How you can help support the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space at C-Squat

Yesterday, we posted a link to the article in the Times about the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) opening at C-Squat.

In the comments, Amy pointed us to a Crowdrise page to help raise funds to launch MoRUS at 155 Avenue C. You can access that page here. (As of this morning, they had collected nearly 20 percent of their $18,500 goal.)

Per the site, "We have a storefront location, tour guides and the community's approval, we just need your support to help open the museum to the public. With every donation we get closer and closer to preserving the neighborhood's vibrant history and opening the museum..."

And here's the MoRUS website with more information.

Cotan looks closed on First Avenue

Cotan, the Japanese restaurant on First Avenue just north of St. Mark's Place, has apparently closed... Well, there's that sign on the front door...

...and when we called to check last night, we found that the number wasn't in service. The space shouldn't be empty for long: Something called Iconic Hand Rolls is on this month's CB3/SLA docket for a wine-beer license. And it's the same address as Cotan.

As you may know, Cotan took over the space after Shiki Kitchen closed at the end of 2009. (Rent hike.) Jeremiah wrote about Chef Shiki, a former boxer, and his intricate paper creations here.

Cops looking for fake cop

EVG reader Justin S. spotted this yesterday at the Delancey-Essex Street station... the man pictured allegedly flashed a silver-star-shaped badge on a chain, claimed to be a police officer, then punched the victim in the face and stole his wallet.

Naked bicycle dude replaces Wódka Vodka hooker ad on the Bowery

That Wódka Vodka ad didn't stick around too long here on the Bowery at Great Jones. We noticed it last week along with BoweryBoogie... This was the ad that got some Bronx community leaders in a snit last month... the vodka's marketing company agreed to remove the offending ad there ...

Dunno if anyone around here complained... but, as of yesterday, a new ad was in place...

If red-tailed hawks could talk...

Today in Tompkins Square Park. By Bobby Williams.

[Updated] Retna wraps up the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall by Retna is looking rather finished... thoughts?

And here's a video created by our friends at Fresh Paint NYC...

Renovations continue at Key Food on Avenue A

Among other things, workers are putting in a new deli case/counter today...

Previously.

ConEd fixing Avenue C sinkhole

Dave on 7th passes along these photos showing ConEd workers repairing/filling in/whatever the sinkhole that has been growing on Avenue C at 13th Street...

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?

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]