Report: Mount Sinai's Gilman Hall fetches $87 million for use as student housing

[Image via Griener-Maltz]

As previously reported, the Mount Sinai Health System is in the midst of its more than $500 million project to rebuild Mount Sinai Beth Israel ... which includes an expanded facility on 14th Street and Second Avenue.

Meanwhile, Mount Sinai will sell its current 16th Street property. Now one piece of that parcel has changed hands. Town & Village reports that asset manager CIM Group bought Gilman Hall, an apartment building the hospital uses to house medical residents on 17th Street at First Avenue, for $87 million.

Their plan for the 24-story building? Student housing.

“The Gilman Hall site represents an exceptional opportunity to reposition and modernize a significant property in an exciting location currently experiencing substantial public and private investment,” said Avi Shemesh, co-founder and principal of CIM Group.

According to the news release on the deal, the entire site is zoned for a total of approximately 225,000 square feet, including a combination of community facility, residential and commercial uses.

A CIM spokesperson "said the company wouldn’t be commenting further on the future of the property."

The hospital's downsizing from its campus on First Avenue and 16th Street is part of a $550 million plan by Beth Israel’s owner to adapt to a changing health care landscape where patients are using more outpatient care and spending less time in hospitals, as previously cut-n-pasted.

Previously on EV Grieve:
More details on the incoming Mount Sinai Downtown Beth Israel

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo today in Tompkins Square Park by Grant Shaffer

Report: Jimmy McMillan announces his candidacy for City Council District 2

Jimmy McMillan, founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party who has run for a variety of offices, such as NYC mayor and New York State governor, is now turning his political attention to the local City Council race this year.

He is throwing his hat into the ring to replace City Councilmember Rosie Mendez, who is at her term limit.

The Observer has the story:

As a Republican, McMillan will face a steep uphill fight in the deep-blue district, which covers his home neighborhood of the East Village and the Lower East Side. Three Democrats are currently seeking the seat: Carlina Rivera, a local district leader and Mendez’s legislative director; community center director Jasmin Sanchez and attorney Mary Silver.

Here's a video interview with McMillan from yesterday...



Previously

Noted

Eighth Street and Avenue C earlier today via Peter D. The abandoned golf bag trend continues.

Report: MTA bus driver arrested after collision with pedestrian on Avenue D

A cancer-stricken woman visiting the city from Miami was hit by a MTA bus in an East Village crosswalk Monday night https://t.co/2DZpGWwbA4 pic.twitter.com/VjEyJgIc2W

— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) March 7, 2017

Police arrested an MTA bus driver last night on Avenue D and East Houston after he struck a woman in the crosswalk.

Per ABC 7:

Just before 9 p.m. Monday, police said the M14D was traveling south on Avenue D and hit a 61-year-old woman while making a right turn to head east on Houston Street.

The pedestrian had been walking south within the crosswalk, according to the New York City Police Department.

Her left leg was trapped under the bus and was later freed by emergency workers.

The pedestrian, Aurora Beauchamp from Miami, was taken to Bellevue with a broken hip, pelvis and ribs and a bruised bladder, according to her daughter.

Per NBC 4:

[H]er daughter says she fears recent chemo treatment for her mother's cancer will complicate surgical efforts to repair the broken bones she suffered in the collision.

The driver, 41-year-old Eduard Khanimov, was arrested on a charge of failing to yield to a pedestrian.

Checking in on the 'completion project' at the Anthology Film Archives

[EVG photo from last week]

Back in January, the Anthology Film Archives announced plans to expand their current home at 32 Second Ave. at Second Street. There had been plans for a library and cafe at the space since co-founder Jonas Mekas bought the building in a city auction in 1979.

There's more information about the addition (or "completion project"), which will feature the Heaven and Earth Library & Cafe, in the Anthology's lobby...





Bone/Levine Architects filed permits with the city for the landmarked building in late January. (CityRealty first reported this.)

Here's more about the project, which includes a gallery and bookshop, via the Bone/Levine website:

Originally the Third District Magistrates Courthouse, this sturdy and imposing building was purchased by Anthology Film Archives in 1979 and adapted to reuse, opening its doors in 1989. The establishment of Anthology on Second Avenue was concurrent with the expansion of the East Village as a mecca for the avant-garde arts.

As a screening venue and repository of avant-garde, independent and classic cinema, Anthology Film Archives remains a key component of the artistic vitality of the East Village and for the greater film community. Indeed, nowhere else can scholars and connoisseurs of cinema find such a comprehensive collection of works.

But the restoration and renovation of the Anthology Film Archives is not completed. As designed by the late world-renowned architect Raimund Abraham, Anthology was planned to house two movie theaters, a film vault, a paper materials library, and a cafe. Anthology restored the building and built the film vault and two movie theaters. But the completion of the library, an essential part of Anthology Film Archives’ collection and its mission, and the cafe, an important component of its financial sustainability, were left for the future.

The completion of these essential components of Anthology Film Archives ... is critical for the mission of the Anthology and its long-term stability.

Here's a closer look at the one-level expansion via Bone/Levine...





The Anthology held an art auction last Thursday to help raise money for the addition. Guests included John Waters, Jim Jarmusch and Michael Stipe.

Anthology Film Archives first opened on Nov. 30, 1970, at Joseph Papp’s Public Theater. In 1974, it relocated to 80 Wooster St.

"The time came that we cannot postpone anymore," Mekas told Bedford + Bowery in January. "Because we have so much material, we have so much paper, books, periodicals, documentation on cinema that we have to build a library and make those materials available to researchers, scholars, students."

Anthology in the 90s 😎

A post shared by Anthology Film Archives (@anthologyfilmarchives) on Mar 2, 2017 at 10:45am PST

120 E. 10th St. returns to the market

[Photo from 2010]

Back in 2015, 120 E. 10th St., "a well-preserved six-story Anglo Italianate townhouse" between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, hit the market for $7.5 million.

That home has arrived back on the market via a new broker, Halstead Property.

One of the Rarest, most desirable townhouses to be offered in over a decade, 120 East 10th Street is currently a 3-4 unit Anglo Italianate townhouse which has been preserved meticulously. 10th street is considered to be one of the most desirable blocks in the East Village. This is a one of a kind opportunity to own a quintessential Village townhouse. Whether It be a single family conversion, live with income or straight income property, this property checks the boxes for all of these opportunities.

OK, well, this was offered less than two years ago... anyway!

This stunning Anglo-Italianate row house was designed by James Renwick Jr.,in approximately 1860. James Renwick Jr. was one of the most successful architects of his time, having also designed the St. Patrick's Cathedral, Grace Church, and the Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle) in Washington D.C.

And the configuration ...

The Garden apartment, is made up of the first floor and garden floor. 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms and private garden access. This apartment also has a private entrance below the main stoop. The Second floor — The Original Parlor floor is currently configured as a one-bedroom apartment with the highest ceiling height in the building. The Third Floor - one-bedroom apartment with soaring ceilings, wood burning fireplace. The Top two floors — A two bedroom 2-bathroom duplex with a skylight, renovated eat in kitchen. Sun filled apartment with private internal stair case. Decked roof deck with impressive views North and South ...

The price now: $6.8 million

Previously on EV Grieve:
On the market: 120 E. 10th St., a single-family home or triplex with income

Hole watch 2017: Long-empty lot on 6th and C now waiting for 5-story building

Back on Friday, a section of the plywood that surrounds the empty lot on Avenue C at Sixth Street came down in the wind... providing a nice view of the 10-by-12-foot hole inside...





Seems like a good time to check in on the status of the lot, a former gas station, which has been empty since the early 1980s. There have been efforts to build on the corner dating to 2003.

There are amended plans on file with the city now for a five-story building with retail space on the ground floor and 9 residential units on the upper floors. According to the DOB, the city disapproved these plans last October. (Previous disapproved plans called for for a six-story, 14-unit building.)

As for the fallen piece of plywood, it was last seen Sunday waiting for garbage pickup...



Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Hole watch 2016: Still no sign of a new building on Avenue C and East 6th Street

[Updated] Police ID suspect in attempted LES rape

Police are looking for a suspect who is accused of shoving a woman into a door at her apartment on Norfolk Street near Rivington and attempted to rape her early Friday morning.

The NYPD ID'd the suspect as Robert Adams, 41.

Please help us locate this guy wanted for an attempted rape in the #les. If you have info please call 212-860-6857. pic.twitter.com/SDaiOSQbnE

— NYPD 7th Precinct (@NYPD7Pct) March 6, 2017

Updated 3/26

Police have arrested Adams.

Chef Sujan Sarkar bringing 'upscale modern Indian cuisine' to the Bowery

A noted chef is looking to serve "upscale modern Indian cuisine" at the current L'Apicio space on First Street in the Avalon Bowery Place complex between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

According to documents (PDF!) on file at the CB3 website for the March SLA meeting, chef Sujan Sarkar is applying for a new liquor license for the venture, which is currently unnamed.

The proposed hours are noon-midnight from Monday-Wednesday; noon to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday; and 11 a.m. to midnight on Sunday.

The bio that accompanies the questionnaire at the CB3 website notes that Sarkar is the chef partner at Ek Bar, "India's first Artisanal cocktail bar." He is also the chef of Rooh, a similar-sounding restaurant that just opened in San Francisco.

The questionnaire includes Rooh's menu, and states that this First Street restaurant will be similar. If that's the case, then here's more about Rooh via Eater San Francisco:

The culinary team includes a mix of professionally trained U.S. and Indian cooks, preparing dishes like foie gras pate with masala, pickled shallot, and taftan (a flatbread). Refreshingly, the menu is a healthy mix of both meat and vegetable-focused dishes, like a tandoori portobello mushroom served with polenta, morel crumble, and truffle.

The interior is a polished mix of rich blues and gold, giving off a serious lounge vibe — the group also owns nightclubs in India. The dining room can be split into more intimate semi-private areas with gold mesh curtains that hang from the high ceilings, while a long marble bar gives ample space for snacking and drinking.

As for L'Apicio, there isn't any word of a closing date just yet for the Italian restaurant via chef Gabe Thompson. Sarkar's questionnaire at the CB3 website notes that this is a "sale of assets." Notice about the CB3-SLA meeting on March 13 is posted outside L'Apico ...



L'Apicio opened in 2012. Here's what Pete Wells at The New York Times had to say about it in a generally positive review from December 2012: "L'Apicio can deliver a very enjoyable night out if you don't ask too much of it."

This large space with outdoor seating (capacity inside/outside is 266) was previously home for four years to the Bowery Wine Company.

Edwin and Neal's Fish Bar gives way to Tableside on 6th Street

Back in December 2015, Shane Covey, along with Adam Elzer, operating partner at Sauce Restaurant, Supper, Lil Frankie's and Frank, opened Edward and Neal's Fish Bar on Sixth Street near First Avenue.

The idea was that Edward and Neal's would be an offshoot of Covey's Upstate, his popular craft beer and oyster outpost around the corner on First Avenue.

After 14 months, Covey has decided to switch up concepts... which explains the arrival late last week of Tableside, an Italian Cook Shoppe...





A sign on the door points to some spring cleaning...



We asked Covey more about the new venture.

"I needed to switch it up. I was never able to be there as much as I should. Running fresh fish places took all of my time," he said. "Also I thought the prices were too high. I have not raised Upstate's prices since we opened [in 2011]. So Edwin and Neal's had to compete with a fish place right around the corner with better price points."

And how was business?

"Financially, the place was doing better than fine. I was pleased with it. But I was tired, I needed something a little easier to run," he said. "I found a great young manager Anthony who comes from a restaurant family."

Despite the "shoppe" in the name, there won't be any retail at Tableside — "just good fresh and affordable pastas and wine." He also said that he is retaining the entire Edwin and Neal's staff, front and back of the house. "So all the same familiar faces, just instead of fish it's going to be Italian."

Covey said that he is using March to renovate.

"The [neighborhood] is a little slow and then — hopefully — we are back come April."

Thanks to Vinny & O for the photos!

2nd Avenue development makes 1st appearance above the plywood

Crews have been busy on the foundation of the 10-story residential building that will rise at 24 Second Ave. at First Street.

And this past week, the structure made its first appearance above the grade...





As previously noted, apartments will begin on the second floor, with four to five units per floor through the sixth story. The seventh and eighth floors will host two duplexes, and the ninth and tenth floors will hold one penthouse duplex with a private roof deck. Amenities include a shared terrace and recreation space on the second floor, and a fitness room, storage and bike storage in the cellar.

Permits show some 45,000 square feet for the 31 residences (rentals? condos?) … and another 5,700 square feet for the commercial space.

And the rendering...



The BP, which served a nice coffee, closed here in July 2014.

Previously on EV Grieve:
RUMOR: Gas station going, boutique hotel coming on Second Avenue? (31 comments)

BP station on 2nd Avenue closes this month

The 2nd Avenue BP station has closed

Report: 50,000 square feet of condos coming to the former 2nd Avenue BP station

Permits filed to demolish former 2nd Avenue BP station

More about the 10-story building taking the place of the former BP station at 24 2nd Ave.

A look inside the last East Village gas station

Check out the new 10-story building for the former 2nd Avenue BP station

A ballerina for 2nd Avenue

2nd Avenue residential complex now complete with renderings on the plywood

New vendors for the Bowery Market this spring

The Bowery Market, the year-round open-air food market at 348 Bowery and Great Jones, is now down to two vendors.

The Market launched last July with five vendors... and since then, the mini outposts of Champion Coffee, The Butcher's Daughter and, most recently, Pulqueria have closed. The remaining spots are Alidoro and Sushi on Jones.

However, the sign out front notes that additional vendors will be arriving this spring...



Previously on EV Grieve:
A winterized Bowery Market, now down to 3 vendors

The Bowery Market opens today with 5 year-round food vendors

Sunday's parting shots

Photos by Derek Berg...

Noted

Another edition to the ongoing Squirrels Being Cute series from Tompkins Square Park...



Photos via Steven...

Feel the breeze

Video from Tompkins Square Park today by Grant Shaffer

Week in Grieview

[Photo on 2nd Avenue by Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

Details emerge about the city's plans for HDFC buildings (Tuesday)

Out and About with Mark Seamon, owner of Love Shine (Wednesday)

Brix Wine Shop now open on Avenue B (Sunday)

Pardon My French team bringing Moroccan cuisine to Fourth Street with Chouchou (Wednesday)

Former David Barton space on Astor Place will become an 'elite' New York Sports Club (Friday)

Sixth Street retail space bricked up for residential use (Monday)

"The Art of New York Waste" now on display on Avenue A (Thursday)

Rustico has closed on First Avenue (Thursday)

JuiceGo opens on 9th Street (Tuesday)

On Third Avenue, rooftop cottage back in play, though now it's $19k monthly (Thursday)

Odin's East Village location has closed on 11th Street (Wednesday)

Performance at Vector Gallery draws heavy FDNY presence on Third Street (Wednesday)

Apartment listings at 250 E. Houston look to offer glimpse of former Red Square's future (Wednesday)

On CB3's SLA docket for March: The return of Mono + Mono and Poco's sidewalk cafe (Thursday)

A boutique office building a possibility for Broadway and 11th Street (Monday)

Haile Bistro looks to be closed (Monday)

Express Thali pulls into 2nd Avenue (Monday)

With court date looming, Babu Ji 'is taking a break' on Avenue B (Friday)

Stool just wants a loving butt (Thursday)

Bricks and penthouses come into view at Steiner East Village (Tuesday)

...and EVG reader Charlie Chen spotted this beaut yesterday on First Avenue... someone likely making room for the Easter decorations...





---

Follow EVG on Instragram or Twitter

Report: There's a $10-million lawsuit over use of Great Jones Alley for new development

[EVG file photo]

The 12-floor condoplex with a $30-million penthouse is moving skyward at 688 Broadway between Fourth Street and Great Jones.

The 16-unit project is known as 1 Great Jones Alley, which the developers say will include a "private gated alley" via Great Jones Street...the broker bunting on the sidewalk bridge promises "a private paradise" ...

However, this paradise is currently clouded in a lawsuit. The co-op board of 684 Broadway, the building at the corner of Great Jones with multi-million-dollar condos, is suing the developers of 1 Great Jones Alley.

Here's the Post with details of the $10-million lawsuit over the 137-foot alley:

The developer is “not authorized to remove and/or alter the gate that sits at the entrance to the alley … [and] do not have the right to advertise the alley as ‘private’ to potential buyers,” according to court papers.

The developer of 1 Great Jones Alley cannot even allow cars to sit and idle in the space — without the consent of 684 Broadway, the suit contends.

The co-op wants the condo’s misleading ads to end, and are asking a judge to order 1 Great Jones Alley to tell their residents no cars, or changes, will be permitted.

“The board believes that part of the alley and gate belongs to 684 Broadway, and felt that they had to file this lawsuit to protect their property rights,” said 684 Broadway in a statement via its lawyer, Robert Brown.

Here's how the alley looked in July 2015 ...



And in the rendering ...

A photo posted by Fredrik Eklund (@fredrikeklundny) on Jul 10, 2015 at 8:06am PDT

On the topic of 684 Broadway, when did that Brazilia Café in the retail space close? Only just noticed that the other day.

And you can read some history of the alley here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Retail plans revealed for 12-floor condo building replacing open-air market on Broadway

NoHo flea market gutted ahead of new condo project on Broadway

Looking at One Great Jones Alley, 'a private paradise'

At the former home of the Broadway flea market, condos will cost upwards of $22 million

Construction watch: 688 Broadway, aka 1 Great Jones Alley

Corners

First Avenue at Fourth Street (top) and Second Street...

Updated: Man in hockey mask shoves reporter to the ground during live broadcast on Delancey Street

Police are looking for a man who confronted then shoved CeFaan Kim, a correspondent for ABC 7, during a live broadcast on Delancey and Norfolk last night, as Patch reported.

Kim tweeted a clip of the incident this afternoon...

This is the man who attacked me last night during a live broadcast. If anyone has seen him around please give the 7th precinct a call. pic.twitter.com/enkqQe0mxC

— CeFaan Kim (@CeFaanKim) March 4, 2017

A man in a hockey mask is seen shoving Kim to the ground. The man, who takes off his mask on live television, then says Kim attacked him.

Updated 3/6:

The Post talks with the mask-wearing man, Key Jonta Foster, who goes by the stage name Majesty Da Rebel.

“The reason I did it was because I knew I’d get negative feedback from it,” Foster told The Post. “I can always flip that. I saw an opportunity and took the opportunity to promote my video and mixed tape. From the beginning, it was friendly — I put my arm around him, and then he pushed me, grabbed me.”

Updated 3/7

Foster turned himself in, DNAinfo reports.

A winter in the life of an abandoned salt spreader on Avenue A

In other important stories... this winter, a salt spreader has been locked up on the east side of Avenue A between Fourth Street and Fifth Street



Even during the rare snowfall this winter, the salt spreader remained locked in place...



Then last week, the salt spreader made a brief appearance above the van that had been parked on Fourth Street at Avenue A...



... and now the salt spreader has returned to the street, though this time locked up on the west side of Avenue A opposite of its former home...

Finnerty's returns from spring cleaning

Finnerty's, the Bay Area sports bar at 221 Second Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street, closed in February for a spring cleaning, as noted here.

It was originally meant to be a two-week closure... but the original Feb. 17 reopening date was pushed back...



To yesterday... and Finnerty's is back ... I've never been to Finnerty's, so I can say what is different...



So here's the word from them via Twitter...

Higher ceiling ✔️
Energy efficient AC's/lights ✔️
Custom murals ✔️
Bigger TV's ✔️

The last time the bar will look this good ✔️ pic.twitter.com/NnneKMmvTy

— Finnerty's (@Finnertys) March 4, 2017

EV Grieve Etc.: Attempted rape on the LES; Essex Crossing housing lottery underway

[Photo by Derek Berg]

Police looking for this suspect in attempted rape in building on Norfolk and Rivington (ABC 7)

Mayor de Blasio claimed he had nothing to do with the recent firing of the city official who lifted the deed restriction at Rivington House (DNAinfo)

How de Blasio stacks up against Bloomberg on rezoning (The Real Deal)

The annual CineKink NYC Film Festival starts March 14 at several EV theaters (Time Out)

NYPL's Library for the Performing Arts acquires Lou Reed's archives (Gothamist)

The U.S. English language premiere of Guillermo Calderón’s "Villa" on stage through April 1 at the Wild Project on Third Street (Official site)

Cholo Noir, a forthcoming West Coast-style Mexican restaurant and art gallery, opening with or without a liquor license on Sixth Street (DNAinfo ... previously)

Villanelle, serving "serving vegetable-forward fare," opens on 12th Street between Fifth and University (The New York Times)

A look at the 1980s zines of Raymond Pettibon (Dangerous Minds) ... and his retrospective at the New Museum on the Bowery continues through April 9 (Official site)

Essex Crossing Site 5 affordable housing lottery is open (The Lo-Down)

"Citizen Kane" this weekend at Anthology Film Archives (Official site) ... while Ingmar Bergman's "Shame" plays at the Metrograph down on Ludlow Street (Official site)

This week's hawk action in Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography)

It's the 'End of the Week'

Here's something from Merchandise's sixth studio album (and second for UK imprint 4AD), A Corpse Wired," which came out last fall.

The video is for "End of the Week." Merchandise is touring now, but no upcoming NYC dates as of now.

1 week left to apply for the Stuy Town Lottery

Via the EVG inbox...

The StuyTown Lottery, a middle-income affordable housing lottery at Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, has one week left to run.

The deadline to apply is March 10. Anyone with between $84,150 and $149,490 in pre-tax, combined household income might be eligible. We are offering one- and two-bedroom apartments.

More information, including floorplans, FAQs and instructions on how to apply can be found at www.stuytownlottery.com.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Lottery open for below-market rate apartments in Stuy Town

With court date looming, Babu Ji 'is taking a break' on Avenue B

The dining room was dark last evening at Babu Ji, the popular Indian restaurant on Avenue B at 11th Street.

A sign greeting patrons at the door noted that they are "taking a break." (There isn't any mention of this on the restaurant's social media properties.)



The temporary closure comes after a report yesterday by Eater's Ryan Sutton outlining details of a second wage-theft and overtime lawsuit against owners Jessi and Jennifer Singh.

Per Eater:

The first lawsuit against owners Jessi and Jennifer Singh was filed in July 2016 by two employees. By late September, the Singhs agreed to pay a total of $95,000, split almost evenly between the employees and restaurant labor attorney Maimon Kirschenbaum. The owners did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement, according to public court records.

The second wage lawsuit was filed in September 2016, but an amended version from February 2017 contains newer, more incendiary allegations, accusing an owner of making profane and threatening remarks against a server and his family — including insinuations of violence in retaliation for bringing the wage suit. That owner is also accused of berating another server with an incest-laced profanity and threatening him with a countersuit. The case is set to be tried by a jury.

According to the lawsuit, Jessi Singh allegedly made threats against one of the plaintiff's relatives — "you know that in India a man paid $100,000 rupees to have someone’s family killed." Jessi Singh also allegedly threatened one of the plaintiffs by saying, "I’m going to fuck you up." The lawsuit says that he called the other plaintiff a "sisterfucker." You can head over to Eater for more details.

The parties involved in the lawsuit are due back in court on Tuesday.

Babu Ji opened in June 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Babu Ji on Avenue B hit with another wage lawsuit

Former David Barton space on Astor Place will become an 'elite' New York Sports Club

Back in December, the four David Barton Gym locations in Manhattan, including on Astor Place, shut down without any warning to its members or staff.

That prime Astor Place space won't be staying vacant for too much longer. Yesterday, Town Sports International, the owners of the New York Sports Clubs brand, announced that they had bought the 10,000-square-foot space ... which will become one of New York Sports Clubs' collection of Elite clubs.

Here's more from an announcement that arrived in the EVG inbox:

New York Sports Clubs will pay homage to the rich neighborhood culture originally created by David Barton at 4 Astor Place by retaining many of the club's original finishes and signature touches while bringing in a new fresh new wave of equipment, facilities, amenities and class offerings.

The new location at 4 Astor Place will feature several new programs and will also boast Rogue rigs, Woodway treadmills, lifting platforms and expanded training zones.

New York Sports Clubs Elite membership gyms are the evolution of the Sports Clubs brand. This new tier of membership will offer customers a higher level of service, amenities, programming and partnerships as well as providing access to the nearly 150 clubs within the TSI network.

For more information about the Astor Place location, you can visit the official gym website here.

Last month, State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a lawsuit against Club Ventures Investments LLC d/b/a David Barton Gyms

David Barton arrived on Astor Place in 2009.

From Rustico to Paquito's

[Reader photo]

As noted yesterday, Rustico, the cafe at 135 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street, has closed. And a source tells us that a rent increase was behind the closure.

Meanwhile, the owners were selling off what was left of the small restaurant yesterday.

And some of Rustico will be staying nearby... the owners of Paquito's, a few storefronts away at 143 First Ave., bought some of Rustico's tables and chairs...


[Photo last night by Raquel Shapira]

H/T Lola Sáenz