Week in Grieview

[Friday evening outside Sidewalk on 6th and A]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

AG Schneiderman introduces new bill — the Tenant Protection Act of 2017 (Wednesday)

Speculation about Webster Hall's closing date (Monday)

New broker for former home of Lucky Cheng's and adjacent property (Tuesday)

Films on the Green return to Tompkins Square Park this July (Tuesday)

Report: Morton Williams will take over the Associated space on 14th Street (Wednesday)

An early-morning fire at 328 E. 14th St., home of Artichoke Basille’s Pizza (Friday ... Saturday)

Reader report: Neo-Nazi slogan spotted on East Village sidewalks (Thursday)

Shake Shack coming to the Death Star (Friday)

Out and About With Jerry Shea (Wednesday)

The Marshal seizes Palà on Allen Street (Wednesday)

A celebratory ad on the purchase of 139 E. Houston St., current home of the Sunshine Cinema (Thursday)

Baby hawk! (Tuesday)

Commercial co-op on 10th Street, guarded by Rex, is for sale (Wednesday)

Babu Ji going and coming (Monday)

Chi Ken signage arrives on St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

Jones LES sold for $61 million (Friday)

David Choe next up on the Bowery mural wall (Friday)

New East Houston condos "effortlessly embody the sophistication of Lower East Side living" (Monday)

Blink Fitness on Avenue A extends hours (Tuesday)

The #rednose installation is now on Astor Place (Monday, 17 comments)

Former Joe and Misses Doe space for rent on 1st Street (Monday)

...and on Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B, the Wood House Spa looked like a goner this past week. The no-frills spa (pretty good as far as these places go) was emptied out...



But! After a few days, the closed for renovations signs arrived... noting a reopening on Thursday...



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Fun with this caterpillar/dinosaur

EVG contributor Derek Berg spotted this three-person creation yesterday... taking part (presumably) in the annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts on 10th Street...



Derek thought it was a caterpillar. I thought it was a dinosaur. In any event, they seemed to be having a nice time and no one wanted to ask them what they were supposed to be ... suggesting that it wasn't obvious to passersby...







The Festival continues this evening. Find details here.

A Basquiat appreciation

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s “Untitled,” from 1982, has sold for more than $110 million dollars, a record for American art. Let’s take a moment to be nauseated by the price paid. Then let’s ignore it and talk about the art. Click the link in our bio to read more. © 2017 The Estate of Jean Michel Basquiat/ADAGP, Paris/Ars via Sotheby’s.

A post shared by The New Yorker (@newyorkermag) on May 27, 2017 at 1:12pm PDT

On the occasion of the Basquiat painting of a skull titled "Untitled" selling for $110 million, The New Yorker's art critic, Peter Schjeldahl, checks in with an appreciation of the artist.

Let’s take a moment to be nauseated by the price paid, which attests to the obscene amount of excess wealth sloshing around in the world today. Now let’s ignore it. A more worthwhile question is whether Basquiat rates high in valuations of recent art apart from the pecuniary. I think that he does.

Read the full piece here.

Remembering the Allman Brothers on 2nd Avenue

Gregg Allman, a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, died today at age 69.

Allman and the band have a connection to the East Village... They were one of promoter Bill Graham's favorite bands, and he had them play the last three nights when the Fillmore East at 105 Second Ave. closed in June 1971.



The space today is a bank branch... though there is a commemorative plaque out front. You can read more about the Allman Brothers and the Fillmore East at Bob Egan's PopSpots site ... and Off the Grid. Rolling Stone has an oral history of the shows as well as the "The Allman Brothers at Fillmore East" album here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Bank branch becomes bank branch at former site of the Fillmore East

The Loew's Commodore Theatre

Rock of ages: Commemorating the Fillmore East on 2nd Avenue

A look at the fire-damaged 328 E. 14th St.

Here's a look this morning at 328 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Early yesterday, the FDNY responded to a two-alarm fire that reportedly started inside Artichoke shortly after the pizzeria closed at 5 a.m.

Here's more via the Post:

The fire spread from the ground level to second- and third-floor apartments through walls in the six-story building, according to the FDNY.

A manager said he called 911 after a neighbor texted him a photo of the burning building.

Firefighters had the fire under control by 6:27 a.m. There were no injuries, and it is not clear how the fire started, officials said.

One fire source said the blaze did not appear to have been intentionally set.

The city posted vacate notices on Artichoke ... and the newish Alibaba Smoke Shop next door (which does not look to have sustained any damage)...



Artichoke has yet to comment on the fire, at least via their website or social media properties.

As you can see, most of the windows facing 14th Street have been boarded up. One 328 resident left this comment on yesterday's post: "Few of us have been displaced and need to find a new home because of the extensive damage to our apartments."



The 14th Street Y down the block opened its doors for residents ... and the Red Cross was on the scene to provide immediate assistance.

Arc of a diver

The Brooklyn-based Arc Waves headline the Mercury Lounge Sunday night. The above track, "Galaxies," is from the band's self-titled debut EP from 2015.

Friday-of-a-holiday-weekend vibes from the Tompkins Square Park dog run

Photo today by Steven...

[Updating] Report of an early-morning fire at 328 E. 14th St., home of Artichoke Basille’s Pizza

A two-alarm fire tore through 328 E. 14th St. early this morning. According to the official FDNY Twitter feed, the fire started just before 6 a.m. in the ground floor, which is home to Artichoke Pizza here between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

FDNYalerts MAN 2-ALARM 328 E 14 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON THE 1ST FL,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) May 26, 2017

A large number of firefighters were congregated outside what is Artichoke's dining room...





The damage extends to the second and third floors of the building...





The FDNY called it under control by 6:30 a.m.

FDNYalerts MAN 2-ALARM 328 E 14 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON THE 1ST FL W/ EXT TO 2ND AND 3RD FLRS, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) May 26, 2017

No word just yet on cause or injuries or extent of the damage. As of 7 a.m., the NYPD still had 14th Street closed off between First Avenue and Second Avenue.



Artichoke is planning on opening in a new location directly across the street from here. Artichoke debuted at No. 328 in 2008.

Updated 10 a.m.

The Daily News reports that the fire caused "extensive damage" to Artichoke.

Witnesses said that the fire started right around its 5 a.m. closing time.

"I woke up to drunk girls on the street eating pizza and taking Snapchats, saying 'Holy s--t! There's a fire,'" said Morgan Crouse, 25, who lives above the pizzeria.

Updated 2 p.m.

The story in the Post noted this: "One fire source said it did not appear to be intentional."

The 30th annual Loisaida Festival is Sunday

Via the EVG inbox...

Loisaida, Inc. is proud to announce the 30th Annual Loisaida Festival, Sunday, May 28, from 11 am to 5 pm along Loisaida Avenue (Avenue C) from 6th to 12th Street. This year the Festival celebrates three decades as the largest public open-air event in Lower Manhattan dedicated to preserving Puerto Rican and Latinx culture, deeply rooted in Loisaida — Spanglish for the Lower East Side.

The 30th Anniversary Festival, which will attract well over 15,000 visitors, is dedicated to The Spirit of the Immigrant and Migrant community and their unique contributions to the Lower East Side, New York City, and beyond. Marine-combat-vet-turned actor, singer, and activist, J.W. Cortes, will return this year as the Festival’s Host and Community Ambassador.

Salsa, Samba, Charanga, Mambo, and Rock and Roll will rule the Festival’s mainstage with a lineup that brings together a magic mix of established and rising Puerto Rican and Latin American artists. This year’s bombastic musical program will feature the Legendary Puerto Rican musician, composer and producer Fran’ Ferrer, founder of Puerto Rico 2010 and Descarga Boricua.

The lineup also includes, Rock and Roll Neoyorquino by Rubí, A Vibes Tribute to Tito Puente! and Cheo Feliciano courtesy of Supermambo – created by Grammy nominated Felipe Fournier; performances by Batalá, an all women Afro Brazilian Samba Reggae Percussion Band, and 70s Charanga music and dancing by Son del Monte.

The Festival will open at 11 am with a Carnival Parade, the result of a month-long intensive collaborative atelier on parade-making & Cabezudo techniques that Loisaida, Inc. commissioned engaging three masters in the arts of street theater — Pablo Varona, Daniel Polnau and Adam Ende — to kick-off the annual celebration.

As always the street-level experience will feature an array of vendors with delicious homemade ethnic cuisine, community organizations distributing critical health and wellness information. The Festival spotlights Healthy Living, Artisan and Eco Zones plus a fun roster of Kid Friendly activities and workshops by El Museo Del Barrio, Friends of the High Line and the Bio Bus, among others.

Find all the details here. Find photos from the 2016 Loisaida Festival here.

​The 22nd annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts is this weekend

​The Lower East Side Festival of the Arts begins this evening at the Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. at 10th Street. Here are some details via the EVG inbox...

The three-day downtown arts festival, whose theme this year is Art V Tyranny, seeks to show a lively downtown arts scene in an era when everything from funding cuts to technology, science and affordable housing puts pressure on the arts.

The festival includes hundreds of well-known and emerging artists ranging from theater to dance, music to movies, a street fair and art exhibit. This celebration collectively provides a showcase of downtown’s artistic diversity and energy, while seeking to “take up art” against a sea of troubles.

The theme of Art V. Tyranny, with the V as a kind of victory sign as well as a sign of resistance, seeks to shine a spotlight on the need for the arts for a healthy life and economy.

As part of the festival, TNC typically closes down 10th Street between First and Second avenues for a street festival filled with vendors.

Find details on specific programming here.

A quick look at the all-new Quad Cinema

Been meaning to post something about the refurbished Quad Cinema... not too far away from the neighborhood on 13th Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue.

The four-screen cinema reopened on April 14. These photos are from April 16...





On this day, I went to see the 12:20 p.m. screening of Katell Quillevere’s "Heal the Living" (quite compelling!) ... it was Easter Sunday, and at this hour there were only three other people in the theater... (it was much more crowded during other visits)...





As previously reported, the Quad Cinema, family-owned and operated since 1972, was sold in 2014 to real-estate developer, film producer-distributor and movie buff Charles S. Cohen (his distribution company was conveniently behind the U.S. release of "Heal the Living"). The theater then went under an extensive renovation to upgrade the space. Cohen hired C. Mason Wells, the IFC film programmer, and Gavin Smith, former Film Comment editor, to help with programming.

The Quad has been screening some interesting work, showcasing foreign, independent and classic films... upcoming, for instance, they're featuring retrospectives of New York-born director Frank Perry and his screenwriter wife Eleanor Perry ... as well as actor Sam Elliott (including "Road House" on June 8!).

There's a lot to choose from on any given day. For instance, tomorrow (Saturday), there are nine different films featured, including screenings of "The Man Who Fell to Earth," "Stranger Than Paradise," "Liquid Sky" and "Superman." (Tickets are $15, which is the same at the Village East Cinema on Second Avenue ... and less than the $17.50 that the AMC Village 7 on Third Avenue fetches.)

There is a cafe connected to the Quad's lobby. It was not open when I was there. And the cafe is for pre or post screenings. This isn't a theater where you bring drinks into the auditorium (a la Alamo Drafthouse).

In any event, I've enjoyed going to the Quad... it's one more choice to go along with the Metrograph on Ludlow Street and my usual go-to theater, the Anthology Film Archives on Second Street and Second Avenue... not to mention the Film Forum, the IFC Center, the Angelika Film Center and Cinema Village.

I'm glad the Quad is there. I'm still going to miss the Sunshine when it ultimately closes next year. The Sunshine is the closest theater to where I live, and I'll miss running out for those last-minute, early-afternoon screenings on the occasional days off...

Astor Place Shake Shack going for a beer-wine license

Just a quick follow-up about the 3,000-square-foot Shake Shack coming this fall to the empty retail space at 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star...

Team Shack is on the June CB3-SLA committee docket for a beer-wine license for the space...



Select Shacks Shacks serve ShackMeister® Ale, "otherwise known as the ShackBurger’s best friend." It's made in collaboration with Brooklyn Brewery, per the Shacksite. As for wine, Shack Red® and Shack White® by Frog's Leap is available by the glass or bottle.

We'll look at other items on the CB3-SLA docket next week ahead of the meeting on June 12.

Someone was Jonesing to pay $61 million for a newish apartment building on East Houston

[Image via Cushman & Wakefield]

The Real Deal reports that Gili Haberberg, a multifamily investor who runs Arkar Inc., is paying in the $61 million neighborhood for the newish, 13-floor rental at 331 East Houston St.

Haberberg is expected to close in June on the purchase, which comes out to roughly $900 per square foot, sources said.

The building between Attorney and Ridge hit the market in May 2016. Rentals at Jones LES began in December 2015. Prices ranges here from $2,700 per month for a studio to $9,990 per month for a three-bedroom penthouse, according to Streeteasy. (Of the 78 apartments, 80 percent are market rate and the rest are affordable.)

The parcel sat empty for years, the property of reclusive real-estate baron William Gottlieb.


[Jones LES lot in July 2013]

Previously on EV Grieve:
An L-Shaped footprint ready to make its impression on East Houston Street

An abandoned car in an empty lot that will soon yield a 13-floor residential building

On East Houston, work begins on a new 13-floor residential building

What 331 E. Houston St. will look like one day

A look at 331 E. Houston St., with a rooftop deck for outdoor showers and 'Live Free or Die Hard'

16 affordable apartments now available at the incoming 331 E. Houston St.

Full reveal at 331 E. Houston St.

331 E. Houston St. now with a teaser site and name — Jones LES

If you're Jonesing for a new apartment on East Houston

If you're Jonesing to buy a new apartment building on East Houston

[Updated] David Choe next up on the Bowery mural wall

David Choe will start work next week on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall, according to a news release landlord Goldman Properties issued yesterday.

Choe’s work as a visual artist spans pop culture and entertainment, encompassing everything from album covers for Jay-Z to music videos and museum shows. Also famed for writing, directing and appearing in many VICE shows, Choe first achieved renowned success as a muralist after creating work for Facebook’s first Silicon Valley offices in 2005.

Not sure what he has planned. The release notes: "For the first time ever in the history of the Houston Bowery Wall, Choe will share this monumental experience with a diverse group of community members who have never before had an opportunity to participate on a public project of this scale."

His completed mural will be up through October.

Updated 6/9

Hyperallergic has a post titled "How the New Bowery Wall Commission Puts Rape Culture on Display." Read it here.

Free concert Saturday afternoon in Tompkins Square Park

'Tender is the Night' opens tonight on Avenue A

A group exhibit featuring the work of Kembra Pfahler, Samoa and Ian Wilson opens tonight at the Art on A Gallery.

Pfahler and Samoa are the co-founders of the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black while Wilson was is the lead singer of the Star Spangles.

The opening reception is tonight from 7-9 ... the exhibit is up through June 15. Find more info here. The space is at 24 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street.

Sneak peak of "Tender is the night"... Amazing paintings of Samoa!!

A post shared by Wendigo Productions (@wendigoproductionsny) on May 24, 2017 at 4:29pm PDT

Reader report: Neo-Nazi slogan spotted on East Village sidewalks

A slogan popular with white supremacists has been spotted on sidewalks around the neighborhood.

EVG reader Marjorie Ingall has come across three of the stenciled slogans, which read: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." According to the Anti-Defamation League, these "14 Words" are a reference to the most popular white supremacist slogan in the world.

Ingall said that a community affairs officer from the 9th Precinct was investigating the stencil on Third Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Ingall also contacted the Southern Poverty Law Center and City Council member Rosie Mendez's office.)

"My kids and I have been covering the graffiti with chalk," Ingall said.







In addition, someone painted a swastika on a wall on Third Street near the Bowery... that has since been covered up...

A celebratory ad on the purchase of 139 E. Houston St., current home of the Sunshine Cinema

News broke last week that developers East End Capital and K Property Group bought 139 E. Houston St. for $31.5 million. As the Post reported, the current tenant here, the Landmark Sunshine Cinema, will close when its lease expires in January 2018.

On Tuesday, the involved parties took out a full-page ad in the Post (thanks to Blue Glass for the photos)...







The partners say they look forward to a "transformative retail future." Given the negative reaction to news of the Sunshine's demise, some local residents likely won't be offering their congratulations.

Patch had an update last evening on the building's future:

Greg Kraut, a managing partner at K Property Group, did not confirm to Patch rumors of the theater's imminent closure, but noted that the cinema's lease would expire in 2018, and that the developers would look to fulfill "whatever the community thinks" the space should be used for.

And Landmark's position?

"We have been notified that the building was sold and we certainly hope to operate for as long as the new owners go through the permitting process with the city," a spokeswoman for the Landmark Theatres company said in a statement.

The Sunshine opened here between Forsyth and Eldridge in 2001.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Sunshine Cinema on East Houston to close in January

A Shake Shack is coming to the Death Star

That empty retail space at 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star has a tenant: Shake Shack.

The Post has the scoop:

Danny Meyer’s fast-growing burger chain has signed a lease on Astor Place that will open this fall...

The new location, which will span nearly 3,000 square feet on the northeast side of the building at 51 Astor Pl., “will feature some unique design and customer experience elements,” a Shake Shack spokeswoman confirmed, declining to elaborate.

Until earlier last month, this corner slot on Third Avenue at Ninth Street housed the sales office for hotelier-developer Ian Schrager's hotel-condo tower at 215 Chrystie just below East Houston.

The Shack joins the building's other retail tenants — CVS, Flywheel Sports, Orangetheory Fitness, Bluestone Lane Coffee and Chopt.

According to Lois Weiss at the Post, the Shake Shake team signed a 15-year lease.

The lease memo, reviewed by the Post, provides the Danny Meyer fast-casual joint with the ability to exclusively sell “hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries and frozen custard.”

As such, it banishes direct competitors such as Smashburger and Johnny Rockets from the building.

This will be the second Danny Meyer venture to open on Third Avenue in the coming months. His Union Square Hospitality Group is behind Martina, a pizzeria, in progress on 11th Street at Third Avenue.

Chi Ken signage arrives on St. Mark's Place

The sign is up for Chi Ken, the Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken Store, at 58 St. Mark's Place...

As we noted back in February, Chi Ken sells a variety of quick-serve items, including milk tea, popcorn chicken and Crazy Jumbo Squid "that's bigger than your face."

A Chi Ken location opened in Sunset Park last summer. You can find the Chi Ken website here.

The adjacent space at the address here between First Avenue and Second Avenue will be home to Clay Pot, serving "traditional Hong Kong style open-flame cooked clay pot rice."

The Marshal seizes Palà on Allen Street

An EVG reader shares these photos... the landlord now has legal possession of Palà, the pizzeria at 198 Allen St. just south of Houston...



The Palà website is also no longer active.

Here's what New York had to say about the place a few years back:

The dough, which consists of nine organic flours, is allowed to rise naturally over three days, and the result is a marvelously light and crispy crust. Italian owner Gigio Palazzo says he set out to “change the game of pizza in New York.” And indeed he has. Delectable combos include the zucca, pumpkin purée layered with marbled pancetta. Palazzo’s savvy gamble on unlikely toppings pays off: Of the veggie options, the bufala cruda easily tops the list, heavy with misshapen hunks of mozzarella and roasted cherry tomatoes with splitting peels.

Palà opened in 2006 ... and underwent a major renovation in 2012.

Given the location and build-out with those roll-up garage doors, this promises to be a sought-after space...

AG Schneiderman introduces new bill — the Tenant Protection Act of 2017

Via the EVG inbox...

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today introduced the Tenant Protection Act of 2017, a new bill aimed at holding New York’s most unscrupulous landlords criminally accountable for tenant harassment.

Current state law requires that prosecutors reach an inexplicably high evidentiary bar in order to criminally convict a landlord of Harassment of a Rent Regulated Tenant — which is why, in the twenty years since its initial enactment by the NYS Legislature, not a single landlord has ever been convicted of that crime. The Attorney General’s Tenant Protection Act would change that, setting a more reasonable standard that eliminates the need to prove physical injury to a tenant, and opening the door to prosecutions arising out of more commonplace and insidious tactics — such as turning off heat and hot water, exposing tenants to hazardous materials, and making rent-stabilized buildings deliberately uninhabitable for current tenants and their families.

The Tenant Protection Act of 2017 was introduced today by Attorney General Schneiderman as a program bill, and will be sponsored by Senator Liz Krueger and Assemblymember Joseph Lentol.

“The laws should protect tenants, not greedy landlords who make their buildings uninhabitable in an effort to force families out of their homes,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “It’s clear that our existing criminal laws are simply inadequate when it comes to protecting tenants from these dangerous tactics by landlords. We must give prosecutors the tools necessary to protect tenants — and stem the rising tide of tenant harassment that is undermining affordability around New York.”

Read the full release on the bill here.

EV Grieve Etc.: Festival of the Arts this weekend; Porchetta pop up extended

[Photo at Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg]

The potential impact of President Trump's budget proposal on the NYCHA (Daily News)

New Chinatown-themed hotel on the Bowery apologizes for its "opium den-themed" lounge (DNAinfo)

Details on the annual Festival of the Arts this weekend at the Theater for the New City (Patch)

Stuy Town resident petitions to get rid of playground (Town & Village)

Avenue C wine bar Lois now selling its snacks retail (The Daily Meal)

About Voided, an exhibit featuring Benjamin Armas and Ori Carino, up through Saturday at Howl! Happening (Forbes)

Resident of 344 E. 13th St. and family friend of the Dawsons has been living in an RV down the block (New York Post)

Porchetta pop up extended at Porsena (The Village Voice)

Some great pics from the Dance Parade (Laura Goggin Photography)

Williamsburg Bridge HOV lane proposed for the L train shutdown (Daily News)

More about the early Saturday morning attack on Forsyth and Stanton near Sara D. Roosevelt Park (The Lo-Down)

On the market: 12th Street duplex with "outdoor sanctuary" (Curbed)

Hedda Lettuce presents "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" Thursday night (Village East Cinema)

Remembering Mary Help of Christians on 12th Street and Avenue A (Off the Grid)

In honor of Sir Roger Moore's death, the FDR chase scene from "Live and Let Die" (BoweryBoogie)

Revisiting a gruesome murder from 1903; body found in barrel on Avenue D and 11th Street (Ephemeral New York)

Standard High Line for sale; Standard East Village not on the block (The Real Deal)

... and the Midnight Movies are set for the next few months at the Sunshine Cinema on East Houston... more details here...



...and several readers asked about the work on Astor Place...



I asked William Kelley, executive director of the Village Alliance, what the workers were doing. "They are trying to fix some plaza drainage issues. Should be just a few days depending on weather," he said via an email.

Updated 2:30

And the workers have made some progress...


[Photo by Vinny & O]