A march to 'give us back our community center'

This coming Monday (Nov. 14), a group of activists is planning a march on the Midtown offices of Madison Realty Capital to demand the return of the former P.S. 64 to the community.

The long-empty building at 605 E. Ninth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C fell into foreclosure earlier this year and is reportedly in the hands of lender Madison Realty Capital.

The five-floor building is being offered for use as medical space or educational-related purposes. Meanwhile, some residents want to see the space used as a community center, as it was during its time as CHARAS/El Bohio Community Center.

Here's more about Monday's noon-time action via the Facebook invite:

Hey Billionaires! Give Us Back Our Community Center! 

Recently the former P.S. 64 ... fell into foreclosure. It is now in the hands of the Madison Realty group, "a vertically integrated real estate private-equity firm that manages approximately $9.5 billion in total assets on behalf of an institutional global investor base."

These are the folks that currently hold sway regarding the future of our beloved community center. 

We need to let them know that: We Demand that the former P.S. 64 be returned to our Lower East Side community for use by our community. Protest at Madison Realty Capital offices: 520 Madison Ave. (between 53rd and 54th Streets).

Gregg Singer bought the property from the city during an auction in 1998 for $3.15 million. He later evicted CHARAS in 2001, and the building has sat empty ever since.

There's now an updated action on Monday afternoon directed toward then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Per the invite:

At 1:30 p.m., we’ll send "A Message to You, Rudy." We'll march to protest Rudy Giuliani's underhanded sale of the property by picketing the RUDY SHOW at WABC Radio, 800 Third Ave. (between 49th and 50th Streets).

You can find the Facebook invite here.

As previously reported, ownership of the property had been in transition. In January, Supreme Court Justice Melissa Crane ruled that Madison Realty Capital could move forward with a foreclosure against Singer after years of delay. 

Madison Realty Capital reportedly provided Singer with a $44 million loan on the property in 2016. Court records show that he failed to repay the balance by its maturity date in April 2016, and by that September, the lender filed to foreclose, as reported by The Real Deal.

Singer wanted to turn the building into a dorm (more here), though those plans never materialized.

The address has multiple open fines and violations with the Department of Buildings, which still has a Stop Work Order (dating to August 2015) and a Full Vacate Order (from February 2019).

Photo by Kenny Toglia 

Down & Out NYC looking closer to opening on 6th Street

Signage is up for Down & Out NYC outside 503 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B ...

If the name sounds familiar to you... the place has been in the works for several years. We first mentioned it in October 2019 when the ownership team, including Joshua Richholt who was behind the now-closed Bushwick venues The Well and The Wick, appeared before CB3.

The bar's Instagram account describes the place as a "cocktail and oyster bar" with a menu featuring other fresh seafood. No word yet on an opening date.

The address was previously Cholo Noir, the Chicano-inspired bar-restaurant that closed in August 2018 after 13 months. No. 503 was also home for five weeks to Long Bay, a Vietnamese restaurant that closed in the spring of 2015. Several years earlier the space housed Gladiators Gym.

Bagels for Broadway

The Grabstein's Bagels outpost opened yesterday at 651 Broadway between Bleecker Bond. 

This is the third outpost (joining the UES and Prospect Heights) for the brand, whose owners, we're told, are also behind Pick A Bagel on the UES and in Midtown West.

Noted

EVG reader Sonya shared this photo from Avenue B and 14th Street... where there's a chair with the message: "I blame MTV." 

As of our press time, it was not immediately clear for what. (If this was, say, 1986, we could go with explicit imagery of Satanism and the minds of our youth!)

A GoFundMe campaign launched ahead of Ray's 90th birthday at Ray's Candy Store

Photos by Stacie Joy 

In January, Ray Alvarez, who's still working the late-night shift at Ray's Candy Store, turns 90. 

Ahead of that, the shop, which opened in 1974 here at 113 Avenue A just north of Seventh Street, is now hosting a GoFundMe "to help ensure he can keep his bills paid and his doors open for as long as he wants!" 

Per the campaign: 

With your support, we want to help Ray stay in business for as long as he wants until he decides to hang up his apron on his terms. Any additional funds raised will go directly to Ray to help keep his doors open and his bills paid! Running a small business in New York City, and all across America, for that matter, has become a herculean task. 

The pandemic and its economic pain brought many restaurants and other small businesses to their knees. Ray's food costs have soared. His energy bills have doubled. And Ray refuses to double his prices to make up for it because he would never do that to his loyal customers. That's just who he is. Many businesses were unable to survive. We refuse to let that happen to Ray's! 

Ray's Candy Store is the heart of the East Village. If Ray goes, a part of the neighborhood, and a part of New York City, goes with it. Together, with your help, we can ensure that Ray's awning stays lit up, the soft serve machines stay humming, and the deep-fried Oreos keep coming! (And, of course, that you can count on hearing Ray shout I LOVE YOUUUUU!!! from his window as you pass by!) 

You can find the link here.

UPDATED: Pinky's Space is closed for now 2 weeks after the city removes its curbside structure on 1st Street

Photo from Oct. 27 by Lori E. Seid 

Updated: Owners Wesely and Mimi reached out to tell us that they have NOT closed for good, despite the published report. They said they are "currently in a rebuilding phase and will not be closing permanently."

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Pinky's Space, the cafe-art gallery at 70 E. First St. has closed two weeks after the city removed its curbside dining structure. And now, the owners are planning to sue the city for property damage and loss of business, Jennifer Gould at the Post reports. 

On Oct. 27, the city leveled the 50-foot-long outdoor structure, which had morphed into an assemblage of paintings, furniture and plants — topped off by a chandelier and disco ball here between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Co-owner Mimi Blitz estimated she spent $50,000 on the structure.

 Per the Post: 

"We are still devastated — we haven’t been able to fully reopen and we have to restructure our business model because 90% of our business was from roadway dining," said Blitz... 

"We had a living, breathing business here," Blitz added. "We made sure it looked good and was up to code." 

A DOT spokesperson told the Post that Pinky's Space had received three non-compliance warnings since August. 

"We had no indication they were taking the structure down, taking my whole livelihood down," Blitz said. "Some of the DOT workers were laughing at us. They took the lights, every piece of wood, and the astroturf." 

Pinky's Space first opened in 2018 as a quick-serve cafe offering a variety of sandwiches served on biscuits.

Eros remains closed on 2nd Avenue

Eros has been dark since early August on the NE corner of Second Avenue and Fifth Street.

A "temporarily closed" sign has been on the front door. The Greek restaurant's website notes that this location is "closed for renovations. Reopening TBA."

We have not spotted anyone inside the space during this time either.

Through the months, various notices have been spotted inside the front door, like this letter from the DOT dated Sept. 6 requesting that ownership correct some deficiencies in the curbside dining structure on Fifth Street ...

And in October, someone smashed the front door, which remains this way today...

Eros took over for the diner the Kitchen Sink in September 2021 (same owners) ... management previously changed names from Moonstruck to the Kitchen Sink in the fall of 2015. 

Several Kitchen Sink fans have emailed us about the current state of the space, with the feeling that it won't return. There was a general consensus that people preferred the Kitchen Sink's reliable diner staples instead of more upscale Greek dishes.

H/T Steven!

Openings: Wild Mirrors on 2nd Avenue

Wild Mirrors has debuted at 95 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

The quick-serve restaurant offers "healthier options of your favorite food" for dining in or delivery. The menu shows a variety of burgers, wings and fries ... as well as Mexican Coca-Cola. (No alcohol.) It's not immediately clear how these are prepared to be healthier. 

Google lists their hours as 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The space was home for years to Thailand Cafe, which went dark in the summer of 2020. 

Thanks to Steven for the photo!

Sidewalk bridge removal on 3rd Avenue and 9th Street reveals some EV archaeological history

The sidewalk-bridge removal at 115 E. Ninth St. (and around Third Avenue up to 10th Street) today revealed some ghost signage... as EVG reader Sarah points out...

If this helps... Organic Avenue!

Organic Avenue was here from 2013-2015 until the juice-bar chainlet imploded. 

Top photo by Steven

Did you catch the Beaver Blood Moon lunar eclipse early this morning?

EVG reader Jeanne Krier shared this photo from an EV rooftop early this morning. 

What was happening? 

Per Space.com: 

The last total lunar eclipse until 2025 will turn the moon blood-red on Tuesday, Nov. 8, but exactly when you should look up depends on where you are. The eclipse, dubbed the Beaver Blood Moon lunar eclipse since it occurs during November's Full Beaver Moon, will be visible across North America, the Pacific, Australia and Asia.

During the eclipse, the full moon will pass through Earth's shadow as it moves behind our planet with respect to the sun, giving it a spectacular bloody color in the process. 

Our friend Roger Clark at NY1 got a nice clip...

Pretty cool #BloodMoon over #StatenIsland pic.twitter.com/nP9xUXc3d1

— Roger Clark (@RogerClark41) November 8, 2022

7 years later, the sidewalk bridge is coming down on the NW corner of 3rd Avenue and 9th Street

Workers from the Department of Miracles were out today... starting to remove the longstanding sidewalk bridge from outside the St. Mark at 115 E. Ninth St. ...  which wrapped around the storefronts along Third Avenue up to 10th Street... (thanks to Bruce Tantum for the initial tip!)

A worker told EVG correspondent Steven that the bridge had been up for seven years, which seems about right. (A Google Street View shows the bridge in place in 2016 but not at the next increment back in 2014.)

In May 2016, a 10-by-10-foot section of the facade started to separate from the building on the 15th floor. (At this point, the bridge had been in place for seven months.) The city closed Third Avenue while the repairs were made. 

Election Day

Today (Nov. 8!), NYC will vote in a general election for federal and statewide offices including U.S. Congress, Governor, ballot proposals and more.

Polls are open on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Find your poll site here. 

You can find more info about the candidates and issues via NYC Votes.

Olde Good Things is closing its Bowery outpost

The Olde Good Things outpost at 302 Bowery is closing here between Bleecker and Houston. 

A for-rent banner arrived above the storefront several weeks ago, providing a hint of closures to come. Most things are between 20-40% off, per the front-window signage...

This outpost of the architectural artifact dealer specializing in reclaimed building materials and antiques arrived here in 2013. 

Olde Good Things has two other NYC locations as well as one in Los Angeles and a warehouse in Scranton, Pa.

Compilation Coffee has closed for now on St. Mark's Place

After less than two months in business, Compilation Coffee has closed for now at 102 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Multiple EVG readers passed along updates that the pour-over coffee shop has not been opening in recent days, and there are packing containers inside the storefront.

Yelp reports that the business is temporarily closed, with a May 1, 2023, reopening, while Google lists Compilation Coffee as "permanently closed." The shop's website notes that Compilation Coffee Roasters 2.0 is coming soon...

Compilation Coffee has not yet responded to our messages about the situation here.

Industry vet Noah Jashinski, who has worked with brands like Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle and Stumptown, is behind Compilation Coffee, which just debuted in early September.

The business was looking to set itself apart in its offerings — no fancy iced mocha frappé drinks — and support to the community with the following values statement: "We believe in inclusion, transparency, and service." 

The shop also had a curbside space built for patrons last week ...

Bottom photo and screengrabs via Steven

Report: Police arrest suspect in the murder of Jaden Stokes at Campos Plaza

Photo from Oct. 29 

Police have arrested a suspect in the deadly shooting on Oct. 27 inside Campos Plaza, 635 E. 12th St. at Avenue C. 

According to published reports, Lindell Cox, 31, was charged with murder in the death of 21-year-old Jaden Stokes. 

Surveillance footage shows a man, who police have said is Cox, wearing a mask and firing multiple shots inside the NYCHA's building lobby while Stokes and a 24-year-old man were waiting for the elevator. The other man was wounded by a gunshot in the leg. A motive for the shooting wasn't revealed.

A GoFundMe established to help the Stokes family pay for funeral expenses states that Jaden had just started a new job as a School Youth Mentor. He received his first check on the day he was killed.

Basquiat's former loft space on Great Jones is available for lease

The building at 57 Great Jones St. between the Bowery and Lafayette is now on the rental market...

The two-level building was once owned by Andy Warhol ... and Jean-Michel Basquiat was living and working in the second-floor studio at the time of his death in 1988.

Here are some particulars via the listing at Meridan Capital Group: 

• Historic full-building restaurant opportunity

• Previously owned by Andy Warhol and art studio/home of Jean-Michel Basquiat 

• Fully equipped restaurant space with venting & gas in place 

• Massive skylight in ground floor dining room 

• The lower level consists of 2 walk-in boxes, dry storage and office space 

• The second floor consists of open loft space with high ceilings and multiple skylights 

• All uses considered 

The back of the ground-floor space had been home to Bohemian, an invite-only Japanese restaurant that provided some intrigue for food writers 10-plus years back. (As we understand, Bohemian's parent company, Play Earth Inc., owns the building.) 

In July 2016, Village Preservation, in partnership with Two Boots Pizza, unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark Basquiat's time here from 1983-1988.

The building's façade served as an ad-hoc memorial to Basquiat through the years. As we first reported back in February, workers painted over all the tributes... though, as the top photo on this post shows, the tags are making a comeback. 

You can read this post at Village Preservation for more history of the building, which once served as the HQ for Five Points Gang ringleader Paul Kelly.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Tribute-filled façade of former Basquiat studio painted over on Great Jones

Wegmans watch on Astor Place

As you likely noticed in the past few weeks, the landmarked 770 Broadway at Eighth Street/Lafayette is behind a layer of plywood...

...with a plywood rendering, which looks exactly like the current building...

Gut renovations continue inside the retail space on the NW corner of Eighth Street at Lafayette ... which will be the first Manhattan outpost of Wegmans. (The one in Brooklyn opened in 2019.) 

Wegmans will occupy space on both the street and lower levels of No. 770 for a total of roughly 82,000 square feet. The grocery is reportedly set to open in the second half of 2023. (Published reports state that Wegmans plans to employ more than 500 people at this store, including 200 full-time positions.) 

And a look through the blogger portals provides the current state of reconstruction affairs here ... 

As previously reported, Kmart closed in this space after 25 years in July 2021. Wegmans had agreed to buy out the fading retailer's lease to make this deal possible.

Motorino closed for renovations; return set for Nov. 18

Motorino is behind plywood at 349 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

The pizzeria will BRB...

This Motorino outpost closed on Oct. 18 for "equipment maintenance, a new sign and a fresh coat of paint." Their Instagram account says, "We'll be back on Nov. 18, ready for another 12 years in the East Village."

The locations on the UWS and the original in Williamsburg remain open.

Motorino arrived here in the fall of 2009. 

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Sunday's parting shot

A view of the moon from an East Village street...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a random photo from St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue)... 

• At the last night of the Pyramid Club on Avenue A (Monday) 

• Citing a reorganization, Mikey Likes It Ice Cream closes Avenue A location (Thursday) 

• A very Avenue B Halloween (Tuesday)

• A fundraising raffle to help Lower East Side families this Thanksgiving (Tuesday) 

• Owners of Joyface debut HiLot on Avenue C (Tuesday)

• Key Food is back to 24/7 (Monday) 

• The 9th Precinct touts a big drug bust in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday)

• Just what the doctor ordered? MedRite Urgent Care debuts on 14th and 3rd (Friday)

• Check out the new single by Hello Mary (Friday) 

• A busy week for milling in the East Village (Monday) 

• Demolition complete on the Bowery for the New Museum annex (Wednesday) 

• Mug & Cup space is now in possession of the landlord on Avenue C (Thursday)

• Activity at the former Associated on 14th Street (Wednesday) 

• The former Nomad space is for rent on 2nd Avenue (Tuesday) 

• How long will this booted Dodge Durango sit here on 11th Street? (Friday) 

• SantaCon 2022 is now on the clock (Monday)

• Double-decker plywood report (Monday) 

... and a last look at Halloween courtesy of Derek Berg...

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