Temporary sunroof for 154 Second Ave.

[Terry Howell]

We walked by 154 Second Ave., the former Sigmund Schwartz Gramercy Park Chapel between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street, the other day and looked inside the opened plywood. Not much left on the inside! The sun was pouring into the space from where there was a roof.

For a better angle... EVG reader Terry Howell provided an aerial view showing the progress here where workers are adding three new floors for luxury apartments...

And for some contrast... how the building looked in February...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former funeral home looks to double in size with help from 'the controversial penthouse king of the East Village'

Redeveloped funeral home looking for a few live retail tenants

The walls come tumbling down at 154 Second Avenue

You may 'Exit Through The Gift Shop' tonight for free in Tompkins Square Park

The Films in Tompkins series continues tonight with "Exit Through the Gift Shop."

Per Wikipedia:

Exit Through the Gift Shop: A Banksy Film is a film by graffiti artist Banksy that tells the story of Thierry Guetta, a French immigrant in Los Angeles, and his obsession with street art. The film charts Guetta's constant documenting of his every waking moment on film, from a chance encounter with his cousin, the artist Invader, to his introduction to a host of street artists with a focus on Shepard Fairey and Banksy, whose anonymity is preserved by obscuring his face and altering his voice, to Guetta's eventual fame as a street artist himself.

Meant to see this film... never got around to it.

And as we'll cut-n-paste all summer long like the Beach Boys:

Free. Gates Open at 6 p.m. Music Starts ½ Hour before the Start of the Film (sundown)

July 5 — Exit Trough The Gift Shop, Music by Church of Betty

July 12 — Fantastic Mr. Fox, Music by Dandy Wellington And His Band

July 19 — Summer of Sam, Music by The Debonairs and Brendan O’Hara

July 26 — Goldfinger, Music by The Luddites

Aug. 2 — Donnie Darko, Music by The Rad Trads
A Two Boots 25th Anniversary Event with Free Pizza!

Aug. 9 — The Big Lebowski, Music by Main Squeeze Orchestra
A Two Boots 25th Anniversary Event with Free Pizza!

Aug. 16 — Poltergeist, Music by Timbila

Dates subject to Rain Delays.

Films In Tompkins is sponsored by Ella, The Blind Barber, Two Boots, Grolsch, GalleryBar, Tower Brokerage and NYC& Company.

The CBGB Festival starts today; and please don't pee in the sink. Or be a dick.

The CBGB Festival starts today... the whole lineup and what not is here.

And thanks to the CBGB Festival people and East Village Radio for giving six all-access passes to EV Grieve readers.

And some words of wisdom from the back of the Festival program...

Lucky Cheng's now promoting new Times Square location

Moving up to West 52nd Street at the end of the summer, as Grub Street noted on June 7... the current home has been on the market...

7-Eleven now hiring on IHOP Way East 14th Street

Previously.

The hell with the West Side and Hudson River

A little Yankee Doodle Dandy from the East Village courtesy of James and Karla Murray...

Independence Day

North on First Avenue. Where the cloud formation looks slightly familiar.

Confirmed: Bowery Poetry Club closing for renovations July 17

[June 18 outside the Bowery Poetry Club]

After weeks of speculation about the future of the Bowery Poetry Club ... including our post yesterday from an employee ... DNAinfo's Serena Solomon gets confirmation that the 10-year-old Club will close on July 17 "to renovate its space in advance of a relaunch that will put a stronger emphasis on food."

"There will be a better mix of food and art," said founder Bob Holman, who declined to go into further detail about the new-look Bowery Poetry Club.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Is Duane Park in the Bowery Poetry Club's future?

What is happening with the Bowery Poetry Club?

Hopping on the Kiss train

We didn't get a chance yesterday to check out the progress of the temporary Kiss mural going up outside the former Nice Guy Eddie's on East First Street at Avenue A ...

So...

Previously.

Despite holiday, it is not a fucking slow news day

[X17ONLINE.COM via the Daily News]

EV Grieve reader Spencer Brighton alerted us to this bit of international news... Katie Holmes and her daughter went for ice cream last night at Sundaes and Cones on East 10th Street near Third Avenue.

Per the Daily News, who put the above photo on its cover today:

The actress and her adorable 6-year-old stepped out at Sundaes and Cones in the East Village, known for its offbeat flavors. The pair wore coordinated outfits — Holmes in a crimson shirt, white shorts and $795 Yves Saint Laurent wedges with a poppy motif to match Suri’s $175 Milly Minis dress.

And what is known for its "offbeat flavors"? Sundaes and Cones or the East Village?

Report: State turns off the gin taps at Gin Palace

Gin Palace got some buzzy press when it recently opened on the corner of Avenue A and East Sixth Street, particularly for its gin on taps, as featured above in the Post.

Last evening, Robert Simonson at Diner's Journal reported that the New York State Liquor Authority turned off those taps on Monday, citing them as illegal. An SLA spokesperson said that charges were not brought against Gin Palace.

Meanwhile, bar owner Ravi DeRossi believes what Gin Palace is doing is legal, and plans to fight the ruling at a July 20 hearing, according to Diner's Journal.

DeRossi thinks the SLA's action stems from a Prohibition-era law "that forbids a bar from taking alcohol from a bottle, pouring it into another and serving it." Apparently the SLA amended that law to allow for the use of frozen margaritas machines.

Anyway, Gin Palace is still open serving drinks not coming from a gin-and-tonic tap.

Previously.

This is what happens when a mannequin plays with fireworks

We're not big on "scared straight" messages, but... just lookee — maybe never to model Patricia Field again.

Careful out there today, people. You may know what you're doing with your illegal fireworks, but the mannequin next to you might not...

Aiko is next artist to take on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

A tipster tells us that a new mural will be going up soon at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall ... dunno yet who the featured artist will be... In any event, we did spot the above this afternoon outside the wall... Retna, the current artist, wrapped up work back in March...

The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall is currently enjoying, perhaps, Worldwide Acclaim via the new music video by 11-year-old Willow Smith, daughter of Will and Jada.

Updated 3:53 p.m.

Another tipster tells us that Aiko, the Japanese artist who now resides in Brooklyn, will be starting work on the wall this weekend.

Here's an example of her work from the Wynwood Walls in Miami ...

[Via]

DOH temporarily closes Tuck Shop on East First Street

A Tuck Shop regular regretfully informs us that the DOH has temporarily closed the East First Street location after a visit yesterday yielded 46 violation points, including for "evidence" of various live things ... You can hit the locations on St. Mark's Place and the Chelsea Market in the meantime...