6 minutes of the East Village from a 1986 housing crisis documentary

Here's part of the neighborhood as seen in the 1986 documentary "There's No Place Like Home: Housing Crisis, USA."

In rain, concern grows for famed Avenue A ice sculpture

There was talk of buying bags of ice at Key to stack around the sculpture to preserve it from the rain and above-freezing temps.

But it was just talk, as it sometimes is.

Also, the hydrant is in front of 79 Avenue A at East Fifth Street if the city/FDNY is reading...

Previously

Gas problem temporarily closes Thai Terminal

We heard from a reader the other day that Thai Terminal on East 12th Street was mysteriously closed... don't know if this sign has been up the whole time... anyway, it notes that a gas problem has kept the restaurant between First Avenue and Second Avenue from opening.

Hopefully this problem won't linger as it did for East Village Thai on East Seventh Street.

Thanks to EVG reader Greg Masters for the photo!

Avenue A ice sculpture growing in size, stature

Near East Fifth Street... Photo by Grant Shaffer

Previously

Report of a fire at 85 First Ave.

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

The FDNY came out in force around 1:30 to respond to a fire at 85 First Ave. just north of East Fifth Street (at the location of the former wine shop Tinto Fino).

MAN ALL HANDS 85 1 AVE,

— FDNY (@FDNY) January 17, 2015

The FDNY had things under control in about 10 minutes…

MAN ALL HANDS 85 1 AVE, 1 FRL AWNING, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNY (@FDNY) January 17, 2015

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

No word on the cause or the extent of the damage. There weren't any reports of injuries. And the fire didn't seem to have any impact on Three of Cups next door… which remained open.

This is the second reported fire along this stretch of First Avenue this past week. There was a basement fire at 133 E. Fourth Street at First Avenue on Tuesday morning.

A new mural on 12th and C that addresses gender-based street harassment

Brooklyn-based illustrator/painter Tatyana Fazlalizadeh created a new mural yesterday on East 12th Street at Avenue C ...



It's part of her ongoing project titled "Stop Telling Women to Smile," where, as the Huffington Post describes it, "Fazlalizadeh places portraits of women in public spaces, encouraging victims of gender-based street harassment to fight back."



Find more of her work on her website. And here's more about Fazlalizadeh in the Times last year ... and NPR in 2013.

Thanks to Robert Galinsky for the photos...

[Updated] Win tickets to see Marky Ramone tonight

Here is the latest clue via @MarkyRamone to the whereabouts to that golden ticket...

#NYC scavenger hunt winner still up for grabs! Find my book & win tix to my show 1/17 @GramercyTheatre MIght be here: pic.twitter.com/GSq2nG1U1i

— Marky Ramone (@MarkyRamone) January 15, 2015

Updated 1:18 p.m.

We're told that someone has claimed the tix…

Gag reflex

Jersey City's Vomitface continues their Monday night residency at Cake Shop on Ludlow Street this coming Monday ... here they are with "Sloppy Joes" ...

EV Grieve Mourning Edition

[Avenue A and St. Mark's Place]

Phase 1 of Essex Crossing revealed, and with concerns of overcrowding (Curbed)

A new development opportunity for Delancey at Clinton (BoweryBoogie)

Report: High-opportunity neighborhoods in NYC are losing affordable housing (NYU Furman Center)

Cyclist fatalities spiked in 2014 (Gothamist)

The hawks escort a surprise visitor out of Tompkins Square Park (Gog in NYC)

You can buy a T-ahirt to help support Tompkins Trees (Our Nature)

Staff revolt for unpaid wages at Food & Wine on Irving Place (Eater)

Go see something at Under St. Marks Theatre, 94 St. Mark's Place (Under St. Marks)

About the sale of 430 E. 10th St. between C and D (The Observer)

Henry Street Playhouse turning 100 (The Lo-Down)

Revisiting the Rivington School (Flaming Pablum)

When Keith Haring did animation for "Sesame Street" (BoingBoing)

RIP Kim Fowley (Pitchfork)

... and when did Zoltar get his oil lamp back outside Gem Spa????


[Photo by Goggla]

Remembering Jodie Lane, who died on this date in 2004

[Photo by Todd McCraw via Facebook]

Reposted from Jan. 16, 2014

Jodie Lane was a 30-year-old doctoral candidate at the Teacher’s College at Columbia University. During the late afternoon of Jan. 16, 2004, Lane, who lived on East 12th Street with her boyfriend, was walking her dogs. She was electrocuted on a snow-covered Con Edison junction box on the southwest corner of 11th Street at First Avenue.

The street was named in her honor in the spring of 2005. Former Councilmember Margarita Lopez joined Lane's family and friends for the street co-naming ceremony.

"The name of Jodie Lane is going to be there forever," Lopez said, "for Con Ed to remember what they did — that they didn’t care about the residents of New York City — and for it not to happen again."

As The Villager reported:

The young therapist’s death horrified the city, and brought heightened awareness to the problem of stray voltage leaking from street fixtures. With pressure from Lopez, Con Ed agreed to do annual stray-voltage inspections for all street lampposts and other electrified street fixtures.

In November 2004, ConEd agreed to pay Lane's family more than $6.2 million and to set up a $1 million scholarship fund in her name at Columbia.

Read more about the Jodie S. Lane Public Safety Foundation here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
In Memoriam: Roger M. Lane

[Updated] Report: Landlord forcing Ess-a-Bagel from its longtime home

[Image via]

Ess-a-Bagel, which has anchored the corner of First Avenue and East 21st Street since 1976, is being forced out of its longtime home.

According to Sabina Mollot at the Town & Village Blog, none of the restaurants on that corner — Ess-A-Bagel, Grill 21 and Rose Restaurant — are getting their leases renewed.

Per the article:

David Wilpon, the owner of Ess-A-Bagel said the longtime bagel joint may be moving somewhere close by but it’s nowhere near a done deal. “There’s a lot that’s up in the air,” he said, adding that he’s still holding out some hope of staying put. He’s also requesting a holdover and is in the midst of negotiations.

Wilpon said the trouble with his lease started when his aunt, Florence Wilpon, who’d founded the businesses in 1976, died. This was in September, 2013 during the midst of negotiations for a renewal. After that, while the family was dealing with the will and related issues, “They claimed we weren’t getting back to them in a timely fashion.”

The landlord, L&M Development Partners, reportedly already has a Bank of America and Tower Bagels fitted for the Ess-a-Bagel space.

And this sounds familiar: "Wilpon chalked up the impending closure as part of the pattern of the city’s landlords preferring to oust mom-and-pops in the hopes of getting a corporation that can pay more."

Head over to the Town & Village Blog for more details.

There's a second Ess-A-Bagel at 831 Third Ave. in Midtown East.

Updated 6:08 p.m.

A spokesperson for East 21 Retail LLC sent us the following statement:

"When we purchased the property, our main priority was to keep Ess-A-Bagel as a tenant. Ess-A-Bagel is a tradition in this city and we had no desire to see them leave. In the three years since, we’ve bent over backwards to come to a mutually fair agreement with Ess-A-Bagel’s owners. Our offer would have allowed Ess-A-Bagel to remain — and even gave them the option to expand — in the space they are in currently. Unfortunately, it takes two sides to make a deal, and Ess-A-Bagel’s owners repeatedly refused to meet us between their below-market rent and current market value.

We regret that Ess-A-Bagel chose to misrepresent our intentions in the press. We take our responsibility as landlords very seriously and worked diligently to keep Ess-A-Bagel as a tenant. At a meeting in September, Ess-A-Bagel confirmed they were actively negotiating a lease at a new location. We wish them the best of luck in all their future endeavors."

H/T Brian Van

Your chance to help create a Community Gardens District

[EVG file photo of Orchard Alley on East 4th Street]

Community Board 3 (CB3) member Bill LoSasso, who's a community gardener, passed along the following letter...

As you may know, a Coalition has formed to pursue permanence of the community gardens within the boundaries of CB3. Our community has an wonderful abundance of community gardens which provide numerous environmental, ecological, cultural, social, historical, aesthetic, and economic benefits, and more, to our neighborhoods.

If you believe that these gardens are valuable assets to our community that deserve every type of protection possible, please take 20 seconds to sign the petition below as we pursue the cause of having all gardens declared parklands and designated as part of a designated Community Gardens District. Once designated as parklands, it would take an act of the New York State legislature to alienate the land for a use other than open space.

Help preserve community gardens right here.

And here are more details from the petition...

CB3 is the birthplace of community gardens in New York City and New York State. In 1973, the first garden was established in CB3 by local activists who worked to reverse years of decline and neglect by public and private property owners.

At one time, there were 57 registered community gardens in CB3, and dozens more operating independently. As the neighborhood evolved, however, numerous gardens were bulldozed as development proceeded.

Today, there are still 46 community gardens located in CB3 — the highest density in New York City. Community Board 3 has been strengthened by the history of its community gardens, which provide environmental, cultural, aesthetic, ecological, economic, and artistic benefits to this community, and more.

Let's take a look at Seven East Village, the new luxury condos now for sale at 7th and D

Sales are now underway at 277 E. Seventh St., the luxury condos near Avenue D now going by Seven East Village ... complete with this for the branding — the shirtless, bearded guy riding a (Citi?) Bike on First Avenue at St. Mark's Place (inexplicably standing in for East Seventh Street)...



Curbed swung by the kick-off event (we were not invited!) the other night (where they raffled off a Vespa!). You can head over there for a lot of photos of the model units and people in suits and stuff.

So far, just two of the six units are on the market, including Penthouse B ($2.05 million).

Let's take a look at the OMG listing from the gang at Nest Seekers (the official building site is here):

Penthouse B spans its own private floor and encompasses more than 1,300 Square Feet. With direct and exclusive entry via your own private keyed elevator entrance, you are welcomed to a grand living room with 12 feet of southern facing, fully-collapsible, floor-to-ceiling windows that open onto a generous balcony. Wide-plank, Forest Stewardship Council white oak floors grace the home throughout.

The kitchen, a piece of art in its own right, boasts Italian crafted cabinetry, waterfall countertops, and appliances from Bertazonni and Fisher & Paykel. The master bedroom, with an en-suite bath and its own terrace, is its own paradise.

The second bedroom is equally as large with great closet space. Each feature one-inch thick windows made of sound-attenuating thermal high performance glass. The spacious baths includes custom Italian vanities, radiant heated floors, Porcelanosa tiles, a frameless shower and Zuma Collection soaking tub. The home is fit with built-in speakers, a 3-zone climate control system, and washer/dryer. The roof deck is complete with a state-of-the-art electric grill, a Caesarstone countertop, sink, and Ipe wood cabinets, along with spacious dining and entertaining space.

Let's look at some photos from this unit...









Looks nice!

Of course, it seems like a lot of the neighbors already hate this building given the incessant noise from construction. Which may be why Curbed's correspondent overheard this at the event:

A woman on the street yelling, "Hey! Look! Assholes moving to the neighborhood!" at the people on the second floor Juliet balcony.

Previously on EV Grieve:
277 E. 7th St. condos rebranded 'Seven East Village,' and will feature a bike-sharing program (23 comments)

Random shirtless, bearded guy on a bike now helping market luxury condos at 277 E. 7th St.

The next sliver of space for development: The parking lot at 277 Seventh St.

Seventh Street parking lot destined to become 6-floor apartment building

Arrow Bar has closed on Avenue A

The subterranean space with a good happy hour at 85 Avenue A between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street recently called it quits…



The bar, owned by two former employees of Pianos on Ludlow Street, had a pretty good run here (what was it — 7 years?). One tipster told us the closure wasn't rent related, rather business was off and management couldn't make it work anymore.

There isn't mention of the closure on the bar's website or Facebook page.

The rent is due at the former Back Forty

[Image via]

Back Forty rather abruptly shut down after service on Dec. 21.

Chef and owner Peter Hoffman told Eater that "a difficult landscape and lease uncertainty" led to the decision to close the 7-year-old restaurant at 190 Avenue B near East 12th Street.

The space is now for rent.

Meanwhile, several readers noted that there are "three day rent demand" flyers hanging on the storefront.

There are two. One for the "north store," where the total due rent is $7,800.84 ($3,942 a month) for "rent due and owing" ...


[Photo via Tania Vargas]

... and at the "south store," the total rent due is $11.001.12 ($5,500.56 a month) ...



So if our counting is any good... total rent for the space was $9,442.56. Curious what the landlord wanted to jack up the rent to... if a seemingly popular place like Back Forty couldn't make a go of it anymore...

Now open: Fantastic Tea Shop on East 4th Street

EVG reader Ben let's us know that Fantastic Tea Shop has opened at 128 E. Fourth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

We don't know too much about the space just yet… but we'll add it to our growing list of new East Village cafes.

NYPD looking for suspect in 5 sexual assaults, including 2 in the East Village

A man wanted in connection with two sexual assaults in East Village buildings near the FDR last month is also suspected of three other attacks, the NYPD said.

The most recent incident occurred early yesterday morning. As DNAinfo reports:

The man, who was caught on surveillance video wearing a black Yankees baseball cap, most recently snuck up behind a 31-year-old woman as she entered her apartment building near Chrystie Street on Jan. 14 at 2:30 a.m., police said.

He grabbed her waist and pulled her pants down but pushed her away and fled when she screamed, police said.

Gothamist posted video of the suspect.



Here is the latest description of the suspect, via Gothamist: "a black male, approximately 5'4" to 5'11", 20-25-years-old, 150-180 lbs., with a dark complexion."

Gothamist also has details on each attack.

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

Open Pantry is now selling off its inventory and equipment

Last Thursday, we passed along the sad news that Open Pantry was going to close it 45-year-old coffee shop/grocery at 184 Second Ave. in the weeks ahead.



The sign above on the Open Pantry front door explains.

There's now a listing on Craigslist noting that the store is selling its inventory and equipment.

Not much info is featured on the listing (including the name Open Pantry, but the photos all show the familiar interior) ...



Several readers on our previous post said that the proprietors, the Pappas family, also own the building here between East 11th Street and East 12th Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:
After 40-plus years, Open Pantry looks to be closing on 2nd Avenue

Construction crews spotted at Walter De Maria's former home-studio on East 6th Street

Reps for billionaire art collector Peter Brant, also the new owner of 421 E. Sixth St., filed work permits back in October for the former home-studio of artist Walter De Maria.

The plans for now just call for the rather generic "removal of interior non loading bearing partitions and related finishes" here between Avenue A and First Avenue.

EVG regular peter radley spotted a work crew inside the space yesterday...





Brant told the Times last October that he plans on opening an exhibition space here in a few years.

There was a show in this space last December titled "Dan Colen: The L...o...n...g Count." However, that was reportedly not a project of the Brant Foundation Art Study Center in Greenwich, Conn.

No. 421 was built in 1920 as a ConEd substation, but had been converted into a photography studio after De Maria bought it in 1980.

De Maria died of a stroke in July 2013 at age 77.

Previously on EV Grieve:
About that "giant-robot laboratory" on East Sixth Street

RIP Walter De Maria

What is your East Village dream home?

Walter De Maria's 'giant-robot laboratory' going for $25 million; inside is amazing as you'd expect

Walter De Maria's home/studio on East 6th Street is now on the market for $25 million

Rumor: The Brant Foundation buying Walter De Maria's E. 6th St. studio for an exhibition space (19 comments)

Confirmed: Peter M. Brant buys Walter De Maria's amazing East 6th Street home and studio

1st permits filed for renovation of Walter De Maria's former home-studio on East 6th Street

A soft opening at the Brant Foundation's new space at Walter De Maria's former East 6th Street studio

More about the 1st show at Walter De Maria's former home-studio on East 6th Street

Venezuelan favorite Guayoyo remains temporarily closed after basement fire

A fire broke out in the basement of 133 E. Fourth St. at First Avenue on Tuesday morning.

While the residents were able to return, corner tenant Guayoyo, the excellent Venezuelan restaurant, remains closed…

A sign on the door explains…



No word on an reopening date. There weren't any reported injuries in the fire.

Gena's Grill remains closed for renovations

Gena's Grill closed at the end of 2014 at 210 First Ave. for renovations. At the time, a sign on the door of the small restaurant that serves delicious and inexpensive Latin fare near East 13th Street pointed to a Jan. 10 reopening.

EVG reader Greg Masters passed along these photos from last evening… showing that there's a lot of work left to do … and that the old place is taking on a whole new look…

Pipe dreams at 98-100 Avenue A

An EVG reader shares the current view into the hole at 98-100 Avenue A where East Village Farms (and a theater) once stood.

All this is for developer Ben Shaoul's 6-floor residential building with 29 apartments and ground-floor retail here between East Sixth Street and East Seventh Street.

One small reward after months and months of agonizing demolition: "I have a lovely view and sunset for a few months at least," the reader said. But. "I'm dreading the day the construction amps up."

Previously on EV Grieve:
A little bit of Hollywood on Avenue A

Inside the abandoned theater at East Village Farms on Avenue A

Workers back demolishing what's left of 98-100 Avenue A

How you can get Julianne Moore, Ethan Hawke and Greta Gerwig into your East Village apartment

Courtesy of movie-making magic, of course… EVG reader Kelly Virginia Vinson shared this flyer from a building on East Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B… crews are scouting for an East Village apartment for use in late February.

Details are on the flyer for the film directed by Rebecca Miller called "Maggie's Plan."

Report: Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks will move to the East Village

[28 E. Second St.]

Back in November, Jeremiah Moss reported that the popular Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks was not having the lease renewed for its 15-year-old Greenwich Village shop.

Soon after this news broke, DNAinfo got word that a pair of siblings reached out to Slotnick about a retail space available in their childhood home on East Second Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Yesterday, Slotnick confirmed to Jeremiah that she struck a deal with the family, with an anticipated opening date of Feb. 1 in the ground-floor commercial space.

Per Jeremiah: "[T]he story of how she got it might renew your faith in New York City and the life of its book culture."

Read his post here.

Previously

[Updated] Bowery Coffee is closing for good after today

A tipster let us know that Bowery Coffee at 87 E. Houston just west of the Bowery closes for good after business today.

We haven't heard any reasons why. Their Instragram account simply notes, "Come say goodbye to your favorite baristas because we'll miss you too!"

Bowery Coffee opened in October 2011.

Updated 1-15

BoweryBoogie has more today on the situation here... to no surprise, the landlord apparently refused to renew the shop's lease.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Avenue A at East 5th Street by David Spaltro]

Another new residential building for the Bowery (BoweryBoogie)

Your chance to discuss the $335 million plan to create a flood barrier and expanded recreational area along the East River (The Lo-Down)

A look at Real Men, a new weekly program at the Boys Club of New York on East 10th Street (DNAinfo)

John Lurie shares an NYPD anecdote from the 1980s on East Third Street (The Daily News)

The 1980s photography of Hank O'Neal (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Christo and Dora are spending more time together in Tompkins Square Park (Gog in NYC)

The NYC premiere tomorrow night of Adam Rifkin's "Guiseppe Makes a Movie" (Anthology Film Archives)

Jane Jacobs’ 1958 warning about the loss of street life still resonates (Streetsblog)

Info on the upcoming shows for They Might Be Giants (Brooklyn Vegan)

The $66 million penthouse condo at the Puck Building (Curbed)

Liquiteria opens in the former Gray's Papaya space on Sixth Avenue in the Village (Eater)

... and tonight at the Cherry Tavern, The VolaVida Collective is hosting a one-night only art show by UncuttArt titled "Illegal Tender."


[Photo via 2001 Films]

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: Magic Brian
Occupation: Magician, Comedian, Performer
Location: East 3rd Street and 2nd Avenue
Time: 11:30 am on Wednesday, Dec 17

I was born in Long Island and I grew up in Cornwall, about an hour and a half north of the city. My mom’s from Brooklyn and my dad’s from Queens, but they moved out of the city and I moved back in.

I moved to the city in 1996, to an apartment on 51st Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. I didn’t know this neighborhood that well but I was always coming down here for shows or to go to the bar or whatever and then I just fell in love with it. I was just constantly taking the bus down here, so I moved to 7th Street a year and a half later. I then moved to 1st Avenue, above Lanza’s for four years, and 12 or 13 years ago I moved down to where I live now with my wife, to 2nd between C and D.

Any time friends come into town I just walked them around the neighborhood. Benny’s was a favorite place. There was great people watching at Benny’s. Now we’re like, I guess we’ll just set up lawn chairs on the corner and bring our own margaritas. It’s a great neighborhood, it’s just changing. I’ve started taking pictures of all the corners. I’ve got about 60 corners so far.

I started doing magic when I was a kid. My sister works at a daycare center. When she was working there as a teenager, there was construction, so she had a daycare center in our house basically. There was a room in our house with all these kids in it, and she was always trying to come up with stuff to do with them. I had always played around with magic. I had a friend who lived down the street and I said, ‘Hey what if we put on this show for the kids?’

So we started practicing on these same six kids over and over again. So I was like, ‘You know what, we can make money doing this.’ We became Abra and Cadabra. We did a lot of family shows, kids shows, senior citizen centers. I did that for a while and then when I went to college I started doing solo shows and more comedy shows.

It was a bit weird doing it without my partner because I had always had someone else, and then he completely lost interest. He had never really wanted to do it to begin with. So I started doing open mics and things like that. Magic is my tool, but [what I do] is like a comedian or a clown act. A juggler might use juggling clubs or balls, but they’re a comedian that juggles. Magic is my tool.

I started doing that and then I met this circus, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, based in Brooklyn. They were doing shows at the Brooklyn Brewery at the time, Winter Cabaret, and they always toured, so I started touring with them for a few years. I loved traveling around the world with the circus. It was kind of like we were a band. We would play rock venues. We had a trailer that said, Bindelstiff Family Cirkus and people would ask, ‘Are you guys in a band?’ ‘No we’re a circus.’ ‘Is that the name of your band?’ ‘We’re a circus, not a band.’ ‘What kind of music do you play?’ We’re a circus.’

After that I started street performing and then I started traveling the world. I had just done so many shows on the road with them that I thought, ‘Well, what else can I do?’ One of my friends on tour, him and his wife were street performing in Europe, so I just asked them some advice and I put a show together. The first time I did it was in Washington Square Park. That was 2000 or 2001. I worked there just at the very start and then left. It was just waiting around so long to do a show because there were so many acts that it took forever. It was hard. Yeah. Back then it was a lot of different acts and so many strange ones. Now it’s just the break dancers. Then I went up to Central Park and it was a nicer experience.

I’m back up in Central Park. [2014] was the first year where I was going up there regularly again. I started going up with a magician friend of mine. The break dancers took over the spot I usually work by the fountain. They kind of do that everywhere — everywhere in the world. They’re kind of a plague. There’s a code among street performers — you share. You show up at some place, you help somebody out. Someone’s new, you explain to them how it works. Break dancers don’t understand that at all. They just decide to do what they want, when they want. They’ll just do show, show, show, show, show and they don’t want to share. There’s only a few break dancers that I’ve ever worked with that are nice guys. They basically force people out of pitches, the spot you work.

It’s a crazy life to live, being a performer. We’re talking about the neighborhood and you’re used to the neighborhood being the way it is. Being a performer, I’m used to what it is that I do and I forget that it’s strange to people that don’t do this. It’s like, ‘Wait, what do you do?’ I hammer a nail in my nose. I swallow razor blades. I put a wig on and talk in an English accent. This is what it is. It’s normal to me and the people that I work with. My colleagues are the sword swallower and the lizard man. That’s not strange to me.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.