A second newsstand in the works for Astor Place

Since 1987, Jerry Delakas has been operating a newsstand outside the downtown 6 entrance on Astor Place. (After a 3-year eviction battle, the city granted him the proper permits in early 2014.)

Now it looks as if Delakas might have competition. A vendor has submitted an application with the city to open a newsstand on the reconstructed Astor Place.

According to materials (PDF) on file ahead of tonight's CB3 Transportation & Public Safety/Environment Committee, the proposed newsstand will be on the northeast corner of Fourth Avenue and Astor Place across from 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star.

It appears from a diagram at the CB3 website that the newsstand, facing Fourth Avenue, would be somewhere in this vicinity ... north of the uptown 6 entrance...



A newsstand did not appear on the rendering for the renovated plaza...



We asked William Kelley, executive director of the Village Alliance, the business improvement district that oversees the new Astor Place pedestrian plaza, about the application.

"There was not [another newsstand] included as part of the plan," he said via email. "However, due to First Amendment protections, newsstand applications can be made at any time and at any location that fits the siting criteria," such as distance from building entrances and curbs.

"We will oppose the location," Kelley said, "but the city does not take into account competition with other newsstands, unfortunately."

The meeting tonight is at 6:30 at Downtown Art, in the 1st floor theater, 70 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Reader report: Tracking the source of 'a mid-range whining or humming noise' on 8th Street (and beyond)

[Random ConEd plant photo]

A 30-plus year resident of East Eighth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C shares the following...

Beginning approximately this summer, I noticed a noise that is very irritating and sometimes wakes me up. If I am awake when the noise is occurring, I cannot get to sleep.

The noise is difficult to describe but I will attempt: It is a mid-range whining or humming noise. It permeates everything and sounds industrial. It sounds as if someone is blowing in an empty soda bottle and then amplified 100,0000 times. Each occurrence of the noise lasts anywhere from approximately 3-10 minutes and continues on an intermittent basis (sometimes several times an hour), day and night, seven days a week.

When I open my window to get a read on where the noise is coming from, it is always from the direction of the ConEd plant. I believe that this is where this noise comes from. Over the years the ConEd plant has been the cause of many, many irritating, disturbing and dangerous noises and explosions that have plagued the neighborhood.

The noise is very disturbing. I am sure it can be heard for more than a six-block radius surrounding ConEd (if indeed it is the source).

Anyone else have similar experiences with the noise the reader describes?

Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village residents ask: WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT NOISE LAST NIGHT?

About that really loud noise around 14th Street and Avenue B last night

Con Ed apologizes for the 'inconvenience' of waking you up at 4:30 a.m.

The breaker pop heard 'round the neighborhood

On the rental market: 66 E. Seventh St. and 115 Avenue A

Looking at two storefronts where "for rent" signs arrived this week....

66 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue



Back in June, Barbara Feinman Millinery closed here. Feinman retired, and the shop moved a few storefronts away to No. 80. Julia Emily Knox, who started working for Feinman in 2012, is now running East Village Hats. Check them out.

As for No. 66. Here are details per the listing at Sinvin:

Description
• Charming boutique space
• Landlord will deliver as a vanilla box
• Good for any use, including food
• Located in the heart of the East Village

Neighboring Tenants Tokio 7 • East Village Cheese • Studio Duarte • Van Leeuwen Ice Cream • Via Della Pace • Elevate • Cupcake Market • Agavi Juice Bar • Luke's Lobster • Roll It Up Ice Cream • Below 7th Paper & Gifts

There's a 10-year lease available for $3,650/month.

The storefront is located in one of the buildings that Raphael Toledano's Brookhill Properties is currently unloading selling.

115 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place



This space is empty again now that the Blink Fitness office moved into the new Blink Fitness that opens Tuesday at 98 Avenue A. No. 115 previously served as a sales office for Ben Shaoul's condoplex at 100 Avenue A.

The gift shop Alphabets closed here in in February 2014, merging with their (at the time) newly opened location at 64 Avenue A between Fifth Street and Fourth Street.

Per the 9300 Realty website, the 500-square-foot space (plus basement) is $6,995/Month. The listing doesn't get too specific, save for: "Across from Tompkins Square Park, next to the legendary Odessa Bar and other wonderful restaurants and stores."

The Odessa Cafe and Bar closed in August 2013 after 33 years in business.

This property is owned by Steve Croman, who was charged with 20 felonies and a civil suit accusing him of chasing low-income families out of their homes.

Hitchcocktober move of the week: 'Dial M for Murder' in 3D

Tonight's Hitchcocktober movie of the week at Village East Cinema on Second Avenue and 12th Street is ... "Dial M for Murder" in 3D.

The one-sentence IMDB plot: "An ex-tennis pro carries out a plot to murder his wife. When things go wrong, he improvises a brilliant plan B."



And upcoming:

Oct. 27 — "The Trouble With Harry"

Oct. 31 (Halloween night!) — "Psycho"

You may buy advance tickets here. The movies start at 8 p.m.

Boogie nights

Crews for "The Deuce," HBO's upcoming drama series starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, continued to film in parts of the neighborhood today (they were shooting a scene at Josie's on Sixth Street earlier)... the above photo via @slicksean shows the altered exterior of the City Cinemas Village East on Second Avenue at 12th Street ... transformed into an adult theater...

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.

It will now be more challenging to tag the front of the former Chase branch on 2nd Avenue

Workers this afternoon are installing roll-down gates outside 130 Second Ave. at St. Mark's Place...



People had been tagging the front of the former Chase on a regular basis... this one arrived overnight on Oct. 11...





The space will eventually be converted into the Swiss Institute, a non-profit cultural center currently located on Wooster Street. The Chase branch here consolidated with the one two blocks away last November.

Updated 10/20


[Photo by Steven]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Chase space on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place is for rent

2 East Village Chase Bank branches are closing for good on Nov. 12

Chase branch on 2nd Avenue at St. Mark's Place has the potential to get 4x larger with new owner

The East Village is down 2 Chase branches

Icon wraps former Chase branch at St. Mark's Place with retail ribbon

'Good riddance' Chase, and — a development to watch in 2016

A few more details on the Swiss Institute's move to the East Village

Noted

Photo via an EVG reader on 14th Street this morning...

The New York City Rescue Mission is in urgent need of clothing donations

Signs have been posted around the neighborhood via the New York City Rescue Mission asking for donations of gently used clothing (and plus-size clothing) for men and women.

The photo on the flyer shows the current (empty) state of their Clothing Closet. Items mentioned that are needed include coats, scarves, gloves, sweaters, pants, shirts and blankets.

You can make donations in person 24/7 at the New York City Rescue Mission HQ at 90 Lafayette St. between Walker and White.

Other drop-off centers (hours vary) nearby, per the sign:

• Maryhouse, 55 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue
• Graffiti Church, 205 E. Seventh St. between Avenue B and Avenue C
• Middle Collegiate Church , 50 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue
• The Catholic Worker St. Joseph House, 36 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue
• The Bowery Mission, 227 Bowery near Prince

A name change suggested for Church of the Most Holy Redeemer on 3rd Street

In July 2015, the Church of the Nativity on Second Avenue between Third Street and Second Street shut its doors, part of a consolidation by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York ... the parish consolidated with the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.



Now there is a movement afoot via the pastor to change the name of the historic church, which was consecrated in November 1852.

The following message is from the church's bulletin from Sunday...



It reads:

We are now a new parish in the eyes of the Church and the civil government. Our official name is The Roman Catholic Church of Most Holy Redeemer and Nativity. However, we can opt to change our name. It can be something totally different — for example — St. John Paul II, St. Theresa of Calcutta, etc. If you have any suggestions, please put your suggestion and why you want this name in writing, and leave it at the office for Fr. Sean McGillicuddy before, Friday, October 21.

One neighbor and parishioner opposed to a random name change explained in an email:

"A modification of the name could imperil and erode its long-standing identity and history ... it is a cherished institution that has no reason to be known as anything other than Most Holy Redeemer."

Possible new name aside, the neighbor said that several of Father McGillicuddy's initiatives have been perceived as "ruinous" by some of the parishioners, who don't feel comfortable speaking out about the changes.

"He never consulted the parish or its council on matters that affect the interior or architectural cosmetics of the church — such as the four statues of Mary now inserted in the churches facade, for example. The interior is being desecrated: florescent spot lights at the shrines, thrift shop prayer stools and electric candle alters cluttering the alters. And he is having the larger-than-life hand-carved wooden statues (works of masterful European craftsmanship) painted over with metallic paint. What were once works of art now look like cheap trinkets and chachkas.

And...

"The church ... belongs to history, the community... the Lower East Side."

The nail salon One Plus One has closed on 1st Avenue

Tht's it for One Plus One on First Avenue between First Street and Second Street. A note on the door thanks customers for their patronage (and offers an apology for any inconvenience the closure may have caused) ...



The same folks apparently own Joyful Nail at 35 Avenue A.

The closing of One Plus One may also effectively end any confusion that people may have with the bar One and One a storefront away...

Benjamin Restaurant & Bar closes on 2nd Avenue in Kips Bay

Leaving the East Village for this post... where EVG reader Stephen Popkin shares this news: the Benjamin Restaurant & Bar on Second Avenue at 33rd Street has abruptly closed as of yesterday.

Here's the sign greeting patrons...



Per the note:

"Due to the incredible strains put onto small neighborhood Restaurants, the current economic environment, the totally unmanageable Labor Laws to small businesses, the incredible Greed of the City's Health Dept., this incredibly popular neighborhood favorite has no choice but to close its doors. Once a very successful neighborhood meeting place, Beginning as Mumbles in 1974, we have totally enjoyed all of the great relationships that we have formed in the neighborhood."

As the sign says, Benjamin Catering will live on "hopefully very soon."

The second location of Mumbles closed after 22 years in business at Third Avenue and 17th Street back in February.

As for the Benjamin, it was a pleasant, unpretentious neighborhood spot for a drink or meal after, say, a movie at the AMC Loews Kips Bay.

It is nice out today

10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B ... via

Oct. 18

Carol from East 5th Street found what appears to be a Christmas/holiday tree... freshly plucked from the Earth (there's still some green on it)...on Fifth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...



Why discard this today? Perhaps the balmy temperatures made it ideal for spring/summer cleaning...

Brooklyn-based Bakeri now serving bread, croissants and coffee on East 6th Street

A photo posted by Bakerita NYC (@bakeritanyc) on Oct 15, 2016 at 6:37am PDT

The owners of Bakeri, with locations in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, have just opened a cafe at 627 E. Sixth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.

The East Village outpost — called Bakerita — carries Bakeri's homemade bread and pastries as well as Counter Culture Coffee.

And here's more about them, via the Bakeri website:

We opened in 2009 with the goal of bringing small batch, European-style bread to our community. We added a small café with homemade pastries and high-quality coffee. Our roots are from Northern Europe but our day-to-day changes depending on what we’re inspired by...

Bakerita is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday; and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.

Another rally to protest the incoming Moxy hotel on 11th Street

As we've been documenting, workers have started the demolition process at 112-120 E. 11th St., where a 300-room hotel is coming for Marriott's Moxy brand.

There's another protest now planned tomorrow evening here between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. Here are details via the EVG inbox...

Please join GVSHP, union and labor groups, preservationists and neighbors this Wednesday, October 19 at 5:30 pm in front on 112-120 East 11th Street to protest the city’s approval of demolition of these five 19th century Beaux-Arts tenements which formerly housed long-term tenants in affordable housing. These five buildings were ruled “landmark-eligible” by the city in 2008, and yet this summer when they faced the threat of demolition and GVSHP urged they be protected, the city refused, claiming they no longer qualified for landmark status.

What changed? Nothing about the buildings – only the ownership. The buildings had been purchased by the Lightstone Group, whose head was a major campaign contributor to and political ally of Mayor de Blasio, whom he had recently appointed to the city’s Economic Development Corporation.

In spite of the Mayor’s purported dedication to affordable housing, he is allowing the buildings to be demolished to make way for a ‘millennials’-oriented Moxy Hotel. And in spite of the Mayor’s purported commitment to organized labor, the developer has been using companies on the project with a history of wage theft, unsafe practices, and mistreatment of workers, and the demolition and construction as well as the planned hotel will use non-union labor. As a result, organized labor is joining us in our campaign against this development, which we also protested this August.

Previously on EV Grieve:
At the rally outside 112-120 E. 11th St.

Protest reminder about 112-120 E. 11th St.; plus concerns over asbestos removal

6-building complex on East 10th Street and East 11th Street sells for $127 million

Report: 300-room hotel planned for East 11th Street

Preservationists say city ignored pitch to designate part of 11th Street as a historic district

Permits filed to demolish 5 buildings on 11th Street to make way for new hotel (58 comments)

New building permits filed for 13-story Moxy Hotel on East 11th Street across from Webster Hall

There will be several eating-drinking choices at the incoming Moxy hotel on 11th Street

Chipping away 112-120 E. 11th St. to make way for a Moxy hotel

122 2nd Ave., home of the Ukrainian Sports Club, being pitched for retail or a restaurant

The retail/restaurant for rent sign has arrived outside 122 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

According to the listing, two levels are available in the space whose current tenants include the Ukrainian Sports Club.

Here are more details (PDF here) via KSR Realty:

• Floors can be leased together or separately
• Incredible East Village retail opportunity
• Landlord will install ventilation
• Ownership is installing new façade
• Close proximity 400,000 SF office tower at 51 Astor Place
• Consistent foot traffic with St. Mark’s Place and Astor Place steps away
• Adjecent to Orpheum Theater

And here's a conceptual rendering showing the possibilities...



This is not the first time this space has been available. As we reported in January 2011, the two floors were going for an asking rent of $26,500. The retail-restaurant plans never materialized at that time. There isn't any mention of the asking rent today.

As previously noted, La Mama Experimental Theater Company was here until 1969.

The storefront at 332 Bowery, current home of Intermix, is for lease

There's a new listing for 332 Bowery between Bond and Great Jones... the space currently houses Intermix, but the multi-brand fashion retailer is apparently looking to sublease the space, per the listing at RKF. (The rent is arranged, and the sublease is through 2022.)

Until September 2012, the address was home to Steve's on the Bowery, which had been around 30-plus years. Intermix opened in May 2013.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Steve's on the Bowery has closed, more 'glam fashionistas' on the way

Steve's on the Bowery is for lease

Intermix arrives on the Bowery

Timbuk2 now open on Lafayette

On Saturday, the San Francisco-based Timbuk2 opened its first two East Coast retail shops ... in Williamsburg and at 325 Lafayette St. between Bleecker and Houston.

Per their website, "Timbuk2 is a designer and manufacturer of Made in San Francisco custom and ready-made bags and accessories. Our cycling roots and love of all things urban inform our design decisions to make products that work hard for you."

The media advisory about the store opening notes that the store will also have a "complimentary bike share program."

Restored 'Taxi Driver' plays Union Square Wednesday for film's 40th anniversary

A restored version of "Taxi Driver" returns to theaters on Wednesday in celebration of the Martin Scorsese-directed film's 40th anniversary.

Per Entertainment Weekly:

The program also includes a 10-minute excerpt from a Q&A with the cast and crew — including director Scorsese, screenwriter Paul Schrader, and star Robert De Niro — recorded at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and not previously released.

The Taxi Driver restoration, which was overseen by Scorsese and cinematographer Michael Chapman, will also be available on Blu-ray on Nov. 8. Bonus features on the two-disc set include the full 40-minute Tribeca Q&A as well as commentaries, a making-of documentary, storyboards, and animated photo galleries.

There are two screenings on Wednesday — 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. — at the Regal Union Square. Afterwards, you can walk by 13th Street and Third Avenue to spot some "Taxi Driver" filming locations.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Revisiting: East 13th Street and 'Taxi Driver'

Reader report: Man allegedly fondles himself in Tompkins Square Park while staring at 2 women

An East Village writer shared this with us this morning. She wants residents and Parkgoers to be aware of the man:

My friend and I were sitting on a bench in Tompkins Square Park on the Avenue B side of the park just past the dog run talking about 11:30 this morning. We were enjoying the lovely weather when I looked to my left and made eye contact with a man sitting on a bench. He was staring right at me, and I thought maybe I knew him, then he starting moving his hand around his crotch and stuck it up his shorts and started playing with himself. I turned to my friend and asked her to look past me and tell me what she saw, and like me, she saw him staring toward us while he was playing with himself.

I got up and walked over to Avenue B and walked down a bit and re-entered the park so I could walk by him from the other direction and get some good footage of him while my friend remained on the bench. As you can see in the photo, he has a newspaper on his lap and is wearing loose-fitting shorts. I suspect he is an old pro at this.

After I sat back down, he bolted to the middle of the park where he had a bike. He hopped on it and quickly rode out of the park, leaving out of the exit on the corner of Avenue B and East 7th Street.

Renovations underway at Momofuku's Ssäm Bar on 2nd Avenue

An EVG tipster shared these photos from this morning... showing workers cleaning out Momofuku's Ssäm Bar space on Second Avenue at 13th Street...





As Eater reported last month, David Chang's restaurant is closing for a brief renovation — "an update that will include a switch to all chairs with backs, a move away from the Momofuku empire’s design signature." And! "Ssäm Bar’s renovation is being done in conjunction with the restaurant’s 10-year anniversary." They closed after lunch service yesterday.

And as part of all this, the adjacent cocktail bar Booker & Dax closed on Saturday night. The bar owners plan on relocating to a new, standalone space.

tonight is booker and dax’s last service at 207 2nd ave. stop by for a final drink and our late-night farewell party from midnight until 2 am. cheers to everyone who’s come in over the years. stay in touch with dave arnold and the booker and dax team via bookeranddax.com. looking forward to bdx 2.0.

A photo posted by momofuku (@momolongplay) on Oct 15, 2016 at 1:37pm PDT

The pits: 10th Street and 4th Avenue cleared for new development

On Friday, workers wrapped up the demolition on 10th Street at Fourth Avenue. The crew quickly took down the single-level structure at the southeast corner in August.

However, the turn-of-the-century townhouse at 82 E. 10th St. remained... they seemed to take their time with it for some reason. I watched them slowly raze it over a two-week period.


[Sept. 24]


[Sept. 30]

These photos are from Saturday...







As previously reported, a 10-story retail-residential building is in the works. The approved permit shows retail on the ground floor and 12 dwelling units above. The residential portion encompasses more than 24,000 square feet, so those units will presumably be condos. Floors 2-5 will each have two units while 6-8 will each have one unit while a two-level duplex to top things off.

SBLM Architects are listed as the architects of record. Didn't spot a rendering at their website. However, a search of the address online turned up this rendering... I don't have any idea if this is the actual design still in play here. This comes from a now-broken link at Archinect ...



The history of this stretch includes the Tenth Street Coffeehouse, an artists' hangout run by Mickey Ruskin before he opened Les Deux Megots on Ninth Street and then Max's Kansas City. No. 82 was thought to have housed the Hilda Carmel Gallery in the late 1950s and early 1960s, where the likes of Pollock, Rothko and de Kooning showed their work.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Demo permits filed to raze southeast corner of 4th Avenue and 10th Street

The 'tremendous retail potential' of East 10th Street and 4th Avenue

10 stories of condos in the works for the long-vacant corner of 4th Avenue and East 10th Street

With new building OK'd, corner of 4th Avenue and 10th Street finally ready for razing

Happy No. 17 Black & White

East 10th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue isn't a complete lost cause. No. 86 is home to Black & White ...

...and the bar is celebrating its 17th anniversary this week with some music and a three-night celebration, as seen on the flyer below...



City of Saints is on this block too... I know several people who give their coffee high marks...

Evelyn Drinkery has closed on Avenue C

After four years at 171 Avenue C between 10th Street and 11th Street, Evelyn Drinkery has closed.

An EVG reader shared this email that the owners of the cocktail bar sent out this past Friday...



We understand that new owners will be taking over the space. We will have more on the new tenants once we get some final confirmation.

The space was previously home to TenEleven, a space that we always liked. Never made it to the Drinkery.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: TenEleven closing at the end of June

What's taking over the TenEleven space on Avenue C

Blink Fitness opens Oct. 25 on Avenue A

According to the guy at the sales office anyway. The gym is at 98 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street in the base of Ben Shaoul's 6-story 8-story condoplex.

Previously