65 E. 2nd St. now with a little off the ask

Back in July 2016, we wrote about 65 E. Second St., the charming townhouse for sale between First Avenue and Second Avenue across from the New York City Marble Cemetery.

At the time, the asking price was $5.75 million.

Leslie J.. Garfield still has the listing... the ask is now $5.2 million. Here's the listing to refresh your memory (pay attention to Apt. 3!):

[T]his 4,600 square foot townhouse has been fully gut renovated into three gracious apartments overlooking the Marble Cemetery, the oldest public cemetery in New York City.

Originally built c. 1834 as a Greek Revival-style row house with cast-iron stoop posts and hand-railings, basket-style iron fire escape, rope moldings and historic wood casement windows and transoms.

65 East 2nd Street is located in the prime East Village, on the cusp of NoHo and the Lower East Side, surrounded by new condominium developments, cafes, boutique shops, and trendy restaurants. This turnkey townhouse is suitable for both end-users and investors alike, with the ability to move into the owner’s duplex with incredibly low annual expenses (Tax Class 2B and tenant paid utilities), while offering longterm upside in a rapidly developing neighborhood.

APT 1: Currently configured as a three-bedroom, three bath garden duplex featuring Central Air-Conditioning, custom chef ’s kitchen and cabinetry, high-end finishes, washer/dryer and two private outdoor spaces. Current tenant pays $8,750 per month. Lease Expires August 2018.

APT 2: Currently configured as a fully renovated three bedroom, two bath apartment featuring central air conditioning, gut renovated kitchen and bathrooms, 11’ ceiling heights, and unobstructed, sunlit views north. Current tenant pays $6,600 per month. Lease Expires July 2018.

APT 3: Occupied by a life-tenancy, this apartment is currently configured as a fully renovated three bedroom, two bath apartment featuring central air conditioning, gut renovated kitchen and bathrooms, 9.5’ ceiling heights, and unobstructed, sunlit views north. Tenant pays $500 per month in perpetuity.

... and two interior shots and the front view...

No trespassing (or hunting or fishing) at the former Cafe Orlin

In recent weeks several readers have noted that some travelers/crusties have been camped out overnight at the former Cafe Orlin outdoor space on St. Mark's Place east of Second Avenue... which prompted the arrival of no trespassing signs that someone (the landlord?) posted ... these particular signs include hunting and fishing along with the no trespassing for good measure ...



News broke in early September that the restaurant was closing after service on Oct. 15.

Grub Street reported at the time that "a new restaurant will open in its place." There haven't been any updates on that just yet, including with construction permits filed at the DOB.

Cafe Orlin opened in March 1981.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Cafe Orlin will close next month after 36 years in business (34 comments)

A milestone for 'Stomp'

[Photo of the new marquee from last week]

Today, "Stomp" celebrates 10,000 performances at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

"Stomp" — created in 1991 by Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell in England — began its run at the Orpheum in February 1994.

People magazine noted the number of props the cast of the dance/percussion show has used at the Orpheum:

• 19,000 wood-handled brooms (glued, coated with marine epoxy, and covered with nylon strapping tape).
• 5,900 metal trash bins (three varieties of bins are used in the show — two imported from the UK, the third manufactured in the U.S.).
• 2,100 sheets of Masonite
• 600 wooden poles

For awhile, it looked as if "Stomp" wouldn't be holding any milestones here. In April 2015, the owners of the Orpheum were suing the producers of "Stomp" to prevent them from leaving the theater. However, a Manhattan judge ruled that the production was allowed to discontinue its contract and move on to a new theater in Midtown.

But! An arbitrator later ruled that the show must stay put after it tried to relocate to a competing playhouse uptown.

Here's some history of the Orpheum Theatre via Cinema Treasures:

The site on which the Orpheum stands is alleged to have been a concert garden as early as the 1880s and, as such, to be one of the oldest continuously operating places of gathering for entertainment events in New York City.

A 1904 NY Times article describes a visit to the Orpheum as an evening which began with entertainment from a Hungarian orchestra, continued with dinner in the 7 o'clock hour, and concluded with a three-hour stage show by a Viennese theatre company.

The theatre was part of the exploding Second Avenue Yiddish theatre scene in the early decades of the 20th century but was exhibiting motion pictures by at least 1921. By 1926 it was operated by the Meyer & Schneider circuit. Additional references indicate that it continued to do so through the mid-1950s.

Police seeking this grand larceny suspect on 11th Street

The NYPD is looking for a suspect who reportedly broke into a vehicle on 11th Street and stole nearly $2,500 worth of clothes and electronics.

According to Town & Village, the theft took place last Wednesday outside 526 E. 11th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Here's surveillance video via Patch:



Police described the suspect as "Hispanic, around 35 years old, 5-5 and 155 lbs. with a medium complexion." He was last seen wearing a green hat, black sneakers, black jacket and blue jeans.

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online.

East Village launch pad

Photo today by Grant Shaffer...

[Updated] New owner lined up for the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place

An applicant is expected to appear before the CB3-SLA committee this month for a new liquor license for the Grassroots Tavern at 20 St. Mark's Place.

According to the questionnaire (PDF here) posted for the public on the CB3 website, the applicant is Richard Precious. The paperwork describes this as "a sale of assets."

Precious started a mini chain of bars called the Ginger Man in Texas in 1985 (named after the J.P. Donleavy novel). He opened a Ginger Man on East 36th Street near Fifth Avenue in 1996. (He sold the Texas bars in 2000. There are also Ginger Man bars in Greenwich and Norwalk, Conn.)

The questionnaire does not specify if the basement-level Grassroots space would be renamed or renovated. There's a mention of food ("casual restaurant fare"). The proposed hours remain roughly the same (4 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday through Friday instead of the current 3 p.m. to 4 a.m.), but with an earlier start on Saturday and Sunday (1 p.m.). The live jazz performances on Sunday evening will continue, per the questionnaire. (And it looks as if the lone TV will remain.)


[EVG file photo]

No word yet when — or if — the change in ownership will occur and what type of modifications may occur at the Grassroots, which opened here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue in 1975.

As for what might be in store, here's an overview of the NYC Ginger Man via New York magazine:

As much a pub as a Mercedes SUV is a jeep, the Ginger Man feels like Euro Disney's vision of the classic Irish watering hole. Nothing is done in half measures, whether it's the mind-boggling selection of beers and single malts or the JFK, Jr.-look-alike bartenders. And while the clientele is all business during the day, this vision of J. Press heaven loosens its tie and kicks off its heels at night. On a recent visit, suit-and-tie singles, post-MSG sports fans and an impromptu wrap party for an off-Broadway play co-existed peacefully, with more than enough wandering room and cozy corners for all.

A change in the GR status quo isn't a big surprise. In January 2016, Klosed Properties bought the landmarked 20 St. Mark's Place from Jim Stratton, who is also the majority owner of the Grassroots. At that time, a source with some background of the deal said that the bar had a lease for the next five years, with an option after that for renewal.

However, there have been unsubstantiated-to-date rumors in circulation that the current incarnation of the Grassroots would close before the end of its current lease.

Meanwhile, several applicants had been looking at opening a bar-restaurant in the upstairs space that previously housed Sounds. However, those plans never materialized.

The December CB3-SLA committee meeting is Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Perseverance House Community Room, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Updated 12/7

The bar's Facebook page announced tonight that the Grassroots will close after service on New Year's Eve. More to come...

Previously on EV Grieve:
20 St. Mark's Place, home of the Grassroots Tavern, has been sold

Your chance to live in this historic home above the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place

Pourt has closed on Cooper Square

Pourt, the cafe-work space combo at 35 Cooper Square, shut down after service on Friday.

There's a message on the bottom of the Pourt website noting that they "are unfortunately no longer operating. Thank you to all of our customers."



It seemed like a good idea on paper: a mixture of coffeehouse and workspace. People could rent a desk with speedy fiber optics by the hour ($7) and order bottomless coffee ($2.99). There was also access to printers, phone chargers, Skype facilities, etc., as well as a larger conference room for small groups.

The New York Business Journal wrote about the space back in March:

Pourt is striving to create a new hybrid, a mixture of coffeehouse and workspace, emphasizing short-term stays. Whether there are enough freelancers and small businesses that can pay those fees is yet to be determined.

It‘s located on Cooper Square, strategically situated near Cooper Union, NYU, Manhattan Marymount College dorms and the Standard Hotel in the bustling East Village. The combined space measures 2,000 square feet.

Founders Matt Tervooren, 28, and 27-year-old Mike Kruszewski, lived in the East Village (Tervooren recently moved to Williamsburg) and met as economics majors at the University of Michigan. When they freelanced, they were “consistently frustrated by the lack of good Wifi, lack of available seating, or having the barista frowning at you if you don’t order more food,” Tervooren noted.

Pourt, he said, “combines the two concepts, a coffee shop with a comfortable work space.” And what differentiates Pourt from other co-working spaces such as WeWork and Regus is customers “don’t have to make long-term commitments. If you’re looking for a permanent office, we’re not right,” he admitted.

So what happened? One local who frequented the space offered this analysis:

Their rent was very high and they had a lot of square footage. They took so much space because they originally thought they could have space in the back where people would pay to work during the day. Their rent required that the work space generate substantial revenue. But nobody wanted to pay $10+/hour to work in the back when there are so many other options nearby. So they tried a bunch of other business models over the past year, trying to figure out how to generate enough revenue to pay crazy East Village rents on a large space that a coffee shop model alone couldn’t support. They were nice guys and worked hard ... it’s a shame.

Pourt opened back in January in the base of the Marymount Manhattan College dormitory here at Sixth Street.

The owners were unsuccessful in their bid for a full liquor license in July.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Pourt softly opens on Cooper Square

Pourt signage arrives at Cooper Square dorm retail space

Looking at Mani in Pasta on 14th Street

Mani in Pasta looks ready to start serving at 245 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue ... (EVG regular Pinch saw some customers inside in what was likely a friends-family test run...)



This is the second location for the Italian restaurant. (The other spot is on 37th Street between Fifth and Madison.) Here's more about what they serve via Facebook:

The best Roman Style Pizza "Pizza al Taglio" but also Southern Italian Appetizers, Handmade Panini, Signature Pastas, Salads, Coffees, Pastries and Gelato...

[Image via Facebook]

You can find their menu and hours here.

Meanwhile, the letter spacing between the P and the A in PASTA has been corrected...


[Photo from September]

In recent years, the address was home to Mimi's Hummus, Wicked Wolf BBQ and Joey Pepperoni's.

Garden expression

[Photo by Steven]

There's a message — Garden Here — on the eastern wall facing the empty lots where 119-123 Second Ave. used to stand at Seventh Street.

Likely wishful thinking. Late this past spring, Shaky Cohen's Nexus Building Development Group paid $9.15 million for 119 and 121 Second Ave. at Seventh Street. To date, there haven't been any new building permits filed with the city.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: 2nd Avenue explosion sites have a new owner

Dedicating Moises Locón Way and Nicholas Figueroa Way on 2nd Avenue at 7th Street

You can now press your face against the windows of the incoming Target store on 14th and A

If you should want to. The sidewalk bridge, barriers, fencing, etc., have recently been removed here on 14th Street at Avenue A at Extell's new retail-residential development ...



The retail, of course, is the small-format Target store with an expected July 2018 opening date.



Previously

Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge opens for the month in the former No Malice Palace space

The former No Malice Palace space on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is now home to a pop-up holiday bar called Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge. They opened on Friday, and will close on Jan. 1

Via the bar's website:

We've decked the halls with pop-up magic and stuffed your stockings with craft cocktails and mulled wine. Fire places, grandma's quilts and xmas decorations galore... a visit to this heard's house party will make your Insta-Story lit.... we're not kidding, there are a ton of lights. Don't forget to grab a photo-op in front of the custom "Reindeer Playing Poker" mural in the back yard! Whether you have a last minute holiday party to plan or just need to get your yule-tide on, Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge is your home away from holiday ho-ho-ho... you get it.

The cocktails ($13) include Zuzu's Petals, Elf Nog and (seriously) Nog-Gonna Make to Work Tomorrow.

A feature on the bar in Metro notes, "The decor inside the East Village bar looks as if all the twinkle lights wrapped around the trees and houses in suburbia had been brought inside instead; let’s call it Enthusiastic Dad."

This is the second pop-up holiday bar to open in the East Village this season. Mace, the cocktail bar on Ninth Street near Avenue C, goes by Miracle on Ninth Street during this time of year. (Same bar, just with Christmas decorations.)

No Malice Palace never reopened after the death of its owner, Phil Sherman, in November 2016.

Meanwhile, 222,135 miles away

Early-morning supermoon photos by Bobby Williams...



December's supermoon is reportedly the first of three back-to-back supermoon full moons to come in the next two months, per NASA.

Week in Grieview

[7th and A the other morning]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

Fire under sidewalk bridge on 13th Street temporarily brings an end to homeless encampment (Tuesday)

Watch a bike theft in progress on 3rd Street (Monday)

Preliminary work underway at city-owned empty lot on 3rd Street (Tuesday)

Volunteers on a mission to help reinvigorate Alphabet Scoop on 11th Street (Wednesday)

Reader report: Man spotted exposing himself in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday)

7 years later, a Ben & Jerry's is returning to the East Village (Tuesday)

The latest installment of I Am a Rent-Stabilized Tenant (Thursday)

Parishioners hope their prayers are answered with former Nativity space on 2nd Avenue (Friday)

Not fake news then: Pro-dorm rally organizer admits some participants were paid, report says (Friday)

The 26th annual tree lighting in Tompkins Square Park is Dec. 10 (Thursday)

Agozar! closes on the Bowery (Monday)

Brooklyn man accused of punching ex before leading cops on a chase through the East Village (Thursday)

Kona Coffee and Company now open on 2nd Avenue (Monday)

Mr. Throwback has a new home on 9th Street (Friday)

Baar Baar opens on 1st Street in Avalon Bowery Place (Thursday)

"Shadowman," the documentary on Richard Hambleton, debuts at the Quad (Friday)

122CC signage arrives at the refurbished 122 Community Center on 1st Avenue (Friday)

"Kitchen separated by the fridge" (Wednesday)

80 E. 10th St. tops out (Monday)

Turntable 5060 is now Tapanju Turntable, and it opened Friday (Thursday)

Gino Sorbillo opens his pizzeria on the Bowery (Monday)

Turning Rutherford Place into 1987 Russia (Friday)

Pizza in the mix for former Cock space on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday)

NiceBrow bows on 9th Street (Wednesday)

Canal Pizza opening in the former Cup & Saucer Luncheonette space on the LES (Wednesday)

... and here's Andre Trenier's December mural at Mikey Likes It at 199 Avenue A near East 12th Street...



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9th Street lights

Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue is usually one of the more festive blocks during the holiday season... on Friday, workers started putting up the lights...



... and by last evening...





Thanks to Steven for the photos...

Previously