Photo by Robert Miner
Sunset cloud action from Seventh Street...
Friday, July 25, 2025
All and 'Some'
Avishag Cohen Rodrigues, part of the cumgirl8 collective, also has a promising solo career.
You can see for yourself tomorrow afternoon as Cohen Rodrigues is part of the free Show Brain show in Tompkins Square Park.
The video here is for her latest single, "Some Are."
About tomorrow's Show Brain-sponsored concert in Tompkins Square Park
• 1:55 to 2:25 — Torture and The Desert Spiders
• 2:40 to 3:15 — Joudy
• 3:30 to 4:05 — Two Man Giant Squid
• 4:25 to 5:05 — Avishag Cohen Rodrigues
• 5:20 to 6 — P.H.0.
And next weekend (Aug. 2-3) — The free concerts commemorating the 37th anniversary of the Tompkins Square Police Riot of Aug. 6, 1988. Bands are scheduled for both days. We'll share more info in the days ahead.
Post-mortem on the freshly cutback American elm in Tompkins Square Park
Photos by and reporting by Stacie Joy
On Tuesday, the Parks Department cut back the drooping American elm inside the Seventh Street entrance to Tompkins Square Park between Avenue A and Avenue B.
Before this happened, I had reached out to urban forestry expert Georgia Silvera Seamans, founder of Local Nature Lab. (Read her initial response here.)
As she's out of town, I sent her several of the photos of the trimmed back tree. Her response: "Looks like there was a major crack in a large branch. It also looks like staining from Dutch Elm Disease on the left front branch."
An encore presentation for the cumgirl8 clothing and merch sale on 2nd Street
The band is offering records, test pressings, cumgirl8 collectibles, shoes, clothing, accessories, one-of-a-kind merch, and musical equipment from noon to 7 p.m. each day.
Revisit weekend No. 1 of the sale from two weeks ago here.
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Thursday's parting shot
What's next for the Minca space on 5th Street?
With reporting by Stacie Joy
Minca closed out a 21-year run in the East Village on July 14.
Shigeto Kamada, owner of the Tokyo-style ramen parlor at 536 E. Fifth St., is set for retirement.
However, the small space between Avenue A and Avenue B won't be empty for too long.
According to Minca staff, Hiroki Odo, the chef at odo, the acclaimed Japanese restaurant on West 20th Street, is taking over for Minca with plans for a yakitori concept.
We're told that renovations will take place over the next few months.
From ramen to yakitori, the torch is already being passed.
Updated: Odo is on the August CB3 SLA committee docket for a new liquor license. There's a sample menu for what will be odo East Village here.
Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village openings: Wait a Second on 11th Street
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Owner Meca Chung explained that this is an artist-run collective space rooted in sustainable fashion.
We are a hybrid of curated pre-loved designer and vintage clothing and artistic works. We specialize in pieces that span a wide range of styles, from timeless classics to avant-garde statements.
Here's a look at the shop...
"We immediately fell for this neighborhood," Chung said. "And our neighbor friends wanted us to be here, so we're back with our first permanent store. And we're already seeing a lot of old friends and have met many new friends."
Chung hopes the space will continue to foster that sense of connection.
"In the future, we'll host activities like an art market and movie night and more, so we can get to know our neighborhood better and have more fun together," she said.
Current hours during this soft-open mode are Thursday through Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. or by appointment at other times. You can follow the shop on Instagram here.
Beer & wine in the works for Danny & Coop's
EVG file photo
One day, you might be able to have a beer or glass of wine with your 97-pound cheesesteak from Danny & Coop's.
A review of Community Board 3's recently released SLA Licensing & Outdoor Dining Committee agenda for August reveals that the popular cheesesteak shop is applying for a beer and wine license for the space, which has only a handful of seating spots. (It's mostly a takeout operation.)
Actor-filmmaker Bradley Cooper and Danny DiGiampietro, the owner of Angelo's Pizzeria in South Philadelphia, teamed up for this venture, which began on a part-time basis last December at 151 Avenue A, between Ninth Street and 10th Street.
The quick-serve establishment only serves a (very large) classic cheesesteak for $18 (it will feed several people), bottles of water and cans of soda.
At the start of the summer, Danny & Coop's extended their hours to noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. There can be a line at noon, but it moves quickly, we're told. (We've never tried it.)
151 Avenue A was previously home to Tacos El Porky and its sibling El Primo Red Tacos, which both closed quickly. The previous owners received approval for a beer and wine license, although not for the backyard space.
In May 2024, nearly 150 residents signed a petition opposing the use of the backyard by Tacos El Porky.
It's not immediately known if Danny & Coop's have any intentions to inhabit the outdoor space.
San Loco was located in the south storefront at No. 151 for 15 years, until February 2014, without ever deciding to open up the back.
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Some more decade-spanning looks at 5th Street and Avenue B
The 1,750-seat theater was demolished in 1968.
Julius Klein shared all the photos on this page, a collection he assembled while living with Raken Leaves next door to the old theater at 60 Avenue B from 1982 to 1994.
The top photo is dated 1917, and the one below is from 1920 (the arrow points to where he lived decades later at No. 60 between Fourth Street and Fifth Street).
... 1965...
Klein told us that during 10 years of his time at No. 60, he served as the head of the tenant association, where rent strikes became common...
Parks Department prunes drooping elm in Tompkins Square Park
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Top pic Sunday by EVG
7/25 — Update here.
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Visitors to Tompkins Square Park over the weekend noticed something amiss with one of its older residents: a large American elm just inside the Seventh Street entrance between Avenue A and Avenue B.
Several low-hanging branches appeared drooped or stressed, prompting speculation among locals about whether the tree might be suffering from Sudden Branch Drop (SBD), a phenomenon that can affect mature trees in the summer months.
But not so fast, says urban forestry expert Georgia Silvera Seamans.
"From the photos on EVG, it looks like there is some kind of torsion on the leftmost branch from the trunk," said Silvera Seamans, founder of Local Nature Lab and an expert in urban tree health. "This could have been caused by an imbalance in weight on the left side of the tree compared to the overall tree. The crotch — the gap between the branches where they split from the trunk — could be weak."
Without examining the elm in person, she cautioned against jumping to conclusions but suggested the issue may be more structural than seasonal.
"It also looks like two branches are rubbing together," she added. "My bet is something structural, which could be related to weight, age, or disease."
As for whether the elm can be saved, Silvera Seamans said that it depends on what a professional arborist finds during an in-person inspection.
"Branches could be pruned to lighten the load, heavier branches supported with tree braces, upper branches could be cabled," she said.
Following our conversation, I walked by the tree to find that the Parks Department had cut it back yesterday — hopefully a sign that the elm will remain a healthy fixture in the park for years to come.
Checking in on Irving Green
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Nearly three months after opening its doors, Irving Green is settling into its new home on Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
The shop, which debuted in late April at 321 E. Ninth St., offers a selection of curated homeware and gifts — many with ties to Ireland.
During a recent visit, the shelves displayed a diverse range of items, including handmade ceramics, natural soaps, linen textiles, and stationery, much of which was sourced from Irish makers.
Owner Alison Doyle, who moved to New York from Ireland 18 years ago, has lived most of that time in the East Village.
"I spent so many of my weekend mornings browsing local stores in the area, so to be able to open Irving Green on East Ninth Street amongst so many of these same stores has been a dream," she said. "Bringing over some of my favorite Irish brands and seeing a positive reaction from our customers makes it even more special."
She continued:
"Meeting the community has been one of the most fulfilling parts so far. Whether it's the regulars who stop in just to chat or the neighboring business owners who've been so welcoming and supportive."
The shop is open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 6:30 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
You can follow Irving Green on Instagram here.
From a Food Market to a Swap Shop on 2nd Avenue
Top photo by Stacie Joy
At the start of the summer, we spotted a sign for an NYU Swap Shop at 107 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.
Per an Instagram post from May:
The NYU Swap Shop is a space dedicated to reusing and repurposing items, particularly those collected through the Green Apple Move Out program at NYU. It functions as a central location for students to donate and find gently used items like clothing, electronics, appliances, and stationery.
There's a sign inside the roll-down gate noting that donations are accepted weekdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
We've stopped by at least 10 times since early June, and the gate remains down. To our knowledge, the Swap Shop has yet to open.
The previous tenant here in the NYU-owned building was the New Yorkers Food Market. Owner Michael Schumacher told us that a variety of factors led to the closure on Dec. 30, including increased competition from Wegmans on Astor Place and personal health issues.
Although NYU provided a six-month rent concession, he wasn't in any financial position to negotiate a new lease for the 38,000-square-foot space, he told us.
A grocery had been in the retail space of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts since 1974.
It's not known at the moment if the NYU Swap Shoppe is a temporary or permanent tenant.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Tuesday's parting shot
When Black Sabbath played in the East Village
Earlier this year, the official Black Sabbath Facebook page posted a Fillmore East program and ticket stub from the band's February 1971 performance at the venue, located on Second Avenue at Sixth Street, during the Paranoid tour.
A $5.50 ticket got you into see the show, which included the J. Geils Band.
The Fillmore East was open from March 8, 1968, to June 27, 1971.
Thanks for all the head bangers, Ozzy...
Petition seeks to landmark Most Holy Redeemer ahead of possible closure
With reporting by Stacie Joy
The effort, spearheaded by Village Preservation, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative and the East Village Community Coalition, seeks to protect the 19th-century church at 173 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B — along with its rectory and former school — from potential redevelopment.
Supporters argue that the church is a vital part of the neighborhood's cultural and architectural heritage, and it deserves formal landmark status.
Per the petition, which you can find here:
With roots in waves of immigration dating back to the 1840s, the church was once one of the largest in the city and one of its tallest structures. A devastating fire at its school led to pioneering reforms in fire safety measures that remain with us today, and the church, which was restyled over time, was the site of significant innovations in the use of electricity in church structures as well as the introduction of Gregorian chants at Catholic Churches.
And...
Most Holy Redeemer has been a cornerstone of the East Village community for over a century and a half, and embodies so much of this neighborhood’s and New York's rich immigrant history and culture.
The three groups had previously lobbied Mayor Adams and the Landmarks Preservation Commission to consider landmark status in a letter this past December.
As we first reported, Monsignor Kevin J. Nelan of Immaculate Conception on 14th Street and Eileen Mulcahy, the vice chancellor for parish planning of the Archdiocese of New York, addressed continued speculation during a meeting on July 14 that Most Holy Redeemer would close outright.
They emphasized that while the church isn't officially closing, its operations will undergo significant changes.
Regular weekly masses will end, and in their place, the church will offer only occasional services, such as weddings, funerals, or what was described as "once in a blue moon masses" for long-time parishioners. This fall, masses that were previously held on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays (including Spanish services) will take place at nearby St. Brigid's.
Leadership cited the shortage of priests as a key reason for the shift.
Concerns were also raised about the structural condition of the building itself. There is plaster falling from the ceiling in the church, officials noted, adding that engineers would evaluate whether it remains safe.
We attended mass this past weekend at Most Holy Redeemer, where approximately 75 people were in attendance.
Caution tape now cordons off a section to the left of the altar at Most Holy Redeemer, where plaster reportedly fell from the ceiling.
From our vantage point, visible damage appeared minimal — limited to a small white patch overhead — but the incident has raised concerns about the building's condition as its future remains uncertain.
Last summer, the Archdiocese of New York sold the historic Holy Rosary Church in East Harlem to a developer, citing the building's severe disrepair.
In recent years, Catholic churches (or any places of worship) in the East Village haven't fared well with landmarking protections.
The Archdiocese previously went the luxury route, selling two properties for more than $80 million.
Developer Douglas Steiner bought the former Mary Help of Christians property on Avenue A at 12th Street in 2012 for $41 million.
During the summer of 2013, workers demolished the church, school and rectory to make way for Steiner East Village, the block-long luxury condoplex (below) with an indoor pool and retail spaces that have been vacant for seven years.
In March 2020, Gemini Rosemont, an L.A.-based real-estate investor, bought the former Church of the Nativity property on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street for $40 million. The property remains vacant.
Church of the Nativity merged with Most Holy Redeemer in 2015.
The former site of St. Emeric, located on 13th Street and Avenue D, is likely to yield an affordable housing complex.
The now-deconsecrated church merged with St. Brigid on Avenue B in early 2013.
Further back, in 2003, St. Ann's Church, located on 12th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, was partially demolished to make way for NYU's Founders Hall dormitory. The church's historic facade and fence were preserved and incorporated into the front courtyard of the dorm, a hollow gesture that does little to honor what was lost. As "The AIA Guide to New York City" noted, "the effect is of a majestic elk, shot and stuffed."
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Find the petition to landmark Most Holy Redeemer at this link.
A pharmacy for 6th Street and Avenue C
This will be the first retail tenant in the newly constructed six-story residential building, which some readers think resembles an old Western prison.
We currently don't have any information about EV Pharmacy. It's another independent business that will fill the void as more chain stores, like Rite Aid, close. (See this EVG post for other indie pharmacies in the area.)
Before the new building construction at 699 E. Sixth St., the lot had been empty since a gas station closed on the property in the early 1980s; it later served as a trash-art garden.
Monday, July 21, 2025
From around the blogosphere: When 5th Street and Avenue B had a grand movie house
Top photo via DCMNY
Ephemeral New York checks in today with a post on the Loew's Avenue B Theater, which held forth on the SW corner of Fifth Street and Avenue B from 1913 to the late 1950s. (The top photo is from 1917 1925.)
The theater held an incredible 1,750 people, and it was one of the many grand theaters around the city owned and operated by Marcus Loew.
Per ENY:
Throughout the early decades of the 20th century, Loew operated a chain of luxurious, fantastical cinema palaces from Delancey Street to Times Square to Harlem, all designed to satisfy New York City's obsession with this new form of mass entertainment.Loew's name still graces movie theaters today, though most of his early palaces have, sadly, long been demolished.
The structure sat empty for 10 years before it was demolished in 1968.
The lot later became Cabrini Nursing Center, which developer Ben Shaoul purchased and shut down in 2012, forcing the relocation of people who had grown up in the neighborhood to find cost-effective facilities in the outer boroughs.
Shaoul opened luxury rentals here, selling the building for $85 million in 2018.
Loew was born in a squalid tenement on Fifth and B, which he had demolished with others to make way for the theater, according to Cinema Treasures.
The theatre cost $800,000 to build. In an opening night speech, Loew said, "This is the most pretentious of the houses on our string, because my better judgment was over-balanced by my sentimentalism and my longing to do something better here than I ever did before."
Buddies Coffee, forced out of Williamsburg with a rent hike, still on track to open East Village location
Photos by Stacie Joy
Buddies Coffee is still in the works for 226 E. Third St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.
We spotted co-owner Taylor Nawrocki in the space the other day...
He hopes to have the shop open soon.
Nawrocki, a pro skater, and his partner Rachel Nieves launched Buddies in Williamsburg in December 2020.
The shop became a hit for its signature drinks, including the coquito latte, a family recipe that swaps out rum for espresso.
An emotional TikTok post from Nieves went viral in February when she tearfully shared that their landlord was asking for an unsustainable rent increase, not to mention another coffee shop was opening next door.
Despite an outpouring of support, Buddies closed on May 17.
The EV Buddies had been in the works for several months before the news of the rent hike. We reported on the pending arrival on Dec. 23.
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