Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood.
Thursday, August 8, 2019
Grant Shaffer's NY See
Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood.
Time capsules: The Gap of St. Mark's Place
An anonymous commenter left the link to this YouTube clip on yesterday's post about the northwest corner of St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue being for rent.
From 1988 to 2001, the Gap was in that retail space.
A YouTuber named Steve Haskin created this video — "circa 1997" — on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...conducting interviews with passersby about the Gap's arrival. (At this point, the store had been there for nine years already, so...)
In any event, the four-plus minute clip is an entertaining time capsule (#tbt!) ... and a document showing how much the block has changed these past 20-plus years...
Previously on EV Grieve:
When the Gap moved into the East Village
New 14th Street busway regulations go into effect on Monday
[Click on image to go big]
On Tuesday, a judge lifted a temporary injunction on the 14th Street busway... and the city is quickly putting the new bus- and truck-only route into effect starting on Monday (Aug. 12).
Here's a quickie overview via the DOT:
6 a.m. to 10 p.m.: Buses and trucks only between Ninth Avenue and Third Avenue. All other vehicles may make local trips, but must turn at the next available right.
10 p.m. to 6 a.m.: All vehicles may make through trips along the corridor.
In late June, right before the new busway was to launch on July 1, a coalition of block associations filed a last-minute lawsuit to block the project, arguing that the city failed to complete the proper environmental review for the work.
However, State Supreme Court Judge Eileen Rakower stated on Tuesday that the city "went to great lengths to describe the consideration that went into the analysis, considering pedestrian deaths, dangerous intersections and not just the speed of the bus that is going to traverse 14th Street." (Quote via Gothamist.)
The busway was to coincide with the arrival of the new M14 Select Bus Service, which launched July 1 featuring off-board fare payments and all-door boarding... all in an effort to speed up the notoriously sluggish M14 line during the L-train slowdown.
Analysis from Transportation Alternatives and Riders Alliance found that rush-hour M14 bus riders spent a combined 8,654 additional hours commuting over the last month than would have been the case under the city’s plan to transform 14th Street into a busway.
The Boilery up next for 58 3rd Ave.
[Photos by Steven]
Signage arrived this week for the new restaurant opening at 58 Third Ave. — say hello to The Boilery...
We don't know too much about this self-described "seafood & grill." The applicants, who also operate Meet Noodles a few storefronts away, were on this month's CB3 agenda for a beer-wine license for the space here between 10th Street and 11th Street. The hours are listed from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, with a midnight close on Friday and Saturday.
Perhaps the owners of The Boilery can bring stability to the address. This space has been three restaurants — Jin Kitchen and Bar, Shu Han Ju II and Mulan East — in the past four years.
Updated:
The Boilery has a second location on Amsterdam Avenue... find their website here. (Thanks Upper West Sider for the tip!)
Bowlmor Lanes-replacing condoplex cleared of construction equipment on University Place
EVG reader Doug shared these photos of the 22-floor retail-residential complex on University Place between 12th Street and 13th Street (space that was, in part, home for 76 years to Bowlmor Lanes).
Doug notes that all the construction barriers around the complex have been removed, perhaps signaling the end to the exterior work here...
We last checked in on the building in March 1, 2018. At the time the condoplex with the sandstone-colored façade, via William Macklowe Company and Goldman Sachs, was set to open in the summer of 2018.
Curbed had reported in February 2018 that 75 percent of the building’s 52 apartments at 21 E. 12th St. (21E12!) were in contract, including the $17.5 million penthouse. The building's website now lists three availabilities.
The retail space in the base of the building is still on the market. Per the listing at Acadia:
The location provides unparalleled foot traffic and eyeballs from affluent professionals, millennial students, artists, and tourists. The building’s modern, glassy design and double-height facade will allow retailers to maximize their branding and visibility, and make a strong impression on the local population.
The retail component consists of approximately 13,000 sf, which is divisible into 3 or 4 stores. These stores sit at the base of 20 floors of residential units, providing immediate access to this upscale population. The retail spaces feature 17 ft ceilings, and striking glass storefronts.
And the rendering...
Preservationists and other residents remain concerned that these types of out-of-scale development will flourish in this area south of Union Square following the upzoning — with a minimum of zoning protections — that was approved for the tech hub on 14th Street.
Bowlmor Lanes closed in July 2014.
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: 22-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
Oh hi: The 23-floor Bowlmor Lanes-replacing luxury building
[July 2014]
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Report: New owner of the Boys' Club building on 10th Street and Avenue A — revealed!
Aaron Sosnick, an East Village resident and founder of the investment fund A.R.T. Advisors LLC, is the new owner of the Boys' Club of New York's Harriman Clubhouse, Crain's reported yesterday.
Last month, the Boys’ Club completed a deal to sell its East Village property on Avenue A and 10th Street. The buyer was only mentioned as "a wealthy, anonymous individual." The 7-story building was sold to 287 East 10th Street LLC c/o Denham Wolf Real Estate Services for $31.725 million. (The only rumor we heard was that the buyer lived in the neighbor.)
More from Crain's last month:
Paul Wolf, a real estate broker and adviser who specializes in working with nonprofits and who represented the foundation, said the buyer wanted to remain anonymous. Wolf said the buyer was planning to sell the property, potentially at a substantial loss, to a nonprofit that would maintain its civic use.
"The goal is to keep this as a community facility," said Wolf, who is co-president of the firm Denham Wolf. "The intent is to sell it to a nonprofit at a lower price than the purchase price."
And as for figuring out who the buyer was:
City records show that a limited liability company, 287 East 10th LLC, named for the address of the Boys’ Club building, purchased it. A woman named Carey Thorpe is listed as the authorized signatory for the LLC. Thorpe, according to public records, is the spouse of Benjamin Pierson, the chief operating officer and general counsel for Sosnick’s A.R.T. Advisors.
A.R.T. Advisors has $3.7 billion in assets under management, according to The Real Deal in January 2018. Sosnick’s name has been in the news here before for reportedly opposing Gregg Singer's plans to redevelop P.S. 64 on Ninth Street. (Sosnick owns two units in the Christodora House next door, as news reports have pointed out.)
Sosnick is also the principal trustee of La Vida Feliz Foundation, "and uses his foundation quietly to support philanthropy in the arts, education, human services and community projects."
The Boys' Club quietly began the sales process in June 2018, as I first reported. Stephen Tosh, executive director of the Boys' Club, said that the sale of the East Village building would allow the organization the opportunity to start new programs in other neighborhoods in need of its services. (To be clear, the Boys' Club decided to sell their building — they were not forced out. The building was pitched for educational purposes as well as residential conversion.)
For their part, community activists and parents said that a compelling need remains in the East Village and Lower East Side for the kind of activities that the Boys' Club offers.
The Boys' Club is expected to lease space here for another year.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Local elected officials urge Boys' Club officials to postpone sale of the Harriman Clubhouse
Boys' Club of New York selling East Village building; will remain open through June 2019
During noon rally today, local elected officials will seek postponement of Boys' Club building sale
[Updated] Exclusive: The Boys' Club of New York puts the Harriman Clubhouse on the sales market for $32 million
Boys' Club fast tracks sale of East Village clubhouse as final bids are due Oct. 30
RUMOR: The Boys' Club building on 10th and A has a new owner; will remain in use as a nonprofit
The Sunshine is gone, and an empty lot awaits a 9-story office building
Workers have finished the demolition of the circa-1898 building that last housed the Sunshine Cinema here on East Houston between Forsyth and Eldridge.
The lot has been cleared ... and all the scaffolding and sidewalk bridge have been hauled away for the time being. There's a clear view of Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery next door now too. (Open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Stop on by!)
The halt in construction is only temporary, though. The newish owners of the address, East End Capital and K Property Group, have approved plans to erect a 9-story office building. Our previous post has more details on what's to come.
The five-screen Landmark Sunshine Theater closed Jan. 21, 2018, after 17 years in business.
[EVG photo from December 2017]
Previously on EV Grieve:
Sunshine Cinema-replacing office building moving forward; demolition watch back on
Discarded theater seats and goodbyes at the Sunshine Cinema
The 9-story boutique office building coming to the former Sunshine Cinema space
A celebratory ad on the purchase of 139 E. Houston St., current home of the Sunshine Cinema
The boutique office building replacing the Sunshine Cinema will be 'unbounded by walls' with an outdoor space called Houston Alley
Former Nobletree Coffee space for rent
[Photo by Steven]
The for rent sign arrived yesterday on the northwest corner of St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue.
This is the first time in six years that this high-profile retail space is on the market.
Nobletree Coffee closed here in May after just five months in business. A sign on the door for Nobletree's "beloved customers" offered thanks ... along with a reason for the closure: "Because of the slow foot traffic at this location we were forced to close." (And we've noted the notes here and here.)
The listing at Winick notes that this is the "busiest intersection in the East Village." And it very well may be...
The rent is available upon request. In 2013, the asking rent was $27,000, per listings at the time.
This storefront previously sat empty for three years — ever since DF Mavens closed in January 2016 after a Dec. 26, 2014 debut. (It took the Mavenators 14 months to open the space.)
Other tenants in recent years include Eastside Bakery (.net?) and Roastown Coffee.
And the only business to last here in the past 30 years: the Gap, from 1988 to 2001...
[Photo by Barry Joseph]
Any thoughts on how much longer the space was sit empty... or who the next tenant might be...?
Previously on EV Grieve:
What a 'prized position' will cost you on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place
Something finally happening at the former Gotham Pizza
[Photo via EVG reader Laura K.]
Brown paper has arrived in the front windows at Gotham Pizza, the first activity at the space since the pizzeria closed late last August here on Third Avenue and 12th Street.
Workers are now demolishing the interior... and how...
[Interior pics via Steven]
One of the workers told EVG interior demolition corespondent Steven that the space was going to be a Chinese restaurant. There isn't any other proof of this at the moment.
Anyway, the storefront adjacent to multiple dorms (NYU, New School and Cooper Union) has been vacant since Gotham's demise. There hasn't even been a for-rent sign.
Before Gotham, we had the one, the only...
H/T Laura K., Steven and @JCooper911!
Previously on EV Grieve:
Funkiberry-replacing pizzeria revealed on 3rd Avenue
Café Social 68 debuts on A
From the EVG tipline: Café Social 68 is now open at 68 Avenue A between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.
For now the Café is serving coffee and pastries ... and will expand their offerings with a lunch-dinner menu featuring sandwiches, salads and rice bowls. (Let us know if you try Café Social 68!)
Croissanteria closed in the spring after seven years of service.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Café Social 68 coming to Avenue A
Thoughts on Ray's (the new bar on the LES)
The bar was mocked in some quarters for its trying-too-hard nightlife entrance. For instance, as BoweryBoogie first noted, they sent out a press release pointing out their that brand new bar is a dive bar.
Ray’s joins New York City’s roster of iconic dive bars, delivering to the Lower East Side an artfully simple watering hole reminiscent of 1950s Americana.
Ray’s hopes to be a tribute to the concept of the local watering hole, where your bartender knows your drink and is your confidante.
“The vibe of Ray’s fits squarely into what I believe makes a downtown bar great,” said collaborator Justin Theroux. “Not fussy. Quick drinks. A place you can carve your initials into the table. The kind of downtown bars I used to work behind for years.”
Apparently Ray's is modeled after local stalwarts Lucy’s, Sophie’s and Josie’s.
Today the Post takes some shots at Ray's in a piece headlined "Justin Theroux’s new NYC pub is a lame excuse for a dive bar."
[T]he place teems with buttoned-up bros and Soho scenesters, with eye-popping prices (a shot of Evan Williams and a PBR is $12), fake-looking decor (even the Townes Van Zandt posters look brand-new) and clean, red leather bar stools (OK, they’re pretty comfortable).
Then they go low!
Ray’s has the cringe-inducing air of a brand desperate for cool points — think Target’s re-creation of CBGB ...
The Post also quotes Molly Fitch (Molly!), the owner of the International (and the Coal Yard before) on First Avenue. "Anyone who runs a ‘dive’ doesn’t set out to achieve such a low standard," she said. "I don’t think we’re a dive bar, just a neighborhood joint. We’re a bit worn in, like an old pair of comfortable sneakers."
Grub Street was kinder in a recent write-up:
Dives are as defined by their regulars as they are by their owners. Ray’s hasn’t had time to grow any barflies, obviously. The patrons the night I went were young and appeared to be gainfully employed. That some of them ordered buckets of KFC [ed note: wut?] from 14th Street and were eating it at the bar lent the joint an appealingly low-rent air, however. While there, I ran into a couple bartenders I know, and we ended up discussing who stood the best chance in the NFL central division this fall. I rarely talk about sports in bars. That got me to wonder if, in this, too, Ray’s was working its counterfeit dive-bar magic on me. Is there something about wood paneling and Dale Earnhardt posters that sucks all pretension and pose out a person? Possibly.
And...
Still, Ray’s is not a dive. It’s just theoretically impossible. But it may be a good lo-fi bar. No one is going to feel uncomfortable or underdressed when they walk in. And, given a decade or two, with minimal housekeeping, it may even start to look genuinely lived-in. For the time being, it’s got heart and chill and good intentions.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Tuesday's parting shot
From this morning, a pizza-loving pigeon on Ninth Street... thanks to Vinny & O for the photo...
14th Street busway free to roll on, judge says
The city may now turn parts of 14th Street into a busway with vehicle restrictions after a judge today lifted a restraining order on the redesign, according to published reports.
In late June, a coalition of Manhattan landowners used state environmental law tried to permanently stop the busway plans with a lawsuit.
West Village resident Arthur Schwartz, arguing on behalf of several block associations, claimed that the Department of Transportation’s proposed busway violated state environmental law because the agency didn’t conduct a serious assessment of the impact that banning cars from 14th Street would have on neighboring residential streets. The suit also demanded the removal of the bike lanes on 12th Street and 13th Street.
As Gothamist reported today, New York State Supreme Court Judge Eileen Rakower gave the city the OK to move forward. (And the bike lanes are staying put.)
According to Rakower, the Department of Transportation "went to great lengths to describe the consideration that went into the analysis, considering pedestrian deaths, dangerous intersections and not just the speed of the bus that is going to traverse 14th Street."
Reaction via Streetsblog:
“Today’s court decision is a huge victory for New York’s two million daily bus riders,” said Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director for the Riders Alliance. “The 14th Street busway will provide faster and more reliable bus trips, saving precious time for tens of thousands of people who badly need it. The judge’s ruling also sets the stage for future victories and better bus service citywide.”
Analysis from Transportation Alternatives and Riders Alliance had found that rush-hour M14 bus riders spent a combined 8,654 additional hours commuting over the last month than would have been the case under the city’s plan to transform 14th Street into a busway, as amNY reported.
The busway aims to help move people during the L-train slowdown. Private through-traffic will be banned between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. on 14th Street between Third Avenue and Ninth Avenue. Buses, trucks and emergency vehicles will be given priority in the center lanes between Third Avenue and Ninth Avenue. Cars will be allowed to make pickups and drop-offs as well as access local garages.
No word yet when the DOT will launch the busway.
RIP Unkle Waltie
Kohl was born in Switzerland in 1950. He moved to New York around 1970 and attended The Juilliard School.
A music engineer, Kohl had an incredible ear for music.
Friends said that he was known for his quips and barbs and the ability to effortlessly charm strangers. As they said, he would make friends for life after meeting somebody just for a few minutes.
There will be a memorial to celebrate his life at the International Bar on First Avenue
Updated:
Thank you to EVG contributor Steven for reporting on Unkle Waltie.
The tree nest in El Jardín del Paraíso has been removed
[Photo by Roderick Romero]
The unique tree nest that surrounded a willow in El Jardin del Paraiso, the community garden on Fourth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D, is no more.
An EVG reader spotted the former octagonal treehouse broken up and lying in piles late last week...
[Photo via @artisanmatters]
East Village resident Roderick Romero created the structure in the fall of 2003. He also learned of its fate last week. No one from the garden, where he is a member, consulted him about the removal.
"It's horrible. It was a total surprise to me," he told me in a phone call.
Romero said that a garden committee member thought the structure had become decrepit, and started taking it down. When Romero saw what had happened — and what was remaining of the structure — he told the garden to just remove the rest.
"So many kids loved," he said. "Adults did too, but the kids got a lot of joy of it."
[Photo by Roderick Romero]
Romero, a well-known treehouse architect known for unconventional designs, has built structures for residential properties in the United States, Central America and Europe. This was his first treehouse in the "public domain," which he created at no charge to the garden. (This article for the Times in 2003 has more background.)
He said that he had done maintenance on the tree nest through the years and was unaware any structural issues.
The tree nest's departure reminded some residents of the removal of the Tower of Toys from the Sixth Street and Ave B Community Garden in 2008 a year after its creator, Eddie Boros, died. When told of this, Romero responded, "the only difference is I'm not dead."
Tech hub officially breaks ground on 14th Street
[Photo via @VladeckRA]
A handful of local elected officials and other community stakeholders gathered yesterday morning for the official groundbreaking at the future home of the Union Square Tech Training Center (aka tech hub) on 14th Street at Irving Plaza.
"The new Tech Training Center will be a hub for local residents to gain new skills, network and plug into the City's thriving tech scene," Vicki Been, deputy mayor for housing and economic development, said in prepared remarks. "We are proud to support this new institution and its goal of helping to create the most dynamic and diverse tech ecosystem in the country."
The project is being developed jointly by the city’s Economic Development Corp. and RAL Development Services. The Union Square Tech Training Center includes Civic Hall, which will offer digital skills for low-income residents, as well as market-rate retail, office space and a food hall.
The hub, championed by Mayor de Blasio and initially announced in early 2017, passed through the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Process earlier in 2018, capped off by a unanimous City Council vote — led by local Councilmember Carlina Rivera — in August 2018. A rezoning was required to build the the structure, which is larger than what current commercial zoning allows.
The approval came despite the pleas of some residents, activists, small-business owners and community groups who had long expressed concern that the rezoning necessary for the project would spur out-of-scale development on surrounding blocks.
The Village Preservation, who was against the rezoning without stricter zoning protections for the immediate area, used the groundbreaking ceremony to help amplify their ongoing concerns. Nearly a dozen protestors gathered outside the private ceremony.
They kept the public out of their press conference for the groundbreaking, but we got our message across this morning as we protested @NYCMayor’s corrupt deal for 14th St Tech Hub + @CarlinaRivera breaking her promise to demand neighborhood protections: https://t.co/IyY1aflo8f pic.twitter.com/Wxbt664dyc
— GVSHP (@GVSHP) August 5, 2019
Here's part of a statement the Village Preservation issued yesterday:
"Rather than a cause for celebration, the groundbreaking ceremony for the 14th Street Tech Hub calls for serious examination of the corrupt process which led to its approval and the sweetheart deal it gave to several donors to the Mayor. The majority of this project is purely for-profit commercial office space being built on highly valuable public land for a song, when other bidders on the project would have included more public space and benefits and not required the commercial upzoning so opposed by the neighborhood. This sad saga is rife with broken commitments and promises made by both the Mayor and Councilmember Carlina Rivera regarding protections and mitigations for the surrounding neighborhood."
You can read their full report here.
The new building, on the former site of a P.C. Richard & Son, has an optimistic grand opening set for the fourth quarter of 2020, per the 14th @ Irving site.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Behold Civic Hall, the high-tech future of Union Square — and NYC
Speaking out against a 'Silicon Alley' in this neighborhood
P.C. Richard puts up the moving signs on 14th Street; more Tech Hub debate to come
City Council's lone public hearing on the 14th Street tech hub is tomorrow
City Council unanimously approves tech hub; some disappointment in lack of zoning protections
The conversation continues on the now-approved tech hub for 14th Street
P.C. Richard is gone on 14th Street; preservationists want answers about tech-hub commitments
Gaia Italian Cafe expected to reopen today after a short break; but for how long?
Local favorite Gaia Italian Cafe has been closed for a break since the end of service on July 28. They are expected to reopen today. (Gaia is closed on Mondays.)
Two EVG readers pointed us to the basement-level space here on Houston between Suffolk and Norfolk...
One reader, a longtime fan of Gaia's, found the note for patrons — presumably from proprietor Gaia Bagnasacco — especially worrying...
According to the note, they were taking a little break after being overwhelmed the past two years by the ongoing construction of Samy Mahfar's controversial 14-floor residential building — called Sioné — next door "that has made our business full of problems and from the space above us that gave us other problems too." (Not sure what exactly is in that upstairs space with the American flag in the window. Weeks back a reader mentioned MAGA signage inside the space.)
The Gaia note concludes with: "We need to think about the future of the cafe in which directions [we] should go for the time that we are living and for the money power that is taking this city to craziness."
This isn't the first time that the 8-year-old cafe discussed closing shop. In late 2013, Bagnasacco posted on Facebook that Gaia was "closing probably forever." Thankfully that didn't happen, as we need more affordable and quirky places like this in the neighborhood.
H/T Steph!
Monday, August 5, 2019
The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black in Tompkins Square Park
Late yesterday afternoon, glam-punk performance legends The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, led by East Village-based artist Kembra Pfahler, headlined day two of the Tompkins Square Park Riot Reunion shows.
EVG contributor Stacie Joy was on-hand for the show... as were many other photographers. The band draws a crowd...
[Samoa Moriki]
[Gyda Gash]
Updated:
Several people have asked about the Andy signs the band is wearing. This was a tribute to Andy Kessler, a well-known skateboarder who died on Aug. 10, 2009. He liked to skate in the TF in Tompkins Square Park, which the city wants to cover with synthetic turf.
Free films at the Tompkins Square Park Library branch this month
As always, there are about 400000000 programs and events to take part in this month at the Tompkins Square Park Library branch on 10th Street. You can find their full listing at this link.
Here's just a look at the free film screenings... which includes the continuation of the Summer of JUDY! series marking the 50th anniversary of Judy Garland's death:
Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 5 p.m. — "In the Good Old Summertime"
Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 5 p.m. — "Summer Stock"
Saturday, Aug. 17 — DOUBLE FEATURE at noon: "A Star is Born," 3 p.m.: "I Could Go on Singing"
And two all-ages film screenings:
Friday, Aug. 16 at 1 p.m. — "The Wizard of Oz"
Friday, Aug. 23 at 1 p.m. — "Labyrinth" Starring David Bowie.
And two films on music:
Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 5 p.m. — "Standing in the Shadows of Motown"
Wednesday, August 28 at 5 p.m. — "The Devil and Daniel Johnston"
The library is at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.
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