ALTERATION TYPE 1 FILING TO CHANGE USE ON FLOORS 1-3 TO GALLERY AND SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING ON THE 4TH FLOOR. WORK TO INCLUDE PARTITIONS CEILINGS AND FINISHES AS PER PLANS FILED HEREWITH.
Estimated cost of the renovations per the DOB paperwork: $4.8 million.
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.
Brant has met with neighbors to discuss his intentions for the building… the plans look like this.
Lucy is on her usual summer break here on Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and East Ninth Street… back open on Aug. 14…
Meanwhile, a random Lucy's photo from the EVG archives…
As I recall, this photo is from early on a Saturday night last November. Someone asked Lucy to turn on a specific college football game. She found a Yankees Classic on YES and asked if this was OK.
Last night around 10:15, with the heat index hovering around 100 degrees, passersby noticed a pit bull locked inside a vehicle on Avenue B near East Eighth Street.
Someone called the police, who arrived and freed the dog from the car… the police took the dog away in a cruiser. No word on the whereabouts of the pit bull's owner.
Thanks to EVG reader Chris Ryan for the photo and report
The FDNY is out in full force in response to a fire at 610 E. Sixth St. at First Avenue in the Village View complex… the fire is reportedly in a 6th-floor apartment...
We are unaware of any reports of injuries. @GregJKrieg was on the scene and posted photos of firefighters caring for a female pit bull from the building. (Not sure if the dog was in the apartment with the fire.) The dog was limp (but breathing) when firefighters removed her from the building…
After giving her water and oxygen … and applying ice packs…
Been meaning to note this… you've likely noticed this if you've crossed Third Avenue or Cooper Square anywhere from East Ninth Street to East Fourth Street of late… workers have been installing pedestrian crosswalk islands as part of the ongoing Astor Place Reconstruction Project…
According to the city, the entire reconstruction/reconfiguration project is expected to be complete by Jan. 31, 2016.
Today from 4 to 7 pm the former Lower East Side squat Umbrella House will host an open house to inaugurate its urban farming project. At 5 pm members of Umbrella’s Rooftop Garden Committee will speak briefly about the development of the project.
EVENT RAINDATE: Sunday July 19; 4 — 7 pm.
This 820 square foot intensive green roof serves as a source of fresh produce for building residents, as a means to assist in storm water management, and as a model for other New York
The garden was initially conceived in early 2012 and construction was completed in December 2014. Now in its first growing season, the garden is producing swiss chard, broccoli, white onions, eggplant, okra, spinach, zucchini, basil, sugar snap peas, jalapeno peppers, lamb’s quarters, and several varieties of tomatoes; as well as medicinal plants: hyssop, lemon balm, chamomile, calendula, and passion flower.
Umbrella’s Rooftop Garden involved extensive construction: structural steel framing and concrete planking were required to build the raised 8” planting bed. Construction cost was $150,000. Area architect Paul Castrucci was the project architect.
Umbrella House members believe that this project is a worthy example for other co-ops and property owners to emulate.
Umbrella House Garden Committee and Co-op Board Member Parker Pracjek states: “Access to healthy food through Farmer’s Markets, Green Food Carts, and Farm to Table initiatives have made some improvements to food health literacy in New York City, but more must be done. Food justice should be expanded to urban farming to transform underused spaces into productive environments. The benefits of urban farming are far-reaching and include decreased carbon footprint, responsible use of natural and human resources and community health.”
[Image via the Umbrella House website]
Umbrella House is at 21 Avenue C between East Second Street and East Third Street.
Read more about the garden here. The New York Times has a feature on the garden here.
Updated 9:26 a.m.
Due to showers and thunderstorms forecast for this afternoon, the Umbrella House Garden Open House has been rescheduled for tomorrow 4-7 p.m.
After playing the 4Knots Festival last Saturday on Pier 84, New Jersey's Screaming Females hit the road for the remainder of the summer... Here's "Wild" from 2011.
Boston subbing for NYC in "Ghostbusters" reboot (Runnin' Scared)
Commercial flashback: Phil Rizzuto pitches The Money Store (Ephemeral New York)
... and The New York Times has a feature on East Village resident and astronomy buff Felton Davis, who has been kind enough to share his stargazing photos from Second Avenue (and elsewhere) with us through the years...
Find the article, titled Strangers on the Street Find a Connection in the Stars, here.
Back on June 16, Ray Alvarez, the 82-year-old proprietor of Ray's Candy Store at 113 Avenue A, had heart valve replacement surgery.
Doctors discharged him on Wednesday evening from VillageCare Rehabilitation on West Houston Street with his new pacemaker.
[Photo Wednesday via Facebook]
Here's an update via the Ray's Candy Store Facebook page ... from Wednesday night:
Ray was released from his rehab facility today! His first stop, NATURALLY, was Ray's Candy Store, to get some oatmeal...and to try and help fix the air conditioner. A month after heart valve replacement surgery. Because, Ray.
The doctors and nurses FELL IN LOVE WITH RAY and were sad to see him go, but he's got a business to run and a neighborhood that needs him back where he belongs.
It may be a while before Ray is working the night shift again, but having him home means the world to us.
Yesterday, Ray was at work during the afternoon… taking it easy, but the same ol' Ray…
Longtime East Village resident Mary Bellis aka CalmX was a filmmaker, artist and writer.
She received an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and funding from the National Film Board of Canada to create her experimental works. Her 1984 independent film "Agent of Paradise" shot in the New York underground art scene starred numerous downtown performance artists, including John Kelly, The Unknown Comic, Philly McAninch as well as James Oseland star of Bravo TV’s "Top Chef Masters." "Agent of Paradise" premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and screened in art house theaters worldwide.
Mary worked as an independent video game developer, animator and journalist while continuing to make and exhibit her computer-generated art. She was the originator and author of the Inventors site for the web portal about.com.
Mary loved tending her garden at 6th Street and Avenue B and dancing at the Pyramid Club. Mary was a beautiful person and dear friend and will be greatly missed by all of those she touched.
Please join us in a celebration of life for our friend at the 6th Street and Ave B Community Garden on Sunday from 4-8 p.m.
Bellis died on March 28 following a short illness.
The first thought among 84 watchers: The storefront is being put to use again as a… storefront… there's nothing on file with the DOB to offer any hints… for now the work has stopped…
It used to be a place that sold tuxedos and formal wear. The family had several children, but one of them, a daughter, was raped and murdered in the top floor, possibly in the 1940's [note: it was actually 1974].
The killer was never found. The children (or one of them and a spouse?) still live there and refuse to renovate or change anything. The top floor is exactly the way it was when the daughter was murdered and you can still see the powder where the cops dusted for fingerprints. This man had been inside once and was witness to its originality. He said they have no intention of selling or changing or even of renting out the storefront.
The name of the family is Sopolsky.
This is from The New York Times, dated Jan. 18, 1974:
The nude body of a 40-year-old woman propietor of a tailor shop that rents tuxedos on the Lower East Side was found bludgeoned to death. The victim was Helen Sopolsky of 84 Second Avenue, near fifth Street, whose shop is one flight up at that address. The motive of the attack was not determined immediately...."
It was a temporary home for women in 1884, open to "self-supporting homeless young women, with or without a child." Morris Kosturk, 40, was found dead there in 1921. And Aaron Schneider, who lived here in 1964, was the victim of a hit and run driver.
For years (decades?), you could see a plastic-covered dinner jacket in the second-story window with the neon sign that reads "DRESS SUITS TO HIRE."
We're all a little nervous about #84. There are those of us who watch it and wait, anxiously, for the day when it will be sold, when a multi-millionaire will turn it into a grand mansion, or the ground floor will be converted into a trendy farm-to-table restaurant, and all the mystery will be sucked away.
William Shakespeare
"The Taming of the Shrew"
July 18 and 19 at 6 pm La Plaza Cultural, Avenue C at East Ninth Street
Tale Told Productions, a nonprofit theater company based in NYC, now in its 4th season, will be presenting "The Taming of the Shrew" as part of our 7-Day Shakespeare Series! With only seven days of rehearsal Tale Told Productions strives to present performances that are visceral and authentic, capturing the actor at their most raw and honest self while maintaining the truth and core of the plot.
Admission is FREE. For more information please visit the Tale Told website.
EVG reader Sue Palchak spotted the Mayor just before noon talking to folks in Tompkins Square Park... this brief visit comes several days after the Post and the Observer reported an uptick in the number of homeless people in the Park...
Tim Laughlin, executive director of the LES Business Improvement District, sent use the following letter yesterday… via the EVG inbox...
I am writing to let you know that the LES BID (Lower East Side Business Improvement District), Community Board 3 and local elected officials have worked with public and private partners to help raise funds for local businesses impacted by the East Village gas explosion.
An application for financial assistance has been made available for eligible businesses, and the deadline to apply is Wednesday, July 22. We have been going door-to-door to notify businesses, in addition to reaching out by email and through community based partners. The application deadline has been extended to provide more businesses the opportunity to submit an application.
Following the close of the extended application period, applicants will be contacted individually to provide additional supporting information. Assistance grants are expected to be distributed at the end of the month.
Applicants can contact the LES BID at 212-226-9010 for more information or download an application at eastvillagerelief.nyc, the comprehensive community web portal established in March to share information about ongoing recovery efforts. Eligible businesses include establishments within the immediate impact zone.
Funds available for this grant program come from a variety of sources, mainly community-based donors as well as other public and institutional partners, and will be disbursed to eligible applicants who have submitted application materials based on need and availability of funding resources.
BAMcinématek's sprawling "Indie 80s" program, co-presented with Cinema Conservancy, starts tomorrow (out in Brooklyn, yes)… and runs through Aug. 27.
In total, there are more than 60 films "spotlighting the independent films of the neglected decade between the golden age of 70s New Hollywood and the indie boom of the 90s."
Of particular interest are the dozen or so titles filmed in New York City, including in the East Village with "Alphabet City," "Blank Generation" and "Landlord Blues."
We asked David Reilly, who has been a programmer for BAMcinématek since 2011, a few questions about the "Indie 80s" program.
In terms of these various NYC features, what were you looking for to fit into the "Indie 80s" series?
We sought out fiercely independent, personal films that in some way reflect what we’ve described as “an aesthetic and political rebuke to the greed-is-good culture of bloated blockbusters and the trumped-up monoculture of Reagan-era America” – an attitude that’s on display in abundance in New York’s creative community of the era and certainly not limited to a specific community or “scene.”
You can see this in the incredible diversity of neighborhoods and cultures represented onscreen: from CBGB punks ("Blank Generation") to Bronx hip-hop pioneers ("Wild Style"), from the gay community at the height of the AIDS crisis ("Parting Glances") to the Puerto Rican community in pre-gentrification Williamsburg ("Los Sures"), from Upper West Side intellectuals ("My Dinner with Andre") to Fort Greene’s “Brooklyn Boheme” black arts scene ("She’s Gotta Have It"), and beyond. There’s an embarrassment of riches in New York indies during this period, and we’ve tried to capture at least a small slice of that pie.
Do you see any common themes emerge from the various films about New York City during this time period?
A recurring sense of struggling to get by and live outside the system during a violent, troubled moment in the City’s history. There’s a certain ominousness and anxiety embedded in the Ed Koch Era, and it seeps through these films in a variety of forms: sexual predators ("Ms. 45"), scumbag landlords ("Landlord Blues"), roving street gangs ("Vigilante" and "Alphabet City"), homelessness ("Sidewalk Stories"), and of course, the devastation of AIDS.
What kind of legacy do you think the NYC films in the series have … particularly on the 90s indie boom?
For New Yorkers, these films are a crucial document of a very different city that’s becoming more and more unrecognizable with each passing day, and a period of explosive creativity the likes of which we may never see again.
And it’s hard to imagine a phenomenon like "Kids" (1995) — a scrappy New York story made with a mostly non-professional cast getting a major distribution deal and grossing over $20 million — being possible without these 1980s predecessors paving the way for a larger cultural awareness of independent filmmaking.
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And here are a few of the NYC/EV-based films on the docket…
Alphabet City (1984)
Directed by Amos Poe. With Vincent Spano, Michael Winslow, Kate Vernon.
Nineeteen-year-old Johnny (Spano) is an East Village drug kingpin with the white Pontiac Firebird to prove it. But when he decides to go straight, he finds that the mob that made him isn’t going to let him off that easily. Punk filmmaker Amos Poe crafts a luridly expressionistic gangster saga set amidst the neon- splashed mean streets of the Lower East Side. The echt-80s, synthpop soundtrack is by Chic’s Nile Rodgers. Wed, Aug 26 at 9:30 pm
Blank Generation (1980)
Directed by Ulli Lommel. With Carole Bouquet, Richard Hell, Ulli Lommel.
Punk icon Richard Hell stars as a volatile rocker having an affair with a French journalist (Bouquet) in this grimy glimpse of New York’s punk underground. Capturing the raucous energy and seedy atmosphere of the 80s downtown scene, Blank Generation features Hell and his band the Voidoids performing classics like the title track and “Love Comes in Spurts” at CBGB, as well as an appearance by executive producer Andy Warhol. Digital. Thu, Jul 30 at 7 pm
Landlord Blues (1986)
Directed by Jacob Burckhardt. With Mark Boone Junior, Richard Litt, Raye Dowell.
An East Village bicycle shop owner (Boone Junior) takes matters into his own hands when his scumbag landlord (Litt) tries to evict him. Set against the first wave of gentrification to sweep through downtown, this ultra-rare, shot-on-16mm tenant’s revenge tale features footage of the former East 13th St. squats as well as music and an appearance by Nona Hendryx. 16mm. Mon, Aug 10 at 7pm; Q&A with Burckhardt
Ms. 45 (1981)
Directed by Abel Ferrara. With Zoë Lund.
The ne plus ultra of women’s revenge movies, Abel Ferrara’s exploitation classic takes place in the cesspool of 80s New York, where mute garment district worker Thana (Lund) is raped once, twice—and then snaps. Packing a pistol and clad in leather (and later a nun’s habit), Thana handily wastes a good chunk of Manhattan’s male population, while Ferrara, defying the grindhouse trappings, forges a feminist statement in extremis. DCP. Sat, Aug 15 at 4:15, 9 pm
Parting Glances (1986)
Directed by Bill Sherwood. With Richard Ganoung, John Bolger, Steve Buscemi.
This marvelously witty, compassionate snapshot of Manhattan’s 1980s gay community was one of the first films ever to lend a human face to the HIV crisis. New York City couple Michael (Ganoung) and Robert (Bolger) grapple with the emotional fallout of their impending separation and the illness of a friend (Buscemi, memorable in his first major role) dying of AIDS. Tue, Aug 4 at 7:30, 9:30 pm
Vigilante (1983)
Directed by William Lustig. With Robert Forster, Fred Williamson, Richard Bright.
Grindhouse auteur William Lustig (Maniac) serves up a crazily violent bloodbath in this twisted, pure-pulp thriller. When gang members attack his wife and kill his son, a Queens factory worker (Forster) joins up with an outlaw vigilante group and makes it his personal mission to clean up the streets. “Directed with classical, self-effacing skill” (Dave Kehr, The New York Times), Vigilante is a grim, grimy time capsule of 1980s New York City. 35mm print courtesy of the Cinema Conservancy Archive. Thu, Jul 30 at 4:30, 9:30 pm Intro by William Lustig
Vortex (1982)
Directed by Beth B & Scott B. With James Russo, Lydia Lunch, Bill Rice.
Noir meets No Wave in this paranoid punk thriller from New York downtown agitators Beth and Scott B. Attitudinal underground musician Lydia Lunch (Teenage Jesus and the Jerks) stars as a no-BS, leather- clad detective investigating the murder of a politician in a futuristic dystopia of corporate corruption. The Bs make the most of a miniscule budget with stylish visuals, hardboiled dialogue, and an unsettling soundtrack. 16mm. Mon, Aug 10 at 9:30 pm
Wild Style (1982)
Directed by Charlie Ahearn. With Lee Quiñones, Sandra Fabara, Patti Astor.
The original hip-hop movie, Wild Style was the first film to document the scene’s music, breaking, and street art at its inception. It follows a subway tagger named Zoro (played by graffiti legend Quiñones) through the vibrant street culture of the Bronx in the early 80s. Filmed with semidocumentary authenticity, Wild Style features appearances by seminal artists like Grandmaster Flash, Cold Crush Brothers, Lady Pink, Fab 5 Freddy, Busy Bee, and more. Fri, Aug 21 at 7 pm
One of the more unique shops around has apparently closed. An EVG reader reported that the shop on East 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue was cleaned out on Monday.
EVG East 14th Street/IHOP Way correspondent Pinch confirmed that the shop now mostly sits empty.
Unfortunately, we have no idea why the store closed. Rent hike? A retirement? (The owner, the rather cantankerous Alex Bogatyr, is up in his years.) The market for Russian knickknacks waning?
The walls are covered with paintings of dour-faced bearded men, sunsets, and lonely forests. In the back, there are racks and racks of clothing and fabrics. And all around, everywhere you look, the shelves are stacked high with tchochkes.
And!
If you do decide to shop here, be ready to bargain. Alex is a haggler, and he's a serious man. A professional who knows his wares, he will not give you service with a smile, nor with a sneer. This is old Leningrad on 14th Street, not Bed, Bath, & Beyond where the robotic staff are programmed to utter a monotoned hello to you every five seconds.
"I went in to visit with him yesterday at about 5 PM. He was having a sandwich and we talked. He said that a rent hike is the reason he's leaving. He had me write my name and number in a notebook full of names and numbers, and he said he will call if he finds another place."
The T-swirl Crêpe shop has opened at 247 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, reports EVG T-swirl Crêpe correspondent Pinch. Per their description: "T-swirl crêpe makes Japanese style sweet and salad crêpes by hand using our secret recipes and tasty fillings."
The bar is open 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. seven days a week, per the KavasutrA website.
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Sexyflow is now open at 205 Avenue A. The hair salon is in the retail space of Icon Realty's recently expanded residential building here between East 12th Street and East 13th Street.
Tonight's free movie is "The Pink Panther" (the original from 1963) with Peter Sellers and David Niven...
Rockabilly artists Shiro & The Raw Dogs will play a set before the film. Gates open at 6 p.m., music starts at 7 p.m., and the movies starts at sundown. You can head to the Films in Tompkins Facebook page for any updates. Like rain.
New data published in Science shows that if the planet warms by 2 degrees Celsius, sea levels will rise about 20 feet. It's pretty much a given that this will happen, it's just a matter of when — it could be by the end of the century.
And!
In New York, it means that entire neighborhoods would be wiped out and 1.8 million people would be displaced.
And if/when this happens, the water will wash over a good part of this neighborhood... west to First Avenue in spots... south to Avenue A around East Fourth Street...