'Give me back my package you bastard'

[Click on image for more detail]

Package thefts remain an ongoing issue in neighborhood buildings... the resident of this Second Street building has had enough, as evidenced by the sign he-she left in the entryway...

Stop stealing packages you thieves, I am getting the cops involved in this enough is enough. This is not the first time a package is stolen from the lobby of this building. Keep your hands to yourself and stop taking what's not yours. If you didn't pay for it don't touch it. I hope the cops find you because I am pressing charges.

Give me back my package you bastard.

Thanks to @chang0blanco for the photo!

Mahalo New York Bakery debuts on 9th Street

Mahalo New York Bakery is now open (as of this past weekend) at 443 E. Ninth St. at Avenue A.

The bakery, which serves Hawaiian-inspired desserts, has two outposts in Queens.



Mahalo's grand opening is this weekend...

It's official guys! Grand opening at our East Village location (443 east 9th st) is this Saturday March 10th! We will be having samples and special discounts all weekend so make sure you stop by. Special shout out to all those who came this weekend for our sneak preview and an eternally grateful shout out to @foodbabyny @hungrybrownguy @fuelgrannie @fatguyfrombrooklyn @omgitsbomb for being with us from the start 2.5 years ago with our Glendale Queens location and making the time to swing by this past weekend ❤ #bakery #eeeeeats #dessert #instagood #cupcake #cupcakes #eastvillage #grandopening #newyork #manhattan #foodies #foodie #sweets #mahalonewyorkbakery

A post shared by Mahalo New York Bakery (@mahalonewyorkbakery) on Mar 5, 2018 at 6:10pm PST

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Queens-based bakery bringing Hawaiian-inspired desserts to 9th Street

Thursday's parting shot

Sunset pic via Bobby Williams...

More than one can bear

Fourth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D this evening... via @artisanmatters

Noted

EVG regular Lola Sāenz points us to these decorative dog poop signs handmade with glitter (and TLC!) on Third Street at First Avenue...

Time to rent at EVGB, where studios ('lofts') start at $3,695

Extell Development's EVGB — the "East Village's Greatest Building" — is now renting at 510 E. 14th St. and Avenue A.

The listings went live on Monday, as Curbed first noted.

In total, there are 110 market-rate rentals here. And "market rate" is apparently $3,695 for a large studio (called "lofts" at the EVGB website). The largest units, with three bedrooms, are asking $12,425.

Here's the description of a two-bedroom unit ($7,455) via Streeteasy:

Make yourself at home in this north facing split two bedroom, two bathroom residence. 412 features generous living space, multiple walk-in closets, and an in-unit Bosch washer/dryer. for entertaining and relaxing. The huge open kitchen is outfitted with Miele and Bosch appliances, Cosentino Silestone Quartz countertops and backsplash, and unique wood and glass cabinets with gunmetal pulls. The four-fixture master bathroom includes a walk-in shower with blackened steel and fluted glass door and double vanity. Both bathrooms feature Porcelanosa tile and Kohler and Wetstyle fixtures. This apartment is finished with hardwood white oak flooring.

Each unit also includes an Alexa home interface for easy Alexa-ing. ("Alexa, how much is $12,425 divided by eight?")

Here's a view of the back of the building, showing the various balconies and the garden units...



Building amenities include an indoor saltwater pool, a bi-level fitness center, a children’s playroom, and a 19,000-square-foot roof deck with bocce, a putting green, a yoga lawn, a wet bar, fire pits and more things to perhaps inspire 13th Street residents who live behind here to call 311.



As you can see, the EVGB site is working hard to appeal to would-be renters... (The "Mmm ... carbs" cartoon cupcake, like)...



EVGB has an Instragram account too... the first one is a puzzler: "East Village will have you Going Back for more again, and again, and again...donuts are just the beginning of what the vibrant neighborhood has to offer."

Anyway!

East Village will have you Going Back for more again, and again, and again...donuts are just the beginning of what the vibrant neighborhood has to offer. #evgb #rentevgb #eastvillage #luxuryrentals #nycrealestate #nyre #realestate #donuts #dessert #eeeeeats #treatyoself #dessert #newyorkcity #newyorker #newyork #vsco

A post shared by EVGB (@rentevgb) on Mar 6, 2018 at 3:16pm PST

All this talk about "East Village's Greatest Building” makes us want to break it down.... #evgb #rentevgb #eastvillage #luxuryrentals #nycrealestate #nyre #realestate #popart #dancing #hipster #vsco #art #artistsoninstagram #colors #milliondollarlisting #eastvillagenyc #newyorknewyork #newyork_ig #newyork #newyorkcity

A post shared by EVGB (@rentevgb) on Mar 1, 2018 at 5:03pm PST

Forecast says - sunny days ahead on the 17,000-square-foot sky deck. Rent EVGB now; your summer-self will thank you later. 🌞🌞🌞 #evgb #rentevgb #eastvillage #luxuryrentals #nycrealestate #nyre #realestate #skydeck #rooftop #grilling #sun #views #nycviews #vsco #popart #newyork_ig #luxurylisting #milliondollarlisting #newyork #newyorker #newyorkstyle #colors #classy #sunnydays

A post shared by EVGB (@rentevgb) on Feb 28, 2018 at 2:36pm PST

Move ins at EVGB start in April.

And as previously reported, part of the retail space in this building will house the small-format Target store. Which someone already tagged.


[Photo from Tuesday]

Extell's other new building on the block toward Avenue B is currently accepting applications for middle-income units.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New 7-floor buildings for East 14th Street include 150 residential units

Target offers details about its flexible-format store opening summer 2018 on 14th and A

The disappearing storefronts of East 14th Street

Extell's new development at 524 E. 14th St. launches lottery for 50 affordable units

[Updated] Bar taking over former HiFi space on Avenue A is called Coney Island Baby

[Photo from Jan. 20]

Work continues at the former HiFi space on Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street.

Not a lot is known publicly about the new venture just yet. However, the place does have a name — Coney Island Baby... not to mention an Instragram account, which I discovered last evening...

A post shared by Coney Island Baby NYC (@coneyislandbabynyc) on Mar 7, 2018 at 8:08am PST

Per Instagram: "Coney Island Baby NYC. Newly unearthed East Village bar and performance venue, overlooking the denizens of Tompkins Square Park."

HiFi, which also hosted the occasional book readings, comedy shows and acoustic bands, closed last October after 15 years at the address.

In his closing announcement, HiFi co-owner Mike Stuto wrote that business had been off, noting that the weekend bar crowd was "mostly indifferent to the place." He also stressed that the closure had nothing to do with the landlord, a management company that he said has been "ideal ... in pretty much every sense of the word."

Stayed tuned for more on Coney Island Baby, which presumably is named after (or for!) this. Or this! No word on an opening date just yet.

Updated March 25

The bar's website is live now. Coney Island Baby describes itself as "a new 200 capacity live music venue and bar in the heart of the musically historic East Village in NYC. Booking now."

Alejandro Escovedo is headlining the first show on May 2.

End of days at the St. Denis

[Image via Wikipedia Commons]

The new-ish owners of the St. Denis at 797-799 Broadway at 11th Street have plans for the building that don't include its current small business owners (mostly psychotherapists, apparently).

Vanishing New York's Jeremiah Moss, himself a soon-to-be-former-tenant, wrote a feature titled "The Death and Life of a Great American Building" for The New York Review of Books.

Per Moss:

[In the summer of 2016], tenants received a letter from the new owners, announcing the purchase and assuring, “We look forward to continuing the strong, positive relationships enjoyed by tenants in the building.” But as leases expired, they were not renewed, except as short-term extensions rigged with sixty-day termination clauses. Some tenants saw the writing on the wall and moved out. Those who remained hoped that [Normandy Real Estate Partners'] plans — whatever they were — would fall through. Rumors circulated about the future of the St. Denis. It would be gutted, glossed, and given to a single corporation. It would be flipped and turned into condos. And the unimaginable? It would be demolished.

In the summer of 2017, tenants discovered architectural renderings on the Internet proposing to replace the St. Denis with a seventeen-story glass tower sheathed in white glass, as sterile as an operating table. On their website, the CetraRuddy firm claimed that their design will create “an office environment that addresses mental and physical well-being.”

Here's a look at CetraRuddy Architect's concept for the St. Denis (via CityRealty)...



Normandy Real Estate Partners have yet to publicly announce their plans for the property just yet. (Normandy has said that this idea was just allegedly conceptual.)

The 165-year-old building is noteworthy for many reasons. It opened in 1853 as the St. Denis Hotel, which is where Ulysses S. Grant wrote his post-Civil War memoirs and Alexander Graham Bell provided the first demonstration of the telephone to New Yorkers.

However, the building is not landmarked... and it is not in a Historic District.

Back to the article:

Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, is advocating for a zoning to protect the area and its architectural jewels. “The Tech Hub is accelerating the changes,” he told me. What’s coming, he says, are more “high-end high-rise developments — condos, hotels, and tech office buildings.” And there is no limit to how high they can go, thanks to a current zoning that Berman says is “very generous to developers.”

Read the full article by Moss here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Former St. Denis Hotel selling for $100 million

Wednesday's parting shot

Second Avenue at Sixth Street earlier via Derek Berg...

Oh Mother! (and there are many free things to do at the Tompkins Square Library branch)

Due to the weather, this evening's free screening of "Mother!" was cancelled at the Tompkins Square Library branch... rescheduled for April 11 at 5 p.m. ...

All NYPL locations will close at 5pm today due to weather. Tonight’s screening of “Mother!” will be rescheduled for April 11 at 5pm. #eastvillage #tompkinssquare #libraries #snow

A post shared by Tompkins Square Library (@tompkins_square_library) on Mar 7, 2018 at 11:19am PST

Really interesting choice for a free library screening ... the film with Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem by Darren Aronofsky (does he still live in the East Village?) is either the best or absolute worst film ever. Not sure what I think, though Kristen Wiig! (Spoiler here.)



And the Tompkins Square Park branch has a lot of free activities daily... poetry readings... jewelry making... film screenings (Tony Richardson's "A Taste of Honey" is an afternoon matinee on March 19 and Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk" is at 5 p.m. on March 21)... find their schedule of events here.

Storm brings down this tree on 6th Street

[Photo via @jeremyblock]

This tree took a fall — roots and all — early this evening during the storm on the north side of Sixth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Thankfully no one was injured, and the car looks to have suffered just minor damage all things considered...


[Photo via @edwardzick]

EVG reader Danny shared these photos... showing the NYPD helping clear the tree from the street...









One witness said that the tree's roots were rotted.

Updated 8:16 p.m.

Word from the NYPD...

We are unsure what caused the tree to come down but our Emergency Services Unit came & cut up the tree, placing it on the sidewalk. The owner of the 🚗 has been notified and most importantly nobody was injured @NYPDSpecialops

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) March 8, 2018

Report: Ariel Palitz named NYC's first Night Mayor

The newly established NYC Office of Nightlife has named its first director (aka Night Mayor) — Ariel Palitz.

Palitz is well-known in the East Village/Lower East Side as a bar owner (the former Sutra Lounge on First Avenue) and as a member of Community Board 3's Liquor Authority & Department of Consumer Affairs Licensing committee.

As The Lo-Down noted: "Her clashes with local residents fighting new liquor licenses were fairly legendary."

In recently years she has helmed Venue Advisors, "a full-service hospitality consulting company with integrated licensed real estate services."

Mayor de Blasio is to officially make her announcement official later today. Her official title is senior executive director of the Office of Nightlife.

Meanwhile, the Times has a very Times-ian feature with the news.

Since September, when Mayor Bill de Blasio announced he was forming an Office of Nightlife to promote the industry and soothe the strained relations between the city’s night spots and the neighborhoods that complain about their merriment, the local demimonde has been wondering who might nab the glamorous position. Would Mr. de Blasio appoint a modern-day Tex Guinan, someone who would quaff champagne in the small hours of the morning under the trapezes of the erotic circus scene?

In her first interview since accepting the post, Ms. Palitz suggested that her stint as the Nightlife Mayor would be slightly more sober and focus less on carousing than on conflict mediation. In today’s New York, gentrification has pitted partygoers against the settled residents of neighborhoods like the Lower East Side of Manhattan and Williamsburg in Brooklyn. In her first official act, Ms. Palitz promised to hold a series of listening tours and entertain the gripes of those who are bothered by the vomit on their streets or the noise at 3 a.m.

The article notes that Palitz is a fifth-generation New Yorker who has lived in the East Village since 1996.

And more from the Times...

Now in charge of a mayoral office with a 12-person advisory board, a $300,000 budget and a salary of $130,000 a year, Ms. Palitz seems to have realized that even a doyenne of New York night life must make a few concessions when joining city government. On her Tuesday evening drink, she was accompanied, for instance, by a minder from City Hall. While she admits that there were times in her career when she personified “what the no-bar movement rejected,” she also claimed that she has always tried “to find solutions that work for everyone.”

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ariel Palitz responds to Daily News article, 'ripe for picking' comment

ICYMI — Mayor forms Office of Nightlife

The Mighty Quinn

The view this afternoon from 10th Street and Avenue C (via Bobby Williams) showing Winter Storm Quinn... forecasts are calling for more thundersnow...

Impressive satellite imagery of the rapidly developing winter storm. The bubbling clouds are indication of intense upward motions increasing snow growth and potential for lightning. pic.twitter.com/JeSK4aOUkZ

— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) March 7, 2018

Historic Bathhouse Studios for sale on 11th Street

[Cushman & Wakefield]

The landmarked Bathhouse Studios on 11th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is now on the market.

Tell them what you get...

Cushman & Wakefield has been retained on an exclusive basis to arrange for the sale of Bathhouse Studios, a one-of-a-kind multilevel studio and event space topped by a magnificent residence...

Built between 1904 and 1905 and designed in the Neo-Italian Renaissance style, the former public bathhouse was converted into a high-end studio in 1995 by Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Eddie Adams. Designed by esteemed architect Gene Kaufman, the studio was used to house Adams’ work for Parade Magazine and Associated Press, in addition to some of his other major achievements. He also worked and conducted shoots in the studio.

The ground floor features 20 foot ceilings, oak floors, exposed brick, antique frosted windows, blue glass tile, and glass block skylights with electric black screen shades. There are two curb cuts on the ground floor, one of which leads to the English basement. The 11 foot high English basement consists of marble black & white tile and cement floors along with antique glass framed doors. The residence possesses 16 foot ceilings, oak floors throughout, antique ceiling light fixtures, a kitchen with granite and stainless steel countertops, and two grand bathrooms.

Furthermore, both the kitchen and bathrooms are tiled and enjoy top of the line appliances. The residence walks out to a sun drenched 2,200 square foot outdoor deck that can serve home to remarkable gatherings.

Asking price: $19.5 million.

The listing also notes that there are roughly — gulp — 10,000 square feet of air rights available.

The Bathhouse Studios website has a lot more on the history of the building ... including some photos of what it looked liked before it was restored in 1995...


[Undated photo]

The building also served as a backdrop for the 1981 film "Ragtime." Find even more history here. The Bathhouse Studios was landmarked by the city in 2008.

The Swiss Institute announces June 21 opening on St. Mark's Place and 2nd Avenue

[Photo of St. Mark's and 2nd Avenue from Monday]

The Swiss Institute has announced a June 21 opening date in its new home on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place.

Here's more about what to expect from the nonprofit cultural center when it opens via artforum, who first reported the news yesterday:

This summer, the institute will launch several education programs developed by artists in collaboration with local schools and community organizations, including School of the Future, Little Missionary’s Day Nursery & Sara Curry Preschool, GO Project, and Sirovich Center for Balanced Living. Commenting on the new initiatives, director Simon Castets said, “A space for artists, 38 St. Marks Place is also a space by artists, who are actively contributing through both the ‘SI ONSITE’ commissions and our new artist-led education programs. Moving into a new neighborhood and building goes hand in hand with expanding upon our mission, with education as a new cornerstone of our activities.”

The organization has had several locations since its founding in 1986, most recently on Franklin Street.

Renovations continue at the Institute's new EV home — the former Chase branch.


[Photo on St. Mark's Place from Feb. 16]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Swiss Institute moving into the former Chase branch on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

The Chelsea Thai signage is up on 1st Avenue

As you can see, the sign has arrived at the incoming Chelsea Thai, set to debut this spring at 192-194 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.

In January, the quick-serve restaurant closed its small space of nearly 20 years in the Chelsea Market ahead of a move here. No opening date announced yet for First Avenue.

This Instagram post from January 2017 has more about the Chelsea Thai owner, Saruj Nimkarn...

Meet the owner of Chelsea Thai at Chelsea Market. Saruj Nimkarn is the founder,owner and head chef of Chelsea Thai. He grew up in Bangkok Thailand and came to the US when he was a teenager. He then decided that he wanted to bring a taste of his home to the states and opened up this restaurant so he could share his favorite comfort foods with all of us. One of the first restaurants in Chelsea Market, Chelsea Thai will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

A post shared by Chelsea Thai (@chelsea__thai) on Jan 16, 2017 at 5:39am PST

Previously on EV Grieve:
Chelsea Thai coming to former Neptune space on 1st Avenue; Filipino fare for Avenue A

Reader report: Joe and Pat's will open in 3 weeks

EVG regular Lola Sāenz shared the above photo from inside the incoming Joe and Pat's, the Staten Island-based pizzeria coming to 168 First Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street.

One of the owners was there, and told Lola they'd be open in three weeks.

P.S.
As the above photo shows, Lanza's antique murals remain intact.

Previously

Tuesday's parting shot

[Click on image for a bigger view]

A note from a father to his son in Tompkins Square Park. Photo by Derek Berg.

Catching up with Dora, wing on the mend

[Photos today by Steven]

Despite the worldwide attention, Dora was looking pretty relaxed today in Tompkins Square Park. The red-tailed hawk watchers believe that her rehabbed wing continues to get stronger.

A little later, the injured wing started hanging a little low, perhaps from the wind...



Since that Page 1 piece in the Post Sunday, several other media outlets have filed reports on the complicated hawk-love triangle involving Christo, Dora and Nora/Not-Dora ... including CBS 2 ... NY1 ... People ... and MNN (Mother Nature Network).

In its coverage today, The New York Times noted: "Consider us #TeamDora."

And a few excerpts from Goggla's latest dispatch, posted yesterday:

The hawks themselves are carrying on business as usual. Each morning, Christo and Dora work on their nest in the ginkgo tree on the east side of the park. Christo has been stripping bark off a scholar tree near the ping-pong table for lining the nest.

And what of Nora/Not-Dora?

I caught a glimpse of Nora perched on top of a Village View building around mid-day on Sunday. Christo disappears from the park for long periods of time during the day, and I'm assuming he's with Nora, but I haven't been able to find out if they have a second nest or what exactly they're up to. He returns to the park at the end of the day and both he and Dora roost in or near the park.

This evening, I saw Christo deliver a big rat to Dora before going to roost in the Krishna Tree. Even if they don't have a family this year, they are still a well-bonded pair.

Julia Gorton’s 'Pretty in Punk' on the Bowery

During evening hours - after the museum closes - images are projected in the windows and can be viewed from the sidewalk outside. On Thursday, the museum does not close until 9. During the day, the work is presented on monitors in the lobby. . #lindagibbs #icpprojected #prettyinpunk #cbgbs #nowave #punk #postpunk #juliagorton

A post shared by Julia_gorton_nowave (@julia_gorton_nowave) on Mar 3, 2018 at 9:24am PST

Tonight through Monday, the International Center of Photography at 250 Bowery between Houston and Stanton will be featuring the work of photographer Julia Gorton.

Her photos are part of the ICP's Projected Series. Per the Museum:

During the day, Pretty in Punk: Downtown Girls can be viewed on monitors inside the ICP Museum and during evening hours, images are literally “projected” onto the windows of the ICP Museum; they can be viewed from the sidewalk outside the Museum and are most visible after sunset.

As Gorton recently explained: "The show is a selection of images from the late 70’s, most of which I shot not too far from the museum. The women included are all noteworthy in their own ways, whether they are familiar names or not."