Photos by Bobby Williams...
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Another Death Star
Spotted on Second Street at Second Avenue... Corporate Death Star by @crispstreetart ... there's a painted version outside Julie's Vintage on Second Street at First Street...
No word if there is a flaw in the super laser reactor of these Death Stars.
Paving the way on Avenue A
[Reader photo from last night]
After the milling action last week, crews returned last night to put down the new roadway on Avenue A...
Workers made it down to Sixth Street...
The new flyers taped up over the old flyers show that work will continue this evening...
And a look at how the freshly paved St. Mark's Place blends in with the freshly paved Avenue A...
Angelica Kitchen closes tomorrow; memorabilia sale this weekend
[Photos by Daniel]
As you may know, Angelica Kitchen closes out 40-plus years in business tomorrow.
Owner Leslie McEachern said that "making the numbers work week in and week out is just not viable for us anymore."
Since the announcement broke on March 24, the restaurant at 300 E. 12th St. near Second Avenue has been full of well-wishers turning out for a last of Angelica's vegetarian cuisine.
Eater's Robert Sietsema paid a final visit.
In addition to real estate woes — and the refusal to take any kind of plastic as payment — Angelica Kitchen’s problem may have been the food. It tended to be heavy and gluey and bland, true to the cuisine it came from. Yet that sort of vegetarian cooking can still excite reverence and nostalgia. I, for one, will be sad to see this vestige of the old East Village vanish.
And at The New Yorker, Jay Sacher, a former Angelica's employee, pens an essay under the headline "The East Village Loses Another Place for the Young, Hungry, and Weird." He writes about delivering food to Joey Ramone and recalls other celebrity encounters at the restaurant.
But, really, it’s the non-famous folks I remember most: Spencer, always walking into work with a purple plastic Kim’s Video bag in one hand, stuffed full of records—a man of obscure and eclectic musical tastes who was prone to saying things like, “The only good Beatles song is ‘Norwegian Wood.’"
And...
The East Village has been a walking graveyard for years now, sputtering along as a cover-band version of itself. For me, the loss of Angelica marks its true and complete ending. I know, of course, that such things are relative, and other New Yorks will exist for other younger waves of the young, hungry, and weird, but it does nothing to soften my lament for the passing of this one.
This weekend, the restaurant is hosting a memorabilia sale... selling off "chopsticks to food processors to sculpture."
The sale is 2-8 p.m. on Saturday... and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday...
Meanwhile, a group calling themselves Friends of Angelica Kitchen have launched a crowdfunding campaign to help pay off remaining expenses.
The restaurant started out on St. Mark's Place in 1976. It moved to 12th Street in 1987.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Angelica Kitchen closing on April 7; friends raising money to pay off expenses (61 comments)
Angelica Kitchen is latest East Village restaurant in danger of closing (35 comments)
More about Angelica Kitchen's uncertain future
Out and About in the East Village with Leslie McEachern
Bringing 'the beauty of Japanese Tea Ceremony' to 7th Street
Coming soon signage has arrived over at 74 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue...
As we understand it, the storefront will be a shop run by the owners of Tea-Whisk, whose aim "is to introduce the beauty of Japanese Tea Ceremony in NY."
The owners have hosted tea ceremonies at events around the city. This is their first shop. You can find the Tea-Whisk website here. Tea ceremonies date back 400 years in Japan. This article in the Voice looks at the art of tea ceremonies, and features the owner of Tea-Whisk, Souheki Mori, who runs the business with her husband.
The address here has been vacant for a few years... it was previously home to David Shoe Repair for 35 years.
Equipment watch: 253 E. 7th St.
A reader noted that a davey drill and other equipment recently arrived at 253 E. Seventh St. between Avenue C and Avenue D... where a 6-story residential building featuring six residences (each condo roughly 1,500 square feet) will rise.
This replaces a four-story residence that stood here until late 2015.
And on the other side of Seventh Street... we haven't heard much about No. 264 (the one on the left), the circa-1843 townhouse awaiting possible demolition... there's a "no trespassing" sign on the door...
In November, The New York Times reported:
Barbara Sloan, the operations manager at Manhattan Renovations, a general contractor representing GlobalServ, said the owner was planning an information session for neighbors “to discuss details surrounding potential asbestos abatement and demolition.”
As far as we know, such a meeting hasn't taken place to date.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Sunset wow
An EVG reader shared this from East Houston and Avenue A... #NoFilter
Updated:
Another view via Bobby Williams...
Back to the future
Zoltar had been partially covered with a trash bag outside Gem Spa the past few days. The front pane of glass in his house of birch-veneer fortune telling fell back and knocked his head wrap off to the side.
Anyway, EVG regular Lola Sáenz notes that a coin-operated, fix-it machine team has repaired Zoltar's home of nearly five years here on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place...
To a wealth of wisdom.
EV Grieve Etc.: Con Ed worker rescues man on the L tracks; NYU student eyes Mendez's Council seat
[The latest cycle of Centre-fuge on 1st Street]
Con Ed employee rescues man moments before L train arrives at Third Avenue station (DNAinfo)
NYU senior wants a shot at succeeding Rosie Mendez on City Council (New York Post)
Nephew of model Tyson Beckford was found guilty of manslaughter and other charges in the death of an MTA bus driver (Daily News)
Neighbors petition Ian Schrager to shut off those lights at the incoming Public Hotel on Chrystie Street (The Lo-Down)
Owners of The Tang on First Avenue opening an outpost on the Bowery (BoweryBoogie)
The Lower East Side smells (The New Yorker)
Hot-dog purveyor Feltman's will reopen on the site of its former home in Coney Island. East Village location at Theater 80 on St. Mark's Place will stay put (Gothamist ... previously)
A few days remain to see the Tony Conrad documentary (Anthology Film Archives)
After sitting empty in Soho for three years, the former Milady’s space has a new tenant (Eater ... previously)
Con Ed sues Extell over mess at One Manhattan Square (The Real Deal)
...and the new Mick Rock documentary starts Friday down at the Metrograph on Ludlow Street...
[Updating] Reader report: Bike-truck collision on 1st Avenue at 9th Street
[Reader-submitted photo]
Several readers passed along reports of a collision between the truck in the above photo and a cyclist at the west side of First Avenue at Ninth Street earlier this morning.
In an email sent at 7:50 a.m., a reader said: "I was told rider was under truck .. and taken to hospital."
There isn't any other information available at the moment about the condition of the cyclist and who may have been at fault in the collision.
As of 8:30., the intersection remained taped off while investigators were on their way to the scene, according to witnesses.
[Photo via OlympiasEpiriot]
We'll update if/when more information becomes available.
Updated 11:30 a.m.
According to DNAinfo, the cyclist, whose name has not been released, is a 31-year-old woman. She was riding in the northbound bike lane when the truck reportedly struck her.
She suffered severe head trauma and was treated at Bellevue Hospital, where she was listed in critical condition, police said.
The truck driver remained at the scene and wasn't immediately arrested, police said.
Updated noon:
Per Streetsblog, "the available information suggests the truck driver failed to yield to the cyclist."
First Avenue has a parking-protected bike lane, but at most intersections, cyclists and turning motorists proceed during the same signal phase through “mixing zones.”
Turning drivers are supposed to yield to cyclists at the mixing zone, but the treatment is not as safe as intersections where cyclists and turning drivers have separate signal phases. These “split-phase” signals have a demonstrably better safety record than mixing zones.
Bikers pls be careful out there. Devastating reminder in EV on 9th + 1st @evgrieve @EastVillageBuzz pic.twitter.com/ON6TOjthSH
— Kristi Adams (@KristiAdamsNYC) April 5, 2017
Updated 4/12
A friend of the victim told us on Sunday that doctors were optimistic about her chances for recovery.
Unfortunately, there were complications. DNAinfo now reports that Kelly Hurley was taken off life support yesterday.
Per DNAinfo: "Investigators were still reviewing video, the spokesman added, and the driver could still be charged."
Last evening around 6, a group of 12-15 cyclists left flowers at the scene of the collision.
[Photo by Lola Sáenz]
I reached out to a family member... and will update when more information is available.
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.
By James Maher
James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.
By James Maher
Name: Terry and Harmony
Occupation: Artist
Location: Second Street and First Avenue
Date: Thursday, March 30 at 3:30
I’m from Philadelphia. I came here in 1980. I had just finished graduate school in fine arts in Oklahoma, and after that I was very ready to experience the city. I’ve lived in my apartment for 32 years.
I was looking for a place for myself – when I moved in my rent was $276. My block was pretty much just all empty, burned-out buildings and junkies. It was very quiet. I had friends who refused to visit me and this and that, but I don’t think I ever felt really in danger. The junkies had their business, and I had mine, and they left me alone.
When I first moved in there, the super was this old Irish woman – she was really a remnant of the old Irish immigration that came through here, and then I had a Puerto Rican super. He was found tied up and murdered in his apartment one day.
There were a lot of fires on my block that were either set or just convenient. Operation Pressure Point took place for months — there were cops on every corner and they were just mass arresting everybody. They knew who you were, if you lived in the neighborhood, and they kept an eye. They were just arresting people – like the plumber came and he had to show his ID, so that pretty much emptied out a lot of the junkies.
I’m a fine artist, a painter. I’m working in oil pastels - small because I work in my apartment and so the size limitations are there. I had a few shows in places like Gargogyle Mechanique and Gallery Amazonica ... but I never really got into the whole art scene, which flourished in the 1980s.
At one point there were quite a few galleries around here. I remember going to openings and seeing people like Keith Haring. There were performances and this and that almost every night. It was a lot of fun. There were after-hour clubs in abandoned buildings. There were art centers. There were all kinds of places that no longer exist.
I think the last remnants of the neighborhood that really have that community feel are the community gardens. There is now much more of a young, drunken, kind of boozy brunch crowd. There’s only about three or four of us who have lived in my building for more than 30 years. Now the turnover is so fast with a lot of college kids and young working kids. Unfortunately, our new landlady is not giving out new leases, so it’s a little concerning because we pay our rent.
James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.
Ummburger vying for the Mancora space on 1st Avenue
A group of applicants is looking to bring Ummburger to 99 First Ave. at Sixth Street, the current home of the Peruvian restaurant Mancora.
According to the public documents (PDF here) on file ahead of this month's CB3-SLA agenda for a new liquor license, this is a sale of assets.
Ummburger is described as a "fast casual restaurant in the style of a gourmet burger bar." The application shows proposed daily hours of 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. The configuration shows 16 tables seating 66 guests with one, six-seat bar.
The 31-page questionnaire also includes a sample menu as well as professionally produced materials that include "Concept inspiration and mood board."
Well, if you're in the mood for burgers... here's a look at the sample menu on file...
... there are a variety of burgers, including a vegetarian option ... and a fried chicken sandwich called the Southern Ummfort...
The enclosed materials state that the restaurant plans to open on May 15.
Mancora opened here in March 2003. Here's how the Times described it in a 2004 feature:
Mancora caters to East Villagers, and a raucous subset of them at that. Its jaunty room, an explosion of seashell chandeliers, octopus murals and fish nets, is buoyant with sangria-sipping crowds and South American soundtracks, especially on weekends.
The April SLA committee meeting is April 13 at 6:30 p.m. Location: The Thelma Burdick Community Room, 10 Stanton St. at the Bowery.
Up to 4 floors at the all-new 34 E. 13th St.
You can see the progress at the corner of 13th Street and University Place...
As previously reported, an Adjmi Architects-designed seven-story condoplex is going up. Plans call for one unit per floor on top of 3,200 square feet of ground-floor retail.
[EVG file photo]
The corner previously housed University Place Gourmet as well as several adjacent storefronts, including Bennie Louie Chinese Laundry.
Developer Ranger Properties paid $22 million for the lot, and sent everyone on their way.
Meanwhile, there isn't any sign just yet next door of the 23 floors of condos — 21E12 — set for the former home of Bowlmor Lanes and several other businesses.
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
[13th and University in June 2015]
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
On 2nd Avenue, the Local 92 and Mermaid Inn are closed for renovations
On Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street, two neighboring restaurants are currently closed for renovations.
First, there's the Mermaid Inn...
The sign points to a spring cleaning in anticipation of their 14th birthday. They are expected back open next Monday. (They closed for renovations in October 2011 as well.)
And next door, Local 92 has closed for a few days ...
...with a return date on Thursday.
Thank you to Vinny & O for the photos!
A report of 7 burglaries in the past month in these 6 East Village buildings
An EVG reader shared this flyer that's posted in a building that was recently burglarized.
According to the flyer, "seven burglaries have taken place" in the past month in the following buildings:
• 247 E. Second St.
• 185 E. Third St.
• 215 E. Fourth St.
• 322 E. Fourth St.
• 328 E. Fourth St.
• 539 E. Sixth St.
"The perpetrator has entered units while tenants have been home, simulated carrying a gun and entered morning, noon & night."
There will be a multi-block association meeting with the 9th Precinct on April 12 at 6:30 p.m. Location TBD. We will post more information about the meeting when it becomes available.
Lanza's has returned — on 23rd Street
[Photo on 1st Avenue from last summer]
Last July 14, the state's fluorescent SEIZED sticker (for "nonpayment of taxes") arrived at Lanza's between 10th Street and 11th Street.
The old-world Italian restaurant, reportedly first opened in 1904, sat untouched until workers cleaned out the space in January.
Anyway, over the weekend, EVG regular OlympiasEpiriot noticed this storefront on 23rd Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...
Apparently, in the past few months (no reviews yet at Yelp), the people who had been running Lanza's started offering some of those menu items to go or for delivery in space that also houses Marina Gourmet Deli.
[Image via Yelp]
As for the former Lanza's space on First Avenue, Joe & Pat's, the pizzeria that has been serving up slices on Victory Boulevard in Staten Island since 1960, is taking over.
Village Pourhouse makes closing official
As we reported last week, Village Pourhouse, the pub-crawling hosting hotspot on 11th Street and Third Avenue, was to close after service last night. Management informed the staff last Wednesday night.
And yesterday afternoon, the Pourhouse started spreading word of their closure...
The sports bar opened in the summer of 2006. No word on the fate of their phone number — (212) 979-BEER.
A rock club called E.Vil is expected to open in the space this spring.
And yesterday afternoon, the Pourhouse started spreading word of their closure...
The sports bar opened in the summer of 2006. No word on the fate of their phone number — (212) 979-BEER.
A rock club called E.Vil is expected to open in the space this spring.
Report: Webster Hall has a new owner
Here's news about the venue on 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue via Billboard:
After 27 years of operating Webster Hall, the Ballinger family is selling the 131-year-old Manhattan concert hall to AEG Presents and Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment. The two firms will assume operating rights, assets and the long-term lease from building owner Unity Gallega while Bowery Presents will take over booking and talent buying.
According to the Post, the new owners have promised that any updates to the facility "won’t spoil its musty, lived-in charm."
Brett Yormark, chief executive of Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment, told The Post: “We’re going to preserve what Webster Hall means to the consumers and artists, but we will contemporize it.” Expect food and beverage upgrades, with possible bathroom enhancements.
Bathroom enhancements!
The Webster Hall deal was valued at some $35 million.
Webster Hall, built in 1886, was landmarked in 2008. Here's more history via Off the Grid a few years back:
Webster Hall has hosted a wide range of parties and meeting over its 129-year-old history. In its early years it “acquired a reputation as a center of leftist, socialist, anarchist, and union political activity”, according to a January 1888 Brooklyn Daily Eagle article.
In 2006, Webster Hall played host to K-Fed first (and last?) NYC show.
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