Report: 20 Avenue A sells for $26.5 million

The 62-unit, rent-regulated building at the southeast corner of Second Street recently changed hands for the first time in three decades, The Real Deal reported.

Said broker Joseph Koicim:

“Given the fact the building was fully-rent regulated, many prospective purchasers had a rough time wrapping their arms around this asset, but we were able to procure a buyer who paid within ten percent of our asking price and plans to hold this long-term.”

The buyer was identified only as a Manhattan-based investor, per The Real Deal.

One building resident said that the new management company has been pretty responsive so far. And there's new laundry room coming soon.

"We will see how the honeymoon period goes," the resident said.

Meanwhile, we wonder if the new landlord plans to hold the Tats Cru wall long-term as well…





As far as we can remember, this wall has seen at least two marriage proposals. Here and here.

East 10th Street building new to the market; triplex unit in the future?

This listing arrived late last week at Massey Knakal:

A 5 story, walk up apartment building located on the south side of East Tenth Street between First Avenue and Avenue A. The building consists of 7 residential units of which 6 are free market and 1 is rent stabilized. The average in-place rent is $65/SF while rents in the area have achieved more than $80/SF.

The ground floor can be converted to retail as-of right in order to take advantage of a block that has seen retail rents reach over $130/SF. The property also benefits from approximately 3,724 square feet of air rights.

This represents an excellent opportunity for an investor who is looking for stable cash flow and tremendous future upside in the highly sought after East Village neighborhood. Alternatively, it could serve as an ideal user opportunity to create a triplex unit.

Price: $6.3 million

Elsa has closed

Elsa, the cocktail lounge modeled after a fashion designer's workroom, has now closed on East Third Street.

Not sure exactly when the doors closed for good. (There's a Yelp review from July 17.)

This had been an expected development, as Eater noted back on June 30.

Elsa's website says that they "will be moving to a new location at the end of July! Details on the new space will be coming soon."

However, per Eater:

Elsa's bartenders are apparently telling patrons that the bar is not relocating at all and will simply be shutting its doors. An employee at the bar tells Eater that the landlord refused to renew the lease, because he wants to "open his own place," although its not clear what that will be.

In June, CB3 OK'd an applicant taking over the space. Per the minutes (PDF!) from the CB3 meeting:

[T]he applicant managed a previous tavern business at this location from 1997 through 2004 and it furnished one hundred five (105) signatures from area residents in support of its application …

The working name for the new venture is Canvas Bar.

Elsa, named for fashion designer Elsa Schiaperalli, began in November 2008 in the former Hanger Bar (and before that Plant Bar) space here between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Elsa's owners opened Ramona in Greenpoint earlier this year.

Today in possibly bad ideas

Film shoot signs are so common we barely stop to look at them (Oh, Flesh & Bone again!)

This notice on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue might give you pause.

TAXI DRIVER 2!

While the idea of a sequel to the DeNiro- Scorsese classic has been floated, this isn't it.

Actually we have no idea what this is for at the moment. A gag project name likely. Maybe we will call Chad the location manager.

H/T EVG reader Steven!

Week in Grieview

[10th and B last evening via Bobby Williams]

Remembering Michael Brody (Tuesday, 35 comments)

A letter from a 21-year-old NYU student (Thursday, 55 comments)

The Burger-Klein sign is gone from Avenue A (Wednesday)

A visit to Ben's Deli on Avenue B (Tuesday)

The Mudtruck leaves Astor Place for now (Friday)

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space's Women of the Lower East Side Film Fest continues (Thursday)

Snow Cream coming to East 10th Street (Monday, 24 comments)

Out and About with Melissa Elledge (Wednesday)

David Schwimmer wants to be a good neighbor (Thursday)

The East Fifth Street cookout (Monday, 28 comments)

Structural issues force three East Fifth Street businesses to temporarily close (Thursday)

Dr. Dave avoids eviction (Wednesday)

Ben Shaoul's latest architectural wonder (Monday)

The 99-Cent Discount Center has closed (Monday)

The Paul's Boutique mural (Sunday)

Kim's Laundromat & Cleaners has closed (Wednesday)

San Marzano brings inexpensive pasta to Second Avenue (Wednesday)

"Obnoxious drunk girl" leaves a note (Monday)

10,000 Steps A Hungarian Bookstore has closed (Friday)

New owner for Butter Lane Cupcakes (Wednesday)

NYC politicos speak out against Steve Croman (Friday)

New jewelry shop on East Ninth Street (Monday)

Verizon breaks out the brown paint again (Monday)

Dog nappers! (Friday)

What Kim's closing really means (Monday)

CB3/SLA August highlights (Friday)

… and this is going pretty well…

Looking at Centre-fuge Cycle 14

Just checking out the now-complete Centre-fuge Cycle 14, the rotating outdoor gallery/construction trailer here along East First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Artists represented in Cycle 14 are Adam Kidder, Alexander Prosser, J. David McKenney, Jeromy Velasco, Master Moody Mutz, Nether and Raquel Echanique. For more information on each artist, go here.













Find more info about Centre-fuge here.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

Former cop acquitted of raping an East Village resident files $175 million lawsuit against his accuser and the city (Daily News)

Rivington House, the city’s only nursing home for AIDS patients, is closing in November (The Lo-Down)

Watch this video of a woman stealing an iPad from Dempsey's (DNAInfo)

"Now that the East Village is filled with artisanal restaurants and upscale boutiques, HiFi is no longer just another dive but a tether to this neighborhood’s faded bohemia." (The New York Times)

Chat 'N Chew closes on Union Square (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York) … and will relaunch in two weeks as Little Sal's (DNAinfo)

DAMEHT embarks on an August residency at the Pyramid Club (BoweryBoogie)

"Solar Tower" planned for Chrystie and Broome (Curbed)

The kestrel family on the Lower East Side (Gog in NYC)

NYC through the eyes of Woody Guthrie (Dangerous Minds)

In Midtown, "The Hardest Working Man… In Shoe Business." (The New York Observer)

An appreciation of The Modern Lovers (Nooga.com)

And tonight as part of the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space's Women of the Lower East Side Film Fest …

Orchard Alley Community Garden
350-54 East 4th Street (between C and D)
Lynne Sachs (the director will be in attendance to introduce the film and for Q & A)
YOUR DAY IS MY NIGHT
2013, 64 minutes
8 p.m.

Immigrant residents of a “shift-bed” apartment in the heart of New York City’s Chinatown share their stories of personal and political upheaval. As the bed transforms into a stage, the film reveals the collective history of the Chinese in the United States through conversations, autobiographical monologues, and theatrical movement pieces. Shot in the kitchens, bedrooms, wedding halls, cafés, and mahjong parlors of Chinatown, this provocative hybrid documentary addresses issues of privacy, intimacy, and urban life.

In honor of Summertime on Avenue A

Once again just noting the new roll-down gate art at Mikey Likes It, the newish ice cream shop at 199 Avenue A near East 12th Street.

The Will Smith mural is in honor of this month's Flavor of the Month: "Summertime (tropical lemonade) dedicated to The Fresh Prince and possibly the greatest summer song ever, Summertime."



Previously!

July and George Michael…



June and Prince…



September will be dedicated to Mr. Mister. KIDDING. But that would be strangely funny. Kind of.

The light, light show

Photo from last night by James and Karla Murray. Anyone happen to know what was happening here beyond the Williamsburg Bridge?

It was probably something top secret like this, but I could be wrong.

Parking report

EVG reader Charlie Chen shared this parking hierarchy from last night. A McLaren parked behind a Maserati parked behind a BMW on Second Avenue at East 12th Street.

Cool confusion

The Clash with "Overpowered by Funk" ... the song is from 1982's "Combat Rock" ... the compilation video (not the official one for the song) is from the 1981 shows at Bond's and includes Mick and Paul at Coney Island...

Large sneaker cutout provides photo ops on East 4th Street

Between Second Avenue and the Bowery via EVG contributor Derek Berg...

Where the streets have no cars driving on them for a few hours tomorrow

[Spotted at Astor Place]

As the Times notes today:

This Saturday will feature the first of three Summer Streets events this month, when Lafayette Street downtown and a long stretch of Park Avenue will be closed to traffic and open instead to bikers, in-line skaters, walkers and wanderers.

And here is the official map from the City about all this:



Previously on EV Grieve:
Takin' it to the streets like the Doobie Brothers

Summer loving had me a blast, Summer loving happened so fast

No more corny Summer Streets headlines until next summer, probably

Aug. 1

Wow. The summer seems to be going by so quickly! So much left to do on your to-do list! Like, take the Christmas tree down to the curb.

East 10th Street and Second Avenue this morning via EVG reader Olivia.

Manhattan politicos respond to the Attorney General's investigation of Steve Croman

[State Sen. Brad Hoylman speaking out against Steve Croman at rally in Tompkins Square Park in May]

Via the EVG inbox...

State Senators Daniel Squadron and Brad Hoylman, Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh, Borough President Gale Brewer, and Councilmembers Rosie Mendez and Margaret Chin released the following statement regarding landlord Steve Croman:

"Steven Croman’s pattern of tenant harassment must come to an end. Tenants from his buildings have contacted us with accounts of chronic harassment and intimidation – including disruptive building maintenance, frivolous lawsuits, and most egregiously, the dispatching of a ‘private investigator’ to apartments to intimidate tenants.

“We’ve worked closely with a coalition of tenants and advocacy groups like Good Old Lower East Side, Cooper Square Committee, and the Urban Justice Center to address Croman’s tactics of driving tenants, many of whom are rent regulated, out of their homes. We applaud the Attorney General’s investigation into Croman, and we will continue to support tenants’ efforts as it unfolds."

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

Report: State Attorney General launches Steve Croman investigation

The Mudtruck hits the road ahead of renovations at Astor Place

[File photo from February via @sammers133]

The Mudtruck has temporarily ended its long tenure parked on Astor Place. Yesterday marked the last day for the truck as the reconstruction of Astor Place and Cooper Square continues.

"It's a good time to take a summer break and ride out the Astor Place construction," Mudspot General Manager Yasmina Palumbo told us. "Will keep on truckin' at the Mudspot and Mudpark."

Palumbo said that the Mudtruck will definitely return at an undetermined date in the future.

The blog Asshole At The Center Of The Universe first reported this development yesterday. (H/T Gothamist!)

A warning about (or for?) dog nappers

EVG reader Melissa Elledge spotted this warning sign on East Eighth Street and Avenue B.

Has there been an outbreak of dog thefts of late?

Specialty Hungarian bookshop closes on East 12th Street

An EVG reader passed along word that workers were clearing out 10,000 Steps A Hungarian Bookstore at 545 E. 12th St. on Wednesday.

We stopped by here between Avenue A and Avenue B to find an empty shop yesterday … and there was a notice from the Marshal posted to the door…



The store opened in April 2008 "to serve the Hungarian community, those with Hungarian roots in North America and all others from our base in the New York Metropolitan area." The store sold an array of books, magazines, CDs and DVDs.

The store's website still appears to be active.

The new Max Fish reopens tomorrow

Per the Max Fish Facebook page:

Not really much else to say besides...The Fish is back in the L.E.S. Thanks for all the love since we've been closed, see you this weekend!

Max Fish closed last July after 24 years at 178 Ludlow St.

Owner Ulli Rimkus told DNAinfo that "people will see a bunch of the same things they saw on Ludlow Street. They just have to come and look for it."

The bar's former pool table will also return, though not until after a back wall is knocked down. (There will be pinball machines too.)

While the new version of the bar will retain familiar elements, Rimkus said she also plans to make space to show work by new artists.

"I don't want it to be a Max Fish museum," she told DNAinfo, who also has photos of the new interior.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The art evolution of Ulli Rimkus and Max Fish

From Tin Pan Alley to Max Fish

First sign that Max Fish is returning to the Lower East Side

A few more details (hard-boiled eggs!) about Max Fish, which hopes to return to the LES

Report: Max Fish clears first hurdle in return to the Lower East Side

This weekend in Tompkins Square Park

Here are the bands set to play …

Saturday: Iconicide, Nihilistics, Ruckus Interruptus, Transgendered Jesus and Urban Waste

Sunday: Hammerbrain, David Peel, Bowery Boys, Sewage, Penguin, Rosabelle Selavy and The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black