No. 117 is the latest Avenue A storefront for rent

[Photo by Daniel]

One day after the Marshal's notice eviction was posted at the now-former Black Rose bar space at 117 Avenue A ... the for rent signs arrived here between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

The listing isn't online just yet at Steve Croman's 9300 Realty site... this storefront joins two other nearby Croman properties for rent — 115 Avenue A (former Blink Fitness membership office) and 147 Avenue A (formerly La Lucha).

Back in 2014, the space, which housed the Odessa Cafe and Bar, was asking $22,500.

Reader report: A car drives in the 1st Avenue bike lane

[Reader-submitted photo]

An EVG reader shared this from this afternoon...

I was just on First Avenue and St. Mark's, and a silver car drove past me, moving uptown on First Avenue in the bike lane! The guy was driving in the bike lane! I was shouting you are in the bike lane, and a delivery guy with a handtruck who was in the car's path was shouting the same thing.

But the guy kept driving, and turned left on 9th Street right where Kelly Hurley was hit. I chased after the car, but he zoomed down 9th Street and turned left onto Second Avenue. I went back to the corner of First Avenue and St. Mark's hoping he would come around, so I could snap a photo of the car, but he didn't. The car was silver, and I didn't see what kind of car it was.

Anyway, it was shocking to see someone do this right after a cyclist was killed here. It was shocking that the guy ignored us. His window was down, so he had to have heard us. It goes to show that First Avenue is a free-for-all. It is yet more evidence to me that cops need to be stopping not bikes but cars on First Avenue and ticketing them and informing them of the rules of the road.

City shuts down the Tompkins Square Park Art Bar after 1 day

[Yesterday!]

Well, after one day, the Tompkins Square Park Art Bar (aka the remnants of the now-closed Black Rose) is no more... EVG regular Daniel reports that a city sanitation crew stopped by the corner of Seventh Street and Avenue A and took away the bar and most everyone else that Jerry and Co. had assembled from the cleared-out space at 117 Avenue A...





Just some of Jerry's paintings and his shoes — and the Black Rose's Jimmy Page Monolithic Riff — remain...

The Black Rose has closed on Avenue A; welcome Tompkins Square Park Art Bar (temporarily)

The Black Rose, which billed itself as a neighborhood rock-and-roll bar, has closed at 117 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

EVG regular Daniel shared these photos and the tip.

The Marshal took legal possession yesterday of the nearly two-year-old bar on behalf of landlord Steve Croman.



The space was quickly cleaned out...



As we understand it, the Black Rose management told Jerry, the artist who occasionally takes up residence on the corner of Avenue A and Seventh Street, and company to take what they wanted... and so for at least part of the day there was the all-new Tompkins Square Park Art Bar...



...featuring framed posters of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, velvet rope, red banquettes, bar stools, a disco ball and other former Black Rose items along the Seventh Street entrance to Tompkins Square Park...







No. 117 was the longtime home, until August 2013, of the Odessa Cafe & Bar.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Black Rose, 'a neighborhood rock and roll bar,' opening in the former Odessa Cafe and Bar space (73 comments)

Ravi DeRossi moving Ladybird to the East Village; taking residence at former Bourgeois Pig space

[Photo of 111 E. 7th St. from last October]

Last summer, restaurateur Ravi DeRossi turned his Bourgeois Pig into vegan tapas bar Ladybird over on MacDougal Street in the West Village. (DeRossi started going meat free on the menus at his establishments in early 2016. Ladybird sends part of its profits to DeRossi's BEAST Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending animal cruelty.)

Now, DeRossi plans to relocate Ladybird to 111 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue — the original home of The Bourgeois Pig before its move to the West Village in late January 2015. (Eater reported back in November 2014 that a rent increase was behind DeRossi's decision to pack up the 10-year-old bar.)

"The landlord has offered me a very fair deal, so I have decided to move Ladybird from MacDougal to Seventh Street, where it should have been in the first place," DeRossi, whose home and office is in the East Village, told us via email.

Next month, he will appear before CB3's SLA committee for a new beer-wine license for No. 111.

The previous No. 111 tenant, the wine bar Virgola, closed last October after 10 months in business.

Out East opens Friday out on 6th Street

Out East, which will serve "New American fare with influences from the coastal regions of Long Island," opens Friday at 509 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The restaurant is currently in friends/family mode. According to a neighbor, front-of-the-house staff was spotted lined up outside early Friday evening for the start of training. The Out East team includes chef Tim Meyers (an alum of Charlie Bird), Peter Kane (Beauty & Essex and Stanton Social), and Anthony Serignese (formerly of Beauty & Essex and Stanton Social).



According to a statement to Eater last December: "Out East is the stylish, coastal cosmopolitan, downtown dining destination that transports guests away from the city for a night." According to an online listing, the bi-level restaurant "pulls inspiration from Montauk, with interiors reflecting the essence of a seaside getaway and a New American menu with influences from Southern coastal France."

And here's a look at part of the seafood-centric menu...



Meanwhile, across Sixth Street, Baron's Dim Sum is open for business...



H/T Riley McCormick!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Out East quietly announces itself on 6th Street

Peter Kane looking to bring Out East to 6th Street

Katrina del Mar's 'Feral Women/Filmed Portraits' opens tonight on Avenue A

A solo exhibition featuring the work of East Village-based photographer-filmmaker Katrina del Mar opens tonight at the Art on A Gallery.

Here's more about "Feral Women/Filmed Portraits":

In a solo exhibition of new and archival work, Katrina del Mar revels in her fascination and obsession with Feral Women: a riveting and immersive exhibition of photo portraits, filmed portraits, black velvet paintings and drawings. “Women expressing wildness, sometimes overt, sometimes subtle, is a manifestation of innate power. The high hard femme, the bad girl, the rocker, the biker, the surfer-selkie, are icons of a new feminist pantheon.” The implied mirror or screen, a disrupted transmissive surface for exploring known and newly discovered selves via queer selfie drawings and filmed portraits, challenge accepted norms of representation.

The exhibit is up through May 18. The space is at 24 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street.

A post shared by Katrina del Mar (@katrinadelmar) on Apr 26, 2017 at 4:34pm PDT

Wednesday's parting shot

Pretty good game of punch-pong in Tompkins Square Park.

Photo by Derek Berg

Back to business as usual for Sunny's Florist

Sunny's was back open this afternoon on Second Avenue and Sixth Street... they were closed for a few days "due to family matters" (which included a "nothing bad no worries" reassurance).

Thanks to Vinny & O for the photo!

EV Grieve Etc.: Origins of the Liz Christy Garden; Efforts to protect Chinatown

[Photo on 2nd Avenue by Derek Berg]

How the Liz Christy Garden on East Houston came to be (WNYC)

A member of one of Israel’s richest families is among the largest investors in the companies owned by Jared Kushner, whose real-estate empire includes 40-plus buildings in the East Village (Bloomberg)

"Despite a concerted and ongoing campaign, the fact remains that, in New York, few motorists involved in fatal crashes with pedestrians or cyclists are ever charged with even minor traffic infractions." (The Village Voice)

The effort to protect Chinatown (City Limits)

"Rivington Act" bill shot down (DNAinfo)

The 67-year-old Hotel 17 on Stuyvesant Square closes for now; city says it's an illegal SRO (Town & Village)

A review of Little Tong on 1st Avenue and 11th Street (Grub Street ... previously)

Recap of the rezoning rally on Broadway from Saturday afternoon (GVSHP ... NY City Lens)

A crowdfunding campaign is underway to help legally blind street photographer Flo Fox with health-care expenses (GoFundMe)

Seward Park Liquors is losing its home of 40 years on Grand Street (The Lo-Down)

Another boozy brawl at the DL (BoweryBoogie)

About "Tard Core: There Are No Safe Words," the new residency at Joe's Pub that, among other things, pokes fun at hyper-gentrification (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

The tragic end of a songwriter on the Bowery in the 1860s (Ephemeral New York)

...and the Uber-Lyft battle continues...


[Avenue A the other day]

Out and About in the East Village, 2017 recap

Taking a week off from Out and About in the East Village (aka OAAITEV) to revisit our interviewees to date from 2017. Thank you to East Village-based photographer James Maher and everyone who has taken part in this series. OAAITEV will return soon.

Jan. 11 — Ali Sahin

Jan. 18 — Eric Rignall

Feb. 1 — Lola Sáenz

Feb. 8 — Lola Sáenz, Part 2

Feb. 15 — Delphine Blue

Feb. 22 — Delphine Blue, Part 2

March 1 — Mark Seamon

March 8 — Merle Ratner

March 22 — Jennifer Brodsky

April 5 — Terry and Harmony

April 12 — Elizabeth Atnafu

April 19 — James, the Leather Man

Townhouse rich in art history for sale on 11th Street; air rights included

A lovely old townhouse at 217 E. 11th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue is new to the market.

Here's the pitch (H/T Curbed!) via Corcoran:

Built in 1856, this Anglo-Italianate style townhouse with a beautiful façade and high stoop has a lot to offer the right buyer. Rich in history, this was the home of Dore Ashton, a well-known writer, professor, and art critic. Ashton was the matriarch of the abstract art movement; seemingly, every major artist got their start at her home.



Bring your architect and customize this townhouse to your liking. Located on a tree-lined East Village Street, the townhouse stands five floors plus a basement. Currently configured as two units, there are six bedrooms and three baths. The layout offers multiple possibilities. Enjoy income while living in the upper portion of the house and renting out the garden level apartment. Alternatively, create a single-family dream home.

The townhouse features an impressionable parlor floor, high ceilings, and original details such as hardwood floors, moldings, and fireplaces. There are no tall buildings in the vicinity, affording very nice light. Perhaps best of all is the enchanting 60-foot garden, surrounded by other townhouse gardens creating openness and a feeling of serenity.



According to PropertyShark, considerable air rights are available. Property Shark shows the maximum usable floor area is 5100 SF, of which 2639 SF is used and 2460 SF is available.

Asking price $4.5 million.

Ashton, who taught art history at the Cooper Union, the New School and SVA, died in February at age 88.

More about Artichoke's move across 14th Street

As we've been reporting (here and here), Artichoke is moving to a new space directly across 14th Street from their current establishment between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Co-owner Francis Garcia, offered a few more details to Eater, noting that the lease is up at 328 E. 14th St., "so they took that as an opportunity for bigger and better. The new location will allow for expanded offerings, like cauliflower fritters, broccoli rabe sandwiches, and more."

No word on when they plan to move. According to the SLA website, Artichoke's liquor license for No. 328 expires at the end of June.

The rent is due at Watch Witch on St. Mark's Place

Watch Witch, the specialty food shop at 115 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue, has not been open since the end of December.

We've been waiting for a for rent sign to arrive on the space. However, on Monday, legal papers were attached to the front door... noting that the latest rent is due. In total, the operators owe a little more than $7,500, which includes the $4,699 rent, $2,256 real-estate tax escalation, $500 legal fee and $100 late fee. (So, even though the storefront was closed, someone paid rent January through March?)

The shop opened in early November, and sold a variety of specialty sandwiches, cured meats, artisanal cheeses and drip coffee, among other items. The previous tenant, Box Kite Coffee, closed just as abruptly last August.

50th anniversary screening of 'Cool Hand Luke' tomorrow night at Village East Cinema

The Paul Newman prison classic, nominated for nine Academy Awards, gets a 50th anniversary screening tomorrow (April 26!) night at 7 at the Village East Cinema, Second Avenue and 12th Street. Details here.

[Updated] Preliminary vote tonight at Cooper Union for rent-stabilized apartments

Last week, reps for the Rent Stabilization Association proposed increases of up to 8 percent for the city’s rent-stabilized apartments during a public hearing. (The calls were for a rent hike of 4 percent for new one-year leases and 8 percent for two years, per the Post.)

The Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) froze rents for one-year leases the past two years.

Tonight, the RGB will take a preliminary vote on the new rates in the Great Hall at Cooper Union at 7. There will be five public hearings before the final vote on June 27.

Expect some debate. Via this Facebook invite:

The Rent Justice Coalition is bringing Tenants from across the City together to make our voices heard! RENTS ARE STILL TOO HIGH and RGB must change that!!! RGB will VOTE on Preliminary Rent Adjustments for 2017-19.
Rally at 6pm
Doors open at 6:30pm

The RGB does not set the rent increase for vacancy leases, rent-controlled apartments, unregulated apartments or subsidized housing.

Updated:

The RGB voted to recommend a 1 to 3 percent increase on 1-year leases, and a 2 to 4 percent increase on 2-year leases, according to ABC-7.

Something for future generations to discover on 2nd Avenue

The incoming 10-story residential building continues its ascent at 24 Second Ave. and First Street ... EVG regular Daniel points out the the construction is getting ready to obscure the the mural by Brazilian twins Os Gêmeos ...



The mural went up at the former site of the BP station in August 2015 ... nearly one year after the BP shut down.. (There's also a mural of a ballerina by French street artist JR on an adjacent building facing the lot.)

Permits show some 45,000 square feet for the 31 residences (rentals? condos?) … and another 5,700 square feet for the commercial space. And, as a reminder, the rendering...



Previously on EV Grieve:
The 2nd Avenue BP station has closed

Permits filed to demolish former 2nd Avenue BP station

More about the 10-story building taking the place of the former BP station at 24 2nd Ave.

Check out the new 10-story building for the former 2nd Avenue BP station

A ballerina for 2nd Avenue

2nd Avenue residential complex now complete with renderings on the plywood


[Photo from August 2015]

Yuan Noodle in the works for the former Biang! space on 2nd Avenue

CB3 hasn't yet posted the schedule for May meetings just yet... until then, we at least know about one applicant that will appear on the SLA committee docket... an EVG reader shared this photo from 157 Second Ave. ... showing a flyer for a new restaurant called Yuan Noodle...



No word just yet who's behind this venture. Biang! — the sit-down Chinese restaurant via Xi'an Famous Foods owner Jason Wang — closed here between Ninth Street and 10th Street back in March after 15 months in business.

The previous tenant at 157 Second Ave., Wylie Dufresne's bistro Alder, closed after two-and-a-half years at the end of August 2015.

If Wang and Dufresne, given their successes, couldn't make the space work ... not sure who can. Other recent restaurants here (before 2013) included Plum and Cafe Brama.

CB3's SLA committee meeting will be on May 15. We'll update when more information becomes available.

Sandwicherie opens tomorrow (Wednesday!) on 4th Avenue

Sandwicherie New York opens Wednesday/tomorrow on the southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and 13th Street.

Here's more about them via their Facebook description:

Our aim is to give our customers a natural, healthy and vibrant lifestyle ... we strive to build our small family owned business one SANDWICH(erie) at a time.

We are committed to serving you fresh and healthy meals, coupled with a pleasant shopping experience and premium service. Operated by a seasoned and very talented team that consistently puts out chef-inspired or made to order salads and sandwiches that are packed with great flavor. Eye popping New York breakfasts and lunches that include healthy quinoa and wild rice bowls, fresh-pressed juices and a large assortment of bakery and desserts.

This is the second NYC location for Sandwicherie ... joining the outpost on 42nd Street near Grand Central. You can find their menu offerings with meat and vegan options here.

And this has been a challenging corner for businesses since the longtime deli was rent-hiked out of here in November 2012. The space has been home to Fresh & Co. and Pie Face in a little more than two years.

Whole Foods Market® Bowery replacing beer with coffee in prime corner spot

Meant to mention this much earlier, given how popular posts about the Whole Foods Market® Bowery are... So, the store has shut down its sizable Beer Room (as of April 17) on the corner of Chrystie and East Houston ... signage points to an incoming Coffee Bar, likely a much better all-day draw than a beer store. (One employee said she thought that the Coffee Bar would be two levels.)

However, WFB isn't done with beer... the sizable suds stock has been moved into the main part of the store... though without any kind of growler service (WFB did away with its homebrew stock in 2013) ...







This is just the latest in WFB enhancements for the 10-year-old store ... including a rebooted bakery and prepared foods region.

There was news yesterday that Albertsons may make a bid to buy Whole Foods.