Reminders: The Loisaida Festival is today

The 26th annual on Avenue C, from East Sixth Street to East 12th Street ... The official Festival site is here.

And this morning, everyone is setting up for the day... from the shetland ponies ...



... to the corn ...

Notable events this morning (and last night)

The sun! The sun! Tompkins Square Park. vine.co/v/bVjj7K7nwHB
— evgrieve (@evgrieve) May 26, 2013

And, to provide equal time, the moon from last night...



Photo by Bobby Williams.

Going back in time today on East Ninth Street

A few photos via EVG reader Riad today....



Per Riad: "Still no word on where in time they were headed, but the flux capacitor appeared to be functional."



Indeed.

Go Big blue

Seventh and A today ... via Bobby Williams...

Planting new trees in Tompkins Square Park

Just noting that some of those new trees we spotted in Tompkins Square Park have been planted...

Photo by Bobby Williams. Arrows by EV Arrow.

Rough night at the Alamo?

Spotted this morning on Astor Place via our friends at MoRUS ...







As for the Cube... I recall Scouting New York referring to it this way a few years ago: "(aka The Big Black Cube That Has Never Actually Been Called The Alamo By Anyone Ever Other Than The Artist’s Wife Who Named It)."

Here's Bloom 62, the luxury apartments replacing the Cabrini Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation

[Photo via @zmack]

So, if you were to turn a former nursing home into a luxury apartment building... how would you market that new space? A lot of people have been asking that question since developer Ben Shaoul purchased the building that housed the Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on East Fifth Street and Avenue B.

Now we know.

Please meet Bloom 62 — "The right place to plant your roots."

A banner ad went up yesterday on the East Fifth Street side of the building. And there's now a website with a few details and renderings about the rentals.



And here we are:

It sounds impossible: a fully-appointed luxury building has sprouted in the beating heart of the East Village. A 24-hour doorman greets you before work in the morning, after returning from a cafe in the evening and when heading out to Tompkins Square Park on the weekends. You'll have every modern convenience, from a gym to a roof deck to in-unit laundry, on the same streets where names like The Ramones, Warhol and Hendrix and [sic] paved the history of this neighborhood for years to come.

Not sure why this sounds impossible. After all, Ben himself created a fully-appointed luxury building not too long ago with the A-Building on East 13th Street. (Maybe Hendrix didn't pave 13th Street with history?)

Anyway! The listed amenities include 24-hour doorman, gym and exercise facility with weight room, secured landscaped courtyard entrance, deck with showers, Weber grills and teak sun-deck, and yoga room with music system.

There's no pricing for the apartments just yet.

The nonprofit, 240-bed Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation — sponsored by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus — provided health care for low-income elderly residents in the East Village. The center opened in 1993 and served 240 patients and employed nearly 300 employees. The facility closed last June.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Claim: Ben Shaoul is the new owner of Cabrini nursing home, will convert to condos

Report: Local politicians reach out to Ben Shaoul as re-sale of the Cabrini Nursing Center seems likely

More details on Cabrini's closing announcement

Q-and-A with Patricia Krasnausky, president and CEO of Cabrini Eldercare

Straphangers feeling the effects of the MTA reducing sign and tape budgets

Oh, and no L train service between Lorimer and Eighth Avenue until Tuesday morning at 5. Really.

Heading on out of the city...?

The Jesus and March Chain with "Head On" from 1989.

That's it for us this Memorial Day Weekend. See you back on Tuesday. We're headed out to help the staff open the beach house for the summer. (To be honest, the estate manager is new this year and he needs direction.)

And... No. None of that is true! Who would want to leave this weekend? It should be a thing of beauty! We'll have the posts to prove it all weekend long! (Maybe!) And follow along on Twitter via #Woo and #Owww and #WatchOutForTheHeavyBlueThings.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Bike Week continues... photo by Derek Berg]

Rev Jen on getting fired from the Tenement Museum (BoweryBoogie)

Man accused in East Village assault will not face hate crime charges (NY1)

Jeremiah Moss explores Edward Hopper's New York inspirations (The New Yorker ... find more at Vanishing New York)

Facebook relocating to 770 Broadway? (The Observer)

Some photographs from Slum Goddess (Slum Goddess)

When 12 St. Mark's Place was the German-American Shooting Society Clubhouse (Ephemeral New York)

Cooper Union students perform leaked transcript of trustee meeting (Runnin' Scared)

Spider-Man shoots hoops in Chinatown (The Lo-Down)

Interview with Steve Jones and Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols from 1977 (Dangerous Minds)

And the folks at Devorado, the vintage boutique on East Ninth Street, note that some shoplifters left the store with nearly $1,000 of goods on May 17 ... they made flyers ...



... and released this video of the alleged theft in action...

And now, more complaints about Citi Bikes docking stations

EVG reader Mark White spotted a resident hanging these clips on the docking station on East 13th Street at Avenue A this morning...



... it's a photocopied article from the Post about workers removing a bike station on West 13th Street...

As for the resident with the flyers... Per Mark: "She was very upset and very concerned for safety, and let's just say she wasn't too pleased with Bloomberg. She want down the block taping them to buildings. Told me to call 311."

Now's a good time to repost the following from CB3 regarding complaints about Citi Bikes:

Bike Share will launch May 27. Issues that must be dealt with immediately, such as a blocked driveway or loading zone, should be emailed to the community board office (info@cb3manhattan.org) and we will work with DOT to have these sites inspected immediately.

There are other concerns regarding placement of installations or size of installations, or the number of installations in close proximity to each other. We are asking people to wait until bike share is in operation for a month to see what works and what doesn’t. What installations are not being used to capacity? What installations do not accommodate the number of bikes needed?

The Community Board 3 Transportation Committee will meet on Tuesday, July 16 to hear concerns. DOT will attend the meeting to note these concerns and address or inspect and follow up. Please check the CB 3 website for the meeting location or sign up to receive monthly agendas (join cb 3’s mail list on website).

Anyway, at least it wasn't dog poop.

Early verdict on Citi Bikes: Kids love 'em!

Students from (the middle school housed at?) PS 19 have discovered the Citi Bikes, which arrived on East 11th Street near First Avenue.

Look at those happy faces!

Video via MoRUS.

They're heeere

At least on East 11th Street near First Avenue ... where workers moved this docking station 17 blocks across First Avenue yesterday ... did you spot any others?

A quick trip back to the East Village of the early 1990s

I just added New York in the 1990's Photo Archives to that jumbled mess of a blogroll over on the right-hand side of this page.

A little background: As a student here in the early-to-mid 1990s, Grégoire Alessandrini was always carrying a camera around with him... and he has been uploading the photos from that time to his blog. (Alex has featured his work at Flaming Pablum while Curbed has also highlighted his photos of Times Square and the Meatpacking District.)

I wanted to point out a few of his photos from the East Village, where he lived on Avenue A and East 12th Street. He lives in Paris these days (Vélib, the bike-share program, works very well there, he says) ... Regarding the photos: "I really do miss these times."



St. Mark's Place

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East 14th Street

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100 Avenue A

------



Eddie's Tower of Toys on East Sixth Street

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The Bowery at Bond

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Wigstock, Tompkins Square Park

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You can spend your holiday weekend now rooting through his photo archives here.

Here's the sign for Dojo, David Bouhadana's new sushi restaurant on First Avenue

The new sign is up now at 110 First Avenue, former home of the dearly departed Polonia, the homey Polish diner that closed in December 2011.

The new space is Dojo, a sushi restaurant by David Bouhadana (the "twentysomething sushi wunderkind" per Grub Street) that is expected to open this spring.

Crain's reported in January that Bouhadana signed a 15-year lease for the space.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Looking at the former Polonia space, soon to be home to David Bouhadana's sushi restaurant Dojo

The Loisaida Festival is Sunday

This is the 26th year for the festival ... on Avenue C from East Sixth Street to East 12th Street... rain or shine!

The Lo-Down has the entertainment schedule here. The official Festival site is here.

Find some previous EVG coverage of the Festival here.

Today in advertising opportunities

Spotted on Third Avenue and NYU. What would you want to advertise here?

Looking at David Schwimmer's front door(s)

While we've seen 3/4 of the incoming Schwimmer Estate on East Sixth Street, we've yet to take in the actual front door(s) ... until EVG contributor peter radley noticed all this while walking by yesterday...



Hope to see more once we get that invite for the first rooftop BBQ.

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

Outrage over total demolition of historic East Sixth Street townhouse

Here is David Schwimmer's East Village home

The way it was

After the rain late this afternoon on East 10th Street and Avenue C... Photo by Bobby Williams.

A hard rain is falling (as you may have noticed)

Flash flood warning until 5:30. Head to your nearest docking station.

Photo by Nick Solares.

Trading places: Citi Bikes docking station making the move on East 11th Street; annoyance ensues

The Citi Bikes docking stations on the southeast corner of East 11th Street at First Avenue are on the move, as these photos by Greg Matherly of Reciprocal Skateboards show.



The docking stations are headed across First Avenue, to the northwest corner across from Veniero's on East 11th Street. No sooner than this happened did we hear that business owners on this stretch of the street are very unhappy with this move. "That is a serious business killer — especially on holidays and weekends," said one.

Of course, business owners at the previous spot of the docking station were unhappy too. Carlo Giurdanella of Bella Tile had complained that one of the new bike docks had taken away his loading zone.

"I don't know how we’re going to be able to operate really now effectively," he told CBS New York on May 1. "It's sad, dramatic negative impact."

Perhaps the move will mark the return of the longstanding Halal cart here. The made way for a truck after the docking station arrived on the southeast side of East 11th Street...


[May 4]

Preservationists call for archeological review of former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site

[Bobby Williams]

The lot that includes Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church on East 12th Street is slated for demolition to make way for a new residential complex.

However, East Village community and preservation groups are hoping that the historic church that Douglas Steiner plans to develop can be spared. Members of the groups noted this last evening during a rally on the steps of Mary Help of Christians.

Meanwhile, there's a new development that could possibly put a hold on the production: dead bodies. According to a news release distributed after last evening's event:

The church was formerly the site of the cemetery of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where thousands of people were buried starting in the early 19th century. This was only the third and at the time the largest Catholic Cemetery in New York. While the graveyard was moved to Calvary Cemetery in Queens in 1909, it is not known if all remains were removed and cleared from the site or if some still lie in burial underneath.

The preservation organizations have written to developer Douglas Steiner and the city’s Department of Buildings and Landmarks Preservation Commission to notify them that a very large cemetery was formerly found on this site, and calling for a complete archaeological evaluation of the site as required by law in such cases before any work proceeds, to prevent disturbance of any burial site or human remains which may remain here.

[BW]

Those gathered called upon Steiner to build upon the adjacent church yard, which lies outside of the boundaries of the former 11th Street cemetery, rather than upon the site of the church, school and rectory.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, the Historic Districts Council and the East Village Community Coalition were all represented during the rally.

"Mary Help of Christians is certainly one of the most historic buildings in one of the most historic neighborhoods in our city and country," Lower East Side Preservation Initiative president Richard Moses said in prepared comments distributed to the press. "Starting in the early 20th century it played a central role in Italian-American history, and the building still commands a very imposing architectural presence in the neighborhood."

Early last year, preservationists submitted a request to the Landmarks Preservation Commission asking them to landmark the church. The LPC denied the request. (Read about that here.)

Specs for the retail portion of the complex mention a "140 unit market luxury rental building" for the space.

"It would be a tragic waste and shame if these beautiful buildings, so full of New York's history, were demolished for expediency’s sake," said Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation Executive Director Andrew Berman.

The church opened in 1917.


[Crazy Eddie]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Permits filed to demolish Mary Help of Christians church, school and rectory

Long-dormant East 13th Street lot is back in action; 6-floor new building next?

We haven't checked in on that long-dormant lot at 536 E. 13th St. near Avenue B in awhile ... the site became a dump (really, look) after construction on a new building here caused cracks in the foundation next door.

Now a resident on the block points out the arrival of a new fence ... and work permits at the site...



The new permits on file reads: "FOUNDATION, EXCAVATION & SHORING WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NEW BUILDING."

Approved plans for the six-floor building note proposed community facility/health care center use in the cellar with six total residences on the upper floors. David Howell of DHD Architecture and Design is listed as the architect of record. Ranga Krishna of East Village Realty is listed as the owner.

Another empty lot to scratch off our list?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Your chance to own a stalled project lot on East 13th Street

A dormant construction site on East 13th Street

[December 2009]

Report: 9th Precinct traffic safety sergeant worries about an increase in accidents with Citi Bikes

As the apocalypse© The Apocalypse® approaches with the arrival of Citi Bikes on Monday, there isn't any shortage of pros and cons to read out there about the bike-share program ... (This Curbed post from yesterday links to many of the various articles on the topic.)

Meanwhile, in an interview with DNAinfo's Serena Solomon, Amber Cafaro, a traffic safety sergeant stationed at the 9th Precinct, echoes what some people against the bike share have said: there will be an increase in accidents.

To the story.

Cafaro listed recent accidents in the East Village involving distracted cyclists talking on phones and running red lights, along with one biker who slipped on a wet roadway and wound up putting his hand through a car windshield.

"Bikers don't realize you can't do that," Cafaro said, describing behaviors that could endanger cyclists. "You have to stay off the phone, you have to stay in the bike lane and you have to stop at red lights."

The East Village recently saw a spike in reported bicycle crashes, with eight in the 28-day period ending May 19, compared to just four in the same period the previous year, Cafaro said.

Read the whole article here.

Meanwhile, at Slate, there's a "10-point resolution to end the decades-long conflict between walkers and bikers."

[Image via Citi Bikes]

Pop-up exhibit will support the 'Save Our CHARAS Community Center' movement

From the EV Grieve inbox...

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space will host a pop-up exhibit in support of the movement to Save Our CHARAS Community Center (SOCCC).

Come celebrate and learn about the vibrant history of CHARAS/El Bohio and demand the return of this historic cultural institution. The exhibit will open tonight when community leaders, local activists and concerned neighbors will gather for a show of unity.

With guest speakers: Chino Garcia, Rosie Mendez, Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh, Senator Brad Hoylman. More guests, performers and announcements TBA.

May 23 - 31, 2013
Opening Night:
Thursday, May 23, 2013
6-9 pm

Meanwhile, here's footage from last week's rally and march from PS 64 on East Ninth Street to Cooper Union.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Rebranded P.S. 64 up for grabs: Please welcome University House at Tompkins Square Park to the neighborhood

Efforts continue to fight the dorm planned for the former PS 64 on East 9th Street

Report: The Joffrey Ballet School will lease 2 floors of the former PS 64 for student housing

For rent sign appears at David's Shoe Repair

Jeremiah and I both noted on Tuesday that a big rent hike is forcing David's Shoe Repair on East Seventh Street to relocate to... Midtown.

A reader noted yesterday that the for rent sign is now up in the front window. Didn't spot a listing for the small space online anywhere just yet. Curious to see what the landlord will be asking here.

David's last day in the East Village is May 31.

Report: Max Fish closing at the end of July ahead of move to Williamsburg

As you probably know, high rents are sending Max Fish packing to Williamsburg later this year. We were told earlier that Max Fish is eyeing an August closing date on Ludlow Street.

The Lo-Down gets the word straight from owner Ulli Rimkus that the bar will close here at the end of July. Rimkus also divulged a few other details, like "she really wants to create something new — not necessarily a replica of the LES classic."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The art evolution of Ulli Rimkus and Max Fish

From Tin Pan Alley to Max Fish

[Updated] Max Fish is apparently moving to Brooklyn; eyeing August close date

More details released about the CBGB Music & Film Festival this October

From the EV Grieve inbox...

For four decades, the name CBGB has been synonymous with all musical genres emerging from the indie and punk underground. This year, CBGB will be breaking more new ground with the expansion of the CBGB MUSIC & FILM FESTIVAL, a five-day festival/conference.

This will take place Wednesday, October 9 to Sunday, October 13, 2013 within NYC's rich and varied music venues throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Landmark Sunshine Theater on E. Houston St. will serve as the conference and film festival hub.

The new CBGBers haven't announced any acts yet. But that number is expected to be... 525 bands, 100 film screenings and 40 seminars ... there is ticket information, which you can find here.

And here's a snappy video about the festival...

At the Mary Help of Christians rally this evening

[Photo by Crazy Eddie]

Various community groups and residents came together for a rally tonight at Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church on East 12th Street ...

Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation Executive Director Andrew Berman (pictured) has said that there is plenty of open space on this parcel for a new residential complex, and that the existing properties "would be great candidates for adaptive re-use."

We'll have a report on the rally in the morning.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Permits filed to demolish Mary Help of Christians church, school and rectory