Gotham Pizza interior reveal on 3rd Avenue

The other day workers removed the paper from the windows at the incoming Gotham Pizza on Third Avenue and 12th Street ... as these photos by EVG reader Laura K. show...not much to see inside just yet — mostly boxes...



...Workers papered up part of the windows again by the end of the day Saturday...



Anyway, people have told us that they like the pizza here. (There are several other locations in the city.) Serious Eats gave Gotham Pizza high marks, particularly for its super-thin crust that includes "a smattering of breadcrumbs," in this 2009 review.

No one word on an opening date just yet for the Third Avenue spot.

As you probably know, the space last served up the FroYo via Funkiberry.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Funkiberry-replacing pizzeria revealed on 3rd Avenue

The evolution of Ben Shaoul

The July issue of The Real Deal has a feature story titled "How Ben Shaoul went from 'Sledgehammer' landlord to one of the busiest luxury condo developers in Manhattan." (The story was posted online this past Thursday.)

The piece offers new insights into Shaoul, whose real-estate actions have been widely reported in this neighborhood. For instance, Shaoul says that he only needs five hours of sleep a night. After that, he says, "it’s depreciating returns."

The article focuses on his transition from evicting rent-stabilized tenants, emptying nursing homes and adding questionably legal penthouses to developing multi-million dollar properties and high-profile homes.

Over the past five years, he has scaled the ranks from a smalltime landlord to one of the city’s most important developers, partnering with major institutional capital providers and taking on ever more challenging and risky projects. His portfolio includes retail properties, condos, rentals and even dormitories. All told, he said his holdings are valued at more than $3 billion. In Manhattan, he currently has close to 500 new condo units on the market, which is likely more than any other developer right now.

The Real Deal also revisits the moment in March 2006 where he became known as "the sledgehammer," a well-documented story in which Shaoul and his construction workers knocked down apartment doors at the Cave, the building he had recently bought at 120 St. Mark's Place. Bob Arihood took photos of Shaoul and his crew, holding crow bars and sledgehammers, staring down Cave tenant Jim Power.

Although the ski-cap-topped Shaoul wasn't actually holding a sledgehammer — just a flip phone — Curbed dubbed him "sledgehammer" and it has stuck these past 10 years. (Curbed also once referred to Shaoul as an "80s breakdance movie villain." And maybe a little Johnny "Sweep the Leg" Lawrence?)


[Photo from March 2006 by Bob Arihood]

And what does Shaoul think of this sledgehammer moniker today?

Shaoul recently bristled at the depiction. “Do I wish people didn’t say that? Of course I do,” he said. “I have four children and a wife, and kids come to my house for playdates and stuff. The last thing I want is for one of those other parents to Google me and something that’s not even true comes up. You don’t want to handicap your children with that.”

Sources said the criticism Shaoul and his partners received in those years likely played a part in him transitioning into other types of projects.

As for more current Shaoul-East Village news... crews continue to work seven days a week (they do have permits for the weekend work) on the million-dollar condoplex at 100 Avenue A.

Thursday Kitchen is cafe by day with Korean tapas at night

Thursday Kitchen, the Korean tapas bar, is in soft-open mode now at 424 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

In the evening, Thursday Kitchen is serving a menu featuring various small-plate options...


[Photo by William Klayer]

... and during the day, they are serving reasonably priced coffee (iced or regular coffee is listed for a $1)...



They are also advertising free wi-fi during the day.

King Bee, the previous restaurant here, bowed out last month.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Thursday Kitchen will serve Korean tapas on East 9th Street

Atla announces itself on Lafayette; coffee shop coming next door

Over at 372 Lafayette St., the first sign of what's to come in the retail space has arrived in the windows here at Great Jones.

As Tasting Table first reported in April, chef Enrique Olvera is opening a casual Mexican restaurant in the corner spot. Olvera, who Eater calls "one of the world's great chefs," also operates the well-regarded Cosme on East 21st Street and Pujol in Mexico City.

Atla is expected to be open by the end of the year.

And while we're over in this direction... signage arrived several weeks ago in the space next door... for Honeybrains, which will be a coffee shop/cafe...





Continuing south... a Yogasmoga clothing store is opening in the new Selldorf-designed condos at 10 Bond St. ... and the Italian fashion brand Boglioli is ready to go with its first U.S. outpost...



Before the two new luxury residential buildings arrived here between Bond and Great Jones, the property held ZP Auto Repair Shop, a parking garage and Harrison Ford's head...

[February 2009]

Parting weekend shot

Photo by Bobby Williams...

Week in Grieview

[Photo at St. Mark's and Cooper Square via Derek Berg]

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

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

The Marshal seizes Lanza's for nonpayment of taxes (Thursday)

St. Mark's Ale House has closed (Monday)


[The Ale House on Wednesday via Steven]

On East 12th Street, "The rats have taken over!" (Tuesday)

Peter Kane looking to bring Out East, a destination restaurant for 6th Street (Monday)

A plaque now marks where Basquiat lived and worked on Great Jones Street (Thursday)

Kati Roll Company still coming to 128 2nd Ave., and the Stage has been gutted (Monday)

CB3 committee votes against height variance for new 14th Street development (Friday)

Out and About with Roosmarijn van Kessel (Wednesday)

Thursday afternoon's thunderstorm (Thursday)

Closures on East 10th Street: Cafe Silan and Spirit and Matter (Monday)

The Bowery Market opens (Thursday)

Raphael Toledano says he is now funding the Creative Little Garden on 6th Street (Thursday)

About the Citi Bike docking station outside the New York City Marble Cemetery (Monday)

An ugly scene at the 6BC Botanical Garden (Wednesday)

Red Koi Organic Sushi Lounge has closed on 1st Avenue (Wednesday) ... and Iron Sushi on 10th Street (Friday)

The 22-floor Bowlmor Lanes-replacing luxury building (Tuesday)

Last Manhattanhenge till 2017! (Tuesday)

Capital One® departs 14th and 3rd (bank branch down!) for new Union Square home (Monday)

"Ghostbusters II" flashback: Revisiting Ray's Occult Books on St. Mark's Place (Friday)

... and a reader shared this photo... bagging a Rattata outside the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office on 14th Street...

Sen. Schumer talks K2 on 2nd Avenue

[Photo by Steven]

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer held a press conference this afternoon outside the Orpheum Theater on Second Avenue to discuss his proposed drug legislation in the aftermath of the recent K2 mass overdose in Bed-Stuy.

Here's more from the Associated Press:

Schumer is pushing legislation to add 22 substances to the federal list of banned drugs following a mass overdose in Brooklyn last week that sent 33 people to hospitals.

Schumer's bill would ban substances, including three derivatives of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, and 19 others that are used in efforts to mimic the main psychoactive ingredient of marijuana.

He says that since 2015, more than 6,000 synthetic drug-related emergency department visits in New York City and two confirmed deaths have been blamed on K2.

An aide told EVG correspondent Steven that Schumer picked the East Village for the press conference because it's a diverse neighborhood and K2 is a problem affecting everyone.

And some reaction via Twitter...

Thx @SenSchumer for staging K2 press conference in the drug infested East Village. Hopefully it'll send a message to realtors to stay away!

— Jena Friedman (@JenaFriedman) July 17, 2016

RIP Alan Vega

[Image via]

Alan Vega, one half of the seminal electronic duo Suicide, died yesterday. He was 78.

Henry Rollins first reported the news via his website. Rollins also posted a message from Vega's family:

With profound sadness and a stillness that only news like this can bring, we regret to inform you that the great artist and creative force, Alan Vega has passed away.

Alan passed peacefully in his sleep last night, July 16. He was 78 years of age.

Alan was not only relentlessly creative, writing music and painting until the end, he was also startlingly unique. Along with Martin Rev, in the early 1970’s, they formed the two person avant band known as Suicide. Almost immediately, their incredible and unclassifiable music went against every possible grain. Their confrontational live performances, light-years before Punk Rock, are the stuff of legend. Their first, self-titled album is one of the single most challenging and noteworthy achievements in American music.

Alan Vega was the quintessential artist on every imaginable level. His entire life was devoted to outputting what his vision commanded of him.

One of the greatest aspects of Alan Vega was his unflinching adherence to the demands of his art. He only did what he wanted. Simply put, he lived to create. After decades of constant output, the world seemed to catch up with Alan and he was acknowledged as the groundbreaking creative individual he had been from the very start.

Alan’s life is a lesson of what it is to truly live for art. The work, the incredible amount of time required, the courage to keep seeing it and the strength to bring it forth—this was Alan Vega.

Alan is survived by his amazing family, wife Liz and son Dante. His incredible body of work, spanning five decades, will be with us forever.

As NME noted, the Jesus And Mary Chain, Bruce Springsteen, Thurston Moore, Nick Cave, New Order, Steve Albini, MIA and LCD Soundsystem are among the bands-musicians who have cited Suicide and Vega as an influence on their own music.

Early on, though, Vega, who was born in Bensonhurst, didn't think that people liked the band so much.

From a profile in Brooklyn magazine last December:

Vega, New York City punk icon, spent over a decade convinced that no one liked his band. “Suicide was hated by everybody. Everybody! It’s true. You should have seen the night we opened for The Ramones [at CBGBs],” he says. “They were late. Hilly [Kristal, CBGBs owner] was going nuts. So we had to go on… again! You should have heard the fuckin’ ‘Booooooooooooooooo.’ You couldn’t stop it, it was endless. Finally, the Ramones showed up, but Jesus Christ, we still had to do a few songs.”

He can laugh about it now, but for him and bandmate Martin Rev, the 70s were pretty rough. “They hated us from the day we started.” So he started swinging bicycle chains at their gigs to overtly menace the crowds unready to embrace Suicide’s brutally minimal, sorta terrifying music, because, fuck ‘em.

Updated

A few tributes via Instagram...

Rest in peace my friend - Alan Vega will be Dearly missed. Such a fucking true artist and beautiful person!!!

A photo posted by Jesse Malin (@jesse_malin) on Jul 17, 2016 at 9:50am PDT

RIP Alan Vega of Suicide who died yesterday, sad. A really sweet guy, innovator. Here with his partner Marty Rev and Debbie someplace around times square mid seventies

A photo posted by 🅒🅗🅡🅘🅢 🅢🅣🅔🅘🅝 (@christein) on Jul 17, 2016 at 6:28am PDT

Thinking of Alan Vega today. Woke up to this picture floating around the web portending the bad news. Unlike anything I'd ever seen onstage when I shot this at CBGB in 1977. Always warm & supportive in person. My thoughts go out to his wife Liz & son Dante. Also Rev. So glad I saw them astound the crowd at Webster Hall last year. Dream Baby Dream. #photobygodlis

A photo posted by Godlis (@godlis) on Jul 17, 2016 at 12:33pm PDT

RIP #AlanVega You were beyond us. A future beyond any youtu.be/7WqOMPakGCg

A photo posted by Ryan Adams (@misterryanadams) on Jul 17, 2016 at 12:21am PDT

7th Street hoop dreams

Photo on Seventh Street between Avenue B and Avenue C today by @zabseb

The Bourne Nonidentity

Boooooo. Second Avenue and Fifth Street...

Heads up in Tompkins Square Park

You never know when a fledgling might be doing a fly by...





Visit Goggla's site for more photos of Christo and Dora's offspring in action. Derek Berg took the three photos above here.

And here's a nice shot via Bobby Williams from yesterday...

Orange crush

British singer/composer Dev Hynes released his new Blood Orange album "Freetown Sound" on July 1... from that record is "Augustine," featuring a few familiar faces and places.

He'll be among the many performers during next weekend's Panorama festival on Randall's Island.

Sign of the times

Getting in on the Pokémon Go action at Bar Virage on Second Avenue at Seventh Street ... photo via Vinny & O.

EV Grieve Etc.: The Mayor's Rivington House indifference; the swooping baby hawks

[Photo in Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg]

Rivington House scandal: While the report issued yesterday by the Investigation Department did not suggest that any criminal activity occurred, "it repeatedly found fault with the actions and, at times, indifference, of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration" and: "The report found that top City Hall officials were informed of the progress to lift the restrictions on the nursing home but took no action, and displayed little interest." (The New York Times)

Heat advisory in effect today (Gothamist)

11th and B in 1983 (Flaming Pablum)

Cake Shop looking for partners to buy the upper street-level cafe space (The Lo-Down)

Outdoor dining at Esperanto on Avenue C (Patch)

A guide to inexpensive meals at the Essex Street Market (Grub Street)

"The East Village D.J. Who Became the Savior of a Decaying British Estate" (Vanity Fair)

Those super swooping baby hawks in Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography)


[Photo by Bobby Williams]

The Soho House on Ludlow Street pranked (BoweryBoogie)

Should the arts community give up on the city altogether? (Brick Underground)

Back Forty West — sibling of former Avenue B restaurant — closing on Prince Street, Dig Inn coming to take its place (Eater)

Corner outside Forest Hills high school to be named after the Ramones (DNAinfo)

...and here's Ruby the parrot on Second Avenue...


[Photo by Lola Sáenz]

Revisiting Ray's Occult Books on St. Mark's Place

[Photo on July 7 by Derek Berg]

The "Ghostbusters" reboot is in theaters starting today ... which accounts for the multiple Ecto-1 sightings around, such as on Second Avenue and Fourth Street.

While on the topic, seems like a good time for a "Ghostbusters" flashback... to when 33 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue served as the exterior for Ray's Occult Books in "Ghostbusters 11" from 1989...


[Click to go big]


[Ditto]

Here's some history of the shop via the "Ghostbusters" wikia:

Ray's Occult Books is a bookstore owned and operated by Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) after the Ghostbusters were served a judicial restraining order.

Following the collapse of the Ghostbusters, Ray opened up an Occult book store; specializing in the bizarre, somewhat strange, and hard to find books. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) is a frequent customer, as demonstrated by his having an account; he has been seen buying a book titled "Magical Paths to Fortune and Power".

Unfortunately, the store's lifespan was short-lived. Citing a change in buying trends and demographics on the block, Ray closed the shop before the movie even hit theaters.

And the block today...

CB3 committee votes against height variance for new 14th Street development

[Photo from July 9]

Last month, reps for the new development at 432-438 E. 14h St. made their case for a zoning variance for a 12-story building — four more than the area's zoning allows — before a CB3 committee.

For their part, CB3's Land Use, Zoning, Public & Private Housing Committee asked the reps to return after "exploring alternatives to increasing building height and requesting a greater percentage of 'affordable' units," as DNAinfo reported at the time.

The North Avenue A Neighborhood Association, the 12th Street Block Association, the 13th Street Block Association, residents of 13th Street and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation made their case to deny the developer’s request for a variance at the site of the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office between Avenue A and First Avenue.

On Wednesday night, reps for the developer (Benenson Capital Partners in association with the Mack Real Estate Group) appeared again before the committee.

A neighborhood leader was in attendance and shared this:

"At the meeting they presented minor changes to the 14th Street façade, but did not alter the height or offer a detailed financial analysis for their need for the variance. They did not consider the committee's concerns about the physical characteristics of the building and residents' concerns about the small number of additional affordable housing units on the additional floors.

They were denied by a vote of 13-0 with 1 abstention.

As we first reported in May, the developers were asking for a variance because:

"Unusually elevated groundwater levels and exceedingly soft and unstable soil (owing to the presence of an underground stream) ... result in extraordinary construction costs, which make a complying development with affordable housing infeasible." (An analysis of the project put the extra construction costs due to the substandard soil at $8.8 million.)

The developers will next go to the city's Board of Standards and Appeals, though without any approval from the local Community Board.

Per the resident: "While not a victory yet as the BSA could still rule in their favor, it's a big step in stopping this out-of-scale development."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office slated to be demolished

The former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office will yield to an 8-story residential building

New residential building at former 14th Street PO will feature a quiet lounge, private dining room

A look at the new building coming to the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office property

Developers for post office-replacing project seek variance for a 12-story building

[Updated] Report: CB3 wants alternatives for a larger 438 E. 14th St.

Sushi comings and goings

An EVG reader noted the recent closure (end of June) of Iron Sushi on East 10th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... a for rent sign has been up on the storefront... their Upper East Side location remains open...



Meanwhile, one block away, a sushi restaurant is opening at 350 E. Ninth St. near First Avenue...



The space was home to A.K. Shoe Repair until last August ... then a tobacco-variety shop came and went here fairly quickly.

Thanks to Steven for the photos

Room with a view

One of my favorite movies, Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window," is playing at the Anthology Film Archives this weekend as part of the
Voyeurism, Surveillance, and Identity in the Cinema series.



The showtimes:

REAR WINDOW
July 15 at 6:30 PM
July 16 at 9:00 PM
July 18 at 6:30 PM

The creepy "Peeping Tom" is also in the series...

PEEPING TOM
July 15 at 9:00 PM
July 17 at 5:00 PM
July 18 at 9:00 PM



The Anthology is on Second Street at Second Avenue. Details here.

East Fifth St. Tree Committee takes action after downed limb strikes car

A reader passes along word that a large branch — "assumed to be broken off by lightning" — fell on top of a car on East Fifth Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.

The downed branch was spotted by a member of the East Fifth Street Tree Committee, who notified the FDNY. Firefighters, who happened to be on the block responding to a reported gas leak on the block, removed the tree parts that had covered the car.

The Tree Committee member contacted the Parks Department, "who quickly sent someone to take photos and assured the block residents that the tree parts would be removed by morning."

Storm chasing

[Click to go big]

EVG reader Mike Brown shared these views as the storm clouds rolled through the Lower East Side late this afternoon...



No sign of Ian Ziering.