Reminders: PS 64 press conference tomorrow

As noted on Wednesday, the Department of Buildings has put a stop to developer Gregg Singer's plans to convert the former PS 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center on East Ninth Street into a dorm.

The DOB had approved Singer's application to have tenant Joffrey Ballet considered a not-for-profit with housing accommodations as opposed to a dormitory. However, Joffrey is not a nonprofit, meaning the lease did not meet the DOB's requirements for educational institutions.

Councilmember Rosie Mendez and other local elected officials will discuss this latest development during the press conference.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Rebranded P.S. 64 up for grabs: Please welcome University House at Tompkins Square Park to the neighborhood

Deed for 'community facility use only' at the former P.S. 64 now on the market

Efforts continue to fight the dorm planned for the former PS 64 on East 9th Street

Testimony Of Councilmember Rosie Mendez regarding the former PS 64

[Updated] At the 'Save Our Community Center MARCH AND RALLY'

Landmarks Preservation Commission asks to see modified plans for former PS 64

The Landmarks Preservation Commission approves application for modifications at PS 64

'Misinformation' cited as DOB issues Stop Work Order at the former PS 64; community meeting set for Sunday afternoon

Just wanted to be the first to wish everyone a…

East Second Street near Avenue A this morning.

A memorial for bendy tree in Tompkins Square Park tomorrow

[This morning in Tompkins Square Park]

Rev. Billy and East Village residents are meeting tomorrow afternoon from 2:30-3:30 to hold a memorial for the leaning elm that the city removed last Saturday. From the EVG inbox…

The memorial will involve testimonials from residents of the community, including community garden, environmentalists and artists. The Stop Shopping Choir will sing.

The beloved 130-year-old elm was suddenly chain sawed on Saturday the 20th. Mystery surrounds the action taken by the Parks Dept., as the tree was healthy, not "structurally unsound" — as described in an anonymous sign. Bendy leaned to the east, as she has for more than a century.

The NYPD arrested Rev. Billy last Saturday after he tried to prevent workers from cutting down bendy tree. The NYPD charged him with Obstruction of Government Administration (he pleaded guilty), and sentenced him to time served — about 14 hours.

Previously on EV Grieve:
UGH: Bendy tree in Tompkins Square Park has been condemned

Bendy-lujah

That's it for bendy tree

NYPD arrests Rev. Billy for trying to stop Bendy Tree's removal

NYPD releases Rev. Billy after yesterday's Bendy Tree arrest

This morning at the East River Park Track

Spotted by EVG reader Brad212.

And beware…

@evgrieve angry raccoon-sized east river park (5th st) opossum!! pic.twitter.com/ksYIIO4Iqb

— East Village Kit (@EastVillChris) September 27, 2014

Rejected headlines:
Opossum, where art thou?

Feed a pigeon, feed a hawk

Tompkins Square Park this early evening around 5:30 ... photos by Bobby Williams

The big sleep

Here's "Endless Sleeper" by The Raveonettes from the new album "PE'AHI."

The Danish duo will be at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Monday and Tuesday.

1 reason to eat at Chipotle on St. Mark's Place this evening

Info. via the Arts For All Facebook page ...

Between 5:30 and 8:30, Chipotle St. Mark's (19 St. Mark's Place) will donate 50% of your purchase to Arts For All if you mention us at the register and show them this flyer.

Arts For All is an NYC-based non-profit that provides arts outreach to in-need children.

The looking for a girlfriend guy now looking for funds for a documentary on looking for a girlfriend

But of course! Spotted on First Avenue and East Fourth Street by EVG reader Lauren Baier today.

Previously

298 E. 2nd St. latest development site up for grabs

Looks like people will need to find a new place to find inexpensive cases of Yuengling.

Houston Street Beer Distributors on East Second Street between Avenue C and Avenue D is now on the market.

Here are details via Corcoran:

This one story warehouse at 298 East 2nd Street sits atop a 25' x 105.92' parcel at the cross roads of the bustling East Village and Lower East Side neighborhoods. It is located in an R8A zoning district with an FAR of 6.02 (approx. 15,941 SF) or up to 7.2 FAR with Inclusionary Housing designated area bonus (approx. 19,066 sq. ft.) This prime development site is across the street from Hamilton Fish Park and a branch of the New York City public library, offering unobstructed southern exposures.

A new development would enjoy sweeping views of downtown and midtown Manhattan, Williamsburg, LIC and more. With City plans in the works to completely rehabilitate the piers on the East River from Midtown to the Financial District as well as the new construction that is sweeping the neighborhood including The Essex Crossing makes this a promising opportunity. A short distance to the promenade, fields, courts and tracks of East River Park, lively restaurants and shops of both the East Village and the LES. Lot area square feet: 2,648. Potential to combine with neighboring building which is situated next to an empty city owned lot...

This is a booming area now adjacent to the luxury rentals of The Adele on East Houston and Avenue D … The Robyn on East Third Street near Avenue D … and the new retail-residential complex coming to the former Mobil station on East Houston and Avenue C.

The listing also notes the proximity to the incoming Essex Crossing on Delancey… which seems like a stretch...



In any event, the asking price for No. 298 is $8.5 million.

Take a peek at the latest peephole dioramas on Avenue C

Since 2005, East Village artist J. Kathleen White has created a set of peephole dioramas that she displays along the fence in the Ninth Street Community Garden at Avenue C.

And the 2014 edition is now on display...







As always, be sure to check them out in person... and here are dioramas from 2013 ... 2012 ... and 2011....

This year's theme: Gold Eggs. (Or "Gold Eggs")



Photos by Bobby Williams

October CB3/SLA highlights: The International and The Cock on the move

[EVG file photo of the International]

CB3 released the SLA licensing committee docket yesterday … there will be two meetings this month — Oct. 6 and Oct. 20. We'll look at the whole agenda (only 21 items in total) in another post.

For the time being, we'll note two bars on the move.

First there's The International, whose owner Molly Fitch is eyeing the vacant space next door that previously housed South Brooklyn Pizza Co. We first reported this last Thursday. You can find out what's in store for 122 First Ave. here. (This item will be heard on Oct. 20.)

Meanwhile, The Cock appears to be leaving its Second Avenue home for Avenue B … specifically 25 Avenue B, according to paperwork at CB3. (The item is set for Oct. 6.)



No. 25 near East Second Street is currently home to Idle Hands. No word on what might become of Idle Hands.

You may find the full agenda here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The International eyeing move next door to the former South Brooklyn Pizza space

'The Grand Canyon' lives on East 4th Street

[Last September]

Last year at this time, "the Grand Canyon of East Fourth Street" received some attention via NY1.

Residents have been complaining for years about the cracks and uneven sidewalk on East Fourth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C (on the north side, a little closer to C).

Said one resident: "Anybody could fall break their leg or something. It's terrible. That needs to be addressed."

Per NY1 last September:

According to the city's Department of Transportation, it's the property owner's responsibility to fix the sidewalk. It turns out that the sidewalk sits in front of a city housing authority building. After NY1 told that to DOT, inspectors went out to take a look at what needs to be fixed. DOT said it'll start the process to make that happen.

The DOT never actually specified when they would make that happen. A resident notes that the Grand Canyon lives... as these photos from this week show...



Step right up! Don't be shy!



Previously on EV Grieve:
One of these years someone may finally do something about 'the Grand Canyon of E. 4th St.'

Noted

Well then! EVG reader Riley McCormick spotted this brand-new signage today in the long-tempty corner space on Avenue A and East Fifth Street.

Likely just an alleged wacky ad for the Bartrendr app.

Still, the sign gives you pregnant pause.

Updated

Here's a longer view of the corner... Gestations!



And for added impact — a State Liquor Authority notice...



We'll reach out to the broker for more info on the space... The ads originally stated no bars or restaurants, per the landlord's wishes...

There is also a Facebook page...

Davey drill arrives ahead of rumored development at former East 14th Street post office

Here's further proof of some kind of future development at the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office branch on East 14th Street.

A reader spotted workers taking soil samples outside 438 E. 14th St. yesterday.

Signs about asbestos removal went up on Aug. 15.

A quick recap:

This post office branch just west of Avenue A closed for good in February. (The USPS is leasing the former Duane Reade at 333 E. 14th St. for retail services.) Previously, the Stuyvesant Stationery shop next door to the post office lost its lease and closed. Both single-level buildings share the same landlord.

To date, there's nothing on file with the DOB to suggest any demolition or new development here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
UPDATED: Did you hear the rumor about the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office branch closing?

Report: Closure of the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office is pretty much a done deal

First sign of more development on East 14th Street?

Asbestos abatement to begin at former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office

Torah ark from East Village synagogue finds new home on Wall Street

[Photo from April by Bobby Williams]

The ornate Torah ark from the soon-to-be-condoed Congregation Mezritch Synagogue at 415 E. Sixth St. has been been moved to Episcopal St. Paul's Chapel, part of Trinity Wall Street.

According to The Wall Street Journal:

Changing demographics and a real estate deal played into this ark's path to an Episcopal church. Local historians and preservationists say Anshei Meseritz, built in 1910, was the last surviving tenement shul in the East Village. It was one of hundreds of similar shuls created to memorialize the birthplaces of immigrants living in what is now the East Village and Lower East Side.

The aron ha kodesh, or sacred ark, at Anshei Meseritz filled most of a back wall, reaching at least 12 feet high to a stained-glass window. The white and gold ark, with its painted faux marble, plump carved birds, striped spheres and a mix of Hebrew and Yiddish writing, represented a mix of new and old-world design...

As previously reported, the city approved the condo-conversion plans last December. Workers will renovate the building and add two floors.

The landmarked building between Avenue A and First Avenue was in disrepair and the congregation's population had dwindled. Synagogue leaders signed a 99-year lease with East River Partners worth some $1.2 million. The renovations include a penthouse addition and an elevator. The synagogue will reportedly retain space on the ground floor and basement for their use.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Plan to add condos to historic East Sixth Street synagogue back on

Play spot the potential penthouse atop the East Village synagogue

A final look inside the Anshei Meseritz synagogue on East Sixth Street

Stained-glass windows removed ahead of condo conversion at Congregation Mezritch Synagogue

Noted

Heh.

Spotted along Avenue A yesterday.

Previously.

Construction gets loud at 277 E. 7th St., but for different reasons

During the seemingly never-ending construction of the six-floor, six-unit residence rising from a former parking lot at 277 E. Seventh St. near Avenue D, we've heard a fair share of grumbling from neighbors.

Such as!

This construction is unreal. They start LOUD at exactly 7 am every day. I'm not sure what exactly they're doing that takes so long with such little progress.

I think they might actually be building their own powertools to use.

And!

The worst of the noise (yelling, banging, throwing things off high floors) starts right at 7am and lasts until 8:30 or so. The rest of the day, the guys are mostly looking at their cell phones.

Construction achieved a new milestone yesterday. A neighbor reported that the workers were blasting music from inside the under-contruction building... when they weren't texting or talking on the phone.

Some reports on Boilermaker, now open on 1st Avenue and East 1st Street

Golden Cadillac, the 1970s-themed bar that opened in the former Boca Chica space on First Avenue at East First Street, closed for good last July 3 after just eight months in business.

The owners revamped the space for another retro creation called Boilermaker, which is now open ... and enjoying press galore.

Here's a look at some of the previews/reviews.

First, Fork in the Road:

If design details and personnel are reminders of the previous concept, though, the menu couldn't be more different. Boilermaker takes its cues from a different era, the late 19th and early 20th century, when dockworkers would hunker down in bars for a post-shift beer and a shot, usually whiskey.

And the Daily News:

[Y]ou can try an All American ($6) which is Narragansett Lager and a shot of Ancient Age Bourbon, and groups of three or more can order the Bucket of Boilermakers ($45), that comes with a six-pack of Miller High Life and six shots of Buffalo Trace Bourbon.

The bar features cocktails on tap, like the the Uncle Jalapeño ($10) with tequila, jalapeño and pineapple soda. Or get nerdy with the Ken Burns Effect, which is a stirred drink with rye whiskey, oloroso sherry, maraschino liqueur and Angostura bitters.

“I asked people what they’d be willing to pay for a cocktail or beer and lowered it by a dollar,” says Greg Boehm of Cocktail Kingdom, one of the co-owners.

And here's the drinks menu that we borrowed from Gothamist...

Boilermaker Cocktail Menu

Previously on EV Grieve:
Boca Chica apparently won't be reopening on First Avenue; and the return of Golden Cadillac

End of the road: Golden Cadillac closes tomorrow night (29 comments)

5 years later, Os Gêmeos returning to the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

[EVG photo from July]

While construction continues on the new two-floor building that will rise from the former home of Billy's Antiques on East Houston and Elizabeth, the adjacent Houston/Bowery Mural Wall makes a return next week.

Yesterday, Goldman Properties, the property owner and curator of the wall, issued a news release saying that the currently covered mural will be unveiled again this coming Tuesday at 5 p.m.

In July, workers trashed the makeshift canvas that covered the wall. What remained, though, was the original wall with the mural from 2009 by Os Gêmeos, the twin brothers and street artists from Brazil. This was the first mural that Goldman commissioned for the space.



Previously on EV Grieve:
The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall has been boarded up

The mural wall will remain on the Bowery and East Houston

Os Gêmeos: (Almost) day by day

Exit flagger

The flag man directing traffic at the construction site along 185-193 Avenue B waved the black SUV through the red light, according to witnesses, where it was promptly hit by another car at East 12th Street …



Meanwhile, the construction crew is pouring concrete at night without lights for the 7-story mixed-used residential building.

Thanks to EVG Facebook friend Derrick Loris for the photos.