Tompkins Square Park today.
Photo of Giuseppi Logan by Bobby Williams
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Iconic East Village storefronts up on the roof
James and Karla Murray are recreating life-sized versions of three iconic East Village storefronts tonight atop the Housing Works Rooftop, 743-749 E. Ninth St. at Avenue D.
It's for the East Village Community Coalition 10-year-anniversary celebration this evening. (You can buy tickets at the door. It starts at 6:30.)
Their storefront photos represented tonight are CBGB, Love Saves the Day (Both RIP, of course) and Stage.
Their books include "Store Front — The Disappearing Face of New York."
EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition
[Avenue A and East 4th Street by jdx]
Coyote Ugly agrees to stipulations to renew liquor license (Gothamist)
The city's worst landlords (The Observer)
Is a Duane Reade taking over the EMM Group's club complex at 199 Bowery? (BoweryBoogie)
Two local streets that are no longer on the map (Ephemeral New York)
The sounds of Surgery (Flaming Pablum)
What if the Statue of Liberty was a condo? (Animal New York)
Tennessee Thomas and The Deep End Club on First Avenue (The Hollywood Reporter)
The history of 710 E. Ninth St. (Off the Grid)
New owner for the Rivington House Nursing Home? (The Lo-Down)
"The Standard East Village is so centered around a cluster of smartly contrived public spaces that it feels much less like a hotel than a hangout for certain clued-in locals." (Conde Nast Traveler)
What's left of 5Pointz (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)
About Google's ad campaign around the city (Adweek)
For the birds: RAPTORFEST! (Gog in NYC)
And tonight the East Village Community Coalition is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Via the EVG inbox: "Help us reflect on past accomplishments, current and ongoing work to protect the architectural and cultural heritage of our historic neighborhood."
The event — music, food, etc. — is on the Housing Works Rooftop, 743-749 E. Ninth St. Tickets are $35 in advance; $40 at the door. Find all the details here.
And pothole/sinkhole watch on Second Avenue between East Seventh Street and East Sixth Street…
Via EVG Pothole Correspondent Derek Berg
East 11th Street in photos at the 11th Street Bar
Longtime East Village resident Jack Smead has been taking and collecting photos of the neighborhood since 1969.
Neighbor Ruth tells us that he has gathered his favorites, focusing on East 11th Street, "into a terrific collection" showing at the 11th Street Bar, 510 E. 11th St., between Avenue A and Avenue B.
The photos are up as of tonight. We're looking forward to stopping by to check them out...
Hitchcocktober: Give 'em enough 'Rope' tonight at Village East Cinema
All this month, Village East Cinema on Second Avenue and East 12th Street is screening an Alfred Hitchcock classic on Thursday evenings.
And tonight, it's "Rope" from 1948 with
Here's the remaining schedule for Hitchcocktober:
• Oct. 16 — "Psycho"
• Oct. 23 — "The Man Who Knew Too Much"
• Oct. 30 — "Strangers on a Train"
The films start at 8 p.m. Head to the Village East Cinema website for more info and tickets.
10 Bond continues to make other developments look bad
Walking along Lafayette we couldn't help but notice the progress on the 11 luxury residences at 10 Bond Street...
Now a little further along than its luxury neighbor at 372 Lafayette St.
Both buildings made their first appearance above ground in late April. (Compare this to, say, 185-193 Avenue B, which has inched skyward the past 20 months. Or 37 St. Mark's Place, which has taken workers nearly a year to convert a cafe into a vegan ice cream shop.)
Full disclosure: The above photos are from several days ago. By now 10 Bond may have been completed.
Previously on EV Grieve:
New skyline for Lafayette Street?
Another corner still primed to fall on NoHo
Demolition starts on former garage and lot; new developments coming for Lafayette Street
Looking at the future luxurious corners of Lafayette Street
Opening today: Barcade on St. Mark's Place; King Bee on East 9th Street
The newest outpost of Barcade, the craft beer-retro video game venue, opens today at 6 St. Mark's Place.
Unlike the other locations, this one will feature video games from the 1990s… like Moonwalker…
You can find the rundown of games, beers, food, etc., at the Barcade St. Mark's website here.
The address was previously home to NY Tofu House … and, after a quick succession of restaurants, Mondo Kim's, which Barcode co-owner Paul Kermizian used to frequent.
"It's just cool to be in the same space and to try [to] be here for a while, hopefully catering to the same nerdy, geeky crowd they did, just gamers instead of movie nerds," he told DNAinfo.
Gothamist has photos of the interior here.
Barcade's hours are noon to 2 a.m.
[Photo from last week]
And tonight, King Bee debuts at 424 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.
The restaurant is a collaboration between Eben Klemm, a beverage consultant, and Ken Jackson, a founding partner of restaurant Herbsaint in New Orleans. Their speciality: Acadian food.
We'll head to Fork in the Road's preview for more about this.
"We both felt that real Cajun cooking is hard to do in the north," says Klemm ... But through their research, they learned about the Acadian people, who are behind Cajun cooking: these people moved to Canada from France before making their way down through the United States via Maine, eventually ending up in Louisiana. And the cuisine they left in their wake, thought Jackson and Klemm, was something that could be explored here.
As we've pointed out, this space has been a carousel of restaurants in recent years... Exchange Alley, Olivia, Sintir and Zi' Pep couldn't make it work.
Back to Fork in the Road:
The partners have tried to price King Bee moderately, because they'd like it to become a neighborhood restaurant as well as a destination. "Ken and I had been looking for a space for three years, and he knew the people on this lease," Klemm says. "It's on a great, quiet block, and it's great to go to the Tompkins Square Greenmarket on Sundays and stock up on things for experimentation. Also, according to my mom, I was conceived 100 yards away from here. So there are a lot of reasons to be here."
Hours for dinner are Sunday, Monday and Wednesday from 5 p.m.-11 p.m. and Thursday-Saturday from 5 p.m.-midnight. Beer and wine only for now.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
1 year later, 7-Eleven asks for more time to move noisy refrigeration units from residential windows
[File photo via the No 7-Eleven Blog]
7-Eleven representatives appeared yesterday before the Environmental Control Board to discuss the ongoing issues with the store's Avenue A refrigeration unit that has caused sleepless nights for nearby neighbors these past 12-plus months.
And the result of this? According to DNAinfo:
At the hearing, a judge granted a two-week adjournment after a 7-Eleven representative said the franchise was entering into a contract to have the equipment moved. The judge gave 7-Eleven two weeks to submit a signed contract to show that the units would be placed elsewhere, he said.
Meanwhile, the building's landlord at Avenue A and East 11th Street, the Jared Kushner-owned Westminster City Living, put the blame directly on 7-Eleven. A Westminster spokesperson told DNA in a statement that they have been trying to meet with 7-Eleven for eight months.
“We completely agree with local residents. The units installed and owned by 7-Eleven need to be moved, and we’re working to make sure it happens,” the spokesman said in a statement.
There wasn't any comment from 7-Eleven reps.
You can read more about this at WABC and WCBS.
Previously on EV Grieve:
3 new AC units at incoming 7-Eleven prompts Partial Stop Work Order
A WHOOSHING AC unit update: 'We are roundly being ignored by 7-Eleven and Westminster NYC'
Report: 7-Eleven's AC units have forced residents from their bedrooms on Avenue A & East 11th St.
Local pols blast 7-Eleven for blocking order to remove noisy refrigeration unit at 170 Avenue A
Suspect who knocked off the Chase on 2nd Avenue wanted for 2 more bank robberies
The suspect who got away with $1,080 from the Chase branch on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place Saturday afternoon is now also wanted in connection with two more bank robberies on Monday.
Per CBS New York:
Around 2:40 p.m. Monday, a robber walked into the Citibank branch at 1107 Broadway near Madison Square Park and handed a note to the teller demanding money, police said. The suspect made off with $600.
Around 3:20 p.m. Monday, the suspect walked into a Chase Bank branch at 835 Broadway near Union Square, and handed the teller a demand note, police said. The suspect made off with $4,740.
In total, he's made off with $6,420. (He's almost made his share of the rent!)
The NYPD released the following description of the suspect:
"white male (possibly albino), 5'10", mid to late 20s, light colored hair with a medium build. He was last seen wearing a black and grey jacket, dark rimmed glasses, black sneakers with a red bandana around his neck."
And now there's video of the rather uneventful robbery at Chase (via Gothamist)...
Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: NYPD looking for a possibly albino suspect in yesterday's Chase branch robbery
Capturing the lunar eclipse before it 'sank into the haze'
East Village resident and astronomy buff Felton Davis set the alarm early to capture the lunar eclipse.
He shared the following:
"Magnificent pre-dawn spectacle at Battery Park, with enormous cloud banks passing over the full moon, but occasionally parting to show the progress of the eclipse. Had to hold my hands over the tripod to keep the camera from shaking in the cold wind coming down the Hudson. The first shadow appeared at about 4:45 a.m., and the moon darkened steadily until it was no more than a sliver, and sank into the haze at 6:15 a.m."
And what about the blood moon the media is taking about today?
"There was no reddish or turquoise moon over the Hudson, just silver and grey, and most of the time behind the clouds."
Our next shot at a blood moon is April 4, 2015.
Out and About in the East Village, early fall recap
Taking a week off from Out and About in the East Village (or OAAITEV, as I like to say) to revisit our interviewees to date from 2014 ... many thanks to East Village-based photographer James Maher and everyone who has taken part in this series... we'll return next week with – everyone! — OAAITEV...
Jan. 15 — Barbara Sibley
Jan. 22 — Alex Harsley, part 1
Jan. 29 — Alex Harsley, part 2
Feb. 5 — Tom Clark
Feb. 12 — Dawn Haberman
Feb. 19 — Mike Stuto
Feb. 26 — Dina Leor
March 5 — Eric Danville, part 1
March 12 — Eric Danville, part 2
March 19 — Margery Teplitz
March 26 — Pamela Joy
April 2 — Recap
April 9 — Jon Gerstad
April 16 — Oops!
April 23 — Bill Gerstel
April 30 — Karen Fleisch
May 7 — Kathy Kemp and Kimberle Vogan
May 14 — Alan and Beverly Lefkowitz
May 21 — Yehuda Emmanuel Safran
May 28 — Christopher Reisman, Part 1
June 4 — Christopher Reisman, Part 2
June 11 — Anthony Rocco
June 18 — Tim Floyd Young
June 25 — Kate
July 2 — Slackers!
July 9 — summer recap
July 16 — Alex Shamuelov
July 23 — Lauren Edmond
July 30 — Melissa Elledge, part 1
Aug. 6 — Melissa Elledge, part 2
Aug. 13 — Gary Bell
Aug. 20 — Jack Sal
Aug. 27 — Ellen Turrietta
Sept. 3 — Jamie, the check cashing guy
Sept. 10 — Satie Saurel
Sept. 17 — Mike Schweinsburg
Sept. 24 — Michael “Mikey” Cole, part 1
Oct. 1 — Michael “Mikey” Cole, part 2
Permits filed to demolish former 2nd Avenue BP station
The orders were put in yesterday to take down the station here on Second Avenue at East First Street. (So enjoy the graffiti while you can! And be mindful as workers remove the asbestos!)
What's next? The Deal Deal reported last month that a new development with 50,000 square feet of condominiums and 7,000 square feet of retail is on the way.
However, permits for a new building are not on file yet with the Department of Buildings.
BP, the neighborhood's second-to-last gas station, closed in early July.
Previously on EV Grieve:
RUMOR: Gas station going, boutique hotel coming on Second Avenue? (31 comments)
BP station on 2nd Avenue closes this month
The 2nd Avenue BP station has closed
Report: 50,000 square feet of condos coming to the former 2nd Avenue BP station
The Subway Inn is moving 2 blocks away
[EVG file photo]
From the Subway Inn Facebook page yesterday...
Statement from the Salinas Family on the Future of Iconic Subway Inn Bar
On behalf of my entire family-- I have some wonderful news to share. Earlier today we signed a long term lease on a new location which the Subway Inn will now call home.
On December 2nd, 2014 — the Subway Inn will close at its current location on 60th and Lexington Ave. to begin its relocation and REPLICATION (EXACTLY AS IT IS NOW) less than 2 blocks away on the same side of the street — at 60th and Second Avenue. Our move and REPLICATION is expected to take approximately 10 weeks to complete.
We had requested to remain in our current home til the end of the year so that none of our family members or employees would be without a job over the holiday season. Unfortunately, the landlord denied or plea.
We are excited about this development and have put the right team in place to make certain that every piece of furniture, including our famous neon signs, the current bar, every bar stool, even the original bar booths—(that Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio sat in) will make their way a stone’s throw down 60thStreet and be set back up exactly as you see it today.
And, it won’t just be the contents that will be the same. The space will look exactly the same. Colors, floor and all! In fact, our replication architect is hard at work making sure our new home will be nearly identical. Also, our prices will not change.
We realize this is a tremendous, risky undertaking, and will be very expensive to replicate — however my family is committed to keeping our tradition alive — and making sure Subway Inn lives on for many more generation’s to enjoy.
One final note — I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart that supported my family and stood by us as we fought tirelessly to save our current home. While at the end of the day it may appear we lost the battle, rest assured this is not the case. Losing would have meant our home and memories would have been bulldozed.
While the four walls that will house our exact same contents may be changing—the heart and soul of what we call home will be the same. This will include the pictures of Charlie and my dad from years gone that will hang exactly where they are located now — just two block east.
Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Should we start worrying about the Subway Inn?
Report: The Subway Inn will close next month
Subway Inn continues to live to serve another day
Residents continue to speak out about living conditions in Jared Kushner's 170-174 E. 2nd St.
[EVG file photo]
Fourth Arts Block (FABnyc) and the Cooper Square Committee issued the following news release yesterday regarding the ongoing drama at the Jared Kushner-owned 170-174 E. Second St.
What follows is an edited excerpt:
Countering the common narrative that artists drive gentrification, many East Village artists are actually long-time residents, fighting to remain in affordable housing with their neighbors, reported Cooper Square Committee, a 50-year old tenant advocacy organization.
Like many buildings in the East Village, 170-174 East 2nd Street has long been home to writers, painters, sculptors, and musicians, including beat poet Allen Ginsberg. However, since December 2013, when Jared Kushner purchased the buildings, 70 percent of the 170-174 East 2nd Street's 45 units have been vacated. Of the 9 remaining tenants, half are working artists with deep roots in the neighborhood, including Tony Feher, Richard Weinstein and Dianne Bowen.
"Unfortunately this situation is not unique. I frequently work with artists who live here in the Lower East Side who are being pushed out by profit-driven speculators," said community organizer Brandon Kielbasa from Cooper Square Committee. "These aggressive efforts to create luxury housing in communities like the Lower East Side are wiping out the affordable housing, homogenizing the diversity, and picking apart at the cultural assets of the neighborhood,"
"The arts and culture are such an important part of the life and identify of the East Village and Lower East Side," said Tamara Greenfield, executive director of Fourth Arts Block. "Historically, artists joined with other low income residents to advocate for and build affordable housing in this community. As important as it is to create new affordable housing across the City, we have to work equally hard to preserve existing affordable housing from being lost."
In December of 2013, Jared Kushner purchased 170-174 East 2nd Street buildings for $17 million, and quickly followed the purchase with the distribution of eviction notices to tenants of the two buildings. During the past nine months under the ownership of Kushner, tenants of both buildings were subjected to lengthy and severe construction work which has resulted in ceiling collapses, eroded floors, broken tiles, cut off gas service, and unannounced hot and cold water interruptions. Impacts on artists in the building range from fear of displacement, to damage of artwork, and compromised ability to do creative work under the stress and noise of construction.
"The constant barrage of emergencies for 7 months — water shut offs, violent levels of noise from jack hammering, missing steps on the stair, building floods, fire department safety inspections — create extremely challenging and draining conditions for living and working creatively," said musician Cypress Dubin. "Under these extreme circumstances and to marshal my creative resources, I made the choice to focus deeply on community organizing. As the communications director of our tenants association, I spend hundred of hours a month working to channel that same energy, integrity, and creativity that is foundational to my work as a vocalist, producer and yoga educator into protecting our homes, and preserving this part of the city that continues to be a thriving and diverse community of artists."
"The overwhelming, lightning-fast, rapid gentrification and over-development of the Lower East Side and East Village raises a great concern for the cultural heritage of an iconic NYC neighborhood," said painter Richard Weinstein.
"Gentrification in New York City has never been so aggressive and destructive as it has been in the past 8 years," added multimedia artist Dianne Bowen. "The bottom line is profit; value is a monetary term with no regard or connection to human beings or the life of the city created by all that inhabit it."
Ironically, the buildings' creative history is now being included in its marketing:
"Built in 1899, this beaux-arts building dovetails modern comfort with an older East Village - that same collision of grit and grace that inspired the likes of beat poet Alan [sic] Ginsberg, who called this building his home from 1958-1963."
Previously on EV Grieve:
Inside a classic East Village tenement before the whole building is renovated
Jared Kushner not done buying every walk-up in the East Village
Two East 2nd St. buildings sell for $17.5 million; will new owner still honor Allen Ginsburg?
Tenants claim: Kushner and Westminster want to destroy this building's beautiful garden
Reports outline how Kushner Companies is aggressively trying to empty 170-174 E. 2nd St.
Local politicos join residents of 2 Jared Kushner-owned buildings to speak out about poor living conditions, alleged harassment
Report: Local politicos criticize Kushner's treatment of tenants at 170-174 E. 2nd St.
Avenue A Classic Food opening soon on — surprise! — Avenue A
Looks like Ray will have a little food company next door on Avenue A.
The awning is up for the new business taking over half of the former Alphabets space at 115 Avenue A — Avenue A Classic Food.
As you can see, the deli near East Seventh Street will sell wraps, smoothies, fresh juice, etc. We don't know much else about the new place at the moment.
IBM officially opens its Watson division at 51 Astor Place today
[Photo via @IBM back in January when it was stupid cold out]
That's right, IBM opens its new business unit surrounding its "Jeopardy"-ass-kicking super computer at 51 Astor Place — aka the IBM Watson Building.
According to New York Business Journal last evening, this marks "a milestone in the company's $1 billion effort to monetize its cognitive computing power and remake its image for a new era."
The article also notes that 600 employees have moved into the 120,000-square-foot space. You can read more about their offices here. (They have an incubator!)
We're sure we'll see the gang at the Grassroots later. $1 off pints; $2 off pitchers for happy hour!
Previously on EV Grieve:
My dear Watson: 51 Astor Place is now the IBM Watson building
Meanwhile at the IBM Watson building, the Jeff Koons rabbit sculpture has arrived for the lobby
Reader report: The Cock won't be moving into Idle Hands
This item went before CB3's SLA committee on Monday night.
Several EVG readers in attendance noted that Allan Mannarelli, an owner of The Cock, decided to withdraw the application when it became clear that the committee was going to issue a denial. Several residents apparently spoke out against the application, including members of the East 4th Street A/B Block Association.
We understand the fact that he was a managing member of the quaint former establishment called Superdive wasn't lost on residents.
Paperwork on file with CB3 (PDF!) showed that The Cock was planning on taking both floors of the Idle Hands space. No word on what might happen next to Idle Hands.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Lower Avenue B residents meeting tonight to discuss the Cock (25 comments)
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
If you'd like some free tickets to the CBGB Music & Film Festival
The 2014 CBGB Music & Film Festival gets underway tomorrow.
And festival organizer Tim Hayes passed along 50 free pairs of tickets for EVG readers. (Thank you Tim!)
UPDATED: We've reached the 50-pair limit!
Here's what you have to do to receive a pair: Mention EV Grieve (or, if you wish, "EV Grieve") and RSVP to this email for the free pair of tickets.
And please specify one of the following events that you'd like to attend:
Wednesday – Oct. 8
• U2, Bob Dylan, & The Killers producer, Daniel Lanois & The Modern School of Film Present: Flesh And Machine...The Films @ Landmark Sunshine Cinema, 6 pm
• An Evening with Dirty South: Screening, Q&A, and Album Listening Party Cocktail Reception @ Landmark Sunshine Cinema – 8:30 pm.
Thursday – Oct. 9
• Billy Idol, Duff McKagan’s Walking Papers, Ex-Cops & The Skin Festival HQ Launch Event @ Center 548 – doors at 6 pm.
Friday – Oct. 10
• Adam Horovitz, aka AD-ROCK, of the Beastie Boys, hosts anniversary screening of “Up In Smoke” @ Village East Cinema – 4:20 pm.
• Music Talks With Open Bar Featuring: Galadrielle Allman, Erin Davis & Vince Wilburn Jr., and Stephen Trask @ Helen Mills Theater – 6 pm to 8:30 pm.
• Exclusive Film Clips with Michael Alago & Duff McKagan
Village East Cinema – 9:30 pm to 11:30 pm.
• Hardcore DEVO Live! Film Premiere with DEVO members Gerald V. Casale & Mark Mothersbaugh doing a Q&A @ Village East Cinema – 7 pm.
Head to the 2014 CBGB Music & Film Festival website for more details on these events.
The Yaffa mural returns to view
EVG reader bayou happened by 97 St. Mark's Place this morning to see that workers have removed the Google ad that had been covering the Yaffa mural the past three-plus weeks...
Just in time for the restaurant to be permanently closed.
EVG reader Allen Semanco also shared photos...
... and he notes that workers are touching up the mural...
Previously on EV Grieve:
A Google ad now covers the iconic Yaffa Cafe mural on St. Mark's Place
Yaffa Cafe will be back, though likely without its backyard garden
Yaffa Cafe is officially gone; back garden dismantled
More about Yaffa Cafe closing
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)