[Updated] FDNY battles three-alarm fire at 21 E. Second St.

[Maria Andrea via Twitter]

A three-alarm fire involving 140 firefighters reportedly broke out late last night at 21 E. Second St., a six-floor apartment building between the Bowery and Second Avenue. NYU students living in the adjacent Second Street Residence were evacuated as a precaution, @nyunews reported.

[Jason Lester via Flickr]

Earlier accounts via Twitter reported that the fire occurred in the dorm.

According to Washington Square News, the fire broke out just after 11 p.m. Two firefighters reportedly suffered minor injuries while three civilians were treated at the scene. The FDNY had extinguished the fire by 1:30 a.m.

FDNY officials told Washington Square News that the flames spread from the second floor through an air shaft to the fourth floor of 21 E. Second St.

Per the Post: "The three-alarm inferno ran mostly through one shaft in the building and was difficult to put out because several of the apartments were heavily cluttered, the FDNY said."

[Anna Frenkel via Twitter]

BoweryBoogie has more here. The Lo-Down has photos and coverage here. Find some photos via Jason Lester here.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. NY1 reports that the Red Cross is offering temporary housing to 30 adults and four children.

Valentine's Evening, 2012

Photos by Matt LES_Miserable.

Young love, fueled by a squirrel

Today in Tompkins Square Park. Was the young man doing this to impress his lady friend looking on...? Or was he already feeding the squirrel, much to the delight of a secret admirer?

Ah. Young love.

And if this wasn't Valentine's Day, the headline might be, "This is farm to table [redacted]!"

Photo by Bobby Williams.

EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

[East River Park by Bobby Williams]

How Park Slope teens are helping the homeless in the East Village (Daily News)

Looking at the exterior of the Rod Rogers Dance Theater/Duo Theater on East Fourth Street (Curbed)

San Francisco's Mission Chinese Food coming to Orchard Street (Diner's Journal)

"The East 10th St. Protesters" (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Porsena opening a wine bar next door on Seventh Street (Eater)

Going on a John Lennon walking tour (Tripping With Marty)

A restaurant is opening under the FDR near the Seaport (New York Post)

[Photo by Michele Campo]

For more on the water-main break at Bowery and Delancey this morning... The Lo-Down ... BoweryBoogie ... NY1 ...

Avast! The Holiday Cocktail Lounge is becoming a restaurant that serves fish-n-chips

So you know that Robert Ehrlich, the founder of Pirate Brands, which makes Pirate's Booty, bought the building that housed the now-former Holiday Cocktail Lounge.

Last night, he went before the CB3/SLA committee and revealed his plans. (He never responded to our requests for an interview.) According to a report by Claire Nugent at Eater, the committee approved his plans to open "a new restaurant/tavern offering local, regional cuisine."

He is teaming with Barbara Sibley, the owner of La Palapa next door. Per Eater:

They said they hope their restaurant will echo the restaurants that have disappeared, with a menu offering those foods New Yorkers "miss" like Shepard’s Pie and fish 'n’ chips.

Ehrlich reportedly didn't win the rights to keep the Holiday name.

Updated 11:50 a.m.

Grub Street has more. Sibley, who will manage the space, said, "We're going to try to preserve as much of the history as possible."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The founder of Pirate's Booty is taking over the Holiday Cocktail Lounge

Why the future of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge may be in doubt

The house rules of a short-term rental on St. Mark's Place

We're hearing more about short-term rentals in the East Village following Friday's post about 528 E. 13th St. We heard from a former resident of 31 St. Mark's Place.

"I keep in touch with my old neighbors all the time and it sounds like the building has changed hands several times and most recently, we discovered that the owner is possibly illegally renting apartments like a hotel."

The resident points us to an Airbnb listing for a "DREAMY" apartment on St. Mark's Place...

The "approximate" address is 38 St. Mark's Place... which isn't an existing address on St. Mark's Place.

In any event, this particular listing is worth noting for the "house rules," which we reposted below... (The all caps are part of the rules; the bold is our doing)...

PLEASE BE COURTEOUS AND POLITE TO THE NEIGHBORS in the building. They do not want to live with crazy, loud people. Please: No crazy parties or loud drinking! TRY NOT TO TALK TO THEM. DO NOT TELL ANYBODY YOU ARE RENTING MY APARTMENT. DO NOT TELL ANYBODY WHICH APT YOU ARE STAYING IN. JUST TELL THEM YOU ARE A FRIEND VISITING. Please DO NOT TALK IN THE HALLWAYS. If anybody were to ask you something, you are a friend staying with me on holiday visiting New York and you did not pay me money to stay at the apartment BUT TRY TO AVOID CONVERSATION. Please try to be discreet going up the stairs and try not to linger in the hallways

Yet another chance to become Tom Cruise's neighbor

Every so often we'll tell you about units available in the American Felt Building on 13th Street near Fourth Avenue where, among other residents, Tom Cruise owns a place or two.

And we have the unit for you via Halstead.

This Fabulous high floor loft residence with open south and west views, in the heart of the Village, steps to Union Square features 12' ceilings, wood floors, wood burning fireplace, oversized master bedroom spacious second bedroom and newly remodeled oversized bathroom. Great gourmet open kitchen. The unit is tastefully decorated and it comes fully furnished. It is located in a well known full service condominium building close to great restaurants,shopping area and all means of transportation. Available immediately for a three to six months term!

And here's what your $8,000-per-month gets you...

(Are those photos of Suri on the wall?)

And we leave you with this real estate-ese left on StreetEasy about the building ...

This building’s name “The American Felt Building” says it all. It really is the one-time home of the American Felt Company, who supplied the hammer and bushing felt for the Steinway piano company, who’s showroom cum concert Hall was one block away back in the day. This was one of the first re-purposed buildings in the area, and remains one of the most desirable: the ceilings are high, the windows are big, the roof deck is wonderful (and under-used) and, not to be overlooked or undervalued, the construction is so solid you will never hear one of your neighbors; they could be playing Lizst on their Steinway piano and you would never know it. The floorplans may seem small, but some creative engineering has turned the loft apartments into unique spaces tricked out with platforms, balconies, extra windows, interior walls, etc. Truly, no two apartments are alike in this building.

What about someone playing the Black Keys?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Your chance to be Tom Cruise's neighbor

Coen Brothers Week begins here tomorrow

Back on Feb. 4, we noted that the Coen Brothers will be filming the 1960s period piece "Inside Llewyn Davis" in the neighborhood ... Tomorrow, they'll be filming in and around First Street and Second Street ... between Second Avenue and Avenue A...

They'll be towing your ass starting tonight at 8. (Important to note in case you are driving around here for a Valentine's Day Night dinner.)

Anyway ... 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. Carey Mulligan and John Goodman are also in the film.

Thursday should be a more interesting day for acting as if you don't give a shit gawking. The production crew will "temporarily dress several storefronts and buildings" to fit the period on East Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Reps at Zi Pep on East Ninth Street told Grub Street that "the entire block ... will be transformed into the sixties Village [and] ... The Southern Italian restaurant will be made over as a folk club."

Last time a film crew needed someplace to serve as a 1960s-style Greenwich Village club for a shoot, Sophie's heeded the call for "Greetings From Tim Buckley."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Coen Brothers want to dress up East Ninth Street

Prepping East Ninth Street to make to look like it did, oh, 40-plus years ago...

Speaking of the Coen Brothers... Bobby Williams notes that various carpenters and crew members started the transformation of East Ninth Street in advance of Thursday's shoot here for the 1960s period piece "Inside Llewyn Davis."

Whatever you think abut the Coen Brothers (have you watched "Blood Simple" lately?) ... it brings back some film-shoot cred around here after "The Smurfs" and "Step Up 3D."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Coen Brothers want to dress up East Ninth Street

Coen Brothers Week begins here tomorrow

Heeeere's your First Avenue Starbucks...

EV Grieve contributor jdx was walking by the incoming Starbucks on First Avenue at East Third Street last night right when the workers pulled down the brown paper from the windows... revealing a familiar-looking layout...

Any bets on whether the Starbucks brass will continue to allow the Monk Thrift Shop to keep the sandwich board propped up against the building?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Today's sign of the apocalypse: Starbucks taking over The Bean's space on First Avenue and Third Street

East Village first and second graders display anti-Starbucks sentiments at the Bean

The Pee Phone's humanitarian tone

Yesterday at Avenue A and Seventh Street.

No tears for Sniff as store is able to relocate

After 20 years at 21 E. Seventh St., Sniff Aromatherapy, which sells custom-mixed bath oils and what not, lost its lease at the end of 2011 ... (reported here previously)...

Fortunately, in this case, Sniff was able to secure another location nearby... at 65 E. Fourth St. ... and, in case you haven't noticed, they are open here for business...

Noted

From the NYU Local blog comes a post titled "The Ladies Of NYU’s College Republicans Have A Newt Gingrich Themed Sleepover."

Someone anonymously sent the student-run site a slew of photos like this one...

More at Buzzfeed.

H/t Matt LES_Miserable.

Follow-up about the fire this morning on St. Mark's Place

Around 7 this morning, we took some blurry photos of the FDNY responding to a report of a fire on St. Mark's Place... (we sent them out via Twitter here ... and here...)

Anyway, DNAinfo reported that "The fire sparked about 6:45 a.m. on the first floor of 17 St. Marks Place, FDNY officials said. Fire officials said an unidentified woman suffered a minor injury. She was taken to New York Hospital."

An NYU student who lives in the building got a look inside the fire-damaged apartment and noted, "everything was gone."

Report: Fonda opens at 40 Avenue B next Tuesday

Diner's Journal reports that the second location of the Park Slope-based Mexican eatery Fonda opens next Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Per Diner's Journal, Fonda will have "60 seats and a menu of well-crafted, richly flavored regional dishes, including Yucatean shrimp, a Guajillo-style burger and chicken from the north with Chihuahua cheese. Crowd-pleasers like taquitos, flautas, braised pork in adobo sauce, and enchiladas suizas are also featured."

The address has been a carousel of eateries. Last May, the "Global Jewish" restaurant from "Top Chef" alum Nikki Cascone closed after six months. Chabela's and Russo's have been in and out of here in fairly quick succession in recent years.

And now, photos of Rose McGowan in her room at the Standard East Village

Via her Twitter account.

Outside Cooper Union, the NYPD warns about death from above

Heh. "Authorized Drone Strike Zone." But just 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., though that includes Sunday, per the sign.

More about the signs via The New Yorker here (subscription required) ... and CNN.

Spotted by EV Grieve reader Blaine this morning.

On the Bowery, a synagogue opening above 7-Eleven

Over on the Bowery, in the space above the 7-Eleven and below the 52E4 pool, "a former Deadhead couple" will open a synagogue, the Post reports today in an article titled "Hasid shul of rock."

As the paper notes, this address is near the former CBGB space.

“CBGB was the hub of punk-rock culture, driven by passion, excitement and energy — an energy that’s an expression of spiritual thirst,” said [Rabbi Dov Yonah] Korn, 33. “Two blocks north, we’re harnessing that energy in a Jewish way.”

Also!

“The Bowery used to be a place you wouldn’t walk around at night,” Sarah Korn said. “But now it’s safe, it’s hip, and it needs a shul.”

Rabbi Korn said Jewish East Villagers and NYU students alike will be welcome to their Chabad Serving NYU synagogue — who have been running this since 2002 — when the space opens later this winter.

Curbed noted this opening in January 2011:
A Rabbi and John Legend Walk Into a Bowery Condo Building...

Owner: Painting over art on Life Cafe's roll-down gates was 'sacrilegious'

On our post Friday about work permits at the Life Cafe, Goggla pointed out that workers had painted over the restaurant's roll-down gates at 10th Street and Avenue B...

Sure enough... a photo of the gates from a few years ago...


Apparently this development came as a surprise to Life Cafe owner Kathy Kirkpatrick, who left this comment on the post:

It is sad and tragic to see Scott Borofsky's graffiti art destroyed. Removing it from the gates of Life Cafe was sacrilegious. His art was an iconic and important element of the fabric of the outdoor art arena from the 1980s. I am touched by the ongoing sentiments of support and loss expressed here and elsewhere. I miss you and many of my staff still tell me they miss being with you all at the Cafe as well. I want you to know that I'm still fighting for Life but cannot say more at this time. However, when this is over I promise to share the full Life story of the last few years.

Here's the hole in the ground where 9-17 Second Ave. was

...and on the plywood outside the construction site ...

Previously.