A blood drive at the 9th Precinct tomorrow (Tuesday)

Save a life, make a difference! The 9th Pct will be holding a Blood Drive Tuesday July 16, from 12:00PM to 6:00PM #donatehttps://t.co/f6pKN2DkWK pic.twitter.com/oWthf2oSQf

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) July 12, 2024

The 9th Precinct is at 321 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Watch where you park!)

Report: East Village building owner plans demolition amid ongoing controversy and litigation

The owner of 642 E. 14th St. has filed plans to demolish the currently vacant five-story pre-war building next to the construction site on Avenue C, according to media reports and public records.

As Crain's New York first reported, Jeremy Lebewohl, owner of the Second Avenue Deli, filed the paperwork with the Department of Buildings (DOB) last Wednesday.

On Nov. 28, as we first reported, 642's residents — many of them in rent-stabilized units — were abruptly vacated after ongoing excavation on a Madison Reality Capital-owned 24-story development next door on the SW corner of Avenue C destabilized building. 

From the Department of Buildings at the time: "Structural stability of building compromised due to construction operations taking place at 644 E. 14th Street. Heavy cracks in the exterior and interior in addition to separation noted at door frames and floor from wall..."

 

Lebewohl's attorney, Adam Leitman Bailey, told Crain's that "multiple engineers have now said the building is dangerous and needs to be torn down entirely."

According to a spokesperson, the DOB is reviewing the application but has not issued an emergency demolition order for the property, per Crain's.

With the help of Mobilization for Justice and Take Root Justice, several tenants filed an HP Action against Lebewohl and had their first court appearance on Feb. 9. They allege that Lebewohl, who has owned No. 642 since 1984, was aware of the building's structural issues but never took any action to make repairs. 

Paul Messick, an attorney for the tenants, told Crain's that the ongoing litigation should prevent the demolition from taking place. Lebewohl's attorney disputed this claim, saying that the structure was damaged beyond repair.

Meanwhile, next door at the construction site, the work that was temporarily halted in late November and limited to shoring up 642's foundation has been picking up pace in recent months. The first sight of concrete reinforcing bars is (barely) visible above the plywood.

Madison Square Realty is the third owner of the long-empty lot (since 2009) in the past eight years. Madison Realty Capital paid Opal Holdings $31.3 million for the property in May 2020. Opal Holdings bought the parcel in June 2016 from Brooklyn's Rabsky Group for $23 million. Plans for the latest development were first unveiled in June 2022. 

The 24-story, 234-foot-tall building will be known as 14+C and include 197 residential units. There is no word on how many "affordable" units will be included in 14+C, one of the stipulations for being allowed to build a larger (by nine floors) building. (The Rendering below is via Fischer + Makooi Architects.)

There were already approved plans for a 15-floor mixed-use building, though no affordable units were attached to that version. As revealed in the spring of 2021, several developers spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobby the city for NYCHA air rights to make this a larger structure with more housing. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Residents ordered to vacate after excavation next door destabilized this 14th Street building 

• Displaced 14th Street tenants seek support after city orders them to vacate their building 

• Crowdfunding help for the residents displaced by Madison Reality Capital construction on 14th Street

The Ninth Ward plotting its return to 180 2nd Avenue after 8 years

The Ninth Ward closed its doors after service at 180 Second Ave. on Feb. 14, 2016. 

At the time, the owners of the New Orleans-themed bar, Nic Ratner and Robert Morgan, expected to return to the retail space — hopefully in late 2018 — after a gut renovation of the building between 11th Street and 12th Street. 

Fast-forward eight-plus years and the Ninth Ward is reapplying for a liquor license for the address. Reps will appear before CB3's SLA committee tonight. 

According to their questionnaire on the CB3 website:

The scheduled renovations were planned to take 18 months, but almost immediately ran into complications. Unfortunately, due to the landlord's inexperience, construction delays, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the project has now dragged on for nearly a decade. 

The liquor license for Ninth Ward, in safe keeping with the SLA, was renewed on two occasions during the construction. In the third attempt to renew the license, it was cancelled as simply too much time had passed with the business being closed. 

Ratner and Morgan opened a Ninth Ward in London in 2017.

As for the building at No. 180, workers finally removed the scaffolding, plywood, and sidewalk obstructions in February.

And after all that, the building is on the sales market for $12.5 million.

The Chicago-based Polish National Alliance was the previous owner of No. 180. The building housed the Józef Pilsudski Institute of America, the largest Polish-American research institution specializing in the recent history of Poland and Central Eastern Europe. (They found a new home in Greenpoint.) According to public records, an LLC bought the building for $6.75 million in June 2014. City Realty listed the new owner as Robert Stern.

Tonight's CB3-SLA meeting starts at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here. This is a hybrid meeting, and there is limited seating available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.  

Report: New owners for the 3 buildings on the SW corner of 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

The three buildings at 127-129 Second Ave. and 36 St. Mark's Place have a new owner.

In a sale announced last week, Ryco Capital purchased the properties on the high-profile SW corner from landlord Jonis Realty (which is run by Citi Urban Management, also owned by the Helegua family) for $29 million.

The three six-story mixed-use buildings contain 10 retail and 60-plus residential units, ranging from studios to five-bedroom apartments. The retail tenants include B&H Dairy, Ramen Misoya, Taqueria Diana, Paul's Da Burger Joint and Poetica Coffee.

From the press release, here's broker Joe Koicim of the NYM Group of Marcus & Millichap:

"The East Village is a supply-constrained rental market that has consistently provided owners with higher annual rent growth than nearly every other New York City submarket. With this asset ideally situated on the corner of Saint Mark's Place and Second Avenue, the buyer will capitalize on the long-term upside created by the natural demand for apartments and retail space in this area. This submarket has been reflective of the overall strength of New York City's rental market, which began the year with vacancy at 1.8%."

According to media reports and public records, tenants have tangled with Jonis Realty since they bought the buildings in the late 1990s.

Per the Commercial Observer last week:

Conditions deteriorated since, and the properties currently have 411 housing violations racked up across its 64 apartments, according to housing records. 

Tenants have sued Citi-Urban for repairs several times over the last decade and settled the cases for undisclosed amounts, according to city housing records. Now, Ryco will put the buildings in the hands of its own property management firm, Ryco NYC, according to City Residents Alliance, a nonprofit tenant group. 

Jonis Realty/Citi Urban Management owns and manages more than 30 NYC buildings, including 11 in the East Village, media reports and public documents show. 

On May 8, several residents of the Jonis Realty/Citi Urban Management-owned 131 Avenue A held a rally after two fires in six months at the building on the NW corner of St. Mark's Place. 

The Village Sun reported on residents who had difficulty fleeing an early morning fire on April 24 due to alleged building disrepair.

A group of residents who live in properties owned/run by Citi Urban Management formed the Citi Residents Alliance, which has a website with a violations database.

 

David's Cafe abruptly closes on St. Mark's Place

Several residents were surprised to find for-lease signs at David's Cafe on Thursday night. The bistro at 102 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue is now closed. 

A reader spotted movers hauling equipment out of the space on Friday. 

The David Cafe's website and Instagram account do not mention a closure, though Google lists it as permanently closed. We reached out to David's for more information.

David's Cafe, from Daniel and BLT Market alum David Malbequi, opened in late 2015 and received praise for its menu, including "The Absolute Best Steak-Frites in New York," per Grub Street.

Malbequi is also a partner in Spice Brothers next door... the quick-serve Middle-Eastern venture just got high marks from Pete Wells at The New York Times. 

Top photo by Kelly Chasse/2nd photo by Clem Robineau

Grocery & Coffee for Avenue C

Here's a quick update on 193 Avenue: On Saturday, workers put up the new business sign for Grocery & Coffee between 11th Street and 12th Street.

The signage mentions offerings that include coffee and tea, juices and soda, cigarettes, vapes, cigars, and candies.

Crazy Burger debuted here in January and appeared out of business by early June. 

E-bike retailer moves into this Avenue B storefront

Photos by Stacie Joy 

A Toronto-based e-bike retailer opened a shop earlier this month at 95 Avenue B between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

Movin' Mobility sells several varieties of high-end e-bikes and offers repairs on them as well.

They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Movin' co-founder Parwaiz Nijrabi is quoted in this CTV Media piece from January on e-bike battery safety.

Sunday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

As of 6:30 p.m. today, the chess tables were open for business inside the Seventh Street and Avenue A entrance to Tompkins Square Park... two days after a fatal double shooting here that claimed the life of a man in his 70s.

An NYPD vehicle and two uniformed officers were in the center of the Park near where the bands were performing this afternoon, though no one was stationed at the problem area (aka "crime corner") that has been closed off several times in recent years.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo from East River Park)... 

 • Two men shot, 1 fatally, at the chess tables in Tompkins Square Park, police say (Friday) ... In the aftermath of yesterday's deadly shooting in Tompkins Square Park (Saturday) 

• East Village McDonald's pays tribute to 2 victims of suspected DUI collision in Corlears Hook Park during July 4 celebration (Sunday) 

• D.A. Bragg announces indictment of a suspect in random slashing on Astor Place (Tuesday)

• What's the 311? How East Village residents can effectively file complaints (Monday)

• On 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street, an empty lot and lots of questions about what's next (Wednesday)

• A look at 14th Street and 1st Avenue — "a New York Block No One Can Fix" (Wednesday) ... From the archives: A documentary short about the intersection of 14th Street and 1st Avenue (Thursday) 

• Unapologetic Foods looking at the former Huertas spot on 1st Avenue (Monday) 

• A new mural for a new restaurant opening at 97 St. Mark's Place (Monday) 

• High spirits: At WitchsFest USA on Astor Place (Sunday) 

• Report: Beth Israel closure on hold for now (Thursday) 

• Revisiting Curt Hoppe's Downtown Portraits (Thursday)

• Happy trails to the 2-story dining structure that almost was on 4th Street (Friday)

• Amara Coffee makes an artful awning debut on 14th Street (Tuesday) 

• Astor Place gets the neighborhood's first electric charging docks for e-bikes (Monday) 

• A new loading zone for the East Village (Friday) 

 

• Openings: SourAji on Avenue B (Thursday) 

• Pakistani bakery chain bringing Layers Bakeshop to 14th Street (Wednesday)

• A mystery yogurt shop for the former Liquiteria space on 4th Avenue and 13th Street (Tuesday) 

• Crazy Burger's short tenure has come to a close on Avenue C (Tuesday)

... and an urban etiquette sign for grown men or their dogs on 7th and B... please don't pee on the tree-well garden (photo by Stacie Joy)...

About today's free show in Tompkins Square Park

Show Brain presents another solid slate of bands this afternoon (2-6) in Tompkins Square Park...

• Francie Moon, "garage psych & rock n roll," 5:20 

• Balaclava, NYC trash rock, 4:30 

• Chico Romano, bedroom pop meets '60s soul and R&B, 3:40 

• Draculas, "rock ‘n’ roll for the beach goth punks," 2:50 

• Teenage Halloween, power punk, 2 p.m.

 

Set times are approximate!

Saturday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

On 7th and B today, Geoff, Liza and (traveling along) Mongo...

About Bastille Day at Le Petit Versailles Garden (there will be cake)

If you want to celebrate Bastille Day and support a vibrant community garden, look no further than Le Petit Versailles.

The arts and performance space at 247 E. Second St. between Avenue B and Avenue C is hosting its annual Cake Sale tomorrow (Sunday!) to benefit Le Petit Versailles. Bakers include John Michael Swartz, WunderWolfe and M, Peewee Nyob and Shelley Persinger, among others.

The sale starts at 2 p.m., followed by two live music sets later in the day. Find more info here.

About the 'Sunday Arts and Crafternoon Social' at the Parkside Lounge

Some local residents started a "Sunday Arts and Crafternoon Social" earlier this summer at the Parkside Lounge on Houston at Attorney. 

Per the invite, every Sunday afternoon (5-8 p.m.), "we get together at Parkside Lounge and make art, crochet, write, and chat. We have free donated art supplies and it's free to get in. No drink minimum. All are welcome. Come make art and make friends."

The Parkside is at 317 E. Houston St.

Thanks to organizer Rufus Hickok for sharing these photos.

In the aftermath of yesterday's deadly shooting in Tompkins Square Park

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

After being shot near the chess tables in Tompkins Square Park yesterday morning, one of the two victims, a 44-year-old male, entered the Avenue A Deli and Grill between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, seeking help before collapsing, according to witnesses and police sources. 

EMTs took the man to Bellevue. He was out of surgery early last evening, though we have not heard an official update on his condition. 

The deli was expected to reopen after crime scene investigators finished their work last night. (These photos are from 6 p.m.)

The shooting occurred around 9:45 a.m., just inside the 7th and A entrance to Tompkins Square Park. One of the victims, a man in his 70s, died from his wounds. Police sources have said the shooting was drug-related. 

The suspect, who was seen in the area up to an hour before the shooting, ran toward Seventh Street and Avenue B after the gunfire. Police sources said he may have discarded the white gloves and hoodie he was wearing before fleeing. 

The NYPD has not yet released an official description of the suspect. 

The chess tables, a hot spot for criminal activity in recent years, will remain "closed until further notice," per an X post early yesterday afternoon from local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera...

My office is in contact w/@NYPD9Pct regarding the shooting at Tompkins Square Park. NYPD is investigating and multiple departments and city agencies are on notice to address ongoing and related criminal activity in this area. The chess area will be closed until further notice.

— NYC Council Member Carlina Rivera (@CMCarlinaRivera) July 12, 2024

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential.

Updated 9 a.m. 

The Seventh and A entrance to the Park was open early this morning, with access to the chess tables... crime scene tape remained up on the fences nearby...

Updated 3 p.m.: The barricades are now blocking the chess tables (photo below by Stacie Joy)

Over 'Easy'

 

This week, Cocteau Twins launched a new YouTube channel (and online store!) featuring high-res versions of all of their official music videos for the first time... such as "Love's Easy Tears" above from their 1986 EP of the same name.

They look and sound as relevant as ever.

[Updating] Two men shot, 1 fatally, at the chess tables in Tompkins Square Park this morning, police say

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

This is a developing story, and we will update you when more information becomes available. Find the latest info, as of July 19, here. Updated 7/27: Police reportedly arrested two men in connection with the shooting. We are verifying the information with the NYPD.

Two men were shot this morning around 9:45 at the chess tables near the entrance to Tompkins Square Park at Seventh Street and Avenue A, the NYPD has confirmed.

The condition of the two victims is not known at the moment. Updated 1:14 p.m. Police confirmed that one of the victims, a man in his 70s, has died. (EMTs took both shooting victims to Bellevue.)

Police sources tell us that the shooting was drug-related and that it involved "problematic people at the Park." The suspect, wearing a hoodie and mask, was seen fleeing down Seventh Street toward Avenue B. There are early reports of a white vehicle involved in a getaway. 

Police are canvassing the area and scrutinizing surveillance footage.

Updated: Police said the suspect was seen in and around the Park about 50 minutes prior to the shooting wearing gloves, a mask, and a hoodie. 

An EVG reader shared this with us: 

Around 9:45 a.m. I heard around 5-8 shots ring out (LOUD shots), followed by everyone fleeing the Park. I was in the dog run with a whole bunch of fellow owners, trying to get our very scared pups out of there in a hurry. I'm a 15-year resident [and this was the] first time I've been forced to flee like that.

This past March, there were two daytime shootings (by the same suspect who was later arrested) in the Park. In the first shooting on March 16, a bullet struck an innocent bystander, a 53-year-old tourist, in her right hip, which had to be surgically replaced. 

The chess tables have long been a problem, an area where there have been multiple reports of drug use and sales, fencing stolen property, and various fist/knife fights. 

The NYPD and Parks Enforcement Patrol barricaded the area for most of the summer of 2022. In October 2022, a delivery man was slashed in the face here in the afternoon. 

As we wrote in August 2022: "Eventually, the barricades are removed ... and nothing ever really changes." 

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

City clears and closes the area around the chess tables in Tompkins Square Park (Sept. 1, 2021)

Happy trails to the 2-story dining structure that almost was on 4th Street

Yesterday, we bid farewell to the curbside dining structure outside Izakaya on Fourth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. (Thanks to Sal Barone for the photo!) 

There were reports that someone had turned the space into a makeshift shelter complete with mattresses, etc., so ownership had it removed. 

Updated Friday morning look via Stacie Joy...

In a city full of curbside dining structures, this one was notable for making the cover of the Post and getting Steve Cuozzo in a lather in August 2021 when workers started to add a second level — complete with artificial turf. (Photo below by Stacie Joy from August 2021)

The addition was scrubbed after neighbor complaints — two-story structures are not allowed — led an inspector from the Department of Transportation to the site, who nixed the double-decker. 

Izakaya's owner told Curbed this: "I was basically looking for the best we could do under the restrictions by being more creative and ambitious."

Meanwhile, we've seen more of the pandemic-era curbside dining structures torn down in recent weeks... as we've entered a new era with "Dining Out NYC." 

As previously noted, the significant change with the new guidelines is that enclosed, year-round roadway dining structures will no longer be permitted. The revised regulations stipulate that roadway cafes must now be open-air, easily portable, and simple to assemble and dismantle. Additionally, these establishments are restricted to operating only from April through November. 

Per the new guidelines, if restaurants participating in the temporary program do not reapply for the permanent outdoor dining program, they will have to take down their streeteries by Aug. 3. And: "Outdoor dining setups will need to comply with the Dining Out NYC design requirements within 30 days of the approval of your application." 

Lastly, Nov. 29 marks the conclusion of the roadway dining season under the permanent program, and all roadway setups must be removed until the spring. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• The 2-story dining structure that almost was on 4th Street

A new loading zone for the East Village

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

This past week, an attention-getting new No Parking sign appeared outside the 9th Precinct on Fifth Street between First and Second Avenues. The spot directly in front of the station house is now designated for "Prisoner Loading Only." 

An NYPD source explained that the space aims to "prevent an issue when a prisoner can escape." It is specifically intended for police use (sorry local residents!), facilitating the expeditious loading and unloading of prisoners. The goal is to have prisoners as close to the front doors as possible, minimizing "lollygagging" and reducing the risk of escape. 

Although there hasn't been an escape incident at the 9th Precinct, other station houses have experienced such issues, prompting this precautionary signage measure. 

Interestingly, while the space is designated for a specific loading zone, we spotted a marked squad car that didn't appear to be dropping off or picking up a prisoner. Our source acknowledged that police personnel will sometimes use it when stopping by the Precinct for errands. Officers in such cases are to monitor their radios to ensure the space is available when needed for its primary purpose.

H/T Carol From East 5th Street

Thursday's parting shots

A look at the Tompkins Square Park mini pool, closed for the second straight summer while the field house undergoes renovations. (The pool isn't part of the facility upgrades, though maybe someone can rake it before returning to service next summer.) 

And yes, Tompkins Square Park has a mini pool...

There is always Dry Dock and Hamilton Fish Park.

From the archives: A documentary short about the intersection of 14th Street and 1st Avenue

Given all the attention in recent weeks about the long-problematic intersection of 14th Street and First Avenue (background here), we're revisiting this EVG post from May 24, 2012...

-----

Karen Loew, who lives near 14th Street and First Avenue, passed along the above video ... which explores the chaotic crossroads in "Intersection: Babel." It premiered last Thursday at the LABA Festival at the 14th Street Y.

The video includes interviews with people on the street as well as community leaders to explain what is unique (and not!) about 14th and First. Per the description, "'Intersection: Babel' is a documentary short looking at a place that's all about leaving it."

Among other things, the video explores the hazardous transportation environment here... from the crisscrossing M14s and M15s (and placement of the bus stops) ... the access road to Stuy Town at the northeast corner ... the tricky left turn for autos (and pedestrians) from eastbound 14th onto northbound First ... the L entrance/exit that's pretty much in the intersection on the southeast corner...

Monsignor Kevin J. Nelan of the Immaculate Conception Parish says it's like "a mini Times Square." City Councilmember Dan Garodnick says that there's "a lot of activity but not a lot of personality" here.

Agreed!

Directed and produced by Karen Loew.
Videography and editing by Cory Antiel.
Dance by Julie Gayer Kris.