Part-time faculty at the New School reject university's latest contract offer

Since Nov. 16, some 2,600 part-time faculty members at the New School and the Parsons School of Design have been on strike. According to these instructors, they have not received a raise in four years — representing an effective pay cut of 18% when adjusted for inflation, as Gothamist noted. EVG contributor Daniel Efram reports on the latest developments this past week. All photos by Daniel Efram.

At a cost of more than $350 million, the New School's University Center, located at Fifth Avenue and 14th Street, was designed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, making it one of the greenest academic buildings in the country. 

Nothing was left to chance with the design; even the stairways inside were designed to foster community inside and outside the building encouraging "chance meetings." 

Details matter. At this unique time in the school's history, it's fascinating to note that the University Center's facade is emblazoned with a course title like "Artists As Activists." Little did the school administration understand that its own public-facing ideology could be used against them as accusations of hypocrisy and lack of equity were shouted forth by dozens of faculty and students that marched side by side with the ACT-UAW Local 7902, the part-time faculty union, on opposite sides of Fifth Avenue on Monday. 

The rallying team — sometimes arm-in-arm, and most of the time with a brass band performing — held signs that illustrated their frustration with the negotiations, including "Rogue Capitalist Employer," "No More Unpaid Labor, Pay The Profs," and "Fuck Institutional Greed Respect Educators."

"Part-time faculty have not gotten a raise since 2018," said Rachel Aydt, a 20-year part-time New School/Parson faculty member. "And the increase being offered amounts to 1.8% per year, which does not come close to the cost of living increases in New York City during this time."

According to Annie Lee Larson, part-time faculty at the New School/Parsons, roughly 87% of the teaching faculty are part-time. They seek fair compensation, including for work performed outside the classroom, reliable health care, tangible recourse against discrimination and harassment, and job security. 

Though negotiations began in June, an agreement has yet to be reached. This past week, 95% of the faculty voted against accepting the last and best New School offer.

"The University is attempting to unilaterally implement their final offer against the will of part-time faculty without having reached an agreement via mutual consent via the collective bargaining process," Lee Larson said. 

She said that the New School does a great job of promoting an environment of social justice and promoting its brand of progressivism. 

"They put forth this image to students when they are deciding to come to school here that everyone in this community is cared for and is treated with equity, and they are finding out in attending school here firsthand that is not the case," Lee Larson said. "This strike is bringing a lot of attention to that. The students should be made aware of these atrocious working conditions."

The New School/Parsons directed us to their website for their latest proposal. You can find a letter about the labor negotiations from Dr. Renée T. White, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, at this link.

Holy smokes! 2 more unlicensed weed shops pop up in the East Village

Photos by Steven

Another day, another few smoke shops setting up for business in the East Village. 

Up top, we have Giggles Convenience (so many smoke shops, so few names left!), coming sooner than you think on First Avenue, just below Fourth Street. Signage includes a skeleton in a hat smoking from a bong.

And on Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, Pride Smokes is offering "foreign snacks" and various items you can find in the other few dozen shops that have debuted of late...

Late last month, 28 individuals and businesses and eight nonprofits were designated Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licenses by the state Office of Cannabis Management ... for a total of 36 licenses statewide, per published reports. 

The Times had a piece last week titled: "How New York City Became a Free-for-All of Unlicensed Weed."

Excerpt! 

The sleek dispensaries and tacky bodegas are part of an explosion of unlicensed cannabis shops that have opened in New York over the past year as part of a rush to cash in on the state's legalization of cannabis. Now on the eve of the launch of the state's legal market, the authorities face growing pressure to address the shops, which have created confusion among everyone from tourists to police officers. 

And... 

The Police Department explained in an email to The New York Times that, in its view, the legalization law does not give officers the authority to make seizures or arrests when they see cannabis displayed or to shut down unlicensed shops. "The law only provides an enforcement mechanism if an actual sale is observed," its public-information office said.

Meanwhile, a survey (results here) conducted by the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association found the presence of potentially deadly E. coli, salmonella and pesticides in many products from 20 unlicensed stores that publicly advertise selling marijuana, as Bloomberg reported. 

As the Post noted, the study also found that there are "likely tens of thousands of illicit cannabis businesses currently out of bodegas, smoke shops, or other retail locations" that are licensed to sell other products. 

The new recreation space at Pier 42 gets its official welcome

On Tuesday, the city officially unveiled the new sports area at Pier 42 — aka Pier 42 Upland Park and Pier — along the East River...

DDC joined @NYCParks, @NYCEDC, elected officials, and members of the community to cut the ribbon on the new recreational deck at Pier 42—an #ESCR mitigation project. It features a turf soccer field, tennis courts, and more, with access to the waterfront. https://t.co/0VCCFO2kq0 pic.twitter.com/kfTCwtrcQJ

— NYC DDC (@NYCDDC) November 30, 2022

The space opened without any fanfare on Oct. 8. (You can read our post here about it.) 

And coming next summer, per the city's press release on the grand opening:

Parks is working on a related project to develop Pier 42's passive "upland park" section, which is slated to be completed in late summer 2023. The Upland Park was conceived as part of the Pier 42 master plan, created by Parks in 2012  ... The upland park will provide much-desired green space for the densely populated Lower East Side neighborhood. The pathway network throughout the linear park is inspired by the flow of water — a primary path with offshoots along its weaving line. It will also include an entry garden, a playground and a comfort station.

You can access the amenities at Montgomery Street/South Street at the entrance to Pier 36. Our previous post about it includes a Google map in case you want to find it and see the space for yourself.

Tree-mendous work taking place

From the EVG tipline... city crews were out this morning jackhammering portions of the sidewalk on Avenue A just south of Sixth Street (outside Drom)... turns out they are putting in a tree bed. Ditto for the NE corner of Avenue A and Sixth Street... a tree bed is going in there as well outside the former Sidewalk/August Laura space. 

And maybe more trees are on the way elsewhere in the neighborhood?

'Tis the season for the 3rd & B'zaar Holiday Market

Photo by Stacie Joy

The third annual holiday market is open for the season at 3rd & B'zaar, 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Once again, you can find vintage goods, art, holiday wear, jewelry, accessories, housewares, and more created by 30 local designers, artists and merchants through Dec. 24.

New vendors include Shorebird Vintage (@shorebird_vintage) and Case en Pointe Bags (@caseenpointebagsnyc). Meanwhile, local resident-entrepreneur Kadidja Kabore-Lamport is making a 3rd & B'zaar return with her natural beauty products.

The market will also be selling items from La Sirena on Third Street. While La Sirena owner Dina Leor is not a vendor, the 3rd & B team are big fans of her Mexican folk art and did a wholesale order with her.

Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 1-7 p.m. There's a special evening event on Dec. 17 with extended hours from 7-9.  

Construction watch: 699 E. 6th St.

Photos by Stacie Joy

The 6-floor residential building rising on the NE corner of Sixth Street and Avenue C is in its unglamorous cinderblock phase as work continues ...

As previously reported, the residential building will include 11 units, a storefront and space for an unspecified community facility on this long-vacant corner. (A gas station was the last tenant here in the 1980s.)

The plywood rendering has not been updated, and still lists a fall 2022 completion date...

Previously on EV Grieve:

• At the Heap of Ruins Garden Party

• This is the new building slated for the corner of 6th Street and Avenue C

On the topic of long-vacant lots

Once again, the entrance gate is broken to the long-empty lot at 89 First Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. (Thanks to Steven for the photos.) 

Despite this, the broken purple office chair that has been here for weeks remains in place...

There is some new news here. The Department of Buildings has given partial approval for permits to construct a 6-floor building with eight residential units (condos?) and ground-floor retail. (The permits had been pending since May 2020.) In total, the proposed structure is 8,183 square feet. 

In 2017, the city never approved plans for a similar-sized structure — eight units, six floors.

There isn't any timeline on when construction may commence here.

This previous EVG post has more about the space's history.

Noted

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Multiple readers shared this clip via @whatisnewyork... someone decided to scatter the rats gathered in trashbags outside 13 (and 15) St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

6 posts from November

A mini month in review... 

• Baker Falls will bring together a cafe, bar and the Knitting Factory at the former Pyramid Club on Avenue A (Nov. 28) 

• The last days of Raul’s Barber Shop (Nov. 26) 

• Middle Collegiate Church seeks permission to demolish the remaining façade of its fire-damaged structure on 2nd Avenue (Nov. 22) 

• A visit with Moxie, a nearly 8-year-old East Village photographer with an eye for nature (Nov. 16) 

• A visit to Azaleas, celebrating 20 years in the East Village (Nov. 15) 

• Basquiat's former loft space on Great Jones is available for lease (Nov. 7)

Tree down on 3rd Street

At 12:30 on this windswept afternoon, this tree came down on Third Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue outside Maryhouse, where 30 minutes earlier, the organization run by the Catholic Worker was just opening for lunch...

Felton Davis of Maryhouse, who shared these photos, said: "Now everyone is asking each other: What if I had walked up a few minutes late? Or what if I had been crossing the street right next to the tree?" 

The FDNY arrived on the scene to clear the tree from the street...

Lower East Side mainstay El Sombrero has closed

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

El Sombrero, aka the Hat, which has anchored the corner of Ludlow and Stanton Street for decades, will not be reopening. 

Paper has covered the front windows here, leading to speculation about the Mexican restaurant's future. 

Owners Junior and Judy Almonte, seen here on Monday, confirmed the closure to EVG correspondent Stacie Joy...

Pandemic aside, Junior cited the rising food costs and challenges of hiring staff as well as some personal health concerns as the reasons behind the decision to close. 

Distance was also an issue, as the couple, who have four children, now live in New Jersey.

While the restaurant is closing, the Almontes said that they may reopen in another location at some point. Meanwhile, Junior said that they were selling items and supplies from the restaurant. (Interested parties can contact them via social media.)

El Sombrero first opened in 1984, and was known for cheap eats and potent margaritas, which for a time, were available to go. 

With business in decline, the restaurant closed in March 2014 ... Junior, related to the original owners, refurbished the space and reopened it in November 2014. 

Given this high-profile LES corner, it's hard to imagine the space staying vacant for long. Artichoke Basille's Pizza was a 2014 suitor, though those plans never materialized.

Wafles & Dinges and Bobwhite Counter among the vendors at the incoming Zero Irving food hall

Coming soon signage is up now for the food hall coming to Zero Irving (formerly the Union Square Tech Training Center, 14 @ Irving and tech hub) at 124 E. 14th St. (Thanks to Pinch for the photo!)

There are 13 vendors listed, including some familiar EV names — Wafles & Dinges and Bobwhite Counter.

As previously noted, at least 25% of the food hall — via Urbanspace — is reserved for use by first-time entrepreneurs or start-up companies operating for less than four years.

The vendors occupy 10,000 square feet on the ground level with an outdoor patio. The Urbanspace website lists a December 2022 opening.

The 21-floor Zero Irving, developed jointly by the city's Economic Development Corp. and RAL Development Services, will feature 14 floors of market-rate office space as well as a technology training center, co-working and event spaces on the seven floors beneath.

Long contested by local preservationists and community groups, the new building sits on the former site of a P.C. Richard & Son on city-owned property here at Irving Place.

Foundation work started here in August 2019. 

Commemorating World AIDS Day at the Tompkins Square Library branch

On World AIDS Day this Thursday (Dec. 1), the Tompkins Square Library branch is presenting an online viewing of  "Silence = Death," a video performance by Blow Up Percussion (Rome).

Per the library's website:

The 24-minute-long video, which will be available from noon to midnight on the Library’s website, includes a list of the names of many New Yorkers who died of AIDS; the list of names continues long after the music climaxes and ends in a silent memorial to the friends and family members lost to a pandemic that continues to this day. AIDS has killed more than 40 million people.

Brooke Smith revisits the neighborhood's 1980s hardcore scene with 'Sunday Matinee'

All photos by Brooke Smith/reposted with permission 

As an unhappy teen growing up in Rockland County in the 1980s, Brooke Smith found solace riding the 9A bus into the city. 

Once here, she'd take the A train to West Fourth Street. One day decided to keep walking on Eighth Street into the East Village and onto St. Mark's Place. 

Here, she found her home, a place where she felt as if she belonged. 

Today, Smith, now based in Los Angeles, has made a name for herself in films (Buffalo Bill's plucky would-be victim in the Oscar-winning "The Silence of the Lambs") and television ("Grey's Anatomy," "Ray Donovan"). 

While preparing to move about 12 years ago, Smith found a cardboard box full of the photos she took in the 1980s while part of the punk/hardcore scene on the Lower East Side. This discovery eventually led to a solo show at Primary Gallery. 

These photos are the subject of a new photo book, "Sunday Matinee," which features hundreds of photographs of the East Village in the mid-1980s and bands such as Bad Brains, Agnostic Front, Cro-Mags, Murphy's Law, Warzone and others. There are also recollections by band members and others involved in the scene.

Smith answered some questions in a recent email exchange with EVG... 

What initially compelled you to venture down to the city as a teen? 

I was very much an outsider in my hometown and high school. I was overweight and listened to WFMU radio a lot — punk and alternative music, which no one in my school was into. My mom worked in the city, and I started going in with her as a child. 

By the time I was 13 or 14, I felt comfortable enough to take the bus alone to the GW Bridge and then the subway downtown. Initially, I got off at West 4th street and walked around, but I soon felt compelled to go further and further east. I loved St Mark's Place and I met people in the East Village and eventually wound up at CBGB. Later, I got a job as the bag check girl at Trash & Vaudeville and then did the same thing at The Ritz.

Describe your mood change as you were leaving Rockland County and entering NYC on the bus, eventually making your way down to the East Village/LES.

I started meeting people and making friends... and you know how you just know who ‘your' people are when you meet them? I mean, like you recognize them? That’s how it felt, like coming home, genuinely.

The East Village felt like it belonged to us. It was a bit like the Wild West back then, and it felt like there was always a possibility in the air. We didn’t have cell phones then, so you had to get out and find people. 

You carried a Minolta with you. When did the interest in photography come about? 

Photography was one of the only classes I liked in high school, so I always had my camera with me. Plus, I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin, so even if I wanted to be a lead singer or a musician, I was too insecure. Having my camera meant I could hide behind it but still be right up in the center of the action. 

The people in the portraits on the streets and sidewalk look at ease in front of your camera. Were you known in the hardcore community as someone always taking photos? Did it take a while for you to build up the confidence to approach people? 

It did take a little time. I only took portraits of my friends. Back then, when people used to drive by CBGB or Tompkins Square Park and try to take photos of us punks, we would always make them pay us! I think I was known as someone who was always taking pics, along with Amy Keim and BJ Papas, and a few other women in the scene.

Looking back at the book and all the images, what is an enduring memory of this period in your life? 

I loved it all. And all those people in the photos, so many of whom are gone. I remember late nights when we would all hang out with the homeless in Tompkins Square and have bonfires in those mesh garbage cans and share our stories with each other. It was a real neighborhood, and I can remember so many of the characters… everyone from Ray — who’s still there at 90, serving the best shakes and egg creams in NYC — to that guy who would always cover his face with a newspaper if you tried to make eye contact. 

I remember exactly when I felt it was time to move on from the scene. I was at the pizza place on St Mark's and Avenue A with these new kids I'd just met. I explained to them that my little brother had died in a surfing accident a week before, and I just remember feeling, at that very moment, that my time there was done. It was time for me to grow up.

What were some ways this scene helped you forge your identity? 

There was no separation between audience and performer. It was our scene, and we were doing it for ourselves, not to get rich or famous. So I think that helped me. I learned to trust my instincts as an artist, and to stay true to myself and to always be authentic. 

What do you hope that people take away from "Sunday Matinee"? 

It’s a love letter to that time and place and especially those people. I hope people get the message to be themselves. Don’t try to fit in. If you can find a group of people, or even just one other person who shares your interests, you can create whatever you want.

This Saturday, Smith will be signing copies of the book from 5-7 p.m. at Generation Records, 210 Thompson St. in Greenwich Village. There's an after-party at 9 p.m. at 96 Tears, 110 Avenue A at Seventh Street (the former Tompkins Square Bar). Find out more about the book here.

A new Aura for 1st Avenue

Signage is up now for Aura, which is the new establishment from the owners of Cafe Mocha here at 111 First Ave. just south of Seventh Street. (Thanks to Steven for the photo!)

Cafe Mocha was wiped out by a three-alarm fire in February 2020 at 48 E. Seventh St./116 Second Ave. Any hopes for a reopening were dashed when another fire destroyed the corner building in December 2020. 

No. 111 became available when Suki Japanese Kitchen relocated to St. Mark's Place this past summer.

Cafe Mocha first opened in the East Village in 2008. No word on when the new all-day cafe will debut. 

Previously 

Monday's parting shot

Thanks to @nycsouthpaw for sharing this photo... of members of FDNY's Engine Company 5 (station on 14th Street near First Avenue) buying their tree from the Tree Riders on 10th Street and Second Avenue...

Today in tight, dangerous turns

As seen earlier today on 13th Street at Third Avenue... thanks to William Klayer for sharing these...

Generation next: Baker Falls will bring together a cafe, bar and the Knitting Factory at the former Pyramid Club on Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Baker Falls is an ambitious new project that combines an all-day cafe, bar and live music via the Knitting Factory brand at the former Pyramid Club at 101 Avenue A. 

East Village resident Nick Bodor, who has owned and operated several local businesses in the past 25-plus years, is behind this new concept that's expected to open in the first quarter of 2023. (He received approval from CB3 for a new liquor license in December 2021.) 

"We plan to operate a café, with coffee service during the day, happy hour, live performances, DJs — all with a rock-n-roll feel," he said during an interview with EVG contributor Stacie Joy last week. 

Bodor previously sought to revive and combine several of his former concepts, including the music venue, bar and cafe Cake Shop (2005-2016 on Ludlow Street) and alt-coffee (1995-2007 on Avenue A). However, CB3 did not approve this for the former Meatball Shop space on Stanton Street in the spring of 2021. 

"Once I saw Pyramid Club was closing, I thought it would be great to just buy that. I sent around a letter looking for investors to my circle of friends and contacts," said Bodor, who's an owner of the Library on Avenue A. "Historically, my projects have been underfunded, and if I'm ready to do another project I wanted a cushion, a certain amount of money. So friends were willing to invest, and then Knitting Factory CEO Morgan Margolis reached out and said he was interested." 

The Pyramid closed this past October after 40-plus years in business between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. The club ushered in an era of socially-conscious drag performances featuring Lady Bunny, Lypsinka and RuPaul, among many other trailblazers. As a music venue, the Pyramid hosted Nirvana's first NYC show in 1989. 

Bodor outlined his plans for the two-level space in a building that dates to the 1870s and falls within the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District... and provided Stacie with a tour of the former Pyramid before the renovations commenced. 

"Upstairs, we aren't planning on making too many changes. The bar stays where it is," he said. "We want people who have been to the space in the last 40 years to recognize it. You will see the old 1987 Knitting Factory logo up in the back. Initial programming will be suggested by Knitting Factory Presents, but we also plan to have strong LGBTQ programming and emerging comics and hope to inspire young bands."

One change coming on this main level: "We are going to install a lot of soundproofing," Bodor said. "A big part of our budget will be for soundproofing." 

Bodor is also planning on some all-ages Sunday matinees. And while there won't be an '80s Dance Party, a staple of the former Pyramid, he may host a Goth Night. 

And on the lower level? 

"Downstairs has a 68-seat capacity, and it's what I call a 'fever-dream' or manor house in terms of décor. Decrepit-looking wallpaper, vintage lamps and amps," he said. "We plan to have tables and chairs and great curated playlists."

Baker Falls will have an electric kitchen for food service and a non-alcoholic drinks program. 

The business will also be a family affair. Bodor's 19-year-old son Angus will have a hand in the day-to-day activities here.

For the Knitting Factory's Margolis, the collaboration at Baker Falls is a homecoming of sorts. The first Knitting Factory opened in 1987 on Houston Street near Mulberry. In August, the Knitting Factory's only NYC outpost closed after 13 years of hosting live music and comedy on Metropolitan Avenue in Brooklyn. 

"It felt like the right time to be back in Manhattan, and this location is and has always been a hotbed for artists, musicians, locals, students and community with a melting pot of so many different cultures," said Margolis, who was born and raised around the corner on Sixth Street, in an email to EVG. 

"Plus, I saw some of the coolest shows at Pyramid decades ago, and I grew up in that area — a lot of memories of running the streets free as a kid. Way before cell phones and the internet. Way before it was 'cool,'" he said. "When I think about the roots of the Knitting Factory in New York, I think 'grit' and back to basics. So here we are." 

For Bodor, he's excited about creating a new era with Baker Falls. 

"We want to honor the history of the Pyramid Club but in a new way," he said. "This isn't just a club — it’s a communal gathering space. Food service, coffee, drinks — a community hub where you can meet and work. We want it to be multi-generational."

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• The next iteration of the Knitting Factory coming to the East Village 

• At the last night of the Pyramid Club on Avenue A

Why the area behind the fieldhouse in Tompkins Square Park has been locked

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

As previously reported, the area of Tompkins Square Park behind the fieldhouse/office has been locked to the public since Nov. 8. Since then, park-goers have not had access to the space that includes the Slocum Memorial Fountain as well as picnic tables, sprinklers (during the summer) and other less-traveled spaces. 

There isn't any signage to explain why this part of Tompkins is no longer accessible to the public.

One Park worker previously said this happened after Sue Donoghue, commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, paid a visit and saw used needles in this area. (The Parks Department did not respond to previous requests for comment.)

This past week, Parks employees told EVG contributor Stacie Joy that there is a broken pipe in the basement of the fieldhouse, which required them to shut down this part of the Park. The restrooms are currently closed back here.

The employees provided Stacie with access to the currently locked space...

The workers said the closure had nothing to do with the uptick in drug use (and a reported OD), though they admitted the area had been used for drug activity.

Parks officials hope to have the pipe and building repaired and then will reopen the area. No set date, just "hopefully soon." 

The Parks employees also said that people have been cutting through the netting and getting over the fence to access this space, which has interrupted/delayed the repair time.

The Parks Department is expected to rebuild the fieldhouse. According to the Parks Department website, the city has been awarded the contract to a contractor ... and is awaiting registration via the Comptroller's Office. 

Once construction starts, work is expected to take 12-18 months, per the Parks Department.