Workers have wrapped up the demolition of several one-level storefronts, including Rite Aid (and Shady's pizza!), on Avenue D between Sixth Street and Seventh Street...
In January, the Rite Aid relocated one block north to the vacant retail space in the Arabella 101 building.
As for 79-89 Avenue D, the approved permits on file with the city show a building with a total of 96,038 square feet (7,868 of them for the retail component). There are 110 dwelling units listed.
L&M Development Partners, one of the groups involved in the Essex Crossing development at the former Seward Park urban renewal site, bought the three parcels of 79-89 Avenue D in 2014 for $12.5 million.
We have not seen any renderings for the new building just yet. GF55 Partners, whose area work includes Jupiter 21 and 48 Bond, are the architects of record.
On Sunday afternoon, East Village-based artist Ori Carino unveiled a new mural at the "Thorneycroft Ramp" in Forest Hills, Queens. The ceremony was part of a day of events organized by the Queens Museum, which is currently showing "Hey! Ho! Let’s Go: Ramones and the Birth of Punk."
Carino painted the image of the four Ramones at the ramp based on a 1975 photograph by photographer Bob Gruen.
Presiding over the unveiling was musician and author Mickey Leigh (brother of Joey Ramone), who recalled times spent at the ramp in his 2009 memoir, I Slept with Joey Ramone: "We’d always wind up at Thorneycroft, the apartment complex across the street from John's [Johnny Ramone] building...Invariably everyone would meet up at the Ramp to shoot the shit, pull pranks, hide from the cops, and of course get high."
[Carino]
[Marc H. Miller, curator of "Hey! Ho! Le's Go" and artist-musician Claudia Tienan, partner of Tommy Ramone]
The exhibition "Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!" is on view at the Queens Museum through July 31.
It is located in an R8A zoning district with an FAR of 6.02 (approx. 15,941 SF) or up to 7.2 FAR with Inclusionary Housing designated area bonus (approx. 19,066 sq. ft.) This prime development site is across the street from Hamilton Fish Park and a branch of the New York City public library, offering unobstructed southern exposures.
A new development would enjoy sweeping views of downtown and midtown Manhattan, Williamsburg, LIC and more.
The asking price was $8.9 million. According to public records, it sold for a little more than $7 million last fall to 298 East Village Owner LLC.
To date, there haven't been any any work permits filed for this property, which sits adjacent to two other new developments — The Adele on East Houston and Avenue D and The Robyn on East Third Street near Avenue D.
After 20 years, the iconic New York City record shop Other Music will be closing their doors on June 25, and three days later, they are bringing together a broad cross section of NYC artists they love for one last blowout party. Record shops are all about community, and none more so than Other Music, who for two decades created a haven for artists, fans, and music industry to come together for the love of records. Come celebrate 20 years of Other Music at this benefit concert and farewell celebration!
Julianna Barwick, Frankie Cosmos, Helado Negro, Menahan Street Band, Matana Roberts, Sharon Van Etten, Yo La Tengo, John Zorn's Simulacrum (with John Medeski, Matt Hollenberg and Kenny Grohowski) plus more special guests and surprises TBA!!
Tickets are $25 in advance; $30 at the door. They go on sale Friday at the Bowery Ballroom box office and at Other Music on East Fourth Street between Lafayette and Broadway.
The News Cycle on the aborted early-morning Kanye West show at Webster Hall shows no sign of cycling out... local news crew are camped out outside the venue on East 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...
There are all sorts of first-person accounts from the Kanyefest/Pablo Mob, including at The New Yorker and Los Angeles Times.
Neighbors who woke up to find their cars had been used as bleachers overnight were not amused.
"I thought it was going to be a quiet evening, a quiet day, and it was going to be safe," said optician Michael Gomez, 55, who parked his Chrysler and Impala in front of Webster Hall, and came back to find both had dents in the roofs and vomit on the ground nearby.
He estimated it will cost him thousands to fix his cars and says he cannot afford to make the repairs.
"I'm in shock. I'm stunned. I know I'm never going to park here again."
H/T EVG Pablo Mob correspondent Christine Champagne
Not a great sign, obviously. So we checked in with Screaming Mimi's owner Laura Wills to find out what was happening.
Turns out the building was sold about a year ago, and Wills decided to relocate.
"We are one of the fortunate few who were given lots of time to explore other options," Wills said via email. "We had lots of time to find our dream location."
And that spot is 240 W. 14th St. between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue.
"We are very excited — it's a beautiful space. The parlor floor of a brownstone with lots of character and amazing light. It is very Screaming Mimi's," Wills said. "We're renovating now and we hope to be open by Sept. 1."
She will be staying on Lafayette Street through October and celebrating Halloween in both locations.
The shop has been in this storefront between East Fourth Street and Great Jones for the past 25 years. They were briefly around the corner at 22. E. Fourth St. before this. Screaming Mimi's, now in its 37th year, started on the Upper West Side.
This stretch of Noho is also undergoing a rapid luxurification phase, with the arrival of two upscale residential projects a block to the south... and with more on the way. (Here and here and here.)
"To be quite honest, we never considered staying. Lafayette Street was a wonderful home for almost 25 years but it has changed so much," Wills said. "I fear it will very soon be blocks of big glass and steel storefronts with no soul. Mostly everyone who opened when we did is gone."
She acknowledged that area of West 14th Street, where the West Village, Chelsea and the High Line converge, is also changing. However, Wills noted: "It still has character and characters!"
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The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation named Screaming Mimi's its Business of the Month in March. You can read about more history of the store in this post.
Cyndi Lauper worked at Screaming Mimi's in the early 1980s before her recording career took off ... here's Lauper returning to the store to shop in 1986 for an MTV clip...
After Governors Ball officials cancelled Day 3 of the outdoor festival yesterday due to the weather, several of the acts looked to play shows elsewhere. Headliner Kanye West announced a 2 a.m. show at Webster Hall.
The Daily Newsreports that it took two more hours after the show was canceled to clear the street. Police said one person was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Sugar Sketch, a bakery (cakery per the sign), is coming soon to the empty storefront at 172 E. Second St. between Avenue A and Avenue B...
Here's more about the proprietor from the Sugar Sketch website:
Martina Nardo has been a Pastry Chef and Cake Designer for the past six years in New York City. Born and raised in Rome, Italy, her passion for both food and art stems from her heritage. Her grandmother taught her to appreciate the simplicity of Italian cuisine, its flavors, and the cultural value associated with it. Her mother – a graphic designer and illustrator – has played a major influence encouraging her to apply creativity towards her cakes making them true works of art.
Upon receiving her BA in Psychology from the New School, she began her studies of the Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education and finished her studies with a degree in Cake Designs and Techniques at The French Culinary Institute in NYC. After working in several kitchen settings throughout Manhattan, Martina launched Sugar Sketch in 2013.
She has been making cakes, cupcakes and cookies by order... this will be the first retail space.
About 18 months after first hearing that the Duane Reade on Third Avenue and East 10th Street would be expanding into the two adjacent storefronts... we finally got our first look at the expanded space...
Woo!
Looks pretty Duane Reade-y.
No word on when the work on the new, longer drug store will be ready for Duane Reade-ing.
The listing notes that the landlord will deliver a fully renovated space. The only permit on file so far with the DOB is for the construction fence.
As for the landlord. The landmarked building (whose first owner in 1833 was Alexander Hamilton’s son) sold for $10 million in the spring. According to public records, the LLC that bought the property shares an address with Castellan Real Estate Partners/Liberty Place Property Management. (These landlords have been in the news in the past.)
The building, which includes four apartments here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, arrived on the market last fall for $11.9 million.
A film crew will be out today (until nightfall!) to shoot a TV commercial "featuring the innovative beauty of a new line of Cadillacs," per the posted signs. (Thank you Steven for the photo!)
Filming will occur on Stuyvesant Street, East Ninth Street and East 10th Street. The sign notes that their "working vehicles" will be parked on East 11th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.
EVG reader Daniel caught a little of the action on 10th Street... you can see the innovative beauty behind the totally awesome high-tech selfie Benz...
Just in case you missed this from Friday afternoon... the city announced that the Macy's 4th of July fireworks will be back on the East River this, uh, July 4th.
The show — which will start at 9:25 p.m. on July 4 — will once again be shot off from four barges on the water located between 23rd and 37th streets in Midtown and another below the Brooklyn Bridge near South Street Seaport, officials said.
And!
This is the 40th year for the annual holiday show, which will last 25 minutes and feature more than 52,000 shells, according to organizers.
And now... relieve last year's fireworks via this drone footage...
The hawklets in Tompkins Square Park have gotten so big... here's one of Christo and Dora's offspring stretching out today... Goggla has more on the kids and their fledge days ahead right here.
The crane crew has been set up on Orchard Street and East Houston ...and the steel beams are rising at Ben Shaoul's latest condoplex...
Look!
...and via the Blogger Portal...
As previously reported about 196 Orchard St., there will be 94 units — studios to three-bedroomers ... with pricing starting at just under $1 million and measuring from 555 square feet.
Shaoul's reps applied for a special permit through the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals to open a three-level Equinox (gym) in the retail space.
As BoweryBoogie noted this past week, the first floor of the proposed gym will include a reception area, lounge and juice bar with the second and third floors reserved for the usual gym stuff.
Shaoul's reps will appear before CB3's Land Use, Zoning, Public & Private Housing Committee on June 15 to discuss opening a "physical culture establishment" under the current zoning restrictions. Find more details (PDF) here.
Folk the Park VIII happens today in Tompkins Square Park... starting at noon... I haven't seen a list with set times just yet... (The Event page on Facebook mentions that David Peel and the Lower East Side Band are on at 4:30 p.m.)
The shop that specializes in liquid nitrogen ice cream is now in soft-open mode at 27 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... the space was previously the longtime home of the Sock Man.
And the folks of the popular -321 Ice Cream Shop in Brooklyn have let it be known that there are NOT affiliated with Lab 321...
Workers were moving out some old props today at the Orpheum on Second Avenue... where "Stomp" is entering its 22nd season. (Auditions are happening June 13 — FYI.)
East Village-based artist Robert Galinsky has been going to Rikers Island and other area correctional facilities to help incarcerated teens via workshops on literature, creative writing and reading. He has launched an online auction to help advance the initiative — Literacy for Incarcerated Teens — and better assist teens in prison. Money raised from the auction will be put toward tools to facilitate the workshops and provide continuous resources such as guest artist talks, books and pencils. Several local shops, including Ninth Street Espresso, Roost, B Cup Cafe, Abraço and the East Village Vintage Collective have donated gifts for auction. You can find the auction details here.
Work by Ida Lupino, Kathryn Bigelow, Penelope Spheeris and Mary Harron, among others, featured in "Genre Is A Woman" series at the Film Forum (Official Website)
And from the fine folks who run the Love Gang boutique at 436 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue...
On Saturday, June 4, from 12-8 pm Love Gang will be transformed to feature exclusives from Spanish clothing brand KLING while permanently operating as a store within a store. We’ll be treating guests to gift bags, cocktails and an array of fun and whimsical treats.
KLING SPAIN is a pop-iconic fashion brand born in downtown Madrid with a hearty dose of girlish, playful style that represents itself in an appealing amusing way. Kling's unique collections are full of Liberty-style dresses and cool shorts, including a vintage twist to the shirts, dresses, skirts, and sweaters. A mix up of sweet with street for girls who just want to have fun.
A 22-year-old man was found dead from gunshot wounds outside a courtyard of the Lillian Wald Houses on East Sixth Street between Avenue D and the FDR at 1:52 a.m., according to published reports.
No arrests have been made. The victim's name has not been released pending family notification.
Updated 10:45 a.m.
DNAinfo reports that the victim was known by the nickname "Coke Wave." Investigators believe this may have been a drug-related shooting, as the man was reportedly carrying crack cocaine.
Said one resident who lives near the crime scene: "I'm hearing gunshots two or three times a week out here. No matter how many times you hear them, it's still scary. Gunshots don't have no name. It's like these guys don't fear cops or nothing."
The victim's name was Michael Rodriguez.
Updated 6/21
DNAinfo reports that a man has been arrested for the murder of Rodriguez.
You can close the book on the long-empty plot of land at 397-401 E. Eighth St. There have been plans for the space near Avenue D going back 10-plus years.
Now the 9-story residential building that has been rising here is ready to launch sales...(turns out this is a condo building, not rental as we had originally heard).
The building's address is 399, which is why it now has the rather awkward name of THREE99OnEIGHTH.
Now here are details about the units via Citi Habitats:
Developed by 399 E8 Development LLC, residences at THREE99 are designed to a high standard. All apartments include oak hardwood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows and in-unit washer/dryers. Most apartments also come complete with private balconies or gardens.
The homes’ open kitchens feature solid-surface countertops, porcelain tile and Carrara marble backsplashes and a full suite of stainless steel appliances — including dishwasher. Baths at THREE99 come in a wide variety of contemporary finishes. All are complete with custom ceramic tile, soaking tubs and European-style vanities and fixtures.
THREE99 provides residents the latest in-demand amenities — including a state-of-the-art fitness center, billiards lounge, pet spa and virtual doorman system. The building also offers a refrigerated package receiving area, bike storage and individual storage rooms. Residents and their guests will enter the building via a grand lobby area with eye-catching chandelier and soothing ‘green wall.’ Great for entertaining, THREE99’s common roof deck is complete with lounge-style seating, lush green lawn areas and skyline views.
A one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit starts at $685,000 ... a two-bedroom, one-bathroom unit asks $960,000... the top home here is the three-bedroom, three-bathroom penthouse at $4.9 million.
And here are a few renderings of the model home...
[Mural by Jerkface on the Icon-owned 402 E. 12th St.]
The Icon Realty Charm Offensive continues.
Icon previously announced that they had donated empty retail spaces for Celebrity Catwalk to hold adoption and fundraising events (Icon has been working with Celebrity Catwalk for the past four years) ... and hired a chief safety officer to oversee the construction and renovation work in Icon buildings.
Now Icon has unveiled plans for public art at several of its properties. Here's part of the release via the EVG inbox...
Icon Realty Management is working with local art galleries to create mural art on the sides of some of their buildings. Providing a public platform for artists to exhibit their works for New Yorkers to enjoy and contributing to the art community has been a continued endeavor that Icon has supported throughout the years.
Working with Dorian Grey Gallery in the East Village, Icon will have artists Penn and Lambros paint the side of their Mott Street building. Jeremy Penn is a NYC modern artist who has been exhibited and received honors from curators across museums. Penn uses mixed media to combine materials such as magazines, word plays and mirrors. Lambros is a NYC street artist focused on stencil art and graffiti illustrating recurring themes of power, lust and rebellion. Icon’s 307 Mott Street building has been a rotating art wall for the past four years with works by Jonathan Matas and most recently a mural by Mustart.
Icon is also working with artist Jerkface to paint 128 Second Ave. Jerkface is a NYC-based street artist and Queens native who is known for painting several nostalgia-inducing murals around the City.
“Public art is so important to the character of neighborhoods, especially in the East Village,” said Terrence Lowenberg, Principal at Icon. “As a lifelong New Yorker, art has always been a central part of our City. We are proud to do our part at Icon to continue that tradition. We look forward to doing even more in the future.”
In September 2014, Jerkface painted the faceless Charlie Brown mural on the side of the Icon-owned 402 E 12th St. Icon said that they also donated space on their walls to French street artist Invader, who installed his mosaics at 145 Avenue A, 130 Second Ave. and 133 E. Fourth St., among other buildings not owned by Icon.
Residents, tenant-rights organizations and local elected officials have accused Icon of aggressively displacing rent-regulated tenants with frivolous lawsuits and exposing them to hazardous health and safety threats.
Yesterday marked the first day of sales for 347 Bowery, the 13-story condoplex that replaced the Salvation Army's East Village Residence at East Third Street.
As Curbed noted, only one of the five residences is now available — a $7.5 million three-bedroom, three-bathroom unit.
Some details per Curbed:
The building will be home to just five expensive condos (four duplexes and the penthouse), starting at $6.5 million for the cheapest and going up to $17 million for the three-floor, tower-topping penthouse. True to form, each apartment will also have ultra-luxury finishes, including cabinetry designed by Selldorf Architects and "disappearing kitchens" outfitted in white oak and soapstone.
There will also be a private entry on 3rd Street through a "landscaped mews" lined with seasonal greenery, including magnolias and evergreen shrubs.
Disappearing kitchens! (I'd be happy with disappearing dirty dishes.)
The building will also feature several retail spaces.
