Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Souper Tuesday

As previously noted, Ciao for Now at 523 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B now offers a soup service (along with a few other menu items) — to stay or to go — on Tuesday evenings from 5-10.

And tonight...


The cafe shut down its dining room after 17 years at the end of January. However, ownership was continuing on with their catering business as well as using the space for community events.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ciao For Now is closing after 17 years on 12th Street; will continue with catering business

Construction watch: 3 E. 3rd St.



The condoplex coming to 3 E. Third St. just off the Bowery recently made its first appearance above the plywood.

Inspiron, the project's construction manager, has the details on what to expect:

The Building is a concrete design that will be roughly 13,400 square-feet. The space will be split between residential spaces on the upper floors with luxurious roof top access and commercial space on the lower floors. The project is anticipated to be complete in the spring of 2019.

Since the last look at the site, the building has been modified.

This is the PREVIOUS rendering...


[Rendering via Barrett Design]

And now the updated rendering ...


[Barrett Design]

Here's CityRealty on what's different:

[T]he building has been reduced by one floor, the setback removed, and will use metal instead of stone. The design will complement the austere zinc façade of Selldorf’s tower next door, and be clad in a glass and metal curtain wall of full-height windows, metal fins, and I-beam like spandrel sections.

The former building at this site most recently served as short-term rentals for students and interns.


[3 E. 3rd St. in April 2015]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Development site available on East 3rd Street at the Bowery

Demolition watch: 3 E. 3rd St.

A townhouse in a penthouse on 9th Street


[Image via Streeteasy]

I never paid much attention to 214 E. Ninth St., a residential building between Second Avenue and Third Avenue that counted the now-closed Dahlia's Tapas Wine Bar as a retail tenant.

Apparently it's quite nice inside... at least the top-floor unit that just arrived on the market is...

Here's the listing via Streeteasy:

A townhouse in an East Village Penthouse! Must be seen to truly experience all of the amazing design flourishes that went into making this home an Architectural Digest-featured property. No detail was overlooked in the gut renovation of this triplex, convertible-two bedroom with sprawling rooftop garden, and complete with outdoor shower.

All kitchen cabinets were designed specifically for this home and stained to match the neutral color palette throughout, with a custom Lacanche range and full-slab Carrera marble countertops and backsplash. The sun-drenched, south-facing living room has vaulted 18’ ceilings, oversize windows, and a fireplace.

The stairs lead up to a sitting area/media room, which was formerly the apartment’s master bedroom, and has an extensive walk-in custom closet. The master bathroom has a steam and rain shower, as well as free-standing, clawfoot tub, which is accentuated by a vintage crystal Kinkeldey chandelier. Full-slab granite marble flooring and a double Carrera marble vanity receive plenty of extra light from the bathroom’s skylight. The top floor is the master suite, with an operable window wall that leads out onto your own private rooftop oasis.

And some photos...









Price: $2.650 million.

It previously sold for $1.495 million in 2014, per Streeteasy.

Report: New building permits filed for former St. Denis Hotel property


[Image via Wikipedia Commons]

Plans are moving forward for a new office development at 799 Broadway at 11th Street — the former St. Denis Hotel.

The Real Deal reported that Normandy Real Estate Partners filed permit applications for a new 12-story building.

Here's more from New York Yimby:

Original reports said the development of 799 Broadway was limited to a gut renovation of the interior structure and a vertical expansion of the historic corner property. Permits filed ... however, reveal the construction of a new, 12-story, 182-foot-tall building containing 182,626 square feet of Class-A office space. An additional 10,032 square feet will be dedicated to an unspecified community facility.

TRD also had an updated rendering of the building via design firm Perkins + Will...



Demolition permits haven't been filed just yet for 799 Broadway. As previously noted, the 165-year-old building is noteworthy for many reasons. It opened in 1853 as the St. Denis Hotel, which is where Ulysses S. Grant wrote his post-Civil War memoirs and Alexander Graham Bell provided the first demonstration of the telephone to New Yorkers.

However, the building is not landmarked... and it is not in a Historic District.

Vanishing New York's Jeremiah Moss, a former tenant at the address, wrote a feature titled "The Death and Life of a Great American Building" for The New York Review of Books back in March.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Former St. Denis Hotel selling for $100 million

End of days at the St. Denis

Former El Maguey y La Tuna space for rent on East Houston



As we first noted, El Maguey y La Tuna, the 15-year-old Mexican restaurant on East Houston between Attorney and Ridge, closed at the end of February. The landlord reportedly upped the monthly rent from $7,000 to $14,000.

A "for lease" banner recently arrived on the storefront. We didn't spot a listing just yet at the Oxford Property Group website. However, a Loop Net listing from late March shows an ask of $125 per square foot.

Meanwhile, in the building next door, the 24/7 East Village Deli & Grill has been closed the past three-four times that we've walked by... the phone number is also no longer in service...

Sugar Sketch closes storefront to focus on catering and special orders



Sugar Sketch, the bakery-cake shop on Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B, has changed its method of operation starting this week. Owner-baker Martina Nardo explains in this letter posted on the shop's social media accounts (and front door):



So, as you can see, for now Sugar Sketch will focus on the catering end of the business. You can contact the shop via their website here.

The small bakery opened here in the fall of 2016. You can read our Q&A with Nardo here.

Monday, April 16, 2018

Monday's parting shot



A look at the early evening downtown skyline via Bobby Williams...

The 9th Precinct's monthly Community Council Meeting is tomorrow (Tuesday!) night



The 9th Precinct's Community Council meetings take place on the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. ... at the 9th Precinct, 321 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

This is an opportunity for residents to address any concerns and ask 9th Precinct officials for their input on recent crime statistics ... and more.

7th Precinct hosting Women's Empowerment Night at Hamilton Fish Park



On Wednesday, the 7th Precinct’s Neighborhood Coordination Officers, Toni Burke and Erica Rivera (pictured below), are hosting a night dedicated to women’s empowerment at the Hamilton Fish Recreation Center.

The evening (from 5 to 7) includes several guest speakers and self-defense tips from Hamilton Fish Recreation Center trainer Dana Brown.

The Center is at 128 Pitt. St. just east of Houston.


[From left: Toni Burke, Dana Brown and Erica Rivera]

H/T Stacie Joy!

Champion Coffee opens Wednesday on 14th Street


[Photo from Sunday]

Champion Coffee debuts Wednesday morning at 319 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue... this is one of three new Manhattan locations for Champion Coffee, which started in 2006 in Greenpoint.

Per their website:

All of our beans are blended to be representative of classic, delicious coffee without hype or trendiness.

We currently roast our beans in Maspeth, Queens.

They will be open daily here from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Champion took over the space from Madman Espresso, which has three other NYC locations, including on University Place.

Post updated to reflect change in grand opening from today to Wednesday.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Champion Coffee taking over the Madman Espresso space on 14th Street

Bakeri closing at the end of the month on 6th Street


[Image via Instagram]

With the opening of one Brooklyn-based coffee shop in the East Village ... comes news of another like-minded establishment closing.

The owners of Bakeri NYC announced yesterday that they are closing their cafe-bakery at the end of the month at 627 E. Sixth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.

They didn't provide a reason for the closure, saying on Instagram: "We are so grateful to have been part of such a lovely neighborhood! Thank you all for all the love and support."

Bakeri, with locations in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, opened in October 2016 and sells homemade bread and pastries as well as Counter Culture Coffee.

It is a good place... foot traffic is tough on the block, though. There's also construction on both ends of the block (here and here).

Previously on EV Grieve:
Brooklyn-based Bakeri now serving bread, croissants and coffee on East 6th Street

The past and future of the Merchant's House Museum

The Wall Street Journal's real-estate section (Mansion!) checked in with a feature on The Merchant's House Museum on Fourth Street, NYC's only 19th-century family home preserved intact.

The story is behind the paper's paywall. Here's an excerpt:

For nearly 100 years it was the residence of hardware merchant Seabury Tredwell and his family. Equally significant, it is the only such building to have intact servants’ quarters, giving a rare glimpse into the everyday lives of the Irish immigrant girls. The late Federal/Greek Revival residence was among the first 20 buildings to be landmarked under the city’s new landmarks law in 1965.

And...

The story of the house begins in 1831. Hatter and real-estate speculator Joseph Brewster bought two adjacent lots for $3,550 and $3,000 in the booming Bond Street area to build two townhouses. He sold one home and moved into the other at 29 E. Fourth St. in 1832. Three years later he sold his townhouse for $18,000 to Seabury Tredwell — about the time Mr. Tredwell was leaving the hardware business for other ventures at age 55. He moved in with his wife, Eliza, and seven children. Their eighth child, Gertrude, born in 1840, was the last occupant. She lived there until she died impoverished at 93. The other townhouse was demolished in 1988.

The Journal asked asked broker Peter Sommer to estimate the listing price if the home were to go on the market today as a single-family residence with six bedrooms, one full bathroom and three half-baths. The answer: $6 million, maybe $9 million with a renovation.

The article doesn't address the pending development next door — an 8-story hotel. Museum officials and preservationists worry that the construction may cause damage to the historical home here between the Bowery and Lafayette.

The developers have promised to take extensive measures to ensure that the neighboring structure will not be harmed during the hotel construction.

As previously reported, CB2 held a public meeting (standing-room only, apparently) last Wednesday evening to discuss the proposed construction. The Board will make its decision on May 9. (Will update time and place later.) You can read the Merchant’s House call to action here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Concern again for Merchant's House Museum as developer moves forward with hotel next door

Image from 2008 via Wikipedia Commons

New restaurant plans for 304 E. 6th St. and 117 Avenue A

Restauranteur Huey Cheng, who currently operates Raku on Sixth Street and Kura on St. Mark's Place, is the applicant of record for two proposed establishments seeking new liquor licenses in front of CB3's SLA committee this month.

Here's a look:

• Entity to be formed by H Cheng, 117 Ave. A (pictured above)

There's not too much information about the unnamed project here between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. According to the questionnaire on file at the CB3 website (PDF here), the establishment will serve "New Age American food."

The proposed hours: noon to 2 a.m. daily. The seating chart shows 14 tables to accommodate 62 guests as well as a 14-seat bar.

The previous occupant, the Black Rose, closed last April after nearly two years in business. No. 117 was the longtime home, until August 2013, of the Odessa Cafe & Bar.

• Entity to be formed by Huey Cheng, 304 E 6th St

Cheng's name is also attached to an application at 304 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Again, not much information on the questionnaire for view at the CB3 website. (PDF here.)

The food is described as "New Age American/Pan-Asian." The proposed hours are daily from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

This address is currently Mayahuel Mariposa, which was Mayahuel. There was some reported conflict over rent and naming rights after Ravi DeRossi and Co. departed and building owner Keith Siilats reopened the space under the same name. (Eater has a recap here.) Now it appears Siilats has a new team taking over the operation.

The CB3-SLA meeting is tonight at 6:30 in the Public Hotel, 17th Floor, Sophia Room, 215 Chrystie St. between Houston and Stanton. Other applicants this month include Bubbleology Tea and the team behind Entwine eyeing the former Golden Market.

By the way, this is the second of the CB3-SLA committee meetings this month. Last Monday's meeting at the Perseverance House Community Room on Fifth Street included the license upgrade for Club Cumming.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Black Rose, 'a neighborhood rock and roll bar,' opening in the former Odessa Cafe and Bar space (73 comments)

Suffolk Arms now closed for renovations and 'mechanical upgrades'


[Photo by Vinny & O]

Last Monday we first noted that Suffolk Arms, the cocktail lounge on Houston at Suffolk, has been closed of late.

There's now signage on the front door noting the temporary closure for "renovation and mechanical upgrades." The bar's social media accounts have disappeared, though the website is still operational.

Neat Pour reported that Suffolk Arms "would reopen at a later date with a new concept, but the same staff." Neat Pour also had that co-owners Ruben Rodriguez and Giuseppe González are "at odds with one another."

The upscale bar, lined with portraits of famous New Yorkers, opened in February 2016.

Sunday, April 15, 2018

April 15



EVG reader Emily Mauney spotted this rather sprightly tree discarded on Avenue B and Second Street earlier today ... and sooo close to Earth Day... and Memorial Day...

Week in Grieview


[Photo on 4th and B via Vinny & O]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

RIP Anthony Pisano (Wednesday)

New-look Alphabet Scoop reopens (Friday)

CB3 to hear request of support for low-income housing at former 2nd Avenue church site (Monday)

Concern again for Merchant's House Museum as developer moves forward with hotel next door (Tuesday)

Paradiso has closed on Avenue B (Wednesday)

Construction watch: 298 E. 2nd St. (Thursday)

A call to help preserve Theatre 80 on St. Mark's Place (Friday)

Scumbags & Superstars closing this month on Clinton Street (Monday)

Beijing-based hot pot chain taking over the former Dunkin' Donuts storefront on 14th Street (Monday)

A look at the other OTHER hawk in Christo's life (Tuesday)

Soft openings on 12th and 2nd: Lumos Kitchen and Dunhuang East Village (Monday)

Karma Books now open on 3rd Street (Wednesday)

Suffolk Arms has not been open lately (Monday)

First Avenue fruit vendors return (Friday)

Team behind West Village wine bar Entwine eyeing former Golden Market space (Thursday)

A warning about off-leash dogs in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday, 28 comments)

More about Bubbleology Tea, possibly coming soon to 1st Avenue (Tuesday)

New locations for OddFellows and Morgenstern's (Wednesday)

On the David Bowery (Thursday)

... and this past week, someone placed this memorial outside the now-closed Webster Hall on 11th Street in honor of DJ Jess (aka Jess Marquis aka Jesse Immler), a house DJ and party promoter at the venue... he died on April 9, 2015. (The cause of death was not made public.)





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Noted


The photographer, Alexi Lubomirski, lives in the East Village — reportedly in Molly Ringwald's old place. This article at Town & Country has more on him, if it's of interest.

Spring in Tompkins Square Park



As a follow-up to the previous post on the overflowing Big Bellies... I appreciate Debbie the gardener’s dedication to keeping the grounds in Tompkins Square Park looking like this...

Warm weather aftermath in Tompkins Square Park


[Yesterday morning]

Several residents have pointed out the over-flowing Big Belly trash cans in and around Tompkins Square Park after two days of warm weather...











The new solar-powered trash cans arrived last July as part of the mayor's $32-million plan to combat vermin in rat-popular neighborhoods, like this one. The Daily News reported at the time that each can costs $7,000.

The city delivered eight more Big Bellies to the Park last fall, and they don't seem to be helping with the overflow of trash, especially during nice days.

H/T Vinny & O and JG!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Looking at the Big Belly 1.0 and 2.0 in and around Tompkins Square Park

Saturday, April 14, 2018

The Post once again chronicles Christo's 'fowl lust'



The New York Post checks in (again!) with a feature on Christo... and the various hawks in his life — Dora, Barucha/Nora/Not-Dora and Amelia.

Here are three passages:

• Tompkins Square Park’s claw-sanova is now servicing not two, but three chicks at the same time.

• The red-tailed stud named Christo made the front page of The Post in March for dipping his, um, beak in the nests of two different female hawks.

• Bird lovers — who have watched Christo and Dora rear 10 chicks and rule the roost at Tompkins for the last five years — are broken up by Christo’s fowl lust.

The piece includes several quotes (and photos) from Goggla.

Updated:

The story appears on Page 3...



Previously on EV Grieve:
A look at the other OTHER hawk in Christo's life

Post explores the complicated relationship of Dora, Christo and Nora/Not-Dora

Friday, April 13, 2018

Friday's parting shot



Photo in Tompkins Square Park today by Lola Sáenz....

'Concrete' jungle



Shame, the UK-based post-punk band, is playing two shows this October out at the Williamsburg Hall of Music. Tickets went on sale today. The above video is for "Concrete," off the band's debut release from January titled Songs of Praise.

EVG Etc.: Sizing up the red-tailed hawks; mapping NYC thrift-vintage clothing shops


[Photo on 2nd Avenue by Derek Berg]

NYCHA chair resigns amid scandals (Curbed)

More drama for tenants at 85 Bowery (The Lo-Down)

A visual comparison of the Tompkins Square Park red-tailed hawks (Laura Goggin Photography)

Girl Scout Troop 6000 — whose members live in city homeless shelters — are selling cookies today and tomorrow from 4-6 p.m. at the Kellogg's Cafe on Union Square (amNewYork)

New website displays neighborhood data that listings leave out (Curbed)

Initial schedule for Coney Island Baby, opening later this month on Avenue A (Brooklyn Vegan ... previously)

MTA testing ‘MYmta’ real-time commuting app (amNewYork)

This podcast tells the story of the Lenin statue's journey from post-Soviet Russia to the Lower East Side (She’s In Russia ... previously)

Balaboosta closing on Mulberry (Eater)

Mapping every NYC thrift-vintage clothing shop (NYC Vintage Map)

The return of "Liquid Sky" — "the Heroin-Fueled New Wave Alien Invasion Time Forgot" (Vulture ... and playing at the Quad)

Italian film series featuring great composers who aren't Ennio Morricone (Anthology Film Archives)

Organic Grill on First Avenue debuting the OGomelette this weekend (Instagram)

Screenings this weekend of "Distant Sky — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Live in Copenhagen" (Metrograph)

Through the years on Fourth Avenue and 12th Street (Off the Grid)

History of the circa-1830 house at 143 Allen St. (Ephemeral New York)

When Rob Halford of Judas Priest met Andy Warhol in 1979 (Dangerous Minds)

... and on the community garden front... LUNGS is hosting a costume- and poster-making workshop tomorrow (Saturday) at the Green Oasis Garden on Eighth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D...



This activity leads up to the annual Spring Awakening event on Earth Day. (Details TK.)



Meanwhile, the 6BC Botanical Garden [pictured above!] on Sixth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C is hosting orientation dates for residents interested in joining ... Upcoming dates: April 15, April 29, May 6 and May 19. For details go to www.6bcgarden.org.

Viewing information for Anthony Pisano



Friends and family will be gathering tomorrow at Peter Jarema Funeral Home to remember Anthony Pisano, who died last Friday. He was 86.

The viewing is from 2-9 p.m. at 129 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue — the same block that Pisano lived on for 40 years and raised his two children.

New-look Alphabet Scoop reopens tomorrow (Saturday!) on 11th Street



Alphabet Scoop, which hires and trains at-risk teens from the neighborhood and provides them with mentoring, reopens for the season tomorrow morning at 11.

And the shop at 543 E. 11th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B will feature a new look and feel.

Last fall, a group of volunteers came together and raised funds to help give Alphabet Scoop a refresh, including new branding, an updated website and an interior makeover.



In 2002, the Father’s Heart Ministries launched Alphabet Scoop adjacent to its church on 11th Street. You can read more about them here.

Want to know what motivates us at Alphabet Scoop? Our mission statement is posted on the wall inside our shop: As no ordinary ice cream lover, you probably noticed we are no ordinary ice cream parlor. We are a job training program whose mission, like our ice cream, is sweet and simple: invest in the futures of local youth through training and mentorship and invest in our city by funding other Father's Heart Ministries programs with our profits. Each scoop gives our trainees an opportunity to develop their gifts in an encouraging community that believes all people (like all flavors) are created equal. Everyone needs people who have faith in them. Everyone also needs ice cream. And here at Alphabet Scoop, your frozen treat is one more step toward justice and sprinkles for all. 🍦❤️🍦 4 days to go...we can’t wait to welcome everyone at our Grand Reopening this Saturday, April 14th. #IceCreamOnAMission #AlphabetScoopNY #IceCream #AlphabetCity #NYCeats #IceCreamTime

A post shared by Alphabet Scoop NY Ice Cream (@alphabetscoopny) on


Their hours:

Sunday: 1-11 p.m.
Monday - Tuesday: CLOSED
Wednesday - Friday: 2-11 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Volunteers on a mission to help reinvigorate Alphabet Scoop on 11th Street

1st Avenue and 6th Street bearing fruit once again



The vendor(s) have returned for the season yesterday here on First Avenue and Sixth Street outside Village View...



They've been away since Oct. 31.

Thanks to EVG reader Riley McCormick for the photos yesterday!

A call to help preserve Theatre 80 on St. Mark's Place



members of the staff at Theatre 80 on St. Mark's Place recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to help keep the enterprise alive.

Here's part of the appeal via GoFundMe:

From prohibition speakeasy to beloved Off Broadway playhouse, Theatre 80 St Marks is a beacon of historical and cultural significance in the East Village.

But maintaining, restoring and preserving the historic site with ever-escalating costs in a gentrifying neighborhood is challenging and expensive.

Theatre 80 is one of the last surviving family owned and operated Off Broadway theaters, occupying two beautiful and historic 1830s townhouses, which along with a 199-seat theater includes The William Barnacle Tavern, Sidewalk Of The Stars and The Museum of The American Gangster.

Theatre 80 has relied on generous contributions from patrons and friends to help bridge the gap in the past, and once again we are reaching out to the community for help.

Theatre 80 is dedicated to making performing arts more accessible to both audience members and artists and a huge variety of performers and production companies have made Theatre 80 their artistic home.

You can find more info on the campaign here.

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Thursday's parting shot



Photo in Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg...

Rhinoceros



Rhinoceros

The last Rhinoceros on this earth
Made from metal by clever craftsmen
Impervious to new cruel bullets
Three taking the noble stance of one
Grand beasts cleverly combined yoga
By making themselves greatly smaller
They may go unnoticed for a while
Dispelling fears of being no more
Vanished, no trace, of living before
Melted as plowshares into weapons
No more to traipse the great savanna
The Chinese with non a firming loss
This deed being but a double cross
Our love shown to the Rhinoceros.


peter radley




Previously on EV Grieve:
Goodbye Sudan