cooper Union engineering building...
First, a great photo by Michael Sean Edwards...
Meanwhile...
...and spotted on the plywood surrounding the pit...
Previously.
First, a great photo by Michael Sean Edwards...
Meanwhile...
...and spotted on the plywood surrounding the pit...
Previously.
East Village signs of the times: Bye Polonia, Joe's Bar and Octavia's Porch
Someone removed part of the now-closed Polonia sign on First Avenue...
...where right next door the sign is working at the new Subway...
...on East Sixth Street, someone took down the remaining letters for Joe's Bar...
...and on St. Mark's Place, the sign is up for the incoming panuozzo place...
Finally, on Avenue B near East Third Street, the Octavia's Porch sign is gone... presumably on its way to the Bad Restaurant Name Hall of Fame.
This will be the second location of the Park Slope-based Mexican eatery Fonda.
...where right next door the sign is working at the new Subway...
...on East Sixth Street, someone took down the remaining letters for Joe's Bar...
...and on St. Mark's Place, the sign is up for the incoming panuozzo place...
Finally, on Avenue B near East Third Street, the Octavia's Porch sign is gone... presumably on its way to the Bad Restaurant Name Hall of Fame.
This will be the second location of the Park Slope-based Mexican eatery Fonda.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Noted
Per @hattmayes — "in front of the NYU dorm. People flooded the street and some guys in speedos jumped on a cab."
Suddenly, everyone is a New York Giants fan!
As you may have heard, the New York Giants are playing the New England Patriots tonight at 6:30. The winner will be crowned this year's Wimbledon champion.
And as you might expect, there are plenty of bandwagon jumpers... Like, do you recall seeing signs that this Duane Reade on 14th Street near First Avenue was the official pharmacy of the Giants during the regular season?
And where were these savings at Trader Joe's earlier?
Anyway, we looked around at various specials for tonight... didn't find anything that stupid. Did you?
And as you might expect, there are plenty of bandwagon jumpers... Like, do you recall seeing signs that this Duane Reade on 14th Street near First Avenue was the official pharmacy of the Giants during the regular season?
And where were these savings at Trader Joe's earlier?
Anyway, we looked around at various specials for tonight... didn't find anything that stupid. Did you?
Last day for East Village Farms
Today is the last day for East Village Farms on Avenue A. A lot of things are on sale. (But not everything — saw some annoyed people who thought their items would be half off.) All the beer is 30 percent off, and they have a pretty good selection. (At 30 percent off, it's now about the same price as Key!)
Anyway, took a few shots of the store's well-worn exterior before it's wiped away...
Employees here have said the landlord plans to tear down the building. But we've never heard this officially from the landlord. And there still aren't any permits of any kind on file with the DOB. So expect the space to sit empty for some time.
Previously on EV Grieve:
A little bit of Hollywood on Avenue A
East Village Farms is closing; renovations coming to 100 Avenue A
Inside the abandoned theater at East Village Farms on Avenue A
Reader reports: Village Farms closing Jan. 31; building will be demolished
Tacos Morelos is back on Avenue A and Second Street
Oops. Meant to note this earlier. Did anyone see them Friday or Saturday? The cart was out of commission last week while the Taco Morelos folks waited for a new permit or something.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
The Coen Brothers want to dress up East Ninth Street
The Coen Brothers are ready to film the 1960s period piece "Inside Llewyn Davis," and they need your help. As you can see from the flyers that the crew posted yesterday, the production would like to request permission "to temporarily dress several storefronts and buildings" to fit the period here on East Ninth Street.
Per On Locations: "The movie follows a protagonist loosely based on singer Dave Van Ronk, a friend of Bob Dylan’s. Oscar Isaac stars as the title character while Justin Timberlake co-stars as another folk musician, his wife will be played by Carey Mulligan, and John Goodman will play a jazz musician who takes a road trip with Davis."
The crew will film on Feb. 16 from 1 p.m. to 2 a.m. Expect the color-coded Justin Timberlake sighting-level system to be on Red all that day and night.
H/t @chriswytenus
Here's to Ben
As you may have read, Ben Gazzara, always a favorite here, died yesterday from pancreatic cancer. The acclaimed actor was 81.
Per the obit in the Times today:
Here's the trailer for "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie," the 1976 John Cassavetes mob drama.
Per the obit in the Times today:
He grew up in a building at 29th Street and First Avenue, where, he wrote in his autobiography, he slept on the fire escape in summer and occasionally heard screams from the patients at Bellevue psychiatric hospital.
Here's the trailer for "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie," the 1976 John Cassavetes mob drama.
The Ludlow getting the inevitable non-fast-food tenant
Well, this isn't really newsy ... BoweryBoogie pointed this out back in December... just kinda wanted it for the record... Anyway, four years after opening, The Ludlow has another retail tenant here on East Houston at Ludlow...
Nail salon! And that name! Petition!
Nail salon! And that name! Petition!
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