Meeting tomorrow night for shareholders living in HDFC buildings

Via the EVG inbox...



As the flyer shows, the meeting is tomorrow night at 6:30, PS 15, 333 E. Fourth St between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Find more information at the the HDFC Coalition website here.

Discarded toilet on 2nd Avenue continues to captivate

[Photo by Steven]

The toilet arrived yesterday morning on Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street... delighting the children as only a discarded toilet can...


[Photo by Steven]

...and by today, there were additions...


[Photo by Derek Berg]


[DB]

More Mosaic light poles arrive at Astor Place

[Photo by Steven]

This morning, two more of Jim Power’s Mosaic Trail light poles were reinstalled at the (not-yet-complete) redesigned Astor Place... seven poles are expected in the final redevelopment... (you can read more abut the pole-restoration project here).





Previously on EV Grieve:
The first of Jim Power's restored mosaic light poles has returned to Astor Place

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: Michelle Candela
Occupation: Writer / Artist
Location: Tompkins Square Park
Time: 2:30 on Friday, Oct. 7

Originally, I’m from Philadelphia, but my father’s side of the family are all from here. I moved to New York in 1985, then I left in 1995, and I came back in 2005.

I used to work in animation. I write. I’m trying to write a couple screenplays. I did act for awhile. I was a librarian. It was one of the best times of my life here. I lived on Avenue B between 4th and 5th.

As a matter of fact, I come down here every now and then to recharge my batteries. I came today to see some friends of mine down the street on Avenue A. I just like coming in and walking around.

Avenue B was nothing like it is now. There was garbage everywhere, which I didn’t mind. There were lots of bodegas and small little shops, which really weren’t much. There’s the Horseshoe bar, which is a great bar on B. On the corner of 7th and A was King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, then there was 7A Café, which is now Ms. Lily’s, and then across the way was Leshko’s. That was a Polish coffee shop, and it was the first time I ever had kielbasas and pierogies. Next door to King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut was Sal’s Pizzeria, which was where I found my kitten, who I had for 18 years. She was a little black cat and she was so adorable. I named her Zia. So I got her right there and I fell in love with her.

New York, and especially down here… you never had to worry about who you were. It was unpretentious. It was just life. When you came over here you could just be yourself. It didn’t matter what walk of life you came from. It was where all the misfits congregated.

You can still see it now. There are a lot of really cool people here. The feel and the community was just awesome. It was down to earth. It was just life. People were cool. Whether they had a bad attitude or a good attitude, it didn’t matter, because it just fit into the neighborhood and you understood it. Everybody understood each other.

My philosophy is: Be who you are; have a great time; everybody is awesome.

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

Empire Biscuit has until Tuesday to pay the back rent or surrender their Avenue A storefront

Over at Empire Biscuit, the 7-month-old disposable plate posted to the window notes that they are (still) peeling' potatoes here at 198 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.

The quick-serve biscuiteers have only been open a few days this year. They announced reduced hours in January, and then never reopened. Empire Biscuit owner Jonathan Price promised a return in March. That never happened.

Meanwhile, there's rent to pay.

Yesterday, several pages of legalese arrived on the front door...



According to the paperwork, it appears the biscuiteers haven't paid the rent — a little more than $6,000 a month — dating back to the summer of 2015. (There are also some early unpaid real-estate taxes.) Not sure what the total bill is. The front page has $29k and change through November 2015. The rest of the paperwork is taped pretty well to the door.

Anyway, ownership has until Tuesday to pay up or surrender the possession of the property, per the paperwork.

Back in the summer, the City Waste Services of New York dropped some legal papers off here to collect a debt.

Empire Biscuit opened to some fanfare in the fall of 2013.

H/T Greg Masters!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Incoming Empire Biscuit on Avenue A launches Kickstarter campaign (122 comments)

Report: Empire Biscuit opens today (65 comments)

The Citibank branch on Avenue A is closing

[Photo from 2014]

The Citibank branch at 50 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street is closing in January.

Citi customers started receiving letters yesterday about the development. An EVG reader shared this...



The letter, which does not offer a reason for the closure, states the last day on Avenue A will be Jan. 13. This customer's account will be transferred to the branch on Grand Street in Seward Park, which is not really convenient. (Why not the Stuy Town branch on First Avenue at least?)

Another EVG reader recalls that No. 50 was previously home to an E.A.B. branch. Citibank bought E.A.B. in 2001, according to The New York Times.

Per the reader:

In the 1990s, we loved E.A.B. and the people who worked there, especially the manager, John Ottino. Then at some point, Citibank bought out E.A.B., which upset us because everything became so corporate, but at least John and several other wonderful people who had worked for E.A.B. stayed on at the branch for a while, and at least we’ve been able to keep our original E.A.B. account numbers all these years. Because of constant employee turnover, this Citibank branch hasn’t provided a personal touch for many years, but it certainly has been convenient to bank there.

The Chase branch at 20 Avenue A closed last November. That space remains vacant.

Report: City claims immunity in tenant lawsuit over deadly 2nd Avenue gas explosion

Catching up to this piece in the Post from yesterday ... as previously reported, several dozen former Second Avenue residents filed a $17 million lawsuit in the wake of the deadly March 2015 gas explosion.

The suit ... alleges the city and Con Edison, along with the owners of the restaurant Sushi Park and contractor Neighborhood Construction Corp., failed “to observe significant and dangerous ‘red flags’ … failing to take any steps to protect the public and their property.”

The city and the others also failed to “properly test the gas lines” and relied “upon an illogical and antiquated system of enforcement, inspections and unreliable self-certification,” according to the suit.

As the Post reported yesterday:

In denying any fault, the city said the damages were caused by Con Edison, the building’s managers, and the five people busted for the illegal gas hookup blamed for the blast.

The lawyers representing the tenants stated: "We believe that the city’s failures were not of the nature of misjudgment in discretionary acts but rather a fundamental failure to carry out ministerial acts and essential functions."

As for Con Ed, a spokesperson said simply: "We will address the matter in court."

In February, the DA charged No. 119 and 121 landlord Maria Hrynenko and her son, Michael Hrynenko Jr., with involuntary manslaughter ... as well as contractor Dilber Kukic and an unlicensed plumber, Athanasios Ioannidis. (A fifth person, Andrew Trombettas, faces charges for supplying his license to Ioannidis.) All pleaded not guilty.

The lot that housed 123 Second Ave., one of three buildings destroyed following the explosion, recently sold for $6 million to Ezra Wibowo under the LLC 123 Second Ave. Corp. There haven't been any details divulged about what might be coming to the property.

Joey Pepperoni looking closed on 1st Avenue

The Joey Pepperoni $1 pizza outpost on First Avenue between 13th Street and 14th Street appears to be closed for good. There's a space for rent sign above the $1 on the marquee... the phone number is also out of service.

This location opened in August 2012, and lasted nearly four years longer than some people anticipated. (The storefront was on the market back in the fall of 2014.)

If this is a permanent closure, then it appears that the Great $1 Pizza War of First Avenue is officially over. Many $1s were lost during this challenging time in which we witnessed multiple sidewalk sandwich boards … the introduction of $1 drafts… and the legendary dancing pizza menu woman.

With JP's closure, along with the July 2014 departure of the 2 Bros. Pizza next door, Vinny Vincenz can have the block back again. (There's still nearby cheap slice competition with Papa John's a block away.)

The Joey Pepperoni closed on 14th Street on IHOP Way in February 2014.

H/T Michael Ivan!

Previously on EV Grieve:
First Avenue $1 Pizza Wars — now with draft beer

Checking in on the $1 pizza war on First Avenue

Latest weapon in the First Avenue $1 slice wars: Dancing Pizza Menu Woman

[Updated] Reader report: The 2 Bros. Pizza on 1st Avenue has apparently closed

The new Beth Israel hospital for the East Village looks pretty bonkers

As you know, officials will be closing the Mount Sinai Beth Israel campus on First Avenue and 16th Street ... and there are plans to open a smaller facility on 14th Street and Second Avenue.

Well, NY1 got the scoop on what this facility will look like on the southeast corner of 14th Street and Second Avenue... hold on tight...



Per NY1:

It will be known as Mount Sinai Downtown Beth Israel.

As part of a $500 million, the hospital will become a network of buildings, including a specialized care facility and with a new urgent care center, among other upgrades.

Part of this new complex will sit on space belonging to 321 E. 13th St., a 14-floor building between Second Avenue and First Avenue that houses training physicians and staff of the nearby New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. This building will be demolished.

This free mattress has no bed bugs, however...

A reader shared this photo of a mattress on 11th Street this morning:

"Gratis — no bed bugs just cat piss."

Report of a fire at 99 1st Ave.

As several readers noted, the FDNY was on the scene this morning around 7 after a report of a fire at 99 First Ave. at Sixth Street.



It appears the fire was coming from a corner apartment on the third floor.



The FDNY looked to have the situation under control fairly quickly. (The fire did not make the @FDNYAlerts feed.) No word at the moment about cause or extent of the damage.

The ground floor houses Mancora Restaurant and Bar.

Renovation work starting at the landmarked Father's Heart Ministry on 11th Street

[Image via Instagram]

You may have noticed last week that the Father’s Heart Ministry Center on 11th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B was wrapped up in construction netting with the requisite sidewalk bridge.

It's probably understandable to think the worst at the sight of this... after all, as examples, we've seen a nursing home cleared out for luxury rentals and residential buildings making way for a hotel.

Here, though, the scaffolding is a sign that much-needed repairs are getting underway at the landmarked structure (as of 2010) that was built in 1867 (and originally named the 11th Street Methodist Episcopal Chapel).

The Father’s Heart Ministry Center, which provides a variety of services, from classes to meal services for the homeless, the elderly and working poor, is in the midst of a capital improvement project. (They are currently at about 28 percent of their $500,000 goal. Find more details at their crowdfunding page.)

We asked Carol Vedral, co-founder and executive director of Father's Heart, a few questions about the work ahead.

Was there a point in which you thought the church would need to be demolished as opposed to undergoing major renovations?

We thought we might have to demolish the baptistry also known as the northern extension, but we learned early on from engineers that the building is stable and worthy of restoration/renovation.

What will the Capital Campaign allow the Father's Heart Ministry to do?

The first part of the campaign was to resolve the critical issues – keep the baptistry walls from collapsing, remove the sagging roof of our back building and replace the roofs.

The next phase is to turn our vacant and now roofless back building into a food pantry at least four times the size of our present one. We will be able to store and distribute much more food as well as a wider variety because we will have the space for an additional walk-in refrigerator or freezer or both.

This building will have a second floor and that will be our new, much larger kitchen. This frees up the room adjacent to our sanctuary where on Saturday mornings we cook over 1,500 eggs on eight electric griddles. The newly-freed space will allow us to either seat more people – our soup kitchen guests are served restaurant style – or use it another way to enhance the operation.

The church is currently encased in scaffolding and construction netting. What is the timeline on repair work?

The calendar and weather conditions are dictating the timeline and winter is approaching. We need to replace and seal the roof by the middle of December, the latest. The roof is not being repaired, it is being replaced in accordance with historic preservation guidelines and approval. Our building was landmarked by the NYC Landmarks and Preservation Commission and it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. We will put up signage to that effect once the work is completed.

What is the status of the neon cross? I have taken about 10,000 photos of it through the years.

We are delighted that you and so many others have come to photograph the cross. We love it too and are carefully preserving it. The sign company we have worked with for decades has carefully removed the neon tubes and is storing them for us.



The contractor will build an enclosure around the sign to protect it further. When the roofing work is done, the neon tubes will be replaced and the sign will be shining both light and hope into the darkness once again!

Photos from 2011 by Bobby Williams

Making space for some eating and drinking on 4th Avenue

The plywood is up on part of the storefront at 127 Fourth Avenue between 12th Street and 13th Street...



The former home of The Royal, a very large sports bar with 40-plus TVs, is getting cut in half... from the looks of the DOB permit anyway (under the ASS on the plywood...)



Per the ALL-CAP stylings of the DOB: "CONVERT PART OF EXISTING 1ST FLOOR AND CELLAR, COMMERCIAL USE TO EATING AND DRINKING ESTABLISHMENT."

There isn't any info yet on who the new tenant is. Perhaps something on the quick-serve side? This stretch of Fourth Avenue has attracted Cava Grill and PokéSpot in recent months to join neighbors Liquiteria, Dos Toros, Glaze Teriyaki and Fresh. (And Melt Shop is opening soon.)

The Royal closed back in April.

Heights + Kenchi moves to 9th Street

[Photo by Steven]

Heights + Kenchi, designers who make custom shirts, suits and accessories for men and women, have moved into 328 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue (the former Mascot Studio space).

The tailors, who also have an alteration service, spent the past year on East Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B ... that space is now for rent...

Today in tweets from Tompkins Square Park

@evgrieve it's FREE! pic.twitter.com/Xk7wFt3eSg

— EdenBrower (@edenbrower) October 10, 2016

Rosie Mendez hosting National Coming Out Day panel discussion tomorrow night

City Council member Rosie Mendez's office shared this flyer ... Tomorrow night, Mendez is hosting a panel discussion for National Coming Out Day at the Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Details are on the flyer.

(More) Condos coming soon on East Houston

The banner is up at the new 10-story building on East Houston at Suffolk... and sounding rather ominous: "Condos coming soon."



There is a teaser site where potential condo owners can sign up to receive more info. There aren't any further details, other than a tagline of sorts: "Floor-through condominiums in the heart of the Lower East Side."

In 2008, developer 265 East Houston LLC purchased the plot on Houston and Suffolk from Iglesia Pentecostal Arca de Salvacion (below) for $500,000, public records show.


[Via]

Work here on at 265 E. Houston St. (aka 179 Suffolk St.) dates to early 2010. As you may recall, construction in the pit destabilized the building next door at No. 255, which caused Action for Progress to vacate.

And as you can see, No. 255 is no more. Workers recently wrapped up that demolition...





Developer Samy Mahfar, the property's owner, has approved plans for a 10-story residential complex here.

And so the development gold rush continues along the East Houston corridor...

Mandolino Pizza coming soon to 13th Street

Signage is up for Mandolino Pizza here on East 13th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...



We don't know a thing about the pizzeria just yet, like will it be more of a slice-to-go place ... or a sit-down-and-order-a-whole-pie establishment... (or both!)

Mandolino takes over the space from Sahara Citi, the hookah/hummus restaurant that closed this past summer after four years in business.

In any event, despite the nearby NYU dorm presence, it has to be a tough pizzeria market right in this area ... you have Joe's around the corner on 14th Street, which serves one of the city's best slices ... Gotham Pizza recently opened on 12th Street and Third Avenue (I finally tried a slice there and really liked it)... and for a sit-down meal, there's Bruno Pizza on 13th Street between Third Avenue and Second Avenue that reviewers really seem to like.

Dieci closes on 10th Street

Dieci closed at the end of September on East 10th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. EVG regular Blueglass notes that the space has been cleaned out.

The owners took to Facebook to post a brief goodbye message: "Unfortunately Dieci has closed its business. We hope to open again in the near future. Thank you for your patronage and we will keep you updated."

The owner and chef here are Japanese, but they served Italian fare that critics found interesting.

Dieci opened in this small, subterranean space in 2006.

East Village Burritos & Bar and Apna Masala haven't been open lately

It has been dark of late at East Village Burritos & Bar and its sister establishment next door, Apna Masala.



A sign on the restaurants here on First Avenue at Sixth Street mentions a closure for "construction work" — today.



Perhaps connecting the dots, the FDNY responded to a report of a fire at the building, 97 First Ave., on Sept. 25...roughly the last time we saw these places open...





There wasn't any word of damage to the building. (Witnesses said that they smelled smoke, but never saw any actual fire.)

Neither of these places haven't been setting any dining attendance records, save for nice evenings when a few patrons will take advantage of their sidewalk seating (under the sidewalk bridge for a good part of the summer).

After Banjara left the corner in 2013, Figaro Villaggio, an Italian bar-restaurant, opened in January 2014. They later changed the name to Figaro Cafe Bistro Bar & Grill and, by November 2014, gave up part of the space to an Apna Masala. (All from the same owners, as we understand it.)

Then in March 2015, Figaro Cafe Bistro Bar & Grill changed its names/concepts to La Esquina Bar & Grill ... then the name evolved to La Esquina Burritos and Bar ... and eventually East Village Burritos & Bar.

There's nothing on file with the DOB about renovations/construction on the space.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Banjara space yielding to Figaro Bistro Grill, 15 comments

Banjara moving soon to the Haveli space on Second Avenue

Indian cuisine returning to the corner of 1st Avenue and East 6th Street

Figaro Cafe Bistro Bar & Grill is now La Esquina (not that one) Bar & Grill

La Esquina Burritos & Bar signage up on 1st Avenue

6th Street switcharoos: Another name change for La Esquina Burritos and Bar; Spice Cove exits