EV Grieve

Monday, March 5, 2012

Going through the roof at 315 E. 10th St.

We've been waiting for workers to go through the roof of the circa-1847 building at 315 E. 10th St. As you'll recall, the city OK'd a one-floor rooftop addition here in January hours before the Landmarks Preservation Committee approved the East 10th Street Historic District.

Meanwhile, this makeshift fence just appeared the other day on the roof ... and there is plenty of activity at the building...

[Bobby Williams from Saturday]

However, from this view via Jose Garcia ... you can see the new addition is well underway...

Jose also notes the arrival in mid-January of a note on letterhead from a company called "315 East 10th Street Owner, LLC." The letter was an announcement on the pending construction at 315. The letter was signed "Keith Holden Project Manager," but when nearby residents called the number, no one there had ever heard of a Keith Holden. The people in charge onsite at 315 were also unfamiliar with a Keith Holden.

Holden's name is also on the DOB permits for 315 E. 10th St.

Developer Benjamin Shaoul's Magnum Real Estate Group owns the property.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A bid to protect the integrity of 315 E. 10th St.

Landmarks Preservation Commission expedites hearing on East 10th Street Historic District

Workers quickly start dismantling roof of historic 315 E. 10th St.

C-Squat will be home to the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space

[Photo from Feb. 1 by Bobby Williams]

C-Squat at 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street will soon be home to the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space — aka, MoRUS. According to an article by Colin Moynihan in The New York Times today, the museum "was being established to, among other things, tell the story of how activists in the East Village took over abandoned properties and over the years transformed them into permanent housing or community gardens."

This is the idea of Laurie Mittelmann, a neighborhood activist, and Bill DiPaola, the executive director of Time's Up. Among the items to be on display: Past issues of The Shadow.

The Museum will pay $1,700 per month to rent the storefront here, per the article.

Here's a video about the museum...

Fire-ravaged Gut-renovated apartment at 240 E. Houston now on market

A new listing appeared Friday for a two-bedroom apartment at 240 E. Houston St. at Avenue A... Here are the details via Synergy New York:

Gorgeous GUT RENOVATED 1050 Square foot Penthouse One Bedroom + Home office 2 full bath apartment in Prime East Village Location.Open Living/Dining/Kitchen with brand new stainless steel appliances and W/D in suite, top floor with 2 dramatic skylights make this space bright and welcoming. Private 500 SF roof terrace with stunning views of the city. Master bedroom 12x21 with large walk in closet and built in storage cabin, Large Home office 11x14, 7 East Facing Windows. Beautiful prewar 5 Storey Elevator Building with original details and New York Charm.

The rent is $5,500 a month, and this is what it looks like... Very nice!

GUT RENOVATED? Indeed! Perhaps enough time has passed in which there isn't a need to mention the four-alarm fire that scorched the building in July 2010...

[Josh via Twitpic.]

The morning after the fire...

[EVG reader Chris]

According to multiple published reports, the fire was caused by the "unapproved use of electrical wiring," according to a FDNY official, who explained that residents had extended various cords to the roof, and stretched wires beneath roofing materials.

(You can watch video of the fire here.)

Extra lights for Extra Place

The looooooooooooongtime makeover of Extra Place enters its fifth year... Workers just added new strands of lights over the former alley...

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

(And has anyone seen my catering van that I left parked somewhere?)

And later...

Meanwhile, just noting that Scott James, the Boston-based menswear brand that opened on East First Street in late October, has moved on ...

Apparently it was only supposed to be a pop-up shop... which closed up at the end of January.

Report: Midnight raid at the Sunburnt Cow

[Marcus Cohn]

This information is via Marcus Cohn's website. He wrote that on Saturday night around midnight, a group of 30 or so NYPD and other various officials paid a visit to the Sunburnt Cow on Avenue C near East Ninth Street. Per Marcus:

They were there for about 30 minutes and were examining everything from the menus, to the liquor license, to actual bottles of alcohol. They did not ask patrons to leave, yet most left on their own volition as their drinks ran empty. The bartenders were also made to pour out all the mixers.

Real-estate office becomes real-estate office on East 10th Street

The 123 Third Avenue sales office moved out of this space here on 10th Street just east of Third Avenue last May ...

And what makes sense to take over the space?

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Retna at work on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Work continued today at the Houston-Bowery mural ... where Los Angeles-based graffiti writer Retna is creating the next work for the space... readers shared some photos from today...

[@MichaelTSanchez]

[Bobby Williams]

[@JeanaCosta]

[EVG]

Today at the Avenue C sinkhole

After growing for about the past year, ConEd is getting on it here at 13th Street.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Previously.

There was a black-tie wedding reception at Katz's last night

A reader sent us this photo from last night... Katz's was closed for a wedding reception...

A look at Twitter produced the following photos ... a look at the menu...

...and a look at the party favors.

Oh, and these were both via Ivanka Trump's Twitter account.

DJ Ray from Jarrell Entertainment provided the entertainment... or part of it... the above photo came from a Jarrell blog post on unique NYC wedding venues. "This weekend, DJ Ray is spinning at a wedding in a very unlikely location – the famous Katz’s Deli in NYC. Known for it’s hot pastrami sandwiches and potato pancakes, it may come as a surprise to some that the delicious deli could easily serve as a wedding venue too."

Now, we just need to know whose wedding it was (Bess & Steven on the Katz's wedding stuff) ... does anyone know Bess and Steven?

Updated:
Oh, a reader just said that the wedding was for public relations executive Steven Rubenstein and playwright Bess Wohl.

Updated 4:26 p.m.:
A reader who was there just sent this along... something else all the guests received as parting favors...

Updated:
Our friends at Runnin' Scared have more on the story here.

Katz's annexes the Punjabi Food Express next door

So while Katz's was closed for the wedding yesterday... they used the space next door for food to go ...

[Via the Katz's website]

[Photo by @roni_sue]

As BoweryBoogie noted, the space next door to Katz's has been a variety of restaurants... and they've all closed...

Now it looks as if the address has a new tenant...

Obscura Antiques and Oddities now open on Avenue A

RyanAvenueA passes along word that, as of yesterday, Obscura Antiques and Oddities is now open at 207 Avenue A. The reality TV favorites moved out of their East 10th Street store at the end of January ... arriving here at the onetime Sparacio & DeMarco Funeral Home, which closed in 1995.

When we stopped by, the place was full... nice to see a lively storefront along an otherwise quiet retail block.... and funny how lively it is considering they sell so many dead things. Or something.

Previously.

Update: Transit worker didn't fall though subway grate in front of the IHOP

On Friday, we quoted news sources that reported "A worker fell through a subway grate on E. 14th Street ... said FDNY officials."

We later linked to a Times City Room article, but obviously didn't read it too closely. According to that piece:

The worker, in his 60s, was on a ladder beneath the grate in front of the IHOP restaurant at 237 East 14th Street, near the Third Avenue stop on the L, about 10:35 a.m., the authorities said.

He was inspecting the grate when he fell from the ladder, said Charles Seaton, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The Times noted that the worker was not seriously injured.

Several people said that falling through a subway grate was one of their worst city fears... wanted to put your mind at ease.

[Outside IHOP this morning ... solid grates!]

Anyway, you should be more worried about falling air conditioners.

Week in Grieview

[Along Avenue A]

About Joe Strummer's moustache (Friday)

Another look at the old theater on Avenue B (Wednesday)

Vancouver now has an East Village (Thursday)

Looking at the March CB3/SLA docket (Thursday)

A Linsanity mural on East Second Street (Tuesday)

Life Cafe will be split in two (Thursday)

Key Food renovates (Monday)

Union Market opening next month, probably (Monday)

People waiting in line for free IHOP pancakes (Tuesday)

And it was Big Reveal week... at 100 Third Ave. ... and 219 First Ave. ...

Another feature on one of those really nice Flowerbox Building homes

[Elizabeth Felicella for Trendland]

We've seen several features on this 2,400-square-foot duplex home in the Flowerbox Building on Seventh Street between Avenue C and Avenue D... (For example, the Times featured the home in 2009.)

The young couple's home popped up yesterday in a spread at Trendland. Lots of Pinterest in this.

Among other features, the condo has a wall of ivy along the interior balcony that overlooks a 12-foot-long reflecting pool stocked with goldfish.

A sneak preview of Sunday morning, March 18

Spotted on the Bowery...

...and nearby... one doesn't necessarily have to do with the other. But.

And we've alerted our friends at EV Heave. (Warning: Graphic photos of you know what)

[Broadway at 11th Street]

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Retna at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Yesterday, workers finished prepping the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall...

Tonight, the work begins on a new mural...

Thanks to @JeanaCosta for the photo...

Per Weldon Arts (via ANIMAL) ... Los Angeles-based graffiti writer Retna is creating the new mural...

BoweryBoogie has more here.

Summer, winter in 1940s New York

We spotted this yesterday over at our friends at ANIMAL ... as they describe it " some silent amateur footage of Manhattan during World War II. Just a stroll through summery Greenwich Village, springtime Coney Island, and fun in a snowstorm."

Today in Jimmy McMillan sightings

The folks at Luke's Lobster on Seventh Street noted the presence of The Rent Is Too Damn High Party leader Jimmy McMillan this afternoon...

The car is often a giveaway...

[Updated] Cops close Anwar Grocery on Avenue B

Happened last night here near the corner of Seventh Street...

As you can see, cops cited them for "illegal sale of alcoholic beverages."

East Village Eats noted that the NYPD busted the grocery on New Year's Eve as well.

Also. During a three-day sweep last November, the State Liquor Authority charged 118 licensed groceries and liquor stores throughout New York City with underage alcohol sales ... including these five in the East Village:

• St. Marks Convenience Inc., 31 St. Marks Place
• Ave A Deli & Grocery, 123 Avenue A
• Anwar Grocery (Pending license), 106 Avenue B
• Yoo's Convenience, 50 2nd Avenue
• C & B Grocery, 248 E 14th Street