A bench for Dennis Edge in Tompkins Square Park

Photo by Goggla 

Updated: Since receiving this, the campaign has already met its financial goal. We'll leave the information here for anyone interested in purchasing one of his books

Dennis Edge, an East Village resident since 1970, passed away on Sept. 1. He was 85. 

For years, he documented the birds of Tompkins Square Park, where he was a regular and welcome presence. And now friends are raising money to have a bench dedicated in his memory. 

Here's more via the campaign: 

His passing left a hole in the hearts of our community and an empty bench in Tompkins Square Park. You could see him sitting on a bench photographing the Red-tailed Hawk pair or migratory species. He was always happy to share his knowledge about birds in a joyful and non-judgmental way. He helped inspire others to become birders and to care for nature. 

Please help us raise the funds for a bench for Dennis. This will memorialize his contribution to the community of the Lower East Side and Tompkins Square Park. This will be a place friends, loved ones, and birders can meet for remembrance, reflection, and birding, for generations to come. 

Also, Dennis had self-published a book, "Tompkins Square Park Birds and Other New York City Bird Stories." Below is the information on how to order a copy...

Openings: Kolachi on 1st Avenue

Photos by Steven 

Kolachi debuts today (Nov. 2!) at 130 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

The quick-serve spot with a handful of seats for to-stay dining features paratha rolls (and fries). Find the menu here. 

As Eater previously reported: "Owner Saif Qazi formerly worked in finance; this is his first restaurant and a means to bring food from his home in Pakistan to a greater audience in New York." 

Weekday hours are 4 p.m. to midnight, with an 11 a.m. start on Saturday and Sunday. 

And if you're on Instagram, you can follow them here...

 

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Updated: Kotobuki has closed on 3rd Avenue; new East Village location in the works

Kotobuki has closed at 56 Third Ave., shutting down after service last night.

Multiple readers shared the news, and an employee confirmed it.

This was an expected closure, as six buildings on the west side of Third Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street are slated for demolition in the weeks/months ahead. A residential complex is expected to rise along this lot. (See the rendering here.) 

As previously reported, Kinsmen Property Group — a joint venture between State Building Group and another Toronto company, Madison Group — has been buying the walk-up buildings over the past two years, paying more than $60 million for the parcel. 

Only one building will remain on the block after the demolition — 48 Third Ave., the 4-story property owned by Isfahany Realty Corp. on the northwest corner at 10th Street with Healthy Greens Gourmet in the retail space. 

Kotobuki, which has three outposts on Long Island, had two stints at this address, 2012-2014 ... with a return in 2016. 

The last business left in these buildings is TLK by Tigerlily Kitchen at No. 58. No word about a closing date here.

Updated 11/4: 

After news of the closure, Kotobuki said they will be moving to a new undisclosed location... for now, they say they will continue to offer delivery service...

And details...

 

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Scooter LaForge's T-shirt extravaganza

Image via @scooterlaforge 

A collection of T-shirts created by East Village-based artist Scooter LaForge is the subject of a new exhibit at Howl! Happening. 

The opening reception of "Tee Hee Hee" is tomorrow (Thursday!) evening at 6. The show is up through Dec. 17 at the gallery, 6 E. First St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. 

And the T-shirts will be for sale. Per Howl!: "On the spot block printing and painting will replenish the stock throughout the 'Tee Hee Hee' exhibition." 

Howl! Happening is open Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Cover Cube

ICYMI: The Cube (aka Alamo) graces this week's cover of The New Yorker. 

Jorge Colombo is the cover artist... you can read a short Q&A with him here. 

His first Cube-related prokect came about in 1999...

 

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East Village cultural landmark Nuyorican Poets Café now closed for a 3-year renovation

Photos by Stacie Joy

After celebrating its 50th anniversary this past month, the Nuyorican Poets Café has closed for a long-awaited $24 million, three-year renovation project. 

This so-called "Nuyoricanstruction" phase will usher the organization into into the next 50 years, leadership says.

Here's more about the extensive renovation at the iconic space on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C, as reported by The City:

There will be new elevators, a new first-floor performance space, a green room and changing area in the basement, and more offices and performance spaces on the second, third, and fourth floors, according to a spokesperson for the city's Department of Cultural Affairs, which is partially funding the renovation along with the City Council and borough president's office. The electrical and mechanical systems will also be completely overhauled. 

And...

The space at 236 East 3rd Street was an abandoned tenement building, built more than 100 years ago, when it was purchased in 1971 by the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. The Poets Café founders bought it in 1981 after starting off in an East Village living room eight years earlier. 

The Café owns the building, but has had a restrictive covenant on its deed since 2013, which is a requirement for all city-funded capital projects on private property.

Through the years, the Café has been a venue for for underrepresented artists through weekly Latin jazz, slam poetry, theatrical performances and open mic events.

The staff is planning on staging pop-ups and collaborating with other New York institutions during the three-year renovation. You can check Instagram or the Café website for updates.

Puerto Rican writer and poet Miguel Algarín founded Nuyorican in 1973 as a living room salon on Sixth Street along with Lucky CienFuegos, Bimbo Rivas, Pedro Pietri and Miguel Piñero. Algarín died in December 2020 at age 79.

East Village photographer's fascination with empty bars at dawn is the subject of a new book

Photo at McSorley's by Daniel Root 

An East Village photographer's "bars at dawn" series has seen the light of day! 

While out on early morning walks in recent years (dating to 2016), Daniel Root began taking pictures through the windows or doors of empty neighborhood bars at daybreak. The shots became part of an ongoing #nybarsatdawn project on Instagram. In the end, he shot 974 bars and walked some 1,500 miles. 

Now that project in the subject of a new book, "New York Bars at Dawn," which debuted yesterday via Abbeville Press. The book includes 200 of his most compelling bar portraits, many of them in the East Village. 

A description: 

Nearly every day, Daniel Root sets out before sunrise to wander the streets of Manhattan with his camera. In those comparatively quiet hours, the entire city wears a different face, but Root is particularly fascinated by the scenes to be glimpsed through the windows of its bars. Empty of patrons and illuminated by an odd mix of artificial lights — neon beer ads, red EXIT signs, a single bulb above the cash register — they present a more hushed and mysterious aspect than in the busy evening hours. Nonetheless, each one — whether a dive bar, a sports bar, or a restaurant bar — still conveys an individual character, a distinct personality. 

We interviewed Root about the project in 2019. Revisit that Q&A here.

There is a book signing at 7B/Horseshoe Bar/Vazac's — which graces the book cover — on Seventh Street and Avenue B Friday evening from 6-8.

Tuesday's parting shot

Halloween night at Village East by Angelika, 12th Street and Second Avenue.

6 posts from October

A mini month in review (with a photo in Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg)... 

• A round-up of the old-school Chinese restaurants in the East Village (Oct. 25) 

• The milling of the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park is underway (Oct. 17) 

• A last look inside Wegmans before its grand opening on Astor Place (Oct. 16) 

• This nearly block-long parcel on 2nd Avenue is now for sale (Oct. 16) 

• Posse officially in Effect now with the Beastie Boys on 14th Street and Avenue A (Oct. 5)

• Why the benches were removed from across the street from the 9th Precinct (Oct. 2)

Downtown Burritos Cocina Mexicana — the former Downtown Bakery — returns to service this Friday

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

After being closed for nearly eight months, Downtown Burritos Cocina Mexicana (FKA Downtown Bakery) will open this Friday morning at 69 First Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. 

Co-owners and brothers Ivan (left) and Mario Marín passed the Health Department inspection yesterday... and they previously got the OK from Con Ed for the gas service ...

As we first reported, Ivan and Mario, the longtime managers (20 years) of Downtown Bakery, bought the longtime business (established 1990) earlier this spring when the owner retired. 

This came on the heels of a DOH-mandated closure in February for Downtown Bakery operating with an expired health permit. The new owners then decided to take the opportunity to update the interior.

In renaming the business, the brothers mentioned the confusion regarding the inclusion of "Bakery" — people would call and ask about baked goods.

Daily hours moving forward: 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Signage alert: Instant Noodle Factory on 7th Street

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Signage is up now for Instant Noodle Factory, opening next month at 130 E. Seventh St. just west of Avenue A...

This fast-casual DIY concept offers up instant noodles — more than 150 types. 

The first outpost opened this past summer in Long Island City... Eater's Robert Sietsema gave it a whirl (and liked it!): 

When you enter, you are advised to study the ramen matrix ... mainly from Japan, China, and Korea, though a few originate in Thailand, Singapore, and other locations. 

Yet, this is a factory and you are the worker responsible for preparing your own meal. I was entirely bewildered when I first walked in, wondering how to approach the place. But this bewilderment was delightful — because perplexed is not a bad way to feel at the start of a meal. My advice is to select one of the preset noodle combinations, eight in number, which include type of ramen; added objects like sausages, herbs, fish balls, and boiled eggs; and condiments. If you don't pick a preset combo, you could spend hours considering your million or so options.

No. 130's former tenant, Avant Garden, moved around the corner to Avenue A and Sixth Street in July.

Openings: The Avenue Cafe on St. Mark's Place

The Avenue Cafe debuted last week at 102 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The independent/minority-owned shop offers a variety of coffee drinks and housemade pastries. (There's an avocado croissant waffle available only on Saturdays and Sundays.) The shop is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This marks the first storefront for the owners after two-plus years inside the Jamaica Market food hall in Queens.

If you're on Instagram, you can follow The Avenue Cafe here. 

All the Kings Horses Café announces year-end closing date

After three years in service at 521 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, All the Kings Horses will shut down at the end of the year. 

Owner Robbie Lecchino made the announcement about his Australian café in an Instagram post on Sunday: 

We will be closing our doors December 31st this year. We have spent 3 of the best years nestled here in the East Village and have made so many friends and relationships continue building each day that we will cherish for many years to come. 

Thank you for the continued support during one of the toughest times in our lives during and beyond Covid-19. 

Please continue to support us as we will be operating right through until December 31st. Thank you welcoming us with open arms we will miss y'all... 

Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, with an 8 a.m. open on Sundays. 

ATKH opened in October 2020.

Image via Instagram

Noted

As seen on the Citizen app from last night... Later in the report, "Police advise the man is wearing a white mask, brown wig, and blue jumpsuit."

Pinc Louds and InCircles headline a Halloween afternoon show in Tompkins Square Park

A Halloween matinee is set for Tompkins Square Park tomorrow... featuring four bands: Tilt... Laurel Canyon ... InCircles ... and Pinc Louds. 

The free show is on from 2 to 6 p.m.

It's time for new clocks on the Most Holy Redeemer bell tower on 3rd Street

Photos by Stacie Joy

Restoration work has commenced on the bell and clock tower at Most Holy Redeemer/Nativity Parish on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The four clocks on the tower that reaches 232 feet have been in a state of disrepair for the past two-plus decades.

Below is a letter to the community about the project from Father Seán Connolly:

I am happy to announce to you the beginning of the restoration project of our church's bell and clock tower! 

This historic and beautiful tower reaches into the sky far beyond most structures of the East Village at 232 feet, but as you are aware, has been in a state of disrepair for over two decades. The clock dial no longer works and the wood of its four faces is deteriorating making it an eyesore for our local community. Of the five bells only a single striker on one provides a lone toll at the noon hour. 

In consultation with our parish finance council, we have accepted a bid from Elderhorst Bells, Inc. to restore our bell and clock tower. The dial will work again and there will be four restored faces that will be lit at night, even in different colors depending upon liturgical feasts or civic holidays. There will also be five working bells that will beautifully chime and an electronic carillon system that will play a seasonal hymn at certain hours. 

The church is also accepting donations "to help alleviate the burden this restoration will have on our parish budget." You can find a link here.

Construction of the current church was completed in October 1851 (EV Grieve was the first media outlet to report on this in 1851!)

And more history:

A major overhaul of the church began in 1912. Many of the renovations are still evident. With a tower that today reaches into the sky far beyond most of the structures of the East Village at 232 feet, it is hard to believe that it once was even taller. The 250-foot tower was reinforced and lowered to its current height and capped with a new copper dome and gold cross. 

And a view of the church dated 1875...

Father Seán provided a tour of the tower to EVG contributor Stacie Joy. We'll post those photos another day... here's a teaser...

Reports: Mount Sinai proposed July 2024 closing date for Beth Israel's 16th Street campus

Photo by Stacie Joy

According to published reports (including Crain's and Becker's Hospital Review), Mount Sinai Beth Israel's 16th Street campus now has a proposed July 12, 2024, closing date.

The date was revealed after the health system presented a plan last Wednesday to state authorities on the closure of the 799-bed teaching hospital on First Avenue.

Last month, Mount Sinai officials stated they would phase out operations here, though didn't provide a timeline.

Per Becker's on Friday:

 "We do not take this decision lightly, but due to the changing healthcare landscape and the unfortunate economic reality at MSBI, urgent action is required to preserve the health and vitality of the overall system," Mount Sinai said in a statement. 

The hospital is running at only 20% to 25% capacity and has incurred more than $1 billion in losses, with 2023 losses expected to be approximately $150 million, the hospital said. 

Mount Sinai officials have said that they remain committed to other facilities it operates downtown.

There's also speculation that Mount Sinai Beth Israel, the parent corporation of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, might try to sell the property it owns on 14th Street and Second Avenue, 13th Street and Second Avenue, and 13th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue — which "could fetch up to $70 million if sold for apartment-building construction," per the Post back in February.  

'Death' becomes her?: Rachel Bloom is up next at the Orpheum Theatre on 2nd Avenue

The post-"Stomp" life continues on at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

Signage is up now for the next production — Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Rachel Bloom's "Death, Let Me Do My Show" ...

The musical had a successful run earlier this fall off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. The show is in the EV from Dec. 7 through Jan. 6. You can find tickets here.

Bloom might be best know as the star (and co-creator) of the CW musical dramedy, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" (2015-2019). 

"Stomp" ended its 29-year run at the Orpheum in early January. The first post-"Stomp" production, the burlesque "Star Wars" parody "The Empire Strips Back," closed on July 20 — one month earlier than planned.

"Death" seems like a throwback to the theater's days in the 1980s, when the Orpheum was well-known for Off-Broadway productions such as Sandra Bernhard's "Without You I'm Nothing," Eric Bogosian's "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" and John Leguizamo's "Mambo Mouth" (not to mention "Little Shop of Horrors").   

Sunday's parting shot

Midtown and pigeon views during today's rainy afternoon...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a waiting room photo at East Village Smiles on Avenue B by Edmund John Dunn)... 

• City using the former St. Brigid School to help asylum seekers with transportation (Tuesday) 

• Honest Chops Butchery has left 9th Street (Friday) 

• A round-up of the old-school Chinese restaurants in the East Village (Wedensday) 

• Checking in on Superiority Burger 6+ months in; weekend breakfast & lunch and Chrissy's Pizza coming soon (Thursday) 

• A "boutique micro hotel" is in the works for this former Bowery flophouse (Monday)

• Openings: Ayat on Avenue C (Tuesday) 

• Report: LLC pays $44 million for the loan to the former P.S. 64 (Wednesday) 

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

• 1 week in on the reconstruction of the Tompkins Square Park multipurpose courts (Monday) 

• At the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade (Sunday) 

• 14th Street wishes you an early happy holiday season (Saturday) 

• A bust at LA Convenience on Avenue A (Thursday) 

• Montauk's Memory Motel is popping up on 3rd Avenue and 13th Street (Thursday) 

• This East Village building is now Untitled (Monday) 

• A quick look at Manhattan Pawffice, opening next week at 20 St. Mark's Place (Wednesday) 

• Momofuku Ko is closing in Extra Place (Wednesday) 

... and St. Mark's Place lives thanks to the ongoing events at Village Works at 12 St. Mark's Place... Eden shared this clip from Friday night...

 

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