Another rally to return the former P.S. 64 to the community

Photos by Peter Brownscombe 

On Sunday afternoon, several local elected officials, community activists and residents gathered on Avenue B at Ninth Street to rally for the return of the former P.S. 64 (aka CHARAS/El Bohio) to the community ...

Last month, Supreme Court Justice Melissa Crane ruled that Madison Realty Capital can move forward with a foreclosure against building landlord Gregg Singer after years of delay. 

When this news circulated, several sources EVG spoke with said that the report was expected. At this point, though, sources said what happens next, or what this means for the future of the building, is anyone's guess. 

However, the answer is clear for the group members — nearly 100 strong — in attendance Sunday afternoon.

"CHARAS was the heart of the community, where all could gather, learn, create and celebrate," said Chino Garcia, co-founder, CHARAS/El Bohio Community Center. "We urge the city to seize this opportunity to right the wrongs of the Giuliani administration in sending CHARAS to auction and restore this once vital institution." 

The building at 605 E. Ninth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C became the CHARAS/El Bohio Community Center after the school left in 1977. The group was eventually evicted in December 2001 when Singer took over as the landlord. (He bought the property from the city during an auction in 1998 for $3.15 million.)

Singer has wanted to build a dorm here.

As Gothamist reported, a rep for Singer distributed a press release at the rally stating that "if approved, the dormitory plan would inject more than $20 million into the economy of the local community. The developer blamed local politicians for halting development and creating 'a vacant eyesore in the community.'"

There has been a call to return the building for community use in years past. Given this movement some hope: then-Mayor de Blasio's statement at a Town Hall on Oct. 12, 2017, that the city would take steps to reacquire the building. According to published reports, the Mayor said he'd work to "right the wrongs of the past." 

Those plans have never materialized, and it has sat empty these past 20-plus years.

It's not known where Mayor Adams may stand on the issue. 

Meanwhile, other local elected officials made their feelings known...

Our treasured CHARAS/El Bohio was and continues to be a galvanizing force for good in the East Village.

Proud to show love today with friends and neighbors, and look forward to working with @NYCMayor to return this cherished space to the community, its rightful owner. pic.twitter.com/V2FrDePaPh

— NYC Council Member Carlina Rivera (@CMCarlinaRivera) February 13, 2022

Looking forward to working with @NYCMayor to preserve our beloved CHARAS / El Bohio Community Center. There is no reason why a precious building should sit vacant for decades while the need to connect families to services and resources is high. pic.twitter.com/0b9nVdidiR

— Harvey Epstein (@HarveyforNY) February 13, 2022

On this Valentine’s Day Eve we aren’t asking for flowers, or chocolate or even a spa day, we’re asking for the return of the CHARAS/El Bohio Community Center!

We’ve been fighting for 20+ years & we won’t stop until it’s once again serving the people of the Lower East Side. pic.twitter.com/9vCChszQCD

— Senator Brad Hoylman (@bradhoylman) February 13, 2022

Tonight at 6:30, CB3's Land Use, Zoning, Public & Private Housing Committee will receive an update from the Charas Steering Committee. The public may attend via Zoom at this link. (This is the fourth item on the agenda.)

Momofuku Noodle Bar closes for a month-long renovation

Momofuku Noodle Bar closed after service on Sunday evening at 171 First Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street.

Management announced last week that this flagship outpost in David Chang's empire would be closing for a month-long renovation.

Yesterday, workers were spotted outside the restaurant, hauling out tables, chairs, etc. ... (thanks to Choresh Wald for these photos)...

The Noodle Bar — Chang's debut restaurant — first opened at 163 First Ave. in 2004 before moving a few storefronts away to this space several years later.

Monday's parting shot

Photo on Second Avenue today by Derek Berg...

The window displays at Blue Door Video

Goggla let us know that the scaffolding/sidewalk bridge came down late last week at 87 First Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street... which once again provides unobstructed views of the window displays at Blue Door Video ...

The shop continues to attract tourists, families and fashion enthusiasts to watch the unveiling of the window displays ... which radiate the same classic New York elegance that the Blue Door embodies.

And, as Eden pointed out, the details really make the displays, as DC Comics regular Superman is shown in a thirst trap ... and maybe more... 

UPDATED: News about Casa Adela

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Updated noon:

The news about a new lease for Casa Adela was apparently a little premature. An attorney for the restaurant said that a deal has not been finalized.

Avenue C mainstay Casa Adela, facing an uncertain future during recent rent discussions with the landlord, has a new lease. 

According to Frank Gonzalez of Loisaida Realty, who helped organize the Save Casa Adela Committee, the two sides agreed for now to a two-year lease — with discussions continuing for a longer-term arrangement.

"Thank you to the Casa Adela Committee and our beloved community. Casa Adela was able to renegotiate a better deal," he said. (Locals came out to support the Puerto Rican restaurant at 66 Avenue C between Fourth Street and Fifth Street during a rally on Dec. 11.) 

As reported in early December, the building's landlord — a Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) — was looking to increase the rent on the 45-year-old LES institution to a rate that the current owner Luis Rivera, son of the late founder Adela Fargas, said was not feasible. (This post has background about the landlords and the situation in the building. As local activist Malu told The New Yorker, this "wasn't a story of a big, bad developer kicking out a neighborhood joint.")

Adela Fargas started serving her Puerto Rican cuisine here in 1976. She died in January 2018 at age 81.

Gonzalez said they will next work on getting the corner of Fifth Street and Loisaida Avenue co-named after Adela.

In early December, EVG contributor Stacie Joy was provided access to the restaurant and took these photos of the staff and other behind-the-scenes areas of Casa Adela...

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Rent hike threatens Avenue C mainstay Casa Adela

A Taco Bell is coming back to 3rd Avenue for the first time in 15 years (or so)

Renovations continue in the storefront on the SW corner of Third Avenue and 13th Street, where we learned that a — ding! ding! — Taco Bell is on the way. 

DOB records list the new tenant as Taco Bell... (taco emoji NOT part of DOB permit...ditto for the helpful EV arrow)...

In 2017, Taco Bell announced that it would be opening 50 (!!!) outposts in NYC over the next five years. Perhaps this is one of them. 

There was a Taco Bell at 58 Third Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street until sometime in late 2007 or early 2008. 

TB will be right next door to Yellow Rose, which serves really good tacos, tortas and chalupas ...

That SW corner spot was previously Bluemercury, the luxury beauty retailer, which closed during the pandemic.

And previously: Gothic Cabinet Craft shop closed in January 2016 after 47 years in business on this corner.

[Updated] Thai Direct is open for now

Updated 2/19: Thai Direct has reopened amid an ongoing COVID-related rent dispute with the landlord, per the restaurant's ownership. 

Thai Direct has closed at 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

A rather stern note on the front door tells would-be patrons that the landlord "has taken possession of the premises effective February 11" ... with a "DO NOT ENTER" thrown in for anyone attempting to access the door with three new padlocks...   

Steven took these photos Friday night — someone removed the sign by Sunday.

There isn't any mention of a closure of the restaurant's website or Instagram account. 

The quick-serve establishment, which billed itself as offering a healthy take on Thai street food, opened here in September 2018. It was a nice spot. 

The space was previously Yoshi Sushi, which got the boot in 2015.

For-rent signs arrive on these 2 storefronts on 14th Street and Avenue A

For-rent signs have arrived on two long-vacant storefronts on the SW corner of Avenue A and 14th Street. (The listings are not online just yet.)

The Lower East Side Coffee Shop closed here after 13 years in February 2021. New Herbal World, which offered a variety of herbs, teas and tonics as well as acupuncture, moved to Lafayette Street in September 2019. 

It was a tough time for all the businesses on this corner in recent years. For nearly three years this side of 14th Street was an active construction zone for L-train repairs and Avenue A entrance construction ... with a variety of trucks, drill rigs, pile drivers, compressors and generators. 

Several businesses were forced to shut down due to severely limited access to their storefronts. Outside the now-shuttered Dion and the Coffee Shop, customer access included only 28 inches of sidewalk space — not big enough for a wheelchair in spots. 

In any event, the arrival of for-rent signs might dispel the speculation that this corner is ripe for development (of course there may not be any air rights given the residential building called EVE next door at the former post office).

Sunday's parting shot

A moment during the Super Bowl tonight at Phebe's on the Bowery (which hosts Cincinnati Bengals games) ... photo by Derek Berg...

A Bloom Bloom-Book Club mashup for Valentine's Day

For Valentine's Day tomorrow, Book Club hosts the East Village-based Bloom Bloom floral design studio in store. 

Starting at 11 a.m. to whenever the flowers are gone, Bloom Bloom is selling grab-and-go wrapped bouquets and custom floral arrangements. 

Book Club is at 197 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Bloom Bloom is a studio-based florist. Founder Tasha Muresan recently moved to the East Village from Greenpoint.

Week in Grieview

Posts from this past week included (with a photo on Seventh Street by Derek Berg) ... 

• Where are they now? Catching up with Willie from Odessa (Wednesday) 

• You may now open a business in the former NYC HQ of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (Friday)

• A new 10-year lease for Astor Place Hairstylists (Thursday) 

• City Council hosting public hearing on permanent outdoor dining legislation today (Tuesday, 59 comments) 

• East Village artist Tom Manco opens a gallery-studio on Avenue B (Monday)

• Farewell to Dress Shoppe II (Monday) 

• Last looks at today's 'Law & Order' shoot (Wednesday) ... 'Law & Order' creates a new tent city for Tompkins Square Park (Monday) ... Real-life 'Law & Order' in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday) 

• Le Phin debuts on 10th Street (Wednesday) 

• The remains of the Delancey Street Pedestrian Bridge (Thursday) 

• A memory of Love Saves the Day (Friday) 

• For rent signs for the empty storefronts on the SW corner of 14th and 3rd (Monday) 

• Eileen Fisher has apparently closed on 9th Street (Monday) 

• A message for the camper on 10th Street (Friday) 

• A look at '340 E. 9th Street' on 2nd Avenue (Tuesday) 

• Steak out: Man reportedly walks out of Trader Joe's with 10 packs of meat (Wednesday, 52 comments) 

The Church of the Most Holy Redeemer is hosting a free Valentine's Day concert... it starts at 7:30 p.m. at 173 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B... read more about the concert here.

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Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics. 

NYPD is searching for suspect in early morning rape on St. Mark's Place and 1st Avenue

The NYPD has released surveillance video of a suspect wanted in connection to a rape in an apartment building on/near St. Mark's Place and First Avenue early yesterday morning. 

According to a tweet by @NYPDtips, the man attacked the 23-year-old victim at 5 a.m. inside the lobby of her building.

Per amNY: "According to authorities, the perpetrator sexually assaulted the victim, then removed her purse, which contained her wallet and camera. He then fled the location and was last seen heading southbound on foot along 1st Avenue."

We'll update this post when the NYPD releases more information about the suspect. Video of the suspect is below... 

🚨WANTED🚨for A RAPE in the vicinity of Saint Marks Place and 1st Avenue. #Manhattan @NYPD9pct on 2/12/22 @ 5:00AM the individual approached the victim inside the lobby of her apt. building Reward up to💰 $3500 Know who he is?📞Call 1-800-577-TIPS Calls are CONFIDENTIAL! pic.twitter.com/mjp9psczN3

— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) February 13, 2022

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. All calls are strictly confidential.

According to amNY, the victim is in stable condition at a local hospital for injuries she suffered in the attack, including a swollen lip and lacerations to her mouth.

Sunday's opening shot

Did everyone enjoy the spring break yesterday? Above photo from Tompkins Square Park this morning ... and a winter weather advisory is in effect until 1 p.m. in the NYC area. Snowfall could reach 2-3 inches. 

And if you plan on doing any crafting today, there is a small craft advisory for New York Harbor, including Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay, until tomorrow at 6 p.m.

[UPDATED] GOOD MORNING FROM 1ST AVENUE

Work is underway on First Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street... no idea what they are doing (aside from opening up the roadway with the saw thing), but's a little loud... and northbound traffic is down to one lane for now.

Morning! 

Thanks to Steven for the pics...

Updated 12:15 p.m.

That was pretty quick...

About the Winter Fest on Avenue B today

Several community groups and artists are coming together today for the Avenue B Winter Fest (which, given the temps in the high 50s today, may feel more like a Spring Fest) ...

Here's some of what to expect from 1-5 p.m. on Avenue B between Eighth Street and Ninth Street:

• 1:15 and 2 — ShapeUp NYC Cardio classes
• 3 — Mazarte Dance Company (Mexican folk dance)
• 4 — FABnyc musical guests
• 4:30 — 3rd & B'zaar Hot Fashion Show
• 5 — Sunset photo op

There will also be an interactive tape art installation via the artist Kuki and coffee and cocoa courtesy of the recently opened Hekate Café and Elixir Lounge.

Plus! Reps from the Department of Transportation will conduct a survey and outreach about the Avenue B Open Street. If you can't make it, then you can fill out the survey online here.

You can read more about the city's Open Streets program at this link.

Killing me 'Softly'

 

Arlo Parks released a single titled "Softly" at the beginning of the month... a season-appropriate song "about how fragile you feel in the dying days of a relationship when you're still desperately in love." 

The British singer-songwriter is on a bill with Clairo at Radio City on Feb. 24.

An expanded March gallery debuts on Avenue A

The expanded March gallery debuted on Wednesday evening at 62-64 Avenue A. 

March gallery opened late last May at 64 Avenue A (ex-Alphabets) between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. 

As EVG contributor Stacie Joy first reported then in August, gallery owner Phillip March Jones decided to open a second gallery next door in the vacant space previously occupied by Mike's Cleaners.

Each space has a featured exhibit — the group show "Circa 1989" and solo works by Joe Minter titled "We Lost Our Spears."

Both will be on view until March 19. 

Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A message for the camper on 10th Street

Photos by Steven 

You've likely noticed the camper that has been parked on 10th Street just east of First Avenue.

Apparently, people who live nearby have had about enough of the camper. Some messages have arrived outside (H/T simcitymayor!) ...

... and on the camper itself...

You may now open a business in the former NYC HQ of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club

Photos by Steven 

Yesterday saw the arrival of a for-lease sign outside 77 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue — aka the former NYC HQ of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.

Said one nearby resident who lived across the street from the property, "Never thought I’d see a sign like this!"

There are two retail spaces available here... in space where the fellows had their bar and entertainment area and storage space... 

There's not much info on the KSR listing ("located in the Bowery district") ... there isn't any mention of the former occupants (though there is an older street view showing the HA logo and painting of the motorcycle-helmeted skeleton atop the flaming skulls).

There's also a very un-Hells-Angels-esque conceptual rendering of the spaces...

The plaque near the entrance that read "In memory of Big Vinny 1948-1979: 'When in doubt, knock 'em out'" left with the remaining members in 2019. (Vincent "Big Vinny" Gerolamo was the Chapter president who allegedly pushed his girlfriend to her death from the roof here in 1978. He died the next year from injuries suffered in a fight with an Angel in Oakland, Calif.)

Anyway, as we've been reporting, the 6-story building underwent a gut renovation in the past 20 months. In total, there are now 22 residential units here. (The available apartments have a monthly ask in the $4k range — that's for a studio, per the listings at Better Living Properties.)

In June 2019, real-estate investor Nathan Blatter — the new owner of the building — had some ideas for the storefronts here. As he told the Post: "Blatter said he has been contacted by someone curating a Hells Angels museum, and another about a barbershop." He later flipped the building to Better Living Properties. 

The last of the members and/or their entourage moved out of No. 77 at the end of March 2019 from the clubhouse that the Hells Angels had in their possession since 1969. They reportedly ended up in Throggs Neck in the Bronx.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Photo exclusive: Take a look inside the former Hells Angels clubhouse on 3rd Street   

• The Hells Angels unveil new line of defense for their bench

A memory of Love Saves the Day

If you haven't seen this at the base of the new retail space on the NW corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street... the onetime home of the vintage shop Love Saves the Day.

Per the street art here...

"This used to be Love Saves the Day. I used to come in as a kid and get sparklers and sneak peaks at the vintage Playboys." 

The East Village Love Saves the Day closed on Jan. 18, 2009. Word was their rent tripled. 

Their location remains open in New Hope, Pa.

The deadly Second Avenue gas explosion in March 2015 destroyed three buildings here, including the space (119 Second Ave.) that housed the shop for 43 years.