More of the explosion site condoplex comes into view at 45 E. 7th St.

Back on Friday, workers removed the construction tarps from the Seventh Street side of the new building on the northwest corner of Second Avenue (thanks to Steven for these photos...)



So now we have better views of this high-profile project at 45 E. Seventh St., which is going up on two of the three lots destroyed during the deadly gas explosion here on March 26, 2015.





Missing to date: the perforated cornice parapet that we saw in the rendering...


[Rendering via Morris Adjmi]

The Morris Adjmi-designed building will include 21 condo units as well as ground-floor retail. Residential units are one, two and three bedrooms. The Tavivian Team from Douglas Elliman will be responsible for the sales.

You can find all the background about this project and its history at this link.

Suki is moving to a larger space around the corner

[Photo from 2018 by Derek Berg]

Suki, the six-seat Japanese curry shop at 86 E. Seventh St. just west of First Avenue, is moving to a new, larger space around the corner at 111 First Ave.

Following renovations, chef Kelly Cho will serve her Japanese-style curries from the former Maharlika space between Sixth Street and Seventh Street...





Here's part of Suki's announcement on Instagram:

We are really excited to say that Suki will soon expand & still live in East Village! It is truly still unbelievable the amount of love we received in the 6 seater restaurant! We will still be serving the same high quality food as usual so do not worry!

P.S. We thank our loyal customers who wished for more seats.

Suki opened in July 2018 and received favorable notices in the Times and via Michelin.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Another fire at 204 E. 13th St.

There was another fire reported at 204 E. 13th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. Early Saturday morning, the FDNY responded to a blaze on the third floor at the address...

MAN ALL HANDS 204 E 13 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON 3RD FLR,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) February 29, 2020

No word on the extent of the damage to the 4-story building (see top photo via a reader) or a cause.

This is the second time in 15 months that a fire broke out at No. 204. Renovations were apparently still in progress in the building following an early morning fire during Thanksgiving weekend 2018.

That fire caused extensive water damage to Bruno Pizza, the retail tenant on the ground floor in the building owned by Steve Croman. Last July, owner Demian Repucci decided that the damage was too much to overcome, and he decided to move on from the business.

Soothr, a Thai noodle bar, was expected to open soon in the space. The most recent apartment rental via Streeteasy is from last May, when a two-bedroom unit on the third floor was listed — then removed — for $5,073.

H/T Jodi!

That Duane Reade by Walgreens closes today on 10th and 3rd

As previously noted, the Duane Reade by Walgreens location on the southwest corner of Third Avenue and 10th Street closes today.

Pharmacy customers are being transferred to the DR on 14th Street and Third Avenue.

The store is pretty much cleared out already...





This marks the third Duane Reade by Walgreens to close nearby in the past few months. The outpost on Avenue D at Houston and First Avenue between 14th Street and 15th Street shuttered last November.

Now what will happen to this large retail space, which has been under cover of a sidewalk bridge for years...



In late 2015-early 2016, the drug store expanded into the two adjacent spaces along here, after Excel Art and Framing Store and East Village Cheese were forced to relocate. (EV Cheese was never able to make the new location work.)

The landlord will likely have an easier go of renting this location if the storefront is divided into smaller spaces once again.

The Marshal seizes the former Hot Kitchen space

[Photo by Steven]

The Marshal came calling late last week, seizing the former Hot Kitchen at 104 Second Ave. at Sixth Street.

This marks the latest development in a whirlwind few months at this space. On Feb. 19, the 10-month-old Jiang Diner decamped from the address and returned to to its previous location at 309 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue after just six weeks.

Jiang moved to Second Avenue for a bigger dining room and kitchen to expand their offerings. In a comment on Instagram, Jiang Diner stated: "unfortunately there are some complications with the ... space."

Hot Kitchen opened in September 2011. In 2018, Hot Kitchen transformed its menu and added traditional Sichuan Skewer Hotpot and BBQ to their menu. (They also stopped deliveries.) They eventually closed this past October.

At the beginning of December, a venture called Sushi & Sake started offering Japanese cuisine. That venture lasted a short month before Jiang Diner announced it was moving here. According to the Times back in August, Tao An, the owner of Jiang Diner, was also behind Hot Kitchen.

Bait & Hook returns

Bait & Hook returned to service this past week on the northwest corner of 14th Street and Second Avenue.

To recap: The sports bar went dark in January, followed by the arrival of a for rent sign. ... several weeks later, there was a banner announcing that it was "Opening soon under new management."

Not sure at the moment what might be new — things appear the same from the outside, down to the Philadelphia Eagles flag. (The specials, such as Taco Tuesday, are also the same.)

Bait & Hook debuted with promises of a New England-style seafood restaurant in September 2012. In the opening announcement, Executive Chef Joe Bachman said: "We wanted to open a place that offered New Yorkers an affordable, casual dining experience, with the feel of a seafood shack but the taste of an ocean-side eatery."

The space eventually transitioned into a sports bar and SantaCon stop.

H/T Pinch!

Heavy lifting at the future tech hub

Activity has picked up at the construction site of the future tech hub (aka Zero Irving) on 14th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

On Saturday, a crane crew was on hand to help load in heavy materials ...



... and later in the day via Pinch...



The 21-floor building, developed jointly by the city’s Economic Development Corp. and RAL Development Services, will feature 14 floors of market-rate office space as well as "a technology training center and incubator, co-working spaces, state-of-the-art event space, and street level food hall on the seven floors beneath," per the Zero Irving announcement issued last October.

The new building, on the former site of a P.C. Richard & Son, has a completion date for the spring of 2021, per the renderings onsite.

Previously on EV Grieve:
P.C. Richard is gone on 14th Street; preservationists want answers about tech-hub commitments

Sunday's parting shot

Photo on St. Mark's Place by Derek Berg...

Details on the NYPD's Neighborhood Policing Listening Tour tomorrow night

This month, Fausto Pichardo, NYPD Chief of Patrol, is going on a Neighborhood Policing Listening Tour at different precincts in the city.

Per the invite: "Share YOUR experiences with how Neighborhood Policing is working in your community as we continue to move forward & build upon our initiatives."

The meeting, which includes for residents served by the 9th Precinct in the East Village, is tomorrow night (March 2) at 6:30 at 235 E. 20th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Here’s another reminder about the upcoming @NYPDChiefPatrol Neighborhood Policing Listening Tour, coming to Manhattan!

It’s THAT important that we hear from EVERYONE—residents, business owners, clergy, and community leaders—about your experiences with Neighborhood Policing. pic.twitter.com/N2gbWrWySN

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) February 27, 2020

Week in Grieview

[Inspiration on Avenue B]

Posts from this past week included...

• Ranger Rob comes to the rescue after Christo gets stuck between buildings on 7th Street (Saturday)

• Report of a fatality at the Astor Place station (Monday)

• JUICE is a new gallery on St. Mark's Place, and its first group show debuts tonight (Thursday) At the opening night group show at JUICE gallery on St. Mark's Place (Saturday)

• Crowdfunding campaign launched for fire-damaged Via Della Pace on 7th Street (Tuesday)

• Special news report from 1967: "Hippies change scene in East Village" (Wednesday)

• The Third Man has closed on Avenue C (Monday)

• 94-96 Avenue A wrapped ahead of 1-floor extension (Monday)

• The Black 6 Coffee Trading Co. takes up temporary residency on 4th Street (Tuesday)

• Someone tagged the steps at the Merchant's House Museum (Tuesday)

• More details made public about the 101 Condominium on 1st Avenue and 2nd Street (Thursday)

• Here's a look at the new Half Gallery exterior on Avenue B and 4th Street (Thursday)

• Zadie's Oyster Room has closed (Friday)

• Sally Beauty coming to 14th Street (Wednesday)

• Solidcore snaps up former ICP space on the Bowery (Monday)

• The former Manitoba's space receives the plywood treatment on Avenue B (Friday)

• Construction watch: 238 E. 3rd St. (Wednesday)

• Cover letters: Signage comes down at the now-closed Zum Schneider on Avenue C (Thursday)

• Here's the completed mural of Kobe and Gianna Bryant on the Lower East Side (Friday)

• Stargirl 2020 (Friday)

• The remains of the St. Mark's Market (Thursday)

... and please enjoy the new mailboxes that the USPS left for our use, such as one on Avenue A and Ninth Street...


[Photo yesterday by Steven]

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The state's plastic bag ban is NOW in effect

[Westside Market on 3rd Avenue]

As you probably know, the statewide ban on single-use plastic bags used at grocery stores, delis and other retailers (anyone required to collect New York State sales tax) went into effect overnight.

So you'll need to bring your own bag(s) to transport your purchases (if you didn't do so already) ... places such as Union Market on Houston at Avenue A will credit you 10 cents per bag...



Unfortunately, this Bag Waste Reduction Law means that we will no longer will have the Key Food holiday plastic bags to look forward to. But, for 99 cents, you may buy this sturdier plastic Key Food bag to carry your groceries...



Retailers are expected to have a stash of paper bags for use — for an additional 5-cent fee.

What else? Here's some details courtesy of the Times:

The ban will not be aggressively enforced right away, but merchants could eventually face penalties — $250 for a first violation and $500 for a repeat.

The exceptions

Stores can give out single-use plastic bags for certain items, including uncooked meat, sliced or prepared food and prescription drugs. Restaurants can provide the bags for takeout. Newspaper bags, garment bags and bags sold in bulk, such as trash or recycling bags, are also exempt from the ban.

Where the fees from paper bags go

Local governments that require a paper bag fee will keep 2 cents per bag to spend on programs aimed at distributing reusable bags. The remaining 3 cents will go to the state’s Environmental Protection Fund.

Gothamist has a nice primer here. For A LOT more details, visit the NYS Department of Environemental Conservation website.

In recent days, the Department of Sanitation passed out free reusable bags ... with Mayor de Blasio helping out this past Friday at Union Square...


[Photo by Derek Berg]

"This is another step to saving our Earth, saving our city," de Blasio said.

6 posts from February

A mini month in review...

• Special news report from 1967: "Hippies change scene in East Village" (Feb. 26)

• NYPD's body-cam footage shows the deadly police shooting on Avenue A and 7th Street from Jan. 9 (Feb. 21)

• A Visit to Odessa Restaurant (Feb. 20)

• For now, both entrances to the 1st Avenue L-train station are located at Avenue A (Feb. 15)

• FDNY battling 3-alarm fire on the southeast corner of 2nd Avenue and 7th Street (Feb. 10)

• Ray returns! (Feb. 8)

Ranger Rob comes to the rescue after Christo gets stuck between buildings on 7th Street

[Photo by Drew Heffron]

Last night, residents on Seventh Street between Avenue B and Avenue C noticed that a hawk was trapped in the airshaft between buildings on the block.


[Photo by Drew Heffron]

After a few emails that included Goggla, it was determined that this was Christo, the male resident red-tailed hawk of Tompkins Square Park. Christo was likely chasing a pigeon when he found himself unable to get back out. (His wingspan made it impossible to navigate the tight quarters.)


[Photo via @younglr]

After a few rescue attempts, one of the building's vigilant residents was able to track down Ranger Rob (aka Rob Mastrianni, a Manhattan Ranger supervisor). Turns out that Ranger Rob, who is also a musician, was performing at Caravan of Dreams on Sixth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Ranger Rob arrived and had to figure out the best way to get to Christo (he also shared the photos below) ...



"It was a bit scary climbing into that space between the buildings," he told me. "Luckily someone let me in the basement and I climbed through a window."



And soon, Ranger Rob emerged with Christo...











"Christo was fierce, strong and had no signs of injury or sickness," said Ranger Rob, who brought Christo back to Tompkins Square Park. (Before releasing Christo, he spoke by phone with Bobby Horvath of the Long Island-based WINORR, the Wildlife In Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation, who helped him determine if the hawk was OK.)

Meanwhile, this morning, Steven saw Christo and Amelia — they are both doing well as mating season continues... these three photos are by Steven...

At the opening night group show at JUICE gallery on St. Mark's Place

Thursday night marked the first group show at JUICE, a new gallery space at 8 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

JUICE, described as a "non-profit gallery dedicated to long-term community building in the instant age," was started by brothers Brendan McElroy and Daniel McElroy ...


[Brendan McElroy]


[Daniel McElroy and Brendan]

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was there for part of the opening, and shares these photos from the space ...









The group show features pieces by Lucien Smith, Spencer Sweeney, Harif Guzman, Jim (The Mosaic Man) Power, Maggie Lee, Perry Khalil and Eric Smith.


[Maggie Lee]









JUICE is open today from noon to 5 p.m.

The 'Price' is right

The Brooklyn-based band Store Front has a new EP out now... the video above is for the debut single, "Rip the Price Off."

Here's the completed mural of Kobe and Gianna Bryant on the Lower East Side

After a week, Mark Paul Deren, aka Madsteez, has finished his tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant outside the complex that houses Sun Yat Sen Middle School and Emma Lazarus High School on Hester and Eldridge...



East Village Walls curates this space, and the students here reportedly voted on who they wanted a mural of outside their school.

The mural is based of a photo by Atiba Jefferson.

View this post on Instagram

WEEN legendary photograper @atibaphoto officially lets you use his @kobebryant x GiGi photo for reference. —————-> 📷 @just_a_spectator 📷 @smurffedout 🏛 @eastvillagewalls

A post shared by MARK PAUL DEREN (@madsteez) on Feb 26, 2020 at 2:01pm PST

Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed alongside seven other people on Jan. 26 when the helicopter they were in crashed in California.