The Village View Tag Sale is today (Sunday!)

There's a tag sale at Village View today (Sunday!) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ... it's on the Fifth Street basketball court between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

All proceeds go to the VV Garden Committee!

Making a splash at the 2023 Dance Parade

Photos by Derek Berg 

The steady rain yesterday afternoon didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the participants in the 17th annual Dance Parade. 

This year's edition, with the theme "Beyond the Zone," was to feature 10,000 dancers from 160-plus dance organizations. 

Derek Berg shared a selection of photos from along the parade route on St. Mark's Place... and from inside Tompkins Square Park, where the post-parade DanceFest kicked off...

The incredibly true adventures of papier-mâché man continue

Photo by Derek Berg 

As seen on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street today... and flashback to yesterday.

A celebration of Tim Lomas' life today at the 6th and B Garden

Just received word that there is a celebration of Tim Lomas' life today from 3-6 p.m. 

The afternoon starts with a procession outside where he lived at 60 Avenue B at 3, with a memorial taking place a short distance away at the 6th and B Garden at roughly 3:30. 

Lomas, an artist, musician, teacher, photographer and longtime East Village resident, died on Feb. 17. 

Read more about him here.

The Ukrainian Festival continues this weekend on 7th Street

The St. George Ukrainian Festival continues today and tomorrow on Seventh Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square. 

Our previous post has more info... or check out the festival's Facebook page.

Reminders: The Dance Parade and DanceParty are today — even in the rain!

The 17th annual Dance Parade is taking place today (you may have seen — or knocked over? — the barricades). 

And this is a go even in the rain, so bring those dance slickers. 

This year's grand marshals, Ronald K. Brown, Natasha Diggs and Elizbeth Streb, will kick off the event at 11:45 a.m. from a new starting location — 17th Street and Sixth Avenue (it was on Broadway and 20th last year). 

And more details via the EVG inbox:

At this year's parade and festival, Dance Parade will celebrate its 17th year under the theme "Beyond the Zone" with 10,000 dancers from 160+ dance organizations who will present over 100 unique styles of dance down Avenue of Americas, parade across West 8th Street, perform before the Grand Stand at St. Mark's Place before reaching Tompkins Square Park [for DanceFest]. 

The DanceFest is from 3-7 p.m. in Tompkins.

RIP Andy Rourke

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer. Andy will be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by those who knew him and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans. We request privacy at this sad time. pic.twitter.com/uqunPzgFdy

— Andy Rourke (@AndyRourkeMusic) May 19, 2023

Andy Rourke, the bass player for the Smiths in the 1980s who later relocated to the East Village, died today of pancreatic cancer. He was 59. 

His Smiths bandmate Johnny Marr (the two met at age 11) had this to say about his longtime friend via Instagram: 

"Throughout our teens, we played in various bands around south Manchester before making our reputations with The Smiths from 1982 to 1987, and it was on those Smiths records that Andy reinvented what it is to be a bass guitar player." 

There were many other tributes on social media...

Godspeed Andy Rourke, and thank you for the music. pic.twitter.com/MToC9zjHUp

— Rough Trade Records (@RoughTradeRecs) May 19, 2023

Devastated to hear of the death of Andy Rourke of The Smiths. Don’t know what to say. Here he is playing my favourite bassline:pic.twitter.com/KEh4ygobtx

— Florence of Northumbria (@FlorenceHRScott) May 19, 2023

Very sorry to hear that Smiths bassist Andy Rourke has passed away. I have great memories of him playing with Johnny Marr and myself on the Red Wedge tour. He was a lovely guy and an amazing bass player. My condolences to his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/r9moJTxgiG

— Billy Bragg (@billybragg) May 19, 2023

Such sad sad news about Andy Rourke - He was an inspirational musician with a style that made so many of us pick up a bass guitar; and the driving force for Manchester Versus Cancer. Our thoughts are with everyone who knew him. Travel well x pic.twitter.com/6hrrfl9bhx

— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) May 19, 2023

Sad to wake up+learn the news about the passing of legendary Andy Rourke from pancreatic cancer. I saw him with the Smiths live 4 times-also with Blitz Vega. He recently sent me a message and I was completely unaware that he had been sick.A great bass player, DJ, and a kind man. pic.twitter.com/xZPeknGSPj

— Matt Pinfield (@mattpinfield) May 19, 2023

Rourke relocated from Manchester to the East Village in 2009, settling in an apartment on 13th Street. He later hosted a popular show on East Village Radio. 

Smiths singer Morrissey paid tribute to Rourke: "He will never die as long as his music is heard. He didn't ever know his own power and nothing that he played had been played by someone else." 

To the glory days...

The 'Gilded' age

 

There's new music out via Cults... watch the video here for "Gilded Lily." 

And check out our Q&A with one half of the duo, longtime EV resident Madeline Follin, from 2020 right here.

Noted

Update here! Papier-mâché man lives!

On the topic of random papier-mâché sculptures around the neighborhood... we first came across the above last evening outside East Village Organic on First Avenue between Seventh and St. Mark's Place (photo by Derek Berg)... 

And how it was going this morning... (EVG reader pic)...

... and now around the corner on Seventh Street (photo by Daniel Efram)...

Out and about with Rhett the Rhino

While we don't always know why papier-mâché sculptures are randomly placed around the neighborhood... we have answers about those one — aka Rhett the Rhino. 

Rhett was making the rounds in support of East Village resident Jenny Toth's show — "Birds of a Feather" — which runs through tomorrow at Blue Mountain Gallery, 547 W. 27th St. (suite 200). Read more about the exhibit here.

And say hey to Rhett...
 

A winning bid for Theatre 80; a vow to keep fighting for the building

The owners of Foxface, current residents and former commercial tenants of the building housing Theatre 80, were reportedly the high bidders for 78-80 St. Mark's Place during its bankruptcy auction on May 9.

As The Village Sun first reported, business and life partners Ori Kushnir and Sivan Lahat put in the winning bid at $8.8 million under a single-purpose entity. 

Kushnir and Lahat have lived in an apartment in the building just west of First Avenue since 2005. They later operated the popular Foxface specialty sandwich shop from the front window in late 2018, drawing crowds and a positive review from Pete Wells at The New York Times. 

The quick-serve shop closed last September and planned to relocate ahead of the bankruptcy proceedings here to a larger space at 189 Avenue A between 11th Street and 12th Street. They are now running Foxface Natural, which debuts this coming Wednesday.

There is some recent legal history between the two parties. LIK Hospitality (dba Foxface) filed a lawsuit against owner Lorcan Otway and the William Barnacle Tavern at the address in March 2021. 

Meanwhile, Village Preservation is continuing its efforts to have the building landmarked. Per a recent newsletter: 

We are deeply saddened to report that [on May 9], lacking intervention from the city, 78-80 St. Mark's Place, the longtime home of Theatre 80, was sold at auction ... This is a tragic loss for our city and neighborhood, and particularly tragic for the Otways, the long-time proprietors of the building and theater.

However, this need not be the end of this story. The Otways are still urging the city to intervene to take possession of the building and allow it to be operated by a nonprofit which would continue the work of Theatre 80, and we are still fighting to have the historic building landmarked, so no matter who the owner is, we can ensure this piece of our city’s history is not destroyed. We will continue to work to try to ensure that the cultural vitality embodied by Theatre 80 and the history embodied by this building survive. 

There's also a petition in circulation, now currently titled, "Mayor Adams, SAVE THEATRE 80 with Eminent Domain!" As of last evening, more than 8,000 people have signed it. 

New York City's Department of Cultural Affairs has also supported the theater's survival efforts. In April, the office expedited granting a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status to Historic 80 Saint Marks Inc., which opened the venue up to receiving various grants. 

Kushnir told the Sun that the building needs a lot of work. As for future commercial tenants: "Our first preference is to work with the preservation/theater groups to see if we can find a viable solution for keeping a community space alive in the building."

Meanwhile, the longtime owners, Lorcan Otway and his wife Genie Gilmore Otway, were ordered off the property by a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee on April 5. They have been staying in a room on Ninth Street provided by Father Pat, a longtime friend.

As previously reported, the Otways had been battling in recent years to save the space, which housed Theatre 80, the William Barnacle Tavern and the Museum of the American Gangster. (Lorcan had lived here since age 9 when his father bought the buildings to create an Off-Broadway theater in 1964.)

The two-building property was sold off to satisfy a $12 million loan in default via Maverick Real Estate Partners. (Our previous posts here and here have more background.)

EVG contributor Stacie Joy ran into the Otways in Tompkins Square Park last week. Lorcan said, "The fight is not over."

Previously on EV Grieve

• A look at Theatre 80 last night before marshals seize the historic East Village venue

• Local elected officials speak out to landmark Theatre 80 ahead of auction

Friday's opening shots

Ahead of the Dance Parade and DanceFest taking place tomorrow (rain or shine!), someone decided to show his/her enthusiasm by knocking over all the barricades that the NYPD put up along the route on Avenue A ... thanks to EVG reader Joe for these photos. 

And read more about the parade here ... and here.

Thursday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

For some reason, someone removed these wheatpaste signs within a few hours today on Seventh Street ...

This East Village resident is bringing a classic 82-year-old radio back to broadcasting life

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

I first stumbled across the radio — Zenith Radio Corp. 1941 Model 10-H-573 — in the old Babel Hookah and Lounge spot on Avenue C near Eighth Street, where superintendent Joey Oskowitz had stored it after rescuing it from the street several years prior. 

Joey was looking for someone who loved old radios (and this early 1940s era model indeed counted!) to take it off his hands. After EVG published this story last month about the radio needing a new home, several suitors, including Pete Margolis of the nearby Pete's Amp Shop, stepped forward. 

Pete and Joey met, and they agreed on a price... Pete then took the radio to his shop for restoration.

To repair the Zenith, he needed to source a new dial belt, a replacement cord, 50 new capacitors, and a new power supply. Pete fixed the circuits, cleaned the unit, and rearranged the tubes (a few were in the wrong spot).

Pete, originally from Connecticut, moved to the East Village 42 years ago. Pete, a musician himself, has been on Eighth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D for more than 20 years. He's got an amp repair workshop inside the unit that he shares with his girlfriend, Francine. 

During the repair process, he heard from LUNGS founder and president Charles Krezell, who told him that he was the previous owner of the piece, and later confirmed to me that he'd had the working radio in his apartment on Eighth Street from 1991 to 2015. 

When he moved, there wasn't any room for the radio cabinet, so he put it on the street, where, presumably, Joey found it.

So far, Pete has gotten the AM stations to work ...  and since there's no real FM in the dial, it's pretty much in working order. You can even pick up some local (New Jersey!) police scanner stations. 

Next, he's considering doing some restoration work on the cabinet, and it may be available for sale once it's completed to his satisfaction. 

Here, Pete provides a radio tour... don't touch that dial!

 

The Cube will return to Astor Place this summer — but not before a spin to the Hamptons

Just after midnight on May 8, workers whisked away the Cube (aka Alamo) from Astor Place for repairs, with an expected return mid-summer.

As previously reported (first by THE CITY), the 1,800-pound Cube was going to Bethany, Conn., for restoration by Versteeg Art Fabricators.

The Cube had been out of commission with structural damage since December 2021. At the time, we were told that the spinning mechanism for the Cube, which manually rotates around a pole hidden in its center, was not working. 

However, before returning to its Astor Place home of 56 years, the sculpture will be making a guest appearance in the Hamptons, where its creator, Tony Rosenthal (1914–2009), lived and worked. (Rosenthal's estate is picking up the estimated repair bill of $100,000.)

According to Dan's Papers, the Cube is headed to Southampton for the Hamptons Fine Art Fair, which takes place in July. 

Per the publication:

The restored Alamo will be on display from July 10-16. Rosenthal is being inducted posthumously into the fair's Hall of Fame, so the city's commissioners voted unanimously to loan the historical piece to commemorate the occasion. 

Hamptonites may also be familiar with the similar spinning steel Rosenthal sculpture, "Cube 72," which was made in 1972 and found a prominent spot outside Guild Hall in East Hampton.

Hamptons Fine Art Fair founder and Executive Director Rick Friedman says securing the massive piece was no easy feat. "To get this loan from New York City is outrageous," he said. "It's like getting the Statue of Liberty," Friedman added, pointing out that negotiations took about a year, with a lot of back and forth, an army of lawyers and piles of paperwork. 

But, he said, it was worth the effort. 

Given its VIP reception out east, the Cube will likely not return home via the Jitney. 

Checking in at Jazba, a new Indian restaurant opening this summer on 2nd Avenue

Interior renovations continue at 207 Second Ave., where an Indian restaurant will open here at 13th Street this summer.

Workers were spotted bringing in equipment in recent days. (Thanks to Steven for this photo.)

As previously reported, and first by the Commerical Observer, Junoon owner Rajesh Bhardwaj has a new concept for the space called Jazba.

Per the CO: 

Jazba will have a bar at the front of the restaurant, equipped with a craft cocktail menu, and two dining rooms serving recipes Bhardwaj picked up while visiting popular roadside eateries in India. 

In May 2020, David Chang announced that he was moving the nearly 15-year-old Ssäm Bar from this corner spot to the South Street Seaport. Milk Bar had retail space on the 13th Street side before moving across the street in May 2011. The cocktail bar Booker & Dax was here until October 2016, before Ssäm Bar expanded.

This prime storefront had been waiting for a new tenant since Momofuku moved on.

You can keep tabs on Jazba via Instagram.

City issues curbside dining structure removal to the shuttered Compilation Coffee

Photos by Steven

The Department of Transportation has issued a "Termination" notice for the curbside dining structure outside Compilation Coffee, 102 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The flyer states that the owners have 48 hours to remove the abandoned structure, or the city will do it and charge the business that closed six months ago ...

Compilation, a pour-over coffee spot, closed last November after less than two months in business without any notice to patrons. The curbside dining structure was erected a week before the shutdown.

A for-rent sign now hangs in the front window.

Meanwhile, the status of outdoor dining in NYC remains in flux.

Parkgoer escapes injury after a branch falls in the Tompkins Square Park dog run

Photos by Steven 

Parkgoers are buzzing about a tree limb that fell early last evening in the Tompkins Square Park dog run.

According to several witnesses, the branch struck and knocked over a young woman believed to be in her teens who was inside the dog run. 

Bystanders rushed to her aid and were relieved to see she was OK. (One witness said that she was screaming, though apparently about the bugs she encountered in the fall.)

This morning, a concerned parkgoer told us: "I have been asking [the Parks Department] for years to prune the trees in the dog run. Look at the rest of the trees in the park, then look at the trees in the run, which hundreds of people sit under every day. This happened last night ... with no wind or storms."

Workers demolish the south ramp to East River Park at Houston Street

Photos by William Klayer

The demolition/reconstruction of East River Park continues its northern march. Most recently workers have demolished the south ramp at the Houston Street overpass...

The north ramp remains open for park access. 

And here's a look at the work to date... with what looks like nearly half of the park closed down and gutted...

This is part of the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project. Workers have been burying the 57.5-acre park under fill, cutting down trees and will eventually elevate the land 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. 

The "phased work operations" began in November 2021 in Project Area 1 between Montgomery Street and 15th Street.

Last week, CB3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, & Resiliency Committee received an update on the project. You can find a PDF of the presentation here. 

Openings: Saint Pizza on Avenue B

Saint Pizza has debuted at 223 Avenue B between 13th Street and 14th Street. (First reported here.)

EVG reader Jake Bowling shared these photos and a quick assessment: "A pretty good slice place has opened ... they also sell cannoli and 7-layer cake. Nice people!"

A regular slice starts at $3.50 ... and there are heaven-themed pies, like the Blessed, a Margherita pizza with vodka sauce, pesto and mozzarella... 

For now, their daily hours are 11 a.m. to midnight... the placeholder website is here.