Construction watch: 619 E. 6th St.

There's finally some noticeable progress at 619 E. Sixth St., where a 6-story residential building is rising...



To recap, here's what's TK, via DXA Studio Architecture, the architects of record:

The facade is clad in a Danish handmade brick and includes a full width mural along a sidewall that links the building in character with its East Village neighbors where street art abounds. The five residential units, from a small studio up to a dramatic three bedroom with office and double height duplex on the top floors, incorporate a simple and timeless palette of materials throughout.

[DXA]

I first heard about this project in January 2016. It has seemingly taken a long time to knock down the previous one-level structure and get to this point.

Here are photos of the site from early September...





At that time, an EVG reader who lived nearby wrote in to say:

Any inside info into the hole in the ground at 619 E. 6th St., whose progress seems to be quite stalled? Needless to say we could all do without the permanent obstruction there, including the daily dumps taken inside the walkaround created by the plastic dividers. What a (literal) shitshow.

Previously on EV Grieve:
6-story condoplex, complete with Danish handmade brick, coming to East 6th Street

Lizzie Fortunato for the holidays on 7th Street

Lizzie Fortunato, an accessories line designed by Elizabeth Fortunato and operated by her twin sister, Kathryn, recently opened a holiday shop at 110 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue ...

7th Street sitting pretty! 🦋✨🍓 Come discover our treasure trove #lizziefortunato #fortunefinds

A post shared by Lizzie Fortunato (@lfjewels) on Nov 11, 2017 at 9:37am PST

The shop will be open until January.

The address was last home to Salon Seven ... and Porchetta next door. Ho Foods, which specializes in Taiwan beef noodle soup, is opening in that spot.

Kellogg’s NYC, will be slinging cereal at an all-day breakfast café on Union Square next month

We can’t wait to welcome you to our new home right in the heart of Union Square! We’ll be opening on December 7th and look forward to seeing you then! . . . And we’re hiring a pastry cook! If you’re interested in joining our team, shoot us a message here!

A post shared by Kellogg's NYC (@kelloggsnyc) on Nov 9, 2017 at 5:45am PST

In case you missed this announcement the other day (Thursday!) ... Kellogg's NYC Café is opening its "immersive new brick-and-mortar cereal café and experience" on Dec. 7 near the Barnes & Noble on Union Square.

A few details from the news release:

Anchored by an open-concept kitchen where guests can watch as cereal creations are being made, visitors will be able to select items off the menu or create their unique flavorful combos – including a DIY cereal creation station with ingredients fresh from the Union Square farmer's market.

Aside from bowls of cereal with a choice of milk, the menu includes milkshakes, Pop Tarts and ice cream sundaes.

The Commercial Observer reported that the Café will span 5,000 square feet on the second floor (above the AT&T store) at 31 E. 17th St.

Kellogg's previously operated a pop-up cafe from July 2016 to this past August in Times Square, as the Observer noted.

Bowery Social Justice Short Film Festival starts tomorrow night

Here's info via the EVG inbox on the Bowery Social Justice Short Film Festival, which starts tomorrow evening...

Three-day short fiction and documentary film festival centered around issues of human rights and social justice. Q-& A-after the screening. FREE.

St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, Parish Hall, 131 E. 10th St., entrance via 11th Street doors

• Tuesday, Nov. 14, 7-8:30 pm
“Losing Home” — Whether by political, social, environmental, or personal reasons, these films explore what it means to lose home.

• Tuesday, Nov. 28, 7-8:30 pm
“The Other” — What does it mean to be "other" in contemporary America?

Tuesday, Dec. 5, 7-8:30 pm
TBD

Find more info on the program here.

Report: East Village resident arrested in hockey-stick assault

[Screengrab from CBS 2]

An East Village resident is under arrest after a road-rage dispute turned deadly late Saturday night in Chelsea.

According to the Post, Kohji Kosugi, who was walking, allegedly attacked Uber driver Randolph Tolk, 68, at West 20th Street and 11th Avenue with a hockey stick.

The details, as reported by the Post:

Tolk was driving his Toyota Camry southbound and stopped at the crosswalk when Kosugi, who was on foot, began tapping on its hood with his stick, a witness told police.

They continued arguing until Kosugi used the hockey stick to knock the older man to the ground, then stomped on his chest, cops said.

Tolk, a grandfather of three, got back into the car and headed south, driving about half a mile before crashing into the center divider near Jane Street, cops said.

Paramedics responded and rushed to Lenox Hill Hospital, where Tolk, who lived in West New York, N.J., was pronounced dead.

Kosugi ran away into the Chelsea neighborhood, but was arrested around 2:40 p.m. and charged with manslaughter, cops said.

Kosugi, 39, had been at Chelsea Piers. Police found him by checking surveillance footage there, CBS 2 reported.

Per CBS 2:

Police have not made it clear whether Tolk was killed by the blow to the head, or whether it disoriented him and he died in the crash. The New York City Medical Examiner’s office will determine the cause of his death.

The Post said that Kosugi lived on East 10th Street, where he apparently wasn't too well-known.

A woman who lives next door to Kosugi on East 10th Street ... said: "I've only seen a woman leave that apartment. I’ve never seen him."

"I wasn't sure why the police have been here all day. We don't talk to our neighbors that much," she said.

"It's scary that…he lives next door to me and the cops have been here all day and I had no clue."

Updated 5:30 p.m.

Kosugi appeared in court today.

To the Post:

Defense lawyer David Jeffries argued in court that the alleged attack came only after Tolk got out of his car, and that prosecutors would have a hard time connecting it to Tolk’s death following the crash about half a mile away.

Bail for Kosugi, who works at the Nakamura NYC restaurant on Delancey, was set at $500,000 cash or $750,000 bond.

In a separate story, the Post interviews Kosugi's teammates who he played hockey with at Chelsea Piers.

Kosugi played in back-to-back games, at 8:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., before Saturday’s fatal incident, the teammate said. He played in two games prior to the altercation. "Kosugi, a center, scored two goals during the first game, in which the Tsunami beat the Wild Turkeys, 5-3."

Meanwhile, the Daily News reported that the victim had his own history with the police.

In January 2012, city marshals were towing Tolk’s car and he refused to get out, police said.

Police arrived and tried to take him out of the car. He took a swing at them, then bit an officer hard enough to draw blood.

He was charged with assault, obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest. The case is sealed.

Cops busted Tolk again on Oct. 1, 2014 for assault, resisting arrest and menacing as a hate crime. That arrest is also sealed.

There's a 'Don't Turn Our Neighborhood Into Silicon Alley' rally on Wednesday evening

As you may know, there are plans in the works to demolish the three-building assemblage on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place for a 7-story office building.

In addition, new office and residential buildings are going up or in development on parts of Broadway below 14th Street and University Place ... as well as the Moxy hotel on 11th Street. Not to mention Mayor de Blasio's plan for a 20-plus-story tech hub on 14th Street at Irving Place.

On Wednesday evening, a coalition of community groups and preservationists are hosting a rally titled "Don't Turn Our Neighborhood Into Silicon Alley" on St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue.

The Greenwich Village Society of Historic Preservation (GVSHP) has background on the developments:

Why is this happening? Because this area is lacking in good zoning or landmark protections that allow this kind of demolition and inappropriate development, and the tech industry sees this neighborhood as the hot new area for expansion, extending “Silicon Alley” down from Union Square and up from Astor Place. And now the Mayor and developers want approvals from the City Council for a huge new “Tech Hub” on 14th Street that will accelerate all these trends.

We’re demanding zoning and landmark protections that would preserve historic buildings, keep new development in scale, protect the residential character of this area, and promote affordable housing. But the Mayor OPPOSES this plan ...

GVSHP Executive Director Andrew Berman has an op-ed on the matter in the Gotham Gazette here.

Preservationists scored one victory along this corridor earlier this month when the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) approved a proposal to landmark the circa-1866 cast-iron buildings at 827-831 Broadway between 12th Street and 13th Street. There was a proposal to build a 14-story office building on the site. The developers are now seeking to add a four-story addition to the existing structure.

The rally is Wednesday evening at 5:30 on Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Behold Civic Hall, the high-tech future of Union Square — and NYC

Remembering Elizabeth Lee

Funeral services were held this past Thursday for Elizabeth Lee, a Grace Church School staff member who was reportedly shot dead by a onetime boyfriend as she arrived for work on Cooper Square on Nov. 2.

"Lee-Herman was described as a loving friend and dedicated employee whose involvement in the school started when her own kids attended it," according to Patch.

The Grace Church School paper has more remembrances here.

School administrators also established a trust to help provide for the education and other critical needs, such as medical coverage, of her children, Sasha and Hunter. In less than a week, the crowdfunding campaign has raised more than $116,000.

Lee, who was 56, lived on the Upper East Side. She had just docked a Citi Bike when Vincent Verdi reportedly approached her and shot her twice. He then shot himself in the head. Verdi, 62, was last listed in critical condition at Bellevue.

According to the Daily News, Verdi spent four months stalking and harassing Lee. Police had arrested him previously for stalking, per the News. She had an order of protection barring him from contacting her, which was in place the morning he shot her.

Patch reported that Verdi had not been charged as of Thursday.

New at Ray's Candy Store: chicken and waffles (ice cream optional)

The paper-plate signage is up at Ray's Candy Store, 113 Avenue A, announcing the latest menu item — chicken and waffles ($9, or $11 if you want ice cream with it)... and here's Ray's with the non-ice-cream version...



News and photos by Peter Brownscombe

A look at Icon Realty's 9th Street building where the rentals are $30k a month

The two residential units at Icon Realty's 327 E. Ninth St. have been on the market (per Streeteasy) for the past month.

So far, no takers for the rentals here between First Avenue and Second Avenue at this site of a former parking lot.

The listing notes that this building — nearly five years in the making, somehow — is "Redefining the Townhouse Experience."

Here's part of the pitch:

Designed by Isaac & Stern Architects with interiors by Paris Forino, this brand-new building was designed with a traditional limestone facade that stands as a new classic, elegantly utilizing modern finishes that establish a new contemporary elegance, raising the benchmark for luxury living in the East Village.

Both beautifully appointed residences offer open layouts and a transitional aesthetic featuring a light color palette which has been highlighted by radiant heated White Appalachian Oak Floors and Christopher Peacock Kitchens with luxurious Italian Arabescato Marble countertops and backsplashes.

Bathrooms feature Dornbracht fixtures adorned with Zebrino Marble.

Both residences feature outstanding private outdoor experiences with private balconies on each floor, a private expansive roof deck and multiple landscaped private patio spaces with copper trimmed LED perimeter lighting and full outdoor kitchens.

And photos...





The quadruplex and the triplex are asking $30,000 per month (with one month free on a year-long lease). Also, there is no fee.

H/T Steven

Previously on EV Grieve:
The big dig begins for 6-story, 2-unit condo on East 9th Street

East Ninth Street parking lot will yield to 6-floor residential building

Second Hand Rose has apparently closed on 12th and Broadway

[Photo by Alex]

Alex at Flaming Pablum shares the news that Second Hand Rose, the collectible record shop on 12th and Broadway, has closed.

The place opened on 14th Street and Sixth Avenue in 1977 ... moving to a small storefront across the street from the Strand in 2000.


[Image via Second Hand Rose]

I always hate to see record shops close... though there wasn't much immediate lost love for Rose. As Alex wrote, "I was never a fan of the place — disorganized, dusty, strangely overpriced and pointedly surly."

And they didn't really like sick people shopping in the store...


[Photo by Alex]

Week in Grieview

[Photo yesterday on 3rd Avenue by Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

The end is nearing for the Sunshine Cinema (Friday)

Remembering Kate Millett (Friday)

Someone vandalized the entrance to the Chinese Hawaiian Kenpo Academy on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday)

Arrest made in Avenue D murder (Thursday)

Papaya King closes on St. Mark's Place ahead of new development (Monday)

The Continental says it will close late next summer (Tuesday)

The latest I Am a Rent-Stabilized Tenant (Friday)

Liberty Toye now lighting up Avenue B (Tuesday)

The Peter Stuyvesant-PO-replacing residential building tops out on 14th Street (Tuesday)

City Kids bringing the East Village Playhouse to long-empty storefront on 6th Street (Tuesday)

PS 122 returns to the East Village in January (Wednesday)

Judge dismisses Raphael Toledano suit over 97 2nd Ave. (Wednesday)

Landlord accused of tenant harassment in Chelsea new owner of 7th Street building (Thursday)

Old Monk offering a free meal this Thanksgiving (Friday)

Out and About with Margie Segal (Wednesday)

Meet Fresh bringing teas and taro balls to Cooper Square (Thursday)

Report: Part of a man's leg discovered along the East River (Thursday)

Wall 88 looks closed on 2nd Avenue (Monday)


[7th Street streetscene via Derek Berg]

There's a proposed addition for the recently landmarked 827-831 Broadway (Wednesday)

A quick look at the incoming Joe and Pat's (Monday)

The Good Santa-Bad Santa events taking place on Dec. 9 (Thursday)

The AltSchool's East Village location is closing (Monday)

Stuy Town to catch some major solar rays (Thursday)

Wise Men closes on the Bowery (Monday)

The Ainsworth neon arrives on 3rd Avenue (Monday)

... and in 14th Street salon/spa news from the past week... EVG 14th Street spa/salon correspondent Pinch notes that Hair Trendz between First Avenue and Second Avenue has closed ...



... with signage stating that they are opening across the street in the Perfect Glow space...



...and one block to the west, Spaology has given way to Morning Ritual...



---

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That First Breath of Air

That First Breath of Air

It is so unexpected when it comes,

That nights sleep once so familiar,

Deep and long, followed by another,

Dreams less torrid, if at all.

Waking refreshed, ready to saunter,

Through the crisp air of Fall.

•

peter radley

A haven for skateboarders in Tompkins Square Park

A very personal piece I shot over a couple months this past summer for the @nytimes Link in bio Online today, in the paper tomorrow. Text by @tedbarrow Thank you @lyonse

A post shared by Danny Weiss (@danielericweiss) on Nov 11, 2017 at 6:38am PST

Photographer Danny Weiss and writer Theodore Barrow team up for a photo essay in The New York Times today on the teen skateboarders who hang out on the baseball fields (the T.F.) in Tompkins Square Park.

An excerpt:

A lot has changed over 15 years. Skateboarding, like the neighborhood, has grown up and acquired a marketable sheen. It is difficult not to see in these kids, who now dress like the ones in the movie “Kids,” my contemporaries in the mid-’90s.

Who knows how long the park will be a haven for them, or what they will become? Small, seemingly insubstantial butterfly-wing youthful decisions can have life-changing consequences. Who knows how long skaters will be allowed to hang out at the T.F., considering the skyrocketing property values of real estate in the East Village?

Find the photos and essay here.

A post shared by Theodore Barrow (@tedbarrow) on Nov 11, 2017 at 5:17am PST

Sunday morning freebies

Spotted on Second Avenue on the steps of the former Church of the Nativity between Third Street and Second Street... hurry, because I'm going back as soon as I find a VCR.

Saturday's parting shot

Ginkgo or Gingko fallout on Seventh Street today via Derek Berg...

Fall Saturday

From this morning in Tompkins Square Park...

Noted

First Avenue at 14th Street this morning...

At the Scream Helplessly at the Sky event in Washington Square Park

Photos and text D. Task Efram

On Wednesday evening at Washington Square Park's new Ai Weiwei "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors" sculpture, many RefuseFascism.org resistors joined in the Scream Helplessly at the Sky event (one of many taking place nationwide), in dishonor of the one-year anniversary of the president and administration.

There was an air of satisfaction as nearly 150 people chanted, danced and screamed upward in a primal scream, hoping to alleviate the year's worth of destructive administration actions, media and science censorship, predatory denial and encouragement. Many found great relief in joining with their fellow humans in a primal action as well as to celebrate some long-awaited positive resistance voting from Tuesday's elections.



There were approximately 10 disruptors who were pleased to give support to the current administration as well as throw shade on the RefuseFascism ralliers. Many actively disrupted and screamed at peaceful participants; anxiously sharing their facetious claims to any camera or microphone pointed in their general direction.











King Trump (played by the ubiquitous puppeteer/activist Elliot Crown) made an appearance. Dressed in a tattered suit, The King seemed to be in no condition to stand and defend himself.

Everything under the 'Son'

If you have 9:10 to spare... Brian Eno teamed up with Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine on an expansive soundscape for Adult Swim Singles titled "Only Once Away My Son."

I Am a Rent-Stabilized Tenant

East Village resident Susan Schiffman has been photographing the apartments of rent-stabilized tenants living in the East Village for her Instagram account, I Am a Rent Stabilized Tenant. She will share some of the photos here for this ongoing EVG feature.



Photos and text by Susan Schiffman

Tenant: Raquel S., since 1983

When my parents came for the first visit, before I did all the renovations here, when the apartment still looked like hell, my father sat on the futon on the floor with tears streaming down his face and he said, You moved to America to live like a Bedouin?

When I picked them up at the airport I had to tell them that I had a bathtub in the kitchen. So I said, In America you can make coffee and take a shower at the same time. That is basically my story.

Why did you move to NYC?

I didn’t know the East Village existed. I came from a kibbutz in Israel. I just felt suffocated both in the kibbutz and in Israel. I used to be a dancer and I wanted to study acting and mime, and more dance.

I did do theater here. Mostly in the EV. I acted, directed and produced. I even had a theater for 5 minutes. On Ninth Street in 1986. The New York Theater Asylum with a partner Tri Garrity.

Immediately when I arrived to New York, the East Village became my place. It was an instant attraction. Why? Maybe because I was a bit marginal? And most everyone else seemed a bit marginal. I loved all the colorful people here.

I met my husband about a year and a half after I got here. We were married for 36 years till his death, last year. My beautiful gay husband.

I got the apartment through a friend. One day the landlord knocked on my door and asked me if I wanted the lease. First I thought it was a trick, but then I realized he was serious. He always treated me nicely. Though the building suffered — years and years without heat.

I love the East Village — the community, it is still a lovely community, and it was affordable.









What do you love about your apartment?

Well, at the end of the day, my apartment is my temple. I made it so. Before the renovations, you have no clue what it looked like. It was disgusting. And the roaches. The first time my parents came to visit, one night I came in at 11 and saw my parents on all fours chasing roaches. I told myself, That’s it, I’m gonna win the war.

And I did. But as I’m growing older, I want a real kitchen, a real bathroom, and a real bedroom. I really do want it.







If you're interested in inviting Susan in to photograph your apartment for an upcoming post, then you may contact her via this email.

The end is nearing for the Sunshine Cinema

[EVG photo from August]

It's getting closer for the end credits to roll at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema on East Houston.

As The Lo-Down first reported yesterday, the new owners of the building housing the theater have filed demolition permits to take down the three-level structure here between Eldridge and Forsyth.

Back in May, the Post reported that East End Capital and K Property Group bought the building for $31.5 million with plans to convert it to a mixed-use development with retail and upstairs office space. The site includes 20,000 square feet of air rights.

First sign of the impending new development came in August when workers were taking soil samples...


[EVG photo from Aug. 10]

Landmark reportedly had the opportunity to buy the property, but decided against it after CB3 voted down a proposal for a full liquor license for a cafe in the theater in 2012 for pre- and post-movie drinks and dinner.

Landmark instead decided to invest in a state-of-the-art theater (with an adjoining bar-cafe) that recently opened on West 57th Street.

The Sunshine is expected to close in early 2018. No date has been set. As of now, the Sunshine website lists midnight movies scheduled through Jan. 27 with a possible grand finale of "Dog Day Afternoon."

And a little history of the theater/building, via its website:

Opened December 21, 2001. Built in 1898, the Sunshine Cinema building was formerly the Houston Hippodrome motion picture theatre and a Yiddish vaudeville house but for over 50 years it had been shuttered serving as a hardware warehouse. Landmark has restored the theatre back to its artistic roots and now offers the art-house film lover five state-of-the-art screens dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film as well as non-traditional studio programming...

Given the numerous alterations through the years, the building was never deemed landmark-worthy by the city.

Anyway, I've been taking a few photos each time that I visited the theater in recent months, such as when I was the only person in the auditorium for a screening of "Wetlands" in September...













... and one day maybe...


[East End Capital]

The East End Capital website states that "ground breaking is expected in the second quarter of 2018."

For what?

While pursuing tenants interested in utilizing the structure in its current form, work is also underway for a new, best-in-class office building with retail at the base – a first in the rapidly evolving Lower East Side.