Midday skyline break

Photo today by Bobby Williams

The real story behind the so-called Lower East Side hoarder

On Sunday night, we posted the video that a contractor working at an undisclosed building created showing the cockroach-filled apartment that he and his crew had to clean following the eviction of the resident.

"Whatever you've seen, you've never seen nothing like this," the contractor, Martin Fernandez, says in the video that was posted on multiple news sites. Fernandez never mentioned the actual address, saying only that the building was on the Lower East Side. However, the First Avenue location of the Bean is visible in one of the scenes, causing several readers who shared this video to think this building was in the East Village.

An EVG reader, who lives in the building where this took place, shared the following letter to provide more background on what transpired ...

I live in the building in which this now-former tenant’s apartment is located. First, I can confirm that the apartment was definitely not staged, and that it is, indeed, in the East Village.

I must admit, as awful as it has been over the past couple of years living in the building where this person lived (though I and that tenant have each lived there for about 15 years), it’s a bit painful to see this described simply as the situation of a “hoarder.” That’s not at all to criticize EV Grieve, because I’m sure that is the only context in which it was presented to him. I just hope to add a little context before too many people comment without, understandably, knowing more about the situation.

As Martin, the contractor, noted, the tenant was not always living this way. We are a pretty closely knit bunch in this building, due to our occasional battles with our landlord ... and while most of us weren’t close friends with the tenant, we knew him for many years as maybe a bit eccentric (as most of us living here could probably be described as well), but as a good neighbor and not someone anyone would imagine ending up in this kind of situation.

Sadly, over the past two years, we all witnessed his mental and physical health decline for reasons that should remain private. We tried, individually and as a group, to intervene, but it quickly became clear here was not willing or able to accept our offers to help, which was frustrating both because of the declining conditions in the building, and because it is painful to watch someone go through what he was going through.

Let me be clear: it’s been pretty hellish living here for the last couple of years. While none of us had seen the full extent of the decay in his apartment until now, we have all been dealing with the effects. Those roaches invaded every apartment in the building and, while not nearly as numerous as they were in his, it’s been nearly impossible for any of us to cook or keep food for over a year now, and it’s a very defeating feeling to know that no matter how much one cleans, there will always be more roaches arriving from the source. Living in an old tenement building, we’ve certainly learned to expect the occasional rodent or critter of some sort, but this was clearly on a scale that made the building next to unlivable.

As I mentioned, we’ve been through battles with our landlord over the past couple of years (and came out on top thus far, thankfully), and he was well aware of the situation. While I’d love to blame him for not addressing the issue, I do know that he attempted to do so, sending multiple exterminators upon our request over the past couple years, all of whom left when the tenant cursed at them and would not let them into his apartment.

As I understand it, the landlord bought out his lease nearly a year ago, but he did not leave after accepting the buyout. Eviction proceedings followed.

It was a difficult situation for everyone, because clearly the tenant’s living situation was a threat to his own health and that of everyone in the building, and we certainly knew this couldn’t continue. On the other hand, we were conscious of his poor health and limited resources, and I don’t believe anyone wanted him end up living on the street. The courts apparently agreed, as they stayed his eviction for many months due to his health. And so, at something of a stalemate with our desire for a decent place to live and our consciences, the situation dragged on.

Last week, he was finally evicted and, as I understand it, he has moved into another building in the neighborhood, where I can’t imagine he or his new neighbors will be any better off than we were.

As for our building, as you can see, contractors immediately moved in to attempt to clean out his apartment, and clearly it is not a pleasant task. And it will surely be some time before we can fully eradicate the roaches from the building – though we will certainly hold our landlord to doing so as quickly as possible.

I suppose this is all a very long way of saying that it’s been a very rough couple of years, and it would sure be convenient if there was was one person to hold to blame, or to simply call the tenant a hoarder and put him on a reality show, or just call the landlord an asshole, or even to say that we (or his closer friends/family) should have done more, but maybe the lesson in the end is just that illness – mental and physical — really fucking sucks. And while none of us were able to help him address what he was going through, and maybe no one could, I just wish there were better options than watching this happen or getting him kicked out onto the street.

This video and the images of the apartment are out there now, and as we all know there’s no way of retracting them. And I don’t blame people for sharing them now that they’ve become public – I understand there’s a natural fascination with these kinds of graphic images, particularly in a city where we all may wonder from time to time what lies behind our neighbors’ doors. But wonder as we may, we do not generally step through those doors uninvited.

Our former neighbor never gave consent for his very private struggle to be held up to public view and inevitable ridicule, and it’s disappointing and saddening to me that Martin felt the need to offer them to the press. What purpose could it serve? The fact that he has left comments on the article at several news outlets asking people to subscribe to his YouTube channel and promising additional videos may provide the answer. Or perhaps he genuinely felt the need share an experience that he found traumatic as his own way of coping.

Whatever the case, I sincerely hope that he will reconsider posting whatever additional videos/photos he may have. And if he cannot resist doing so, I hope that this backstory will at least allow those who read it to view those images through the lens that we, his neighbors, have viewed them: certainly with disgust at the conditions, but also with an understanding that what we are witnessing is a glimpse into the very personal struggles of a person who, just a few years ago, was laughing with us at parties and showing off, with great pride, the furniture he custom built in his apartment.

For now, I can hope for nothing more than that he gets the help he needs and deserves, that we get to return to the decent living conditions we deserve, and that his new neighbors somehow avoid experiencing what we have endured over these past couple of years. And I hope that if our old neighbor is reading this, he knows that despite our frustrations with him over the years, we know his life is more than the images coming out of his apartment, and we wish him health and happier days ahead.

Basketball courts at Open Road Park getting refurbished thanks to NBA star Kevin Durant

Work is at roughly the halfway point at Open Road Park adjacent to the East Side Community School on 12th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

As the signs note, the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation (KDCF) is funding the refurbishment of the basketball courts.



Here's more about the program:

In 2015, NIKE, Inc., Kevin Durant, and the KDCF partnered to create the BUILD IT AND THEY WILL BALL Courts Renovation Initiative to increase the number of high quality basketball courts accessible to underprivileged youth across the United States and internationally. BUILD IT AND THEY WILL BALL will propel the mission of the KDCF to enrich the lives of youth from low-income backgrounds through various educational and athletic programs.

The refurbishment includes a KDCF mural by Bronx-based artist André Trenier (who does the monthly murals on the gate at Mikey Likes It on Avenue A)...





Perhaps this will entice Durant to come play for the Knicks. #Heh

Mayahuel closing on 6th Street; new restaurant in the works for the space

Mayahuel, the Mexican-themed cocktail bar on Sixth Street from the Death & Co. team (Ravi DeRossi), has announced that it will be shutting its doors on Aug. 8.

They made the announcement yesterday via Instagram... "Our lease has come to an end, and renewing wasn't an option."

To our Family, Friends & Fellow Agave Lovers, • It is with great sadness that we inform you Mayahuel will be closing her doors for good on August 8th, 2017. • Our lease has come to an end, and renewing wasn't an option. • There will never be a greater honor than having been able to welcome you into our home, share our passion for agave with you, and create and share so many incredible memories. • Between now and August 8th, we hope to welcome you into our home a few more times to celebrate all that is Mayahuel. • With the utmost appreciation and love, The Mayahuel Family • PARA TODO MAL MEZCAL, Y PARA TODO BIEN, TAMBIEN. 📩 E-mail our General Manager at Justin@mayahuelny.com if you have any questions or reservation inquiries.

A post shared by Mayahuel (@mayahuelny) on Jul 17, 2017 at 2:09pm PDT

The bar here on between First Avenue and Second Avenue opened in May 2009.

The space doesn't appear to be empty for long. An applicant was on last night's CB3-SLA docket for a new liquor license here. The application posted on the CB3 website is short on specifics, other than the proposed hours — 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. The applicant, a founder of an e-commerce company for financial-service firms, also owns the building.

H/T Vinny & O!

Going up and going down on 14th Street

Just noting a milestone of sorts at 432-438 E. 14th St., where an 8-story retail-residential building is on the ascent at the former site of the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office between Avenue A and First Avenue...



The original plans for 432-438 E. 14th St. call for 114 residential unit with 20 percent affordable housing. A Trader Joe's is signed on for the retail space.

Meanwhile!

Directly across the street, work is now underway for the Avenue A entrances to the L train...





YouTube user Brian Camacho took the video last Tuesday ... showing the prep work at the First Avenue station ... along with a look along 14th Street that shows the scope of the work to come...



As previously reported, the MTA is building the new entrances to help relieve congestion at the stop, which sees an average of 23,000-plus riders per weekday. The entrances at First Avenue and Avenue A will be made ADA compliant.

The work along 14th Street includes a new power substation at Avenue B to give the MTA the juice to operate more L trains.

The MTA did not provide a timeline on when all this will be complete. The shutdown of the L is expected to last 15 months with a start date of April 2019. Read more about that project here.

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

Looking at the Allegro Coffee Roasters, now open at Whole Foods Market® Bowery

The Allegro Coffee Roasters debuted on July 10 at Whole Foods Market® Bowery ... at the corner space on Chrystie and East Houston (where the Beer Store was).


[Top photos from July 10 by Steven]

The Colorado-based, Whole Foods-owned Allegro also has an outpost at the Whole Foods Market® Third & 3rd in Gowanus.

An EVG regular stopped by the other day... and noted the offerings...



Per the Allegro website:

The bright, welcoming interior is a mix of modern and nostalgic features that reflect the classic architecture of the Bowery and Lower East Side. We’ve outfitted the large, open bar with a sleek, custom Nuova Simonelli Black Eagle Espresso machine that is quite the conversation piece, and six nitro taps – three cold brews, two nitro teas and kombucha. Our baristas will be hand brewing and batch brewing small microlot coffees from all over the world.

The reader stood in line a few minutes and left before ordering after the person in front of her asked the barista to describe the hand brews.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Looking at the Allegro Coffee Roasters coming to Whole Foods Market® Bowery

Montauk Salt Cave coming to 10th Street

The signage is up for Montauk Salt Cave, opening soon on the upper level at 90 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

Here's more about what they offer via their Facebook page:

Salt therapy is a natural way of healing ailments related to respiratory disease, skin conditions and inflammatory symptoms. You will be surrounded with tons-literally tons of Himalayan salt that is both anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. The cave is a beautiful setting for you to come and simply feel better. If you suffer from allergies, asthma, cystic fibrosis, COPD or any respiratory illness...you have found the right place.

[Montauk Salt Cave image via Facebook]

The spa has locations in (duh) Montauk as well as Huntington. You can learn more about their business here. Ikinari Steak, where patrons mostly have to eat standing up, is right downstairs. The upstairs space was last leased to Miron Properties.

On tonight's CB3-SLA docket: Boris & Horton, New York's first dog friendly coffee shop

We've looked at a few of the applicants on this month's CB3-SLA docket, including Joe and Pat's ... and the Ainsworth East Village.

Here are two more items of possible interest on the schedule tonight.

---



A "contemporary American" restaurant is being planned for 105 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

The applicants, who have experience at the Blind Barber and Drexler's on Avenue A, are behind this venture. The paperwork (PDF here) on file ahead of tonight's meeting shows seating for 44 via 14 tables as well as one bar with 10 seats. The proposed hours are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday-Thursday; Friday until 3 a.m.; Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

The questionnaire did not include a sample menu.

Empellón Cocina closed here in May after five years in service.

---



Boris & Horton, billed as "New York's first dog friendly coffee shop and community space," is the concept for the former Ost Cafe and Raclette spaces on Avenue A at 12th Street.

The questionnaire at the CB3 website (PDF here) shows proposed hours of 7 a.m. to midnight seven days a week. The operators are seeking a beer-wine license to go alongside menu items such as sandwiches and paninis.

A help wanted ad on Craigslist offers more information about the business:

In cooperation with the Department of Health, Boris & Horton will serve coffee and snacks in a dog friendly environment. The coffee bar will be glassed in with double doors leading to the dog side, which will feature café style seating and upscale pet products. We have a lifelong passion for animal rescue so Boris & Horton will be a hub for adoption events and fundraisers.

The principals are listed as Coppy Holzman and his daughter, Logan Holzman.

Ost Cafe closed in February after nine years in business. Their owners said that it had "become too expensive to stay open any longer." The Grand Street location is still in service. Raclette moved from its 14-seat space on A around the corner to the former Northern Spy on 12th Street last fall.

---

The July CB3-SLA committee meeting is tonight at 6:30 at Ian Schrager's Public Hotel, 215 Chrystie St. just below Houston.

Yuan Noodle in soft-open mode on 2nd Avenue

Yuan Noodle is getting ready for its grand opening at 157 Second Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

The restaurant is in soft-open mode for now...



Eater had more on the owners and concept back in May:

Former financier Jacob Ding is using family recipes to open a Guilin boiled rice noodle and dim sum parlor, after his wife told him she wished that type of restaurant existed.

Ding grew up in Guilin, China, where rice noodles reign. They’re thick and come with various topping such as roasted peanuts, scallions, chiles, and assorted pickles. Ding will serve his dry, as opposed to with soup, alongside a condensed gravy-like sauce and with options like roast pork and braised beef.

Yuan Noodle will also offer classic dim sum dishes, such as shumai, har gow, and vegetable dumplings.

Here's a look at the menu posted on the front window...





The address previously housed Biang!, the sit-down Chinese restaurant via Xi'an Famous Foods owner Jason Wang, and Alder, Wylie Dufresne's bistro.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Yuan Noodle in the works for the former Biang! space on 2nd Avenue

Traveling and panhandling

[Photo on 2nd Avenue last Tuesday by Derek Berg]

Back on Friday evening, CBS 2 filed a report on the summer travelers titled "'They’re Traveling And Doing This Purposely,' Some City Panhandlers May Be In It For Fun."

The not-so-newsy report attempted to cover a lot in 1:50: a) noting the annual warm-weather migration of the travelers (or crusties, as some prefer) b) theorizing that some of the travelers or panhandlers in general are actually not in need of money c) piggybacking onto Mayor de Blasio's recent comments about his frustration with panhandlers.

To CBS 2:

When spring and summer come to New York City, so do homeless travelers from far away suburbs and cities.

They gather in Tompkins Square Park.

Police said some of the disheveled newcomers hopped freight trains from as far away as Seattle.

The park is their central gathering place, and they fan out to the surrounding East Village streets to panhandle.

The report has an on-camera interview with Angelo, aka Gypsy, a regular along Avenue A.

“I’m homeless myself,” he said, “A lot of these guys believe it or not, their parents are rich. They’re traveling and doing this purposely.”

Without quoting anyone directly, the piece notes: "Residents and merchants said the trend is harming their quality of life, and they want the city to do something about it."

CBS 2 also quotes Mayor de Blasio from his quality-of-life press conference last Wednesday, in which he implied some panhandlers are doing it for fun.

“There are people who are in desperate need and maybe don’t know there’s other options. But there are also people who are doing it purely out of choice. This is a fact — who somehow think it’s fun, or think it’s a way to make easy money. And I resent that, I really do.”

Per the Daily News: "He’s especially annoyed about so-called 'crusties' who come into the city from out of town to beg, and women who panhandle with children."

“I’m very upset at the notion of anyone who in effect gives people the impression they’re homeless to make money. That’s what I think is going on. And I don’t like it one bit,” he said, acknowledging there’s little cops can do unless the panhandlers commit a crime. “As frustrating as it is, and this bothers me to say this, but panhandling per se is not illegal.”

Astor Plate now open on Astor Place

The food-and-drink kiosk made its debut on Saturday. As previously reported, the kiosk offers a variety of salads, sandwiches, wraps, smoothies ... as well as Mud Coffee (to make up for the loss of the Mud Truck). You can find the menu here.

Will update with hours when that info is available.

Updated

Mud is giving away free coffee on Wednesday morning ...

We have astornomical news!! @astor_plate is OPEN!! That also means @mudcoffeenyc is back at Astor Place!! Celebrate this Wednesday morning when Astor Plate will be giving away free Mud Coffee between 8am and 10am!! #AstorPlace #AstorPlate #MudNYC #MudPeople

A post shared by Astor Place NYC (@astorplacenyc) on Jul 17, 2017 at 12:21pm PDT

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Mudtruck hits the road ahead of renovations at Astor Place

Retail space at 347 Bowery sells for $20 million

A transaction from last week to note... in which developer Urban Muse sold the 8,400-square-foot commercial space at the base of 347 Bowery for $20.3 million, according to The Real Deal.

This is the two-level, bank-branch looking storefront at Third Street...



No word on a tenant (or tenants!) for the space. And no mention of the rent at RKF.

The listing notes:

"With a mix of luxury contemporary fashion labels, high-end dining options and influential neighbors, the area is a perfectly curated mix of downtown cool and cultured sophistication."

The listing does not divulge that this retail opportunity is directly next door to a 7-Eleven.



The Annabelle Selldorf-designed 13-story luxury building features five stacked town homes.

Video: Documenting a hoarder's filthy apartment after the eviction

[Screengrab via YouTube]

Updated 7/18: Read more background on this story here.

This video is making the rounds this weekend.

Martin Fernandez, a contractor working at a building only ID'd as being on the Lower East Side, documented the clean-up of a roach-filled apartment after the tenant was evicted.

The Daily Mail first had the story:

"Whatever you've seen, you've never seen nothing like this," Fernandez says ...

"When I first started doing work, we gave him a new stove and he was a very clean guy," he recalls about the tenant.

The apartment is filled with rotting garbage, empty bottles and assorted junk.

Cockroaches swarm across the the walls, floor and furniture.

"The refrigerator caught on fire," Fernandez notes as he peers into the scorched interior of the appliance.

It gets more grim as the crew discovers what happened to the tenant's cat.

And it's all captured on a video that Fernandez made to document the mess. (If you're at all squeamish, then you should not watch this. Or even if you aren't...)



The address of the building is not disclosed. A few EVG readers wondered if it might be in the East Village. There's a shot of Fernandez taking a breather in his truck. What looks like the First Avenue-Ninth Street location of the Bean can be seen in the background...



If you have any guesses to where this might be, have at it... (Also, one reader suggested that this video was staged for the purposes of generating interest in some kind of upcoming series.)

For further reading, the Times recently had a piece titled "Helping Those Who Hoard," which included photos from several East Village apartments.

Updated:

Fernandez posted a follow-up video titled "Rage over Fake News because of my Cockroach Infested apartment video."

Week in Grieview

[Lonesome balloon via Derek Berg]

Work on new Avenue A entrances to the L train looks to be getting underway (Monday)

NYPD looking for help in identifying man found in the East River on July 4 (Wednesday)

City ready to attack rats in Tompkins Square Park (and elsewhere) (Friday)

Updated: 99 Miles to Philly is now The Joint on 3rd Avenue (Thursday)

Out and About with Grace Kang, owner of Pink Olive on 9th Street (Wednesday)

That penthouse with a cottage atop 1st Street and 1st Avenue is for sale (Thursday)

Report: Man sentenced to 40 years in 2011 shooting death of teen outside Campos Plaza (Tuesday)

Old Monk opens on Avenue B (Monday, updated)

The Bean is opening in the former St. Mark's Bookshop space at Cooper Union (Thursday)

Your chance for enjoying Summer Streets and Smellmapping Astor Place coming next month (Wednesday)

At the 'Not Another Starbucks Rally' (Friday) ... Steve Cuozzo: 'A new Starbucks will make the thriving East Village an even better place to live' (Monday)

Cup & Saucer Luncheonette closing tomorrow (Wednesday)

A few more details on the end of Webster Hall in its current format (Tuesday)

At the Weeping Willow Wake (Sunday)

An outpost of the Ainsworth vying for former Pourhouse space; E.Vil is not coming (Tuesday)

Construction watch: Thirteen East + West (Wednesday)

217 E. 3rd St. is for sale (plus air rights) (Friday)

Raphael Toledano-owned East 6th Street building returns to the market for a few million more (Tuesday)

Former Chao Chao space for rent on Avenue A (Friday)

Here's what's coming to 222 1st Ave. (Tuesday)

Looking at the new-look 29 Second Ave. (Wednesday)

Quickly reaching the top of 287 E. Houston St. (Monday)

Your chance to own part of an East Village bar (Monday)

... a high-profile tag arrived late last week on Seventh Street at Avenue A ... that has since been cleaned off...


[Photo by Mike House]

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Follow EVG on Instragram and/or Twitter for more updates

Street fair! Street fair! Street fair!

[Photo by Vinny & O]

The Lower 2nd Avenue Spring Festival is underway, from 14th Street to 10th Street... bring your dollars...

Looking at the Big Belly 1.0 and 2.0 in and around Tompkins Square Park

[10th and B]

Last week, workers placed new solar-powered, Big Belly trash cans in and around Tompkins Square Park as part of the city's $32-million plan to combat vermin in rat-popular neighborhoods, like this one.

Per the city:

The City will purchase 336 solar compactors that restrict access to trash with a “mail-box” opening and that have resulted in 90% rat reductions when fully deployed in concentrated areas. The City will also replace all the remaining wire waste baskets in the zones with 1,676 steel cans — both in parks and on street corners — which should meaningfully reduce rats’ access to food sources compared to current wire baskets.

However effective, they're no match for someone who decides to dump contents from their apartment at their mail-box opening...



While there are more of the new Big Belly trash cans deployed inside the Park, it may be a good idea to put several of them at key entry points, such as Avenue A and St. Mark's Place, alongside the Big Belly 1.0, which can be overmatched ...



and Avenue A at Ninth Street...



Still, the squirrels seem to like them...

This weekend in attempts to buy that classic 1965 AMC Rambler Marlin on 9th Street

EVG correspondent Steven shared these photos from yesterday on Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... someone left a note on that Dodge Rambler Marlin that's usually parked on the block...



"I want to buy your car!! Please call ... My grandma had one and it brings back great memories. XO"

Saturday's parting shot

OK, this is actually last Saturday... showing Fledgling #1, Christo and Dora's lone red-tailed offspring this year, atop St. Brigid's on Avenue B and Eighth Street... photo by Goggla, who has an update on Fledgling #1 here.

Feeling blue about the Cherry Tavern

[EVG photo from 2010]

The always (mostly!) reliable spot on Sixth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue is now...



Blue — very blue!

Thanks to Goggla for the new paint-job pic!

That sinkhole feeling

Back on Wednesday, workers started making repairs on the sinkhole at the Eighth Street/Avenue B entrance to Tompkins Square Park... there hasn't been any work on the hole since then.

It appears there is still a broken section of pipe, per these photos from today ...



No one is around to ask... so no word on what the delay might be. Waiting for a part?

Also, as you can see in the top photo, there were a lot of pigeons to the left of the hole... it appears that someone fed them...