Someone actually paid $57 million for this East Village building

Wow. $57 million for this dorm-looking thing on Third Avenue and East 11th Street? (And you thought that the Yankees overpaid for Beltran!)

Oh, anyway, this 12-story residential thing with retail space hit the market back in April. Now The Wall Street Journal reports that the Benchmark Real Estate Group LLC is the new owner.

Per the Journal:

The mixed-use property has 55 rental apartment units and 10,500 square feet of retail space. The current commercial tenants are the Smith, an American restaurant, Asian market M2M and NY Copy Printing Co.

Benchmark plans to invest money from its $45 million first mortgage to renovate and upgrade the apartment units and increase the retail space by 15% to 20%, said Russell Frahm, head of Mesa West's New York origination team.

The original listing noted that "[a] buyer may wish to expand the residential floor plate above and restore the building above by reskinning glass." And this is the rendering...



Oh boy.

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: Elissa Jiji
Occupation: Writing Tutor, Member of 4th Street Food Co-op
Location: 4th Street between 2nd and Bowery
Time: Noon on Saturday, July 27

I’ve lived in the neighborhood for around 20 years. I grew up on the Upper East Side. I work at John Jay College as a writing tutor; I’ve always been a fan of words.

I’ve been coming downtown since I was a teenager — we’d go out dancing here all the time. I remember the elevator at Danceteria — that teeny, tiny elevator. I remember when Keith Haring was drawing his drawings in the subway. I miss those places. A couple weeks ago, I was out for a bike ride by the river. We were pulling this sound bike behind us, and stumbled on somebody’s nighttime birthday picnic on the pier. We had a spontaneous dance party with a bunch of people we'd never met — including a three-generation family, all dancing together with their abuela and all of us. This community can surprise you in that way.

I only learned how to ride a bike 10 years ago, in Tompkins Square Park, on the basketball courts. Eventually I branched out from going around in a circle in the basketball court to going around in the Park, and all the older Chinese ladies were going past me and people on the benches were giving me the thumbs up. It was one of the best things I ever did, and now I ride my bike everywhere. I commute to work at Columbus Circle.

This neighborhood feels very much like a neighborhood, and even still, with all the chains and banks and with things disappearing, it still retains its neighborhood aura. This block has a lot of small businesses on it, and a lot of that is the tenant-owned Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association, which is our landlord. Several buildings on the block are part of the Cooper Square MHA. They support small, independent businesses. They're very supportive of us, and they like having us on the block.

I’ve been working at the co-op for maybe 15 years. My sister, who lives next door, said, “You should join that food co-op on 4th Street.” It took me awhile to listen to her, but she was right. Once I did, I really liked it. I like being part of something where we make decisions together.

I’ve done a bunch of different jobs at the co-op, from reconciling the till, to training new members to running the meetings. It’s nice not to be bound by having to make a profit; we really try to make stuff affordable. We’ve had a couple of major renovations and projects where we’ve questioned, are we actually going to be able to pull this off, or are we gonna kill each other in the process? It will be two years this fall since we completely ripped out the floor to put in a concrete one, and put in the motors for the refrigeration down in the basement. It was a huge project. Did the stuff fit through the door during that renovation? Apparently not — we had to cut away the lintel and replace it.

The co-op is open to the public and entirely member run, which is not the case with every or even most co-ops. We don’t have a paid staff, and it’s important to us that everybody from the neighborhood can shop. We also give discounts to a bunch of different categories of people — seniors and students, people shopping with EBT cards, and then our members. I think we have between 75 and 90 working members at any given time. There are a fair amount of students and people who were recently students. There are teachers, artists, musicians, at least one nurse, web developers and a cabinet maker. We probably have the highest workload of any co-ops with working members: we’re there two hours a week.

It's also is the kind of place where you see your neighbors all the time, and their kids, and their dogs. Our neighbors, some of them are so sweet. This one lady comes in every time there is a Yankees game — she’s got her lucky chocolate bar that she has to get. You know when there’s a game on because she comes in for it.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

Veselka Bowery has closed

After a 17-month run at Avalon Bowery Place, Veselka Bowery has closed, as we first reported yesterday morning. They closed at 4 yesterday, then held some "private event" in the space. (Food for Cheap Trick?)

The consensus among readers and others we talked with: Sad but not surprising. It never seemed all that full. There were attempts to get a bar crowd by showing Yankees games ... Veselka also launched a free pedicab service: "If you don't want to wait for a table at the original Veselka, we will give you a free Pedicab ride to our new restaurant Veselka Bowery."

And we recall an inauspicious opening in October 2011, where Veselka Bowery teamed up with Urban Daddy, who usually champions the likes of Superdive, for a $75 sneak preview tasting menu that includes a "five-course pierogi-and-vodka pairing." (Read the comments from that post.)

At the end of the day, people seemed to just want a diner. But that concept isn't going to work here, at a glass-and-steel factory like Avalon Bowery Place.

Anyway, the food press will likely have some exit interviews with the Veselka folks about what happened here. For now, the signs on the Veselka Bowery door thank people for their patronage, "Love and Light to you all!"

Places where I never watched a baseball game in 2012

Veselka Bowery.

Had always planned to watch a game here during the regular season, which ended Wednesday night for the Yankees. I often saw the chalkboard sign noting the game time. And there are several flat-screen TVs at the bar.

I was going to do a post on watching a game at a seemingly unusual place. The thought of doing this at Second Avenue and East Ninth Street would be very strange.

But I suppose the Bowery branch is trying to build a bar crowd, tap into the increasingly sports-minded neighborhood. The things that you have to do to survive.

Anyway, guess I can go for a playoff game...

Cops looking for fake cops who tried to rob the Waterfront Spa, which actually isn't on a waterfront

This story is making the rounds today. We spotted it first earlier over at Runnin' Scared. The NYPD are looking for two men they say posed as cops at two spa kinda places, including at the oddly named Waterfront Spa on First Avenue at Second Street. (I mean, the Waterfront Spa technically isn't on any waterfront. No?)

Here's the scheme: On Dec. 1, the men entered the business and allegedly flashed badges while asking to review the spa's license. They also asked to see the spa's money.

The spa worker refused. The two reportedly grabbed her arm and fled. (It wasn't clear from the NYPD if the men kept her arm.) They tried this stunt again on Dec. 12 at a spa on St. Nicholas Avenue.

Police say the suspects are 6-foot black males in their 30s. One of the suspects was caught on video wearing a Yankees baseball cap with a light blue jacket and blue jeans. The other had on a light blue hat with a dark jacket and dark pants.

If you have any information about this, then please Tweet about it. Or write a jokey blog post about it. Then call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

There's also surveillance video via the Daily News ...

[Updated] Another East Village corner market closes; 13 and counting for the last year or so

The Fuji Apple deli on First Avenue at 12th Street is the latest corner market to close.

The deli shuttered on Monday. (The space has been on the market — "perfect for any use.")

So many deli/markets have either closed or gone upscale in the last year or so in the East Village that I've lost track...Some of the replacements are just too bland and even more expensive with the ambiance of an airport terminal...

Anyway, let's try to piece this together.

Olympic on First Avenue at 13th Street closed and will become an upscale market...



Roger's Garden on First Avenue between First Street and Second Street closed for renovations back in early January... and is now a new food courty-looking place ...



The market on the corner of Seventh Street and Avenue C closed and reopened as a Wholesome Foods...


[Photo by Bob Arihood]

On Avenue C near Eighth Street, the market/deli just off the corner closed and reopened as a Yankees Deli 2...

Christine's on 10th and C moved and reopened with more upscale items...

Jay's on Avenue C and 11th Street closed and reopened as the Yankees Deli...

The market on 12th Street and Avenue C remains closed...

The East Side Gourmet Deli on the southeast corner of Avenue B and Fourth Street closed and reopened under new ownership...



Across the street, Finest Pizza and Deli closed last June.... and reopened as the East Village Finest Deli......



The Houston Deli & Grocery on Avenue A and Houston closed to make room for the new fancy Union Market...

The market that took over half of the Dunkin Donuts space on Second Avenue closed and is now part of the liquor store.

And how could I have forgotten this... Graceland on the corner of Avenue A and Second Street...



I'm sure there are more just from the last year (not including the fire-stricken Stuyvesant Grocery on A and 14th Street or East Village Farms on Second Avenue and Fourth Street.) Let me know what I'm forgetting...

Let's go Yankees!

Last Monday we noted that the deli/grocery on Avenue C near Eighth Street had closed... And signage has quickly gone up here...

It appears to be another location of the Yankees Deli on 11th Street and Avenue C...

Which replaced Jays...

Yet another more upscale market for Avenue C....

Guest post: The day the music died

Here's a little something different for today...a guest post...



By Larry Koestler

I grew up in Stuyvesant Town and lived there for 27 of my 29 years, and so as you might imagine, I am (or was) rather well-versed in the nightlife offerings of Avenues A, B and C.

However, age, relationships and maturity have significantly curtailed late-night group outings, and so I haven’t gone out here with any regularity in some time. Which is why I was incredibly sad to discover that The Musical Box (formerly at 219 Avenue B between 13th and 14th Streets) has closed, and has apparently been that way since the end of April.

My friends and I discovered Musical Box in 2003. Like most people, we weren’t even sure what it was from the outside, given the lack of signage and mysterious curtains completely shrouding the interior.

Thankfully, we went on in anyway, and it was pretty much love at first sight. The first thing one noticed upon entering the Box was the generously sized and dimly lit front bar room, with a reasonable-if-not-great beer selection, and fair prices.

But the real reason the Box became my go-to bar over the last seven years was actually not the alcohol selection, but the layout, design aesthetic, overall relaxed mood and almost zen-like vibe of the bar. In addition to the lengthy front bar area, Musical Box boasted an even more generously sized second room in the back, filled with more hideous-but-comfortable old couches than the eye could see. With the exception of certain times on Friday and Saturday nights seating was seldom a problem; a trait few bars can claim.

Of all of the bars I’ve ever been to, The Musical Box was my absolute favorite. I celebrated several birthdays, Halloweens and countless other occasions at the bar over the years; loved to go during the week when there wasn’t a soul to be found; and even during the weekend when it was slightly more crowded with clueless fools who only showed up because they heard it was the latest hot spot.

Any time a friend wanted to meet up for a drink, Musical Box was almost always our default destination. And most important for me, I took my future wife to The Musical Box on our very first date, and we even ended up featuring a photo of the now-destroyed mural on the brick wall of the patio on our Save-the-Date — I can’t imagine there are many other people who went on a first date at Musical Box and ended up marrying that person.



Unfortunately, the unloyal crowds — who helped annoyingly clog the lines for the two unisex bathrooms — that started swarming the place after word got out around 2005-2006 would most likely end up being its death knell.

While I haven’t read anything definitive as to why Musical Box actually closed — although the conspiracy theorist in me thinks it may have something to do with the ugly new condo building that’s been under construction directly next door for the past few years — there was a noticeable decline in attendance during the past few years. Though nothing makes me happier than a completely empty bar that my friends and I have all to ourselves, it’s also rather hard for a drinking establishment to continue to exist when it doesn’t receive enough patrons.

And so while I knew this day would eventually come, it doesn’t make it hurt any less. So here’s to you Musical Box: Thank you for providing a relaxing drinking venue in a city full of frenetic, overcrowded and painfully loud bars; countless memories; and for playing a pivotal role in my personal life. You’ll be missed, and most likely never replaced.

Larry Koestler is the former author of This Is What We Do Now, a humor blog about twentysomething life in New York City, and currently blogs about the Yankees at Yankeeist. He can be contacted at larry at koestlermedia dot com.

Chico photo via Flickr.

Baseball tonight: Yankees-Red Sox rivalry brewing on Second Avenue?

As baseball fans gear up for the season opener tonight between the Yankees and Red Sox... Finnerty's on Second Avenue near 14th Street put up a large Yankees logo Friday...



...which is next door to the EV home of the Red Sox, Professor Thom's...



We asked Chris at Professor Thom's if they would let this stand...

"I saw that Friday when they were painting it. Rather big, huh? We won't be going that far -- our rep is very public already. But, look for a line down the sidewalk dividing the two fan bases."

Yankees pitchers and catchers report today; meanwhile, take me out to what's left of the old ballpark...

Today at noon, pitchers and catchers report to the Yankees complex in Tampa. Back up hereabouts, workers continue dismantling the old Yankee Stadium. I checked in at the The Demolition of Yankee Stadium Web site for the latest...(from yesterday):




[Photos by Bobby Jackson]

As Eric Okurowski at Stadiumpage.com noted:

"[I]t seems like they are making progress. At this point the seating plank for the field and loge levels has been demolished. The upper deck is basically intact except for what seems to be the last section. The stairwell 'pod' next to the left field end has been removed which caused that part to be demolished. Most of the exterior remains. If I were to guess, there will still be a considerable amount of the structure left when the season begins in April. However, if the pace is increased, it could be done before then."

Here are some rather haunting images that Eric took:




View the rest of his photos here.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

Excellent new exhibit at Bullet Space (Blah Blog Blah) Jill also published an East Third Street photo essay.

Pizza at Ray's? (Neither More Nor Less)

An idea for your leftovers (With Leftovers)

Why it should be Black Sabbath Day today (Flaming Pablum)

One reason to go to the Time Warner Center (Stupefaction)

Legendary New York Yankees PA announcer Bob Sheppard officially retires (The Sporting News)

Thanksgiving at HoJo's (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

How those lights get up on the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree (Lost City)

East River String Band's new CD "Drunken Barrel House Blues" is now available (Slum Goddess)

The Blarney Stone is still closed

Perhaps they'll reopen in time to capitalize on the Yankees World Series victory parade Friday morning.

Previously.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

The Mars Bar gets painted white (Little Stories and Maybe Poems from Now and Then)

The clothesline returns behind the Coop (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Thompson LES honcho: "Part of the process is to ingratiate the neighborhood and realize that the hotel, the pool, the restaurant, the bar are actually an asset and do make for a better, safer, cleaner neighborhood that creates more jobs and creates more energy and ultimately has a positive ripple effect for residents, for merchants, for everyone around it." (Grub Street)

At the Bowery Stakeholders' meeting (BoweryBoogie)

At the Peppermint Lounge in July 1982 (Ephemeral New York)

NYC has the fucking worst fucking road rage (Gothamist)

Some UK dive bars for you — and will they put on the Yankees game instead of this soccer? (Hunter-Gatherer)

A guide to Gramercy (Lost City)

Slum Goddess at the Chicago Blues Festival (Slum Goddess)

Q-and-A with director Susan Seidelman (FlavorWire)

Oldest bar in NYC? (Greenwich Village Daily Photo)

Finally, thanks to the reader who sent me this. However, I don't accept advertising on this site.

Yankee Plywood

If you watched any of the Yankees-Mets game on Fox Saturday afternoon, then you probably several shots inside the old Yankee Stadium.


[Via the Demolition of Yankee Stadium Web site.]

I have no idea what was said: With McCarver and Buck in the booth, I had the TV on mute.

It was my understanding that all the seats were being removed (and sold). In any event, if you walk around the old stadium, as I did early Friday evening when I took the following shots, then you'll see what seems like miles of plywood...it now surrounds the old stadium. Wasn't this way during my last visit.







And it seems as if more than seat removal is taking place...



For further reading:
The Destruction of Yankee Stadium Web site

Save Gate 2

The Yankee Stadium Redevelopment Project

Previously on EV Grieve:
With high rises and new shops in the works, it's time to take a look at the area around Yankee Stadium

At the new Yankee Stadium

Meanwhile, across 161st Street...

With high rises and new shops in the works, it's time to take a look at the area around Yankee Stadium

A few weeks back, the Post had the following item:

First, a new stadium. Next, a new neighborhood.

Just as The Bronx gears up for Opening Day at the new Yankee Stadium, city planners yesterday unveiled a proposal to transform the blocks around the ballpark into a neighborhood of high-rise towers, wider sidewalks and new shops.

The plan, which would rezone a stretch of River Avenue and 161st Street, would clear the way for developers to replace streets filled with the one-story bars, souvenir stands, empty lots and repair shops that now dominate the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, like Jeremiah, I was curious about what kind of impact the Stadium would have on businesses now a little farther away from the new digs. Before the game Tuesday night, I figured I'd better take a look around...

The first casualty appears to be the Press Cafe on 157th Street. With panini sandwiches and Stella on draft, the owners were trying to be a little more upscale... With high rises and other luxuries coming, the Press Cafe was maybe a little before its time...



The bodega is gone on 157th and Gerard. Lost to a fire. (Was always a good spot to drink a few beers before games. No one seemed to mind. Just be cool.)



I imagine the city's plans call for the destruction of these shops and old structures along Gerard Avenue.





The Yankee Tavern on 161st Street and Gerard Avenue has some new awnings...(By the way, the Tavern's owner, Joe Bastone, was charged yesterday with evading more than $1million in state and city taxes.)



A few other signs and scenes from the neighborhood...






I also looked to see if any new businesses popped up along River Road directly across from the new Stadium. No... but the McDonald's on the corner got a big outdoor facelift...And you have to wonder how long places like a family eyecare center and a 99-cent store will last directly across the street from a $1.5 billion stadium.



The DUGout (pictured below on the left), has been around for five years. As the Times noted March 27, it became "the most coveted location on the block." It's directly across the street from the new Stadium. The bar's owner, Tyrone Robinson, 31, expanded the 2,400-square-foot space by 4,000 square feet and opened a roof deck, the Times reported. “There’s a term I’m looking for,” Robinson said in trying to describe his bar to the paper. “Midtown comes to the Bronx — that’s it.”



Finally, in that March 27 feature, the Times wondered whether the new Stadium would have an impact on the 30-year-old Stan's, the bar that once had the closest proximity to the Stadium... On Tuesday night, Stan's was packed...More crowded than the DUGout.



For further reading:
A Late Rush to Tidy Up the Yankees’ New Home (The New York Times)
Bonus excerpt:

Wally Jimenez, 27, an audio engineer who grew up in the neighborhood, said the work was not primarily for the community’s benefit.

“They want to turn this into a commercial area, but they don’t think about the consequences for the people around here who don’t have the resources to get a new place when rents go up,” he said. “They are trying to push the community out.”

Mr. Jimenez said of the cleaning efforts, “I’ve never seen something like this, and I was born and raised in this area.” He added, “It’s good that they are cleaning up, but they are definitely not doing this for the community.”