Photo on the Bowery by Lola Sáenz...
Sunday, February 17, 2019
Week in Grieview
[Avenue A]
Stories posted on EVG this past week included...
After the last call: East Village photographer captures bars at dawn (Thursday)
Concern over potential air-rights transfer for new office building on St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue (Tuesday) ... The lobbyists behind the air-rights transfer and zoning variance for 3 St. Mark's Place (Wednesday)
Here's how to reserve free tickets for the Basquiat exhibit opening next month at the Brant Foundation on 6th Street (Monday)
Jerry's New York Central is closing on 4th Avenue (Monday)
Patti Smith, John Zorn and Jim Jarmusch headline tribute to Jonas Mekas at City Winery (Friday)
UCB East has closed; what's next for their space on Avenue A and 3rd Street? (Monday)
SMØR now serving Nordic fare on 12th Street (Friday)
Raising awareness of the vacant storefronts in the East Village (Tuesday)
Craft+Carry outpost slated for 116 St. Mark's Place (Monday)
Patisserie Florentine has closed on 10th Street (Thursday)
Explosion-site condoplex now in the pile-driving phase on 2nd Avenue (Monday)
Bookstore trends we like to see (Monday)
MTA releases more details on the new L-train rehab plan (Thursday)
Virginia's reopens after December fire next door (Monday)
Your 'Russian Doll' reader (Sunday)
Attention Kmart drinkers... (Tuesday)
No one seems to want to keep these historic Anglo-Italianate townhouses on 10th Street (Wednesday)
The write stuff? Short Stories debuts on the Bowery (Monday)
KC Gourmet Empanadas debuts on Avenue B (Friday)
Two new quick-service options for Houston and Allen: pizza and gyros (Thursday)
Melt Shop makes way back to 4th Avenue (Tuesday)
The Marshal serves notice at Tapanju Turntable on 4th and B (Tuesday)
Donosita on Avenue B is for lease (Wednesday)
...
The Patti Smith/Punk mural arrived last July on Second Street at First Avenue... it was tagged, and stayed that way for months...
... and it was cleaned off this past week...
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Next steps for the proposed office building on St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue
[The current northeast corner of St. Mark's Place at 3rd Avenue]
As I first reported on Feb. 3, Real Estate Equities Corporation (REEC) wants to transfer the air rights from the landmarked Hamilton-Holly House at 4 St. Mark's Place to add more floors and square footage to their office building in the works for the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place.
In the first step in this process, REEC reps appeared before CB3's Landmarks Committee on Wednesday night. The committee ultimately voted against the special permit (it was a 2-1 count). This nonbinding vote goes to the full CB3 board on Feb. 26.
Three media outlets had reporters at the meeting. You can read the recaps at Curbed ... Gothamist ... and Patch.
And a few excerpts from the various coverage. Per Curbed:
"I think a number of us are concerned. This is the entrance of St. Mark's place which is a really historic street in our neighborhood," said Carolyn Ratcliffe, a member of the board’s landmarks committee, who noted a 19th century apartment building will be demolished and small businesses booted to make way for the new office building. "It's about how we feel about that street and the entrance to that street and it’s like having the whole corner turned into a modern glass [building]."
And in response...
REEC pushed back and said neighborhood advocates are being shortsighted about the deal’s implication’s for the Hamilton-Holly House.
“People are talking about preserving the neighborhood and the way it feels but they’re not thinking about the long-term benefits of the preservation of 4 St. Mark’s (the Hamilton-Holly House) going forward simply because people are upset that there might be a building on the corner seems out of spite to want to hurt the individual landmark building,” said Brandon Miller, a managing partner at REEC.
Under the approved deal, REEC would pay $4 million for the air rights to Castellan Real Estate Partners, the owner of 4 St. Mark's Place. During the meeting, Miller said the company also contributed $500,000 toward the recent restoration of No. 4. And 5 percent of the air rights sale proceeds — $200,000 — would go into a dedicated account for future maintenance of No. 4.
And Patch lays out the complicated steps ahead:
REEC is asking asking the Landmarks Preservation Commission to issue a report to the City Planning Commission to allow for 10-story building. If the LPC gives the greenlight, REEC would then apply for a special permit for around 8,300 square feet of air rights and modify part of the zoning resolution through a special permit.
Once in City Planning's hands, the special permit would snake through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), which is ultimately sent to City Council where the local councilmember, Carlina Rivera, would have a binding vote. Rivera has not yet weighed in, but her spokesman said the councilmember is listening to community feedback.
Regardless, REEC already filed permits (last October) for an as-of-right five-story, 29,030-square-foot building on the corner.
The full CB3 board meeting is Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. Location: P.S. 20, 166 Essex St. (between East Houston and Stanton).
Previously on EV Grieve:
Developers of 3 St. Mark's Place are looking to increase the size of their proposed office building at 3rd Avenue to 10 floors with air-rights deal
The lobbyists behind the air-rights transfer and zoning variance for 3 St. Mark's Place
Concern over potential air-rights transfer for new office building on St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue
Foxy Flea & Festival this evening at Coney Island Baby on Avenue A
Coney Island Baby is playing hosting this evening (starting at 5) to Foxy Flea & Festival, where you'll find vendors selling a variety of vintage clothing and assorted records ... there'll also be a handful of live performances and DJs at the venue, 169 Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street. There's a suggested $5 cover.
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Saturday's parting shot
One of the murals by East Village-based artist Scooter LaForge on display now at Howl! Happening. His show, titled Homo Eruptus, is up through March 13 at the gallery, 6 E. First St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Deconstruction at Theater for the New City; Homo Eruptus at Howl! Happening
Grant Shaffer's NY See
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 — and NYC.
St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church in the morning
A view this morning of St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church on 10th Street and Avenue A.
Some history of the landmarked building via The New York Times in 2008:
The church, at 288 East 10th Street, near Avenue A, was built in 1882 and 1883 as the Memorial Chapel of St. Mark’s in the Bowery, one of the city’s oldest Episcopal parishes, as the gift of Rutherford Stuyvesant, a descendant of the Dutch governor Peter Stuyvesant, in memory of his wife.
In 1911, St. Mark’s rented the church, which served members of the area’s large Eastern European immigrant community, to the Holy Trinity Slovak Lutheran Church, which remained there until St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church, a Carpatho-Russian congregation, assumed the lease in 1925. The church is named for the archbishop of Myra (located in what is modern-day Turkey), who is a patron saint of children, sailors, merchants and students. The congregation bought the building from the Episcopal Diocese of New York in 1937.
The church is also known for its annual Cookie Walk ... perch for the red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park ... and, now, the exterior for Maxine's apartment (that bathroom!) in "Russian Doll."
P.S.
I forgot that "Gossip Girl" filmed here in 2010.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Your 'Russian Doll' reader
Friday, February 15, 2019
Hanging 'Tough'
Ex Hex is back with a new album, It's Real, out on March 22 via Merge Records. The video here is for "Tough Enough."
EVG Etc.: European-styled police sirens for NYC; 30 years of the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black
[Photo on 9th and 2nd this a.m. by Steven]
This East 14th Street resident is missing (Town & Village)
Local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera co-proposed a new bill calling for European-style hi-lo sirens on NYC emergency vehicles (Gothamist)
Longtime East Village activist Carmen Trotta is currently under house arrest on First Street as he awaits an out-of-state trial for breaking into a Georgia nuclear-missile submarine base and splattering human blood inside of it to mark the 50th anniversary of MLK's assassination (The Villager)
East Village Inky has "Russian Doll" real-estate envy (Book & Film Globe)
The 10 things that NYC should do with Amazon’s $3 billion subsidy all have 1 thing in common (Curbed) ... and Bloomberg's article, Amazon’s Escape From New York, includes this Steph Davidson photo illustration of Jeff Bezos as Snake Plissken...
[Bad iPhone pic]
Checking out the reasonably priced vegetarian cruise at Divya's Kitchen on First Avenue (CBS 2)
The old Bowery Savings Bank at 190 Bowery is headed to auction, where it could fetch upwards of $50 million (Bloomberg)
De Blasio's ally pans NYCHA-HUD deal (The New York Times)
Some East Village architecture history (Off the Grid)
East Villager Kembra Pfahler on 30 years of the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black (Dangerous Minds)
Academy Records on 12th Street is selling some gems from the recently purchased personal collection of Harry Belafonte (Instagram)
Rehab of Luther Gulick Park alongside the Williamsburg Bridge is finally about to begin (The Lo-Down)
LES mainstay Russ & Daughters opens a supersized outpost in Brooklyn (Grub Street)
"Casablanca" screens at the Metrograph (Official site)
About the newish HUF-Eric Haze mural at Eastside Community High School on 12th Street (HYPEBEAST)
Can you dig it? "The Warriors" is 40 (The Guardian ... Flaming Pablum)
And here's the cabaret action in March at Pangea on Second Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street ... via the EVG inbox:
Tammy Faye Starlite will tangle with Marianne Faithful's "Broken English." Raven O is going to dance cheek to cheek with Sinatra. Claywoman will be put under the microscope thanks to special guest John Cameron Mitchell. Jazz phenom Tammy McCann measures up to the great masters from Ellington to Wonder. And Zachary Claus stands up for the woman in us all in “Hey Girl.” Five incredible performers taking risks, flying without a net and landing, we think, almost effortlessly.
Ticket info here.
[The cabaret room at Pangea]
After a garbage truck burst a hydraulic line on Avenue B
EVG reader Robert Miner shares these photos on Avenue B between Seventh Street and Eighth Street this morning... word here is that the hydraulic line on a city sanitation truck ruptured, creating a slick mess on the Avenue... workers spread a ground absorbent on the spill...
... and reaction...
Did the sanitation truck find itself after this looking in the mirror with that Harry Nilsson song playing
— happy dunk on Amazon day (@brianvan) February 15, 2019
Patti Smith, John Zorn and Jim Jarmusch headline tribute to Jonas Mekas at City Winery
Jonas Mekas the filmmaker, writer, poet, curator, historian as well as co-founder of the Anthology Film Archives on Second Street and Second Avenue, died on Jan. 23. He was 96.
This coming Thursday (Feb. 21), City Winery is presenting a celebration of his life and work.
Here are details:
The event will highlight the many aspects of Mekas’ remarkable life as an internationally-acclaimed creative visionary who left behind a body of work that includes film, poetry, prose, and photography, and will include screenings, readings, and musical performances.
Scheduled to perform are musicians Patti Smith, John Zorn, Richard Barone, David Amram, Lee Ranaldo, Glenn Mercer (The Feelies), Jim Jarmusch, Amy Taubin and special guests to be announced.
Jonas Mekas was a force of nature. Regarded as "the godfather of American avant-garde cinema”, his influence in art and cinema reverberates all across the globe. His joyful creative energy and fascination with life was an inspiration to all who knew him, and he will continue to inspire new generations through his writings and film legacy. On this night we celebrate Jonas’s remarkable life and work in words, music, and films.
Proceeds will go to benefit Anthology Film Archives, continuing Jonas's work in the preservation, restoration, and exhibition of independent and avant-garde cinema from around the world.
This link has ticket info. City Winery is at 155 Varick St.
SMØR now serving Nordic fare on 12th Street
SMØR debuted this past week at 441 E. 12th St. just west of Avenue A. The cafe, "serving up reinvented Nordic classics," is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (they open at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday).
[Via the SMØR website]
Their menu includes open-face rye sandwiches (smørrebrød!) with options including smoked salmon, pickled herring, roast beef and chicken salad... they have several breakfast items as well as coffee and tea. Find the full menu here.
SMØR is in one of the recently renovated storefronts off of Avenue A that includes a nail salon-spa...
KC Gourmet Empanadas debuts tomorrow (Saturday!) on Avenue B
[Photos via an EVG reader]
KC Gourmet Empanadas its holding a grand opening tomorrow here at 38 Avenue B just north of Third Street... door signage notes that the festivities start at 11 a.m., and include a folklore group and Panamanian DJ...
Here's a description of the business:
KC Gourmet Empanadas menu is heavily inspired by dishes from Panama. Our intention is to serve a taste of Panama with great quality dishes to a wide variety of clientele. Our main dish is the ever so delicious empanada, it’s not any kind of empanada. At KC Gourmet Empanadas you’ll have a gourmet empanada with a Panamanian flair.
This space was previously the Dojo Noodle House.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Thursday's parting shot
A late-afternoon look this Valentine's Day at Sunny's Florist, the best flower shop around... photo on Second Avenue at Sixth Street by Lola Sáenz ...
A new window display for Blue Door Video on Valentine's Day
Eden shares this photo of the new-look front window display at the XXX video and DVD store on First Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street... in recent years, the window display seemed to be a forgotten part of the store, with two cardboard ads for Swiss Navy personal lubricants and a corset-skirt combo that looked more like a lost and found.
After the last call: East Village photographer captures bars at dawn
[Lucy's, Avenue A]
While out on early morning walks the last two-plus years, East Village-based photographer Daniel Root began taking pictures through the windows or doors of empty neighborhood bars at daybreak. The shots became part of an ongoing #nybarsatdawn project on Instagram. He recently wrapped up the project after shooting 974 bars and walking some 1,500 miles.
I asked Root how this all came about and the joys of walking around the city in the early morning hours.
How did this project get started? Did you take a photo of a bar at 6 a.m. and think you might be on to something?
I used to walk the dog along East River Park every morning at daybreak. After she died in August 2016, I realized I wasn’t walking as much and I need it for whatever mental health I have. I decided to walk into the city rather than long the river for a change of pace.
As I passed Vazac’s I noticed the “closed/empty bar lighting” and took that picture. That little discovery got me looking into other bars, first in the East Village, such as Niagara on the next corner, then expanding to downtown in general.
[Vazac's, 7th and B]
[Niagara, Avenue A]
What is most striking thing to you about the bars at this hour?
What first struck me about seeing familiar, public places at dawn was how different they felt/looked empty and quietly lit. Some bars had “closed lighting,” a small string of party lights in the back or under counter lighting at the bar. Some were just dark, lit by the glow of the cash register, the red light of the exit sign, or a side door left ajar with the light peaking out.
While I shot some places after sunrise the lighting was much more unusual and dramatic in the predawn lighting. The other before sunrise was best.
I started thinking of them as “bars at rest,” taking a break from a long night and getting ready for the day to come. Then it occurred to me I was anthropomorphizing bars which seemed weird, but there you have it.
[Otto's Shrunken Head, 14th Street]
[McSorley's, 7th Street]
[The Library, Avenue A]
Did you think about expanding this to the five boroughs?
I kept this project mainly downtown because I wanted the walk. Occasionally I would get on my bike if I wanted to get a particular/classic bar — for instance, Jimmy’s Corner on West 44th Street — which was outside of a comfortable walking distance to get to before dawn. I played with the idea of biking across the Williamsburg Bridge to explore that area but, once again, walking is more of the pace I enjoy in terms of looking and seeing.
How often did you encounter people still in the bar?
Many places that sell booze by the glass close well before 4 a.m. On the other hand there are many bars that stay open until the 4 a.m. closing time. Then there are the bars that pull the gate half way down and keep going. Our neighbors and EV Grieve readers can probably guess which ones are the “past 4 a.m.” bars but a couple of them surprised me. One used to be going around 6 a.m. most Tuesdays.
Then there are the porters. Some arrive right at closing time, others an hour or two later, and others midday. If I saw a porter I would always explain what I was doing because some of them thought I was shooting in some sort of an official capacity.
Any profound thoughts on NYC nightlife hit you during this bars-at-dawn tour?
I always knew I liked New York when it was relatively empty but finding that emptiness seems to be getting harder. Years ago my-then girlfriend and now wife, Rina Root, and I would walk around areas like Wall Street or Tribeca on a Sunday because it was so quiet.
Now most places are fully residential with activity all day, every day. The one time it is truly quiet, except for the occasional drunk/junkie/commercial garbage truck, is between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. I highly recommend walking at those hours — you’ll experience a very different city. The people out at that hour are mainly hard-working people at work or going to work. The drunks and junkies tend to make a lot of noise — it’s easy to just cross the street if you hear them coming. So far I have had very few ugly encounters but I am certainly aware that one has to be alert to avoid problems.
Was this an Instagram-only project, or do you have further plans for this series?
This started as a personal project that lent itself to Instagram. Then the possibility of doing something more with it came about but that didn’t come to fruition. The idea now would be to have a show in a local gallery or do a book. If anyone would like to do a book or has any ideas of where this could go please let me know.
[Tile Bar, 1st Avenue]
[Manitoba's, Avenue B]
[Sophie's, 5th Street]
[Josie's, 6th Street]
[Black & White, 10th Street]
[Big Bar, 7th Street]
[2A, Avenue A]
[Mona's, Avenue B]
Patisserie Florentine has closed on 10th Street
[Photo by EVG reader Tyler]
After two years serving their signature almond croissants and other fresh-baked pastries, Patisserie Florentine has closed at 280 E. 10th St. just west of Avenue A. (Thanks to EVG readers Dan Scheffey and Tyler for the tip.)
A sign on the door greeting customers thanks everyone for their patronage .. and invites them to their two outposts in New Jersey. Patisserie Florentine is owned by brothers Tomer (the chef) and Itay (the accountant) Zilkha.
This space was previously Cafe Silan, another nice cafe spot that wasn't able to catch on despite quality food and service.
Also at this address and two storefronts away, the former Thirstea Café tea shop — which closed in September 2016 after seven years in business — was recently converted into a real-estate office.
Previously on EV Grieve:
About Patisserie Florentine, now open on 10th Street
From bad to pretty bad: MTA releases more details on the new L-train rehab plan
MTA managing director Ronnie Hakim briefed selected reporters yesterday on the latest L-train rehabilitation plan. While Gov. Cuomo helped avoid a full shutdown, the repairs to the Sandy-damaged L tubes between Manhattan and Brooklyn will still be a major disruption, Hakim admitted.
We'll go to David Meyer at Streetsblog for details of particular interest to this neighborhood...
On weeknights, service between Manhattan and Brooklyn will begin to slow just after the evening rush, at 8 p.m. Headways will grow to every 20 minutes after 10 p.m. — the current arrangement between 1:30 and 5 a.m. Weekend service will be significantly diminished, with 20 minute headways — up from as little as four minutes now.
And...
Only one bus service improvement is certain: Hakim said 14th Street buses will run every three minutes on weekends, up from the current range of four-and-a-half minutes to seven-and-a-half minutes between buses. But the previously planned dedicated busway is no longer in the works, and the launch of M14 Select Bus Service, originally scheduled for April, has been delayed.
And...
Hakim did not confirm whether stations at First and Third avenue will become “exit-only” due to large crowds that are expected to gather on the platforms because of the extended headways. She said only that the MTA “may” make those stations exit only.
And amNY has more from City Hall...
Mayoral spokesman Eric Phillips said the administration is still undecided on the busway and other street changes planned for the original shutdown — despite the MTA's belief that the bus priority wouldn't be necessary.
"As we learn more and more detail every day from the MTA about its closure of the L train, we’ll continue to design efforts and review existing plans to help affected riders," Phillips said in a statement.
Gothamist has a nice recap here... reactions include this statement from Transportation Alternatives ... and...
The de Blasio admin potentially backing out of a 14th St Busway is cowardly and short-sighted. That’s my statement.
— Second Ave. Sagas (@2AvSagas) February 13, 2019
Finally, here's a statement from Sen. Brad Hoylman:
"Today the MTA confirmed our fears that the new L Train plan will bring little to no alternate service enhancements, the loss of the 14th Street busway, possible exit only stations at 1st and 3rd Avenues, delayed subways, and historic overcrowding. I'm extremely concerned. So far, this is not a plan that will avert a shutdown. It’s an effort to steamroll a quick fix over the public.
The MTA has promised to take community input into account as it moves forward. I'm pleased to see that they are planning to expand M14A service, and I hope to see much more done to help riders. I know they will be hearing from many constituents in my district, who are being left without real options."
The MTA hopes to start the L-train rehabilitation work during the last weekend of April, as previously planned. Hakim said that they'd be public outreach sessions in the weeks ahead.
[Updated] Two new quick-service options for Houston and Allen: pizza and gyros
Grand opening signage is up at Empire Gyro on the southeast corner of Allen and Houston ... the quick-serve, 24/7 spot makes its debut on Monday. They'll be serving a variety of gyros and shawarma plates ... as well as burgers, salads and soups.
Meanwhile, a few storefronts away on East Houston ... the doors were open at the under-renovation storefront next to the Army-Navy store...
... the space will be a cheap-slice pizzeria...
Updated 2/15
The 99-cent pizza place opened yesterday...
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
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