Here is the new Beastie Boys mural in honor of 'Paul's Boutique'

This Beastie Boys mural went up this weekend on Ludlow and Rivington.

As you may have read, the mural is in honor of their second record, "Paul's Boutique," which is celebrating its 25th (!!!) anniversary.

Brooklyn-based artist Danielle Mastrion created the mural outside Wolfnights, the sandwich shop on this corner. LeRoy McCarthy, who unsuccessfully lobbied for "Beastie Boys Square" here, is also behind this project.

The storefront was once home to Lee's Sportswear, which appeared on the cover of "Paul's Boutique."



Thanks to EVG Facebook friend Shirley Dluginski for the new mural photo!

1st Avenue ceiling fan

Photo this afternoon via Grant Shaffer.

Week in Grieview

[St. Mark's Place near 3rd Avenue on July 26]

Remembering Michael Brody (Monday)

Dr. Dave is fighting eviction on East Second Street (Thursday)

Celebrating 25 years at Paul's Da Burger Joint (Monday)

Google employee accused of raping woman in East 12th Street apartment (Tuesday)

First signs of the Alphabet City-Tompkins Square Slow Zone (Friday)

Out and About with Lauren Edmond (Wednesday)

Work starts on Mars Bar 2.0 (Monday)

Rice burgers coming to East Ninth Street (Thursday)

About the Between the Seas Festival (Tuesday)

Veselka turns back the clock (Wednesday)

The return of I Coppi (Wednesday)

Time-lapse video of the baby hawks (Wednesday)

A reboot for Oyama (Tuesday)

At the Blarney Cove Cove (Monday)

Covering the mural wall on the Bowery and East Houston (Thursday)

Deeper discounts now at Kim's, closing soon (Wednesday)

A look at the new Max Fish signage (Tuesday)

The quick-rising new luxury buildings on Lafayette (Tuesday)

"You were walking through the east village with broccoli casually tucked in your backpack" (Wednesday)

Coffee shops with WiFi (Friday)

Birdbath Bakery still closed (Monday)

Here is your Red & Gold Crab Shack! signage (Monday)

French bistro taking over Apartment 13 space (Thursday)

#Couchon3rd now on 2nd Avenue

At East 12th Street. The sign on the sleeper sofa reads #Couchon3rd and #Noton3rd

Previously, #Couchon3rd — with a different couch — was camped out in front of the incoming Westside Market…

Repost: When we almost lost St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery to a fire

The following post first appeared here on July 27, 2012…

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[Photo via]

On July 27, 1978, a fire nearly destroyed the St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, long a focal point of the community. At the time of the blaze, workers were nearly done with a $500,000 restoration of the historic church on Second Avenue and East 10th Street.

According to an account by Tom Sotor in the East Side Express:

The fire began when a workman's welding instrument ignited a section of the timber cornice, and from there the blaze spread rapidly. "Smoke was pouring out of the hell tower when we arrived," recalls one of the first firefighters on the scene. "I said to myself, 'This ceiling's going to go.' And sure as hell, there was a partial collapse." The rear section of the 50-foot high peaked roof collapsed a half-hour after the fire began.

The 75 firefighters involved with the three-alarm blaze Were faced with many other problems as well. A six-foot iron fence that surrounded the church and a graveyard on one side prevented the companies from utilizing anything but portable equipment. Consequently, a tower ladder had to be employed to spray the front and rear, while the sides of the church remained practically unassailable.

There was also danger of the 150-foot steeple collapsing. "We kept an eye on the steeple'supports," explains John J. Moffatt, the commander in charge of the fire. "If it fell, we would have had a lot of injuries."

There weren't any reported injuries... though the fire caused major damage to the church, including the loss of the roof and nine of the 23 stained-glass windows.

[Via East Side Express]

The Citizens to Save St Mark's was founded to raise funds for its reconstruction ... supervised by architect Harold Edelman. The restoration was completed in 1986, with new stained-glass windows designed by Edelman, who personally supervised the entire project, according to his obit in the Times from 1999.

And a little snippet of the history via the Church website:

The St. Mark’s Church and its yards are just a few reminders of the once vast “bouwerie,” or Dutch plantation, which Peter Stuyvesant, governor of New Amsterdam purchased in 1651 from the Dutch West India Company. When Stuyvesant died in 1672, his body was interred in a vault under the family chapel he’d had built in 1660. In 1793, Stuyvesant’s great-grandson, Petrus Stuyvesant, donated the chapel property to the Episcopal Church with the stipulation that a new chapel be erected and on April 25, 1795, the cornerstone of St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery was laid.

Tonight's sunset

Via EVG reader Christine... from near East 5th Street and Avenue D...

Today's selfie of the day

East Ninth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Photo via Bobby Williams

Check out Sunny and Annie's new floor

And enjoy the new-floor shine while ordering a delicious sandwich.

Photo via Goggla.

Sunny and Annie's, 94 Avenue B at East Sixth Street.

Report: State Attorney General launches Steve Croman investigation

From the Daily News today:

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has launched a probe into the potentially illegal tactics used by landlord Steven Croman, 47, to force rent-stabilized tenants out of their valuable apartments, a source said.

The AG is investigating potential violations of city and state laws, including numerous infractions related to tenant harassment by Croman, the source said.

The article includes a story from Cordelia and Graham Winton, who live in a building on East Eighth Street that Croman/9300 Realty bought last year.

They declined Croman's buyout offer, and remain living in their $1,250 apartment while neighbors above and below them pay $6,000.

When they returned from a vacation last Saturday, they discovered that someone cranked up the steam heat in their building while they were away.

The heat was so extreme, wine bottles had uncorked, spewing their contents on the floor. A glass cabinet shattered, wood shelves warped and collapsed, the plastic spray arm in the sink melted, an outlet popped out of the wall and the ceiling and walls bubbled.

You can read the article here for the rest of this.

Yesterday, the Daily News reported that Schneiderman slapped a cease-and-desist order on one of Croman's employees, ex-cop Anthony Falconite, who "tenants say has engaged in a campaign of harassment and intimidation to force them out."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Watch a lot of people speak out against Steve Croman and 9300 Realty

Despite plea, landlord doubling rent on East Village family with cancer-stricken 2 year old

[Photo of Steve and Harriet Croman by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for DuJour]

Above 1st Avenue, 7:43 a.m., July 26

Via @evgrieve

A new weekly flea market outside St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery

[File photo via Momos/Wikipedia]

From the EVG inbox…

Starting today, Karma Kleaners will be showcasing a limited selection of jewelry, accessories and gift items at the brand new (Saturday) weekly Flea Market run by Metro Festival Productions (who also run the St. Anthony Market in Soho).

If this new venue proves successful Karma Kleaners will expand our merchandising to include crystals, sage kleansing lits, and possibly even some shoes and vintage items.

This Flea Market features several vendors who you may recognize as veterans of the Flea Market circuit in New York City. Come out & show that DOWNTOWN, New York City can still support local artists, small businesses, and a Flea Market!

The market is open 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Today on East 6th Street: The 2nd annual Refresh Block Party

Via the EVG inbox…

The second annual Refresh Block Party is a celebration of friendship, beauty and diversity in our neighborhood. We’ll have free food, DJs, bounce houses, free hair cuts, bike registration with the NYPD, and more. Featuring Tedsmooth, DJ Tra$e, Mike Sessions, Soni, Nick Lo, and Beyond Rest.

The event is put on as part of a collaborative work, united as OurNeighborhood.Is. The work began as a neighborhood-based recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Together we opened what the mayor’s office called, “the largest relief site in Manhattan,” serving over 20,000 people in six days. Last year we celebrated this and other works together at the first Refresh Block Party.

The Refresh Block Party is today from 3-7 p.m. on East Sixth Street between Avenue D and the FDR.

Photos of the 2013 Block Party via OurNeighborhood.Is

The Heat is on

Here is "The Heat" from Jungle, the buzzy UK-based soul collective whose debut record was released on July 14. NME calls it "the pop-art album of the summer."

Cafe Bari has closed after 21 years on Broadway and Spring

[Photo from May 2013 via Facebook]

An East Village resident passed this item along... thinking that some EVG readers may (or may not!) have an interest in knowing that Cafe Bari has closed on the northwest corner of Spring Street and Broadway.

Here is part of a message posted to the Cafe Bari Facebook page:

In 1993 my father, Bari Omari, opened a business called Cafe Bari, on the corner of Spring St & Broadway, in Soho NY. Today, it is the heart of one of the largest tourist shopping attractions in the world. 21 years ago, this wasn't the case.

Bari Omari was one of the pioneers of Soho.

They closed after service last Saturday. (The letter includes a PS with a hopeful "Who knows, maybe Bari will surprise us & make a comeback one of these days.")

Can't say that we were ever in here (or know a thing about it) ... anyway, there's a rumor that Niketown is taking the space. Which seems about right.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Outside the 13th Step on 2nd Avenue via Derek Berg]

Tips for keeping your rent-stabilized apartment (DNAinfo)

Tokyo Rebel, formerly on Avenue B, has a new home on Allen Street (BoweryBoogie)

Bleecker Street Records transformation to a Starbucks complete (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

After 3 weeks away, Dora the hawk returns (Gog in NYC)

Traffic light nest on 8th and D (The Lo-Down)

RevJen’s Troll Museum on Orchard Street in danger of closing (Gothamist)

This Orchard Street penthouse has a rooftop watchtower (Curbed)

...and screenings tonight at the Anthology Film Archives — Richard Linklater's "Slacker" and "Dazed and Confused."

Finally, this lonely mini cheesecake needs company in Tompkins Square Park...


[Photo by EVG reader Amanda]

Report: Attorney General slaps cease-and-desist order on ex-cop accused of hassling tenants on behalf of landlords, including Steve Croman

From the Daily News today:

He's a renter's worst nightmare — an ex-cop authorities say regularly harasses and intimidates rent-stabilized tenants to force them out so their landlord can charge higher rent.

His name is Anthony Falconite, and this week state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman took the unusual step of slapping him with a “cease and desist” order, demanding he halt an increasingly aggressive campaign that’s crossed the legal line.

In documents obtained by the Daily News, Schneiderman charges that Falconite has forced his way into apartments, snapped photos of tenants’ mail and belongings and repeatedly threatened them with eviction.

Tenants say he’s followed them to and from work, confronting them at their jobs about where they really live. He has questioned family members and even tenants’ children. He’s pretended to be a maintenance worker or a FedEx agent to get inside their apartments.

Among his employers, according to the Daily News: Steven Croman of 9300 Realty.

Do you recognize Mr. Falconite? Has he ever approached you in the East Village?

First signs of the Alphabet City-Tompkins Square Slow Zone

You may have noticed a few new street signs around the neighborhood.

The Department of Transportation has installed signs showing the new speed limit for part of the East Village under the Slow Zone Initiative, which is expected to launch next month. (Read the background about all this here.)



Yesterday, crews started putting in speed bumps on several streets, including East Eighth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C and East Sixth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D …


[Photo by Dave on 7th]

The map below shows the designated Slow Zone — First Avenue east to the FDR, and from East Second Street north to East 14th Street.


[Click image to enlarge]

In addition to the 20 mph speed limit (15 mph near schools), a Slow Zone area features speed bumps (21 here) and new striping and signage to slow drivers.

CB3 member Chad Marlow helped put the plan in motion for the East Village early last year. In 1995, a drunken driver struck Marlow's father on Harlem River Drive, an accident that left him with quadriplegia and a severe brain injury. His father died 13 years after the accident.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Call for an East Village 'slow zone' (34 comments)

More about the timing of the Tompkins Square/Alphabet City Slow Zone

Alphabet City-Tompkins Square Slow Zone to take effect in August

Reader mailbag: Where are the best coffee shops with WiFi in the East Village?

From an EVG reader:

Can you ask readers to weigh in on the best coffee shops in the neighborhood with WiFi? Please help!

OK!

So I can't help … I only know about the places with good Fax machines.

Anyone? Coffee and WiFi?

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We often get reader queries ... asking for help with, say, donating clothes or books ... or finding an East Village-based caterer... If you have a question for the masses, then try the EV Grieve email...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader mailbag: Places to eat that have that old East Village vibe (45 comments)

Reader mailbag: What do I do about my new neighbors who smoke pot all the time? (52 comments)

Reader mailbag: Where is a good place to get a cup of coffee in the East Village before 6 a.m.? (25 comments)

Reader mailbag: What has happened to the Cooper Station Post Office? (41 comments)

Reader mailbag: Can the landlord 'drill' the lock to gain access to my apartment for simple repairs? (15 comments)

Reader mailbag: Should we receive a rent abatement for having sporadic heat and hot water?

Reader mailbag: How often does your mail get delivered?

Learn about the trees of Tompkins Square Park

[Click on map for a better view]

Michael Natale, a longtime LES resident who maintains the GammaBlog site, has been keeping tabs on the trees in Tompkins Square Park for the past three years.

He posted an updated map (above) this week.

Mostly I’ve indicated which trees died over the winter (X marks the spots). We lost three large Crab Apples within the Park, and several other small trees on 10th Street. The street trees along 10th Street have a high mortality rate, probably due to proximity to the Con Edison steam pipe running next to the south curb there. Also I’ve added an icon for all the Shingle Oaks that were planted around the perimeter this Spring.

Tomorrow, Natale is hosting two tree walks in Tompkins Square Park. (This is free, by the way.) If you are interested, then you can meet him near the Hare Krishna Tree in the Central Plaza of the Park at 9 a.m. or 5 p.m.

"We'll walk around and share our knowledge about the trees and the Park," he said.

You can print your own tree map here. (He'll have extras in case you don't have the chance to print one.)

"I'm particularly hoping that we'll attract local tree experts who can identify the few trees that have eluded positive identification," he said. "I'd also love to have gardeners on hand to help identify the various flowers and bushes, etc."

Community 54 arrives on Avenue B

Community 54 opened this week at 186 Avenue B between East 11th Street and East 12th Street.

The street wear boutique moved here from the doomed stretch of 50-62 Clinton St., where they closed up shop back in January.

Business partners Daymon Green and Jason Jacobs describe the store this way on their website:

Community 54 is a neighborhood lifestyle boutique inspired by creative nostalgia. From classic arcade games and vintage street wear, mixed with new indie brands and contemporary art, the space is a destination for curators of unique collectibles and clothing.

The space was previously home to Gruppo, who moved down Avenue B in March 2013.