His nephew said that Pete died during a brief stay in the hospital due to heart problems.
He loved plants and shared his gardening skills with adjacent buildings between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
RIP Richard 'Pete' Peterson
Here's a look at the renovated interior of the long-vacant 6 Avenue B
Photos by Stacie Joy
Last week, EVG's Stacie Joy pointed out that workers had removed the scaffolding and construction netting from 6 Avenue B, the long-empty and currently under-renovation building on the NW corner of Avenue B.
Given this high-profile corner, there has been a lot of curiosity about the address and its fate (there were ultimately unfounded concerns at one point that this might be demolished for either a new building or part of a more extensive development).
The top photo shows you how the exterior is shaping up. Let's take a look inside the 6-floor building.
So far, the hallways and stairwells have retained some of their original charms — albeit buffed up — with the exposed brick, tiled floors, and classical staircase ironworks ...
The residential units are a different story... the pre-war details (take a look here) have been stripped away... in favor of designer-y desert-sand floors and cabinetry... 
... the oversized bedrooms have been chopped up into several small units...
Amenities look to include in-unit laundry and mini split air conditioners...
Some units include a view of Houston and Clinton (good for checking the weekend lines at Clinton St. Baking Company)...
... and a view of the foundation work for the 11-story building coming to 280 Houston St. ...
To recap some recent history here... an LLC linked to Penn Capital South, whose portfolio includes multiple EV properties, bought the building in February... but they didn't keep it long — it's back on the market. (The retail space is for lease, too... here's the listing.)
We have yet to see any listings for the refurbished units.
This was one of the abandoned buildings owned by the estate of the mysterious team of Arthur and Abraham Blasof, both long deceased. However, No. 6 has been generating some income with the cell-phone towers on the roof.
The liquor store in the retail space closed when the owner passed away in the fall of 2009 at age 89. (Chico created the tribute to her on the gate in February 2010. Will it stay?)
As we've pointed out (here and here), the building was in dismal shape and needed significant work to bring it up to code. Before the renovations, the DOB had cited No. 6 for emergency repairs several times in recent years.
Openings: Hello, Yam! on 9th Street and Avenue A
Photos by Stacie Joy
Hello, Yam! made its soft-opening debut on Friday at 443 E. Ninth St. at Avenue A...
The small shop with a few outdoor tables offers dessert options with Japanese sweet potatoes ... as well as parfaits and coffee drinks...
Hours: 1-9 p.m. during the week, until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed on Tuesdays.
You can follow Hello, Yam! on Instagram here.
A New signage era for Big Arc Chicken
Signage aside, we're not sure what else, if anything, has changed... might mean time for another visit ...
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Openings: Downtown Threads on Avenue A
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Downtown Threads is now in soft-open mode at 66 Avenue A between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.
The shop is selling vintage/thrift clothes and used records.
Operator Angel Ramirez, who's also behind Cafe Social 68 and the Halloween pop-up shop in the spaces next door, says Downtown Threads will have items for most budgets.
... here's manager Shaune Crawford...
Hours are Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.
They just launched an Instagram account ... a website is in the works.
This space served as a pop-up this past summer for Whim Golf. Before Whim, the storefront had been vacant since Lancelotti Housewares left in the fall of 2021 after 25 years in business.
What's going on at Connelly Theater Upstairs, the former home of the Metropolitan Playhouse
That 51-seat black box space is now part of the adjacent Connelly Theater and going as Connelly Theater Upstairs.
Gabe Mollica's "Solo: A Show About Friendship" opens there tonight.
About the production:
Gabe dives deep into what it means to have friends in your 30s, his special relationship with Stephen Sondheim, working at a summer camp for children with chronic illnesses, and what happens when you break up with your best friend.
Find tickets here.
Meanwhile, also starting tonight, "Salesman之æ»" at the Connelly Theater ...
Openings: Babs Home and Pantry on Avenue A
Photos by Stacie Joy
Babs Home and Pantry has debuted at 149 Avenue A between Ninth Street and 10th Street.
The home goods and gift shop features "local artists, vintage glassware and whimsical decor."
This is the second outpost for owner-operator Anna "Babs" Budinger, who grew up in the East Village. She opened her first shop in Astoria.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
F45 Training next for this 13th Street retail space
F45 Training is an Australian franchisor and operator of fitness centers based in Austin, Texas. It has over 2,000 studios in over 60 countries...
And!
F45 Training merges three leading-edge fitness training styles into one 45-minute functional training class.
There is no word on an opening date here.
INA NYC, the designer consignment store, was the last tenant in the storefront, closing in 2020.
The former Bong World is for rent on 14th Street
Bong World (March 2022-August 2023)
Monday, October 9, 2023
Key Food would like you to use a basket or cart
Photos by Stacie Joy
If you've been in Key Food on Avenue A at Fourth Street in recent days, then you've likely noticed an abundance of signage asking patrons to please use the baskets and carts provided...
... and NOT your personal carry-on or reusable bags...
Key management says these new signs are to "passively deter shoplifting." And the signs are definitely more passive than this move to stop a shoplifter at Key.
Dedicating Frances Goldin Way
Frances Goldin was one of the Lower East Side's most noteworthy and accomplished activists, civic leaders, and advocates for affordable housing. She was a leader in the establishment of the Cooper Square Committee, its affiliates, and the Metropolitan Council on Housing while fighting tirelessly for more than 50 years for the racially just integration of the Seward Park Urban Renewal area. She was dedicated to gay rights and was once honored on the lead float in the annual Gay Pride Parade in NYC. She was also a distinguished literary agent and founded her own firm representing many Pulitzer Prize-winning authors.
The East Village resident died in 2020 at age 95.
And here's the moment of the unveiling...
A cannabis dispensary is the first tenant for this newly created retail space on 7th Street
This is the very first retail tenant for the space, which for decades served as a residence.
This appears to be another unlicensed cannabis operation. (You can find a list of regulated, licensed dispensaries here.)
In August, the city put in place a new law to curb illegal stores:
Introduction 1001-B, now known as Local Law 107 of 2023, prohibits owners of commercial spaces from knowingly leasing to unlicensed sellers of marijuana or tobacco products, imposing fines of up to $10,000 on landlords for violations.
Steve Croman is the building's landlord. (A smoke shop is also on the way in one of his retail spaces on Avenue B.)
As previously noted, Anthony Pisano lived in this converted storefront full of antiques and whimsical curiosities for nearly 40 years. He died in 2018 at age 86. Check out some interior pics from his home here.
Sunday, October 8, 2023
Taking a 'Deep Dive' at Baker Falls
The evening (from 6-8) at the one-time home of the Pyramid Club includes a reading by local playwright-performance artist Edgar Oliver.
Here's more about the opening via the EVG inbox...
"Deep Dive" is a site-specific constructed environment of sculptural objects and process paintings by Alex Wolkowicz. This is the first time Baker Falls has invited an artist to create an installation. The Pyramid Club has been iconic in New York City nightlife since its opening in 1979 and at the forefront of the downtown performance, drag, punk, gay and rock scene."Deep Dive" honors the opening of Baker Falls and commemorates the Pyramid Club as a cultural touchstone for artists, performers, outsiders and drag queens. While under construction, Wolkowicz treated the space as an archaeological excavation site by collecting textures of the architectural details of the interior space using wet pouring techniques and graphite frottage rubbings.The "Deep Dive" exhibition is in conjunction with the production of a new play, "Rip Tide" at Axis Theater, by legendary downtown artist Edgar Oliver, about his formative years at The Pyramid Club. Oliver will perform original works at the opening reception ...
The event also marks the official opening of the Baker Falls cafe in the downstairs "Fever Dream room."
"Deep Dive" will run until Jan. 9. You can RSVP for a free ticket here.
Week in Grieview
Posts this past week included (with a photo from the Loisaida Fall Festival on 3rd Street yesterday by Stacie Joy)...
• The reconstruction of the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park begins on Oct. 16 (Saturday)
• Thinking about Dennis Edge (Thursday)
• The Hard Swallow is now closed (Thursday)
• Behold this amazing miniature of Mars Bar (Tuesday)
• Spellbound! It's the return of Hitchcocktober (Tuesday)
• In case you felt like seeing this exhibit featuring a classic Lower East Side bagel shop (Tuesday)
• Look at 6 Avenue B now! (Wednesday)
• 231 1st Ave. up to its 4th business in the past year (Wednesday)
• 2 bad signs at Luzzo's on Avenue B (Thursday)
• House of Munchies debuts on 1st Avenue (Monday)
...and thank you to everyone for keeping tabs on the tire clamp story... the contraption is now outside the construction office in Tompkins... (photo by Steven)
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A final look at the Beastie Boys mural on 14th Street and Avenue A
Photo by Jon Furlong
Here's a last look at the completed 8-story mural of the Beastie Boys on 14th Street at Avenue A.
As previously noted, Shepard Fairey, in collaboration with the Lisa Project NYC, created this stories-high work from a photo by East Village-based photographer Glen E. Friedman.
The mural is part of the ongoing celebration of 50 years of hip-hop.
What a day that was: You can still see 'Stop Making Sense' in theaters
Locally, you can catch it at Village East by Angelika (Tuesday's screening with a David Byrne Q&A is already sold out) ... Regal Union Square... and Regal Essex Crossing.
Sunday's opening shot
Saturday, October 7, 2023
The reconstruction of the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park begins on Oct. 16
Photo by Stacie Joy
Per the posted signs, the work will begin starting on Oct. 16 and last until Dec. 1.
As we first reported, the Parks Department will reconstruct the multipurpose courts, adding various amenities, including a two-lane seal-coated walking loop and new asphalt.
According to a landscape architect with the Parks Department (from a presentation in February), there's a lot of "asphalt structural damage," and it "needs to be replaced and repaired. And the only way to do that is to take all the asphalt down to the sub base and put new asphalt down."
Other additions: new benches, a kickball court, a high-low fountain that kids and adults can use simultaneously, and three new basketball backstops at the eastern end.
Skaters are worried the new asphalt will be either too soft or hard for skating, turning this decades-long hotspot into a useless spot.
Previously on EV Grieve:
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