His father came to New York from Italy as a boy and worked on the Brooklyn Bridge before serving in World War I. He was, said Mr. Penza, a “great provider” and a “stark-raving-mad right-winger” who hated Franklin Roosevelt and the smell of perfume.
Young Hank started working early. He and his pals in Corona, Queens, would go “junking”: loading up a horse and wagon with milk bottles and stuff to sell.
Soon he was helping out at crap games, doing what were called “mopey pinches”: Whenever the bookmakers got busted, they’d pay Hank $50 to go to court, and he’d be back on the street in hours.
At 19, he got a $200-a-week job at the “21” Club. He wore a tux, took reservations and ran errands. If a man dining with his wife needed to make contact with his mistress at the Stork Club, he’d deliver the message.
He joined a crew called the 40 Thieves and started making money by “cleaning up” bars (i.e., getting rid of undesirables). Once they spent two weeks getting rid of some ruffians from a bar by sending them to another one across the street. A month later, they paid the ruffians $3 each to return to the first bar so the 40 Thieves could get the job back.
But he said he declined offers to join the Mafia.
“Nobody can make me, man,” he said. “I’m a made man. My name is Penza-we’re made, period. We don’t need that shit. That’s all movie stuff.”
His reputation grew. Two British guys gave him $1,500 to clean up their bar on lower Fifth Avenue, which had been overrun by pimps.
In 1957, he bought a bar at 12 Bowery and renamed it Henry’s.
Still, he said, even now, New York is the only place to be. “I love it,” he said. “It’s the greatest place in the fucking world. There’s no place like this, man, and I’ve been all over the world. I love this city because they make me somebody. When I go somewhere else, they don’t treat me as well as they do. Here, they treat me with elegance. In Florida, I’m a little fucking scumbag.”
In addition to his son William, he is survived by another son, Mark; a daughter, Kim; and three grandchildren.
William and Mark Penza own Billymark’s West, a bar of the Mars Bar stripe, on Ninth Avenue at 29th Street.
Mannarelli said the owners were considering a move to split the space and possibly add a new bar on the ground floor. “LIT [is] still alive,” he added, although plans to move Lit Lounge to Brooklyn were not completely off the table.
Name: Jose Ilarraza
Occupation: Military, Construction.
Location: 3rd Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A
Time: 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2
I’m from Puerto Rico. I was raised here since I was 11. It was your typical 1970s. I’ve lived on East 2nd Street since I was 11. Back then you had Chinese, Italians, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans. But back then, if you wasn’t doing something right, you were going to do something wrong.
I remember graduating from PS 22, going to Seward Park High School and then I told my friends, "Listen I’m leaving." We had a little group. We had colors back then. Back then the gangs wore colors. We had a little group that we put together called PHA. What it means was Potheads of America. That’s it. "What are you doing flashing colors," they’d say. "Listen, read the back, Potheads of America." "Oh, you guys are alright." It was about 50 of us and we never snatched chains, mugged anybody, never. That was not our thing. Our group looked out for each other. If the group could help you, if you had a problem or something, they’d take care of you.
Did you ever go to cadets when you were young? It was fun. I turned my time into Boy Scouts. I was an Eagle Scout. I was a Scoutmaster. It was something that I followed since I was a little kid. I loved adventure and just the outdoors. I have a story for you. When I was 5, I was watching Hawaii Five-O. I told my mom, "Ma, let’s go to Hawaii." She says, "Let’s go." So I went into the bedroom, took my book bag and put some clothing inside, t-shirt, toothbrush and sandals. I come out running, and I said, "Let’s go!" She goes, "The cab just left."
And I pulled a fit. I started crying and all of a sudden I stopped, and said, "What is wrong with you? That’s not normal." I told her, "When I grow up, I’m going to go to Hawaii. I’m going to go in the Army. I’m going to go to Hawaii and I’m going to marry a Hawaiian girl, and I’m going to have a baby boy." And that’s what I did.
Myself, I can’t complain. I accomplished everything. I was a squad leader. I was E5. I served seven years with the Infantry. I was with the 25th Division. In Hawaii, you have time for everything. It’s a long day, but it’s an enjoyable day. I enjoyed Hawaii immensely. Everything slows down. I got married in Hawaii. I got married to a Wahini. In Hawaii they call girls Wahini. My dream was to marry one of them. And I got married, had a son. It hurt to leave them in Hawaii, but I knew I was doing the best thing, because if I had brought them here I would have lost them to the street. I got divorced, you know, and things were hard, so I decided to come back home.
[When I left for the Army] it started getting worse here. Then I came home in 1985 from the military. I had a year to go, but I saw that my mom needed me more. When I came home, I was shocked how fast and how quickly you had to learn your street smarts. There was a [police operation] called Pressure Point. I [returned] April 19 at seven in the evening from Honolulu to New York. I had a small amount of weed that I brought with me from Hawaii. Back then it wasn’t so strict. At 7:30, I got arrested. I was smoking weed with a friend of mine and the smell was so amazing that the two cops had to go and come right back. I said, "Listen, I don’t have anything. This is all I have. I just landed from Hawaii, from the service."
This place looked like someone threw a bomb. A lot of times someone would set a fire and the building would collapse. A lot of drugs. It felt like, "Wow, man, what happened here?" I would walk around my neighborhood and I would go, "What the fuck happened?" When I got back, I started looking for my friends and a lot of them were dead. A lot of them OD’d or they moved somewhere else. I found a few. There were only a few. And we’re still friends, you know?
After I got out, I was working construction. I was working in a building on Avenue C and 2nd Street. We gutted that whole building and with that I would send my son money. But three months after, I lost [track of] my family. I lost my son. I ended up being the super for like five years. Then I worked in the Garment District. I was the assistant manager of this clothing company, and then after that I went to work for the VA. I worked in the building maintenance. I was also my friend’s personal nurse.
For 24 years, I was looking for my son, and I didn’t give up. And I found him. He was in Las Vegas. I went to see him and found out the reason why I couldn’t find him was because they had moved from Honolulu to Maui. But I did find him.
When I met him, he tells me, "Pops, I was looking for you three weeks ago and it came out that you were deceased." This kid is my mother’s only grandson. I made it my business to find him for my mom. We just spoke about two days ago. He’s dating a Japanese girl, with two little girls. She’s in the Navy; she’s a Master Sargent. My son is a Sargent in the Army. He’s a geospacial engineer. I’m very proud of him. He’s in Fort Hood, Texas, right now. This is his second tour. Twenty-four years I was looking for him. I’ll be honest with you, I thank God for my son. He gives me a reason for living.
Enter the foyer via a discreet key-locked elevator, walk past two grand walk-in closets and experience the tremendous great room. Seven southern exposures usher a cascade of natural light throughout the day. Wide planked solid oak wood floors run throughout, under beamed ceilings that soar 11’5”. The over-sized open chef’s kitchen features sleek marble counter-tops, including the breakfast bar, a stainless-steel Thermidor stove with hood exhaust, 36” stainless-steel Sub-Zero fridge, a Bosch dishwasher, wine fridge, porcelain country sink and copious custom white wood cabinetry.
The spacious master bedroom features an en-suite bath with marble rain shower, separate deep soaking tub, his-and-her sinks and marble floors. There are two large closets and a bonus entertainment room in the suite. Two additional windowed bedrooms and a second full bathroom with hallway access complete this masterful floor plan.
This pre-war condo features just five exclusive apartments. Live in one of New York’s most sought-after neighborhoods where the East Village meets NoHo and the Lower East Side. Take in an art opening at one of the many nearby galleries or a show at a hip music venue.
At the 1 Av station, new fare control areas at Avenue A would double capacity – a 100% increase – up to the street from each platform. The Avenue A entrances would serve 60% of the station’s ridership, thus eliminating a 500-foot walk (from First Avenue to Avenue A) for 31,000 weekday customers entering or exiting the station.
Of the 32 residential units, 19 are fair market, 11 are rent stabilized and 2 are rent controlled. As 40% of the units are stabilized and achieve an average of only $985 per month, or just 30% of market, prospective ownership can unlock significant value over time through deregulation. Further upside can be achieved immediately in the fair market units through the creation of coveted amenities for residents including, but not limited to, an expansive roof deck that already benefits from impressive views, the installation of a laundry facility/service, a security system, automated doorman and an updated lobby.
There is also substantial value in the property’s retail component that features approximately 1,360 square feet of ground floor space. The building currently hosts three separate retail units, two of which are occupied by renowned Crandall Guitars and Studio 26 Gallery with leases that expire in 2018 (with a 5 year renewal option) and 2017 (with a 2 year renewal option), respectively. The last unit is owner occupied and will be delivered vacant upon sale. As the landscape of the East Village has transformed into one of the most desirable residential and commercial locations in the city, future ownership has the ability to capitalize on the favorable growth of the neighborhood in the near term.
Located in the heart of the East Village, 179 East 3rd Street benefits from a wide array of the city’s best shopping, dining and nightlife options. The neighborhood has experienced rapid transformation in recent years that has attracted a younger population drawn to the area’s new developments. The most exciting new project coming to the area is Essex Crossing, a 1.9 million square foot mixed-use project located just 3 streets south of the subject property.
