Noted

From the EVG tipline: Spotted on the fence along the New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

PLEASE
RESPECT the
Neighborhood
You Doing
Your drugs!!
CLEAN UP!!!
RESPECT!!!

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.

EVG Etc.: Nuyorican Poets Cafe keeping the beat; Metrograph launching digital programming

[Summertime rolls on St. Mark's Place]

• How the Nuyorican Poets Cafe on Third Street has adapted to COVID-19 (Time Out)

• NYC's public housing rules could force many released prisoners into homelessness (The Appeal)

• Coronavirus hammered the MTA's finances worse than originally expected at the height of the pandemic; service cuts and rate hikes in the works (NY1)

• Report: The Mayor's Open Streets plan falls short of what the city needs (Streetsblog ... Gothamist ... Transportation Alternatives ... previously on EVG)

• Tenement Museum lays off 76 workers, including all part-time educators (Hyperallergic)

• Metrograph on Ludlow Street launches Digital Membership Program (IndieWire ... official site)

• John Giorno's longtime home on the Bowery will become an archive and grant-giving hub (artNet)

• Ex-New York Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver sentenced to 6 1/2 years (NBC News)

• Financial fallout from COVID-19 causes Doughnut Plant to temporarily close all locations, including the original on the LES (Eater)

• Suggestions for picnic food to bring to Tompkins Square Park (Grub Street)

• Talking head: Breaking down Chris Frantz's new book, "Remain in Love" (Vulture)

• Finding some choice pieces for apartments via all the discarded furniture on the street (The Post)

• What happens if someone steals your CitiBike? (City Limits)

• Long reads: The Citizen app faces growing pains (Wired)

• Mickey Leigh discusses his new single, "Two Sides of the Law" (American Songwriter)

... and Wu-Tang 4ever on Fourth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue...

One month on, a look at curbside dining in the East Village

[Gnocco, 10th Street]

We're one month into the city's Open Restaurants program — now in place through October — that allows for curbside dining.

Under an emergency program launched on June 22 as part of the Phase 2 reopening to aid the ailing restaurant industry, nearly 7,000 establishments citywide were authorized to serve food and drinks on sidewalks and curbside spaces.

It hasn't been easy. As previously reported, restaurateurs have had to scramble to stay ahead of the Department of Transportation's seemingly ever-changing guidelines for outdoor dining.

East Village spots such as Kindred, the Roost, Foxface and Il Posto Accanto were among the places that had to tear apart their previously OK'd curbside arrangements – within 24 hours and under the threat of losing their outdoor dining permit. (And we haven't even mentioned the fast-breaking thunderstorms and stifling heat that has added to the stress of the outdoor experience — for both staff and customers.)

Gov. Cuomo has also threatened to shut down bars and restaurants that allow patrons to congregate on sidewalks without social distancing and masks. "It's stupid what you're doing," he said on Monday.

As for the makeshift spaces, they are coming together, looking more comfortable by the day with the additions of paint, plants and patrons. Last week, freelance photographer Eric Leong documented the variety of outdoor dining structures in the East Village. "I enjoy seeing the creativity in designs," he said.

Here's a look at the spaces in action...


[Lavagna, 5th Street at B]


[Brazen Fox, 3rd Avenue at 12th Street]


[Maiden Lane, 10th and B]


[B-Side, Avenue B]


[9th Street at 3rd Avenue]


[Oh! Taisho, St. Mark's Place]


[St. Mark's Place]


[Kitchen Sink, 5th Street]


[Boilermaker, 4th Street]


[One and One, 1st Street at 1st Avenue]


[7B/Horseshoe Bar, 7th at B]


[Mary's O's, Avenue A]


[Amor y Amargo, 6th at A]


[TabeTomo, Avenue A]


[William Barnacle Tavern and Foxface, St. Mark's Place]


[Thursday Kitchen, 9th Street]


[Jeepney, 1st Avenue]


[3rd Avenue]


[Phebe's, the Bowery]

You can find more examples of outdoor dining at his website.

(Another) new owner for 243 E. 7th St.

The three-story, three-unit building at 243 E Seventh St. has sold for $4.35 million, according to public records... making this the third owner in 12 years.

Highpoint Property Group is listed as the buyer of the property here between Avenue C and Avenue D. The seller is Olivier Jaillon, per the records.

Jaillon bought No. 243 for $3.15 million in early 2013 — $200,000 off the price paid by the seller in 2008. The developer planned to gut the building, turning it into two multi-level residences that looked like...


[Rendering by Studio Razavi Architecture]

Those plans never materialized.

It's not known at the moment what Highpoint Property Group has planned. You can likely count on the new building to have a The in the name, though. The Group's other East Village properties include The Slater at 174-176 First Ave., The Topanga at 202 Avenue A and The Callahan at 100 Second Ave.

This tranquil block has seen its share of luxury development through the years, first with the Flowerbox Building. There are also new condos at 253 E. Seventh St. and 277 E. Seventh St. with a townhouse conversation underway at No. 264.

Sushi Kai opening soon on 9th Street

Look for Sushi Kai to be opening in the weeks ahead here at 332 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue... workers have been working in the space of late, and the signage went up yesterday...



We don't know much else at the moment about the new venture, which takes over the address from MAD Toast House, which closed in February after nearly eight months in business.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Wednesday's parting shot

Trying to make the temps feel cooler today by carrying a snowboard?

Photo on Second Avenue by Derek Berg...

A Blood Drive at the Clemente Center tomorrow

There's a blood drive tomorrow (Thursday!) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clemente Center on Suffolk and Rivington sponsored by the New York Blood Center.

The nonprofit has put out another urgent call for blood donations. You need to make an appointment by calling 1-800-933-2566. You can also do so by email via this site.

RIP Frans Nieuwendam

In an ongoing feature titled "Those We Lost" at The New York Times, the paper is paying tribute to New Yorkers who died of COVID-19 this year.

On Sunday, the paper featured Francois "Frans" Nieuwendam, who died on May 3 at his East Village apartment. He was 60.

Aside from a career working the door at high-end clubs in the day, he was "a made-to-measure specialist helping men’s wear customers at Barneys and other retailers and as a consultant for, and producer of, fashion shows."

Here's more from an obituary at Legacy.com:

As a young man in London, Frans spent his meager allowance on King's Road emulating the looks of style icons the likes of David Bowie and Brian Ferry. He worked as a bespoke, made to measure consultant for Alfred Dunhill, Jil Sander, Barney's and Hickey Freeman. He often advised that "The suit is always the best garment to flatter a man."

According to his friend Sudha Chinniah: "Frans was absolutely the most stylish man in any room he entered, but dominated much more profoundly in his elegance of character and ability to connect with anyone he met."

Odessa is closed for now, but will it reopen?

[Photo yesterday by Stacie Joy]

As expected, Odessa Restaurant, 119 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, closed after service late Sunday night.

Three "Sorry We're Closed" signs arrived outside on Monday afternoon.


[Photo by Steven]

After hearing rumors on Facebook (one post was shared more than 1,100 times) the weekend of July 10 that Odessa was going to close, EVG correspondent Stacie Joy received in-person confirmation on July 12 from longtime manager Dennis Vassilatos, who shared that the diner was shutting down on July 19 after a prolonged slump in business due to COVID-19. He also said at the time that there wasn't any truth that the space was closing for renovations.

The news brought out some remembrances of a diner that has had a presence on the block since the mid-1960s.

By this past Friday afternoon, however, the story had changed. As Gothamist reported, co-owner Steve Helios stated that Odessa was only shutting down temporarily. "We'll be back," he said in the post, eyeing a return some time in 2021. The super for the building, owned by Odessa partner Mike Skulikidis, also confirmed the renovation to Gothamist.

This news took the staff by surprise. None of the employees on Friday evening were aware of these plans. In a conversation with Stacie, Vassilatos maintained that Odessa was closing, that he hadn't heard from ownership yet about any other arrangements.

Stacie asked if it was possible that she'd see him in the same spot this time next year and he said, "anything's possible in life, but don't count on it."

Since Sunday, we've heard from several longtime Odessa regulars about what is happening moving forward. Many of them are surprised and confused — and hopeful. On Sunday, one longtime customer who stopped by for a last meal to go was told by staff that Odessa might be back in five or six months, or else the owners might just rent out the prime space to another restaurant.

There are several theories that regulars are floating, including:

• The owners had been planning on a renovation and never told staff.
• The owners changed their minds after the uptick in business on what was to be their last week, opting to close for renovations to ride out the pandemic and reopen in 2021.
• The Odessa has closed for good, and the renovations narrative was simply to ease the pain of the closure.

So for now, Odessa is closed. There aren't any signs on the door stating a renovation. We didn't spot anyone inside the space either Monday or yesterday. And given that Odessa lacks a social media presence, there isn't any unified message about the future to customers.


[Photo by Stacie Joy]

Odessa Restaurant opened in this space in April 1995. The original Odessa closed next door in August 2013

Previously on EV Grieve:
• A Visit to Odessa Restaurant

• Last call for the Odessa Cafe and Bar tonight

New brief says city must stop plans to raze East River Park

Opponents of the city's plan to demolish East River Park provided an update on their lawsuit in a new brief filed yesterday.

Via the EVG inbox:

Without state oversight, New York City could demolish East River Park and build a levee but would not be obliged to return the entire 1.2 mile riverfront to parkland. The city could also exceed its five-year construction timeline.

Those are two of the reasons why state oversight is needed for the massive $1.45 billion flood control project, says a brief filed July 20. The document is a response to the city’s argument that state approval is not needed.

The lawsuit, East River Park Action et al v City of New York, originally filed in February, asks to halt the East Side Coastal Resiliency project that is scheduled to begin this fall. It also asks to declare the City Council vote last November approving the project “null and void.”

Attorney Arthur Schwartz with the nonprofit Advocates for Justice argues in July 20's 42-page brief that the city is required to seek Alienation from the state. Alienation is the use of parkland for non-park purposes, even for brief periods.

Schwartz notes that "Closing the East River Park, whether completely or in phases, will disproportionately affect the health and well-being and recreational opportunities of low-income New Yorkers who live in the neighborhood around the Park."

Schwartz, a West 12th Street resident, previously filed lawsuits against the city's 14th Street Busway.

You can read more about Alienation of Parkland, the basis of the lawsuit, at this link.

Last November, City Council signed off on the hotly contested flood-protection plan that will bury/elevate East River Park by eight feet as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project. Construction is now expected to start this fall.

---

Meanwhile, tomorrow night, there's a candlelight vigil set for the Park.

Via the EVG inbox:

"We are gathering in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, specifically against the ecocide that continues to harm Black and Indigenous lives globally; to grieve the thousands of lives, neighbors and loved ones lost to COVID'19; and to come together in protection of land, trees, and the wellness of our community on the Lower East Side,” says vigil organizer Emily Johnson, an artist in residence at Abrons Arts Center and a land and water protector from the Yup'ik Nation.

"In the center of a pandemic the city will destroy the Lower East Side’s only large outdoor green space for wellness and exercise, raise toxic dust and cut down 1,000 trees, reducing air quality and putting residents — especially elders and those who are immunocompromised — at greater risk for and with COVID-19," says Johnson.

The procession starts at 7 p.m. at the Abrons Arts Center amphitheater. Details and directions at this link.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Opinion: COVID-19 + Storm Surge = Catastrophe for the Lower East Side and East Village (Feb. 7)

• More details on the city's new plan to keep East River Park partially open during flood protection construction (Oct. 3, 2019)

• At the march and rally to save East River Park (Sept. 21, 2019)

• An annual reunion in East River Park (Aug. 4, 2019)

• A visit to East River Park (July 10, 2019)

A grim small business outlook

[Photos by Steven]

Fine-Tune Brows shut down a few weeks back here on Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The salon, which opened in 2017, had grown a steady client base... one of whom left behind an RIP message outside...



Unfortunately, we can likely expect more closings like this in the weeks and months ahead. A new report issued by the Partnership for New York City finds that one-third of the city's 230,000 small businesses may never reopen post pandemic.

As the Post reported:

Most small businesses have less than three months worth of cash reserves — a period equal to the length of the state's COVID-19 shutdown.

"That means that funds to restart, pay back rent and buy inventory are exhausted, leaving tens of thousands of entrepreneurs at risk, particularly business owners of color," authors Kathryn Wylde and Natasha Avanessians wrote.

They say business owners face high rents, regulatory burdens and taxes.

In addition, the report projects that only 40 percent of Manhattan office workers will return by year's end with an estimated 75 percent expected to return full time in the future.

You can find all the grim results in the 67-page report here.

Tuesday's parting shot

A recent summertime skyline shot by East Village-based photographer Martin Mahoney ...

Previously on EV Grieve:
• The East Village photography of Martin Mahoney

Bluestockings is leaving its Allen Street home of 21 years: 'This is not goodbye'

Updated 8/8: Bluestockings has a new home here.

Bluestockings, the collectively owned and volunteer-powered bookstore, cafe and activist center on Allen Street between Stanton and Rivington, is on the move.

They shared the news this morning in posts on Facebook and Instagram:

Due to so many unforeseen circumstances both pandemic-related and otherwise, we must leave our current location at 172 Allen St. in search of a new, more sustainable, accessible and safer home.

The copy reads:

This is not goodbye. This is “wait for our new location announcement,” hopefully soon. The facts are: we have outgrown our space and we want features that better accommodate and center our disabled collective and community. We want ramps and bathrooms and ventilation and chair lifts! We are committed to realizing this for our future home!

Though we wish we were making this decision on our own terms, our decision has been forced by the demands of our landlord for more money and by their inaction on necessary repairs to the structural damage our wild little slice of space has endured over these last 21 years.

With so much afire, we’re evermore committed to doing all we can to keep this project alive and rooted at a physical space (such a rarity in NYC). We know our movements need spaces–to share and grow and learn and build alongside each other.

It’s going to be hard, and take a lot of work. But we’re here for it. We humbly ask for your patience and continued support in the coming weeks and months as we relocate, store and continue our virtual programming.

With all our hearts and guts,

The Bluestockings Collective

RIP Phyllis Somerville

[Image via Legacy.com]

Phyllis Somerville, a longtime St. Mark's Place resident who enjoyed a lengthy career as an actor in film, TV and Broadway productions, died last Thursday. Paul Hilepo, her manager, told The Hollywood Reporter that she died of natural causes. She was 76.

"She was the consummate professional who lived her dream of being a working actress her entire life in NYC which spanned over 45 years," Hilepo said.

Somerville made her Broadway debut in 1975 in the musical "Over Here!" She most recently appeared in Aaron Sorkin's Broadway adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Her TV credits included "The Big C," "NYPD Blue" and "Daredevil" while her film highlights were "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Poms."

"She took pride in calling herself a New Yorker but she had salt-of-the-Earth Midwestern roots, which she was also proud of," Hilepo told the Associated Press.

Fellow St. Mark's Place resident David Godlis paid tribute to her on Instagram...

View this post on Instagram

So sad to hear that PHYLLIS SOMERVILLE, the great actress died unexpectedly this week. Here she is in 2013 up at LIncoln Center with the Korean Director Park Chan-wook. You’ve seen her as the midwestern old lady in everything. Phyllis was my neighbor on St Marks Place where her sparkling presence in blue jeans will be greatly missed. Used to see her in the mornings at Gem Spa or just hanging on the street. She recently did a long run in the original Broadway cast of To Kill a Mockingbird. Rest In Peace Phyllis. What a smile. What a laugh. You will be so missed. 📷@GODLIS @filmlinc

A post shared by Godlis (@godlis) on Jul 19, 2020 at 2:59pm PDT

Pastry alert: French bakery set to open next month at 229 1st Ave.

A new bakery, Petit Chou, is opening later this summer at 229 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. (Thanks to Shiv for the photo!)

The proprietor, a French-trained pastry chef, shared a quick overview of what to expect:

It’s going to be a French-inspired bakery with a specialty in choux pastry, which is the base for eclairs, cream puffs and profiteroles. We will also have lots of different desserts, croissants, danishes, macarons and coffee.

They'll also offer baking classes for residents to learn how to make macarons and choux pastry.

My goal is to bring a really high quality bakery to the neighborhood. We use quality ingredients and do everything the right way, using the latest techniques. I’m really looking forward to serving the community!

Petit Chou is hopeful for an early August debut. They have an Instagram account ready to go.

No. 229 was until June 2019 Just for Fen, which served Guizhou-style fen bowls for nearly two years.

Renovations at long last for the haunted beauty at 104 E. 10th St.

Nearly three years have passed since we heard about the plans to add a roof-top extension and gut renovate the long-empty townhouse at 104 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Second Avenue.

As you can see, plywood now surrounds the structure and renovations are underway...



According to the architect of record:

MKCA is orchestrating the reinvention and gut renovation of a historic townhouse in the storied St Mark's Historic District for a young family. Abandoned for a generation, the 2,400 brick rowhouse has been rescued from a state of near-structural collapse. The project includes a new sculptural stair, penthouse addition, and interiors that celebrate the historic building while updating it for contemporary family life.

As previously reported, the townhouse, built in 1879, was once the property of reclusive real-estate baron William Gottleib. It sold in 2013 for $3.5 million to an entity going by North Sydney LLC.

No. 104 is within the St. Mark's Historic District and needed the proper approvals before moving forward. (As I recall, there was some debate about the setback and other details. There are approved permits, as of July 15, on file now with the DOB.)

The building has been vacant for years. The last (and lone) tenant was playwright, poet and performance artist Edgar Oliver.

This article from 1998 in The New York Times suggests that the place could possibly be haunted. But as Oliver said at the time, "The house I do believe is haunted. Alas, it is only with memories."

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Plans to convert the haunted beauty 104 E. 10th St. into a single-family home with 2 extra floors

• The charmingly shabby interiors of 104 E. 10th St


[An interior photo from 2012]

Monday's parting shot

A view earlier today of La Plaza Cultural on Avenue C and Ninth Street via Vinny & O...

A memorial for Fahim Saleh on East Houston Street

[Photos yesterday by Stacie Joy]

A makeshift memorial with multiple bouquets of flowers grows outside 265 E. Houston St., where the stabbed and dismembered body of Fahim Saleh, 33, was found last Tuesday in his seventh-floor residence here at Suffolk Street...





On Friday, Saleh's former assistant, Tyrese Devon Haspil, 21, was arrested and charged with the murder. As The New York Times reported: "Some investigators theorized that the suspect had tried to make the killing look like a professional assassination to divert attention from himself."

Yesterday, Legal Aid Society attorneys with the Homicide Defense Task Force who are representing Haspil said he has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Per CNN:

"We are in the very earliest stages of ferreting out the truth. The life of this case promises to be long and complex. As the attorneys for Mr. Haspil, we urge the public to keep an open mind."

An aunt told the Daily News this past weekend that Haspil "was a quiet young man, at times annoying, but incapable of the cold-blooded murder."

Haspil allegedly killed his boss after getting caught embezzling more than $90,000 from him. Saleh had said he would not call the police if Haspil paid the money back in installments, according to published reports.

During the arraignment, Manhattan assistant district attorney Linda Ford said that they have overwhelming video evidence against Haspil, including surveillance video showing him at a Home Depot purchasing the saw and cleaning supplies.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 17.

Among other endeavors, Saleh was the CEO of Gokada, a motorbike ride-hail company in Nigeria. He was born in Saudi Arabia to Bangladeshi parents and was raised in upstate New York.

His family issued this statement last week:

"The headlines talk about a crime we still cannot fathom. Fahim is more than what you are reading. He is so much more. His brilliant and innovative mind took everyone who was a part of his world on a journey and he made sure never to leave anyone behind."