A mural continues to grow on Avenue C

[Photo Wednesday by Peter from 8th Street]

On Wednesday, artist Zio Ziegler began work on a mural on the north-facing wall of the recently unveiled 137 Avenue C at East Ninth Street …

Here's how the mural was looking last evening in this photo via EVG Facebook friend Karen Platt…



The mural kinda looks like the plot of a Ridley Scott film. Actually though the building owner commissioned the wall to a nonprofit, the Solutions Project, to paint on in conjunction with the launch of their clean energy NYC campaign.

On Thursday, the Solutions Project held a kick-off event next door in La Plaza Cultural Community Garden where Mark Ruffalo, co-founder of the campaign, and Leonardo DiCaprio spoke while launching a national campaign that aims to "make clean energy more accessible and affordable for 100 percent of the people." (Read the news release about the campaign here.)

Several community leaders and activists were also in attendance.

Mark Ruffalo & Leonardo DiCaprio in the Lower East Side--100% clean energy campaign #100isNow http://t.co/wTrtrzXS4H pic.twitter.com/z59YHqwiZh

— GoLES (@GOLESNYC) June 18, 2015

There's a a vintage cookbook cook-off and potluck at Jimmy's No. 43 today

[Image via Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks]

Jimmy's No. 43, 43 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square, is hosting the following event today. Via the EVG inbox…

Join us today from 1-3 p.m., where we'll be serving up dishes from recipes found in vintage cookbooks (for our purposes, we're looking at recipes prior to 1985, so not the typical stuff you can Google)!

It's in part to welcome Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks to the neighborhood and also to continue our #EastVillageLoves campaign that we launched after the explosion in March.

Bonnie Slotnick opened her first cookbook shop in the West Village in 1997 and recently moved the business to East Second Street. Her stock in trade is out-of-print cookbooks, mainly 20th-century titles at affordable prices.

Find more details here.

Meanwhile, Jimmy's No. 43 has debuted a new collaboration with Chef King Phojanakong of Kuma Inn and Umi Nom … resulting in Tito King’s Kitchen at Jimmy’s No. 43, which will feature Thai and Filipino street food. Read more about this at Eater.

Come as you are

The Mighty Wah with mighty fine hair from 1984... "Come Back"

Tenants rally for better living conditions at 128 2nd Ave.; file contempt of court motion vs. landlord Icon Realty

[EVG file photo]

Angry tenants at 128 Second Ave. spoke out yesterday about their ongoing issues with landlord Icon Realty, who they say has yet to fix the building's heat, hot water and gas despite a court order to do so.

The rent-regulated tenants filed a contempt of court motion this week against Icon Realty, DNAinfo's Lisha Arino reports.

Per the article:

"Icon Realty has done very little to restore the services in the building so these tenants are taking it to the next level and bringing contempt of court charges against their landlord to restore these services," said lead organizer Brandon Kielbasa from the Cooper Square Committee, which has been aiding the building's tenants.

Also...

According to a lead inspection conducted by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and provided by the tenants’ attorney, dust samples collected during a March 3 inspection found lead levels up to 250 times the legal limit

The building also has 114 violations, all of which were issued this year, according to a Department of Housing Preservation and Development spokesman, leading to $4,000 in charges for emergency repairs the agency made as well as heat and hot water inspections.

HPD also sued Icon Realty in an effort to get the landlord to correct all of the building's violations and civil penalties. The case was settled earlier this month, the spokesman said, with the owners paying $7,500 in fines and agreeing to correct the violations.

An Icon spokesperson told DNAinfo that the court-ordered deadlines did not give Icon enough time to fix the building's issues. In addition, the spokesperson said that Icon installed a temporary electric water heater and provided hot plates to residents.

The spokesperson said that the landlord hopes to have the heat and hot water fixed in the next few weeks.

The building's residents have been without heat, hot water and gas since March.

"The tenants in 128 Second Avenue have endured enough," Councilwoman Rosie Mendez said in a statement released yesterday. "Icon Realty has hired armed 'Fire Marshalls' to patrol the building as a form of intimidation when all that they are required to do is ensure that tenants do not use the detached fire escape. The principals of Icon Realty are bad actors that are in contempt of court because they have not restored court ordered necessary services such as gas and hot water. The Judge should set an example by throwing the principals of Icon Realty in jail until all 67 life threatening and immediately hazardous violations out of 114 outstanding violations are cured."

Icon Realty took over ownership of the building between East Seventh Street and St.Mark's Place in the fall of 2013.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Tenants at 128 2nd Ave. file suit against Icon Realty in housing court

Troubling talk about 128 Second Ave, and the long-term future of the Stage

[Updated] Report: Icon Realty serves the Stage an eviction notice

Stage owner Roman Diakun responds to allegations of illegally siphoning gas

Petition to help reopen the Stage

The Wall Street Journal on the ongoing issues at Icon Realty's 128 2nd Ave.

East Village tenants demand end to months without heat, gas at 128 2nd Ave.

EV Grieve Etc.: Listening to a 'relocation specialist' at work; bouncing baby hawks at play

[Photo on 2nd Avenue by Derek Berg]

Tourist dies in Third Avenue L tunnel (Daily News, NBC 4)

Listen to a "relocation specialist" try to convince rent-controlled residents to move out of their apartment on East 13th Street (Gothamist)

Video of Armani-clad broker Fredrik Eklund enjoying his turn demolishing 50 Clinton St. (The Lo-Down)

Big changes are afoot at Beth Israel on First Avenue (The Villager)

Those bouncing baby hawks above Avenue A (Gog in NYC)

About looping (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

When the Ramones made their live European television debut (Rolling Stone)

Last weekend for the This Is Celluloid series, featuring "Two-Lane Blacktop," Excalibur" and "Buffalo '66" (Anthology Film Archives)

A feature on the brunch at Pardon My French on Avenue B (The Wall Street Journal)

Chloe Sevigny's former East 10th Street home back on the market (Curbed)

Eggs-citing news for LES community gardens (BoweryBoogie)

A review of Virginia's, now open on East 11th Street (Daily News)

The 33rd annual Mermaid Parade is tomorrow (Coney Island USA)

The man who dove off the Flatiron Building (Ephemeral New York)

... and it was window-washing day at the Schwimmers... beats Windex and a ladder...


[Photo yesterday by Derek Berg]

Keeping The Bowery Mission in mind this summer

An EVG reader passes along the following reminder about The Bowery Mission...

This is the time of year when the clients need t-shirts/socks/underwear to deal with the summer heat. Generally large or xl on the t-shirts and underwear.

Also, this is generally the time of year when they really need volunteers.

Everyone wants to volunteer around the holidays and they literally have volunteers standing around because there are too many of them. Hunger and homelessness is a 24/7/365 condition. It doesn't end after the holidays. This is the time of year when they can use the help.

Here's the link if you are interested in making a donation ... anything from cash, food to clothes.

The Bowery Mission, which has served homeless and hungry New Yorkers since 1879, is at 227 Bowery near Prince.

93 2nd Ave., home of Lit Lounge, is for rent

Several readers have pointed out that a "store for rent" sign arrived above 93 Second Ave. on Tuesday. The space between East Sixth Street and East Fifth Street has been home to the Lit Lounge these past 13 years.

The space has been on the market for several months. There's a listing at Misrahi Realty.

We reached out to a Lit co-owner to see what might be happening here… whether the bar/club/music venue is closing or moving to a new location.

The Fuse Gallery, located in the space behind Lit, closed in September 2013.

Le Jardin Bistro has closed on Avenue C

[Image via Facebook]

An EVG reader hadn't seen the low-key French bistro open since at least last Thursday.

Turns out there's a good reason for that: Management left this message Monday on Facebook …

It is with a broken heart that I need to inform you that Le Jardin Bistro has closed its doors.

I want to thank all of you, employees, customers, friends for helping us to make the past year so special.

My kitchen crew was amazing and gave it all, to allow us every day to serve exceptional food: Thank you.

Customers: You have been supportive and your friendliness has been really inspiring. On the behalf of all the members past and present of Le Jardin Bistro, I thank you for all you did for us and with us.

The revived restaurant at 115 Avenue C between East Seventh Street and East Eighth Street opened last August in the former Apartment 13 space. The original Le Jardin Bistro was on Cleveland Place until its 2010 closure. They opened in 1995.

Reiminders tonight: Films on the Green in Tompkins Square Park

Tonight is the first of the two screenings in Tompkins Square Park in the Films on the Green series ... the free outdoor French film festival in NYC parks... Here's what's playing tonight at 8:30ish...

• "Priceless"
By Pierre Salvadori with Audrey Tautou, Gad Elmaleh
The plot:
"Irène, an attractive young woman, is on vacation at a French Riviera resort with Jacques, an older and very wealthy man. One night, while celebrating her birthday alone, she meets the handsome and intriguing Jean, who claims to be a millionaire and adventurer. However, unbeknownst to Irène, Jean isn’t everything he appears to be…"



And next Friday there's the animated film (ages 7 and up!) "Zarafa."

Find more about the festival and the other films in the series here.

Report of an OD at the 1st Avenue McDonald's

According to multiple witnesses, emergency responders carried a young man out of the McDonald's on First Avenue near East Sixth Street around 6:30 tonight. He was pronounced dead after being administered CPR.

Witnesses said that the man died of heroin overdose in the restroom. His female companion was seen on the street inconsolable.

Photo via Bill the Libertarian Anarchist

Log watch

EVG reader Carl Bentsen notes these cedar logs are apparently here for the taking on Avenue B between East Second Street and East Third Street… perhaps for your illegal fireplace?

Art installation opening and garden party tomorrow hosted by students with autism

Eight middle school students with autism who attend The SPECTRUM School (housed in PS188 building on East Houston) have created planters that will be on display starting tomorrow at The Dorothy Strelsin Memorial Community Garden on Suffolk Street...

Here's the invite from the students:

Hello,

Our class is fantastic! All kids are nice. Everyone works hard and has fun. We do a great job. Come to our art opening! — Written by middle school students with autism, who are busy changing the world.

The overarching idea of this project is to empower middle school students with autism to contribute to the community through functional public art by creating four 20 gallon planters for a New York Restoration Project garden on the LES. Special thanks to local artist Chelsea Hrynick.

Here's their work...





Teacher Joshua Steinfeld says that the planters, which also glow in the dark, will be on display for three weeks at the garden ... and one of the four planters will remain there permanently. The garden is on Suffolk Street between East Houston and Stanton. The opening tomorrow is from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m.

Report: J. Crew executives post taunting Instagram pics on 3rd Avenue hours after staff layoffs

In case you didn't see the cover of the Post today... Well, let's go right to the story:

Hours after telling members of his team they were laid off, a J.Crew veep danced on their graves at a nearby bar with fellow survivors — posing for celebratory photos that were hash-tagged with “Hunger Games” jokes.

Alejandro Rhett, vice president of men’s merchandising, personally delivered the bad news to several workers who were among the 175 layoffs at the struggling company on Wednesday, sources told The Post.

Rhett then hightailed it from J.Crew’s East Village headquarters to the Linen Hall bar, where he and other still-employed colleagues threw back drinks, the photos show.

The hashtags on the photos taken outside the bar on Third Avenue near East 13th Street included #maytheoddsbeevrinyourfavor and #damnitfeelsgoodtobeagangster. The photos have since been removed.

A J.Crew spokesperson said the company "does not condone" the behavior of Rhett and the others, adding, "As soon as we were made aware, the appropriate actions took place."

Meanwhile, we will go visit Drunk J. Crew...


[Photo via Drunk J. Crew]

Updated 6-19
Rhett was reportedly fired yesterday.

East Village tenants demand end to months without heat, gas at 128 2nd Ave.

[EVG file photo]

Tenants of the beleaguered 128 Second Ave. are holding a press conference this afternoon to "demand immediate restoration of heat and gas" in their building between East Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, according to a media advisory about today's gathering at New York City Housing Court.

As previously reported, tenants filed a HP Action for Repairs and Services in March, citing inconsistent heat, lack of fire alarms, a broken fire escape, front door, and stairs, and other dangerous living conditions in the building owned by Icon Realty. Residents have also alleged "harassment from the landlord in order to push out rent-regulated tenants."

Back in April, The Wall Street Journal reported on the situation in the building, citing 89 open violations with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, including 58 the department considered "immediately hazardous."

On April 14, Manhattan Housing Court Judge Cheryl Gonzales reportedly "expressed impatience with Icon's lawyer, who asked for 45 days and a 'right of extension' to repair the boiler, citing aging infrastructure, warmer weather and lengthy waits for permits."

Reps for the tenants say that, despite the court order, Icon has yet to restore the gas or the the hot water.

Public records show that the current violation count is now at 114 with 67 class “C” immediately hazardous violations.

The press conference starts at 1 p.m. outside New York City Housing Court, 111 Centre St.

Meanwhile, we have not heard anything on the status the Stage, which remains closed as it takes to the courts with Icon.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Tenants at 128 2nd Ave. file suit against Icon Realty in housing court

Troubling talk about 128 Second Ave, and the long-term future of the Stage

[Updated] Report: Icon Realty serves the Stage an eviction notice

Stage owner Roman Diakun responds to allegations of illegally siphoning gas

Petition to help reopen the Stage

The Wall Street Journal on the ongoing issues at Icon Realty's 128 2nd Ave.

Stories in the key of life: The Typewriter Project arrives in Tompkins Square Park

The new outhouse The Typewriter Project arrived this week in Tompkins Square Park …



Here's more about the project via the Poetry Society of New York:

The Typewriter Project is a series of site-specific literary installations which encourage users to go analog. These typewriter installations — wooden booths with a seat, desk, and typewriter inside — allow both professional writers and first time typists alike to join in a citywide lyrical exchange.

Each booth is outfitted with a seat, desk, typewriter, 100-foot scroll of paper, solar generator, hidden tablet, and a USB typewriter kit, which allows every written entry to be collected, stored, and posted online for users to read, share, and comment upon.

The Typewriter Project investigates the subconscious of the city by creating unique spaces designed for contemplation in which users can contribute to narrative of that particular location.

The Typewriter Project's first installation appeared on Governors Island last summer. Tompkins Square Park is the third installation, and will be around (God willing) until July 19. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 3-8 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday,noon-8 p.m.

And apparently it is a pooch-friendly booth…

#beebeethemaltipoo was typing his thoughts today in the park #thetypewriterproject #poetry #thepoetrybrothel #thepoetrysocietyofnewyork

A photo posted by The Typewriter Project (@typewriternyc) on Jun 17, 2015 at 2:13pm PDT

Thank you to EVG Ronnie for the top two photos!

Work begins on the incoming Mimi's Hummus on East 14th Street

EVG East 14th Street/IHOP Way Correspondent Pinch tells us that workers are now gutting the former Wicked Wolfe BBQ space here just west of Second Avenue.

Prior to the arrival of the construction crews, there was a sign in the window announcing that Mimi's Hummus has designs on the small space…



On May 1, Eater reported that the Ditmas Park-based Mimi's was expanding into Manhattan with locations at the Vanderbilt food hall near Grand Central and on East 14th Street.

Mimi's, which Eater says serves "some of the city's best hummus and shakshuka," will have an expanded menu here that includes "a few larger plates at dinner like lemon chicken meatballs, brisket, and the Middle Eastern rice and lentil dish mejadara."

And Mimi's will have company next door. As we first reported on April 20, a T-swirl crêpe shop is opening in the recently shuttered Subway (sandwich shop).

Lastly, not to fear, Pinch is keeping an eye on what happens to the iconic Wicked Wolfe BBQ signage. The $1 pizza/BBQ combo shop lasted about eight rather sad months in business.

Bringing down 222 E. 7th St. brick by brick

[Photo via Daniel Root]

Workers continue to chip away at the building here between Avenue B and Avenue C… there's been quite a bit of progress since we checked in on the project just last week…



The new 6-floor building with 8 residences will one day look like this…


[Photo via Dave on 7th]

Dave on 7th figures that sculpturist Louise Nevelson created this piece — Dawn's Wedding Chapel II from 1959 — now in the collection at the Whitney while living and working at No. 222…



Previously on EV Grieve:
Villa Capri condos coming to Seventh Street

[Updated] Work underway on the new residential conversion on East 7th Street

Nail salon in the works for former Amor Baker space on Avenue B

A small fire broke out at the Amor Bakery at 224 Avenue B on April 22, 2013. Unfortunately, the family-run business was never able to reopen here near East 14th Street.

Now from reliable sources comes word that workers are fitting the space for a nail salon…



And that's all we know about that.

As for Amor, we always enjoyed looking at the specialty cakes in the window display… (always wondered why the guy posing in the Speedo had a greenish tint to his body … except for his head)




[Cake photos by Robert Sietsema via Fork in the Road]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Updated: Fire reported at 224 Avenue B

Amor Bakery will not reopen on Avenue B

Dinosaurs are now extinct on East 12th Street

There's a new mural now on the 12C Outdoor Gallery.

The Terra Fossil Dinosaurs painted by artist Luis "Zimad" Lamboy that have been up on the wall here on East 12th Street at Avenue C for more than five years are now extinct.

The evolution is such that artist Amanda Marie has turned the wall into her latest showcase.











Marie also has an opening tomorrow night at The Quin, Hotel Lobby, 6-9 at 101 W. 57th St. near Sixth Avenue.

Thanks to Robert Galinsky for the photos

Previously

A mural grows on Avenue C

The owners of the recently unveiled 137 Avenue C brought in artist Zio Ziegler to create a mural on the new residential building's north-facing wall here at Ninth Street...

EVG reader Peter from 8th Street notes that work started this morning...





Here's more about Ziegler per his bio:

His work reflects the diverse influences of late medieval and quattrocento painting, aboriginal, African and naive art, and the European graffiti movement.

We'll check back later to see how the wall is shaping up...