Mikey Likes It Rocks the Bells

[Photo by Greg Masters]

LL Cool J is the artist of the month on the gate at Mikey Likes It, 199 Avenue A near East 12th Street. Andre Trenier's 1980s-flavored mural coincides with the flavor of the month — Rock the Bells.

Friday's parting shot

Lovely sunset these evening... here's a shot of it via East 13th Street by EVG reader Helene Burke...

Summer 'Lover'

Crocodiles recently released "Telepathic Lover," their first single from the upcoming album Dreamless out Oct. 21 on Zoo Music.

As Brooklyn Vegan noted, the new record marks a "sonic departure for the band," who is favoring piano and synths over fuzzed-out guitars this time around.

Raclette moves from Avenue A to East 12th Street

Raclette has left its 14-seat home at 195 Avenue A at 12th Street and moved around the corner to the larger confines of 511 E. 12th St., the former Northern Spy space.



The restaurant, which serves French and Swiss Raclette, Croques and Tartine, opened to some fanfare in February 2015.

Northern Spy closed this past February after six years in business.

The Peter Cooper Block Party is tomorrow (Saturday!)

Via the EVG inbox...

Peter Cooper Block Party
Free & Open to the Public

Saturday, Sept. 3
Noon-5 pm

7 East 7th St., Outside Cooper Union's Foundation Building

Development, construction, demolition, re-development, re-construction, re-demolition, un-re-development, re-un-construction, de-un-remolition...Amidst the dust, it's hard to know: what's going on here?

- - -

About Peter Cooper Block Party 2016

The Block Party is a relatively new tradition of coming together to celebrate, reconnect, and showcase the ongoing work of the Cooper community.

The theme of this year's Peter Cooper Block Party is a provocation:

“Under Construction:"

And a question:

"What’s Going On Here?”

2016 marks the completion of a decade’s worth of private and public redevelopments — architectural, financial, and cultural — at and around Cooper and the Astor Place area. This year’s celebration bears witness to the unfolding impact of these changes.

This year's programming also takes on an additional charge:

Reflecting while in motion.

Let's! Yet! Both!

- - -

Programming

This family-friendly event will feature many alumni, student, and faculty projects, live music and performances, informational materials about the state of the Cooper Union and the re-development of Astor Place, a bouncy house and family craft table, and light refreshments.

More details here.

Last day for New York Central Art Supply

After 111 years in business, New York Central Art Supply at 62 Third Ave. closes its doors for good today.

The Wall Street Journal today talks with some of the longtime employees and patrons and offers up some of Central Art's history.

Inside the drawers of the shop’s back office, assistant manager Christopher Colvin remembers finding pre-World War II architectural drawing tools and compasses, small artifacts of the store’s long history.

Among the many treasures he has found: a pencil set so old and delicate it has begun to disintegrate. It is a token that Mr. Colvin said he bought for himself and will cherish long after he says goodbye to the staff, the store and its loyal patrons for the last time.

On July 11, the Steinberg family, who has run the art supply store for three generations, announced that they would be closing up shop. They cited "poor business conditions" and the pending sale of the building between 10th Street and 11th Street as the primary reasons behind the closure.

Back to today's Journal:

[Family member Doug] Steinberg said the four-story building is in the process of being sold, and that neither the price nor the buyer’s intentions for the property had yet been disclosed.

Doug Steinberg told us last week he did not know why the buyer was, "But I am 99 percent sure it is NOT Lightstone. They actually looked at it and passed. Whoever is buying it is — as far as we know — unrelated to the hotel mania around the corner."

Steinberg also told us (and DNAinfo) that they are trying to find a new home for what's left of their inventory and paper collection.

Icon Realty buys building that housed Surma Books & Music for 98 years on 7th Street

Surma Books & Music closed earlier this summer at 11 E. Seventh St. near Cooper Square after 98 years in business.

Third-generation owner Markian Surmach had cited a decline in business and the expense of property tax and other charges related to owning the building.

According to public records, the Surmach family sold the property to the historically controversial Icon Realty for $5.75 million. (Surmach's grandfather reportedly paid $15,000 for the building in an undisclosed year.)

And the retail space that housed the Ukrainian specialty store is now on the retail market... signs went up yesterday...



According to the listing, the asking rent is $17,000 a month. The space "can be vented" and is "perfect for: Restaurant, bar, clothing store, salon, and all general retail uses."

Schnitz has not been open lately on 1st Avenue

[Photo from Wednesday]

Several readers have noted that Schnitz has been closed all week at 177 First Ave. at 11th Street. The phone goes unanswered. There also isn't any note for patrons.

In the past, the Schnitzerz have left a note when their doors would be closed, like earlier in August...



The space has also been on the rental market. According to the listing (PDF) at RKF, the asking rent is roughly $9,100 a month. (One local restaurant owner told us that he was offered the space last month for $8,500.)

No one from Schnitz responded to our email requests for comment.

Schnitz, which serves old-fashioned schnitzel sandwiches with unconventional toppings, opened here in March 2014. This was the first permanent retail space for Schnitz after gaining a following at Smorgasburg in Williamsburg and Dumbo.

The quick-serve sandwich market got a little crowded on the block in the past year or so ... with the arrival of Fuku and Black Seed bagels. In any event, we liked their food the few times that we tried it.

The space does have a small sidewalk cafe and beer/wine license.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Smorgasburg favorites Schnitz planning restaurant at former Something Sweet on First Avenue

'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory' plays Saturday at the Regal Union Square

On Saturday, the Regal Union Square 14 is showing "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" as a tribute to the 1971's film's late star, Gene Wilder.

The screenings are at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Details here. ("Willy Wonka" and "Blazing Saddles" will be at the AMC Empire 25 in Times Square Saturday and Sunday.)

Wilder died Monday at the age of 83 of complications from Alzheimer's.

Updated 9:30 p.m.

"Wonka" is playing at the Metrograph down on Ludlow Street too. Details here.

Ayios Greek Rotisserie now open on St. Mark's Place

An EVG reader let us know that the Greek restaurant is now in soft-open mode (as of yesterday) at 2 St. Mark's Place near Third Avenue/Cooper Square.

We don't know anything about the operation just yet. (An EVG reader heard that one of the people behind the excellent Taverna Kyclades is running the place here. That is an unconfirmed report.) Meanwhile, Ayios is still hiring, according to this help-wanted ad.

The previous tenant at No. 2, St. Mark's Ale House, closed at the beginning of July after 21 years in business.

The stuffed dog days of summer are here

On the Bowery at Great Jones this morning via Lola Sáenz

Report: $10 million expansion coming to the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in 2018

[EVG file photo]

The Nuyorican Poets Cafe will undergo a $10 million-plus renovation that will more than double capacity at its current East Third Street home, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Some details per the article:

The planned overhaul includes a gut renovation of the dilapidated upper portion of its building on East Third Street between Avenues B and C, which its founders bought for less than $8,000 back in 1981. The three top floors, now used for storage, will be converted into performance, classroom and administrative space.

And!

Construction is expected to begin in 2018 and last for at least a year. The cafe would close during that time, though [executive director Daniel] Gallant said the organization plans to continue slam-poetry events and other core programs at other venues in the neighborhood and beyond.

New York City has allocated $10.9 million for the project through the city council, the Mayor’s office, the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Manhattan Borough President’s office.

Here's a look at the plans via Rice + Lipka Architects ...


[Click to go big]

The expansion has been a long time coming. The Journal reported in December 2010 that the Cafe "is in the process of expanding its three upper floors with the help of a $500,000 grant received from the city."

Puerto Rican writer and poet Miguel Algarín founded Nuyorican in 1973 as a living room salon. As the Journal notes, the cafe has an annual budget near the $1 million mark via ticket and drink sales (the poetry slams on Friday nights remain a popular draw), space rentals and off-site bookings.

8-story condoplex to bubble up from former Discount Beer & Soda

[Photo from Sunday]

Demo permits were filed in the spring to take down the former Houston Street Beer Distributors at 298 E. Second Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.

And what kind of upscale development could we expect here? The DOB now has the new building permits, as New York Yimby first reported yesterday:

East Village-based Starleeng Equities has filed applications for an eight-story, seven-unit residential building ... It will measure 14,832 square feet and its residential units should average 1,967 square feet apiece, indicative of condominiums.

There will be a duplex apartment across the ground and second floors, followed by full-floor apartments on the third through eighth floors.

We first noted back in September 2014 that the one-story warehouse was for sale. Per the listing:

It is located in an R8A zoning district with an FAR of 6.02 (approx. 15,941 SF) or up to 7.2 FAR with Inclusionary Housing designated area bonus (approx. 19,066 sq. ft.) This prime development site is across the street from Hamilton Fish Park and a branch of the New York City public library, offering unobstructed southern exposures.

A new development would enjoy sweeping views of downtown and midtown Manhattan, Williamsburg, LIC and more.

The asking price was $8.9 million. According to public records, it sold for a little more than $7 million last fall to 298 East Village Owner LLC.

The property sits adjacent to two other new developments — The Adele on East Houston and Avenue D and The Robyn on East Third Street near Avenue D.

Previously on EV Grieve:
298 E. 2nd St. latest development site up for grabs

East Village now minus 2 beverage distributors

Something brewing (demolition) for former beer distributor on East 2nd Street

Raphael Toledano selling 97 2nd Ave.

The 6-story building at 97 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Fifth Street was one of the first East Village properties purchased by Raphael Toledano, who would later buy several portfolios of buildings.

Now the building, which has a complicated recent history (there was a lawsuit in 2014 involving Toledano and another broker), is on the market.

Cushman & Wakefield has the listing. Here's the pitch:

The building consists of a ground floor retail space currently leased to a restaurant until February 2030 with 10 residential units.

The restaurant pays $105 per square foot which is slightly below market and reimburses for 50% of the increases in the real estate taxes over base year 2015. The FM residential units have recently undergone extensive renovations and feature high ceilings, washers and dryers, dishwashers, wide plank wood flooring, and stainless steel appliances. Four units feature private access to the rooftop or a balcony which command a premium in rent. The building has also been outfitted with a new video intercom system and security cameras. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a high cash flowing, recently renovated mixed-use building in the heart of the East Village.

There isn't a listing price: Potential buyers need to submit offers. Public records show that Toledano paid $4.95 million for it in April 2014.

In April 2014, Douglas Pratt, whose family operated the longtime laundromat here since the early 1970s as well as owned the building, said that they needed to sell "for a host of personal and business reasons."

The retail space is now home to Hou Yi Hot Pot.

In July, The Real Deal reported that the controversial Toledano was aiming to sell six East Village buildings less than a year after buying them.

Image via Cushman & Wakefield

The Hare Krishna tree finally gets its own portable toilet in Tompkins Square Park

Or perhaps it's left over from the TV shoot today for "Sneaky Pete."

Photo this evening by Steven

Anticipation builds for the return of the Alamo with the arrival of this caution tape

Workers today have blocked off the area around where the Alamo will rest on Astor Place, as these photos by EVG reader JinSoo show ... fueling speculation that the cube's return is imminent...



No official word on this just yet... After a fake out in June, the Parks Department said that the refurbished Alamo would be back in August. (And seeing as today is Aug. 31...)

Workers packed up and carted off the Alamo for safekeeping for the duration of the Astor Place-Cooper Square reconstruction back on Nov. 25, 2014. The cube was installed here in 1967.

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: Hal Hirshorn
Occupation: Artist
Location: St. Mark's Place and Avenue A
Time: 3:15 on Monday, Aug. 29

I came here after college in my early 20s. Oh you know, everybody comes to New York and there was a lot going on then. It was the tail end of the 1980s art scene. I just missed the East Village art boom. I got here in the summer of 1989 and by then most of the galleries moved to SoHo. I lived in the West Village because at that time there were apartments that were slightly cheaper than the East Village. Otherwise, I would have gone East Village. Everybody had talked about how the East Village had been priced out, but that’s nothing in comparison to today.

I’m a painter and a photographer. My studio is in Brooklyn now. I do oil painting, these strange abstractions that are a cross between landscape and abstract paintings — imaginary landscapes. There’s always been a back and forth between the two from the beginning of landscape paintings that were considered abstract paintings.

It’s been up and down, but I managed to hold things together somehow. The art world is doing well right now, so I’m OK. I have some people who work with me in terms of dealing and stuff like that. But that’s changing too and now everything in Chelsea is coming back to the Bowery and Lower East Side, but not the East Village.

Basically within a five-minute walk [today] most of the East Village that I’ve known over the course of 25, almost 30 years is gone, just gone, not like in bits and pieces, shifting here and there — just one fell swoop. Just to see everything radically redeveloped is what’s so stunning, because it used to happen in bits and pieces as the real estate went up. Now they’re doing blocks instead of buildings.

Bloomberg in his third term gave away much of the city to developers under the table. De Blasio seemed really great. I don’t know whether he’s had his hands too full or maybe he’s not as left as he said he is, but… he’s become very nebulous. But before de Blasio, you had other people like Mark Green running against Giuliani or I forget who ran against Bloomberg, but these guys didn’t stand a chance. They were just crushed.

Giuliani was real estate friendly, lets say, but he wasn’t like a real estate mogul. I think what we’re seeing right now is just a direct result of Bloomberg. He’s treated the city as though it were the Bloomberg Corporation’s property and his to sign off and sell away.

There was a rent stabilization law that was trying to cut back on rent stabilization and rent control, and they came up with a figure where anything above $2,500 was considered luxury housing. In those days, if you were able to afford an apartment that was that much money, you were pretty well off. Now that’s like kids out of college or crazy situations where you have four people living in apartments.

It’s almost reverting back to the tenement-like density and that’s just a result of the rent, unless you’re well off enough to be able to have over $25,000 a year to spend a year on rent. But the whole thing of the $2,500 figure is that is where the regulation was cut off, so now real estate, a lot of which was protected has effectively become market rate, and then the only thing that can change that is some big downturn or catastrophic event.

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

Sidewalk bridge arrives outside 112-120 E. 11th St.

The five buildings of 112-120 E. 11th St. took another step toward demolition with the arrival of a sidewalk bridge this week.

As we first reported on Aug. 8, the Lighthouse Group filed permits with the city to demolish the now-empty residential buildings to make room for a 300-room hotel for Marriott's Moxy brand.

Local elected officials, preservationists and residents have spoken out against the new development.

City Councilmember Rosie Mendez, who was unable to attend the rally outside the buildings on Aug. 22, released a statement later last week:

“It is disappointing that we are losing five buildings built in the late 1800s on East 11th Street that had affordable rent regulated apartments and instead we will have a hotel that will be architecturally out of character with our neighborhood. Unfortunately, given the real estate market and effects of gentrification, it is doubtful many of the former tenants can stay in the neighborhood. These Old Law Tenement buildings were considered “landmark eligible” in 2008 by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (“LPC”).

More disappointing is that for two months the LPC failed to respond when it was asked to designate these and neighboring buildings as a historic district since the buildings were in danger of being demolished. Losing affordable rent-regulated housing is unacceptable, but not getting a response from a city agency that once deemed these buildings to be landmark-worthy is outrageous.”

To date, workers have boarded up the windows on three of the buildings here between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...



The Moxy website shows that the 11th Street property is expected to open in late 2018.

Previously on EV Grieve:
At the rally outside 112-120 E. 11th St.

Protest reminder about 112-120 E. 11th St.; plus concerns over asbestos removal

6-building complex on East 10th Street and East 11th Street sells for $127 million

Report: 300-room hotel planned for East 11th Street

Preservationists say city ignored pitch to designate part of 11th Street as a historic district

Permits filed to demolish 5 buildings on 11th Street to make way for new hotel (58 comments)

215 E. 12th St. is now available as a rental for $40k per month

Back in June, we noted that the beautiful townhouse at 215 E. 12th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue was on the market for $16 million.

However, it turns out that the home with 9 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms is also available as a rental for $40,000 per month, according to a new listing at Streeteasy.

Back in October 2011, the same property was only asking $18,500 a month. The listing at the time referred to the address as a "light-filled, rambling home." Not sure what upgrades justify a $21,500 increase per month.

You can view the full (and most recent) listing at Sloan Square here.

Not open lately: Atomic Wings on 1st Avenue; Edible Arrangements on St. Mark's Place

Both the Atomic Wings on First Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street ... and the Edible Arrangements location on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue have been closed now going on three weeks.

There isn't any signage at the Atomic Wings, which has multiple locations around the city.



The Edible Arrangements, which also has numerous outposts in the city, has a note on the door stating they are "currently closed for renovations." The note also points potential Edible Arrangers to visit the Tribeca location for your fresh-fruit bouquet needs.



There aren't any work permits on file for the storefront... and there hasn't been any sign of work in these past few weeks.

Updated:
Both businesses eventually reopened... however, Atomic Wings then closed again in the spring of 2017.