Housing lottery underway for units in this new building on 10th Street

The lottery for the affordable housing units at the recently completed 351 E. 10th St. between Avenue B and Avenue C is open now.

As previously reported, the long-empty lot yielded an 8-floor residential building featuring 28 residences, 11 of which are designated "affordable." Housing news here dates back to October 2019, when an array of city and federal officials came together during a press conference "to celebrate the commencement of the preservation and rehabilitation of project-based Section 8 housing in the East Village." 

There are 11 units — studios and 1-2 bedroom homes — currently available for residents at 70 to 130% of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $55,955 to $198,250.

The building features a virtual doorman system, laundry room, package room, bike storage lockers, intercommunication devices and an elevator. 

Application deadline: March 29.

The NYC Housing Connect site here has all the application details and a breakdown of income restrictions for each eligible unit.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Details on the preservation and rehabilitation of 243 affordable housing units in the East Village  

Full reveal at 14 Avenue C, where the team behind The Commodore is opening a new outpost

The plywood is down around 14 Avenue at Second Street ... and we spotted workers painting the exterior yesterday. 

We go back to December 2022 for news about the next tenant ... when Taylor Dow and Chris Young, owners of The Commodore in Williamsburg (and The Drift Inn in Greenpoint), appeared before CB3 for a new liquor license for the corner space.

The applicant's questionnaire on file with CB3 stated the establishment would be doing business as The Commodore, which means their acclaimed* fried chicken and retro vibes will be coming here. This will mark the owners' first Manhattan business.

No word on an opening date, though The Commodore-esque palm tree neon is on in the window.

Recent tenants at 14 Avenue C included Sanatorium, the hospital-themed cocktail lounge ... and the hookah lounge C Lounge.

Updated:

EVG's Stacie Joy also got a few photos from yesterday...

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re: acclaimed*

From Bon Appétit:

People don't "like”"The Commodore. They f*#%ing love the Commodore. People don't think the fried chicken sandwich is "delicious." It's the best f*#%ing fried chicken sandwich in Brooklyn, or New York City, or probably the world — a ridiculously crunchy breast on a squishy roll with just the right amount of cooling, crunchy slaw.

PLNT Burger closes its Union Square outpost

After two-plus years at 139 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street, PLNT Burger has shut this outpost... as of this past Friday along this corridor featuring other fast-casual brands like Cava and Dos Toros.

Meanwhile, PLNT Burger fans can get their fix at 1147 Broadway...

Here's more via an Instagram message: 

This decision follows the growth of our other Manhattan locations, leading us to consolidate our operations in New York. 

We are extremely thankful and proud of our team, journey, and accomplishments in Union Square. We are looking forward with optimism and excitement to the continued growth of our Nomad location and the continued expansion of our brand on the East Coast. 

This was the first NYC outpost for the Virginia-based chain via celebrity chef-Food Network star Spike Mendelsohn ... the brand also has locations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia, among other places.

Perk Espresso & Coffee Bar closes on 14th Street

Perk Espresso & Coffee Bar is officially done at 534 E. 14th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

EVG readers Russell K. and East Village Tours spotted workers removing equipment on Saturday... this after the shop had been closed in recent weeks during announced business hours. 

Perk has two other locations, in Murray Hill and the UES. 

The shop debuted in March 2019.

Goodbye Dolly

Photo by Steven

An item we didn't get a chance to previously mention ... a for-lease sign recently arrived at 137 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

This marks the official end of the ice cream and waffle shop The Dolly Llama. The business had been closed since last summer, with a note for patrons announcing "temporarily closed for remodeling and a refreshed look." This was odd, seeing how it only opened in March 2023. 

A rep previously told us in October that they hoped to be back open soon.

The Dolly Llama started in Los Angeles in 2017 and has multiple locations in the United States now. 

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo of Nation of Language on Monday during their sold-out 3-night stand at the Bowery Ballroom)... 

• Planned student protest gets the DOB to take action on closed-off school playground (Monday) 

• Veselka looks to ease back into a 24/7 schedule starting with weekends first (Monday) 

• City unveils 3 refurbished East Village buildings with affording housing opportunities (Tuesday) ... Honoring Puerto Rican freedom fighter Pedro Albizu Campos with a mural on 12th and C (Friday) 

• Restaurants can now apply to participate in NYC's new outdoor dining program (Wednesday) 

• A new signage era for Best Housekeeping on Avenue A (Thursday) 

• The Veselka documentary gets a third week at Village East by Angelika (Friday) 

• This is why Most Holy Redeemer is green around the bells on 3rd Street (Saturday)

• To be: Eddie Izzard's 'Hamlet' coming to the Orpheum Theatre in the East Village (Monday) 

• Look at the former Dallas BBQ now (Friday) 

• The Joyce Theater has rehearsal space to rent to nonprofits and freelance dance artists (Tuesday) 

• Checking out just part of the ongoing New Colossus Festival (Saturday) 

• Asian Taste closing in on a reopening (Friday) 

• A now-and-then look at the former Provident Loan Society on Houston and Essex (Circa Thursday)

• Vacant parking garage gets the plywood treatment on 9th Street (Thursday) 

• Apollo Bagels now with signage on 10th Street (Tuesday) 

• Today in discarded finds of the century on 2nd Street (Friday) 

• Former Mad for Chicken spot for rent on 14th Street (Monday) 

• Closures: Wild Rabbit Coffee on 7th Street (Wednesday)

• Signage alert: Bungalow from restaurateur Jimmy Rizvi on 1st Avenue (Thursday) 

• EVG readers had early access to tickets to see The Damned this May in NYC (Wednesday) 

... and neither here nor there, but this Scotch Tape display has been in a different aisle every time we visit Key Food on Avenue A (which is more than we'll admit)...

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NEKST Forever on 9th Street

Top photo last week by Steven 

We noted on Thursday the arrival of plywood over the entrance to the closed Little Man Parking garage (also known as LaSalle Parking) on Ninth Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

There's no new development news, and the plywood is apparently here to keep people from squatting inside (thanks, Notorious!). 

Meanwhile, the first wheat-pastes showed up late Friday...

The backstory to this for anyone interested... last month, two graffiti artists filed a lawsuit against Guess for putting their tags directly onto a new line of "graffiti-inspired" clothing without consent. 

One of the parties to the lawsuit is Patrick Griffin, brother of Sean Griffin, brother of the artist Nekst, who "achieved a kind of remarkable underground ubiquity among followers of street art before he died in 2012," per Hyperallergic, who first reported on the legal action.

Someone has now taken two classic Guess ads — with Claudia Schiffer and Ann Nicole Smith — and added images of the late graffiti artist with "NEKST Forever." These wheat-paste tributes have been appearing around the city ... and elsewhere. 

Macy's, one of the many vendors in the lawsuit, reportedly pulled the product from their website, though the line is still available via various online merchants.

And given the short lifespan of wheat-paste ads, this one has likely already been covered.

On the Lower East Side, the Children's Magical Garden is celebrating a new chapter after developer calls off legal battle

Image via @childrensmagicalgarden 

After a decade-long legal battle, the Children's Magical Garden on the Lower East Side is no longer threatened by development on part of its space at 157 Norfolk St. at Stanton Street.

The Real Deal first reported on this agreement between the garden and developer David Marom: 

Marom, who helms the Horizon Group, agreed to donate the lot ... to the Children's Magical Garden in honor of his mother. As a result, three separate lawsuits between the parties are being called off. 

For more than 40 years, the Children's Magical Garden has occupied the corner space off Stanton Street, using the land to grow produce and host local community events. But Marom's purchase of a portion of the garden from Serge Hoyda for $3.3 million threatened the future of the space, as the developer moved to build a seven-story residence. 

And today at 2 p.m., the garden is hosting an event to celebrate the moment. Per an Instagram post: 

Big NEWS! We did it! The children of LES are getting their community garden back, PERMANENTLY! After 10 years of litigation and many more of advocacy, we've come together with the developer who is donating the land. So many amazing community members, lawyers, neighbors, and gardeners helped make this possible. We are truly grateful. Thank you. Please come on March 10, 2 p.m., and help us start our new chapter. 

They are raising funds to help rebuild and "serve the children and their children to come!" 

This link has some of our coverage of the story.

Checking out just part of the ongoing New Colossus Festival

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Dream Pop was front and center last night at a showcase at Arlene's Grocery as part of the New Colossus Festival. 

We stopped by at the start of the bill for Phantom Handshakes, a local collaboration featuring the ethereal vocals of lead singer Federica Tassano ...

...and Matt Sklar (on the right in the striped shirt)...

Check out their music here. (This piece discusses how the two met during the pandemic and started the band.)

We also really liked the first band up, the timeless D.C.-based indie pop trio Flowers for the Dead...(they're playing at Arlene's again tomorrow at noon)...

The New Colossus Festival continues today and tomorrow at EV/Lower Side music venues. Find the schedule here.

This is why Most Holy Redeemer is green around the bells on 3rd Street

Anyway, you really were seeing green last night on the recently restored bell and clock tower at Most Holy Redeemer/Nativity Parish on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Father Seán told EVG contributor Stacie Joy that the church can now add colors (sorry, only one color at a time!) to the clock faces. 

The clocks are green now for Saint Patrick's novena, and they'll remain that way until his feast on March 17. 

The church will change the colors for future civic and religious commemorations, Father Seán said. (Maybe midnight navy blue for opening day at Yankee Stadium on April 5?) 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Up in the under-restoration belltower at Most Holy Redeemer

Saturday's opening shot

At the entrance to Tompkins Square Park at Seventh Street and Avenue A this morning ... there are two new trees the city recently planted here (replacing this one).

Friday's parting shots

An EVG reader shared the top photo... showing the new green-tinged clock faces at Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street (Happy St. Patrick's Day?)... [Updated 3/9: Here's more about the green clock faces.]

Meanwhile at the church between Avenue A and Avenue B...EVG reader Carl Bentsen shares that workers removed the Christmas trees from the façade today... Happy daylight saving time weekend!

'Vulture' club

 

The New Colossus Festival is underway at LES/EV venues through Sunday.

One more band to highlight (as we've done on recent Fridays at 5): Holiday Ghosts, a four-piece from the U.K. 

Look for them at Pianos tomorrow (Saturday!) at 5:45 p.m. 

Find the full New Colossus schedule here.

Today in discarded finds of the century on 2nd Street

Inexplicably (for now!) discarded (for now!) this afternoon outside 75 E. Second St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

Does anyone have a spare U-Haul? 

(And thanks to EVG reader Camille Coric for the photo!)

Honoring Puerto Rican freedom fighter Pedro Albizu Campos with a mural on 12th and C

Brooklyn-based artist Danielle Mastrion finished her mural yesterday on the SW corner of Avenue C and 12th Street that pays tribute to Puerto Rican freedom fighter and spiritual luminary Pedro Albizu Campos ... and directly across the street from Campos Plaza...

The mural is the first outside the newly renovated 656 E. 12th St., which the city officially unveiled on Tuesday. The renovation will provide some affordable housing options for the neighborhood.

For several years, the walls outside No. 656 housed the 12C Outdoor Art Gallery, which featured a rotating batch of murals curated by East Village-based artist and speaker Robert Galinsky.

Expect more new murals on the wall in the months ahead.

This work was unveiled via Galinsky Coaching, the Loisaida Center and L.E.S. CommUnity Concerns.

Updated: Veselka documentary gets extended at Village East by Angelika

Updated: Now playing through March 21

The theatrical release of "Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World," the documentary on the iconic Ukrainian diner on the corner of Second Avenue and Ninth Street, is on for another week at the Village East by Angelika.

The well-reviewed film is now screening at the theater on 12th Street and Second Avenue through Thursday, March 14. March 21. (For all the EVG readers in Los Angeles, it's playing at the Laemmle NoHo 7.) 

If you want to hear more about the production, there are Q&As after Sunday's 1:25 p.m. screening and the Monday-Thursday 7:30 p.m. shows. (The previous Q&As have included director Michael Fiore, Tom and Jason Birchard, Veselka's second and third-generation owners, and staff members featured in the documentary.)

 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A visit to Veselka, as the East Village institution celebrates 70 years and another week for its documentary at the Village East

• Veselka looks to ease back into a 24/7 schedule, starting with weekends first

Asian Taste closing in on a reopening

Photo Wednesday and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Asian Taste is getting closer to returning after being sidelined for the past six months on the NW corner of Avenue B and Third Street. 

During an inspection of 199 E. Third St. in late September, Con Ed found multiple leaks and shut off the gas to the entire Steve Croman-owned building, including the businesses.

Management tells me they are just waiting for the proper approvals (unfortunately, there is no timeline on this), and they will be back serving their welcomed and reasonably priced quick-serve Chinese cuisine. 

Meanwhile, visit our round-up of old-school Chinese restaurants in the neighborhood here. 

Look at the former Dallas BBQ now

Photo by Steven

We have a storefront reveal on the NE corner of St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue. 

On Tuesday, workers removed the plywood around the incoming new bar-restaurant for the space.

As we've noted, hospitality vet Curt Huegel, whose portfolio includes concepts such as Bill's Townhouse, Campagnola and Printers Alley, and, closer to home, Jackdaw on Second Avenue at 13th Street, is behind the establishment.

Huegel appeared before Community Board 3 in June 2022 and received approval for the unnamed concept. There was some debate over closing time, and the committee wouldn't approve a 4 a.m. close (midnight during the week and 2 a.m. on weekends). 

Huegel didn't respond to our previous request for comment about what's in store for this space. Workers at the scene knew nothing about the name or opening date. 

The space has been under renovation for the past year. 

About the new look, per EVG Brian: "Seems like they are going for the 'Tuscan' vibe like Wegmans." (Fifth photo in this post.)

Dallas BBQ closed in December 2022 after anchoring the corner since the mid-1980s. Staff said the building's landlord would not renew the chainlet's lease.

Thursday's parting shot

As seen this week on Avenue C between Sixth Street and Seventh Street (thanks to Louise Segev for the photo!). 

The message reads: "Ana Paula do you want to be my girlfriend?" (Mickey and Minnie art by @hanisidewalkart.)

A new signage era for Best Housekeeping on Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

There's new familiar-looking signage at Best Housekeeping, the longtime business selling kitchen cabinets and appliances at 17 Avenue A between Houston and Second Street. 

Manager Myriam Stern said the previous sign (see below!) was missing some letters and had "seen better days," so it was time to replace it. A company in Brooklyn made the sign and installed it several days ago, as well as hauling away the old one. (Unfortunately, this classic Avenue A signage wasn't salvageable, unlike the much smaller Champagne's from up the block.) 

She and her husband, Fred Stern, took over the business in 1975 (they also own the buildings housing Best Housekeeping). 

According to this Q&A with Fred from 2012, the store's original owner, Bernie Hymowitz, chose Best Housekeeping to honor his initials. (The business dates to 1914.)

And a look at the sign from 2014... with the s in Housekeeping MIA...

Here's another view of the storefront the other day via EVG reader Newman... on the new sign, the GE logo is much smaller and there's less copy...