I recently launched an EVG podcast, recording the episodes at the East Village Radio studio on First Avenue (in case you're wondering why there's some background noise, such as a grocery cart filled with recyclables).
We started with something music-related, talking with Mike Katz and Crispin Kott, the authors of the recently released book "Rock and Roll Explorer Guide to New York City."
Here's the first one...
I also interviewed Goggla about the red-tailed hawks in Tompkins Square Park. Will be posting that edition soon.
Anyway, I hope to cover a variety of topics moving forward. More about all this later...
Friday, June 15, 2018
EVG Etc.: Gabrielle Hamilton's controversial decision; Seward Park's air-rights vote
[Life of the party the other morning on Cooper Square]
A look at Prune owner-chef Gabrielle Hamilton's controversial decision to team up with Ken Friedman, who has been accused of sexually assaulting and harassing dozens of women, at the Spotted Pig. Eater has an interview with Hamilton's partner and co-chef, Ashley Merriman, here. And Grub Street has a post titled "Gabrielle Hamilton’s Great Betrayal."
Seward Park co-op votes down $54 million air rights offer from developer (The Lo-Down)
What does the future hold for the leaderless Landmarks Preservation Commission? (ArchPaper)
Xi'an Famous Foods, with a location on St. Mark's Place, raised more than $73K last Friday for suicide prevention to honor Anthony Bourdain (Eater)
James and Karla Murray are hoping to raise some additional funds via Kickstarter for their upcoming mom-and-pop storefront art installation inside Seward Park — "Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S." They will begin their installation in late June and plan on having an opening celebration in July. (Kickstarter ... previously)
The Institute for the Development of Human Arts is hosting a day of community, art, music and spoken word tomorrow at 242 E. Second St. (Facebook)
Investigators seize NYCHA records in office raid (The Post)
When the feminist skaters of the art collective Brujas took over Performance Space NY on First Avenue this spring (Artsy)
On Fifth Street, Degustation is now a chef’s counter called Restaurant Ukiyo (Eater)
NYC is implementing a ban on Styrofoam starting Jan. 1, 2019 (Gothamist)
Photo essay of the old Essex Market (Curbed)
Crime story of the week: Someone is leaving rotten food at this Stuy Town resident's front door (Town & Village)
World Cup viewing guide in NYC (The Times)
Singer-songwriter Fiona Silver, an East Village resident, plays the Mercury Lounge on June 29 (Official site)
More on one man's quest to correct an error on the sleeve of the Clash’s London Calling (Flaming Pablum)
Hedda Lettuce hosting "Mommie Dearest" on June 20 at City Cinemas Village East (Official site)
New owners for the Indigo Hotel on Ludlow (The Real Deal)
A look at the penthouse Keith Richards recently sold at One Fifth Avenue (Guest of a Guest)
The IFC Center on Sixth Avenue revamps its expansion proposal (Curbed)
Lincoln Plaza Cinema's reboot (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)
...and Derek Berg shared these photos from Fourth Street, where crews for the 1970s period piece "The Kitchen" were filming scenes...
Looks like the 1973 Plymouth Fury??? And fake snow!)
... and earlier...
The drama, set in Hell's Kitchen, follows the wives of Irish mobsters (Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss) who team up to take over running the business after their husbands are sent to prison.
Resident concerned over cracks caused by excavation work in lot next door
As noted earlier this week, the city issued a Stop Work Order at 118 E. First St. near Avenue A.
There is a complaint on file with the DOB stating that the excavation work caused an adjacent building to shake, with visible cracks forming.
A longtime resident who lives adjacent to the construction site shared this photo montage, showing the cracks on the building and in the tenant's apartment...
Per the resident: "I am not feeling safe here."
For now, the city will only allow for crews to do "emergency remedial work at rear exposure to install bracing." That work hasn't occurred just yet, the resident said.
Until the Stop Work Order, workers were prepping the lot for a 9-story residential building with seven residences and a retail space.
Previously on EV Grieve:
118 E. 1st St. arrives on the market with so many possibilities, and air rights
118 E. 1st. St. will yield to a new 9-floor residential building
Demolition of 118 E. 1st St. begins to make way for 9-story residential building
Construction starts at 118 E. 1st St., future home of a 9-floor residential building
Here's what the new condoplex at 118 E. 1st St. will look like
Bushwick-based chef looking to bring Short Stories to the Bowery
Looks as if one of the recently vacated bar-restaurants on the Bowery will have a new tenant.
Applicants are on this month's CB3-SLA docket for a new liquor license at 355 Bowery, the former Wise Men space between Third Street and Fourth Street.
According to the materials (PDF here) posted on the CB3 website, the applicants for the proposed Short Stories include Danny Teran, who runs several businesses in Bushwick, including Wheelhouse out on Wilson Avenue. (He is apparently known as "The Wolf of Wilson," per this Brokelyn feature.) Williamsburg Pizza investor Ashwin Deshmukh is also listed as one of the applicants.
The menu at Short Stories will feature "a mix of American, Cuban and Mexican fare." (Teran, a Cuban-American, specializes in Cuban cuisine. He also previously ran Millie's Cuban Cafe on Wilson Avenue.)
The application also shows six tables seating 12 diners as well as a 10-seat bar. (There appears to be some additional seating on benches.) The proposed hours are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. during the week, until 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Wise Men closed last November after five years in business.
And before the Wise Men...
[Photo from 2011]
... there was Osaka Vibe/Orange Valve — aka, that kind of weird sushi place on the Bowery.
The CB3-SLA meeting is Monday night at 6:30 in the Public Hotel, 17th Floor, Sophia Room, 215 Chrystie St. between Houston and Stanton.
Previously on EV Grieve:
An appreciation of sorts: That kind of weird sushi place on the Bowery
Former kind of weird sushi place on the Bowery is now home to the Wise Men
The 7 restaurants that have closed on the Bowery in the past year
Lower 'Eats' Side festival to feature food from 25 countries
Via the EVG inbox...
The Lower East Side’s historic Public School 110 (Florence Nightingale School) will hold an international food festival, Lower "Eats" Side, tomorrow (Saturday) from 1-4 p.m. featuring home-cooked food from more than 25 countries ... and prepared by the school’s own parent chefs.
The food festival will represent the different cultures and nationalities that make up the school today, and will be held at the school’s 1905 building at the eastern end of Delancey Street, rain or shine and open to the public. The P.S. 110 parent rock band, “The Nightingales” (winners of NYC School District 1 Battle of the Bands) will be performing.
Heading the food fair will be Sarita Ekya., P.S. 110 PTA treasurer and owner of the mac & cheese restaurant S’MAC.
The food festival will also feature a tag sale, raffles, family portraits and much more. The school first held this festival in 2015 to commemorate 110 years of P.S 110.
P.S. 110 is at 285 Delancey St. at Lewis Street. The $10 entrance includes all food and entertainment
Thursday, June 14, 2018
NYPD looking for suspect who robbed woman in 13th Street building
The #NYPD is asking the public’s assistance in identifying the male pictured here in connection to a Robbery that occurred on Sunday June 10 inside of 326 E13 St at 4:25PM. If you have any information we ask you to call #800577TIPS #EastVillage #NYC pic.twitter.com/kiI2DjhMRg
— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) June 13, 2018
Police are looking for a man they say robbed a woman in her apartment building Sunday afternoon at 326 E. 13th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
Town & Village has more details:
The victim, 20, was entering her building ... at about 4:30 p.m. when an unknown man grabbed her from behind.
He then demanded her bag, and when she turned it over, he ran out. The victim is believed to have lost $1,100 worth of property, including an iPhone and cash, as well as personal items.
The suspect is described as black and in his twenties; and last seen wearing a baseball cap, black hooded shirt and blue jeans.
Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online.
Blue out at former Citibank branch on Avenue A
[June 9]
Less than a week since its arrival, someone painted over the mural that Solus (via the L.I.S.A Project NYC) created last Friday at the former Citibank branch on Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street...
Perhaps the landlord prefers this look...
Today's selection
EVG regular Daniel shared this photo today from Tompkins Square Park... where someone was putting the Sing For Hope piano to good use ... the setlist included works by Philip Glass and Ryuichi Sakamoto as well as something from the "Amélie" soundtrack.
The piano is scheduled to be in the Park though June 24.
Grant Shaffer's NY See
[Click on image to go big]
Here's this week's NY See, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's comic series — an observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood.
Mysterious 84 2nd Ave. sells again, this time for $7.8 million
[Photo yesterday by Derek Berg]
Ownership of 84 Second Ave. has changed hands now for the second time in two years.
In its real-estate transaction listings this week, the Times noted that the property was sold for $7.8 million. (The paperwork hit public records on May 16.)
Per the Times:
A local private investor has bought this vacant four-and-a-half-story mixed-use walk-up in the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. The 4,812-square-foot building, to be gutted and renovated, was once the site of Sopolsky’s Dress Suits, which rented dinner jackets and tuxedos, and in the mid-19th century served as a temporary home for women. Any development of air rights, totaling 4,788 square feet, is subject to approval by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Buyer: 84 2nd Avenue Owner L.L.C.
Seller: West 26th Street L.L.C.
The buyer shares the address of Highpoint Property Group, a real-estate development company.
According to public records, the building sold in May 2016 for $5.1 million. Betty Sopolsky via an LLC was the seller, with the buyer listed as West 26th Street L.L.C.
The previous set of owners were looking to make some major renovations to this walk-up between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. Landlords of buildings located within a designated New York City historic district must receive a permit from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for major work.
Among other things, there were plans to create four residential units (condos?). Those work permits had yet to receive city approval. (The city disapproved them last October, per the Department of Buildings.)
There was also a petition in circulation in opposition to the planned alterations to the rear of the building.
In January, CB3's Landmark's Committee issued a partial Certificate of Appropriateness for the address. (They issued a similar partial approval in October 2017.)
According to the official minutes from the January meeting, CB3 OK'd the front façade plan and opposed the rear yard addition. Among other points, CB3 officials said that "great care should be taken to monitor this fragile building and its neighboring buildings."
As we understand it, the previous owner didn't follow through with the plans with the LPC, instead selling the building.
As we've noted several times through the years, the address has a dark past, which includes the still-unsolved murder of Helen Sopolsky, proprietor of the family's tailor shop who was found bludgeoned to death in 1974, per an article at the time.
The storefront has remained empty since her death in 1974.
[Undated image via]
The new owners haven't filed any new work permits with the city to date.
The front door was open yesterday, revealing a gutted interior ... and door to a garden out back, as these photos by Derek Berg show...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Plywood and a petition at 84 2nd Ave.
Workers clearing out the mysterious 84 2nd Ave. storefront
Renovations proposed for mysterious 84 2nd Ave.
Papilles now open on 7th Street
Papilles debuted this week at 127 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.
Here's what Florence Fabricant at the Times had to say about it in a recap of openings around the city:
Andrea Calstier and Elena Oliver, a French couple and fledgling restaurateurs in their early 20s, have joined with a more experienced partner, Nicolas Thoni, to create an intimate spot with an open kitchen. Mr. Calstier’s menu is rooted in French-Mediterranean fare. The name of the restaurant translates to taste buds.
And a few interior shots via the restaurant's Instagram account...
This space was previously home in recent years to Le Village and Table Verte, both via owner Didier Pawlicki.
More about Sauce Pizzeria, opening later this summer on 12th Street
In late May we noted that signs were in the windows at 345 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue for a new restaurant called Sauce Pizzeria.
EVG reader Adam C. thought that the logo looked similar to that of Sauce Restaurant on Allen and Rivington.
Good eye, Adam. A rep confirmed that Sauce Restaurant and Sauce Pizzeria are from the same ownership.
Here's what the rep shared:
Sauce Pizzeria will be a nostalgic pizza parlor, where homemade sauces are the star, each simmering pot visible upon entering the quaint yet eclectic space. At the counter, guests will be able to choose from a selection of signature pies, composed salads, and signature bowls.
Owner Adam Elzer has a heavy “sauce on everything” philosophy and will offer extra sides of sauce with all orders to enhance meals.
Sauce Pizzeria is slated to open at the end of the summer.
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
So long to the 3 rhinos
Late last night, workers packed up "The Last Three" sculpture on Astor Place ... Peter Feld shared these top two photos...
...and here's the rhino-less Astor Place this morning...
The 17-foot sculpture had been here since March.
Australian artists Gillie and Marc Schattner recreated the last three Northern White Rhinos – Sudan, Najin, and Fatu – "to inspire, educate and mobilize the global community to raise their voices and affect real change against illegal rhino poaching trade."
The two have yet to disclose the new NYC location of "The Last Three" ...
NIKO East Village debuts on Avenue D and 6th Street
The construction phase is winding down at 79-89 Avenue D, the site of a 12-story retail-residential building via L+M Development Partners.
The banner announcing the building's name here between Seventh Street and Sixth Street was recently unveiled — say hi to NIKO East Village (H/T Dave on 7th!) ...
Not sure exactly what NIKO stands for in this usage. There's a teaser website where potential renters can request more info on the units.
In April, the affordable housing lottery launched for the building. NIKO includes 28 permanently affordable units (out of 110 total). Residents who qualify for the housing have until June 26 to apply for one of the units. Find the details here.
Amenities at the address — officially 751 E. Sixth St. — will include a fitness center, landscaped roof deck and an outdoor terrace.
The lots previously housed one-level storefronts that included a Rite Aid, which relocated one block north to the ground floor of the Arabella 101 building. Rite Aid signed a lease to return to the retail space at No. 79.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Space that houses Rite Aid on Avenue D hits market for $22.5 million
Report: New 12-story, mixed-use building in the works for Avenue D
Permit pre-filed for new 12-floor building at 79-89 Avenue D
Flowers inside skateboard planter on 7th Street destroyed
[Reader photo from April]
Back in April, a small bed of flowers inside a tree guard made out of skateboard decks on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B drew praise from neighbors.
Someone even took the time to leave a sign noting: "Thanks skateboard gardener! The flowers are awesome!"
Unfortunately, most of the flowers were destroyed. Per a reader: "Someone killed all the sunflowers and wildflowers planted in the skateboard planter [Monday] night."
We even heard from the Skateboard Gardener, who said: "Very frustrated people couldn’t leave them alone to grow."
And here are some photos of the plot coming to life earlier this year...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Props for the Skateboard Gardener of 7th Street
Tarallucci e Vino East Village reopened last evening after a months-long renovation
Tarallucci e Vino, which closed in February for renovations, officially reopened last night in its home of 16 years on 10th Street and First Avenue. The owners announced the news on Instagram...
The cafe's founder, Luca Di Pietro, now had five locations in NYC. The East Village outpost was his first.
Updated
Here's Di Pietro today outside the cafe...
[Photo by Steven]
The cafe's founder, Luca Di Pietro, now had five locations in NYC. The East Village outpost was his first.
Updated
Here's Di Pietro today outside the cafe...
[Photo by Steven]
Report: Tokyo-based yakitori restaurant with a Michelin star coming to Elizabeth Street
In its real-estate transaction listings yesterday, The New York Times reported that the restaurant's owners signed a 15-year lease for 292 Elizabeth St., the home until February of Siggy's Good Food.
The rent is roughly $23,500 a month, per the Times.
Eater's guide to essential Tokyo dining described the Michelin-starred restaurant this way:
Torishiki takes the basics of yakitori — morsels of chicken that are skewered, grilled, and basted — and elevates them to another level. Owner Yoshiteru Ikegawa uses virtually every part of his premium shamo gamecocks, tending the skewers over his glowing charcoal grill with artisan intensity. Among his specialties: chochin, the rich yolk of an unhatched egg; grilled tofu, rich with chicken fat; and the warming, nourishing chicken broth that closes every meal.
As for Siggy's, the owner of the all-organic restaurant cited the economy and bureaucracy for the reasons behind the closure on Elizabeth Street after nearly five years in business.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Bad news for fans of Siggy's Good Food
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Expect to see some 'Kitchen' crews
There's a decent chance that you might see the crew for "The Kitchen" some time tomorrow night or Thursday morning... as the posted flyers show, the production will be on multiple avenues and side streets... including parts of Cooper Square, Second Avenue, First Avenue ...
The drama, set in Hell's Kitchen during the 1970s, follows the wives of Irish mobsters (Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss) who team up to take over running the business after their husbands are sent to prison. Andrea Berloff is the writer and first-time director.
Blank slate at the Bowery Mural Wall
Banksy's time on the Bowery Mural Wall has apparently come to an end ... the wall has been painted over.
In March, Banksy used the space as a protest over the incarceration of Turkish-Kurdish painter and journalist Zehra Doğan.
No word at the moment about who might be next to showcase his or her work here at East Houston.
Here's the 1st look at the new building proposed for the 2nd Avenue explosion site
This coming Monday, CB3's Landmarks Committee will review an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for the new residential building proposed at 119-121 Second Ave. — the site of the deadly gas explosion site from March 2015.
Ahead of that meeting, CB3 has posted the 39-page application on its website. (PDF here.)
The materials include renderings via Morris Adjimi Architects of the proposed building...
[View from along 7th Street]
As previously reported, Shaky Cohen's Nexus Building Development Group filed plans in February for the development.
According to the Nexus website, 119-121 Second Ave. "is a high-end condominium building ... with seven floors including 21 apartments and a retail space. Residential units are one, two and three bedrooms."
Cohen paid $9.15 million for the empty lots at No. 119 and 121 between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.
In a previously recorded transaction, Ezra Wibowo paid $6 million for the adjacent property at 123 Second Ave. A source told the Post in March 2017 that this was a long-term investment. "He’s not in a rush to build or develop."
The lot sits within the the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. CB3's committee will hear the proposal before it eventually continues on to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. (The CB3 meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. on Monday at Grace Church School, 46 Cooper Square.)
The meeting notice arrived on the fence at the property yesterday...
[Photo by Chris Rowland]
Moises Locón Way and Nicholas Figueroa died in the explosion on March 26, 2015. The defendants in the case, including Maria Hrynenko, the former owner of No. 119 and 121, are expected to go to trial in September.
Previously.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: 2nd Avenue explosion sites have a new owner
Dedicating Moises Locón Way and Nicholas Figueroa Way on 2nd Avenue at 7th Street
Soil testing underway at the 2nd Avenue explosion site
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