Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Another mission to feed those in need in the neighborhood
Former Hotel Tortuga space now slinging 99-cent slices on 14th Street
AO Bowl signage arrives on St. Mark's Place
Workers have gutted this single-level structure on the corner ... and dividing the storefront into three retail spaces. The other new tenant here will be the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop.
Report: Locals fear the 'crumbling' former P.S. 64
Village Preservation executive director Andrew Berman said the building’s sorry state resembles that of 729 Seventh Ave. in Midtown — now the center of a contentious lawsuit over the death of a woman struck by debris that fell some 15 stories from a crumbling façade.“We don’t want another situation like [that], where a combination of owner and city neglect leaves a dangerous situation unaddressed and an innocent bystander suffers the consequences. Conditions at this building are ripe for just such a tragedy,” Berman said.Carolyn Ratcliffe, the president of the 9 BC Tompkins Square Block Association, lives next door to the building. Dreading the possibility of an accident, she makes a point to always walk on the other side of the street when nearby.
His lawyer Nicole Epstein said comparing Singer’s sorry building to the Midtown tragedy was unfair, given that he’s built a sidewalk shed at the property. Neighbors complaining about its condition had also opposed Singer’s proposals to develop the property into college dorms, she noted.“It’s quite ironic and hypocritical,” Epstein said.
City inspectors eventually determined that the building was safe, but did issue a violation to Singer for failure to maintain the exterior facade, per Curbed.
Singer told Curbed at the time: "It’s all political. This is part of a concerted effort to put pressure on us. I was just at the building. There's definitely cracks — that we were already aware of — that will be pointed and repaired, but there’s no immediate danger."
Singer, who bought the property from the city during an auction in 1998, has wanted to turn the building into a dorm called University Square. The DOB continues to maintain a Stop Work Order — dating to August 2015 — on the building.
Monday, October 19, 2020
Monday's parting shot
In sink
A farewell parade through the East Village for Jack Finelli
EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos... Here are a few more photos courtesy of the De Colores Community Yard & Cultural Center on Eighth Street... including from outside Finelli's longtime apartment building on Fifth Street...The East Village lost a longtime community member, John Robert ("Jack") Finelli, this past July. Jack was born Jan. 30, 1936, in Jackson Heights, Queens. He moved to the Lower East Side in 1968, where he stayed until September 2018.With an accounting degree from New York University, Jack helped countless local residents and businesses with their taxes through tough times, including the famous Electric Circus, Whole Earth Bakery and the Theater for the New City.A lifelong student of health and spirituality, he traveled to Mexico and studied macrobiotics with pioneer Michio Kushi in 1983, and was known for making tofu in his East Fifth Street walk-up, where he lived for 43 years. Jack was also a lover of acting and music, and contributed to performances and workshops at many theaters and gardens around lower Manhattan. Jack helped produce the 2007 film "To My Great Chagrin" about his longtime friend, comedian Brother Theodore.He was a beloved member of the De Colores and Campos community gardens, where he remained active until suffering a debilitating stroke in late 2018. Jack passed peacefully in his sleep on July 24, 2020. He is survived by his sister, Judith Finelli-Thomsen and his son, Joshua Weeks.
This is the new building slated for the corner of 6th Street and Avenue C
Popeyes now open on 1st Avenue
Glaze Teriyaki Grill closes on 4th Avenue
Glaze opened here in August 2012. It is survived by two other locations in NYC as well as outposts in Chicago and San Francisco.
A full reveal at 202 Avenue A
Sunday, October 18, 2020
Week in Grieview
Reader report: A gas leak and bureaucracy
An EVG reader shared details about a gas leak reported on Thursday afternoon at 91 First Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.
From Thursday:
Workers came, dug a hole, turned off the gas set up a half-assed looking barricade and left.
ConEd on the phone said this is an "emergency situation" and therefore there were no notifications, no instructions. no information for residents.
Also said a replacement valve was "on order" and the job was in progress.
Residents (several elderly) and businesses are currently without hot water or gas for cooking.
And a weekend update:
There was a "pressure change" detected on the main line feeding into the building from the street. A gas smell was reported by someone either on the street or a resident.Several years ago (3-4?) there was an un-regulated repair on the water/sewer lines leading into 93 First Avenue that exposed more than 4 feet of gas line for 91 First Ave., which then had to be emergency-repaired by ConEd/the City.They replaced an entire block of gas line up from Fourth Street to Sixth Street at that time but left the OVER-100 year-old connector valves that actually feed into these 114-year old buildings.
So...Thursday afternoon there was a leak on our valve reported (No. 91) and ConEd came, dug a hole and said, "We're just here to dig the hole and turn it off."
Apparently, once the gas is shut off, it is no longer considered an "emergency" and since the valve "needed to be ordered" AND it happened on a Thursday work will not commence until Monday at the soonest IF they get the part delivered on time.
That means everyone in this building, during a pandemic, is currently without heat and hot water for bathing or working stoves for cooking for what will be at least four-five days.
With no notice, no support and no information from any agency involved. Residents had to call up multiple city offices to find out what was even happening.
Noted
Saturday, October 17, 2020
Saturday's parting shot
At the XR Youth NYC flea market in Tompkins Square Park today
Happy No. 18 to Otto's Shrunken Head
EVG Etc.: Kim Gordon's new book; Luc Sante's East Village tour
An inside look at Rosella, now serving sushi on Avenue A (Eater ... previously on EVG)
LUC, HE IS MY FATHER!
— 51 Death Star (@51deathstar) October 15, 2020
U got the look
Friday, October 16, 2020
Put a spell on you
Halloween at Trash & Vaudeville
Manager Diane Zito invited Stacie into the shop, now in its 45th year in the East Village (four-plus years in this location), for a closer look...
NYPD releases surveillance footage of suspects in weekend murder on Avenue A
🚨WANTED🚨for a HOMICIDE in the vicinity of Ave A and East 13 Street #alphabetcity #Manhattan @NYPD9Pct on 10/11/20 @ 1:20 A.M.💰Reward UP TO $2500 👓Seen them?Know who they are? ☎️Call 1-800-577-TIPS or DM us!📞Calls are CONFIDENTIAL! #yourcityYourcall @NYPDShea @NYPDDetectives pic.twitter.com/R8OArsJQke
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) October 15, 2020