More discussion on the future of the city-owned parking lot at 324 E. 5th St.

The city is hosting a public workshop on Thursday evening to discuss the future of the parking lot at 324 E. Fifth St., which has been designated to serve as "100% affordable housing." 

In December, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced plans to redevelop the city-owned lot into inclusionary housing. The 9th Precinct uses the 11,540-square-foot site between First Avenue and Second Avenue for parking and various towed vehicles. 

Affordable housing on this parking lot was one of the points of agreement in the City Council's December 2021 vote to approve the controversial SoHo/NoHo rezoning. 

Here's more about the RFP process via the HPD: 

No one understands neighborhood conditions and needs better than those who live and work in the community. HPD values this expertise, which is why community engagement is central to the affordable housing development process. The goal of this outreach is to identify priorities for housing, services, and community amenities. 

You can sign up to receive email updates about the project here. 

The public workshop will be held on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at University Settlement's Speyer Hall, 184 Eldridge St., between Rivington and Delancey on the LES. 

Meanwhile, the 5th Street Park Coalition is advocating for a more expansive use of the space, including the adjacent playground at P.S. 751, in what would be "a comprehensive rezoning plan which accounts for affordable housing, greenspace, public community space and a new public school play area."

Per organizers: 

We are seeking a holistic combination of both lots, 324 and 310 (which used to be public to the community). No reduction to the size of the current planning for Affordable Housing nor the nearby school to lose any of its valuable resource. 

Our goals are to work with HPD, DOE and SCA on a mutually beneficial school redevelopment, affordable housing overlooking a small greenspace with a public component and potentially more with the police department. Our goal is organization. 

Find more information about the Coalition here. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• City launches community engagement campaign for '100% affordable housing' on 9th Precinct parking lot

[UPDATED]: Mount Sinai Beth Israel will close on March 26 after judge dismisses lawsuit

Updated March 1: An appellate judge issued a new temporary stay on Mount Sinai's plans to shut down Beth Israel. 

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Following a protracted legal tussle, the end is near now for Mount Sinai Beth Israel. 

After a state Supreme Court judge yesterday dismissed a lawsuit seeking to block the facility's closure, Mount Sinai Beth Israel leadership announced a March 26 closing date, according to published reports. (Politico's Maya Kaufman also shared the date in an X post last evening.)

As Gothamist and Crain's reported, Judge Jeffrey Pearlman tossed the lawsuit filed in August by a community coalition challenging the closing. 

As previously reported, Mount Sinai must operate a new 24/7 urgent care center near the hospital on First Avenue at 16th Street for at least three months and reach an agreement with New York City Health + Hospitals to invest in expanding Bellevue Hospital's emergency room and psychiatric emergency department. 

In an employee memo shared with Becker's: "This date will allow us to ramp down the facility in a manner that is seamless and safe for patients and staff," said Elizabeth Sellman, president and COO of Mount Sinai Beth Israel.

Arthur Schwartz, the coalition's pro-bono lawyer, said he would appeal the decision and seek a new stay on the closure within 24 hours, per Gothamist. 

Reactions included...

As someone who has championed the expansion of hospital capacity in NYC as an advocate, and now as Chair of the @NYCCouncil Health Committee, today's court decision is a slap in the face to the community that relies on Beth Israel for their healthcare needs. https://t.co/QXgqrFbQH7

— Lynn Schulman 舒曼琳 (@Lynn4NYC) February 24, 2025

Mount Sinai officials have said Beth Israel lost $1 billion in the last decade, with dwindling cash reserves and reduced bed counts.

Beth Israel was founded 143 years ago on the Lower East Side and moved to its current location on 16th Street and First Avenue in 1929.

Last few days for Kenny Scharf at the Brant Foundation, and the admission is free

The Kenny Scharf exhibition at the Brant Foundation closes on Friday after nearly three months. (The show opened on Nov. 13.)

Admission is free for the last two days on Thursday and Friday. 

This was said to be the first institutional show for Scharf, who made a name for himself in the 1980s East Village art scene alongside one-time roommate Keith Haring and others.

The Brant show spans several floors and includes 70 pieces of his vibrant work from the late 1970s to the early 2000s.

A few faves... "Self-Portrait With Cadillac" with his signature intergalactic motif (1979)...

... "Escaped in Time ... I'm Pleased" (1979)...

..."Kembra in Prettyland"...

... "Udo by the Sea"...

And in the gift shop — Scharf's 1961 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, which is not for sale...

And if you haven't been to the Brant Foundation before, be sure to check out the view to the north from the back of the fourth floor... 

The Brant Foundation is at 421 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Exhibit hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are 50% off tomorrow (Wednesday), making them $7.50 for East Village residents. There's free admission on Thursday and Friday. You can secure a spot here.

Scharf, a California native, has lived in Los Angeles for the past two decades. Learn more about his work at this link.

Boris & Horton, under new ownership, eyeing an 'early spring' reopening on Avenue A

We've fielded several questions about the status of the currently closed Boris & Horton on Avenue A and 12th Street. 

Last month, the city's first dog cafe announced that a new owner was taking over the business: "Same great space and brand" with "a community-focused vibe." 

Apparently, the new owner, Carol, with her dog Baja listed as the new CEO, was getting the same queries. 

Per an Instagram post from Sunday: 

The question everyone has been asking and I'm still unable to answer specifically — when are you reopening? Well, no official date yet, but we're getting close enough that I feel comfortable sharing that we're targeting "early spring"! LOTS to come as we get a little closer but know it's coming quickly.

Last November, ownership (daughter-father Logan Mikhly and Coppy Holzman) announced Boris & Horton's closure. This development happened even after a successful crowdfunding campaign and a newly enacted subscription plan earlier last year. 

Mikhly and Holzman left the door open for new ownership upon closing. This EVG post explains more about what transpired here. 

Boris & Horton opened in February 2018... and expanded its footprint on the corner later in 2018.

From the archives: DVD, wrapped in plastic

In honor of Twin Peaks Day today (Feb. 24 was the day FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper arrived in Twin Peaks in the pilot episode back in 1990)... here's an EVG repost from January 2023: 

DVD, wrapped in plastic ... Andréa Stella came across this scene on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... Laura Palmer gracing the cover of the first season of "Twin Peaks" ... Cueing up Pete Martell on the phone here.

A Taste of change for Joe's Wine Co

The Joe is gone at 113 Third Ave. 

As you can see, someone painted over the Joe's on the signage at the wine store between 13th Street and 14th Street. 

The shop is now going as Taste Wine Co. per Google ...

... and per a store receipt (an employee also confirmed the new name)...

As previously reported, Trader Joe's accused Joe's Wine Co., which opened in November, of violating the grocery chain's intellectual property rights. 

Per Supermarket News: 

Trader Joe's alleges that Joe's Wine Co. originally used a circular logo, color scheme, and wood paneling similar to the grocer's distinctive trademarks and aesthetic. After receiving notice of an impending lawsuit from Trader Joe's, Joe's Wine Co. removed its name and signage and assured Trader Joe's it would select a new name and branding, according to the lawsuit. However, the lawsuit states that, in mid-November, Joe's Wine Co. continued to use the name "Joe's Wine Co." and wood paneling similar to Trader Joe's. 

The business removed the signage in December, though it reappeared last month. The shop's interior is also free of any wood paneling or anything that would fall under the Trader Joe's "Trade Dress." Its website and Instagram account are no longer online. 

On Jan. 28, U.S. District Judge Lewis L. Liman granted a permanent injunction against Joe's Wine Co. Per public documents (PDF here): 

The Trader Joe's Trademarks and Trader Joe's Trade Dress are valid and enforceable and have been infringed by Defendant. 

As of February 14, 2025, Defendant and its owners, managers, shareholders, representatives, officers, directors, agents, employees, parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, successors, and assigns, and all other persons acting in concert with any of them, are hereby permanently enjoined from infringing or diluting the Trader Joe's Trademarks and the Trader Joe's Trade Dress... 

Trader Joe's Wine Shop closed around the corner on 14th Street in August 2022. This was the only Trader Joe's Wine Shop in NYC and New York State. (New York State law limits corporations to one wine or liquor store.) Another Trader Joe's Wine Shop has yet to reopen. 

As for the former Joe's Wine Co. ... State Liquor Authority paperwork from July 2023 lists the ownership as Taste Wine LLC, a business previously located at 50 Third Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street... (public records now list the name as Joe's Wine Inc.) 

Gary Landsman opened Taste Wine in 2015 before closing in May 2020 to focus on raising awareness and finding a treatment for the fatal genetic disease that his two young sons have. At the time, he said he was hopeful about selling the business. 

Taste Wine reopened in the fall of 2020 under new ownership before shutting down in early 2021 at 50 Third Ave., part of an assemblage that has since been demolished.

Flamingos Vintage Pound returns to the East Village with new St. Mark’s Place outpost

EVG file photo

Flamingos Vintage Pound announced that the brand is opening an outpost on the lower level at 4 St Mark's Place just east of Third Avenue. 

This marks a return to the neighborhood for Flamingos, which charges by the pound (for the clothes you want to purchase, not your personal weight). 

Flamingos, which has more than 40 locations in the U.S. and abroad, previously had stores on First Avenue near Ninth Street and on 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (There was also one on Stanton Street.) All three didn't survive the pandemic, with the First Avenue store being the last to shut down in the fall of 2021. 

As for the retail space at No. 4, Wanyoo, Asia's largest gaming café chain, was at a lower level for a minute but never reopened after the pandemic started in March 2020. Then, there was a bar-cafe called Lava Ground, a business that seemed to be open sporadically before disappearing.

The storefront on the upper level is currently Art Gotham. The gallery was using the lower level for Saint Marks Art.

Until February 2016, 4 St. Mark's Place housed Trash & Vaudeville for 41 years. The store relocated to 96 E. Seventh St. in 2016.

The Hamilton-Holly House (aka 4 St. Mark's Place), built in 1831, was once owned by Alexander Hamilton's son. The landmarked building, which changed hands for $10 million in the spring of 2016 for $10 million, also underwent a gut renovation and expansion.

Holy farewell: Saint Pizza is leaving Avenue B

After less than two years of serving solid slices, Saint Pizza closed at 223 Avenue B between 13th Street and 14th Street. (H/T Salim and Russell K!)

In an Instagram post from Friday (below), ownership stated, "Some sad news: We are leaving our Avenue B location for circumstances beyond our control."

The post also says they will be relocating elsewhere...

 

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A post shared by Saint Pizza (@saintpizzanyc)

Signage alert: Mr. Fish on 3rd Avenue

Signage is up now for Mr. Fish at 96 Third Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

The restaurant will be specializing in sauerkraut fish, popular at places such as Nai Brother in Flushing or Long Island City (with one opening on the UWS too) or Fish With You in Flushing. 

Mr. Fish replaces Hunan Bistro, which quietly closed several months ago. We did not see any closing notice or a for-lease sign at the business, which opened in early 2016.

Weekend's parting shot

Photo by William Klayer 

As seen along Second Avenue...

A dog in distress

An EVG reader who lives mid-block on the west side of Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street reports hearing "a dog that has been crying and howling every night for the past 2–3 months." 

The reader isn't sure exactly where the dog might be, except the sound seems close by and coming from some adjacent outdoor space.

"I've submitted multiple 311 complaints for animal abuse, but they are always closed with 'police action not necessary.' To be fair, I'm not sure if I'm sending the cops to the right address, and I wouldn't know the apartment to send them to even if I did know." 

"I'm reaching out to you because I'm not sure what else to do at this point," the reader said. "This breaks my heart every night... Sounds like the pup is without shelter, exposed to all kinds of weather."

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo from St. Mark's Place on Tuesday) ...

• A longtime East Village bar and restaurant owner turns 100: 'Life is beautiful' (Thursday) 

• The new old Lucy's sign returns on Avenue A (Tuesday) 

• Deadline is approaching to apply for a position on Community Board 3 (Thursday) 

• Foundation in place for the new ABC No Rio building on the Lower East Side (Wednesday) 

• Pre-leasing for office space at 1 St. Mark's Place is underway (Tuesday) 

• A bar dedicated to women's sports is opening on the Bowery (Wednesday)

• Spend an evening with Patti Smith at Cooper Union this March 5 (Tuesday) 

• Report: Residents of the Jacob Riis Houses will vote on their funding future (Friday) 

• HBD McSorley's (Sunday) 

• Signage alert: Shirokuro on 2nd Avenue (Thursday) ... HighLife Burgers on 1st Avenue (Tuesday)

• Where the water will be shut off on Avenue A this coming Monday (Thursday) 

If you're around the Educational Alliance at 197 East Broadway, the Art School's "Roots and Visions: A Collective Journey" exhibit is on display. It highlights "the personal stories and artistic expressions of our talented students and faculty."

We were at the opening Friday and really liked some of the work...

Sunday's opening Instagram shot

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A post shared by Andrew Eliopoulos (@retronyc)

Saturday's parting shot

A painting by Richard Hambleton as seen in the current exhibit "From Sam Francis to Matta: Elegance in the Flames of Gehenna" at Shin Gallery through April 26. 

The gallery is at 322 Grand St. at Orchard. Details here.

EVG Etc.: A reprieve for the mayor; a weekly refuge for asylum seekers

Photo from 10th Street between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue

Local stories of interest from other sources this past week include... 

• Gov. Hochul says she won't remove Mayor Adams from office (Gothamist) ... However, there are renewed calls for the governor to do so (ABC-7) ... Judge cancels the mayor's trial and leaves corruption charges intact until mid-March (The Associated Press) 

• All the top deputies who have left the Adams administration (City & State) 

 • Mayor Cuomo? (Mother Jones) 

• ICYMI: President Trump wants to kill congestion pricing in NYC (Gothamist... amNY ... Streetsblog ... The New York Times) 

• Trump aide on anti-congestion toll push is married to Manhattan garage magnate (Streetsblog) 

• Almost all of Manhattan's notoriously pokey crosstown buses that run south of 60th Street have sped up — slightly — in the weeks since congestion pricing took effect (The City) 

• Good news! The city has cleared about 40 outdoor dining applications! The very bad news: About 3,600 applications remain, and restaurant owners are pissed (The Post)

• Speaking out against Con Ed's proposed double-digit rate hike (PIX11) 

• A weekly refuge for asylum seekers at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery (The Indypendent) 

• More about "The Jonathan Larson Project" at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue (The Forward) 

• A guide to must-see museum exhibitions and art events in NYC this spring (Hyperallergic) 

• See the epic of epics "Lawrence of Arabia" on the big screen on March 9 (Village East by Angelika)

... and Buzzfeed is the latest media outlet to check in on Danny & Coop's Cheesesteaks on Avenue A. (Spoiler on the $18 cheesesteak: "While satisfying, the cheesesteak is heavy and generally underseasoned.") And with every EVG mention of Danny & Coop's, a few readers chime in with a reminder about another newish place — G's Cheesesteaks on Avenue B and Houston... and now with new signage...

Saturday's opening shot

Sunrise from Seventh and A this morning. 

It's a brrrisk start to the day, but temperatures in NYCland will rise to 39 today — and without the gusty winds.

'Doppler' effect

We continue to highlight indie acts performing at this year's New Colossus Festival, which will take place in East Village and LES venues from March 4 to 9. 

On March 8, there's an all-day shoegaze showcase at Arlene's Grocery. On the bill: Washington, D.C.'s Skymender. The above video is for "Doppler," from the band's debut record. (Skymender is playing first in the afternoon session — $10 to see seven bands.)

Find Festival info here.

Report: Residents of the Jacob Riis Houses will vote on their funding future

EVG file photo

Interesting story about the future funding of the Jacob Riis Houses on Avenue D. 

City Limits has the story: 

NYCHA announced on Feb. 11 that residents at the Jacob Riis Houses in the East Village will head to the polls and decide on which funding model they feel can make for the best investment moving forward. But there's a twist. 

Unlike other developments where NYCHA has held votes in recent years, residents at the Jacob Riis Houses will choose between only two options: the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program and remaining in Section 9, the current federal program it’s funded under. The decision comes after TA leadership at the Jacob Riis Houses requested putting PACT as an option on the table to get repairs done, according to NYCHA. 

Residents can vote starting on Thursday. 

Jacob Riis Houses I and II have 1,769 units in total. The complex has "a combined capital repair need of $940 million," per City Limit. 

The Jacob Riis Houses were in the headlines in 2022 over news of arsenic in the water. Mayor Adams later said the positive test was a false alarm resulting from a lab error by a private testing company.

Thursday's parting shot

Avenue A between Fifth and Sixth in the light snow this evening...

A longtime East Village bar and restaurant owner turns 100: 'Life is beautiful'

Stanislawa "Anna" Sulkowska's family shared the following details... 

Stanislawa "Anna" Sulkowska's centennial celebration on Jan. 13, 2025, marked the culmination of a longstanding devotion to the East Village's dynamic bar and restaurant scene. 

Anna is a Polish immigrant who arrived in the United States in the early 1970s and was a fixture in the East Village restaurant/bar scene dating to 1977. She had previously owned The Baltyk, a Polish restaurant (pictured below) at the corner of First Avenue and First Street. Lucy (future owner of Lucy's on Avenue A) worked at the Baltyk upon her arrival in the United States from 1980 to 1982.

Anna opened Downtown Beirut (below) on First Avenue in 1982, which we still talk about today, and subsequently opened Downtown Beirut 2 on Houston Street in 1987.

Anna's final venture, Oasis Lounge, was located on St. Mark's Place just off Avenue A and closed in 1997. 

Anna's daughters, Bozena (known as Bridget) and Basia (known as Barbara), who bartended at Downtown Beirut, are doing well. All three still reside in the East Village. Anna also has four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. 

Her favorite days are spent with her 4-year-old great-granddaughter.

Anna is a symbol of hard work. These successful restaurants and bars were spearheaded and run by Anna while she was in her 50s, 60s, and 70s. 

At 100, Anna still talks about dreams of opening another bar in the East Village. 

One of Anna's granddaughters shared this with EVG in an email...

My grandma speaks very fondly of her time running those businesses. She still remembers specific customers and employees. My grandma is unique, and she has a lot of qualities that make her so strong-willed and determined. She was never afraid of anything or anybody was very independent and held a strong belief that she (and we) could do anything. 

I heard stories of her going toe to toe with men who attempted to rob her cash registers or people with weapons in her bars, intimidating her or her customers. I think anybody who knows, has known, or has had the pleasure of meeting my grandma can gather that much about her — she is tough! 

She has always been purposeful in all her decisions. She has always intended to be successful and would never allow anyone to get in the way of that. Maybe that’s what made her such a successful businesswoman in the EV and a strong pillar of our family. 

My grandma has lived a very vibrant and remarkable life. Born in Poland in 1925 and 100 years later is settled in NYC. 

Every morning, she tells my mother or me, without missing a beat, that "life is beautiful." My grandma found a true home and history in the East Village.

Downtown Beirut photo by David Vega via Flaming Pablum.