Today in $370 million loans

[EVG photo from last fall]

Here's news concerning 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star via the Commercial Observer:

Two major lenders took to Astor Place for another mega-deal in the hip college neighborhood.

Bank of America and Barclays provided New York-based Edward J. Minskoff Equities with a $370 million loan on the firm’s 51 Astor Place office tower ...

The real estate acquisition and development firm is using the loan to refinance and pay off construction financing on the office building...

According to estimates, development of the building cost some $300 million. The office part of the building is fully occupied ... with the first retail tenant — CVS, woot — on its way.

What would you do with a $370 million loan?

[Updated] The former P.S. 64 appears to be for sale

[EVG file photo]

Updated: Several people have noted that this listing is a fake, so enjoy the humor then

Perhaps developer Gregg Singer is giving up his plans to convert the former P.S 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center into student housing.

An ad for the long-empty space arrived yesterday on Craigslist.



Per the listing:

East Village Development Site

Area: East Village (between Avenue B & Avenue C)

Plans: Approved with Community Facility

Zoning District code: C1-5/R7-2
Other district code: C2-5

No Due Diligence as Development Site comes with approved plans.

Seller wants to close this out very quickly!

Asking price: $33 million.

While the Craigslist ad doesn't mention the specific address for the landmarked, block-thru building between East 9th Street and 10th Street, there aren't any other properties that fit this bill on the block.

The number on the ad is for Cornerstone Properties, which provides commercial and residential sales in New York City and surrounding area. (This listing doesn't appear yet on the Cornerstone website. We reached out to them for details.)

The building last hit the market in March 2012. That listing didn't come with an asking price.

As reported on Monday, the DOB approved permits for conversion of the existing building to a dorm on June 19, a move that caught local activists and politicians by surprise. However, the approved permits may be short-lived. Last Friday, the DOB added a "notice to revoke" message atop the permit.

Singer bought the formerly city-owned building in 1998 for $3.15 million … and has to date unsuccessfully been able to convert the long-emtpy space into student housing. Meanwhile, there continues to be a movement to return the building between to use as a cultural and community center.

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

Development drama continues at the former P.S. 64, where the city approved dorm-conversion permits (again)

Bikes, By George! — now as a sidewalk shop

[Photo by Greg Masters]

As we reported earlier this summer, a rent hike forced George Philbert to close his bike shop at 193 E. Fourth St. just east of Avenue A. (The landlord doubled the rent, according to George's partner Dash).

However, after a short break, George is back with a pop-up shop of sorts. According to EVG regular Greg Masters, George sets up each day on the sidewalk on the north side of East 11th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue (by the school playground).

Before East Fourth Street, George had a shop on East 12th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A from 1979 to 2008. George has been repairing bikes in the city since 1970.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Rent hike will force Bikes, By George! to close on East 4th Street

Lit Lounge hasn't been open lately

Earlier this summer, the owners of Lit Lounge said that the 13-year-old music club was closing in the months ahead to relocate to Bushwick.

Perhaps that time has come: The gate has been down at 93 Second Ave. between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street since last Thursday.

There's no mention of a move or closure on Lit's website or Facebook page … and the bar's voice mailbox is full.

A neighbor noted that the closing happened on the same day that news broke that a prep school teacher was arrested for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old girl in a bathroom at Lit on June 19.

Meanwhile, there is a new tenant seeking a liquor license for the space. There isn't much information on file just yet ahead of this month's CB3 SLA committee meeting on Aug. 17. The application on file does mention the unnamed applicants will have live music and a disc jockey … just like Lit Lounge did.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Confirmed: Lit Lounge is closing on 2nd Avenue

Reports: Prep school teacher arrested for having sex with 16-year-old girl in bathroom at Lit Lounge

Let's try 'Dog Day Afternoon' again tonight in Tompkins Square Park

[Image via]

The Films in Tompkins series was set to get underway on July 8 with a free screening of "Dog Day Afternoon." But, being a Thursday in the summer, it was rained out.

So the organizers are doing a make-up movie tonight...



You may arrive at 6 for the film, which starts at sundown. The band City of the Sun will play a set before the movie.

You can head to the Films in Tompkins Facebook page for any updates. But the forecast isn't calling for any rain, shocker.

Or! For another outdoor film option, head over to La Plaza Cultural on the southwest corner of Avenue C and East Ninth Street … where the third annual MoRUS Film Festival continues. Tonight: "Rezoning Harlem" and "The Rink." Visit the MoRUS website here for more details. The films start at 8 p.m. There is a suggested $5 donation.

Couch trip

Photo this evening on St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue via Derek Berg.

The couch is getting around. Spotted in front of the Orpheum yesterday.

St. Mark's Bookshop seeking buyers with an ownership interest

St. Mark's Bookshop opened in its new home at 136 E. Third St. just west of Avenue A last July 19 after well-documented financial struggles with escalating rents and declining business at its previous home on Third Avenue.

Despite lower rents in the new location, the bookshop is still in arrears. Here's part of a letter that Bookshop co-owner Bob Contant sent out to patrons this morning:

We love our new space. It recently won the American Institute of Architects award for Interior Design.

Unfortunately, we were undercapitalized for the cost of the move. We were forced out of our old space before our new one was ready, and the cost of going into storage plus construction overruns left little money with which to buy inventory. Those of you who have visited our new store in recent months may have noticed the understocked shelves.

For 37 years St. Mark's Bookshop has been a beacon of culture in the East Village, attracting people from across the city, the nation, and around the world. We remain committed to providing a showcase for the life of the mind as expressed by the best books and periodicals being published today, as well as stocking the best of the past. We hold readings and events you cannot find elsewhere. To continue in our mission we need people who value our work and goals to help us.

Please consider buying an ownership interest in a new St. Mark's Bookshop. We have been approached by an investor who is interested in funding a rebirth of the bookstore, reorganizing and restructuring the business with an eye to long term viability. He is looking for others to join him in an investment team. Please contact me if this prospect interests you.

So many people have told us that they need us here in the East Village. We want to continue to serve you and the world of thought and literature. Please help to make that possible, and as always, we appreciate your continued support.

Co-owner Terry McCoy told DNAinfo's Lisha Arino today that the shop isn't in in danger of closing in the immediate future.

"We are in a difficult situation financially and every day is a new challenge. But we don't have any plans to close. That's why we’re pursuing this, we want to take action now to be able to continue."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: St. Mark's Bookshop prepping fundraiser ahead of possible move to Avenue A.

Is this the new home for the St. Mark's Bookshop?

Report: St. Mark's Bookshop signs lease for East 3rd Street space

Renovations at the future St. Mark's Bookshop on East 3rd Street

WE HAVE BACKBOARDS NOW IN TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK

Progress to report at the Tompkins Square basketball courts! Last week, workers installed the backboard supports. This week, the backboards arrived. Perhaps if all goes well, we will have the hoops (and nets maybe???) next week!

The court also received another coat of black…



Workers started digging up the Tompkins Square Park basketball courts on May 29. City officials said that the courts were expected to reopen by the end of June, when NYC schools were out, per DNAinfo.

Oh, and a courts-are-closed sign finally arrived Monday, two-plus months into the project…



According to the signs, the exercise equipment is off limits through Aug. 12 as well.

As previously cut-and-pasted, the New York City Parks Department teamed up with YouTube for the renovations. YouTube is funding the operation, estimated at $300,000.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Tompkins Square Park basketball courts closed for renovations; YouTube-backed hoops on the way

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: Norman
Occupation: Retired, Economist for NY Department of Transportation.
Location: 5th Street and 2nd Avenue
Time: 4:15 pm on Friday, July 31

I’m Puerto Rican. I moved to the city in 1981 to finish my studies. I was exposed to the neighborhood in the 1970s because my maternal grandmother used to live on 11th Street between 2nd and 3rd. I moved to 11th Street and 2nd Avenue, then I moved to Clinton Street for a couple of months, but it was drug heaven with too much heroin. That was in 1983. I couldn’t stand it. Then I moved to 13th Street, lived there for 15 years, and I’ve been living here on 2nd Street since 2000.

In the 1970s, when I was is my teens, my grandmother told me, ‘Norman don’t go below First Avenue.’ However, on Avenue B, I remember in 1973 or 1974, I used to get lunch for $1.25. Italian — a good meal. I was about 15. The baby boomers had just moved. People were moving and the baby boomers were moving along.

It was a low-key working neighborhood. We used to play ball in the streets. We were skateboarding. There is no graffiti now. There used to be graffiti everywhere. It was a good community. Rent was cheap. Food was really cheap. There were plenty of supermarkets. A beer cost 35 cents; soda cost a quarter; cigarettes were $1.30, I think. I worked in a hardware store in the 1970s. I used to earn $2.30 an hour. I learned my grandmother was paying my salary because she didn’t want to see me in the street.

The buildings started to get burned, badly, by 1974 and 1975. It was really bad. My building was a burnout building. The whole street was burned out. There was no traffic.

I moved to 13th Street in 1983. They used to have an Italian Street festival and there was a grotto, a small church that later burned. It was used as a shooting gallery. A lot of artists moved in. People were carrying their canvases through the neighborhood. That’s when they started changing the neighborhood. The buildings started getting renovations. The city started to give them away for a dollar to do whatever you want.

Back in the early 1980s as a gay guy here, it was kind of heaven. There were a lot of gay bars. [I remember] going to the gay bathhouse for the first time, underage. I went there when I was 16. I saw men going in there and I asked one of them who was a little bit older to take me along. It used to be on 1st Avenue – the building that had Lucky Cheng’s. They called it Club Baths. If you go to the basement you can still see one of the whirlpools.

I retired last year. I did economics for the New York Department of Transportation. I pushed paper. Pushing the paper. When I started working we didn’t have computers in our office. I used to have an adding machine and a typewriter. We used to have Teletype in the office.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

Familiar names looking to open new concept in the former Gandhi space

On Monday, we reported that Gandhi, an East Sixth Street mainstay, had closed for good.

Apparently the space won't be sitting vacant for too long.

Applicants seeking a new liquor license will appear before CB3's SLA committee this month.

According to public paperwork (PDF!) on file at the CB3 website, Shane Covey, co-owner of Upstate around the corner, and Adam Elzer, operating partner at Sauce Restaurant, Supper, Lil Frankie's and Frank, have designs on a new restaurant here just west of First Avenue.

There isn't any mention of the type of food that will be served here. Paperwork shows a configuration of 14 tables, good for 40 seats, and one bar with 8 seats. The proposed hours are 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday-Thursday; 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday-Sunday.

This month's CB3-SLA meeting is Aug. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Board 3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Historic carriage house on East 13th Street hits the market for $18 million

First, let's check out the Cushman & Wakefield listing for the building at 126-128 E. 13th St between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue:

A NNN leased three level, Beaux-Arts style, loft building located on the south side of East 13th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues. The space is leased to Peridance, a dance studio, until March 2028 with a 5 year option. The rent will increase to $623,673 per year in March 2016 and then have 3% annual increases thereafter. The tenant is responsible for all operating expenses and repairs for the property. The rent of only $40/RSF, is half of market value providing tremendous future upside. The lease is guaranteed by Capezio Ballet Makers Inc.

The asking price is $18 million. In addition, the same seller is offering the adjacent property to the south, 123 E. 12th St., for $8.5 million.

As for 126-128 E. 13th St., this is believed to be the last surviving horse and carriage auction mart building in New York City, according to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), who helped keep the structure from becoming a seven-story condo back in 2006.

In addition, the building served as the studio of artist Frank Stella, and during World War II was an assembly-line training center for women. (Read more about the building's history at the GVSHP website here.)

In May 2012, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to landmark the building. Several months before this vote, a State Supreme Court judge ordered the sale of the property after the condo developers lost a foreclosure suit, according to The Real Deal.

Image via Cushman & Wakefield

[Updated] Taking to the sidewalk for boiler help

Last Thursday, residents of an Icon Realty-owned building on East Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B arrived home to find a notice that the boiler was out.

Per the notice on the front door: "Please be advised there will be no hot water this evening. Our boiler company is working diligently to have the necessary repairs completed in the timeliest manner possible. We truly apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your patience."

Six days later, a resident says there is still no hot water... and no updates from management... which prompted someone to take to the sidewalk for help...





According to Con Edison, the piping that goes from the meter to the boiler recently failed an inspection … and needs to be replaced.

Updated 2:18 p.m.

We're told that temporary water heaters arrived to the building this afternoon...



Updated 7:09 p.m.

Apparently the plumber Icon hired smelled gas and called the fire department. Now the cooking gas is shut off for the building as well, according to a resident… the tenants are now receiving hot plates for cooking…



Updated 8-6 7 p.m.

Services have been restored!

Have you heard this dog in distress?

An EVG readers shared this flyer, posted outside a building on the north side of Fifth Street near Cooper Square.

Per the sign:

Have you heard a dog on 5th or 6th street that is in possible distress?

There have been reports of a dog crying out daily.

We are anxious to help the dog if she/he is being crated all day.

We are trying to locate the building and/or apartment to help this animal.

And there is an email address here to use to share any information.

[Updated] Work starts on new home of the East Village Cheese Shop

Work got underway yesterday at 80 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, where the East Village Cheese Shop will relocate at some point this month... per the signage that arrived on the door yesterday...



The shop's lease at 40 Third Ave. between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street is expiring. Rumor is the Duane Reade on the corner of Third Avenue and East 10th Street will expand into the adjacent storefronts along here.

At this point we do not know when the Third Avenue shop will close and the new East Seventh Street location will open.

Updated noon:

Thanks to the various readers/commenters who pointed out the Third Avenue location has closed. The shop hopes to open on Seventh Street in another two weeks.

Warwick and Framus Custom Shop was the previous tenant at 80 E. Seventh St.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Rumors: Duane Reade expansion will take over adjacent storefronts, including East Village Cheese (74 comments)

[Updated] Confirmed: East Village Cheese will be moving to Avenue A later this year

East Village Cheese makes move to 7th Street official

Reader report: Large portfolio of East Village buildings ready to change hands

[233-235 E. 5th St.]

We've heard from several residents in recent weeks about the impending sale of several buildings on East Fifth Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.

Here's part of an email from one of the residents:

My building, like four others on the block (223, 229, 231, 233 and 235), is owned by Morton Tabak and Co. LLC. When I originally rented the apartment, I rented it from Morton Tabak himself, who was a very nice man and a decent landlord. Several years ago, his family took over the management of the building, at which point they switched the ownership to the LLC. They're not as nice as Mr. Tabak was, but there have been no major problems dealing with them.

Twice now in the past few weeks there have been notices posted near our mailboxes mentioning the "sale" of the Tabak buildings on Fifth Street and inviting tenants to meetings about it.

Now a tipster tells us that the East Fifth Street buildings are part of a larger portfolio that's changing hands.

Here's some preliminary information from the tipster:

The Tabak family is currently in the process of selling 17 of their buildings — most of them in the East Village. The buyer is Brook Hill Properties/Goldmark Property Management. As of now we are not aware of any official closings.

However, some tenants have already been contacted by Brook Hill Properties introducing themselves as the new landlord. They are measuring apartments and taking photos of people’s spaces. In addition, an official letter was emailed to some tenants announcing the transfer of "management and ownership" to Brook Hill Properties.

At the same time many tenants are being told that this is only a transition in management. The whole process has been opaque and extremely disorganized.

Goldmark Property Management made headlines in the spring when residents at 444 E. 13th St. claimed that the company "has waged a campaign of harassment aimed at driving them out of their rent-regulated apartments," according to published reports. A staff attorney at the Urban Justice Center, who is representing the East 13th Street tenants, told reporters that "there are tape recorded conversations where the landlord is threatening to drop dynamite on the building and then let everyone 'figure it out themselves.'"

Have more information on what's going on with the Tabak-owned buildings? Please hit us up via email.

Barnyard Cheese 'closed until further notice' on Avenue C

Barnyard Cheese Shop at 149 Avenue C between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street has shut its doors for now.

There's a note on the door, which offers the following explanation:

"Barnyard will be closed until further notice while we work in conjunction with our fellow building residents to make much needed improvements in order to be able to continue to bring you the quality food, service, and comfort that you deserve and that we strive to bring you every day.

"It is our hope that this closing will be brief and that we will be back and better than ever very soon."

Not sure what to make of that... aside from reading between the lines. As for improvements, there's nothing on file with the DOB to indicate any major construction project.

Barnyard, which sells a variety of meats and cheeses and soups and sandwiches, opened in November 2007.

Thanks to Zack Mack for the photo!

Wylie Dufresne is closing Alder on 2nd Avenue

[EVG photo from August 2013]

News made the rounds yesterday that chef Wylie Dufresne will close Alder at the end of this month.

Dufresne, who noted the closure on Twitter this past Friday evening, hasn't said why he's shutting down his well-regarded bistro at 157 Second Ave. near East 10th Street.

Eater, who first reported the news yesterday, theorized that "it sounds like a rent hike might have something to do with it."

Here are some thoughts from the Times on all this:

Like WD-50, Alder was a showcase for the chef’s inventiveness. He reconfigured ingredients with the help of a toolbox that included meat glue, and devised surprises like rye pasta with pastrami that tasted like a sandwich from Katz’s delicatessen nearby.

Mr. Dufresne is one of the few truly experimental chefs in New York, a city that has not been particularly generous in embracing molecular gastronomy and other avant-garde trends in food. He worked for Jean-Georges Vongerichten before opening 71 Clinton Fresh Food in a tiny space in 1999; in 2003 he opened WD-50 in somewhat grander premises across the street.

In his tweet, Dufresne did write that "The search for a new home begins…"

No. 157 was previously the address for several restaurants before Alder opened in the spring of 2013, including Plum … and Cafe Brama.

Did you hear a country music jamboree Saturday night from an East 13th Street rooftop?

From the EVG inbox...

Did you happen to hear about (or hear yourself) the apparent country music jamboree that took place on a rooftop on 13th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A Saturday night around midnight?

It was all-out gawdawful, but I couldn't report it as I couldn't pinpoint the address. It was a LOUD amplified country singer who was really, really bad. People cheered after about the first 10 songs and then no more woo-ing, yet he continued. I felt bad for who ever though they were having a an awesome party. It really sucked! And it could be heard 2-3 blocks away.

Today is the National Night Out Against Crime

The annual National Night Out Against Crime happens today from 3-8 outside the 9th Precinct on East Fifth Street … there will be games for kids (we heard something about a dunking booth) and food … and hopefully an appearance by the original patrol tower — the officer on stilts…


[Photo from 2013 by Slum Goddess]

Puppeteers unite for fundraiser to help couple who lost their home in the 2nd Avenue explosion

Via the EVG inbox...

Puppeteers are gathering at The Connelly Theater on Tuesday, Aug. 4 from 7 pm to 10 pm to help raise funds for their friends Matt and Nora Brooks, who lost their home, belongings and life’s work in the deadly gas explosion on March 26 that leveled three buildings.

Master puppet-builder Matt Brooks has worked in Jim Henson’s Puppet Workshop. His wife, Nora Brooks, is an MFA student at The New School and a writer..

Their puppeteer friends are coming together to create a one-night-only puppet variety show fundraising event to help them out.

Where:
The Connelly Theater, 220 E. 4th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.
Tickets are $40 per person with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Matt and Nora Brooks. Tickets are available at the door or online here

Find more detail about the performers at the Facebook event page. Read more about Matt Brooks here at WNYC.