And with that we give you this scene from the Kmart on Astor Place... EVG regular Daniel Root took the photo this past weekend. An EVG Facebook friend said that the holiday trees have actually been up since August.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Happy 1st day of fall
And with that we give you this scene from the Kmart on Astor Place... EVG regular Daniel Root took the photo this past weekend. An EVG Facebook friend said that the holiday trees have actually been up since August.
After the fire: Getting Caracas Arepa Bar back in business 'may take some time'
[Photo by EVG reader Joaquin]
As we first reported yesterday morning, a fire broke out at Caracas Arepa Bar, 93 E. Seventh St. just east of First Avenue.
No one was injured during the fire. (The FDNY has yet to determine the cause.)
EVG readers who saw the scorched space yesterday said that it looks in bad shape.
Here's a description of the damage from co-owner Maribel Araujovia via Grub Street:
While the street-facing front of Caracas was spared, half of the restaurant — including the kitchen, bathroom, refrigeration, part of the office, and the back half of the basement — essentially “burned down,” Araujo says. Walls are ruined, the basement was flooded with a foot and a half of water, and there is currently no electricity or gas.
Arujo was more blunt with Gothamist: "The restaurant is pretty fucked up."
The damage was contained to the restaurant.
As several EVG commenters noted, the FDNY was on the scene about 2:30 a.m. after residents reported smoke.
Per Gothamist:
Tenants on the second floor, who live directly above the restaurant, smelled smoke early this morning and the fire department was dispatched to the address around 2:30 a.m. The FDNY performed some kind of investigation but didn't find anything at the time, neighbors tell Araujo. The fire department was called again at 7:25 a.m. when the same neighbors awoke to find their apartment filled with more smoke.
While dealing with the temporary loss of her business, Araujo also has questions as to why the fire wasn't discovered earlier, which could have prevented things from getting quite so bad.
For now, the smaller Caracas space is open next door for counter service and to-go orders ... here are the signs that greet customers...
There's isn't any timeline on the restaurant's return. It likely won't be anytime soon, though.
To Grub Street:
“It’s not just a little thing we can fix quickly, put drywall up, and keep going,” Araujo says. Getting back to business will take some time: Leases and inventory need to be looked at, and conversations need to be had with lawyers and insurers. “Maybe we’ll relocate, maybe we’ll try to rebuild this one. At this point, I’m not sure.”
There's also a location in Williamsburg. The Venezuelan restaurant has been open on Seventh Street since 2003.
And here's their message to patrons ...
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
The last sunset of the summer was a good one
Thank you _____. See you in the fall!
Photo this evening by Bobby Williams
A moment with Imperator Furiosa on 2nd Avenue today
On Second Avenue at Seventh Street, Derek Berg got a shot of the War Rig going on another supply run to Gas Town.
[Updating] Report of a fire at the Caracas Arepa Bar on 7th Street
[Photo by EVG reader Joaquin]
The FDNY is on the scene of a reported fire at 93 E. Seventh St. just off First Avenue... coming from Caracas Arepa Bar...
MAN ALL HANDS 93 E 7 ST, MIXED OCCUPANCY FIRE ON 1ST FLR,
— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) September 21, 2016
[Photo via the LES Dwellers]
Developing...
Updated 8:10 a.m.
Some video via Joaquin...
Updated 8:25
Two photos via Allen Semanco, who noted the quick response from area fire companies got the fire under control... residents were seen evacuated the corner building...
Updated 8:31
An all-clear via the FDNY...
MAN ALL HANDS 93H E 7 ST, MIXED OCCUPANCY FIRE IN BASEMENT, UNDER CONTROL
— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) September 21, 2016
Updated 11:30 a.m.
No word yet on damage to Caracas... Luke's Lobster next door announced a delay in opening ...
Safety first today. Our #eastvillage shack is closed until we know the block is safe! https://t.co/JQGbTHUBfp
— Luke's Lobster (@LukesLobster) September 21, 2016
Updated 4:30 p.m.
The Caracas to go space is open next door... here are the signs that greet customers...
Co-owner Maribel Araujo provided an update to Grub Street:
While the street-facing front of Caracas was spared, half of the restaurant — including the kitchen, bathroom, refrigeration, part of the office, and the back half of the basement — essentially “burned down,” Araujo says. Walls are ruined, the basement was flooded with a foot and a half of water, and there is currently no electricity or gas. No one was hurt, Araujo says, and the fire was contained to the restaurant.
There isn't a timetable for the return... and it could be serious enough that they need to relocate.
There will be several eating-drinking choices at the incoming Moxy hotel on 11th Street
As we first reported last week, the Lightstone Group has filed new building permits for the Marriott International’s Moxy Hotels brand at 112-120 E. 11th St.
The 13-story hotel between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue is set to be 78,361 square feet. (About 250 square feet per room, per New York Yimby.)
Taking a deeper dive into the new building permit ... the Schedule A shows a lounge in the hotel's basement along with an "eating and drinking establishment with accessory terrace." The application also shows a lounge and another eating and drinking establishment on the first floor/lobby (not sure if these are connected) ... as well as a "grab n go" food and drink space. There's also another bar-restaurant planned for the top floor.
The number of eating-drinking choices in the hotel seems to fit the social Moxy brand. Per their website:
Moxy is a boutique hotel with the social heart of a hostel. A free-spirited place where you can do all that crazy fun stuff you’d never think of doing at home, together with likeminded spirits you’d otherwise never have met.
Yes, the WiFi is speedy and the cushy beds are freshly made, but more importantly, the bar is always open and the crew is always on. Whether you’re staying for the night or just a nightcap, you’ll see why it’s no place like home.
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)
New building permits filed for 13-story Moxy Hotel on East 11th Street across from Webster Hall
East Village IHOP closed for 'makeover'
An EVG reader passed along word that the IHOP on East 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue closed on Sunday for a "makeover," per the signage ... which promises "A whole new IHOP is coming."
According to the work permit (in the ALL-CAP STYLE OF THE DOB and the NYPD TWEET TOWER):
RENOVATION TO EXISTING EATING AND DRINKING ESTABLISHMENT. SCOPE OF WORK TO INCLUDE MINOR PARTITION WORK, NEW INTERIOR FINISHES, PLUMBING FIXTURES AND MECHANICAL EXHAUST FAN IN PROPOSED TOILET. NO CHANGE OF USE, EGRESS OR OCCUPANCY UNDER.
Looking forward to seeing/hearing the mechanical exhaust fan in proposed toilet.
There isn't any reopening date posted. However, to avoid pancake panic, the sign suggests you visit the next-closest IHOP — on Broadway in Washington Heights.
The East Village IHOP opened for business just about five years ago to the date.
[Updated] Where will the Lenin statue's next reign be?
[The post-Lenin Red Square]
Now that workers have removed the 18-foot statue of Vladimir Lenin from the roof of Red Square on East Houston, there's a lot of speculation about where the former Communist leader might end up.
On Monday night, workers at the scene at 250 Houston between Avenue A and Avenue B told EVG contributor Stacie Joy that Lenin, who arrived at Red Square in 1994, was headed to Queens for cleaning and storage.
Meanwhile, a tipster told us that the rental building's original developer, Michael Rosen, has purchased the statue. The building is rumored to be in contract for $100 million.
The Village Voice had an entertaining phone call with someone who answered the phone at Red Square.
“It’s in the same place as Dick Cheney — an undisclosed location,” the man said, adding “I don’t even know how you got this number. I haven’t answered the phone in 14 years.”
The man confirmed that the statue was initially removed to Queens, but has already been returned to Manhattan. It needs to be cleaned and touched up a bit — Lenin’s got some tears, he said — but it will be brought back within a few months.
“It’s going to be cool. That’s all I can say."
DNAInfo reported that the statue was spotted yesterday morning in a truck bed outside the Angel Orensanz Center at 172 Norfolk St. (Was this thing just driving the city all night?) The truck driver said that the statue was going up in/on a nearby building.
And finally, one EVG regular speculated that the statue would end up atop the Christodora House, where Rosen lives on Avenue B. Sure, why not. [Updated 8:10 a.m. — Rosen writes in to say that he has been living in Hanoi these recent years, and they have a Lenin in one of their parks already.]
One other item from Monday night. Apparently several people called 911 to report that someone was stealing the statue. One of the officers on the scene from the 9th Precinct said that he was responding to a call about a "landmark statue being stolen from the building by men with cranes."
[Photo by Stacie Joy]
That would be quite a heist.
[Photo by Stacie Joy]
Updated 6 a.m.
A BoweryBoogie reader spotted a crane crew hoisting Lenin up to the roof of 178 Norfolk St. yesterday ... presumably the new home for the statue. Rosen and Michael Shaoul, co-owners/developers of the original Red Square, are the owners of this 6-story walk-up adjacent to the Angel Orensanz Center.
Updated 6/9
Lenin has returned. Photos here.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Rumors: Red Square has been sold
Report: Red Square has been sold for $100 million
The fall of Lenin: Iconic statue removed from Red Square on East Houston Street
Desi Galli, now with beer and wine on Avenue B
People seem to really like Desi Galli, 172 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street. The restaurant, which offers quick-serve Indian food such as kathi rolls and chaats, opened back in April.
They were previously OK'd for a beer-wine license here in the former Mercadito Cantina space.
And Desi Galli let us know their beer-wine offerings have arrived as of yesterday...
They were previously OK'd for a beer-wine license here in the former Mercadito Cantina space.
And Desi Galli let us know their beer-wine offerings have arrived as of yesterday...
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Croman case adjourned until November
Just a quick update from a Croman tenant in attendance: Not much happened. The criminal case was adjourned until Nov. 29 ... while the civil case begins on Nov. 1.
Several media outlets were in attendance ... as were some of Croman's tenants. (He owns 47 buildings with 617 units in the East Village.)
We'll update the post with links to the coverage when it is online.
To recap, Croman is under criminal indictment for mortgage fraud in a probe launched by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
In addition, a civil suit alleges that Croman harasses rent-stabilized tenants to get them out of their homes.
A cab collision on Union Square
EVG reader Mitchell Schneider shared these photos from about 4:40 this afternoon... the aftermath of a collision between a cab and U-Haul on East 15th Street...
Not a lot of details at the moment here between Irving Place and Union Square East... one witness said that the cab was speeding and rammed the U-Haul ... and EMTs were bringing one person (the cab driver?) to an ambulance... we'll update if we receive more information...
Bomb scare closes part of Avenue A this morning; cops find golf balls, shards of glass
Manhattan: East 13 St & Ave A, NYPD & ESU on scene reporting a suspicious package at the location, Bomb Squad investigating.
— NYC Scanner (@NYScanner) September 20, 2016
The NYPD shut down Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street because of a box (marked from Amazon) was placed on the curb in front of Gabay's Outlet.
The bomb squad checked it out.
And inside?
Per EVG special correspondent Christine Champagne, who shared these photos...
The box was filled with shards of glass and golf balls.
The fall of Lenin: Iconic statue removed from Red Square on East Houston Street
Back in August, the Post reported that Red Square, the 13-floor building, was in contract to be sold to Dermot Co. for roughly $100 million.
There's nothing yet in public records to reflect the sale of the building on East Houston Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.
Meanwhile, a tipster told us that the 18-foot statue of Vladimir Lenin, which has stood atop the building since 1994 (Red Square was built five years earlier), was coming down last night... EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by for the Lenin removal, which took more then two-plus hours...
And a view from the roof ...
[Photo via @ElizabethQBrown]
One now-former Red Square resident said that the building's management isn't renewing leases past April. Another tipster claimed that Michael Rosen, the building's original developer, had purchased the statue, which was being transported to Queens.
The building was completed in 1989. And the statue?
Per Ephemeral New York:
“The 18-foot Lenin statue was originally a state-commissioned work by Yuri Gerasimov, but the Soviet Union’s implosion prevented the statue from going on public display. It was found by an associate of [a building co-owner] in the backyard of a dacha outside Moscow.”
[Photo by Lower East Side Lenin Fan]
[Photo by Lower East Side Lenin Fan]
In 1997, Michael Shaoul, a co-owner of the building, told the Times that the statue of Lenin, with his right arm raised victoriously, "faces Wall Street, capitalism's emblem, and the Lower East Side, 'the home of the socialist movement.'"
Updated 9/21
Looks as if Lenin will live on nearby ... on Norfolk Street, per BoweryBoogie.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Rumors: Red Square has been sold
Report: Red Square has been sold for $100 million
Former Guayoyo space for rent on 1st Avenue
The for rent sign via landlord Icon Realty is up now at 67 First Ave.
Per the listing, the location at Fourth Street is "Perfect For: Restaurant, bar, clothing store, salon, and all general retail uses."
It was a perfect location for Guayoyo, the family-owned Venezuelan restaurant. On the morning of Jan. 13, 2015, a fire broke out in the basement of the building. In a follow-up inspection, Con Ed discovered a gas leak at the address.
In April 2015, an employee said they hoped to have the restaurant reopened soon. That never happened as repairs and red tape ensued with the landlord and Con Ed. (Read more about the situation here.) As we understand it, Guayoyo vacated the lease in August ... 20 months after the fire.
The husband-wife team who owned Guayoyo previously ran Kura Sushi at the address, which dates to 1988.
A message posted on Guayoyo's Facebook page on Aug. 30 reads in part: "Unfortunately we are forced to close the doors despite the efforts made to ensure its reopening during this year and a half of forced closure due to circumstances beyond our control."
The asking rent for the storefront is $20,000 per month.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Guayoyo has been closed now for 1 year
Activity in the long-empty lot that will house 8 floors of condos on 1st Avenue
Workers yesterday removed the rotting plywood covering the long-empty lot at 75 First Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street, as these photos by EVG reader Nat Esten show...
... and another photo via Yenta Laureate...
As we previously reported, this lot adjacent to Rite Aid, which has been empty for years, will be home to an 8-story building — featuring 22 residences in total. (No retail.)
Here's what the Colonnade Group has planned for the lot via their website:
Designed by HTO-Architect, the building will rise 8 stories and will stand out with its contemporary and timeless glassy structure. Comprised of 22 residential units, ranging from 1 to 3 bedroom condominiums, 75 I˚ AVE is the ultimate destination for New York sophisticated buyers looking for all the comforts of a high-end residence in a young and dynamic environment.
All of the units will benefit from a number of amenities, including Fitness Center, Lounge and Library, Private and Common Roof Deck, Storage, Bike Storage & Doorman.
We didn't spot any full renderings of the project... but the Colonnade website had this tease of an image...
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
Report: Long-dormant 1st Avenue development site changes hands
Plywood report and the future of 75 1st Ave. (Spoiler: condos)
Fresno II Gourmet Deli signage arrives on 3rd Street and Avenue C
Signage went up on Saturday on the southwest corner of Avenue C and Third Street ... for Fresno II Gourmet Deli... presumably a sibling to Fresno Gourmet Deli located one building away on Avenue C.
The signage shows some sandwiches, a bagel and coffee cup... as well as a pepperoni pizza.
Pizza would make sense. The corner space was home to Majesty Pizza and Grill, which closed back in January... and previously, Lebrini's Pizzeria held forth for nearly four years.
And the growing Fresno presence is nearly up to that of the Yankee Deli Empire further north on Avenue C.
Thanks to @jason_chatfield for the photo!
Monday, September 19, 2016
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