Week in Grieview

[The birds of St. Brigid's]

Q-and-A with Leonard Abrams, publisher of the East Village Eye (Thursday)

Former Mars Bar space hits the retail market (Friday)

What's up with the F train? (Thursday, 19 comments)

Marketing 166 Second Ave. in the 1920s (Wednesday)

Rawvolution closed on East 12th Street, temporarily or not (Thursday)

Whole Earth Bakery needs your help on St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)

Block Rugs (Monday)

A look at 6 new or restored East Village buildings (Monday)

Pub crawl alert (Friday, 21 comments)

More details about Pride & Joy BBQ coming to the former Lucky Cheng's (Monday)

Workers back in action at incoming Avenue A 7-Eleven (Friday)

East Village artist meets Jay-Z on the R (Thursday)

The latest on the lock-in at Cooper Union (Saturday)

Dee Dee felt 'very jolly' when the Ramones were on 'Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee in 1988. Watch it here. (Friday)

Be a member of CB3 (Thursday)

At the opening of the The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space last night

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) officially opened yesterday on Avenue C ... EVG contributor Shawn Chittle was there and took these photos. (You may find more here.)

For further reading:
Eden has more photos and video from the MoRUS opening Saturday (Slum Goddess)

New Museum Set to Honor East Village's Squatter Past (DNAinfo)

One more try for the MoRUS opening after storm flooding (The Villager)

East Village Shrine to Riots and Radicals (The New York Times)

First Ford Pinto sighting in 27 years

A snappy-looking Ford Pinto spotted on East Seventh Street via Dave on 7th.

Reminder: Holiday tree lighting this afternoon in Tompkins Square Park

Previously.

In case that you wanted to know that someone recently tagged the Starbucks on First Avenue and East 13th Street

Someone also tagged the wall outside the Starbucks on First Avenue and East Third Street during the blackout...

[Updated] Flea market at St. Brigid School today

Entrance on East Seventh St. just east of Avenue B...

Updated 10 a.m.

Dave on 7th stopped in... we're on our way...

Noted

Urban Etiquette Sign leftover from last Sunday's Tompkins Square Greenmarket ...

At the MoRUS chain-cutting ceremony this afternoon

At 3 this afternoon, the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) officially opened on Avenue C.... with a ceremony featuring Councilwoman Rosie Mendez and others, including Fly...

Photos by Bobby Williams.

Previously.

Reminder: Benefit for Occupy Sandy tonight at Sidewalk

Reposting this from Wednesday...

Via the EVG inbox...

BoysLikeBarbies and MERMAIDFARM Media Arts present I HEART HURRICANE RELIEF, a benefit for Occupy Sandy at the Sidewalk Cafe.

Music, poetry, comedy, plus live auctions and raffles to support those in the process of recovering from Hurricane Sandy. $10 suggested donation. 5:30 p.m. — midnight.

Jeffrey Lewis
Victor Varnado
Debe Dalton
John F. O'Donnell
Madison Cano
Jessica Delfino
Bernard King Presents
Myka Fox
Bridget and the Squares
The DeLorean Sisters
Tim Shea
Peter Loureiro
Sean T. Hanratty and the Mighty Mighty

Hosted by A Brief View of the Hudson

ON THE AUCTION BLOCK:
- Vintage jewelry and accessories from Dusty Buttons
- A Photograph from rock and roll photographer Jonnie Miles
- A gift certificate to Mark Garrison Salon
- 2 $25 bar tabs at the Sidewalk Cafe
- A Bridget and the Squares shwag bag
- A $50 bar tab at Sophie's Bar
- A $50 bar tab at Mona's Bar
- A $50 bar tab at Josie's Bar
- A complimentary massage from Jessica Laine Trugman Massage

IN ADDITION to monetary relief, we are asking all in attendance to please go take a look at the Occupy Sandy website, and are encouraging all to bring any supplies they are currently requesting to the event. They have expressed a dire need for volunteers, especially on the weekends, and team leaders and organizers who can commit for extended periods of time. A representative from the Occupy Sandy group will be there accepting donations and have information for the ways in which you can help!

There's also a Facebook page with more information here.

UPDATED:
There's also a benefit CD available... 20 songs for $5 ... among the featured groups — Eden & John’s East River String Band ... details here.

'Holiday subversion' tonight at The Stand on 7th and C

Via the EVG inbox...

Local artists Our Lady of Perpetual PMS (aka Daniella), Jessica Delfino & Elisa Velasquez present a Saturday Night Art Show of holiday subversion, with musical street performances.

• Alternative art, ornaments, & gifts for sale:
paintings, punk holiday ornaments, upcycled jewelry, & hand-painted playable ukuleles, & more

• Live music

• 9 pm: Gay Apparel: A highly decorated group of hilarious, holiday-skewering carolers reinventing your favorite (or most irritating) seasonal songs.

• Creative community party/street art/local color

• Snacks while supplies last

The gallery is small & intimate and the spirit of the event will spill out onto the sidewalk, creating a festive street scape for friends, fellow artists, & passersby.

Come by and celebrate the holidays with CRAFTERMATH. Founded in 2008, we are a group of subversive women artists who like to party with (g)litter and glue guns. We use recyclable & reusable materials whenever possible. We love to share resources & foster creative local community.

Read our post on the Stand from May right here.

East Village selected as test market for new economy car

What do you think? This morning on East First Street near Second Avenue.

Chanukah 2012

Chanukah (or Hanukkah if you prefer), the Jewish Festival of Lights, begins at sunset today... this sign at one of the 99-cent stores on East 14th Street always gives me pause...

... and at the Chase branch on Avenue and East Second Street, bank personnel seem to be hurrying along the holiday — already up to the Eighth Night...

[Via EVG reader Carl Bentsen]

Holiday fair season

Two wholly unique places to pick up some holiday-related items today... the annual holiday fair at d.b.a. on First Avenue...

... and the Christmas Bazaar at the Ukrainian Museum on East Sixth Street...

Cooper Union rally today; administration responds

From the EV Grieve inbox...

From The Students for a Free Cooper Union:

Over the past five days, we have received amazing displays of solidarity from Cooper Union students, faculty, alumni, and supporters around the world. Meanwhile, the college’s deadlocked administration has been shaken by community action and presence. Cooper Union has received positive attention as an institution, and the community’s numerous creative responses to tuition-based, expansionist models have stressed the necessity and preservation of free education.

To move forward with the support of the Cooper Union community and an assembly of New York City high schools, colleges, and universities, The Students for a Free Cooper Union have published 2,000 copies of our original communique and list of demands to be distributed at the Citywide Student/Faculty Rally on Saturday, December 8. The rally will begin at 11:00 AM in Washington Square Park with student and faculty speak-outs, followed by a march to Cooper Union at 3:00 PM. This celebration of free education and the student reclamation of higher education will conclude with a dance party.

Previously.

Meanwhile, yesterday afternoon, Cooper Union officials issued their first response to the events of the past week.

Via the EV Grieve inbox...

On midday Monday, December 3, 11 art students locked themselves in on the eighth floor of The Cooper Union’s Foundation Building. The administration has asked them to leave on several occasions and they have not.

Our primary concern is for the safety of all students and to ensure that the actions of a few do not disrupt classes and final exams. We remain in contact with the students’ designated representative who said the locked-in group has access to food, water and sanitary facilities. The Cooper Union has expressed concerns about their safety, and they responded that they have taken precautions. Our concerns also extend to actions and conditions that could affect the safety of the public.

On Dec 5, protesters disrupted a meeting of the Board of Trustees, preventing some faculty members from presenting their academic plans to the Board.

It is important that despite the understandable passions involved, we remain engaged in a civil process as we attempt to resolve critical issues relating to the institution’s future and survival.

The Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Dec 5 to support President Jamshed Bharucha and the planning process he is leading.

We are in the midst of a deliberative process designed to position The Cooper Union for a future characterized by true distinction, THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF MERIT-BASED ACCESS AND SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT, academic excellence and financial sustainability. We must explore and evaluate a range of options—without prejudging any. In order to retain the prospects for full tuition scholarships, you must retain The Cooper Union. A Revenue Task Force consisting of faculty, elected students, staff and alumni has recommended launching master’s programs and summer programs that are fee-based, while seeking as far as possible to maintain the full scholarships for students in our three flagship undergraduate programs. The deans and the faculty of each of the three schools have been working to develop academic plans along these lines. The Board of Trustees will study reports as they come in, and will make key decisions early in the spring semester.

President Bharucha and Vice President of Finance Westcott have held more than 80 informational meetings with the Cooper Union community—students, faculty, alumni and staff. Earlier this week during a spontaneous discussion between the protesters and the President in the lobby of 41 Cooper Square, protesters asked the President to meet with them immediately. He agreed and invited them to the Rose Auditorium. However, most of the protesters declined and left the building.

Jolene Travis
Assistant Director Public Affairs, Media Relations

One of these nights, one of these rainy old nights

Tompkins Square Park. Photo by Bobby Williams.

This is the Day

Kissing the Pink with "Maybe this Day" circa 1982.

I love a) the saxophonist and b) the crowd's reaction. [Deathly silence]

Speaking of "This is the Day." Why not. The The from 1983.

2 Bros. back open; Nino's 2.0 closed again

One of the 2 Bros. on St. Mark's Place that closed after a nearby fire in September is back open... this is the one that sells the $1.50 "supreme" slice...

And down on St. Mark's Place, weirdness continues at Nino's 2.0 at Avenue A. Reopened. Closed. Reopened. Now closed again...

The making of the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space on Avenue C

And as noted earlier ... The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) has its grand opening tomorrow at 3 p.m.

Here's the schedule (all subject to change):

3:00 Chain-cutting ceremony and proclamation by Rosie Mendez
3:45 Slideshow by Seth Tobocman with Eric Bliss, Ben Barson and Joe Merolla
4:30 Talk and slideshow by Adam Purple
4:45 Reading by Maggie Wrigley
4:55 Reading by Felix
5:05 Slideshow by Mac McGill
5:35 Talk by Ben Shepard
5:50 Slideshow by Fly
6:30 Talk by Frank Morales
6:40 Spoken word by Pete Missing
7:00 Sermon and songs by Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping
8:00 March by Rude Mechanical Orchestra
8:30 Performance by Rude Mechanical Orchestra
Deejaying by DJ Dirtyfinger

MoRUS is at 155 Avenue C between East 10th Street and East 9th Street. Visit the MoRUS website here for more information.

Previously.

Memorial service tomorrow for Donald Suggs

From the EVG inbox...

Friends and loves of Donald Suggs, we will be holding a memorial service for him at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery on Saturday, December 8th, beginning at 1 pm.

Read more about the memorial here. Read more about his life and work here.

Suggs, a familiar face around the neighborhood, died in early October from an apparent heart attack. He was 51.

[Photo by Stacie Joy]

Watch the Ramones on 'Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee' in 1988

In case you've never see it. Something for a lazy, rainy Friday afternoon. Or any afternoon...

Today at Schwimmer Manor

Two reports/photos via Twitter...

1. Bendy Thing doing a Loop-the-Loop outside 331 E. Sixth St. ...

[Via @lcsonka39]

2. Via @SubatomicSound —

Seems David Schwimmer is now pouring concrete for a bomb shelter in his new backyard #MoreNoisePlease

Previously on EV Grieve:
Is David Schwimmer the 'Friends' star who now owns the demolished 331 E. Sixth St. townhouse?

O Come, All Ye Faithful: Tree lighting at Tompkins Square Park is Sunday

From 4-5 p.m., per the sign. And don't worry — I'll have 79 more posts on the tree before the season is over...

Here are scenes from the ceremony in 2008 ... and last year .... And I made this terrible joke in 2010:

Meanwhile, this will be the last year for the tree lighting. On Jan. 3, workers will tear down the tree to make way for a new, 12-story tree. In three years, the current tree will be offered a space here, though at current market rates.

But we did almost lose the tree for real last year after Irene...

Breaking (sort of): Workers return to incoming Avenue A 7-Eleven

[Photo via Shawn Chittle]

We haven't seen much activity at the 7-Eleven coming to the corner of Avenue A and East 11th Street... in the space previously occupied by Bar on A and Angels & Kings... Workers gutted and plywooded (heh) the space back in September... but we haven't seen much, if any, activity here of late.

Until this morning.

'All uses considered' for former Mars Bar space at Jupiter 21

The retail listing — with fresh renderings — is now live for 21 Jupiter, the luxury building that took the place of 9-17 Second Ave. ... and, among other things, the former home of the Mars Bar.

Some details per the RKF listing:

SPACE
Ground Floor 1,400 SF
Lower Level 3,056 SF
Storage Space 1,252 SF

POSSESSION
Second Quarter 2013

TERM
20 years

And!

COMMENTS
Formerly “Mars Bar” location
All uses considered
New construction with premises being prepared for restaurant use
Located at the base of a luxury rental building
Existing 4am Liquor License in place

Any idea why Mars Bar is randomly in quotes? Oh, and does this mean Hank isn't reopening the bar here? (No snickering!)

And what happened to the BP station and other buildings?

Previously:

December Saturdays

For awhile this past Saturday, it seemed as if I ran into swarms of bargoers at every turn. More than usual. Earlier than usual. And this was starting with the brunchers around 12:30 p.m. on Avenue C. (I overheard one well-heeled brunch-goer suggest that they buy some beers and sit on a stoop after brunching on brunch.)

Anyway, I may have made a comment about all this on the EVG Facebook page Saturday. Something like:

A lot of large groups of really stupid people out tonight. Not used to this in the past month. My Jackass Guard is down.

And some 60 people responded, many having witnessed all this too ... a few comments:

• "Huge bro & woo packs from Chelsea over to EV. I ran home to take a xanax."

• "it sounded like an absurdist theatrical performance was walking down my block"

Anyway, since then, several people have pointed out that it's only going to get worse ... tomorrow marks an Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl starting at the Village Pourhouse...

Then on Dec. 15, also starting at the Village Pourhouse....

Per PubCrawls.com:

Yes, it is as crazy as it sounds. Picture thousands of Santas running throughout the streets of the city to some of the best bars that Manhattan has to offer.

Oh, and Dec. 15 is also SantaCon.

As one sort-of EVG acquaintance said last Saturday, maybe we should just be happy that people are returning to the neighborhood post Sandy to help the local economy. Should we just be happy for the swarms?

Home for the holidays at Theatre 80

Earlier this week, I noticed that a new sign went up outside Theatre 80 on St. Mark's Place for the William Barnacle Tavern...

And yesterday, Lorcan and company put up some holiday gear...

Anyway, I realized that I hadn't written about the Tavern since before it opened. For this post in September 2009, proprietor Lorcan Otway, whose parents built and operated Theatre 80 starting in 1964, gave me a tour of the space. (You can read that post here.)

But Jeremiah Moss discussed the Tavern in a post back in January, noting:

The tavern is other-worldly. You feel like you've come upon a weird oasis, as if you've slipped through the time-space barrier and landed in some alternate reality. It's not the absinthe, because you feel it the moment you walk in. Everyone else feels it, too. Newcomers step through the door with exclamations of relief — a quiet bar in the East Village!

Tavern aside, there's a lot of interesting things happening at Theatre 80. Check out their website here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Barnacle Bill dies

Theatre 80 to remain a theater: "We intend to keep the East Village a vibrant arts community"

Pearl Theatre relocating; what's next for 80 St. Mark's Place?

Your chance to live in the former chapel at the Christodora House

Here's the new listing for #5A at the Christodora House over on Avenue B:

First time available, ever! The original chapel space of the historical Christodora House Condominium. This luxurious, newly gut renovated loft-like one bedroom offers incredible midtown skyline views from it's exclusive terrace of almost 800 square feet in size. Details include wide plank flooring, woodburning fireplace, built-in high end and prewired sound/media system ... All this has turned this incredible space into a one of a kind property. The sense of space is it broadened with its 10'+ ceiling height, equal height french doors and oversized windows.

And the asking price is $1.795 million. Sadly, no photos of the unit. Consolation prize: Floor plan!

Don't recall ever seeing archival photos of the chapel. We've seen these interior photos of the Christodora from 1929. Like the "music auditorium" ...



... the "Christadora medical clinic"



... "fireplace in lounge"



... "Miss Kupkey's bedroom, D-4"



... a "general view of the dining room"



... and the fabled Christodora House pool!


But no chapel.

Per Streeteasy, there was a transaction on this unit back in January for $700,000... we didn't dig through the paperwork.. Maybe later.

So those new gut renovations added $1 million to the unit? (The DOB permits for the space estimate the cost of work at $65,000.) Anyway, there's probably a "going to the chapel" joke here somewhere.

[Photos by Samuel H. Gottscho All photos from the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York.]