A 'boutique micro hotel' is in the works for this former Bowery flophouse

The former Whitehouse Hotel, the last flophouses on the Bowery, will see a new life as a "boutique micro hotel" for solo travelers. 

This information comes via a new listing at Meridian Retail Leasing for the space at 340 Bowery between Great Jones and Bond. Here are hotel details per a PDF about the ground-floor space being pitched for retail or restaurant use: 

338-340 Bowery will undergo a full renovation repositioning itself into an 182-key modern boutique micro hotel inspired by European Luxury train sleeper cabins. The hotel will focus on creating a hub for solo travelers to connect while providing a beautiful, affordable and exceptional experience ... 

The Bowery Boutique Hotel will have a target demographic of adventurous, curious, global travelers ages 25-40 seeking a shared experience and appreciation for design and culture. The social profile will consist of design-focused and brand-aware young professionals who align their values with the NoHo culture.

The PDF includes renderings of the hotel...

And a rendering of the retail...

This 2,200-square-foot retail space has a monthly ask of $27,000.

Some recent history here: In August 2022, a "retail opportunity" banner arrived by the front door. (The Meridian signage arrived early last week.)

There is a lot of history with the Whitehouse, a four-story building that has served as a single-room occupancy hotel dating to 1899.

As we understand, a handful of residents remain here, and their presence has reportedly hindered any new building plans through the years. We hadn't heard anything about the building since late 2018, when Alex Vadukul profiled the artist Sir Shadow, who was one of the six remaining residents of the Whitehouse, in a feature at The New York Times.

As Vadukul noted: "A few residents have died, and buyouts have lured away others. The men who remain in the flophouse have refused these deals. The Whitehouse Hotel's future appears to now hinge on a grim but simple waiting game." (Sources tell us that Sir Shadow no longer lives at this address.)

Ahead of the renovations, the residents were moved to space at 338 Bowery. (We covered this here.)

The building was spruced up in 2011 to appeal to the thrill-seeking backpacking set. (For $45, guests could stay in a tiny room where the walls don't go up to the ceiling... while the long-term residents remained on another floor.)

However, the Whitehouse stopped accepting reservations in September 2014. Plans were previously filed via Sam Chang in 2014 to "convert a 4-story lodging house into a 9-story hotel," according to DOB records. The Renatus Group now owns the property located in the NoHo Historic District.

At its height in 1950, the Whitehouse had 234 "cubicles" for its occupants. Take a tour of the space here.  

1 week in on the reconstruction of the Tompkins Square Park multipurpose courts

The pavement reconstruction of the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park (along 10th and A) got underway last Monday....

Here's a look at the work to date...

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." 

The new walking/running track has garnered the most reaction from readers. This track will be painted on the new asphalt, not a rubberized coating.

Additions also include new benches (the 1939 World's Fair models!), a kickball court, a high-low fountain that kids and adults can use simultaneously, and three new basketball backstops at the eastern end. And moving forward, the space will no longer host permitted sports, including hockey in the fall or softball in the spring-summer.

According to Quartersnacks, the assortment of ramps, rails and boxes that the skaters used were placed in storage (at least the ones still in decent shape).

And some thoughts on the new era of the TF via Quartersnacks...

Tricks that were learned over those cracks in the asphalt took some people around the world. Lifelong friendships were forged on those benches. Over time, new cracks will form in the ground, and new friendships will form on the benches between people who never sat on the old ones. Regardless of how mystical you want to get about the place, it was a profound part in the life of anybody who spent time there. It's not disappearing, but it's changing.

Posted signs say the work will be complete by Dec. 1... though the Parks website still lists June 2024.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Big changes are coming to the iconic skate spot in Tompkins Square Park

You will be able to hone your comedy skills at a former 7-Eleven with the Upright Citizens Brigade

Back in the summer, the Upright Citizens Brigade announced plans to open a theater at 242 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

And they're expanding their footprint on this corridor of 14th Street (aka, IHOP Way!) — the empty retail space across the street now has the UCB branding on the front door...

Greg Goldberg, senior director at Meridian Retail Leasing, confirmed that UCB will use this space for comedy classes. (We reached out to UCB as well. Updated: UCB confirmed the usage for training as well!)

The address, 239 E. 14th St., has been vacant ever since the 7-Eleven here closed in December 2021. 

This new theater space marks a return for the comedy brand. Amid ongoing financial difficulties made worse by the start of the pandemic, UCB closed all its remaining NYC locations in April 2020.

You can find more UCB/East Village background in our previous post. 

This East Village building is now Untitled

Reporting by Stacie Joy 

Late this past Thursday afternoon, this two-floor high "Untitled" sign arrived on the SE corner of Avenue A and Fifth Street...

We fielded several reader queries about the sign. Given its placement (and despite its permanence), a few readers thought this might be related to an event at Mast, the bookstore-gallery in the corner retail space. 

Well, it has nothing to do with Mast. An employee there was just as confused and surprised as others, and they questioned the placement above the business. (And Untitled isn't out of the realm of possibilities for the name of a bookstore.)

Sources tell us this is now the name of the 6-story building here at 58-72 Avenue A between Fourth Street and Fifth Street, which an LLC purchased for $64 million last fall. 

Meanwhile, readers also noted another new detail in the building: A copy of David Hockney's "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" recently arrived in the refurbished Avenue A lobby... (the painting sold in 2018 for more than the building cost... and to be clear, this is not the original)...

As previously reported, Ink on A was a casualty in the block-long building's storefronts ... and as previous commenters noted, the landlords are not offering lease renewals to market-rate residential tenants.

Several renovated apartments, now configured with up to four bedrooms (previously one and two) plus in-unit washer-dryer combos and split-unit AC, are currently on the rental market. 

At the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Dog lovers turned out in droves — The New York Times estimated the crowd size at 15,000 — to watch the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade yesterday afternoon.  

Contestants and their humans strolled along Avenue B from 12th Street to Seventh Street ... a team of judges selected 40 finalists (Best in Show!), who continued onto the stage in the center of the Park (read more on the background here) ...

Here's a look at a few of the costumes... drawing heavily as always from pop culture, including the "Barbie" movie, Joker from Batman and Cruella de Vil ... and there were multiple NYC rat czars...

Pookah, a Pomeranian going as "Winnie the Pookah," received the top prize...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included ... (with a photo outside Cabin on 9th by Chris Rowland)... 

• An overhead view of Tompkins Square Park when the lights are off (Wednesday) 

• RIP Maryanne Byington (Tuesday) 

• The milling of the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park is underway (Tuesday) 

• This nearly block-long parcel on 2nd Avenue is now for sale (Monday) 

• A last look inside Wegmans before its grand opening on Astor Place (Monday) 

• The DOT wants your feedback on the future of East River Park waterfront access (Friday) 

• Capturing Monday's rainbow action (Monday)

• On Union Square, Target debuts ahead of its announced opening day (Thursday) 

• Speaking out against the ongoing sweeps on 9th Street and 1st Avenue (Friday)

• On the CB3-SLA docket: A new home for Han Dynasty on 3rd Avenue; a Sunflower for 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

• The Dash Snow tribute has been painted over on the Lower East Side (Thursday) 

• How to tote around the Essex Card Shop with you (Saturday) 

• What's happening at the former Trader Joe's Wine Shop on 14th Street? (Thursday)

• About the Earth School's Fall Fair on Nov. 4 (Thursday)

• Storefront signage alert: Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart on 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

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Sunday's opening shot

Morning Midtown and pigeon views... 

As for those clouds. Per the Weather Channel, "Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. High 56F." Turning to sports, the New York Giants are still in search of their second win of the season.

Saturday's parting shots

Photo by Derek Berg 

[Updated] A few scenes from during the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade this afternoon (find more photos here) ...

An afternoon look at 7th Street and Avenue B

Photo by Robert Miner 

At the height of the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade this afternoon...

How to tote around the Essex Card Shop with you

Photo by Stacie Joy

The folks at Essex Card Shop, 47 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street, continue to unveil some new merch... owner Muhammad Aslam showed us the new tote bags ($24.99) the other day. 

Like the t-shirts, it features an illustration by Joel Holland with the signage from the previous storefront at 39 Avenue A.  

Saturday's opening shots

Workers were out early in Tompkins Square Park this morning erecting the stage for the Halloween Dog Parade. (Details here.) It is a rain or shine event, so it's on. 

Also, half (or so) of the Park lights remain off...

Also, for anyone working on a screenplay. Remember: The opening scene of a film script introduces the audience to the story's characters, setting and inciting incident... it was a dark and stormy morning...

Lastly, in case you didn't see the No Parking notices along Avenue B or on Seventh Street between A and B, the city likely towed your vehicle...

Friday's parting shot

Fourth Street Goth Club...

'Vapor' trail

 

Been looking for some new Halloween-seasonal music videos (something other than the EVG standby by Siouxsie and the Banshees!).

The above video is for the recently released single "Vaporized" by the Seattle-based Sea Lemon. (And yes — she does look like Wednesday Addams-Christina Ricci here.)

The DOT wants your feedback on the future of East River Park waterfront access

The following invite is via the Department of Transportation about a public meeting this coming Monday evening...

We are writing to invite you to join us at East Village/Lower East Side Waterfront Access Study's upcoming Community Workshop #3. The study is evaluating opportunities for improvements in the FDR Drive corridor from Montgomery to 14th Street considering mobility, circulation, safety, accessibility, open space, environment, resilience, and stormwater management. 

The workshop will be held at the Lower Eastside Girls Club, Baker Hall, 402 E. Eighth St. near Avenue D, on Monday, Oct. 23, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. 

At the meeting, you'll have the opportunity to share your feedback on improvement concepts for Montgomery St., Jackson St., Delancey St., Houston St., and E. Sixth St. along the FDR Drive corridor.

You can register for the workshop here. 

East River Park is currently being gutted as part of the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project, estimated to be completed by the end of 2026.

Speaking out against the ongoing sweeps on 9th Street and 1st Avenue

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Several city agencies have recently participated in weekly sweeps of an unhoused encampment under the sidewalk bridge on the NE corner of Ninth Street and First Avenue.

Last night, nearly a dozen community groups and mutual-aid network members planned a protest outside the 9th Precinct on Fifth Street to speak out against the ongoing sweeps ...

In anticipation of this protest (there were flyers announcing it on social media), the NYPD had placed barricades on the entrances to the block between First Avenue and Second Avenue... and only residents (with ID) or delivery people were allowed through ...

At some point, police escorted activists Johnny Grima and Derrick DeMaria out of the barricaded area. It's not immediately clear what happened next. Grima ended up on the sidewalk on Second Avenue and Fifth Street with an apparent injury from a fall. (Grima claimed he was pushed while officers at the scene said he fell.)

It took nearly 30 minutes for EMTs to arrive ... while Grima remained on the ground...

A uniformed officer accompanied Grima to the hospital, where he was evaluated for injuries. 

In the spring of 2022, the city conducted multiple sweeps on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C (coverage here and here and here) ... and along Seventh Street and Tompkins Square Park in November 2021. 

In the past 18 months, activists have spoken out against the citywide encampment sweeps ... while asking for safe housing for New Yorkers living on the streets. 

Mayor Adams has defended the actions, saying "he was working to preserve the 'dignity' of homeless New Yorkers." 

After a late September sweep on Ninth Street and First Avenue, police officials reportedly said it "was a result of numerous community grievances from locals and business owners who complained that the sidewalk was blocked."