U.S. Supreme Court rejects challenge to NYC rent control

In case you missed this earlier ... The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to the constitutionality of New York City’s rent regulations, the Times reported.

April showers bring... new trees along Tompkins Square Park

EV Grieve reader Robert notes the arrival of new trees this morning... which city workers planted along East 10th Street and Tompkins Square Park...

[Updated] Shitty way to start Monday: Garbage truck crushes parked cars on Delancey

EV Grieve reader @guywasko sent along this photo from Delancey Street today... Word is that a garbage truck, owned by Imperial Sanitation Corp., blew a tire and smashed into 6-8 parked cars along this eastern stretch of Delancey... no reports of any injuries...

The Lo-Down has a lot more photos here. BoweryBoogie has some nice aerial views of the damage here.

The driver reportedly fell asleep at the wheel, according to published reports.

100 Third Ave.'s theater past

Last Thursday, we pointed out that 74 Third Ave., the former home of Nevada Smith's, was nearly demolished...

Meanwhile, if all goes to plan, Nevada Smith's should be reopening one day up the Avenue at 100 Third Ave., a building that has been under renovation for a seemingly long time. (We recently noted the building's new, gargantuan addition.)

Anyway, here's a quick snapshot on the history of 100 Third Ave.

The Bright Light Film Journal has an overview of the address, noting that it opened in 1880 as a restaurant ... later becoming a music hall. In 1910, the building began life as a theater called the Comet...

[Via Cinema Treasures]

... and later the Lyric (circa 1936 here)...

[NYPL]

According to Cinema Treasures, it became the Jewel Theatre, which played all male films, in the 1960s. Some Cinema Treasure commenters posted movies ads for the theater.

From 1975:

From 1971:

Per the Bight Lights Film Journal:

Sporting tacky ornamentation like Greek pillars and an obsessive fondness for the ever popular whorehouse red, it was just as garish as its Times Square brethren. In the '70s it screened such fare as Joe Gage's Kansas City Trucking Company and El Paso Wrecking Corp., which ads billed as "Lusty, dusty, sweaty and hardhitting!"

In the 1980s, the place was renamed the Bijou, according to Cinema Treasures, and continued to show XXX fare.

In February 1989, City officials closed the theater (and the Variety the next block up), "charging that the owners of the Bijou Cinema were 'essentially operating an AIDS breeding ground with profit being the driving force,' Dr. Stephen C. Joseph, the New York City Health Commissioner," told The New York Times.

You can read more details at the Bright Lights Film Journal here.

Jeremiah's Vanishing New York has more history on other nearby, now-defunct theaters here.

Here's the flyer for the last show at the Lakeside Lounge

As New York Music Daily first reported, the Lakeside Lounge is closing after 16 years on April 30. There isn't going to be any gala farewell parties at the live music venue on Avenue B at East 10th Street, New York Music Daily noted. The bands already on the schedule will be playing... and here's the flyer for the Lakeside's very last live show...

Until then then, you have another week to stop by ... Also, the Times has a piece on the Lakeside here today. Co-founder Eric Ambel, whose band is playing the last night, told the Times: "The economics of the new East Village caught up with us."

h/t Shawn Chittle

The latest message at 35 Cooper Square

This spring, someone has been leaving messages for/about developer Arun Bhatia at the formerly historic 35 Cooper Square ... we're on to message No. 3 now... (the first one is here ... and the second is here...)

Actually, this one is more of a checklist than a message...

Previously.

[Photos by Bobby Williams]

A weekend morning streetscene

Single Linds Reflex sent along the above photo from early Saturday morning on First Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place... not sure what's going on here. Sitting on a stoop with a smartphone ... locked out... lost... getting an early start for Saturday night... regardless, she was attracting attention from passersby...

At First Park Green's Earth Day

Despite the dreary weather, the show went on today at First Park Green ... Earth Day (today!) marked the grand opening of the Park's first season of cultural programming ... including the unveiling of a sculpture by Robert Sestok ...

Photos by Bobby Williams.

Previously.

Internet making woman who sits on newspaper boxes on Bleecker and the Bowery world famous

[Photo by Bobby Williams from last fall]

Gothamist has an item about that woman who you also see lying on newspaper boxes on Bleecker and the Bowery... Someone posted a photo of her on Reddit yesterday in a thread titled "This lady knocked down the newspaper stand so she can devour her pickle comfortably...only in New York." So far, people have left more than 1,100 comments.

Not sure how long that she has been doing this here outside Think Coffee. The Voice noted it last fall.

h/t @Sharkbitenyc

Week in Grieview

[Bond Street looking east one recent nice day]

The Marshal seizes Kate's Joint (Tuesday) ... and the "for rent" signs quickly arrive (Wednesday)

Summering in Tompkins Square Park (Friday)

Filming at the Holiday Cocktail Lounge (Wednesday)

A bike rack for East Ninth Street (Wednesday)

CB3/SLA OKs Joe's to Josie's (Monday)

A campaign to save the library at the Neighborhood School (Thursday)

007 moving to East Fourth Street? (Friday)

A bigger Bean for First Avenue (Wednesday)

FDNY rescues resident from a Shaoul-owned building after staircase is removed (Thursday)

Noted

From an article in The Forward today:

Israel has a shortage of civilian gas masks, but you wouldn’t know it from walking down Manhattan’s St. Mark’s Place, where the masks are on sale in half a dozen stores for a mere $25 each.

The Israeli model 4A1 gas masks on display in the East Village — where storefront noodle shops bump up against vintage clothing stores — might not protect you from a chemical weapons attack. That’s because their protective filters have been removed and replaced with foot-long acrylic bongs meant for smoking marijuana.

According to the article, the bongs feature the rubber-triangle seal of Shalon Chemical Industries Ltd., the Tel Aviv-based company that makes all the civilian gas masks of Israel. And they are likely surplus, "sold by the Israeli government in bulk without filters."

Previously on EV Grieve:
This fall's must have item: Gas Mask Bongs

[Image via The Forward]

Sales continue outside Billy's Antique's

Well, you know that Billy's Antique's & Props closed up at the beginning of the year... Still, you can, on occasion, find the crew out front selling various odds and ends. Like earlier today. Here, Billy Leroy and Sugar-Bear discuss the finer points of selling a Lincoln hubcap.

[Updated] Tomorrow: First Park Earth Day

From the EV Grieve inbox...

Join our April 22nd Earth Day grand opening of our first season of cultural programming in First Park at 33 East First Street from 2:30 – 6:30 p.m. We will unveil a sculpture by Robert Sestok, listen to guitar wizard, Gary Lucas, and Sunday New York Times columnist Rosie Schapp. There will be dance, collaborative painting, and children's events. The day will provide a sample of the season to come.

This is the first event here since the BMW/Guggenheim Labbers left last fall.

Also, in case of crap weather... the organizers hope to do this rain or shine... Per one of the organizers on Facebook: "if weather is bad, we have a small pavilion to put up, and a large tarp, and if need be we can take shelter in #35, next door to the park, starting the after party early."

Tomorrow: De-Flea Market at Bar 82

We always enjoy these.... thanks to Our Lady of Perpetual PMS for organizing and hosting...

And a few photos from the March De-Flea Market via Stacie Joy...

Noted

Today in Tompkins Square Park.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Just for kicks

Tompkins Square Park this afternoon... photos by Bobby Williams.

The great Pretenders

The Pretenders ... circa 1979...

Claim: Crusties will be returning to Tompkins Square Park this spring and summer

As you may recall, last spring/summer, there were fewer travelers/crusties hanging out in Tompkins Square Park. Instead, the group took to Washington Square Park, Union Square, parts of Brooklyn... However, in The Villager this week, Scoopy hears from Black Ops-Bob that "the 'travelers' will be returning to Tompkins Square Park this season."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Crusty Row, now with a vacancy in Tompkins Square Park

From the Times:
In East Village, Harbingers of Spring Are Missing

[Photo last year by Melanie at East Village Corner]

Tomorrow is Record Store Day

It's that time of year again, when I receive news releases like this:

Longstanding Fugazi fans, JuiceheaD and Osaka Popstar, teamed up and took on the challenge of covering the punk classic, “Waiting Room.” A limited copy of the cover’s 7” will be released on Record Store Day (April 21st) with exclusive artwork by world-renowned Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant Art/Studio Number One).

Meanwhile, Iggy Pop is serving as the 2012 Record Store Day Ambassador. (Which means, basically, that you can enter to win this poster.)

Several East Village shops are participating... such as!

Here is a list of area stores participating. Right here. And Pitchfork has a listicle titled The Top 45 Releases of Record Store Day 2012 here.

Finally, found this chart at the Times from 2008 ... showing how many record stores had closed in recent years... and look how many more stores have closed since then...

Behold the inside of St. Brigid's

We continue to watch the renovations at St. Brigid's on Avenue B at East Eighth Street... while we have a good idea of how the exterior of the historic church that was left for dead is shaping up, we haven't seen the inside in some time...

Yesterday, Bobby Williams had a chance to take a look...

Previously.