Report of a fire at 121 St. Mark's Place

The FDNY responded to a fire at 121 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Avenue A just after 7 this evening...

MAN ALL HANDS 121 ST MARKS PL, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON 4TH FLR,

— FDNY (@FDNY) March 1, 2015

An EVG reader shared these photos... word on the scene was that there weren't any injuries...



No word on the cause at this time.

The FDNY declared the situation under control in about 20 minutes...

MAN ALL HANDS 121 ST MARKS PL, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON 4TH FLR, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNY (@FDNY) March 1, 2015

The search for Sugar, the missing East Village dog, continues

[Photo by Derek Berg]

Dozens of volunteers gathered this morning on Second Avenue at East Fifth Street to help look for Sugar, the Amstaff/pit bull mix that went missing this past Monday. (Volunteers have come together several times this past week. This map shows where people have posted flyers throughout the city.)

Sugar's owner is an East Village resident. Sugar went missing while she was in London on business. Her dog walker of several years reportedly had some kind of "psychotic episode." No word on where the dog walker is now.

The story has received plenty of media coverage … on WABC 7 … NBC New York … and Fox 5, among others…



There are Twitter and Facebook pages now devoted to the search. There is also a $5,000 reward for her return.

SEARCH PARTY + Any information leading to a rescue will be REWARDED. Please RT. New Tel 949-887-0283. #FindSugarNYC pic.twitter.com/M85pZ9Qcnf

— FindSugarNYC (@FindSugarNYC) February 28, 2015

Previously on EV Grieve:
More about Sugar, the missing pit bull mix with a $5k reward (55 comments)

Sidewalk bridge arrives after reports of falling debris on 2nd and B

Crews are erecting a sidewalk bridge — for who knows how long — on the southwest corner of Avenue B and Second Street this morning.

Yesterday around noon, the FDNY responded to the scene — specially 201 E. Second St., where there were reports of bricks falling to the sidewalk from the building.


[Photo yesterday by EVG reader Jason Chatfield]

According to paperwork filed at the Department of Buildings yesterday, the FDNY is requesting a "structural stability inspection due to falling stucco."

Meanwhile, there are other open violations on file at the building… stemming from electrical work without a permit. There are also numerous complaints about a faulty boiler dating to 2012.



The building is operated by Jared Kushner's Westminster Management.

Bar wars: Maybe McSorley's isn't the oldest tavern in the city?

Missed this item from earlier in the week… when news came out via the Daily News that Richard Hourahan of the Queens Historical Society unveiled research showing that Neirs Tavern in Woodhaven opened in 1829, almost 30 years before McSorley's on East Seventh Street near Cooper Square … making it the oldest bar in the city.

And what does the current holder of the oldest-bar-in-the-city title, McSorley's, who just celebrated Birthday No. 161, have to say about this? Here's what manager Gregory de la Haba told the News:

"McSorley's is the oldest continuously operating bar in New York City, and it’s the most authentic — hands down. What you are looking for is authenticity and not age.

"It's a fine bar," he said of Neir's. "So is the White Horse and Fanelli's and P.J. Clarke's. It’s not easy making a go of it in this city."

As for Neir's, Mae West allegedly first performed there … it's also known for this scene from "GoodFellas" …

B&H Dairy and Downtown Bakery: Still inexpensive, still good

[EVG file photo of Downtown Bakery]

Over at Eater yesterday, Robert Sietsema contributed "Another Dozen Cheap Eats Classics in New York City" list … which includes two EVG favorites:

• B&H Dairy at 127 Second Ave. between East Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. "Since 1947 it’s been catering to dieters, vegetarians, and cheap dining enthusiasts, who fill up on a bowl of soup and buttered challah bread made right on the premises — it threatens to overshadow everything else."

• Downtown Bakery at 69 First Ave. between East Fourth Street and East Fifth Street. The restaurant "serves an all-Mex menu of cut-rate burritos, breakfast tacos, enchiladas, chilaquiles, hard- and soft-shell tacos, and other quick grab-and-go delights, many with a Pueblan flair."

Feelings

Joy Division circa 1979 with "Disorder."

Time for Anton van Dalen's 'Avenue A Cut-Out Theatre'

The art of longtime Avenue A resident Anton van Dalen is currently on display at the P.P.O.W. Gallery in Chelsea.

As part of this, van Dalen will show "Avenue A Cut-Out Theatre" tomorrow evening at 7 in the gallery.

Here's a quick overview:

van Dalen uses a portable model of his house as a staging ground for telling the story of the East Village. Employing a rotating selection of miniature cut-outs, stencils and props, Van Dalen narrates the history of the neighborhood from the 1970s (when he moved to Avenue A) until the present. The performance centers on Van Dalen’s Avenue A rooftop pigeon coop he has nourished for more than 25 years; a source of pride for Van Dalen who began raising pigeons as a child in the Netherlands. There he flies a flock of white pigeons that circle around the storied tenements that housed generations of immigrants, like himself, witnessing the neighborhood’s gradual gentrification.

Avenue A Cut-Out Theatre was first performed in 1995 at the University Settlement House on the Lower East Side and toured throughout the United States and Europe. The performance has been shown at numerous institutions including The Drawing Center, the Museum of Modern Art, and The New York Historical Society.

P.P.O.W. Gallery is 535 W. 22nd St. between 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue. His work will be up through March 14.

Previously.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Coffee at Porto Rico Wednesday via Derek Berg]

NYC rents are outpacing inflation (The New York Times)

Man on tracks killed by L train at the East 14th Street and First Avenue station (Town & Village Blog)

Winnie's is closing on Bayard Street (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

A visit to Cafecito on Avenue C (Gothamist)

Mapping NYC's gentrification by neighborhood (Curbed)

Looking at Rosie's, opening this spring in the former Boukiés space (Grub Street)

Essex Crossing demolition watch (BoweryBoogie)

Recalling the hardcore scene of Altercation (Noisey/Vice)

The last matzah batch at Streit's on the LES (Jewish Journal)

Here's Kim Gordon's conversation from Wednesday night at the Strand (The Strand via YouTube H/T to Bedford + Bowery, who has a recap here)

Another look at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, now open on East Second Street (DNAinfo)

"Young Bodies Heal Quickly" makes it NY theatrical premiere tonight (Anthology Film Archives)

Another Bleecker Street live music venue is going under (The Villager)

Rev. Billy headed to trial (Runnin' Scared)

Neighbors complain of excessive construction noise at the former Pathmark site on Cherry Street (The Lo-Down)

Coffee time in NYC ... in the 1790s (Ephemeral New York)

... and the RadioShack on Broadway between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street is closing ... one of the nearly 2,000 nationwide set to close as a result of the company's bankruptcy...

Black Seed owners reiterate commitment to preserving the former DeRobertis space

[Photo from earlier this month by Ali Smith]

As you probably know, the owners of Black Seed bagels are opening a location at the former De Robertis Pasticceria and Caffe on First Avenue near East 11th Street.

Noah Bernamoff and Matt Kliegman, the owners of the popular Montreal-style bagel shop on Elizabeth Street, have maintained that they will keep as much of the former tenant's original architectural elements intact as they can.

In an interview at Off the Grid yesterday, the two reiterated their preservationist commitment.

In general, the pair say their goal is to bring back as much of the early-20th century material and look as possible, while removing some mid- and late-20th century fixtures – like the front display cases and shelves behind them. “We discovered beautiful old brick walls behind there,” Bernamoff said. He asserts that the tin ceiling, hand-cut wall tiles, round “penny tiles” on the floor (which aren’t made anymore) are all staying – but where those elements are missing or damaged, they will not be replaced with facsimiles.

“It’s better to leave what’s there than try to recreate it,” Bernamoff said. “We want to have it feel old, and have it feel historic … If we try to recreate [vintage elements], it will take away the specialness of some of what is there. We don’t want to create confusion. We want people to recognize that the space is 110 years old.”

They also plan to keep the neon De Robertis sign on the façade.


[Photo by James and Karla Murray]

Said Bernamoff, “We prefer to keep the neon as intact as we possibly can without misleading people.” So they may just keep the Pastry Shoppe part illuminated, for example.

The 110-year-old DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe closed this past Dec. 5 after 110 years in business.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ugh: The 110-year-old DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe closes after Dec. 5 (43 comments)

[Updated] 110-year-old DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe looks to be closing once the building is sold

174-176 First Ave., home of DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe, is for sale

Let's take a look at the DeRobertis in-house bakery

Black Seed bringing bagels to the former DeRobertis space on 1st Avenue (43 comments)

A last look at De Robertis before its conversion to Black Seed bagels

North River looks to be going as The Nite Owl now on 1st Avenue

[Photo from last weekend]

Back on Wednesday, we noted that North River at 166 First Ave. just north of East 10th Street was closed for renovations.

There were't any other details about what was in store for the restaurant serving American-style comfort food from chef Adam Starowicz, who spent time at Momofuku Ko and Hearth. (The sign on the door simply said that changes were afoot.)

Now, however, a new sign is up for — The Nite Owl ...



There isn't any mention of the new venture, which sounds decidedly more nightlife-focused, on North River's website or social media properties.