Residents, 9th Precinct meeting tonight about excessive partying at 56 St. Mark's Place

[Rear view of No. 56]

Residents who live near 56 St. Mark's Place, aka The Saint, have organized a community meeting tonight at 7 with Capt. Vincent Greany, commanding officer of the 9th Precinct, to discuss what they say has been non-stop partying at the 8-story rental built in 2005. The meeting will be outside No. 56, which is between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The organizer of the meeting shared this background:

It has turned into a partying rental building, filled with fresh-out-of-college kids ... partying non-stop and terrorizing neighboring residents only several yards away from it.

The main noise issues stem from rooftop and some units with patios larger than their apartments. On the rooftop, tenants party till 3-4 am with DJs, climb onto the building's water tower, throw beer bottles and puke down to lower levels.

Large terraces are located on the level equal to the 2nd floor. Surrounded by buildings, sound vibrates like an amphitheater. The patios are hidden and only accessible through apartment entrances. It's not visible from the street and the tenants, knowing these issues, have been jeopardizing the quality of life of about 60 residents surrounding 56 St. Mark's Place. They watch movies with outdoor projectors, play music with outdoor speakers and have over 30 people getting drunk and hollering till early morning.

According to the organizer, the Saint is managed by Helm Management, who have "dodged efforts by several neighbors to speak to them about this issue."

Nearly a dozen other nearby residents shared horror stories about the Saint. Here's a sampling from one (edited for length):

First, let me say this — THE SAINT is an unholy nightmare that should be renamed THE SINNER.

Since the beginning of March 2016 there have been 28 parties or gatherings that have gone beyond 12:30 at night. Many have carried on until 3 am, or 4 am, or even later. All of them massively disturb the peace, prevent me from sleeping, disrupt work routines and cause aggravation and ill will. I feel psychologically and emotionally attacked, disturbed and drained. It has ruined the peace in my home and neighborhood.

I have to deal with:

• Almost daily noise, disruption and intrusion — way above normal levels.

• Roof parties — often with DJs and up to 60 or more drunk, rowdy, sometime belligerent guests — inevitably every weekend (sometimes both Friday and Saturday nights). Parties and gatherings also often occur on Sundays and during weeknights.

• We live inside an enormous fishbowl and every sound that is made on the roof or terraces it is magnified, reverberates off the walls of the other buildings. Sitting in my bedroom sometimes sounds like I am in the middle of a nightclub.

• Shrill, infantile screams of “Dude”, “Fuck yeah!”, “Oh my fucking god”, “Pass me a beer”, “Wow, I’m shitfaced”, “I would fuck him”, “Wahoooooooo!!!!!” etc., etc., at all hours of the night.

• Tenants screaming insults when I ask them to be quiet, or to turn down the noise, or to shut the music off. Insults have included, “Suck my cock”, “Fuck you”, “Eat shit”, “You sound foreign, why don’t you fucking go home?“

• Feeling as though the only solution is to move.

Of particular concern is the building's water tower. Per a neighbor:

Tenants have also taken a particular liking to climbing a tower located on the roof, accessed by a narrow ladder, and turned it into their “sky lounge”. They (and non residents, including minors) sit on top of it and drink alcohol, smoke marijuana, flash lights, scream at the tops of their lungs, play music, throw bottles and vomit over the edge, etc., etc.



People use the tower at any and ALL times of the night and morning.

The dangers are SIGNIFICANT. There is no railing on top of it, there is a 35 foot drop to the roof, girls in heels and formal dresses often climb on top of it then scream “How do I get down”. At times as many as 20 kids (usually drunk) have packed on top of it — a space that is no more than 7ftx10ft. If one of these kids falls (odds are one of them will one day) they will SERIOUSLY injure themselves.

The Bowery Market opens today with 5 year-round food vendors

The open-air food market that we've been writing about at 348 Bowery and Great Jones is opening today... workers were making last-minute preparations yesterday afternoon, as these photos by an EVG reader show...



The Bowery Market, which will be open year round, features five vendors. Here's more about what to expect in the 1,000-square-foot space via Zagat:

The five vendors include favorites like sandwich king Alidoro, Greenpoint's Champion Coffee, LA import The Butcher's Daughter, Chinatown Mexican hotspot Pulqueria and the return of former Sushi Dojo chef David Bouhadana with Sushi on Jones.

At Alidoro, you can expect over 20 Italian sandwiches and salads including their Fratelli D’Italia with porchetta, basil pesto, fresh mozzarella, hot spread, sweet peppers, and arugula​. Butcher's Daughter will offer healthy veggie-focused options like juices, macro bowls and breakfast burritos. Head to Pulqueria for tacos and their famous Granada de Piña, a Mexican pina colada made with chili spices and pulque (fermented sap of the agave plant), served in a frozen, cored pineapple​. Sushi on Jones will offer fresh nigiri sushi and Champion Coffee will offer signature drinks like Maple Cortado: milk, maple syrup and espresso​ in addition to classic coffee drinks.

[Photo by Ken Moore via Zagat]

The quick-serve kiosks will feature limited seating in the form of stools at each food stand as well as several benches on the premises.

Eater notes that this project comes courtesy of real-estate developer Scott Marano of Ozymandius Realty.

The Bowery Market's hours are daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The address has been without a full-time tenant since Downtown Auto & Tire left in April 2012. The Deth Killers of Bushwick opened a pop-up shop here in February 2014, selling their brand of jeans and motorcycle stuff for several months. There was also the Nike pop-up shop in February 2015.

There were other proposed concepts for the space, which has been on and off the market for several years. In July 2010, a group aspired to open the first New York branch of Segafredo Zanetti Espresso Café, the Italian-style coffee bar, on this spot. They went before CB2, who rejected the proposal, which included a patio with a retractable roof with soundproofing as well as sound-resistant sliding doors.

Zagat noted that "remnants of the former body shop remain including graffiti."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Please meet the next corner of the Bowery primed for something luxurious

The last days of the Downtown Auto and Tire?

The Bowery to get a South Beach diet

Making Faces at the Downtown Tire & Auto Center

Downtown Auto & Tire has left the Bowery

Rumors: 348 Bowery will house new food market

[Updated] Raphael Toledano is now funding the Creative Little Garden on 6th Street

Via the EVG inbox...

Raphael Toledano, President of Brookhill Properties, LLC, a premier New York based real estate investment company, is pleased to announce its funding and participation in the maintenance and upkeep of the Creative Little Garden, located at 530 E. 6th Street between Avenues A and B.

Since 1982, the Garden has been a sanctuary of peace for the neighborhood and is considered by East Villagers and New Yorker’s alike to be their “community backyard” garden. Members collaborate on the landscaping of the garden, but there are no plots tended by individual gardeners. By doing this, the space has been able to become the tranquil oasis that many recognize it is today.

“We are happy to be giving back to the community in a way that helps maintain a peaceful and safe space for so many East Village’s residents and visitors,” said Courtney Knopf, Executive Vice President at Brookhill Properties. “By contributing to the Creative Little Garden, Raphael Toledano and Brookhill Properties hope to promote a greater appreciation for the environment as well as a close and supportive community.”

The Creative Little Garden is funded solely by contributions and dues paid by their members. There are expenses necessary for the maintenance of the space, but there is no paid staff. The space operates under the jurisdiction of the NYC Parks Department with help specifically from the Greenthumb program and the NYC Council on the Environment.

In his short time as a landlord in the East Village, the 26-year-old Toledano has made headlines in media outlets citywide for alleged harassment and intimidation of tenants, for which he is reportedly under state investigation at 444 E. 13th St. Local elected officials have also blasted Toledano for unsafe living conditions after the the City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found elevated lead levels in the common areas of three of his buildings.

Toledano is the latest controversial East Village landlord to announce programs intended to give back to the neighborhood. Back in the spring, Icon Realty donated empty retail spaces for Celebrity Catwalk to hold adoption and fundraising events and unveiled plans for public art at several of its properties.

Updated 7/17

Via the comments...

The Creative Little Garden said...
There definitely have been no donations in the past two months to the garden. The press release reported in this article was dated Tuesday last week, and I learned about it late last night. I've been hunting around the internet today, and have found seemingly old, but vague, claims that Toledano has donated to the garden in the past. If true, it was a terrible mistake. Toledano does not represent the values of the Creative Little Garden. Franciose's ashes are there, and she would shoot rose thorns at him.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Claim: Landlord of 444 E. 13th St. threatened 'to drop dynamite on the building'

Report: State investigating East Village landlord Raphael Toledano

Report: Uncle suing nephew broker Raphael Toledano over $100 million East Village deal

Report: Raphael Toledano completes purchase of 16-building East Village portfolio

More about alleged harassment and landlord visits via Brookhill Properties

In op-ed, Raphael Toledano says that he wants 'to make the East Village a better place'

Report: East Village landlord Raphael Toledano allegedly misrepresented himself as a lawyer

The Villager looks at landlord Raphael Toledano's criminal past

An open letter to landlord Raphael Toledano from the Toledano Tenants Coalition

Report: Management company sues Raphael Toledano for backing out of $130 million loan

Ongoing concerns about demolition work and elevated lead levels in Toledano-owned buildings

Free tonight in Tompkins Square Park: 'Next Stop, Greenwich Village'

Tonight's free film in Tompkins Square Park is "Next Stop, Greenwich Village," a Paul Mazursky-directed comedy/drama from 1976. Per IMDB:

An aspiring Jewish actor moves out of his parents' Brooklyn apartment to seek his fortune in the bohemian life of Greenwich Village in 1953. He struggles to come to terms with his feelings about his mother's overbearing nature, while also trying to maintain his relationship with his girlfriend.

The cast includes Lenny Baker, Shelley Winters, Ellen Greene, Lois Smith and Christopher (Chris!) Walken.



There's pre-movie music tonight via Bear 54.

Check the Films in Tompkins Facebook page for any updates on tonight's screening.

And upcoming:

7-21 — "Do the Right Thing"

7-28 — "Wild Style"

8-4 — "True Romance"

8-11 — "Romeo + Juliet"

Noted

Always hate to see a piñata riding without the proper protective gear — they can break so easily.

A scene on East 10th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue this morning via William Klayer

Out and About in the East Village

In this ongoing feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village. East Village photographer Stacie Joy compiled today's post.



By Stacie Joy

Name: Roosmarijn van Kessel, 23
Occupation: Fashion designer; assistant to Tim Coppens
Location: 6th Street and Avenue B Garden
Time: 12:45 p.m., Saturday, July 2

I am from the Netherlands: I was born in Boxtel, a tiny town in the south. When I was 4 we moved to Nijmegen, a small university city. That’s where I did my high school and at 17 I moved to Amsterdam to start at art academy. I arrived in New York at the end of January this year. It was the weekend after the blizzard. I had my flight scheduled for the night of the blizzard but I couldn’t get a plane so in the end I arrived on a Tuesday night and I started my internship Wednesday morning.

I was sort of nervous when I landed, but happy I was here, and thought, Let’s get a cab to my apartment. I asked the driver to go to McKibbin Street Lofts and he said “Never heard of it” and I was thinking, Do I even have a place? I have to work tomorrow! In the end, I arrived at 1 a.m. and started hours later at my job. That was a crazy start. I lived there for two months. Then, in April, I moved to the East Village.

My apartment is cute. It’s a sublet, and I’m sharing it with another girl. She’s very nice and creative, a 3D animator and she has a cat with a Dutch name: Schatje, which means “cutie.” The first time I heard her saying, “Schatje!” I thought she was talking to her boyfriend. And my room, it’s small, but it’s a good room and I am really happy with the location.

I was lucky, I must say. I decided I wanted to move, and I went on this Facebook [housing] group, and saw this post that was posted three minutes prior and it said “summer sublet, East Village, East 13th Street, one roommate” and I was like, this is perfect! I responded, saying, Hi, I’m Roos, I can stay for the whole period, can I have a look? I got a response, like “Yeah, sure, you are the first one to react so let’s meet on Monday.” I arrived on Monday and she said she had 75 responses within the weekend.

I am staying here until half of August and then I have to find another place. So, I keep on searching, hopefully I will stay in this area. For me it looks a bit like Amsterdam. It’s very cozy, but still we’re in a big city. What I really like is seeing all the people on the street. All these bars and cafes, everyone is so nice. I feel like I know people here, when I get somewhere in the morning they know what kind of coffee I drink. When I arrived I didn’t know anyone.

There’s this coffee bar, called Coffee Project on East Fifth Street, and they’re the sweetest girls. They are making really good coffee. I like Ludlow Street. I go to an Italian restaurant there, Taverna di Bacco.

On [June 29] it was my birthday and I had a long work day, but I was not going to go home without dinner. I went there and the guy who is running the place said, “Roos, it’s your birthday! Have a glass of wine!” I am here alone and it’s not that I can call that many people to have a birthday dinner with, and it’s great that there’s this restaurant that is so welcoming. There was a woman who started reading the palm of my hand, as a birthday gift.

In my field you work very long hours. I start in the morning by 9 and work until 8:30 p.m., and there are days that I work even longer, especially now that it’s almost Fashion Week.

Being able to walk to and from work is relaxing and helpful. When I was living in Bushwick and taking the L train it was adding too much information when I’ve already had such a long day. I need time to process before sleep. I am searching for comfortable spaces, where I can sit on a bench and watch the river. I am happy when I'm close to the East River. Whenever I see the water I feel close to home. I think every Dutch person would agree that when you see water you feel at home.

The East Village to me is the easy village. It’s funny, when I lived in Amsterdam, on the weekends or my time off, I would always search for more energy. Whereas here, with all the energy that’s already here, I’m searching for comfortable situations.

In Amsterdam I was always thinking more, more, more, and here I already get so much, I am ready to just sit for an hour and read my book. In the Netherlands I was always reading English books and now here my mother sends me Dutch books!

After 35 years on East 9th Street, Mascot Studio is leaving the East Village

[Photo by Lola Sáenz]

Mascot Studio, a custom frame and fine art shop, is leaving its home of 35 years (25 years at No. 328) on East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue in the weeks ahead.

Peter McCaffrey said that he is relocating to Chelsea in collaboration with Pratzon Art Restoration, 122 W. 26th St.

We asked McCaffrey for more details about the move.

"I was offered a share in a space with a painting restorer I know personally, and that is coming at the right time for me," he said. "It will not be a retail environment but in a building with other creative companies."

McCaffrey's lease on Ninth Street is up in September.

"It has been difficult the last few years. Many of my old clientele have moved on and the influx of a more transitory population has affected my custom framing business," he said. "Selling art is another challenge, but I think the mindset of 'inexpensive and disposable' has become the norm as new residents come and go."

Through July, the shop is having a sale on frames, prints and some of McCaffrey's own work.

As he wrote on a Facebook post: "I am excited and overwhelmed by the prospect of the next phase. Thank You All! for the years of loyalty and support. See you in Chelsea."

An ugly scene at the 6BC Botanical Garden

Several readers/residents passed along an email that's circulating among garden members about an ugly incident Sunday in the 6BC Botanical Garden on Sixth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.

A garden member showed up around 5 p.m. to work on her plot... she unlocked the gate. Several people came into the space upon the arrival of the gardener, including "a tall young man who said hi" who sat at the wire table in the back.

Here's more via the email to garden members:

Two other guys, a young man with a teenager sitting by the pond, started talking to me about what a treasure the garden is and we had a short conversation. While talking to them I turn, look around, and I see the first guy sitting at the wire table still, but completely naked and masturbating. I tell the two men I was chatting with ... "I must call 911." I did panic a bit, because at this point a good number of people were walking around in the garden.

Now the naked man is standing up and walking toward me, touching himself and growling, talking dirty. I start screaming “sir you must leave, we are calling the police.” He doesn’t care and honestly he seems very high. The gentlemen at this point reassured me they are staying with me while I call the police and as long as needed. The naked man is approaching and I start walking toward the exit, telling people to leave. I was hoping to lock him inside, but I couldn’t, too many people were still inside as well.

According to the email, the man walked outside the garden, turned west and headed to Avenue B. The woman, accompanied by the two other men, waited for the police from Grape and Grain next door.

The naked man left his clothes in the garden, so with the police I walked back there to show them where he was. Going through the pockets they found his phone and his ID: I recognized him in the photo. Something else was in his pockets, which I found very scary: a star-head screwdriver that can become a weapon in the wrong hands.

The email ends with a note about what an oasis of peace and harmony the garden is, though: "We are still in New York City and some crazy people walk around..."

The email did not contain a description of the man. We don't know if the police made an arrest in this incident. He probably wasn't too difficult to find given that he was naked and the police had his phone and ID.

Red Koi Organic Sushi Lounge has closed on 1st Avenue

An EVG reader notes that in fairly quick succession, Red Koi Organic Sushi Lounge at 57 First Ave. closed... was served an eviction notice from the Marshal and put on the market.

We didn't know too much about this restaurant between Third Street and Fourth Street... it opened, as we recall, in late 2014...



As you will no doubt remember, the space was home, too briefly, to the Pudgie's-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's action-packed combo during the glorious summer of 2012. That fryplex of fatty fun was sadly gone by the end of 2012. But we have our memories. And photos.

[Photo from 2012 by Bobby Williams]

The listing for the space isn't online just yet. It was posted at $7,500 after Pudgie's died.

Last Manhattanhenge till 2017!

Some photos tonight on East 14th Street via EVG regular Peter Brownscombe...

Con Ed's helpful scratch-n-sniff mailer

An EVG reader came home today to find the above postcard in the mail... a safety message from Con Ed that includes a peel-and-sniff feature to help people detect the smell of gas (hint: rotten eggs) in their homes.

Per the reader: "I am marveling at the very potent scent it contains!"

Find more information at the Con Ed website on what to do if you detect a gas leak.

Citi Bike temporarily bumped from 4th Street for curb work

[Photo by Derek Berg]

Workers yesterday packed up the Citi Bike docking station on Fourth Street and Second Avenue...


[Photo by DB]


...and took it off to parts unknown, though only temporarily...

Station Update: E 4th St & 2nd Ave has been removed for the next month due to construction.

— Citi Bike (@CitiBikeNYC) July 11, 2016

Signs on the block point to a an expansion of the curb line, which Citi Bike officials optimistically believe/hope will last just a month...

On East 12th Street, 'The rats have taken over!'

On East 12th Street, we've heard from a few residents who have reported a growing rat problem on the block between Avenue A and First Avenue... (one resident took to leaving a note/cry for help on one of the residential buildings).

According to one resident, the dual construction sites across the street (Steiner East Village and East Side Community School) have contributed to the problem...



There are also two active construction sites behind East 12th Street with Thirteen East + West.

"The rats have taken over the block," the resident said. [On Saturday] morning, I witnessed a rat give chase to a squirrel across 12th Street. The squirrel won — barely."

The residents said they have called 311 to report the vermin.

Oh hi: The 22-floor Bowlmor Lanes-replacing luxury building

The rendering on the plywood along University Place between 12th Street and 13th Street – former home of Bowlmor Lanes — doesn't really illustrate just how large and luxurious the 22-floor retail-residential complex will be here...

You have to go to the website of architect Annabelle Selldorf for the full effect... (The Times had the full reveal back in late May.)



Per the Selldorf website:

This new 118,500 sf mixed-use project is located on the corner of University Place and East 12th Street in Greenwich Village. The primary urban opportunities of the site are to connect to the thriving pedestrian activity and contribute to the public’s experience of the streetscape.

To achieve this the two story retail base has expansive storefront windows interrupted by dark aluminum mullions that create an intimate rhythm and scale. Additionally, the 20 story residential tower above the retail base is set back to maximize the amount of sunlight that reaches the adjacent sidewalks and provide generous rooftop gardens.

The 50-plus-unit building, dubbed 21E12 by developer Billy Macklowe, will have homes ranging from $2.35 million to more than $15 million. The project was originally said to be 23 floors. Now just 22.

Last November, local elected officials, preservation groups and even actor Ed Norton rallied to have this area rezoned to put height limits on new construction along this corridor. Mayor de Blasio wasn't apparently too interested in the proposal.

This building will dwarf a new 7-story luxury condo going in next door at the corner of 13th Street.

Bowlmor Lanes closed in July 2014 after 76 years in business.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Building that houses Bowlmor Lanes will convert to condos, like everywhere else around here

76-year-old Bowlmor Lanes closes for good today

Bowlmor says goodbye

Bowlmor Lanes replacement: 23-floor residential building

Major changes coming to University Place and East 13th Street

How about some more condos for University Place

Here's what's left of the block of University Place that once housed Bowlmor Lanes

Former Downtown Auto space continues conversion to open-air food market

Work continues at 348 Bowery, where workers are transforming part of the former Downtown Auto & Tire left into an open-air food market... the new fence arrived last week... and the kiosks are coming together...



As we first reported on Feb. 1, the corner lot at Great Jones will showcase several quick-serve food vendors. BoweryBoogie noted yesterday that the space will be called — The Bowery Market.

The website for the market doesn't include any details on the vendors. Essex Street's Cabilito Pupuseria was said to be a participant. (Their crowdfunding campaign for a food stand has yielded $230 of a $18,000 goal.)

No word either on an opening date.

The address has been without a full-time tenant since Downtown Auto & Tire left in April 2012. The Deth Killers of Bushwick opened a pop-up shop here in February 2014, selling their brand of jeans and motorcycle stuff for several months.

Hopefully The Bowery Market will be a much more viable space than Boutiques on Bowery was across the street.

A look at the 2nd-to-last Manhattanhenge of 2016

EVG reader 8E took this shot tonight on East 14th Street...

There will be a half-sun Manhattanhenge tomorrow evening... then that's it until 2017.

Updated:

Here's a another shot via ‏@WonderlandNYC ...

Cloud watch

The cloud-shaped action (with many one flying bag) earlier over Tompkins Square Park today via Grant Shaffer...

At a commercial shoot for Starbucks, where craft services doesn't serve Starbucks

A crew was on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue today filming a commercial for Starbucks Visa... EVG reader Daniel noted that the craft services did NOT serve Starbucks during the filming of said Starbucks commercial...





No word if craft services accepted Visa.

New York Central Art Supply is closing at the end of September

[EVG photo from 2015]

Sad news via the EVG inbox this morning...

New York Central — one of the oldest art supply stores in the country — has announced it will be going out of business due to poor business conditions and it’s building being sold. The store, which has been in continuous operation at 62 Third Avenue since 1905, is losing its month to month lease at the end of September.

Founded in 1905 by Benjamin Steinberg, the store has been run by the Steinberg family for more than 3 generations. Benjamin’s son Harold (whose brother Gilbert went on to open Lee’s Art Shop which also recently closed) took over in the 1940s. The store’s most recent President, Steven Steinberg, started working at the store in the 1950s and took over in the early 1970s. He built the store into a mainstay of modern artists, and added a world-renowned paper department. His sister Marcia Norins worked there as well, running New York Central Framing, which closed in 2012. Steven Steinberg recently passed away in November of 2015 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s Disease, and his sister Marcia passed away from Cancer in July of 2015.

“We’ve held on as long as we could out of loyalty to our long-time staff and amazing customers, but the business was not set up to survive current economic conditions,” said Barrie Steinberg, Steven’s daughter.

The store's customer list over the years has read like a who's who of modern artists, including Andy Warhol, Willem deKooning, Frank Stella, Larry Rivers, Cecily Brown, Keith Haring and many more, but in recent years the store has faced tremendous challenges from the rise of online shopping and the infiltration of national chain stores.

“In a world where people can get what they need shipped to their door with the tap of a finger, Central’s old-world charm and personal service was both a blessing and a curse,” said Doug Steinberg, Steven’s son. “It’s very emotional for everyone. I’ve known most of the employees since i was a boy. I really hope another store realizes how amazing they are and offers them a new opportunity”

The store plans on remaining open throughout the summer as it liquidates current inventory.

Previously

St. Mark's Ale House has closed

The sports bar/restaurant at 2 St. Mark's Place apparently closed for good after service on July 3, according to a tipster. (The Ale House website is down and the phone goes unanswered.)

The closure apparently caught the remaining staff off-guard. Our tipster noted that the Ale House, which opened in 1995, had been going downhill in the past year with the loss of a favorite bartender and some regulars.

No official word about what will become of the prime space here at Third Avenue. There's a rumor that the owner is going to reopen the place as a Greek restaurant.