Next week: The Follow Me Friday Small Business Crawl on 2nd Avenue

Via the EVG inbox...

Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Rosie Mendez today announced the Council will host a “Follow Me Friday” tour of the East Village with local business owners, community members and elected officials on Friday, May 29.

The Follow Me Friday Small Business Crawl will help highlight and promote East Village businesses recovering from the aftermath of the March 26 building explosion ... and will begin with a moment of silence at the site of the explosion on 2nd Avenue and 7th Street. The small business tour will begin at 5:30 PM and will include the following stops:

• Moment of silence for victims of recent explosion (Northwest Corner of 2nd Avenue and East 7th Street)
• Tour of Moishe’s Bake Shop (115 2nd Avenue)
• Tour of New Yorker Market (550 2nd Avenue)
• Tour of Café Mocha (116 2nd Avenue)
• Tour of Bar Virage (118 2nd Avenue)
• Tour of Himalayan Vision (127 2nd Avenue)
• Tour of Enz’s (125 2nd Avenue)
• Tour of Jimmy’s No. 43 (23 East 7th Street)

Those wishing to join the event should RSVP by sending an e-mail here

The John's of 12th Street documentary is now available for home viewing

[EVG file photo]

"John's of 12th Street," the documentary by Brooklyn-based filmmaker-editor Vanessa McDonnell, is now available as of today on Fandor and Vimeo on Demand.

The 65-minute film had its debut last November.

Here's a quick description:

"John's of 12th Street" is a portrait of a century-old Italian-American restaurant in New York City, one of the last of its kind in a rapidly changing East Village. This observational documentary loosely follows the rhythm of the restaurant’s day, which swings between boredom and frenzy as the old rooms empty and fill, cataloguing the overlooked details of working life and a vanishing facet of New York City.

Watch John's on Fandor here … and on Vimeo on Demand here.

And to warm you up…

John's is located at 302 E 12th St. just east of Second Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Q-and-A with Vanessa McDonnell, director of the John's of 12th Street documentary

Union Square getting a bank branch-coffee shop combo because why not

So here's what is in the works for the southwest corner 14th Street and Broadway via Crain's ...

Capital One has come up with an alternative to the staid retail bank branch. It will launch a concept in Union Square, at 853 Broadway, on the building's ground, basement and mezzanine levels. The entrance will feature a large café operated by Peet's Coffee. The space upstairs will differ from a typical retail bank branch. Capital One will create a large work lounge, where customers can camp out and use free Wi-Fi.

Capital One, which operates several similar cafes across the country, is also eyeing a location on Lafayette Street near the Puck Building for another branch.

Immerse yourself in archival photos of NYC

The New York Public Library today unveiled OldNYC.org, an interactive map that brings its digitized collection of vintage photos to life by street/avenue/neighborhoods.

Per OldNYC:

This site provides an alternative way of browsing the NYPL's incredible Photographic Views of New York City, 1870s-1970s collection. Its goal is to help you discover the history behind the places you see every day.

And, if you're lucky, maybe you'll even discover something about New York's rich past that you never knew before!

Where did these images come from?
The images all come from the New York Public Library's Milstein Collection. While many photographers contributed to the collection, the majority of its images are the work of Percy Loomis Sperr, who documented changes to the city from the late 1920s to the early 1940s.

We clicked on Avenue A and East 10th Street...



... and found this shot (and more) from 1934...



Enjoy your Memorial Weekend. (And if you don't like historical photos, then....)

Today in photos of an abandoned carousel horse in Tompkins Square Park

Photographed by EVG regular William Klayer this morning... probably a good reason why it's here...

Demolition of 118 E. 1st St. begins to make way for 9-story residential building

Work is underway here between Avenue A and First Avenue, where the existing 3-floor building will be demolished … and a 9-floor residential building will rise…



As NY Yimby first pointed out last November, a developer operating under the name of Acacia 118, LLC is behind the project.

Per NY Yimby...

As with many new projects in neighborhoods that once only supported rentals, 118 East 1st will likely be condos, with its seven units divided over 12,500 square feet of residential space. The average size is a quite hefty 1,800 square feet, with duplexes on the top and bottom and full-floor units in between…

The city has yet to approve the plans for the new building.

This development can't sit well with the owner of Punjabi Grocery & Deli next door. Owner Jashon Singh has reported declining sales these past five years with the ongoing East Houston Reconstruction Project outside his front doors.

The work on East Houston, reportedly three years behind schedule, is expected to wrap up in August. Just in time for the new construction at No. 118.



The new building will also include a 250-square foot retail space on the ground level.

Thanks to EVG reader Gacin for the photos

Previously on EV Grieve:
118 E. 1st St. arrives on the market with so many possibilities, and air rights

118 E. 1st. St. will yield to a new 9-floor residential building

How displaced residents are faring after the 2nd Avenue gas explosion

[Photo Monday via Blue Glass]

City Limits files an in-depth look at the residents who lost their homes during the deadline gas explosion on March 26.

Here are a few excerpts from the piece:

The three buildings destroyed in the March 26 blast—45 East Seventh St. (119 Second Avenue), 121 Second Ave., and 123 Second Ave.—included 15 apartments. Adjacent buildings also sustained damage and many were ordered vacated. While most tenants buildings have reopened, at press time, five apartments at 125 Second Ave. and two at 41 East Seventh St. were still under vacate orders.

---

Kim-Nora Moses, 52, also lived at 45 East Seventh St. She and her husband, Robert Schmidt, 55, had a three-bedroom rent-stabilized apartment for 23 years, and paid close to $2,000 rent. Moses laments the loss of her gorgeous home, and where she is now pales in comparison. The couple, who had renter's insurance, moved into the same building as Guy this week with help from Cooper Square Committee. Their one-year lease is for a one-bedroom, with a monthly rent of around $800. Lease renewal for the building is dependent on income, and the couple earns too much to stay permanently.

---

Whatever their rent status, tenants who lost their homes need help. There is some monetary relief on its way to individuals and families affected by the explosion, for housing and material goods. The first installment of $45,000, from the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, was released to LES Ready on April 29. More than $150,000 was raised by donation, and LES Ready will disseminate funds based on need.

---

Read the whole article here.

Peter Brant meets the neighbors

[Another photo we use a lot]

On Tuesday night, as we noted, reps for Peter Brant were to meet with residents at Village View to discuss his plans for 421 E. Sixth St., the building he purchased last year for $27 million.

Posted flyers said that the owner would be present. Owner owner? Or owner as in owner of, say, the company overseeing the renovation project?



Well, according to an EVG reader who attended the meeting, "Brant was actually there. Yes. Cufflinks and all."

First, though, as previously reported, the building between Avenue A and First Avenue is intended to be a gallery space to display Brant's personal art collection. The intention is to have approximately two shows per year, with the first one scheduled for Fall 2016.


[Meeting photo via Bill the Libertarian Anarchist]

Back to Tuesday night's meeting, which the EVG reader described as intense, though Brant was "open, engaging."

Some guy asked Brant "Why don't you have your art displayed at your Polo Club?" To which Brant replied, "Because they play polo there."

Brant also said that he wasn't aware that the party on March 26 — for the world's top collectors of Dom Pérignon rosé — in the building would be what it was, that he was doing a favor for a friend. Per the reader, "He is aware how it affected the neighborhood."

He invited everybody to come to his foundation in Connecticut to see what he is all about. One woman kvetched that she couldn't get there, is anything closer? He said he has a building in Soho. Well, the guy was trying.

I'm starting to sound too much like I'm defending him.

Again, of all the things that could happen to this building, I think this seems like one of the best things. It will be a private space. Not a lot of people there. Maybe a couple of invite-only openings. I want to believe him. Basically it sounds like a garage to store some of his art.

Anyone who attended the meeting want to share his or her thoughts on Brant's plans?

Previously on EV Grieve:
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

Here's what Peter Brant wants to do with his new exhibition space on East 6th Street

When the world's top collectors of Dom Pérignon rosé came to the East Village for dinner

Reader report: 421 E. 6th St. will house Peter M. Brant's personal art collection

Peter Brant's East 6th Street Outreach Tour 2015 continues

'Kids' today: 20th anniversary T-shirt and skateboards

"Kids" turns 20 this July ... and ahead of the reunion festivities next month at BAM ... Supreme has released a special edition series of skateboard decks and shirts for the film that introduced us to Chloë Sevigny and Rosario Dawson...

Dangerous Minds today published the news release from Supreme about the items:

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Larry Clark’s debut film, KIDS, the portrayal of NYC youth’s escapades in the early 90’s. Some were offended by the raw and anarchic world Larry Clark documented, for those that weren’t, the film became an important document of the time, place and culture.

Through photographing skaters in NYC, Larry Clark came to meet the film’s writer, Harmony Korine and star, Leo Fitzpatrick. The rest of the cast was pieced together with a variety of downtown New York characters including original Supreme team riders Justin Pierce and Harold Hunter. It is a testament to KIDS cultural impact that it resonates today just as much as it did in 1995.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary, Supreme is proud to release a collection of items featuring stills from the iconic film KIDS. The Collection will consist of a Hooded Sweatshirt, Long Sleeved T-Shirt, two graphic T-Shirts, and three Skateboards.

Here's a look at the stuff available to buy starting tomorrow ...



... and to round out your Business Casual wardrobe this summer...





"Kids" was filmed, in part, around the East Village... and it opened at the Angelika on July 21, 1995...

You will not need to rekindle friendships with people on the West Side this July 4

[Random 3rd Avenue jukebox photo — maybe Paddy Maguire's?]

The East River will play host to the city's Fourth of July fireworks for the second consecutive year.

Per The Wall Street Journal:

The show, sponsored by Macy’s Inc., will feature fireworks from two additional barges and is moving farther north along the river to give Queens residents a better view. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had long sought to return the display to the East River, saying it could be seen by more New Yorkers.

Last year, Mr. de Blasio moved the Independence Day celebration back to the East River after it had been displayed over the Hudson River since 2009.

The fireworks will launch from one double-wide barge south of the Brooklyn Bridge and four barges between 23rd and 37th Streets. The 25-minute show is scheduled to begin at about 9:20 p.m. on July 4 and fire 40,000 pyrotechnic shells into the sky.

The Fourth of July is held this year on July 4.

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: Robert Shapiro
Occupation: Founder & Director, Social Tees Animal Rescue
Location: 5th Street, between First Avenue and Second Avenue
Time: 6 p.m. on Monday, May 18

I was born in Woodside, Queens, in the mid 1950s but my parents moved to Howard Beach – the citadel of racism, Selma of the north — when I was young. Howard Beach was really Howard Beach man.

I got really lucky. I had a wonderful art teacher when I was in junior high school and he encouraged me to take the test to go to High School of Art & Design. So I went and I met all these city kids and I realized how vapid my existence was. I swear to you, I cried. I remember my father consoling me when I was a kid. I was really upset then. All these other kids were cool and they knew things and culture and going out and my parents never left the house. They were hardworking, blue-collar people.

It takes a certain type of person to have an ego that makes you want to leave your home. I had a lot of teenage angst then. I left home at 17 just to move to the city. I really liked it. I got a job at a department store in the pet department while I lived with my parents. I met this guy who was also this struggling artist. He rented me this little tiny room in his basement that I was able to afford and I could still commute to high school. That was it. I never moved back.

I’ve always loved animals since I was a child. I used to go to the Staten Island Zoo all the time because they had a lot of reptiles. I would also pet Leo, the lion that they used to have there. I used to lean over the rail and he would kind of come up to me. I was always afraid, but he started purring one day, so I started really getting into petting him. I used to cut school all the freaking time to go to the zoo and pet this lion. Petting a lion in the middle of New York? He would purr and he was great and he would lick me, zero fear. Then I got a girlfriend. Next year, I came back to see him ... and I went up to him and he almost killed me. And she never believed any of the stories about me petting the lion.

I still work with animals, but [animal rescue] is a privilege. You can’t just start a rescue unless you are retired from doing something that made some kind of money, because it costs a fortune. So Social Tees was a t-shirt fundraising company. We raised money for human rights organizations all over the country. Schools would sell my shirts. The kids would sell the t-shirts through a catalogue that we would provide. The schools got paid in advance, they sold the shirts retail, they paid us wholesale.

I write a little bit and when I first started making t-shirts, my first line had a terrible name — it was called Global-uh-wareness, and it was all information on these t-shirts about the environment. It was... really cool. It didn’t sell. Nobody cared about it.

Then one night I’m walking down 6th Street, right between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue. I don’t dress to impress but I don’t look like a slob. I was clean-shaven and I’m alone and a woman sees me. She’s not really paying attention and she sees me, clutches her purse, and crosses the street. I thought, ‘that’s a pretty smart thing to do. I don’t have any problem with that.’ I wasn’t offended at all, but then I realized, if I was black, I would have been really hurt. Even though she did it because I was a guy, I thought, man that must suck.

So I made three t-shirts that month. The first shirt said, ‘No, white lady, I don’t want your purse,’ which became, you would not believe how popular this shirt became. Spike Lee bought them for his stores and sold them all over the world. It was crazy. That’s when Social Tees started.

My shirts were humorous even though they were a little bit confrontational. I realized that I could make shirts about things I really cared about, and that’s when Social Tees really happened. From 1991 until around 1998, my whole life was business. It’s funny, when you’re a certain age and you start something, you’re hungry. There were things I cared about, like I would do street fairs and promote my stuff. I would do conventions all over the country where there were school conferences. I would travel by myself with everything. I was hungry.

But I gave it all up. All of a sudden my great idea became not such a great idea. I was selling thousands of shirts a day all over the country. I mean, I had thousands of salespeople selling my shirts, right? Great idea, right? There was this one day where I had to leave my little shop, which was on Bleecker Street, and hire a staff and then trucking and the art department. I needed to expand to make even more money. I was never meant to be a businessperson.

So instead of selling the business like a normal person would, I just gave it up. All that was happening is that everyday I would go to work and I would make more money and I would put the money in the bank and then I would wake up the next day and make more money. I’m not going to live forever, how much money do you need? Money’s great, don’t get me wrong ... It’s so great to be over that. I was miserable even though I had this successful business plan that worked.

That’s what I mean by it’s a privilege to start the rescue. That happened organically. I remember I was with a bunch of friends in Chinatown. We were walking back from a great Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Pasteur on Baxter Street. I see this gleaming dumpster in Chinatown. What were sparkling were literally a million baby turtles. What they do is they buy the babies illegally by the millions for maybe a penny each and sell them for $10. They still do it. Most of the turtles die because they keep them in water and you can’t keep water turtles in water all of the time. They don’t feed them either. They just sell whatever they can and they dump the rest. A whole dumpster, if you can imagine, of turtles the size of a half dollar and smaller.

I took my t-shirt off and I spent like an hour and I found 35 out of these million baby turtles and I put them back in against my body because they were freezing. I took them home and rehabbed them. I think 34 of them lived. Then I was stuck with 34 turtles that were stinking up my apartment like you couldn’t believe.

So I found this guy who worked for the New York Turtle and Tortoise Society — yes there is one — and he was able to find a qualified place for these turtles to go. He ended up moving to Tennessee and I ended up taking his job of picking up turtles and other reptiles from the city and other reptiles — found, lost, abandoned, whatever — from Animal Control, where the dogs and cats are.

I used to pick up a snake here, a lizard here, then all of a sudden I’m seeing this line of animals being euthanized. So I started taking the dogs and cats home. That’s how it started. I didn’t know what I was doing. Now I’m fully licensed and I have all my documentation, but then I was like, take a puppy and take him home. I was learning on the fly. I had never even owned a dog until I did rescue.

That was the late 1990s but I didn’t start doing majority rescue until after 9/11. I took over someone’s lease and all of a sudden I went from having a shop that was one little room to seven big rooms. Now I have this little space and something miraculous happened because of all these amazing people who work for me. They turned it into a virtual shelter. It’s all done digitally. We have a crew who processes applications, and if someone is approved they get to meet the dogs here, but none of the dogs are kept here overnight. I get to do way more rescue.

People say, ‘How can you have freaking exotic animals like that? How can you have an owl in your shop?’ I say, ‘How can you buy cocaine so easily? How can you buy an Uzi?’ In the black market, animals are third, after drugs and arms. We had a baboon once; it was a baby. We had a mountain lion, which was the friendliest thing, in a giant dog crate and it was just rolling over purring. It was going to a rescue upstate with a guy who did wolves and mountain lions. That was the guy with the baboon. The baboons ride the wolves. The guy’s crazy. He looks like Clint Eastwood. I think he has alligators in his living room in a big pool and he swims with them. We’ve had anacondas, alligators and crocodiles. When you’re in New York, you get some crazy animals. Anything you can fit in that door will end up there.

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

About the 56,610 square feet of new retail coming to East 14th Street

[Rendering of 500 E. 14th St. via RKF]

We've been talking about the activity underway in the lot at 500 E. 14th St, where Extell Development is putting in a 7-story retail-residential complex.

And as you probably know, there's another retail-residential building going in a building away at No. 524 between Avenue A and Avenue B.


[Rendering of 524 E. 14th St. via RKF]

In total, we're talking about a total of 56,610 square feet of retail between the two new buildings. (No. 500 will have 24,473 square feet on the ground floor and 17,806 square feet in the lower level while No. 524 will offer 9,771 square feet on the ground floor and 4,560 square feet in the lower level.)

Yesterday, Real Estate Weekly had a few more details on the developments here.

Per RKF Managing Director Brandon Eisenman:

“Spaces of this size are rarely available in this market, and it’s a great opportunity for a supermarket, a big-box concept, quick-service restaurant, specialty retailer or other service provider to establish a presence on the bustling East 14th corridor, which is widely known for its variety of shopping, restaurants, services and nightlife. We expect to see a lot of interest for these opportunities …"

Apparently at least one major grocer has explored a store here. Last July, a reader left this comment on a post about East 14th Street:

I live directly behind demolition on 13th street. The other day I was approached by a pollster for fairway market asking me a bevy of questions about my thoughts on a new fairway on the corner of 14th and Ave A.

We heard about the Fairway pollsters from one other reader. We never did hear back from anyone in Fairway's media office last summer.

The retail space is expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2016., according to Real Estate Weekly.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The disappearing storefronts of East 14th Street

[Updated with correction] 8-lot parcel of East 14th Street primed for new development

New 7-floor buildings for East 14th Street include 150 residential units

Part of the former Life Cafe now for rent

Last we heard, the East 10th Street outpost of 9th Street Espresso was planning on moving next door into part of the former Life Cafe space near Avenue B. (Maiden Lane is in the other space that made up Life.)

Apparently that's no longer a go: There's now a for lease sign via Tower Brokerage on the front window. (We didn't spot the listing online yet.)

Aside from coffee, 9th Street Espresso owner Ken Nye said that he would offer three craft beers on tap with a 11 p.m. closing time. (CB3 OK'd the license in June 2012.)

Life Cafe closed here on Sept. 11, 2011.

H/T EVG reader Russell for the photo!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Here's what's coming to the former Life Cafe space

After 30 years, Life Cafe closes — 'until further notice' — in the East Village

Cleaning out the second half of the former Life Cafe

[Updated] Pilar Jewelry Repair has closed on East 7th Street

We're not sure when exactly this happened… we only noticed this past weekend that the small shop was gone on East Seventh Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.

We didn't spot any goodbye to patron signs on the door … and there isn't any message on the shop's website … and the phone number is disconnected.

Pilar La Rosa opened here at No. 32 in 1992.

In February 2013, the Voice talked with Pilar and Walter, her husband of 50-plus years, dubbing them the "Cutest East Village Couple."

Walter is always soft spoken, listens intently, and smiles with warmth. Pilar, on the other hand, fills up the narrow shop with her laughter and straightforward banter. The pair first met when Pilar was 16 and Walter was 21. Although her parents didn't approve of Walter, she waited five years for him. It was during that lull that Walter came to the United States to work. He returned to Lima, married Pilar, got her a visa and they've been together ever since.

According to the listing, all uses will be considered for the space. The rent is available upon request.

Updated 12:52 p.m.

A reader let us know that Walter recently passed away, and Pilar closed up the store to go live with family...

CB3 hosting fundraiser for 2nd Avenue

Community Board 3 is presenting "Orchard Street Loves 2nd Avenue" next Wednesday, May 27, at Lucky Jack's, 129 Orchard St. (between Rivington and Delancey).

It's $20 to get in, and all the proceeds go to Second Avenue businesses affected by the deadly gas explosion on March 26.

Hearth debuts its sidewalk cafe; Black Market too

It's finally a reality. Outdoor seating @hearthrestaurant #twoyearsinthemaking

A photo posted by Marco Canora (@marcocanora) on May 19, 2015 at 10:19am PDT

Hearth now has six tables (with two chairs each) set up for diners on First Avenue and East 12th Street... it's a scaled-back version of what was previously proposed last summer with 38 seats total.

Meanwhile, over on Avenue A at East Seventh Street, Black Market rolled out their sidewalk cafe this past weekend...

Reader mailbag: What is the story with these pink flags in East River Park?

Via the EVG inbox…

I'm seeing these pink flags all over East River Park. Near the running track and the baseball field. I'm wondering if you have any information on what they are and if it's safe to walk your dog through here?

No one is answering the number on the flags at the moment…

EV Grieve Etc.: A puppet master reflects on his lost work; Bowery residents rally against landlord

[Millie at Himalayan Visions on 2nd Avenue by Susan Benjamin]

A puppet master lost his life's work in the deadly explosion on March 26 (WNYC)

Bowery residents speak out against "slumlord" (Gothamist)

A visit to V-Nam Cafe on First Avenue (Fork in the Road)

Margaret Chin calls on HPD to transfer lots to Siempre Verde Garden (BoweryBoogie)

Photos from the Dance Parade on St. Mark's Place Saturday (Gog in NYC)

Your chance to weigh in on a flood barrier planned along the East River (The Lo-Down)

Newly discovered photos of Stiv Bators and the Dead Boys (Dangerous Minds)

More details about the Lower East Side Film Festival (Entertainment Weekly)

And tonight — "Comics Love the East Village: A Benefit for the Victims of the East Village Fire" (Find details here)

[Updated] Mikey Likes It turns 1 today

There's a lot of work going on today at Mikey Likes It. We're closed to renovate and restock everything including a special 'Flavor of the Month' blast from the past. Stop in tomorrow and help us celebrate our 1 year anniversary 👍. Thanks to everyone for your continued support. #MikeyLikesItIceCream #MikeyLikesIt #IceCream #NewYear #1YearAnniversary #BeBackTomorrow #LeadersOfTheNewScoop

A photo posted by Mikey Likes It Ice Cream (@mikeylikesiticecream) on May 18, 2015 at 2:04pm PDT

The ice cream shop at 199 Avenue A between East 12th Street and East 13th Street was closed yesterday to prepare for today's 1-year anniversary celebration.

Proprietor Michael "Mikey" Cole started the business from his parent's StuyTown apartment, where he grew up.

"We'd be at my house for hours filling up the freezer with ice cream until my mom was like, 'You gotta get that shit out of here.'"

You can read our two-part interview with Cole here and here.


[Photo last September by James Maher]

Updated 3:44 p.m.

Looks like the shop is closed one more day... with the 1-year celebrations taking place tomorrow ...

Hey everyone, still undertaking a few renovations today, we'll be opening tomorrow at noon and celebrating our one year. Sorry to keep you guys waiting, we just want to make sure everything is right. That's the Mikey way 👍. See you soon. Check out this cool 📷 by @onthegridnyc #MikeyLikesItIceCream #mikeylikesit #icecream #dontworrybehappy #leadersofthenewscoop

A photo posted by Mikey Likes It Ice Cream (@mikeylikesiticecream) on May 19, 2015 at 11:51am PDT

Life at 114 E. 1st St.: Bed bugs, rats and the stench of decay

Some tenants of 114 E. First St. launched an online forum documenting problems in their building between Avenue A and First Avenue back in July 2008.

Now nearly seven years and several management companies later, the situation seems even worse… and tenants revived the forum this past Friday.

The latest issue? Bed bugs. (And rats, if you want to see in this video.)

A post from Saturday sums up the situation:

Broken windows, broken doors, cracked walls, pealing paint, hallways covered by layers of decomposing linoleum covered with coagulated filth, rats, stench of decay, overworked maintenance crew, and now the bed bug infestation that the management company is trying to hide from the tenants not yet affected.

In order to rent both store fronts the landlord moved the garbage area from the front of the building to the fire egress platform leading to the basement. This produces a garbage accumulation on the fire egress often blocking the way to the basement and inviting all sort of vermin. It also produces a major strain on the maintenance people who have to haul the trash to the front of the building for collection. Often the trash gets spilled in the process and the hallway reeks with decaying refuse. Not to mention the garbage from emptied apartments dangerously stored, in contempt of fire regulations, underneath the ground level staircase.

According to one tenant, residents have not heard a word from landlord Birchwood Properties LLC, who took over the building in 2011.

However, there is work being done in the building. Workers removed the contents of a bedbug-infestated apartment … and placed the remains in the ground-floor hallway for several weeks, as a forum post shows …



… only to move the debris to another vacant apartment …



Per a resident, "No surprise that the bugs spread."

All photos via 114 East 1st Street Tenants Forum

Drilling and double plywood at 500 E. 14th St.

A resident who lives adjacent to 500 E. 14th St. shared photos of the workers who arrived at the site yesterday… marking the first major activity on the lot since the demolition of the one-level row of buildings along East 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B last summer.





There is an approved permit for the always-sexy Pile Load Test here. Eventually the site will yield a 7-floor retail-residential building via Extell Development.

Meanwhile, the sidewalk is now closed … with the double plywood in effect …and the temporary sidewalk…







… and double blogger portals…



Also, we haven't heard any updates about a possible new L train entrance for Avenue A.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The disappearing storefronts of East 14th Street

[Updated with correction] 8-lot parcel of East 14th Street primed for new development

New 7-floor buildings for East 14th Street include 150 residential units

1st activity at 500 E. 14th St. since the demolition phase, and when the standing water froze

Firefighter chases down alleged phone thief

Firefighter Kevin Ruiz of Engine 28 on East Second Street busted an alleged phone thief today.

WABC 7 has the story:

"She had her bag completely open and a gentleman snuck up behind her and he went into her bag and he took her phone," Ruiz said.

"At first we thought it was a joke," said Commissioner Sandy Guzman, FDNY.

But the woman wasn't laughing.

"That's when Firefighter Ruiz started screaming at the guy and tells him, 'Hey give the phone back,'" Guzman said.

Possibly stunned at being caught in the act, the suspect quickly gave the phone back, but then took off.

Ruiz was not letting him get away so fast, and chased the man two avenues and about six blocks, where his fire truck caught up with him.

The story doesn't mention where the theft took place ... but Ruiz, who was food shopping with his fellow firefighters, caught up with the unnamed suspect on East 13th Street near Avenue B.

Updated 5-19

CBS New York reports that the incident occurred on First Avenue between East 13th Street and East 14th Street.

A new fence for the 2nd Avenue blast site; tributes to victims will remain

Workers arrived this morning to put in a new chain-link fence around the site of the deadly gas explosion on Second Avenue and East Seventh Street…

A few readers wondered what would become of the plywood fencing with photos and tributes to Moises Ismael Locón Yac and Nicholas Figueroa, the two men who died at 121 Second Ave. on March 26.



According to one of the workers, the plywood will remain at the site behind the new fence…







Thanks to EVG readers Jose Garcia, Steven and Blue Glass for the photos

Updated 5/18


[Photo by Vinny & O]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Posters arrive to memorialize Moises Ismael Locón Yac and Nicholas Figueroa on 2nd Avenue

Remembering Moises Ismael Locón Yac on 2nd Avenue

A makeshift memorial for East Village explosion victim Nicholas Figueroa on 2nd Avenue

A new mural on 12th and C

The 12C Outdoor Art Gallery on Avenue C at East 12th Street is featuring new work by Peruvian artist Diana Contreras, who created the mural on the roll-down gate yesterday as part of the Fridge Art Fair.

According to her bio, the Miami-based Contreras' "work deals with femininity, set in whimsical portraiture."



The gallery is curated by East Village resident Robert Galinsky and artists show panels every three months.



Photos courtesy of Robert Galinsky

Kava bar coming to East 10th Street

The South Florida-based KavasutrA is opening a kava bar at 261 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Here's more about their operation via the KavasutrA website:

Our South Florida Kava Bars are relaxing, tranquil environments where you can come, kick back, drink a kava shell and relax within a non-judgmental, welcoming environment.

What Is Kava Kava?
Kava is a magical root from the south pacific. It has been used as a tradition for over 3,000 years. The relaxing effects that this root offers are truly remarkable. When mixed with water, properly strained and sold at Kavasutra, the effect it will have on you is one that must be experienced to be truly understood.

What is a Kava Bar?
Kava Bars have been a part of many island cultures for years such as Venuatu, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, Futuna, Rotuma, Uvea and Hawaii. In most places, Kava is used for both ceremony and as a recreational drink.

KavasutrA honors the island traditions with the high quality, premium kava and a relaxing tranquil environment. The relaxing effects you experience from drinking Kava are a perfect compliment to social interaction without the potential dangers of drinking alcohol. KavasutrA Kava Bars are a perfect place to unwind and socialize with friends.

No word on an opening date just yet.

H/T EVG reader Daniel.