Condos at former East 6th Street synagogue will start at just under $3 million

[EVG photo from 2013]

There's now a teaser website for the three condos that are being built at the former Congregation Mezritch Synagogue at 415 E. Sixth St.

Unfortunately, there's not much info there… except for the slogan: "History reimagined … For modern living" and some contact info.

And there's a rendering of sorts… which also shows the new top floor…



At the time when the condo plans were first made available several years back, some neighbors and preservationists were concerned about the size and scope of the new level.

As for pricing, the sign that arrived outside the under-renovation building notes that the condos start at $2.95 million…



As previously cut-n-pasted: The landmarked building between Avenue A and First Avenue was reportedly 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 synagogue will retain some space on the ground floor 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

Another A for Ray

EVG regular Peter Brownscombe reports that Ray has retained his A rating after the completion of his long-awaited Health Department sanitary inspection yesterday at Ray's Candy Store, 113 Avenue A.

The good DOH news continues since those darks days in May 2011.

MoRUS extends Adam Purple memorial show through Oct. 25

[Photo via MoRUS/Facebook]

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) will continue its memorial exhibit honoring Adam Purple, the environmentalist and urban gardening pioneer, who died on Sept. 14 at age 84.

Here's the info via the EVG inbox...

Due to increasing levels of interest from the public about Adam and the history of community gardens, MoRUS will extend The Adam Purple Memorial Show, which includes rare photos of The Garden of Eden, memorabilia and rare footage of the garden and Adam appearing in his Purple attire on several talk shows, including "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee," through Sunday, Oct. 25.

Among special events tied-in with the Purple pop-up include a screening of the award-winning documentary, "Dirt," shot and produced by David Evans, Maria Liedholm Holter and Catherine Williamson Duncumb in the mid-1990s. When "Dirt" was recognized by the International Documentary Association in 1998 and the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1999, it launched global awareness of what the East Village had known for years: community gardens breathe life and pump vitality into marginalized neighborhoods.

"Dirt" will screen at MoRUS on Thursday, Oct. 8, 7 p.m.

MoRUS is at 155 Avenue C between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street. The suggested donation for the screening is $5, but no one will be turned away. Donations will support the preservation of Adam's history through photographs, videos and other artifacts.

Purple — born David Wilkie in Independence, Mo. — garnered international attention in the mid-1980s when he battled the city over a five-lot, 15,000-square-foot garden he created amid the ruins of the Lower East Side.

Previously on EV Grieve:
RIP Adam Purple

The Korean Teachers’ Credit Union now owns 49% of 51 Astor Place, which people still think is in Midtown South

The Real Deal has the story about 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star:

The Korean Teachers’ Credit Union recently bought a minority stake in Edward Minskoff’s 51 Astor Place, a deal that values the futuristic-looking Midtown South office property at $600 million. The Seoul-based credit union, which has more than $23 billion in assets under management, paid roughly $113 million to buy a 49-percent stake in the fully leased, 400,000-square-foot building.

Why?

James Yoohoon Jeon of FG Asset Management, which oversees the credit union’s investments in 51 Astor Place, said: "We believe there’s a huge potential for rent increase in Midtown South."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Facebook is moving into the neighborhood; Midtown South expands its boundaries, apparently

Report: Maps show that Midtown South does NOT include the East Village/Astor Place

Reader report: 'This man stole the keys to my apt. and your building'

An EVG reader sent this along… spotted in the lobby at 233 E. Ninth St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue … We do not know the backstory…

Today in flying leaps

Photo outside the Pyramid on Avenue A today by Derek Berg

The Red & Gold Boil has closed on St. Mark's Place

After 13 months in business at 30 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, The Red & Gold Boil has hung up the nets... A sign on the door notes that they closed after service on Sunday...



The place never seemed all that crowded... perhaps the idea of eating fresh crab for $35 on this stretch of St. Mark's Place wasn't so appealing ... ditto for the name — The Red & Gold Boil, which sounded as if it needed to seek medical attention. (Earlier, the place went by Red & Gold Crab Shack.)

Thanks to EVG correspondent Steven for the photos

Previously on EV Grieve:
Breaking: Japadog is closing for good after tonight on St. Mark's Place

Reader report: Crab Shack in the works for former Japadog space on St. Mark's Place

Here is your Red & Gold Crab Shack! signage on St. Mark's Place

When it's time to remove the Mickey Mouse statue with an erection from the Standard East Village

A little earlier today on East Fifth Street at the Bowery... from the rear, it appears that the movers are pushing just another Mickey Mouse statue... but from the front...



Word is Mickey was decor for a party at the East Village Standard... (And is this Andre Saraiva's work?)

Photos by Marjorie Ingall...

Report: The Union Square Food Emporium will become a Key Food

[Photo via]

Back in July, A&P filed for chapter 11, its second bankruptcy of the decade. According to published reports, the grocery chain, whose brands include The Food Emporium, Pathmark and Waldbaum’s, plans to sell or close most stores.

As for the Food Emporium on East 14th Street in the base of the Zeckendorf Towers, one industry publication reports that this location will be sold to Key Food…



No word just yet on the timing of the transition … one EVG reader noted that some shelves are no longer being restocked….

Report: Long-dormant 1st Avenue development site changes hands

There's news about the long-dormant site on First Avenue adjacent to your favorite Rite Aid on East Fifth Street. After years of stops and starts and various renderings, the lot has been sold.

The legal wrangling is a little complicated. Here's some of it via The Real Deal, who first reported on the transaction:

Following a bitter internal battle for control of a long-stalled East Village development site, the owners have sold it to the Colonnade Group.

A group of partners including Ozymandius Realty and Orange Management closed last month on the $12.9 million sale of 75 First Avenue.

A rendering from 2007 showed a 14-floor development looking something like... (pre the the 2008 rezoning) ...

In April 2014, plans surfaced for an 8-story development that would look something like…



Per New York Yimby in April 2014:

Permits indicate the development will span 34,055 square feet, with the bulk of the project dedicated to residential use. 8,456 square feet will be given to ground-floor retail, while the remaining 25,599 square feet will be divided between 27 units. 75 First Avenue will stand 80 feet in total.

There aren't any details at the moment about what the Colonnade Group plans to do with the lot. The DOB previously approved the plans for the 8-story building.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Developer: A shorter building in the works now for 75 First Avenue

High-rise for 75 First Avenue back in play

Long-stalled First Avenue site now has a brand-new rendering

As the traffic islands disappear and appear on 3rd Avenue

[Back in July]

Back in July, workers installed pedestrian crosswalk islands along Third Avenue as part of the ongoing Astor Place Reconstruction Project… then! At the end of September, workers jackhammered away the island on the north part of the St. Mark's Place-Third Avenue intersection ... leaving behind a springy tar pit...


[EVG photo from Sept. 25]

Then yesterday! Workers began putting in a pedestrian island on the southern side of the St. Mark's Place-Third Avenue intersection…





There isn't a timetable just yet for the removal of this pedestrian crosswalk island.

Photos yesterday via EVG correspondent Steven

Bench in Tompkins Square Park dedicated to food writer Josh Ozersky

[Photo by Nick Solares via Eater]

Food writer Josh Ozersky died this past May 4 at age 47. According to published reports, he died after suffering a seizure in his Chicago hotel room.

His friends have come together to have a bench in Tompkins Square Park dedicated in his honor. Here's Eater's Nick Solares with the story:

Ozersky, who hailed from Atlantic City, NJ, always loved the East Village, where he once made his home. It is thus appropriate that the memorial bench that has been erected in his honor is located in Tompkins Square Park, near the dog run where he once romped with his puppy Judah and close to some of his favorite restaurants.

For those who are curious, the Parks Department has a program that allows people to dedicate spaces in city parks for a fee that goes to the park. Here are details about the Adopt-a-Bench program via the NYC Parks website:

When you adopt a bench in a City park, you can add a personalized message or inscription on a small plaque. Our bench adoptions, which are $2500 for an existing bench, support the upkeep and maintenance of that particular bench for 10 years.

On Friday night, Ozersky's friends gathered at the Boxcar Lounge on Avenue B to have a drink in his honor.

Sunset valley

The view downtown during the sunset this evening... via Bobby Williams...

Former home of the East 12th Party Crew now for sale

[EVG file photo]

The seven-story rental building at 531-533 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B is now on the market, according to The Real Deal.

The building has 34 units and a 2,000-square-foot outdoor space.

Here are more details via the article:

Ackman-Ziff Real Estate’s Marion Jones and Alan Goodkin are marketing the building, built in 2009, as a long-term hold. There is no formal asking price, but it is expected to sell in the mid-to-high $30 million range.

“There is near-term upside when you consider that elevator buildings in the East Village typically command rent in the high-$70s to mid-$80s per square foot, and the average rent here is $56 per square foot,” Jones told The Real Deal. “Nearly half of the units have private outdoor space, a rare amenity that increasingly commands premium rents.”

Robert Zelman purchased the building in 2012 from Emmut Properties for $16.6 million.

The address received some attention in 2009 for being home to NYU's Delta Phi House/East 12th Party Crew:

531 East 12th Party Crew (Apt 1E)
Description:
There are lots of places to party in New York, but few can match the insanity of 531 East 12th Street. If you are tired of going out to bars, come to an apartment with a massive common room filled with multiple pong and flip cup tables.

Old Flat Top apparently has a new friend

[EVG photo from August 2011]

There was a time when you would see Old Flat Top (rear) with its friend the Free Willie Nelson (front) around the neighborhood, mostly on East Third Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue near where owner Ron Britt lived. Until the Free Willie Nelson — a 1973 Dodge Mahal Travco — caught on fire on East Sixth Street back in September 2011. And we never saw the Free Willie Nelson again...

Old Flat Top remained around... and now, as EVG regular Salim notes, OFT looks to have a new friend... spotted earlier on East Third Street...


[Photo this a.m. by @salim]

At this point we don't know if the second RV is a new resident or just visiting...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Everything that you've ever wanted to know about the "Free Willie" Nelson RV on Third Street

The Free Willie Nelson caught on fire!

Memorial for the Free Willie Nelson

Wayland owners catching a Drift on Avenue C

[129-131 Avenue C]

Babel is currently downsizing their hookah empire at 129-131 Avenue C between East Eighth Street and East Ninth Street. They are vacating the space at No. 129, which was home a few years back to the neighborhood bar Duke's.

As for No. 129, Robert Ceraso and Jason Mendenhall, who own The Wayland on Avenue C and East Ninth Street, have plans to open a new venture in the space called The Drift.

We asked Ceraso for more details.

"We are planning a neighborhood bar," he said via email. "No cocktail list. No high concept. Just a relaxed little neighborhood place for all of our neighbors who have been so great to us over the last four years at The Wayland."

They will go before CB3's SLA committee on Oct. 19 with their plans. (Find a PDF of their CB3 questionnaire here.)

"When that space was brought to our attention, the first thing we thought was of Duke’s and how Avenue C doesn't have a friendly little neighborhood place any more since Duke’s and Teneleven closed down," he said. "As much as the neighborhood supports The Wayland, we understand that sometimes people just want a relaxed drink without the live music, the crowds and the cocktails lists."

The Drift will also serve a variety of tacos and salads.

"We envisioned The Drift as a laid-back bar that takes some slight inspiration from small seaside bars that we’ve been in over the years," said Ceraso, who recently opened Good Night Sonny on First Avenue and St. Mark's Place. "The little places that have a mix of locals, surfers, backpackers and expats. My partner Jason and I have had a lot of experience in those bars over the years and the feel of those places has a special place in our hearts."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Babel expanding on Avenue C

Duke's is gone

Last chance for input on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project

[Image via]

There are two remaining design presentations and outreach sessions this week regarding the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project.

Officials will be presenting actual design alternatives that residents can provide feedback on the project, which is being designed to mitigate future climate change and flood risks along the East River.

Here's the official description of the project:

The East Side Coastal Resiliency Project is a federally funded coastal protection initiative aimed at reducing flood risk due to coastal storms and sea level rise on Manhattan's East Side from East 23rd Street to Montgomery Street.

The ESCR Project is a priority of the City of New York as outlined in the 2015 One New York: The Plan for a Strong and Just City and by the innovative Rebuild by Design competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The project design intends to integrate flood protection into the community fabric, improving access to the waterfront rather than walling off the neighborhood.

As a CB3 rep told us:

"If folks are interested in providing feedback on what the waterfront will look like for the foreseeable future, then they should attend one of these two sessions ... these sessions are the opportunity for the public to weigh in on actual design alternatives. The waterfront will never look the same again, and people deserve a right to weigh in on that decision-making process."

Presentation locations:

Tuesday, Oct. 6
5:30-7:30PM
Grand St. Settlement
80 Pitt St.

Thursday, Oct. 8
6:30-8:30PM
Washington Irving High School
40 Irving Place

Brewing Soon signage arrives for Caffe Bene on Avenue A

Work is moving right along on the southeast corner of Avenue A and 13th Street, where the former laundromat is getting closer to becoming a Caffe Bene… the Brewing Soon signage arrived late last week…



… announcing the coffee and waffles from the company based in Seoul, South Korea … as well as a hiring notice…

The proprietors for this location received the OK from CB3 for a beer-wine license during the August meeting. Here's what CB3 had to say via the meeting minutes (PDF):

[W]hile Community Board 3 is reticent in approving an additional liquor license for a chain coffee shop at a previously unlicensed location in this already overburdened area which is serviced by many coffee shops, given that such a license is likely to be approved and the applicant has made amendments to its method of operation in response to community concerns...

A Caffe Bene is also in the works for the former Pinkberry space at 24 St. Mark's Place between Third Avenue and Second Avenue … Here's a look at that storefront on Saturday…



They have not applied for a liquor license. Yet anyway.

Previously on EV Grieve:
2 Caffe Bene locations coming to the East Village (45 comments)

Reader report: Rent hike washes away longtime Avenue A laundromat

Work starts on the 2 Caffe Bene spaces in the East Village

Mimi's close to serving hummus and other Middle-Eastern fare on East 14th Street

Just noting the recent arrival of the signage at the new home for Mimi's Hummus on East 14th Street just west of Second Avenue...



Back in the spring, Eater reported that the Ditmas Park-based Mimi's was expanding into Manhattan with locations at the Vanderbilt food hall next to Grand Central (now open!) and the East Village.

The 6-year-old 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."

We reached out to Mimi's to see if they have an opening date in mind. Will update when/if we hear back.

The small space was previously home for eight months to the $1 pizza/BBQ combo of Wicked Wolfe BBQ.

Laying the foundation for 26 Avenue B

The excavation continues at 26 Avenue B between East Second Street and East Third Street, where there are plans for an 8-unit, 6-floor residential building.



H/T Stacie Joy

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

Full-stop work order served at construction site adjacent to evacuated Avenue B building

Resident wants stuff back that workers took from not abandoned apartment

Is 26 Avenue B ready for its new building now?