Two views of the sunset this evening from 14th Street and Avenue C ... courtesy of EVG reader Durk Snowden...
Monday, January 15, 2018
Monday's parting shots
Two views of the sunset this evening from 14th Street and Avenue C ... courtesy of EVG reader Durk Snowden...
MLK weekend at Middle Collegiate Church with Civil Rights icon Ruby Sales
Text and photos by Dan Efram
Middle Collegiate Church, 112 Second Ave., yesterday hosted “Redeem the Soul of America,” a special discussion honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s legacy with Civil Rights icon Ruby Sales.
Sales described her work with The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the critical role of women in the Movement, and gave the attentive audience context as to the foundations of racism and bigotry that have permeated American society.
“For black people, the streets and the fields have always been subversive sites,” Sales contextualizes. “It was the same during the Southern Freedom Movement. The streets that once upon a time where places in the South where black people should not be caught. We transformed them from dangerous places to liberating spaces.
“One of the things that the Movement literally did was to transform sites of terror, sites of oppression, into sites of liberation and sites of honor,” she said. "It was an honor to go to jail. It was an honor to be arrested on the streets of America.”
Though there were many enlightening moments, perhaps the most salient point was her description of a movement.
“A movement is dangerous, it’s not warm and fuzzy and cozy,” Sales said. “It doesn’t happen without a community to cover and guard you. It’s not an action of a few justice elites. It’s a community enterprise. You can’t be in a movement if you are afraid to die.”
The talk was led by Middle Collegiate Church’s Senior Minister Rev. Jacqui Lewis (above, left), who told of Sales’ direct impact on her life. Watch the full discussion here.
EV Grieve Etc.: Tommy Wiseau at the Sunshine; NYC's best bagels — mapped
[Photo on Houston and the Bowery yesterday by Derek Berg]
No-heat complaints at the Max Meltzer Senior Center on First Street (PIX 11)
Firefighter stationed at Ladder 11 on Second Street accused of trafficking fentanyl (The Daily News ... NY1)
City announces new deal to replace facilities lost in Rivington House fiasco (Curbed)
SLA nixes proposed restaurant at Allen and East Houston from Sons of Essex team (The Lo-Down)
SLA suspends liquor license for the troubled Delilah on Rivington Street (The Daily News)
One last glitzy premiere at the Sunshine (Page Six ... previously)
And then there was Tommy Wiseau at the Sunshine (Slum Goddess)
Map: Where to find the city's best bagels (Eater)
U.S. theatrical premiere of "Pow Wow" starts Friday at the Anthology Film Archives (Official site)
Rivington Street deli robbed at gunpoint (PIX 11)
The 1950s-1960s NYC street photography of Jonathan Brand (Creative Boom)
Conflicted thoughts on the Astor Place Kmart (Flaming Pablum)
When Lou Reed and the Talking Heads teamed up for "Femme Fatale" (Dangerous Minds)
Julian Eastman tribute at the Kitchen (The New Yorker)
Lower Manhattan in 1642 (Ephemeral New York)
Some history of Stuyvesant Street (Off the Grid)
And on that note, here's a postcard of the St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery from 1906 ... via the NYPL Digital Collections...
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Week in Grieview
[Friday's fog along the East River]
Stories posted on EVG this past week included...
The Landmark Sunshine Cinema closes on Jan. 21 (Wednesday)
JAM Paper & Envelope is closing on 3rd Avenue (Monday)
PS122 is now Performance Space New York, returns to 1st Avenue (Wednesday)
The nonpayment of rent notice has arrived at East Village Cheese (Friday)
Bella Tile showroom closes on 1st Avenue (Tuesday)
Report of a stabbing on 14th Street at 1st Avenue (Thursday)
Dan & John's Wings looking to expand on 1st Avenue (Monday)
Ayios Greek Rotisserie has closed on St. Mark's Place (Thursday)
Soogil brings Korean dining to 4th Street (Wednesday)
At the opening reception of Samoa's 'Candy Coated Evil' at Howl! Happening (Friday)
Gabay's Outlet has closed on Avenue A (Monday)
The renderings for the all-new 180 2nd Ave. include Leonardo DiCaprio on a Citi Bike (Tuesday)
Unleashed by Petco is unloading its pet supplies as store is closing on 2nd Avenue (Thursday)
Report: LPC rejects glassy addition for landmarked 827-831 Broadway (Thursday)
Polish G. I. Delicatessen signage comes down on 1st Avenue (Thursday)
Sweet Generation turns 3 (Thursday)
... and several people have pointed out this memorial for LES Jewels (Joel Pakela) that arrived this past week in Tompkins Square... he died in September 2013...
[Photo Thursday by Bobby Williams]
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Triang hawk relations: Updates on Christo, Dora and Not-Dora/Nora
Steven took this photo of Christo and Not-Dora/Nora (on the right) yesterday atop the Christodora House on Avenue B.
As previously reported, Christo, the red-tailed hawk of Tompkins Square Park, has been spotted several times in the companionship of this hawk while his longtime partner Dora continues to recuperate from an injured wing suffered in late November.
Goggla had an update on Dora back on Thursday:
[A]s of this week, her wounds have healed, but she is still unable to fly. She is still in the care of WINORR and we are hoping she can exercise her wing and regain strength. I really miss her and I think maybe Christo does, too. I try not to anthropomorphize and project my feelings onto him, but he has been acting sullen and surly since she's been away.
Goggla has more on Christo, Not-Dora/Nora and a juvenile red-tailed hawk in this post.
Meanwhile, Christo has been working on a nest (pro tip: complete the bathroom first) ... one can hopefully speculate that this is in anticipation of Dora's return...
[Nest photos by Steven]
And from yesterday, Christo eating something...
[Photo by Bobby Williams]
P.S.
I have not personally seen the opossum in the Park lately ... but there have been several sightings this past week. Perhaps we'll have some photographic evidence soon. Because people have asked about the opossum.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Scandal in Tompkins Square Park as Christo courts new hawk while Dora recuperates
The 'other' hawk
Get well soon, Dora!
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Plywood and a petition at 84 2nd Ave.
[Photo Thursday by peter radley]
On Thursday, workers boarded up the second-floor window of the long-empty storefront at 84 Second Ave. just south of Fifth Street.
This was apparently done to take care of a "failure to maintain" complaint about a crack in the second-floor window, per city records.
As previously reported, the newish owners are looking to make some major renovations to the building that's in the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. (Owners of buildings located within a designated New York City historic district must receive a permit from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for major work.)
Among other things, there are plans to create four residential units (condos???) at No. 84. The work plans are still awaiting city approval. (The city disapproved them on Thursday, per the Department of Buildings.)
There is also a petition in circulation in opposition to the planned alterations to the rear of the building.
Per the petition:
The proposed changes would:
1 - Alter the building’s footprint by tearing down the rear wall, extending the building 12 feet into the backyard and bricking over 5 windows.
2 - Allow for construction of a one story commercial extension to occupy the remainder of the backyard, with a full basement and a roof terrace.
3 - Alter the rear wall profile by adding two balconies and a roof terrace.
The building’s architectural integrity and the character of the property would be lost if this application is approved.
Its approval would permit drastic and irreversible changes to a 175-year-old property that has historically complemented the surrounding buildings and yards.
Neighbors only within the vicinity of 2nd Avenue & 5th Street and 2nd Avenue & 4th Street are invited to sign this petition. If signing YOUR ADDRESS MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE COMMENT FIELD.
This Monday (Jan. 15!) is the deadline for signing the petition.
And to the history... which we've noted several times through the years... the address has a dark past. This is from The New York Times, dated Jan. 18, 1974:
The nude body of a 40-year-old woman propiretor of a tailor shop that rents tuxedos on the Lower East Side was found bludgeoned to death. The victim was Helen Sopolsky of 84 Second Avenue, near fifth Street, whose shop is one flight up at that address. The motive of the attack was not determined immediately....
As far as some longtime residents can remember, the storefront has remained empty since Helen's death in 1974. (Helen was Betty's sister.)
For years, you could see a plastic-covered dinner jacket in the second-story window with the neon sign that reads "DRESS SUITS TO HIRE."
[Photo by Jeremiah Moss]
Previously on EV Grieve:
Workers clearing out the mysterious 84 2nd Ave. storefront
Renovations proposed for mysterious 84 2nd Ave.
Noted
Spotted on the front door of a building on First Street...
If you don't have any
business with Apt. 5 or
deliveries for Apt. 5 STOP
ringing APT. 5 I'm tired of
you FUCKIN' MORONS
bothering me!!!
No word if the occupant of Apt. 5 is speaking for the entire building.
Today in double spills on 14th Street
Actually this unfortunate double spill likely happened last night as the KFC on 14th Street and Second Avenue wasn't open yet today.
Meanwhile, we will work to recreate how this occurred. It doesn't appear to be a drop, given the position of the cups and the integrity of the structure... the spill tracks also suggest a more gentle flow as opposed to a splat (scientifically speaking).
And we'll sample to see if this was, in fact, Tropicana® Fruit Punch ...
Friday, January 12, 2018
Don't break down
Here's Jawbreaker with "Boxcar" from 1994... Tickets to Jawbreaker’s three shows at Brooklyn Steel in late February went on sale today. And those tickets apparently went quickly.
Brooklyn sold out. Come see us in Los Angeles!
— Jawbreaker (@JawbreakerBand) January 12, 2018
At the opening reception of Samoa's 'Candy Coated Evil' at Howl! Happening
"Candy Coated Evil," a solo exhibition by Samoa, curated by Kembra Pfahler, had its opening reception Wedneday night at Howl! Happening.
Text and photos by Dan Efram
Samoa's beautiful opening was inspiring. Artists and supporters from the past and present of the NYC arts scene packed the space on East First Street at the Bowery.
[Samoa]
Curated by his longtime artistic partner Kembra Pfahler, the show encompassed props and costumes from many of their performances together. However, to these eyes, the real stars of this show are Samoa's voluminous painted works. Most of these brightly colored pieces, mixed in subjects with a dark political humor and history. These are social injustice pieces that engage and enlighten.
Highly recommended. Runs until Feb. 11.
And don't miss a performance by Kembra and Samoa tomorrow night from 7-9. (Find more info on that here.)
[Kembra Pfahler and Samoa]
Find more details on the exhibit as well as the dates and times of the special events here.
Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project is located at 6 E. First St. between the Bowery and Second Avenue.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Samoa's 'Candy Coated Evil' opens tomorrow at Howl! Happening
The nonpayment of rent notice has arrived at East Village Cheese
[Photo by Dave on 7th]
As we've been noting, East Village Cheese at 80 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue has been closed since the first week of December. (Recaps here and here.)
Yesterday, legal documents from the Civil Court of the City of New York arrived on the front door with a "Notice of Petition of Non-Payment" (aka the rent is past due).
A quick look at the paperwork on the door shows that the East Village Cheese owners owe $32,697 ...
The balance goes back to July ... with the full amount of $6,489.60 due each month for rent since August, per the paperwork, which is dated Dec. 19.
On Dec. 21, co-owner Lobsang Tsultrim was spotted at the storefront along with a Remove All My Junk truck. Before some of the perishable items had been discarded, the aroma of ripe cheese had been noticeable in the adjacent storefront. (The power at East Village Cheese has also been off since early December.)
East Village Cheese moved here from Third Avenue in September 2015. By April 2016, regulars started worrying about the shop's longterm financial health. For good reason, as it turned out.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Neighbor: East Village Cheese, closed now for 2 weeks, is starting to smell
A 2ND MULCHFEST HAS BEEN ADDED BY OVERWHELMING POPULAR DEMAND
In case you missed last weekend's Mulchapalooza in Tompkins Square Park... the Parks Department is holding another one tomorrow and Sunday...
However, please note that on-site chipping will not take place. Per the Parks Department website: "all holiday trees dropped off at MulchFest sites will still be recycled." (But how can it be a MulchFest without any actual mulching happening in the Park?)
Anyway! Goggla has photos AND video from last weekend's festivities...
#MulchFest 2018 has been extended! You can drop off your🎄 for recycling at any of our 78 MulchFest locations through Sunday, January 14! Find a location near you at https://t.co/1vLwWlRGdw. pic.twitter.com/MBvamtZuTt
— NYC Parks (@NYCParks) January 8, 2018
However, please note that on-site chipping will not take place. Per the Parks Department website: "all holiday trees dropped off at MulchFest sites will still be recycled." (But how can it be a MulchFest without any actual mulching happening in the Park?)
Anyway! Goggla has photos AND video from last weekend's festivities...
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Thursday's parting shot
A little late to be storing for winter? Photo in Tompkins Square Park today via Steven...
[Updated] Report of a stabbing on 14th Street at 1st Avenue
[Photo by William Klayer]
The NYPD is investigating a stabbing that took place this morning around 11:45 outside the Community Grocery & Candy on 14th Street just west of First Avenue.
There aren't many details at the moment. Per Patch:
The knifeman was wearing a black leather jacket and ran away after attacking the victim, an NYPD spokeswoman said. He has not been arrested.
Police said the injured man was transported to the hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.
As of now, there isn't a description of the suspect or motive in the stabbing.
Updated 1/12
Town & Village has more on the story...
The two men had gotten into an argument inside a store that turned physical, police said, spilling out onto the street. At one point, one of the men took out a sharp object and slashed the 54-year-old victim. Police said both individuals are “known to the neighborhood,” though they don’t know the name of the suspect and haven’t arrested him.
The victim was taken to the hospital, where he was treated and released.
The suspect is described as Hispanic and about 6 ft. 2 inches tall and was wearing a long, leather coat.
Ayios Greek Rotisserie has closed on St. Mark's Place
[Photo yesterday by Steven]
Word is spreading that the Greek restaurant at 2 St. Mark's Place at Third Avenue/Cooper Square has called it a day.
One of the workers in a nearby kiosk told Steven that Ayios closed at the end of 2017. The gate has been down during advertised business hours of late. There's nothing mentioning a closure on their website. There's no answer on the phone... while Yelp is reporting that they have closed...
The restaurant opened on Aug. 31, 2016 at No. 2, whose previous tenant was the St. Mark's Ale House. They closed in July 2016 after 21 years in business.
H/T EVG reader Paul!
Polish G. I. Delicatessen signage comes down on 1st Avenue
[Reader-submitted photo]
Workers yesterday removed the Polish G. I. Delicatessen awning at 109 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.
The space is undergoing renovations for what is believed to be an outpost of Shawarma House, which specializes in halal Turkish dishes from a quick-serve space on West 39th Street and a cart on Staten Island.
Polish G. I. Delicatessen, the Eastern European specialty foods shop, closed this past July after 21 years in business. Read more about that closure here.
Sweet Generation is 3 today
Sweet Generation, the bakery at 130 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, is celebrating its third anniversary (birthday?) today... to celebrate, there are some freebies while supplies last.
Sweet Generation partners with several nonprofit organizations and local high schools to create an internship program that teaches baking, food safety, customer service, work readiness, and entrepreneurship to teens and young adults from low-income communities.
Report: LPC rejects glassy addition for landmarked 827-831 Broadway
[DXA Studio]
On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) nixed the reflective, four-story addition proposed for 827-831 Broadway between 12th Street and 13th Street.
Curbed has coverage here. A few excerpts:
The Commission’s verdict followed hours of public testimony, where most people spoke in opposition to the project describing it as “overwhelming,” “grotesque,” and “atrocious,” among other descriptors.
But not everyone hated the proposal.
There were many who came out in support of the four-story rooftop addition too, most notably a number of art gallery owners, who praised the design and the aesthetic.
“This is a great homage to the existing building,” said Arnie Zimmerman, an art gallery owner.
“This impresses me in that the scale is exciting,” said Sally Wasserman, who lives in a building that neighbors the project.
Commissioner Michael Devonshire reportedly praised architect Jordan Rogove, though thought that this particular addition "may have been more appropriate as a de Kooning museum out in a field in East Hampton."
The LPC ultimately told the design team to return with a revised proposal, as Curbed reported.
This past November, the LPC voted to landmark the circa-1866 cast-iron buildings where artists Willem and Elaine de Kooning and Paul Jenkins, among others, lived and worked.
That decision spared the address from demolition. As previously reported, Quality Capital and Caerus Group bought the parcel in 2015 for $60 million. The deal reportedly included 30,000 square feet of air rights, which would be put to use for a 14-floor office building.
The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) had campaigned for more than 18 months to help preserve these buildings.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: 14-story building planned for 827 Broadway
An appeal to landmark these buildings on Broadway
There's a proposed addition for the recently landmarked 827-831 Broadway
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Morning routine
Derek Berg photographed this man in Tompkins Square Park this morning... taking part in some deep-breathing exercises that also involved rubbing snow on his head and bare chest.
Report: The Landmark Sunshine Cinema closes on Jan. 21
The owners of the the Landmark Sunshine Cinema on East Houston have made its closing date official: Jan. 21.
Deadline Hollywood broke the story last night.
Ted Mundorff, CEO of Landmark Theatres, took a pragmatic tone when reached by Deadline. “We’ve known it was coming,” he said. No special programming or commemoration is planned on the final weekend, he confirmed. “There’s nothing to celebrate.”
The Sunshine moved up "Dog Day Afternoon" one weekend, and the Al Pacino classic will play alongside "Super Fly" as the theater's last midnight movies on Jan. 19-20.
To recap, last 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.
In November, the new owners of the building housing the theater filed demolition permits to take down the three-level structure here between Eldridge and Forsyth, per The Lo-Down.
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 now offers those amenities at a new theater on West 57th Street.
The Sunshine had been expected to close in early 2018. The recent arrival of some special screenings at the theater gave hope to some Sunshine regulars that, perhaps, the place would remain open for a few months longer...
... and there was a tweet from the Sunshine about the Oscars...
We'll be back live-tweeting #TheOscars on March 4 so be sure to mark your calendars, everyone!
— Sunshine Cinema (@sunshine_cinema) January 8, 2018
The Sunshine opened on Dec. 21, 2001.
[2001 photo via Facebook]
Built in 1898, the Sunshine Cinema building was formerly the Houston Hippodrome motion picture theatre and a Yiddish vaudeville house.
[Photo taken during the BombCyclone last Thursday]
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