EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Flower shopping outside Key on Avenue A]

RIP Leee Black Childers (This Ain't the Summer of Love ... artlyst)

The 9th Precinct gets a new commanding officer (The Lo-Down)

Angel Orensanz Foundation may reopen next week (DNAinfo)

I like this photo that Miss Heather took on Avenue A! (New York Shitty)

The always reliable Manatus closes on Bleecker (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Some now-and-then shots of Broadway and East 12th Street (Flaming Pablum)

Expansion in the works for Epstein's Bar (BoweryBoogie)

...and from last night while waiting for the L at Union Square ... via Gothamist...

Why the East Village smells like a campfire this morning

Oh, morning! Pretty nice out. Kinda misty/smoky though... and there's a noticeable odor...

@evgrieve why does our hood smell like a campfire?

— Amy Marsh (@amyruthmarsh) April 7, 2014

Thanks to some alert EVG Facebook friends ... here's the answer... via NBC 4:

The smell of smoke wafted over New York City early Monday after a brush fire broke out in a state forest in central New Jersey, authorities say.

Storm Team 4 meteorologists say that winds most likely carried the smoke to the area Sunday evening. Winds died down overnight, settling the odor over the city. The odor should be observable for the next eight to 12 hours.

Working on the EVG Odorama feature now...

More eggsciting hawk news from the Christodora House

So much coming and going the past few days up at the hawk nest on the 7th floor of the Christodora House on Avenue B and East Ninth Street …





The big news though, via Goggla, is that there are now two eggs in the nest…


[Photo by Francois Portmann]

Check out Goggla's recent posts here … and here … and here for more on this mating/nesting action.

And find more nest cam shots from Francois right here.

Top photos by Bobby Williams

Previously on EV Grieve:
Red-tailed hawks nest on the Christodora House

The hawks of Tompkins Square Park have laid an egg at the Christodora House

P.S.
I'm sorry about that headline.

'Moving Murals' marks the first exhibit for City Lore on East 1st Street

City Lore is now up and running at 54 E. First St. with its new gallery space at the former home of the Lower Eastside Girls Club.

For starters, a little about City Lore. Per the organization's website:

Founded in 1986, City Lore’s mission is to foster New York City – and America’s – living cultural heritage through education and public programs. We document, present, and advocate for New York City’s grassroots cultures to ensure their living legacy in stories and histories, places and traditions. We work in four cultural domains: urban folklore and history; preservation; arts education; and grassroots poetry traditions. In each of these realms, we see ourselves as furthering cultural equity and modeling a better world with projects as dynamic and diverse as New York City itself.

"Moving Murals," City Lore's inaugural exhibition, opened this past Thursday … it features the photography of Henry Chalfant and Martha Cooper…



Here's a description:

Photographed during the "Golden Age of Graffiti" in the '70s and early '80s, Chalfant and Cooper's images of graffitied subway cars are among the major documents of American popular culture in the late twentieth century. Moving Murals presents the images in a wall to wall mosaic of over 850 muraled trains, creating an ultimate All City graffiti trainyard environment. Complimenting the murals: photographs of the writers in their element.

And for the first time, the exhibit provides an interactive audience experience through the addition of Chalfant's recently published iBook viewed on a large screen, complete with the train image archive, artist interviews, and videos.

We stopped by to check it out…












The exhibit is up through July 10. And there are a few special events associated with it, including a screening of the hip-hop documentaries "Style Wars" I and II on April 17.

The Gallery is open every Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m.

For more about City Lore and their new space, you can read this article by Serena Solomon at DNAinfo from February.

Reader report: Shakespeare & Company loses lease on Broadway

Another book store appears to be in danger. A reliable source tells us that the 30-plus year-old Shakespeare & Co. location at 716 Broadway has lost its lease.

Per our tipster: The landlord wants more money for the storefront here between Washington Place and Waverly Place… an increase that's too much for Shakespeare to manage.

There isn't any official word yet from the store about a possible closure … and our tipster says that there is interest among some regulars in launching a fund-raising campaign to help the store either stay in its current location or find a new home.

The Shakespeare & Company closed on the Upper West Side back in 1996. The location on East 23rd Street closed several years ago. There are still locations on Lexington Avenue near Hunter and in Brooklyn near Brooklyn College.

[Image via Yelp]

Closed for renovations: Veselka until tomorrow; Tofu House till who knows when

As you can see from the sign, Veselka is closed until tomorrow morning...

We wanted to give you all a heads-up that Veselka will be closed for a little maintenance from MIDNIGHT SUNDAY until TUESDAY MORNING.
— Veselka Restaurant (@veselkanyc) April 5, 2014

All the tables and chairs were moved from the dining room and workers were buffing/something the floors.

Meanwhile, at 6 St. Mark's Place, the Tofu House closed yesterday...



Signs point to a renovation.



There's no other information available. Phone calls get routed to a generic Verizon voice-mail box. The Tofu House Facebook page hasn't been updated since December 2011.

Report: Clayton Patterson leaving the Lower East Side for the Austrian Alps

[Photo of Elsa and Clayton from 2011 courtesy of Curt Hoppe]

As you may have heard, longtime neighborhood documentarian Clayton Patterson and his companion Elsa Rensaa are moving away from the city.

In an article from the Times yesterday (online Friday) titled "Last Bohemian Turns Out the Lights," Patterson discusses his decision to leave after 35 years on the Lower East Side.

Early this winter, to the shock of those who knew him, he made an announcement: He was leaving New York. This was news in what remained of the creative underground that sits below 14th Street. After all, one of the last men who could credibly claim the title of Manhattan’s last bohemian had not only decided he was quitting the city, he also figured he could find a richer existence 4,000 miles away — in the Austrian Alps.

“There’s nothing left for me here,” said Mr. Patterson, who, at 65, is still a physical presence, with his biker’s beard, Santa Claus belly and mouth of gold teeth. “The energy is gone. My community is gone. I’m getting out. But the sad fact is: I didn’t really leave the Lower East Side. It left me.”

Read the whole article here.

Vote expected tomorrow on the proposed 9-story hotel next to the historic Merchant's House

The Landmarks Preservation Commission is expected to vote tomorrow on the proposed 9-floor hotel next to the Merchant's House Museum on East Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette.

Ahead of the meeting, the third on the matter, preservationist groups are rallying for support in protecting the circa-1832 building.

As the city’s only Federal-style house that survives with an intact exterior and interior (including family furnishings), it is a miraculous, irreplaceable, but fragile architectural artifact.

The Merchant’s House Museum previously suffered severe damage from the demolition of 31 East 4th and the subsequent below-the-surface drilling for the acquifer that is located there.

While there isn't any public testimony tomorrow, the Merchant's House is encouraging people to show up in support… and these stickers will be available to wear…



Meeting details:

Tuesday, April 8, 10:45 a.m. (Arrive 10:15 a.m. to sign in. Bring a photo ID.)
Place: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
Municipal Building
1 Centre Street (at Chambers St.), 9th floor.

Find Curbed's coverage of the proposed development here. BoweryBoogie has more details/background on this today right here.

The Merchant's House was the sixth landmark designated in 1965, when LPC was first created.

The space next door to the museum is currently this one-level structure… housing Al-Amin Food Inc., which stores food carts…


[Via Google]

Previously

The Philip Seymour Hoffman memorial on East 1st Street looks freaky at night

[February]

The artwork for Centre-fuge Cycle 12 has been up since February on the rotating outdoor gallery/construction trailer here along East First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Cycle 12 includes Michael DeNicola's tribute to the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Several EVG friends just noticed, and pointed out, how eerie the memorial looks at night when the lights are on inside the trailer…

Because we haven't posted any photos of The Jefferson in like 3 weeks

There's always something new to look at outside the Jefferson, the incoming condos at 211 E. 13th St. near Third Avenue … from windows to a new sidewalk … and now, that entryway has finally taken shape…



Anyway, the new 82-unit building at the site of the former Mystery Lot in the North West East Village is reportedly all sold out as of December.

The next development to note here will likely be the sight of moving trucks…

Previously on EV Grieve:
City approves new building for Mystery Lot

The last days of the Mystery Lot

Before it was the Mystery Lot

The Mystery Lot developers using famous dead comedians to sell condos at The Jefferson

The Jefferson reveals what '21st Century living in the heart of Olde New York' costs

Today's sunset

Via Bobby Williams…

Art around the Park

The Mona Lisa, Donald Trump, Arsenio Hall, Spike Lee and the First Family along Tompkins Square Park today… photo by Bobby Williams

Week in Grieview

[Thanks for the nightmares!]

Watch a documentary about the great Flo Fox (Friday)

Memorial details for d.b.a. co-founder Dennis Zentek (Wednesday)

An update on the 16 floors of glass coming to Third Avenue (Monday)

Co-op lottery! (Monday)

The Sunburnt Cow is closing at the end of the month (Thursday)

A few early 1990s pics from around the East Village (Thursday)

Concern over this proposal for a sidewalk cafe on Fourth Avenue (Thursday)

Here comes the New York Sports Club on Avenue A (Friday)

An Out and About in the East Village 2014 recap (Wednesday)

More details about Max Fish 2014 (Tuesday)

RIP Warsaw Bakery sign (Tuesday)

Is this a gag? "Fresh, artisanal bacon from all over the world." (Tuesday)

Post Office rant! (Wednesday)

Checking in on 31-33 Second Ave., presently being Shaoul-ed (Wednesday)

Not much happening at the Mono + Mono space (Thursday)

Kung Fu Tea now open on St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)

An eviction notice for This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef (Monday)

Red Hook Lobster Pound opens in Extra Place (Wednesday)

This morning

Tompkins Square Park…

Reminders: The M8 weekend service resumes TODAY

[EVG file photo from May 2009]

It's true! The M8 will now run from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Starting today. Right now!

The weekend service was discontinued in June 2010 to help ease the MTA's $400 million financial shortfall. This route and others came back via NYC Transit's "2013-14 Service Enhancements Program."

Here is the M8 route...



Previously on EV Grieve:
M8 weekend service resumes next Sunday (13 comments)

Memorial for Spike in Tompkins Square Park

Lisa Julian (aka Spike or Lucretia) died after an SUV struck her on Third Avenue on March 27 …

Today, her friends created a memorial for her where she was likely best known — Tompkins Square Park…



Photos by Bobby Williams

Previously

2 vendors added to the Tompkins Square Greenmarket starting tomorrow

[File photo of Bread Alone taken at Union Square]

Via the EVG inbox...

Two farms added to the Tompkins Square Park Greenmarket lineup for this Sunday, April 6 — one returning, one new!

• B&Y Farms of Tioga County, N.Y. returns to the market with their Animal Welfare Approved pork, lamb, poultry and eggs, in addition to their yarn, fleeces and pickles.

• Bread Alone of Ulster County, N.Y. also joins the market, bringing their mostly certified organic breads and pastries.

The Bowery Workout

An EVG reader shared this photo and report from today on the Bowery between East Third Street and East Fourth Street…

"A group of people dressed in camouflage fatigues (mostly men) walking in a group led by a huge American flag ... then they all dropped to the ground and started lifting their backpacks and doing sit-ups(?) as someone counted 50 reps…"

Zoltar can see clearly now, the tags are gone

Last Saturday!



This Saturday!



It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

H/T Johnny Nash

That late 1970s show

[St.Mark's Place 1979]

Alex at Flaming Pablum uncovered a cache of photos from Patrick Cummins, a Canadian archivist. Of particular interest is his set of 250-plus photos on Flickr dubbed "NYC 78-83."

Let's quote Alex's post on the photos:

Everyone talks about how “gritty” New York City used to be, and it’s almost become this quaint little descriptor that people blithely toss around, but Cummins’ photographs hit you like a sooty, graffiti-slathered stone. His remarkably composed black and white shots of various city spaces can be chilling and stark, revealing a great city in decline. Suddenly, your eye fixes on some random architectural flourish or landmark, and you recognize the location. More than a few of these pictures had me positively gasping.

Here's a sampling of the photos from around these parts (his photos span from Harlem to Coney Island) …


[Looking east on Union Square from 1979]


[Bleecker at the Bowery, undated]


[Crosby and Bleecker 1978]

Jeremiah posted a selection of Cummins' photos on Thursday at Vanishing New York.

Find this set and a lot more at Cummins' Flickr account.