Office building on the former site of B Bar & Grill will be home to Chobani House — 'a new model for urban development'

Welcome to Chobani Town on the Bowery. 

The new 22-story office building on the SW corner of the Bowery and Fourth Street will be home to one tenant: The NYC-based Chobani, LLC, the food and beverage company initially known for its Greek yogurt.

Yesterday, the company announced more details about the late-2025 arrival of Chobani House at 360 Bowery, "a new model for urban development, combining business, community investment, and impact." (News of the lease was made last month.)

According to the announcement, "Chobani is embracing a new vision for how businesses can invest in and deliver sustained impact for their home community." 

Here's more: 

Chobani House will be home to its global business headquarters with employees working in office four days a week, a community kitchen preparing nutritious meals for those in need, an innovation center supporting Chobani's business and also bringing together global food scientists to advance solutions to help eradicate hunger, and an incubator lab for emerging NGOs and non-profits who are focused on social impact.

The over 120,000-square-foot building will include an "experiential retail space" and other organizations connected to Hamdi Ulukaya, Chobani's founder and CEO. 

Tent Partnership for Refugees, started by Ulukaya, is "a network of over 400 companies committed to helping refugees across a dozen countries in the Americas and Europe access local labor markets by helping them become job-ready." Shepherd Futures, Ulukaya's family office, bought Anchor Brewing in San Francisco this past spring. 

As previously reported, CB Developers paid $59.5 million for a stake in 358-360 Bowery, a gas station, before converting the lot into B Bar & Grill. That one-time hot spot (circa the mid-1990s) was expected to close in August 2020. However, the place never reopened after the PAUSE in March 2020. 

Foundation work started on the new building in the summer of 2022.

RIP Gary Indiana

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Gary Indiana, the novelist, playwright and critic, has died at age 74 after a reported long battle with cancer. 

Some headlines on his life and work: 

• Writer Gary Indiana, Dark Prince of the 1980s East Village Art Scene, Is Dead at 74 (artnet) 

• Remembering Gary Indiana (1950–2024) (The Paris Review) 

• Gary Indiana's The Village Voice Art Columns (ArtReview)

Op-Ed: The back of our ballot in NYC

Op-Ed by Pat Arnow 

Even the most informed NYC voters might overlook key proposals tucked on the back of this year's ballot. These measures are significant, so don't forget to flip your ballot and make your voice heard. 

Here’s what's up as early voting begins on Saturday: 

Proposal 1 

VOTE YES on the State Equal Rights Amendment to the state Constitution.

Equality for all under the law seems like it would be straightforward and popular, but big money is being spent to defeat it. 

Opponents warn that "the law would undermine 'parents' rights' and allow transgender kids to participate in girls' sports teams. The nonpartisan New York City Bar Association says those claims are false," according to Gothamist.   

Proposals 2-6

VOTE NO on NYC Charter proposals. 

"Mayor Adams rushed revisions to change NYC's charter (our constitution) to give the current and future mayors more unchecked power, weaken checks-and-balances, and make it harder for city government to deliver for New Yorkers. The proposals came out of the most rushed and undemocratic charter revision process of the past 20 years and should never have been fast-tracked to our ballots." (from the Grand Street Democrats) 

Here's the text of Proposal 1, the ERA to the NY State Constitution: § 11. a. No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws of this state or any subdivision thereof. No person shall, because of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, creed [or], religion, or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy, be subjected to any discrimination in [his or her] their civil rights by any other person or by any firm, corporation, or institution, or by the state or any agency or subdivision of the state, pursuant to law. 

Proposals 2-6: They sound innocuous, even beneficial, but they're destructive and a power grab by the mayor. 

Proposal 2: "This proposal would amend the City Charter to expand and clarify the Department of Sanitation's power to clean streets and other City property and require disposal of waste in containers." One of the several problems with this initiative, according to The City, is increased ticketing (harassment) of street vendors and small businesses. 

Proposal 3: "This proposal would amend the City Charter to require fiscal analysis from the Council before hearings and votes on laws, authorize fiscal analysis from the Mayor, and update budget deadlines."

According to The City, "Opponents of Prop 3 say that requiring the executive branch to submit a budget estimate before a public hearing on a bill is held will just delay lawmaking processes that already take years...Jason Otaño, general counsel for the City Council, testified at one of the Charter Revision Commission hearings that Prop 3 would give the mayor's office a 'de facto veto' of proposed legislation…"

Proposal 4: This proposal would require additional public notice and time before the City Council votes on laws respecting the public safety operations of the Police, Correction, or Fire Departments.

According to The City, "City and State reported that opponents felt that the Adams administration was pushing this proposal in direct response to two specific laws passed by City Council earlier this year: one that requires the NYPD to report on lower-level encounters with residents and another which bans solitary confinement. Adams vetoed both those laws, and the City Council then overrode him."

Proposal 5: "This proposal would amend the City Charter to require more detail in the annual assessment of City facilities, mandate that facility needs inform capital planning, and update capital planning deadlines." 

From No Power Grab NY: "The mayor's charter commission claimed that Proposal 5 was based on a recommendation from the city’s Comptroller (the city’s top financial executive)." 

Comptroller Brad Lander’s statement reads in part: "Requiring the Citywide Statement of Needs to include additional detail on facility condition is meaningless for capital budget planning purposes — since these are in fact the projects that the City has already decided need to be improved and to invest funds to do so…"

Proposal  6: "This proposal would amend the City Charter to establish the Chief Business Diversity Officer (CBDO), authorize the mayor to designate the office that issues film permits, and combine archive boards." 

From No Power Grab NY: "Proposition 6 is a collection of three totally unrelated items. It claims to support Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs), but really only renames and largely restates the role of a mayoral office. This gives the illusion of change without additional concrete support for MWBEs." 

For more on what these proposals will do and objections to them, here are several resources and published reports cited above:

• A Guide to the Six Ballot Questions New Yorkers Will Vote on in 2024 (The City) 

• Why New Yorkers Should Vote 'No' on Proposals 2 Through 6 (NYCLU)

• 2024 NYC General Election Ballot Proposals (New York City Council) 

• VOTE NO on Props 2-6 — What You Need to Know (No Power Grab NYC, PDF)

So be sure when you vote to flip your ballot and vote on these propositions! 

------

Pat Arnow is a Lower East Side resident, park advocate and founder of East River Park Action.

Curtain falls on Connelly Theater: Archdiocese takes center stage in script scrutiny drama

EVG photo from January 

Under increased scrutiny of its productions by the building landlord, the Archdiocese of New York, the Connelly Theater has gone dark on Fourth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

As The New York Times first reported: 

Josh Luxenberg, who has been the theater’s general manager for the past decade, submitted his resignation late Friday. And early Tuesday, the Catholic school that is the intermediary between the theater and the archdiocese said it was "suspending all operations of its theater." 

Producers who have rented from the Connelly say they were aware that it was owned by the archdiocese, and that there was always a clause in their contract allowing the Roman Catholic Church to bar anything it deemed obscene, pornographic or detrimental to the church's reputation.

But only recently, they said, did the archdiocese seek to rigorously scrutinize scripts before approving rentals. New York Theater Workshop said it was told by a bishop this month that it could not stage "Becoming Eve," which is adapted from a memoir about a rabbi who comes out as a transgender woman, at the Connelly early next year. It is now looking for another venue.

SheNYC Arts, which has been producing theater by women, trans, and nonbinary writers at the Connelly Theater for eight years, is now looking for a new home for its underrepresented work. 

In a statement, SheNYC said that new leadership at the Archdiocese of New York "has directed the theater to deny the space to any shows or companies that would be seen as inappropriate by the Catholic Church." 

This includes shows about reproductive rights, trans characters, and gender issues, SheNYC Arts has been told. The priest in charge of the jurisdiction is personally screening scripts to ensure they fit within strictly Catholic doctrines. 

"The Archdiocese has specifically called out our past shows at the Connelly Theater, calling them 'inappropriate' for discussing issues like reproductive rights and gender and making it clear to us that shows like that will not be allowed in the future," said Danielle DeMatteo, Artistic Director of SheNYC Arts. "Especially just a few weeks before our election that could determine the future of our rights, this is a truly shocking development." 

The vital Off-Broadway venue, which recently staged the future Broadway production "Job," is housed within the Cornelia Connelly Center, a Catholic school for girls from fourth to eighth grade.

The producers of "Job" released a statement on Instagram that read: 

We are shocked and disappointed that the Catholic Church has shuttered one of downtown’s most beloved theatres. Simply put, "Job" would not be on Broadway without the Connelly Theater. 

Great theatre is an exchange of ideas — an opportunity for audiences to develop empathy and understanding. The Church undermines that quest for shared humanity with its decision. 

We call on the Archdiocese to reopen the Connelly so artists and audiences can once again gather and experience the transcendence of live theatre. And in the meantime, we invite Cardinal Dolan to come to the Hayes Theater to see Job on Broadway. He can experience first-hand the powerful theatre he is now turning his back on.

New York Archdiocese spokesperson Joseph Zwilling told the National Catholic Register: "It is the standard practice of the archdiocese that nothing should take place on Church-owned property that is contrary to the teaching of the Church." 

When asked if the Archdiocese mandated the theater's closure, Zwilling said, "We did not order it to be closed." 

"We had seen a range of really provocative, amazing, inspiriting, artistically rigorous shows there, so I was surprised this would be rejected," Patricia McGregor, the artistic director of New York Theater Workshop on Fourth Street, told the Times. "And if in the East Village of New York City we are meeting this kind of resistance, where else might this be happening?" 

The signage was removed outside the Connelly Theater yesterday, and the doors were freshly painted.

Meanwhile, Google lists the theater as "permanently closed."

And now, your Budget Mart signage on Avenue A

Photos by Stacie Joy 

On Tuesday, we noted that the under-renovation (and long-empty) retail space at 33 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street will be a "Family Dollar-style store," per the workers on the job. 

Yesterday, the Budget Mart signage arrived... the awning shows items such as linen, home goods, toys, furniture and appliance (just one?)...

We lost Kmart but have gained a Budget Mart.

Wednesday's parting shot

Photo by Rainer Turim 

Hanging around at Saifee Hardware on Seventh Street and First Avenue...

Fall classic

Late afternoon in Tompkins Square Park...

About Sofaclub, a licensed cannabis shop opening this fall on Avenue B

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Sofaclub Cannabis is set to open this fall at 229 Avenue B near 14th Street. 

Ownership has secured a CAURD adult recreational use license from the state for the retail establishment. This marks the furthest east into the East Village for a licensed operation. (Downtown spots include Gotham at 3 E. Third St. near the Bowery and Housing Works on Broadway at Eighth Street.) 

Co-owner Max Tsiring previously founded Artifact New York, an exclusive designer archive. (He also plays in the band Kitten.)

This new cannabis shop will be "design-oriented, classy, minimalist and stylish," Tsiring said. "I'm so excited to be part of a neighborhood I've hung out in and loved my whole life."

Tsiring and his business partner are hoping for a Nov. 1 debut. 

The storefront was previously Everytable.

A look at Walter Salas-Humara's 'Guardians and Realms' at 14BC Gallery

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Paintings by longtime East Village resident Walter Salas-Humara are on view through Saturday at 14BC Gallery. 

Here's more about the show, "Guardians and Realms" ... 

Horses have long been seen as mystical creatures, embodying a deep connection to the spirit world. In many cultures, they are regarded as guides between realms, their power and grace representing freedom, intuition, and strength. Horses are believed to carry messages from ancestors and spirits, acting as symbols of transformation and healing. Their wild, untamed energy mirrors the vast mysteries of the unseen world, making them both guardians and companions on spiritual journeys, helping souls traverse the boundaries of the physical and ethereal planes.

You can read more about the art and music of Salas-Humara, perhaps best known for his work in the rock band The Silos, here. 

"Guardians and Realms" is open for viewing tomorrow through Saturday from 3-7 p.m. at the gallery, 626 E. 14th St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Openings: DupBopBro on Houston

Photos by Stacie Joy

DupBopBro debuted last Thursday at 309 E. Houston St. between Clinton and Attorney. 

The business, owned by life partners Gene (seen below) and Veronica Choe, specializes in Korean rice bowls.

The quick-serve bowls start with rice and cabbage, and you can select tofu, chicken (including a choice of really spicy chicken), and bulgogi. Then, you can select two toppings, ranging from sweet potato noodles to Korean pickled peppers, and two sauces. (Find the menu here.)

 

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Daily hours: 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., with an 11:30 p.m. close on Fridays and Saturdays.

Tuesday's parting shot

Paving action tonight on Third Avenue... as crews are working between Ninth Street and 12th Street... thanks to EVG reader Doug for the shot.

A moment in Tompkins Square Park with Robert Leslie

From last evening, traveling troubadour Robert Leslie played a set in Tompkins Square Park. 

Per Allan Yashin, who shared these photos, "he played Dylan, Neil Young and his excellent originals."

At the Ottendorfer Library, a 16mm film night with 3 works featuring the Bowery

Leading up to its 140th anniversary this Dec. 6, the Ottendorfer Library is hosting a variety of events celebrating the neighborhood's history. 

Noteworthy this Thursday (Oct. 24) from 5:30-7 p.m.: Three films from the Library for the Performing Arts Reserve Film and Video collection that feature the Bowery:

• "The Bowery Men's Shelter" (1972): A portrait of the Men's Shelter on East 3rd Street. 10 min. 

• "How do you like the Bowery?" (1972): Men from the Bowery in New York are interviewed and speak candidly about how they think and feel. Directed by Dan Halas and Alan Raymond.14 min. 

• "On the Bowery" (1956): A dramatization of life on New York's Skid Row. Directed by Lionel Rogosin. 65 min.

The library is at 135 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

Noted

Photos by Steven 

The chess tables inside the Seventh and A entrance to Tompkins Square Park remain behind barricades since the fatal double shooting on July 12. 

And we couldn't help but notice a new barricade on the scene...

And likely not where Gov. Hochul is planning the new pool project for Tompkins.

Openings: Gizmo on 14th Street

Photos by Stacie Joy 

ICYMI: Gizmo is now open in its new storefront at 626 E. 14th St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Rosa Malmed and Hossein Amid, the husband-and-wife owners (far right below), debuted the space last Tuesday. They hosted a small gathering for neighbors ...

The sewing supply and repair business is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The phone number is (212) 477-2773. (A new website is in the works.)

Until the end of February, Gizmo lived at 160 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street for 32 years. Their landlord did not offer them a lease renewal.

Breaking the blockchain: Crypto drama hits East Village stage

Veteran crypto journalist Benjamin Schiller is bringing "the drama and intrigue of the Bitcoin world to life" in a new play opening tomorrow (Wednesday!).

Here are details via the EVG inbox...

Set in the East Village, "Happenstance" follows the story of a man facing prison time for his role in the early development of Bitcoin. As he grapples with his fate, his family and girlfriend pull him in different legal, financial and spiritual directions, exploring themes of freedom, morality and the human impact of cryptocurrency. 

Schiller runs the features and opinion desks at CoinDesk, the crypto-journo outlet that broke the FTX scandal. He drew inspiration from real-life figures like the disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried to craft a human story within the often technical world of Bitcoin. 

"Happenstance" breaks new ground as one of the first plays to make Bitcoin a central theme, boldly bringing cryptocurrency to the stage in New York City. 

The play is scheduled for five performances tomorrow through Saturday at the Red Room/KGB Bar, 85 E. Fourth St., between Second Avenue and the Bowery. Find times and tickets here.

A $1 store for Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Incoming new store alert! 

The under-renovation (and long-empty) retail space at 33 Avenue A will be a "Family Dollar-style store," per the workers on the job.

So maybe like the 99-cent store at 73 First Ave. next to Rite Aid? Dunno!

We're trying to remember what was last here between Second Street and Third Street — Venus Body Arts, which closed in 2017? 

Anyway, keep an eye on the storefront between Joyful Nails and 31A Laundromat in the retail spaces of First Houses.

Closings: A-Roll Bar and Grill on St. Mark's Place

After less than a year in business, A-Roll Bar and Grill has closed at 5 St. Mark's Place just east of Third Avenue. (H/T Jacob Ford for the tip!)

A for-rent sign is now in the front window.

The sit-down skewer shop, operated by Nobu vet Kacey Yeh and part of a Chinese chain, seemed to have a lot of potential. (Eater gave it high marks.)

Unfortunately, until very recently, the storefront was mostly obscured by the sidewalk bridge and scaffolding of the neighboring 9-story office building, which has seen a long slog toward completion. Plus, there are many casual food options on this block of St. Mark's Place. 

Monday's parting shot

A Halloween lobby scene at 170 Second Ave. at 11th Street...

Noted

Photos by William Klayer 

Someone has placed a screen over these LinkNYC kiosks along First Avenue... with one noting: "And so the most powerful country in the world has handed over all of its affairs to a carnival barker" ... while another reads: "See Your Country Clearly."

Updated 10/22 

William Klayer provides an update, noting that workers have removed the screens over the two LinkNYC kiosks, which caused no damage, and are returning us to our usual programming of trivia and ads.