Here's a look at the proposed designs for the new East River Park amphitheater

The first preliminary design review is set for this month for the new East River Park amphitheater. (You can find the 25-page PDF with all the design elements here.) 

The new design embraces "a classic arch shape." 

Per the document at the Department of Design and Construction: 

An arch shape pays homage to both the original structure and classic bandshells while creating opportunities for physical access and sight lines to the waterfront.

Other design points include: 

• Clearly Address the Main Seating Area:

The front arch is on the axis with the main seating area and is scaled to provide a sense of arrival as one enters from the Corlears Hook bridge. 

• Engage the Waterfront: 

Views to the waterfront are framed by an arch parallel to the esplanade. This arch is lower than the front, creating a more intimate experience near the water. An accessible path and stairs connect the stage to the esplanade and reinforce this design as a multi-purpose bandshell and waterfront pavilion. 

• Create a Sense of Lightness and Openness: 

An open-arch scheme allows for greater visibility and connectivity at the stage level. This approach also creates separation between the overlapping arches above, allowing light and air to enter while keeping the rain out. 

• Perform Acoustically: 

 The structure is designed to direct sound toward the seating and landscape. This will improve the sound quality for small, un-amplified events while mitigating sound projections toward the upland neighborhood.

The proposal includes potential amphitheater usage, from a "hangout spot" to "take a break and sit in the shade" to "larger events and performances for 1000+ spectators." 

There's a Public Design Commission hearing on Monday at 11:30 a.m. about the proposed new amphitheater. The commission is accepting public comments. Find info on attending in person or via Zoom at this link.

Workers finished demolishing the previous amphitheater, which dated to 1941, in late December. (Meanwhile, asbestos abatement continues at the site near Corlears Hook.)

In June 2021, the city came up with $4.83 million to include a roof over the new amphitheater. (Previous renderings did not have a roof.)

The new amphitheater is part of the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency project in East River Park. Workers will bury the 57.5-acre land under fill and elevate it by 8-to-10 feet above sea level to protect the area from future storm surges. The city has said they will maintain public access to a minimum of 42 percent of the park throughout construction, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2026.  

H/T @tfine & @ChrisRyanAction 

The East Village outpost of the Mermaid Inn reopens TODAY; take a look inside

Photos by Stacie Joy/HT Steven!

The Mermaid Inn reopens later today (4:30 p.m.) at 96 Second Ave. (Note: This is the soft opening. The official opening is Sept. 15.)

EVG contributor Stacie Joy got a look inside yesterday as workers were gearing up for the grand reopening...

Per Stacie: "The end-of-meal chocolate pudding/pot de creme dessert will still be there but the fortune-telling fish will not be coming back (due to plastic)."

Mermaid Inn closed here between Fifth Street and Sixth Street during the pandemic. Co-owner Daniel Abrams and partner Cindy Smith decided to shut down the seafood restaurant in the wake of failed attempts to reach a workable rent deal, Eater reported at the time. 

There were later issues with a stringent State Liquor Authority that was delaying the reopening.

The Mermaid Inn arrived in the East Village back in 2003. There are also locations in Greenwich Village, Chelsea and the Upper West Side... with Mermaid Mexicana opening in the spring on MacDougal Street.

The EV hours moving forward: Wednesday-Saturday: 4:30-10:30 p.m. ... with a 10 p.m. close on Sundays. 

Wednesday's parting shot

Photo in Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg...

Today in civic duty

As seen on Ninth Street and Avenue A — a squished spotted lanternfly. (Thanks to Steven for the photo!) 

The "invasive pests" recently made an NYC return... prompting (reluctant?) kill/squish orders from city officials ... and fun headlines, like! 

 • Sex-crazed lanternfly invasion ramps up in NYC as insects look for mates (The Post — naturally!) 

 • In the Lanternfly War, Some Take the Bug’s Side (The Times) 

• On the hunt with New York’s spotted lanternfly squishers: ‘I came to kill’ (The Guardian)  

Read less tabloid-y ways to squish and dispose of these sex-crazed invaders (just another weekend night!) at the Parks Department site.

The latest headlines on the water crisis at the Jacob Riis Houses

Image via @PIX11News 

Here are the latest headlines on the water crisis at the Jacob Riis Houses on Avenue D. 

As previously reported, residents were told Friday night not to drink or cook with tap water after tests revealed traces of arsenic. The City said that NYCHA officials learned about the contamination two weeks earlier and did not notify residents. NYCHA officials have vehemently denied that claim. NYC has distributed bottled water to the nearly 2,600 residents in the complex between Sixth Street and 13th Street. 

• NYCHA Water Mess Stretches Into 5th Day as Arsenic Test Results Pend (NBC New York) 

• Mayor Adams Promises ‘Thorough’ Look at How His Team Handled Riis Arsenic Discovery (The City)

• East Village Public Housing Residents Want Answers After Arsenic Found in Water (Gothamist) 

• Carlina Rivera Discusses Jacob Riis Houses Water Issues (NY1) 

• NYCHA Must Rebuild Trust After Arsenic Found in Water: Jumaane Williams (PIX11)

Caleta will offer small plates and Bad Habit ice cream on Avenue A

After 18 months of making ice cream from their Bushwick apartment, real-life couple Jesse Merchant Zuñiga and Javier Zuñiga are opening their own storefront in the East Village, they announced in an Instagram post last week. (H/T Vinny & O!)

Caleta — with a tagline of "not a wine bar" — has an anticipated late-fall opening at 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

During the day, they will serve cartons of their Bad Habit ice cream (a business created during the pandemic). And by night, as Eater reported, Caleta "will offer a New American small plates menu to pair with wine, cartons of their ice cream, as well as desserts that use Bad Habit product like baked Alaska." 

The space was previously Thai Direct, which closed following a COVID-related rent dispute with the landlord, per the restaurant's ownership.

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space turns 10

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) is marking its 10th anniversary over the next few days.

Via the EVG inbox...

To celebrate this landmark year, MoRUS, along with partners The Anarchist Book Fair, The Emma Goldman Film Festival, Green Oasis Community Garden/Gilbert’s Garden, La Plaza Cultural Community Garden, Nublu, and Time's Up, is set to present a four-day slate of events revisiting some of the museum's most gripping films, in-demand workshops, beloved walking tours and dynamic speakers.

There are a lot of events. You can find more info at this link. 

Originally slated to open in mid-November 2012, MoRUS was forced to push back its grand opening date by a month due to flood damage from Hurricane Sandy. In the days following the storm, MoRUS created a cell phone charging station for the community using a bike generator lent to the museum by Time's Up!

MoRUS, which chronicles the East Village community's history of grassroots action and activism, is located at 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street. 

Classic Odessa Restaurant signage gone for now on Avenue A; 'It's in a safe place'

Several readers noted over the weekend that the classic Odessa Restaurant signage — • Seafood • Steaks • Chops • Cocktails — has been removed (or covered!) at 117 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. 

As you probably know, Superiority Burger is moving into the space... with an anticipated opening one of these days. 

Brooks Headley, owner of the all-vegetarian quick-serve spot that was on Ninth Street, told Grub Street in August 2021 how much he loved Odessa's interior. "I find it completely beautiful — the soda counter, the satellite bar, the cash register station. I don't plan to change it at all." 

We asked SB what became of the old sign. Perhaps it will be refurbished and returned? (After all, the Seafood and Steaks lettering was peeling off.) The response via Instagram: "Don't worry. It's in a safe place!"

Odessa Restaurant opened in this space in April 1995 before a July 2020 closure. The original Odessa, the longtime favorite that dated to the mid-1960s, closed next door at 115 Avenue in August 2013.

At the grand reopening of Essex Card Shop

Photos by Stacie Joy 

This morning saw the grand reopening of Essex Card Shop. 

As you know, the storefront at 47 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street was destroyed in a fire this past Jan. 10. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by and found a happy owner, Muhammad Aslam, and his daughter, Mehnaz Noreen, the retail sales manager...

Some locals were there to support the shop's first day back and pick up some office or school supplies, greeting cards, etc.

Stacie also had the chance to check out a fully stocked store...

Because people will ask: Longtime manager Jayant "Jay" Patel is currently traveling in India and will return soon.

Reminders: Essex Card Shop reopens today!

Photo by Stacie Joy

As we first reported on Thursday, Essex Card Shop reopens today (Sept. 6!) at 10 a.m.

The new awning arrived over the weekend ahead of the big day here at 47 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street.

A fire destroyed the storefront this past Jan. 10. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Filling the shelves as Essex Card Shop moves closer toward a reopening on Avenue A (Aug. 2)

• Cleaning out and preparing to rebuild Essex Card Shop on Avenue A (Feb. 22)

• Assessing the fire damage at Essex Card Shop (Jan. 13)

• Information about a crowdfunding campaign to help the fire-damaged Essex Card Shop (Jan. 11) 

State seizes Sestina for nonpayment of taxes; owners cite 'technical difficulties'

Photos by Stacie Joy

Late last week, the state seized Sestina, the pasta restaurant at 67 Second Ave. for "nonpayment of taxes," according to the legal documents affixed to the storefront here at Fourth Street...

Plant-based celebrity chef Matthew Kenney opened Sestina in the fall of 2020, one of several restaurants he operates in the East Village.

The restaurant's Instagram account notes the following about the closure: "We apologize for the inconvenience for our technical difficulties. We will be back open very soon! We thank you for your understanding."

Meanwhile, Kenney just opened a Sestina in Culver City, Calif. 

J. Crew confirmed for the Bowery; opening scheduled on Sept. 13

A J. Crew men's shop is opening at 316 Bowery on Sept. 13... the location arrived over the weekend on the brand's website... 

As previously reported, renovations have been quickly taking place inside the former restaurant space in recent weeks.

A Bowery Boogie informant first heard that a J. Crew was in the works, though there hadn't been anything official from the company about the new location here at Bleecker. 

In addition, contractors at the scene professed to not know anything about who the tenant was. Meanwhile, other tipsters came forward, stating that this will be a JPress outpost (not true, the brand said) or a Rowing Blazers shop (also not true — they are opening at 8 Rivington St. on Thursday).

As these interior photos by EVG contributor Stacie Joy from late last week show, the shop will apparently offer a coffee service... as seen on the front counter...

After filing for Chapter 11 in May 2020, J. Crew exited bankruptcy that fall. Per Retail Dive:

Lenders have taken over controlling ownership after a federal bankruptcy court approved J. Crew's reorganization plan. That deal left investment firm Anchorage Capital Group as the retailer's current majority owner. Kevin Ulrich, Anchorage's CEO, said in the release that his firm sees "an immense opportunity for growth and expansion at each brand," which includes the J. Crew and Madewell banners.

The company must be doing better financially — they're paying a 24/7 security detail to prevent people from tagging the 316 Bowery storefront. 

There's also a J. Crew men's shop not too far away on Broadway at Broome. 

The restaurant Saxon + Parole, which never reopened after the PAUSE of March 2020, was the last retail tenant in this space.

This week in milling and paving East Village streets

Several East Village streets are scheduled for nighttime milling and paving this coming week. (H/T Steven!) 

On the schedule (see the website here): 

• First Avenue between 12th Street and 15th Street (Tuesday)

• Seventh Street from Avenue D to Cooper Square (Tuesday and Wednesday) 

• Taras Shevchenko Place from Sixth Street to Seventh Street (Wednesday)

• Third Street from Avenue D to the Bowery (Wednesday and Thursday)

Monday's parting parallel parking shots

As seen yesterday (top pic) and today on St. Mark's Place...

An end-of-summer appreciation: InCircles

Photos and interview by Stacie Joy 

We’re hearing from some neighborhood residents about how much they enjoy the free summer concerts in Tompkins Square Park and the joy they bring. 

In an ongoing series looking at musicians busking, we focus on InCircles, who have been providing, along with a newly formed production company ShowBrain, summer weekend concerts locally.

InCircles are Jewlee Trudden on vocals and guitar, Ozzie Silva on drums, and Matt Middleton on bass. After a recent show, I talked with the band about their history together and why playing Tompkins is so important to them. 

What is the band’s origin story? 

Jewlee: I started the band under various monikers in high school. After many band members coming and going over the years, Ozzie and I eventually came together and realized it was a partner-in-crime situation. Dream team and whatnot. We started playing together a year or so before Stable 8 EP came out in 2015. 

However, the members of InCircles have all played music in multiple projects and met in the local music scene, eventually playing a show together in our respective bands. 

Ozzie: Yeah, Jewlee and I played a show together while I was playing guitar in a small punk band called Stupid Naturals. We shared the same bill with InCircles, stayed connected, and a few months later, when they needed a drummer, I tried out and nailed the audition! We took a break for a part of 2019 and all of 2020, but we’re back at it now. Full force! 

How would you describe your sound? And how did the InCircles name come to be? 

Jewlee: Honestly, the band name came to be in a not-super-deep way. I think I saw it written on a window or something and was like, “eh, that’s kinda cool...” It’s not a Sunny Day Real Estate reference. A lot of people ask that. Sorry y’all. 

However, it’s taken on a deeper meaning over time. Which honestly feels kind of cooler to me. It can be an in-flux kind of thing. Right now, to me, it means everything comes full circle. Maybe time isn’t linear. It’s easy to fall back into old habits; come back to relationships, romantic or otherwise, that maybe should’ve been left behind. Energy can’t be created or destroyed. Plenty of different applications; maybe the listener can decide for themselves what it means. I’d describe our sound as a fruity and bloody blend of high-energy rock-n-roll with some punk thrown in.

You play a lot in the East Village, yet band members don’t live in the neighborhood. What draws you to the area? Why is Tompkins Square Park especially meaningful as a place to play? 

Ozzie: It’s New York City! We’re so lucky to live in a city with such a diverse group of people who appreciate the music and arts. It’s harder to convince people to come to a venue and much easier to bring the music to the people and create a following from there. Especially considering [the pandemic during] 2020 and 2021. A lot of people do not like to go to venues because of the fear of Covid, so it was much easier to play out in open spaces. Plus, it can be more fun than the traditional circuit! And Tompkins Square Park is a classic one. So many bands paved the way for us there. 

I caught a set of yours at ABC No Rio maybe eight years ago or so, a very high-energy punk show. How has the band’s sound changed since then? 

Ozzie: I’m not sure how much it’s changed yet to the public. We’re working on new songs so we’ll let the people decide from there.

What’s next for the band? 

Ozzie: Recording and releasing some singles, touring in the fall and continuing to play and connect with other bands!

You can keep up with the band on Instagram. 

And leaving you with the band's cover of "Blister in the Sun" ...

  

Why Blank Street Coffee seems everywhere, and maybe that's not a good thing

Photo on Avenue A from last fall

ICYMI: Several EVG readers passed along this piece from the Times last week titled "It's Not Just You — Blank Street Coffee Is Suddenly Inescapable." 

Four outposts (Avenue A, First Avenue, Third Avenue and the Bowery Market) have arrived in the East Village since last fall. 

Per the Times:

The rapid expansion has piqued the interest of New Yorkers, who became especially alert to changes in the streetscape during the pandemic. When word got out that Blank Street is not an independent chain like Variety or Bean & Bean, but an enterprise with global ambitions backed by private equity financing, many became curious — and sometimes suspicious.

And...

To fuel that growth, Blank Street raised $67 million last year; investors include high-profile venture capital funds like General Catalyst and Tiger Global, the founders of Allbirds and Warby Parker, and the real estate giant Tishman Speyer 

With that kind of backing, [co-founders] Mr. [Issam] Freiha and Mr. [Vinay] Menda had anticipated rapid growth. They did not anticipate that by debuting in Williamsburg and advertising their support for local business, they would invite the kind of scrutiny normally reserved for Met Gala outfits and Mets pitchers. Skeptics, who see Blank Street as an avatar of gentrification and automation, and resent the use of Wall Street money to compete with local businesses, have aired their objections on social media.

@livlaskowski i physically can’t stop myself from commenting on niche coffee news I’m sorry #blankstreet ♬ Just a Cloud Away - Pharrell Williams

Back to the Times... 

Jalen Williams, a product support engineer, stopped going to Blank Street soon after the very first brick-and-mortar shop opened on Bedford Avenue in his neighborhood. "People realized they were just here to check the Williamsburg box," he said.

As Eater pointed out in its brief — titled "The Oppressive Blah-ness of the Blank Street Coffee Chain" — about the article, Blank Street "has the potential to threaten mom-and-pop coffee shops." 

And how does it stack up against other chains? Per the Times, a 16-ounce Blank Street iced latte costs $4.25; at Dunkin’, $3.75; and at Starbucks, $5.50.

Week in Grieview

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

 • Two local deadly shootings on Thursday: 26-year-old man outside 3 Haven Plaza ... 25-year-old woman on 14th Street and Irving Place 

• Report: Unsafe levels of arsenic found in the drinking water at Riis Houses; when did city officials know? (Saturday) 

• The Boys' Club has moved out of its longtime home on 10th Street and Avenue A (Monday) 

• Tenant concern as longtime family-owned residential buildings sell for $58 million (Thursday) 

• Essex Card Shop reopens on TUESDAY (Thursday) 

• Bands we like — Jade Tourniquet (Friday) 

• The Green Bench is stolen from the TF in Tompkins Square Park; 'this shit is an act of WAR' (Monday) 

• Highlights from Day 1 of Keyapalooza (Saturday)

• Claim: City cuts down tree on 5th Street after block association receives permission for pruning (Tuesday) 

• New at Ray's Candy Store: The corn dog (Tuesday)

• In the mood for autumn: Fall Into the City debuts at 3rd & B'zaar (Tuesday)

• A name change for Yoli Restaurant on 3rd Street (Wednesday) 

• Madame Vo team opening Monsieur Vo on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday) 

• Sanshi Noodle House looks closed (Tuesday) 

• The pits: Workers digging in for the future office building at 1 St. Mark's Place (Thursday) 

• Foxface closing Friday ahead of a move to new Avenue A space (Tuesday) 

• Why Panda Express isn't open yet on 14th and 1st (Thursday) 

• What's going in at the renovated 316 Bowery? (Monday) 

• City removes Poco's outdoor dining structures (Monday) 

... and headlines we didn't get around to posting: What the duck?

---

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

Report: Inside the fight to save Theatre 80 on St. Mark's Place

ICYMI: Journalist Katerina Barton filed a good piece for Gothamist on Theatre 80 owners Lorcan and Genie Otway and the legal battle to save the historic Theatre 80 on St. Mark’s Place. 

An excerpt: 

When the March 2020 pandemic lockdowns shuttered entertainment and hospitality industries everywhere, Otway couldn’t make his loan payments. In November 2020 he tried to negotiate an extension on the loan. He learned that his debt had been sold to Maverick Real Estate Partners. His interest rate had jumped from 10% to 24%. Maverick did not respond to requests for comment. 

Last December, Otway filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which would have allowed him to reorganize his finances and pay off the debt with future profits. But a bankruptcy court trustee said they didn't believe the theater, museum, and bar had enough income to make that plan work. Now the court has ordered the properties to be sold.

For the Otways, this solution isn’t viable. They live in an apartment upstairs along with other tenants in the building. “We would lose our future and our past,” Otway said. “You can imagine the nightmare we’re facing — it’s Kafkaesque.” 

Read the full piece here.

Previously

Who wood you pick?

Many people weighed in about this discarded wood carving found on First Avenue and 14th Street yesterday. 

These are among the many responses to who was immortalized (then abandoned!) on this slab of wood... 

• Ben Franklin 

• Daniel Boone 

• Christopher Columbus 

• St. Thomas Moore 

• Lethal Weapon-era Mel Gibson 

• Vigo, the Carpathian 

• Lord Farquad 

• Random guy who had this done at a county fair 

• Viggo Mortensen 

• Kurt Vonnegut 

• The Quaker Oats guy (maybe on a meth bender?)

• Cesar Romero 

• Leonard Bernstein 

• Liberace 

• "My neighbor when I was a kid in Miami." 

• Paul Krasner 

• Barbara Bush 

• "Someone else who pissed off Jabba the Hutt." 

[Updated]: Unsafe levels of arsenic found in the drinking water at Riis Houses; when did city officials know?

Updated below

The NYCHA has said it has found traces of arsenic in the tap water at the Jacob Riis Houses on Avenue D. 

Signs in circulation around the complex between Sixth Street and 13th Street starting last night warned residents not to drink the water or use it for cooking indefinitely. According to the posted notices, the levels of arsenic are above levels considered safe by EPA standards.

In a bombshell report by The City, NYC officials were informed of tests showing traces of arsenic two weeks ago. However, officials didn't react until last night when the news outlet asked about the findings. 

Mayor Adams showed up to distribute bottled water at the Riis Houses last night around 10 ...

JUST IN: @NYCMayor joins officials and volunteers to distribute water bottles at @NYCHA’s Jacob Riis Houses. pic.twitter.com/By7EdPoXUk

— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) September 3, 2022

An NYCHA spokesperson said the results from the tests only came back yesterday.

The report that NYCHA found arsenic in the drinking water at the Riis houses before notifying residents is deeply concerning.

NYCHA residents deserve clear communication and immediate access to clean water.⁰⁰My office is following the situation closely.https://t.co/OQ72N0HCb3

— Comptroller Brad Lander (@NYCComptroller) September 3, 2022

⚠️ RIIS WATER UPDATE: We’re alarmed by yesterday’s news at Riis Houses. We’ve been on site ensuring families have updates + drinkable water. As we await more test results, DO NOT consume water from the building.

NYCHA + DOHMH must give answers on previous findings + remediation.

— NYC Council Member Carlina Rivera (@CMCarlinaRivera) September 3, 2022

Per Gothamist: 

Levels of arsenic above 10 parts per billion can cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, paralysis, and blindness, and prolonged exposure can lead to several types of cancer, according to the EPA. The mayor's office declined to say how high arsenic levels detected were. 

Over 2,600 people live at the Jacob Riis Houses.

I don’t know what to say. Other than my mom lives in this development and it’s a really scary situation. https://t.co/kidQg65YPs

— John M. Blasco (@JBlascoNYC) September 3, 2022

Updated 9/5

Here's more from a new story at The City:

According to an internal NYCHA email obtained by THE CITY, DOHMH [Department of Health & Mental Hygiene] doesn’t believe the contaminant emanates from the water supply but is somehow coming from the plumbing system at Riis itself. 

A key concern for DOHMH is whether construction from ongoing work related to damage inflicted 10 years ago by Superstorm Sandy, as well as current work on the development’s heating system, have stirred up the soil and contributed to the contamination of the water.  

From CBS New York:

NYCHA's federally imposed watchdog monitor, Bart Schwartz, notified NYCHA officials to "ensure the integrity of any inquiry," and for the safety of residents "preserve all documents related to this issue"... including electronic and paper communications, test results and timelines.