Looks like the end for TakeMeHome Rotisserie Chicken on Avenue A

The quick-serve restaurant at 151 Avenue A between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street kept irregular hours in recent months. It was closed for roughly two weeks, then open again for one night, and so on.

Now it appears TakeMeHome has served its last chicken. Legal documents arrived on the door last week... with a Rent Demand for the sum of $29,277.70 (the "arrears").



As we said in previous posts, people we talked with generally liked the food here — large portions for the price. But it never could sustain any business.

TakeMeHome opened in November 2014. The space was previously home to San Loco.

Please welcome the first floor of 500 E. 14th St.

Just last Monday we noted that the new 7-floor retail-residential complex at the corner of Avenue A and 14th Street was looking ready to rise...

And rise it has. Or risen. Look, a floor...





Still no above-ground sign of Extell Development's new building mate at 524 E. 14th St., where the foundation work is ongoing.

Anyway, in no time at all, No. 500 might just look like this conceptual rendering...



To this point, we haven't heard just yet if these homes will be rentals or condos.

New York Yimby did a little math on the building the other day... they noted that given the overall square footage, "the apartments above should average 1,215 square feet apiece, which suggests condominiums are in the works."

Previously

Week in Grieview

[Paper shredder at an E. 5th St. stoop sale yesterday via peter radley]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

Second Avenue residents file $17 million lawsuit over deadly gas explosion (Wednesday)

Murder trial starts for high driver who crashed into East Village Farm and Grocery (Saturday)

Abraço looking to move into a larger space across 7th Street (Friday)

The Alamo returns to Astor Place on Wednesday (Sunday)

Wagamama coming to 55 3rd Ave.; M2M to depart? (Wednesday)

After 15 years, Artikal is closing on 12th Street (Tuesday)

Sweet Generation selling rainbow cupcakes for Equality Florida (Tuesday)

Workers clearing out the mysterious 84 2nd Ave. storefront (Tuesday)

Cuomo clears way for brunch drinking to start at 10 a.m. on Sundays (Wednesday, 35 comments)

Zadie's Oyster Room opens on East 12th Street (Thursday)

GG's introduces a Garden Dinner Kit with ingredients from its backyard garden (Thursday)

Today in Tompkins Square Pork (Monday)

The penthouse at 347 Bowery sells for $17 million (Monday)

14-story building planned for 827 Broadway (Wednesday)

Molly Ringwald's East 10th Street duplex is for sale (Monday)

Out and About Part 2 with Joe (Wednesday)

More bubble tea for East 14th Street (Monday)

CB3 wants alternatives about a larger 438 E. 14th St. (Friday)

Enjoy 'A Summer in Paris' next month in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday)

215 E. 12th St. is available for $16 million (Wednesday)

People's Pops not returning to the East Village (Thursday)

Melt Shop bringing grilled cheese sandwiches to 4th Avenue (Monday)

Cholo Noir wants to bring Mexican BBQ and art to East 6th Street (Friday)

After 2 months, J-Mar Special Touch barber shop closes on East 6th Street (Monday)

... and in Tompkins Square Park, Christo is keeping the kids in rats...


[Photo yesterday by Bobby Williams]

Tranquil June Sunday ruined by sight of Santa hats

Oh, the day wasn't ruined! Just a reminder that it's just six more months to SantaCon!

Photo on 7th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue by EVG Day Ruiner Correspondent Derek Berg

[Updated] The Alamo returns to Astor Place on Wednesday (unless it rains)

[Image via the Village Alliance]

After being in safekeeping the past 19 months, Astor Place's centerpiece — the Alamo — will return for re-installation on Wednesday.

This welcome news comes courtesy of the weekly Astor Place Construction bulletin (PDF) issued on Friday...



Note that the rain date is June 29. (The forecast does NOT call for any rain at the moment.)

Officials had been vague about an exact return date (June/early summer) until now.

Leading up to its return, the Village Alliance is holding a Creativity Cubed event at Astor Place through Tuesday.

Per the event notice:

Alamo Cube fans, young and old, will have the opportunity to craft and design their very own mini spinning Alamo Cube, and create new memories and stories for the future.

Visit Creativity Cubed today, Astor Place. Make your own spinning Alamo Cube & see the Strangers Project. FREE event pic.twitter.com/GjlPUwW0wl

— Astor Place NYC (@AstorPlaceNYC) June 19, 2016

The return might come as a relief to some (parody accounts)...

First person to make a life size reproduction wins and it will go on permanent display as I lost the original. https://t.co/j9IQYp6tT6

— Amanda Burden-Christ (@A_Burden_Christ) June 18, 2016

As you know, the area around the cube has been undergoing a reconstruction these past few years. No word on when it will all be officially complete.

And the Alamo won't be the only familiar installation to return. BoweryBoogie reported on June 13 that part of Jim Power’s “Mosaic Trail” will also return to Astor Place later this summer.

Workers packed up and carted off the Alamo for safekeeping for the duration of the reconstruction back on Nov. 25, 2014. The cube was installed here in 1967.

Updated 6/21

The Parks Department is now saying that the Alamo won't return until August. Per amNY:

Although there were fliers posted in the Village that gave a June 22 date for the art piece’s re-installation, the agency said it is being inspected by a conservator for final preparation.

“NYC Parks has historically contributed its expertise to the upkeep of the Cube,” Parks spokeswoman Maeri Ferguson said in a statement.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Alamo returns to Astor Place this Halloween

Five years later, Astor Place apparently ready for its 2-year reconstruction project

This is what it might be like living inside the Alamo on Astor Place

RIP Tony Rosenthal, the sculptor who created the Astor Place cube

Reminders: Meeting tomorrow to discuss construction timeline at 432 E. 14th St.

We mentioned this in the post on Friday about the retail-residential building for 432-438 E. 14th St. at the former Peter Stuyvesant Post office...

Councilwoman Rosie Mendez and CB3 are hosting a public meeting with reps for the developer. The meeting is solely to discuss the impact of the construction on immediate neighbors. We're told that there will not be any further discussion about variance plans (from 8 to 12 floors), at this time ... the meeting is at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow (June 20) at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on 14th Street and First Avenue.

Flyers are up around the new development just west of Avenue A...

Cooper Square street renovations claim 1st exhaust system

(That we know about...)

Photo by Derek Berg

Last weekend for Barbara Feinman Millinery before storefront move on 7th Street

Tomorrow is the last day for the hat shop (and other accessories) at its current address, 76 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The shop, which was established in 1998, has new space a few storefronts away at No. 80.

Apparently there's lots of stuff on sale...


[Image via Facebook]

Feinman retired ... the new store is now know as East Village Hats, and run by Julia Emily Knox.

Murder trial starts for high driver who crashed into East Village Farm and Grocery

[Photo from June 19, 2013, via @Xeus]

The murder trial started yesterday for Queens resident Shaun Martin, who prosecutors say was drunk and high on PCP when he plowed his car into East Village Farm and Grocery on Second Avenue on June 19, 2013, which led to the death of florist Mohammed Akkas Ali.

"He wasn't just speeding, he was accelerating," Assistant District Attorney Constantine Coritsidis argued in his opening statement in Manhattan Supreme Court, as the Daily News reported.

Martin was reportedly driving 80 mph in a rented white Nissan Altima when hit a fire hydrant, a muni meter and a 25-foot tree, then jumped a curb and smashed into East Village Farm and Grocery at the corner of East Fourth Street. This happened just before 7 a.m., as Ali was finishing his shift. Four other people sustained injuries in the collision.

Ali suffered serious brain trauma and died on Jan. 1, 2014, due to complications from his injuries. He was 63.

Per the Daily News:

The accused killer ... shied away from looking at the harrowing footage of the moment he barreled into Ali.

He buried his face in his hands as the video, a main piece of evidence in the prosecution's case, was played in open court.

Martin, 35, faces up to life in prison for charges that include second-degree murder, aggravated vehicular homicide and first-degree assault.

Martin's attorney, who declined to give an opening statement, also opted for a bench trial. Justice Melissa Jackson will decide Martin's fate.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Car smashes into East Village Farm & Grocery on Second Avenue; 6 reported injured

Crowdsourcing campaign for injured East Village Farm and Grocery worker raises nearly $19,000

Report: Injured East Village Farm and Grocery florist has lost his memory, use of his voice

[Updated] RIP Akkas Ali

The East Village Folk Festival is tomorrow night at Theatre 80

This info just arrived in the EVG inbox...

Assembling for a grand one-time historical performance, Malcolm Holcombe, Greg Trooper, Diana Jones, David Massengill, Paul Sachs, Amy Allison, Sandy Bell and Alan Kaufman will take the stage on June 19 at Theatre 80 St. Marks ...

Head over to the Theatre 80 website here for more details on the festival and tickets. The show starts at 7 p.m.

Theatre 80 is at 80 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

1 a.m., Astor Place, June 17

Good mackerel sky from early this morning. Photo courtesy of D. Meretzky.

It might get Loud

The Ramones with "Loudmouth." (H/T Alex.)

Meanwhile, the "Hey! Ho! Let’s Go: Ramones and the Birth of Punk" exhibit is at the Queens Museum through July 31.

Sunday afternoon at the Museum, co-curator Marc H. Miller moderates two conversations around the theme, "Pop to Punk: Ramones and Visual Art." Guests include Chris Stein of Blondie and John Holmstrom, co-founder of PUNK magazine. Details here.

And on June 25, the Museum is hosting Ramones Mania, which will include book signings, film screenings, a flea market, live music and more. Details here.

Also this next Friday at noon...

SPECIAL: Friday (6/24) @evgrieve hosts w/guest 'punk curator' Marc H. Miller, 12p-2pm ET | 9a-11am PT, live on East Village Radio. #ramones

— East Village Radio (@EVRadio) June 17, 2016

American Deli & Grocery coming to 1st Avenue

[Photo by William Klayer]

Renovations have been ongoing at 139 First Ave. ... and today workers hung the signage for the new business — American Deli & Grocery, which is promising "delivery in minutes!"

The space here between St. Mark's and Ninth Street was previously home to Scarab Lounge, a hookah joint.

EV Grieve Etc.: East Village retail district options; Mermaid Parade rundown

[Discarded $100 mattress on 7th Street by Derek Berg]

Community group and CB3 exploring possibilities of a special retail district (DNAinfo)

A feature on Ravi DeRossi, who owns multiple bars and restaurants in the neighborhood (The New York Times)

Fledgling photos from Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography)

Details on the Mermaid Parade tomorrow in Coney Island (Sheepshead Bites)

Things looking up for the Essex Street Market? (BoweryBoogie)

"Heavy Metal Parking Lot" turns 30 (Anthology Film Archives)

The best independent bookstores in NYC (Gothamist)

Business at the great bookshop Three Lives & Company is booming. However, the owners may need to find a new storefront after its home on West 10th Street is up for sale (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Ramones-spotting (Flaming Pablum)

Design contest winners proposed some L train alternatives (Curbed)

A look at ABC No Rio's last show (Slum Goddess ... previously)

Remembering the General Slocum tragedy (Off the Grid)

A new generation returning to revitalize Chinatown (The Lo-Down)

...and tomorrow at the Sixth Street Community Center between Avenue B and Avenue C...



Lastly, will someone please check the contents of this trash bag for us? On Ninth Street between A and First Avenue... Thanks!


[Photo via William Klayer]

Abraço looking to move into a larger space across 7th Street

[Abraço before opening the other day]

The owners of Abraço, the popular coffee shop/cafe, have plans to move into a larger space across from their current Seventh Street home.

EVG correspondent Steven says that Jamie McCormick, who runs the shop along with his wife Elizabeth Quijada, had been searching for new space ... and decided to stay right on the block between First Avenue and Second Avenue when the former Krystal's Cafe 81 became available.


[Photo yesterday by Steven]

Krystal's Cafe 81 closed earlier this year. (Until Jan. 1, 2005, the address was home to Verchovyna Tavern aka George's Bar aka Bar 81.)



With the larger space, Abraço will also expand their menu offerings ... they are also seeking a liquor license, and will appear before CB3's SLA committee on Monday night.

According to the questionnaire (PDF here) posted on the CB3 website, the proposed hours are daily from 8 a.m. to midnight.

The questionnaire also includes a menu...



Abraço opened at 86 E. Seventh St. in October 2007.

The CB3 SLA committee meeting is Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the Thelma Burdick Community Room, 10 Stanton St. (corner of the Bowery).

Cholo Noir wants to bring Mexican BBQ and art to East 6th Street

Plans are in the works for a restaurant serving "Mexican-style BBQ" with a gallery space at 503 E. Sixth St. near Avenue A.

The proprietors, Lennard Camarillo and Arlene Lozano, will appear before CB3's SLA committee on Monday for a new liquor license for the space.

According to the questionnaire (PDF) posted at the CB3 website, the proposed hours for Cholo Noir are 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday-Friday with a noon-time opening on Saturday and Sunday. The questionnaire shows a configuration with 15 tables accommodating 45 diners as well as a 12-seat bar.

In 2014, Camarillo and Lozano won the New York Public Library's annual business plan competition, scoring the top prize of $15,000.

No. 503 was home for five weeks to Long Bay, a Vietnamese restaurant, last spring. Several years earlier the space housed Gladiators Gym.

The CB3 SLA committee meeting is Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the Thelma Burdick Community Room, 10 Stanton St. (corner of the Bowery).

[Updated] Report: CB3 wants alternatives for a larger 438 E. 14th St.

[EVG file photo]

As we first reported on May 31, reps for the new development at 438 E. 14h St. are lobbying to receive a zoning variance for a 12-story building — four more than the area's zoning allows.

In an analysis of the plot, the developers said that they found "unusually elevated groundwater levels and exceedingly soft and unstable soil (owing to the presence of an underground stream) ... result in extraordinary construction costs." (Apparently those soil samples from September 2014 didn't reveal this.)

On Wednesday night, the reps made their case with Community Board 3's Land Use, Zoning, Public & Private Housing Committee. It did not go all that well, per DNAinfo's Allegra Hobbs:

“If you guys didn’t do your homework, I’m not sure why the community has to suffer for your error,” said Alexis Adler of the East 12th Street Block Association. “It is going to change the total character of our neighborhood….We’re losing affordable housing and people are being pushed out so you can put up taller buildings.”

Preservationists, residents and block association reps gathered at Community Board 3’s Land Use Subcommittee meeting on Wednesday to rail against the plan, arguing that the added height would alter the neighborhood’s character, while the added market-rate units would only threaten to displace longtime locals.

In the end, the committee reportedly tabled the vote and asked the reps to return after "exploring alternatives to increasing building height and requesting a greater percentage of 'affordable' units.'"

The property here near Avenue A in Stuyraq was home for years to the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office and long lines.

Updated 11:30 a.m.

On Monday, Councilwoman Rosie Mendez and CB3 are hosting a public meeting with reps for the developer. The meeting is solely to discuss the impact of the construction on immediate neighbors. There will not be any further discussion about variance plans, etc. ... the meeting is at 5:30 p.m. June 20 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on 14th Street and First Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office slated to be demolished

The former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office will yield to an 8-story residential building

New residential building at former 14th Street PO will feature a quiet lounge, private dining room

A look at the new building coming to the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office property

Celebrating 40 years of La Plaza Cultural

[Photo of La Plaza from March]

La Plaza Cultural, the community garden on the southwest corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street, is celebrating 40 years tomorrow night with performances by Lydia Lunch, James Chance and the Missing Foundation, among many others.

Here's more information about the event:

Join us for a party for the 40th anniversary of one of NYC’s most forward-thinking venues, a storied legacy of the 1970’s downtown art scene: La Plaza Cultural, a green, multi-use, civic, performance space, spread over a third of a city block on east 9th street at avenue C. The evening will celebrate downtown NYC's legacy of visionary, outsider music and art, social activism, community, and sustainable design.

La Plaza was the brainchild of guerrilla activists, including the Latino group CHARAS, who seedbombed the trash-filled vacant lot in 1976. La Plaza's founders and early supporters included era-defining artists such as Buckminster Fuller, who built one of his geodesic domes onsite, the anti-architect Gordon Matta-Clark and legendary street artist Keith Haring. Its 40th anniversary party will feature performances by legendary artists of the period and emerging artists alike.

Live Music:

Lydia Lunch
James Chance
Missing Foundation
SenseNet
Collin Crowe

DJ set:
Sal P (of Liquid Liquid)
Etienne Pierre Duguay

Performance:
"Birth" by FOLD

You can find more about the evening at the Facebook event page here. The event is from 5-9:30 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday).

Here's more on La Plaza's history and how community gardeners came together to rebuild after Sandy...

Spotting some 'Deuce' coupes on 2nd Avenue

EVG contributor Derek Berg spotted some of the vintage cars used for filming "The Deuce," HBO's upcoming drama series starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, in parts of the neighborhood today (like on Seventh Street)...







Here's more on the series via Deadline:

Written by "The Wire" creator David Simon and longtime collaborator George Pelecanos and directed by Michelle MacLaren, The Deuce follows the HBO blue logostory of the legalization and subsequent rise of the porn industry in New York’s Times Square from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s, exploring the rough-and-tumble world that existed there until the rise of HIV, the violence of the cocaine epidemic, and the renewed real estate market ended the bawdy turbulence.

And are some props from Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue ...

Reader report: Workers dig up streetcar tracks on 3rd Avenue

An EVG reader/tipster shared these images from last evening... where workers have been putting in a new roadway on Third Avenue between Astor Place and Ninth Street/Stuyvesant Street as part of the Astor Place Reconstruction project ...

The reader thinks that workers have unearthed the former streetcar tracks along here...

"In digging out the roadbed for Third Avenue near Stuyvesant crews uncovered what I believe to be crossovers for the Third Avenue and crosstown streetcars. It may be difficult to see in the photos but one axis runs east/west (Stuyvesant) and the other runs parallel to Third Avenue."

When the Stuyvesant and Ninth Street mini-parks were built I remember Stuyvesant Street tracks being dug out."

These crossovers are still so well anchored that workers couldn't pull them out. Per the reader: "The crew has been cutting them into small pieces. They are at it again today."



No word on how this might delay the project...

According to the Village Crosstown Trolley Coalition: "The 8th St. line ran its last streetcar on March 3, 1936, clearing the way for the crosstown bus and ever-increasing swarms of automobiles and trucks."

Off the Grid has some nice trolley history here.

A Hollywood print shop for 7th Street

An EVG reader noted the arrival today of signage for a new business coming to Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue — a print shop... don't know anything else about the place at this time, such as if it is a new business or one that relocated.

The previous tenant at No. 76 was the Jasna Hair Studio.

Updated 1:53

Never mind! This is just a set dressing for the new David Simon series filming on the block today...

Defunking defunct Funkiberry

Yesterday afternoon, workers removed the iconic Funkiberry signage from its former home of nine months at Third Avenue and 12th Street.

As previously noted, workers are renovating the corner space to make way for a pizzeria.

Thanks to Harry Weiner for the photo and headline!

Enjoy 'A Summer in Paris' next month in Tompkins Square Park

The Films on the Green series — the free outdoor French film festival produced since 2008 — is underway again this summer (OK, late spring) in city parks.

With the theme "A summer in Paris", Films on the Green 2016 will offer a striking portrait of the City of Lights, its urban landscape, and cultural diversity. A selection of classic, New Wave, and contemporary films will showcase the city’s aesthetic, cultural, and cinematic history from a dramatically unconventional angle through stories of love, romance, adolescence, female identity, and urban life in Parisian and its surrounding suburbs.

Tompkins Square Park will host two excellent movies next month by Agnès Varda and Eric Rohmer ...

Friday, July 22, 8:30 pm
Cleo From 5 To 7
By Agnès Varda, 1962, 1h30
________________________________________

Friday, July 29, 8:30 pm
Boyfriends and Girlfriends
By Eric Rohmer, 1987, PG, 1h42

People's Pops not returning to the East Village

Back in July 2011, the team behind Brooklyn Flea and Chelsea Market regular People's Pops opened a, uh, pop-up stand on Seventh Street near First Avenue...

To date, the People's Pops pop-up stand has been quiet so far this season. Word is People's Pop will not be returning to this location. (We reached out to PP for comment.)

There are still numerous locations for PP's locally sourced fruit pops and shaved ice, such as in Park Slope or on the High Line.

And no word on what might become of the PP structure alongside Golden Food Market here.

Thanks to EVJackie for the tip!

Zadie's Oyster Room opens tonight on East 12th Street

Hearth owner Marco Canora has revamped his nearby wine bar Fifty Paces .... he is reopening the space as Zadie's Oyster Room tonight.

Per a Zadie's rep:

Inspired by the oyster houses prevalent in late 19th Century/early 20th Century New York, Zadie's will serve oysters every style: raw, baked, broiled, steamed, fried, pickled & poached, accompanied by dishes like caesar salad, kelp coleslaw + brown bread with anchovy butter, washed down with a selection of beer, wine and champagne.

You can find the menu and hours at the Zadie's website here. Zadie's is at 413 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Avenue A.

GG's introduces a Garden Dinner Kit with ingredients from its backyard garden

[Image via the GG's website]

GG's, the restaurant on East Fifth Street between Avenue A and B that sources ingredients from its 18-bed backyard garden, is launching the following starting today:

The Garden Dinner Kit is a CSA meets meal planner: order online and pick up your box every Thursday. All ingredients​ will be included with a detailed pamphlet on how to prepare your meal. Each kit includes everything you need to make a pizza, salad and side dish with GG's homemade dough, sauces and garden grown vegetables. The menu changes monthly based on what the garden is producing. A detailed preparation pamphlet will be included.

Ordering: Each box is $40 for a dinner for four, and they can be ordered on the website with pickup every Thursday from 4-7 PM.

The first Dinner Kit menu features ingredients for Black Radish & Pea Shoot Square Pie with Chimichurri; Ricotta Stuffed Grape Leaves; and a Garden Salad with Garden Berry Vinaigrette.

Find more details at the GG's website here.

Pianos in the Park today

Photos by Derek Berg

Brick Lane Curry House debuts sidewalk cafe

Sidewalk seating is now available here at 99 Second Avenue between Sixth Street and Fifth Street, per EVG correspondent Steven.

CB3 signed off on the sidewalk cafe in June 2015.

Report: Cuomo clears way for brunch drinking to start at 10 a.m. on Sundays

As you may have heard, Gov. Cuomo and the NY Legislature agreed to reform the state's Alcohol Beverage Control Law that reportedly dated back some 80 years.

So, soon, bars and restaurants in the city will be able to start serving drinks at 10 a.m. on Sundays instead of noon.

To the Post:

“Before I was in the [restaurant] industry, I would order a drink at 11:30 a.m. And I would say, ‘What do you mean you can’t serve me?’ ” said Danny Mena, 36, who co-owns Hecho En Dumbo in the East Village. “It was quite an archaic law.”

Nicolas Lorentz, 35, general manager of Lafayette in the same neighborhood, said the extra two hours would boost the bottom line.

“The brunch crowd is a drinking crowd. This is helpful to any brunch restaurant in New York City. We will get more people coming here early,” Lorentz predicted.

This may go into effect as early as this coming Sunday. Which means that you may have to avoid parts of Avenue B even earlier now.

Report: 2nd Avenue residents file $17 million lawsuit over deadly gas explosion

[Photo from March]

Several dozen former Second Avenue residents have filed a $17 million lawsuit in the wake of the deadly March 2015 gas explosion, the Daily News reports.

The suit, filed Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court, alleges the city and Con Edison, along with the owners of the restaurant Sushi Park and contractor Neighborhood Construction Corp., failed “to observe significant and dangerous ‘red flags’ … failing to take any steps to protect the public and their property.”

The city and the others also failed to “properly test the gas lines” and relied “upon an illogical and antiquated system of enforcement, inspections and unreliable self-certification,” according to the suit.

The Daily News article mostly focuses on actress Drea de Matteo, who lived for 22 years at 123 Second Ave., one of the three buildings destroyed in the blast.

In April, the estate of Nicholas Figueroa filed a wrong death lawsuit. (The Daily News notes that there have been dozens of lawsuits filed regarding the explosion.)

Authorities have said that siphoned gas at 121 Second Ave. is to blame for the explosion, which killed Figueroa and Moises Ismael Locón Yac and injured two dozen other people.

On Feb. 11, the DA charged No. 119 and 121 landlord Maria Hrynenko and her son, Michael Hrynenko Jr., with involuntary manslaughter ... as well as contractor Dilber Kukic and an unlicensed plumber, Athanasios Ioannidis. (A fifth person, Andrew Trombettas, faces charges for supplying his license to Ioannidis.) All pleaded not guilty.

In early March, George Pasternak, the landlord of 123 Second Ave., put his vacant plot of land up for sale, asking $9.7 million.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Updated: 2nd Ave. explosion — landlord, 3 others charged with 2nd degree manslaughter; showed 'a blatant and callous disregard for human life'

Former residents talk about landlord Maria Hrynenko: 'it was clear she wanted to get rid of anyone with a rent-regulated apartment'

Report: 123 2nd Ave. is for sale

Selling 123 Second Ave.

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: Joe
Occupation: Retired, Teacher
Location: Village View, First Avenue
Time: 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 21

This is part 2 of the interview with Joe. Find part 1 here.

When I went to high school, I didn’t pay any tuition because I used to help out in the church, in St. Patrick’s — the original cathedral on Mott Street. I would suggest anybody, even if you’re not Catholic, to go over there because there’s a lot of history, and not only in the church but underneath. They’ve got catacombs and people buried down there.

I went to cathedral school, which was where you went to become a priest. Then when I graduated, I didn’t want to go to cathedral college because that was where you went before you went to the seminary. So I gave it up and I went to NYU.

We moved to Village View in 1964, when the co-op first went up. This area here on First Avenue, before they built these co-ops, they were all low buildings like the ones across the street. Mostly all the stores were carpet stores. They used to sell carpets, rugs, and across the street they had two Army-Navy stores. When World War II was over, they bought all that surplus stuff and sold it in the stores.

These buildings were supposed to be city projects. Lindsay became mayor and there was no more money. Just the concrete frame of the building was up and not the walls, and it stood like that for almost two years. Finally they made some kind of deal. NYU took over half of the mortgage of this place. They still own it. They don’t want to give it up. Then they made it co-ops. They took away a lot of the living room space and put terraces in.

These buildings became co-op, and a lot of good people from the city moved in here. They gave the people who lived in the neighborhood first choice, but a lot of people didn’t have the money to buy the apartments. Many people who came into the building at first were originals. That’s why you had a lot of Polish, Ukrainian and Italians in the building. It’s like a melting pot in here.

I worked at NYU. I was an anatomy teacher, and after that I retired. Most of the school was very small here at one time. They only had a little part of Washington Square. Most of their buildings were up in the Bronx in University Heights. When the real estate transition came about, NYU sold most of those buildings up in the Bronx and with all the money that they got, they bought all those factory buildings down here when the factories moved out. On Broadway they had all these hat companies. That was big in those days. So NYU bought those buildings, they renovated them, and they made classrooms.

NYU happens to be a very, very wealthy institution. In fact, it’s the second biggest private school in the United States. Between the night, the weekend, the part time, NYU has over 50,000 students. They own quite a number of businesses. They’re landowners and besides that they own businesses that people will to them. They owned Mueller Pasta. Langone gave them $200 million dollars just to put his name on the medical center.

I made my money and got out. It was good in a way and it stunk in another way. It was close for me, but it was very cliquish. It was not what you know, it was who you know.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.