Pile driving phase over (for good?) at 11 Avenue C

[Photo from yesterday]

After another month of noisy construction on Avenue C and East Houston, the pile driver departed the lot over the weekend.

EVG reader IzF, who lives nearby, shared the news. Now there's hope among neighbors that this is it for the pile driving. There was nearly a one-month reprieve from March 2 to March 29, when the foundation support work started up again, which IzF described this way: "It feels like my bed is being kicked hard by a giant. Horrible."


[Photo from yesterday]

As previously reported, a 10-floor building with 45 luxury rentals via BLDG Management will rise in this triangular lot. (This previous post has a summary of what's been happening here.)

... and from earlier this spring ... someone paid tribute to the NEKST tag (read more about Sean “NEKST” Griffin here) that was visible above the now-demolished gas station here...







Previously on EV Grieve:
Pile driving resumes at the site of the East Village's last gas station, where a 10-floor building will rise

The demolition of the Mobil station and full NEKST reveal


[Photo from September 2016]

Meryl Meisler's Lower East Side of the 1970s and 1980s

[On the Bowery in 1977]

NYC-based photographer Meryl Meisler's work will be on display starting tomorrow in an exhibit coinciding with Lower East Side History Month.

"LES YES!" showcases some of Meisler's photography taken on the Lower East Side during the 1970s and 1980s.

The opening reception is tomorrow night from 6-9 at the Storefront Project, 70 Orchard St. between Broome and Grand. The exhibit is up through June 3. Find more details here.

Meisler was born in the South Bronx and raised in North Massapequa, Long Island. After college in Wisconsin, she returned to NYC in 1975. Here's part of a recent feature on Meisler in the Times:

"I felt like I belonged," she said. "I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, even though I had a teaching degree. Maybe because the city itself was out of joint. I had just come out as a lesbian, but I felt like I belonged here. I felt safe.”

She eventually spent 31 years as a NYC public school art teacher.

Here's a sampling of the LES photos that will be on display...




[On East Houston]


[At the Henry Street Settlement]


[At Famous Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse]

In a recent interview with Bedford + Bowery, she said that she still sees some of the old LES here despite all the changes. "It’s busy and alive and yet, there are still people on the street that are true New Yorkers. New York is always changing, but I still see the essence of it there."

All photos by Meryl Meisler ... and courtesy of The Storefront Project & Stephen Kasher Gallery. Reprinted with permission.

Former New York Central Art Supply store serving as a temp home for the Brunch Theatre

New York Central Art Supply, which closed in September 2016 after 111 years in business, is the home for the fifth season — titled "Black Coffee" — of the Brunch Theatre Company.

Haley Jakobson created the collective in 2015 "as an initiative to bring young people back to the theatre, and to give millennial actors, writers, and directors an opportunity to create new work."

Their three-week run, featuring seven new plays, starts on Saturday here at 62 Third Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street.



Here's more about the season via the Brunch Theatre website:

We'd love to invite you to our opening celebration, Sunday May 6th. Specials will include bottomless mimosas, raffle items, live music, and a talk back with the artists.

The world is ending, and Brunch Theatre has taken refuge in an abandoned art store in Manhattan's East Village. Brave the apocalypse with us for our wildest Brunch experience yet. We've partnered with NYC food trucks to provide rations (vegan and gluten free options available) and we'll keep the champagne flowing because the waters run out.

We cater to your stomach and your short attention span. Don't ditch your weekend brunch plans, make them an experience.

You can find more details about the plays as well as ticket info here. The collective's last slate of plays were staged at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe on Third Street.

Meanwhile, there hasn't been any activity at the former New York Central Art Supply. The Steinberg family, who operated the art supply store for three generations, cited "poor business conditions" and the pending sale of the building as the primary reasons behind the closure.

According to public records, the building sold for $9.3 million to an LLC in 2016 with an address of 62 Third Ave. However, a work permit from last year for a sidewalk bridge lists Jakobson Properties as the owner. Their intentions for the property haven't been made public yet.

Mochii is a new rice flour dessert shop on 7th Street

A recent opening to note... Mochii opened last month (grand opening was April 21) at 116 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Here's their description via Facebook (and Instagram): "Rice flour dessert shop offering a healthier alternative while being affordable in a cozy, relaxing environment."

And they serve a variety of Chinese and Japanese desserts, such as mochii ice cream, daifuku (mochi stuffed with red bean paste), Japanese sweet dumplings and Chinese sweet rice balls. You can find their menu and shop hours here.

Have you gotten your daily dose of mochii yet? 😁 PC: @tsering.gurung.925

A post shared by Mimi Lau (@mochiinyc) on Apr 27, 2018 at 12:10pm PDT

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo in Tompkins Square Park this afternoon by Lola Sáenz...

A visit to Anyway Cafe

The New Yorker's Bar Tab feature heads to Anyway Cafe on Second Street near Second Avenue in this week's issue.

An excerpt:

In this cavernous subterranean space, the chairs are filled with East Village denizens out for an evening of Russian music and appropriate refreshments; chilled carafes of vodka and plates of pelmeni (Siberian dumplings) are scattered on the tables, consumed dreamily to the sound of an accordion.

Empty corner storefronts on Avenue A

Someone spray painted this message — "Tax Commercial Vacancies" — over the weekend on the side of the former Benny's Burritos space on Sixth Street and Avenue A.

In late March, Mayor de Blasio told the following to WNYC:

"I am very interested in fighting for a vacancy fee or a vacancy tax that would penalize landlords who leave their storefronts vacant for long periods of time in neighborhoods because they are looking for some top-dollar rent but they blight neighborhoods by doing it."

Anyway, by my count, there are currently six corner storefronts sitting vacant on Avenue A between Houston and 14th Street. (This doesn't count the new retail space for lease in Steiner East Village at 11th Street ... or the incoming Target at 14th Street.)

• Southeast corner of A and Second Street. The Chase branch closed here in November 2015. The space has had six or seven brokers since then. Last October, EastVille Comedy Club looked at taking part of the storefront. However, CB3 denied the application, citing, among other reasons, that this address was never licensed before and that it exists in a saturated zone.

• Northwest corner of A and Third Street. Landmark Bicycles closed here back in October.

• Northwest corner of A and Fourth Street. The Santander bank branch closed here on Friday.

• Southeast corner of A and Fifth Street. This space shouldn't be empty for too much longer: Mast Books is relocating here from a few storefronts away.

• Southwest corner of A and Sixth Street. Benny's shut down in November 2014. The owners of the bar the Black Rose were going to apply for a liquor license for this corner, but those plans never materialized.



• Southeast corner of A and 13th Street. I don't know exactly when Percy's Tavern closed. Back in August they started opening later in the day, foregoing weekend afternoons. In September, a reader told me they were done. I walked by to see — and they were open. My guess is they closed for good at the end of September, about the time applicants for the the Honey Fitz made an unsuccessful attempt for a new liquor license here.

City Council investigating claims of tenant retaliation at NYCHA properties

[Photo of Carlina Rivera yesterday at City Hall via Twitter]

City Council members are taking action following published reports that a resident of the Jacob Riis Houses on Avenue D received an eviction notice after complaining about the NYCHA during a PIX-11 story earlier this month.

During a press conference at City Hall yesterday, New York City Council members Carlina Rivera (District 2) and Ritchie Torres (District 15), chair of the Council Committee on Oversight and Investigations, joined NYCHA residents and advocates to rally against negligent property managers at the Riis Houses. The elected officials say that the property managers are allegedly retaliating against residents who have gone public over the lack of repairs and possible lead exposure in their apartments.

Keshia Benjamin, a Riis Houses resident and organizer of the rally, had her apartment featured on PIX-11 earlier this month over numerous unrepaired health hazards, including leaking pipes that flooded her apartment, damaged doors and bathrooms, and pest, mold, and lead exposure.

Management at Riis Houses reportedly then sent Benjamin a notice that they were examining her record to possibly begin eviction processes for unpaid rent, even though Benjamin said that she had fully paid.

NYCHA officials denied any retaliation, the Daily News reported yesterday.

Following a query by the News, NYCHA officials said that Benjamin's termination notice has been canceled. Per the paper: "It was automatically generated because she had been delinquent on rent within a 12-month period, but has been rescinded because she is now up to date, a spokesperson said."

The spokesperson also said, "NYCHA does not retaliate against residents for any reason."

City Council members claim that Benjamin's story is not the only one at the Riis Houses, and "it appears that Riis property managers are held unaccountable by central staff at NYCHA and use that power to promote a culture of silence amongst residents looking for help."

The Council’s Committee on Oversight and Investigations is now investigating reported instances of retaliatory actions at Riis Houses, as well as the grievance process for tenants and the overall accountability structure within NYCHA.

In addition to the Council investigation, Rivera is planning to introduce legislation to create a formal grievance system so that NYCHA tenants can submit their complaints anonymously and have them investigated fairly. This piece of legislation comes after the recently introduced legislation from Council member Rafael Salamanca that would mandate performance reviews for NYCHA employees.

"NYCHA seems to be focused on moving bad actors around the system whenever they are in the spotlight and not on providing accountability," Rivera said at City Hall yesterday. "This simply cannot continue — the NYCHA must explain themselves in person for these actions."

VVN’s Tea bringing art and tea to the former Neptune space on 1st Avenue

VVN's Tea will mix tea and art when the shop opens at 194 First Ave.

The proprietors, three friends who list artist and designer among their occupations, reportedly signed a five-year lease for the space here between 11th Street and 12th Street.

Here's the concept via the VVN website:

VVN's TEA is a place that not only sells tea, but also promotes a lifestyle. A lifestyle that is centered around the appreciation of tea and the sharing of art.

Every cup is an open canvas, printed with artworks by local artists. When you a cup of tea, you are not just buying the drink, you are buying the whole experience.

You get to take home with you, a tiny piece of artwork and share it with your friends on social media.

The space previously housed the Neptune. The Polish-American restaurant closed in December 2016 after 15 years in business.

The landlord chopped the former Neptune space in half. Chelsea Thai has leased the storefront on the south.

5 big events in May that you may or may not already know about

[Loisaida Festival photo by Stacie Joy]

May marks Lower East Side History Month, the annual celebration created by Fourth Arts Block and Downtown Art, with other local organizations and businesses taking part.

In addition to the activities (see the calendar here) associated with the History Month, here are a few more high-profile events this May...

• May 18-20 — Saint George Ukrainian Festival, Seventh Street. Details here.

• May 19 — Dance Parade and DanceFest, Astor Place, St. Mark's Place and Tompkins Square Park. Details here.

• May 25-27 — The Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. Details here.

• May 27 — Loisaida Festival, Avenue C. Details here.

6 posts from April

[Photo on 7th Street Saturday by Derek Berg]

A mini month in review...

• HAWK FIGHT (April 2)

• In memory of Kelly Hurley (April 5)

• New-look Alphabet Scoop reopens on 11th Street (April 13)

• A call to help preserve Theatre 80 on St. Mark's Place (April 13)

• Props for the Skateboard Gardener of 7th Street (April 18)

• The Donut Pub opening an outpost on Astor Place (April 20)

Joe & Pat's now open on 1st Avenue

Joe & Pat's, the Staten Island-based pizzeria, opened its first Manhattan location today (as you probably know) at 168 First Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street.

EVG regular Lola Sáenz stopped by for a pizza to go...



As Eater noted:

The hallmark of the pizza here is the cracker-thin crust with fresh-mozzarella. The food, from the Pappalardo family, has earned the restaurant cult status, and fans will be pleased to know that the Manhattan location is a straight-up duplicate of its older Staten Island sister.

You can find their menu here.

This Joe and Pat's outpost is open weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. ... and 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. on weekends.

Updated 5/1

You can find more details on the pizzeria at Eater and Grub Street...

Construction starts at 118 E. 1st St., future home of a 9-floor residential building

The extended plywood arrived on Friday at 118 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue...



... as work officially started in the lot that will be home to a 9-story residential building featuring seven units divided over 12,500 square feet of residential space (likely condos). The building will include a small retail space on the ground floor.

Meanwhile, no sign of a rendering just yet. (Warren Freyer's Freyer Architects is designing the building.) Perhaps one will eventually show up on the plywood along with the required work permits.

Not much has happened here in the past 12-14 months since workers demolished the three-story building that was standing here.

As noted in a previous post:

No. 118 was one of five new East Village projects identified by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation as an oversized new development ... "in the neighborhood's affordable housing zones [that] were approved by the city without requiring affordable housing."

According to their investigation released in February 2016 (find the letter to the mayor here), the city approved new developments "with greater square footage than allowed for market-rate developments, without requiring any affordable housing either on-site or off, as mandated by law."

We also heard from a dismayed next-door neighbor when construction started in the lot on Friday.

I am now going to lose 70 percent of light in my place. The kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom will all have shaft windows. I am not even going to rant about another luxury condo absurdity but to lose all this light feels tragic. It is stunning that nobody considered this or there was no hearing in place.

Previously on EV Grieve:
118 E. 1st St. arrives on the market with so many possibilities, and air rights

118 E. 1st. St. will yield to a new 9-floor residential building

Demolition of 118 E. 1st St. begins to make way for 9-story residential building

Moving day for Bareburger

Bareburger is moving out of its corner space on Second Avenue and Fifth Street today ... for the short relocation down to Orchard and Stanton...



Matt Kouskalis, who owns and operates a handful of the city's Bareburger outposts, told me in February that escalating rents at this location were behind the reason for the move.

"So we are moving to a slightly smaller and cozier spot on the Lower East Side," he said in February. "We are sad to leave the East Village but our new location is only a few blocks away and our delivery area will remain the same!"

Bareburger opened here in January 2012.

The asking rent for the two-level space (plus basement) is $25,000, per the listing.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Bareburger is leaving 2nd Avenue; new outpost slated for Orchard Street

L.A.-based ramen shop opening outpost on 1st Avenue

Tatsu Ramen, with two locations in Los Angeles, is opening an outpost at 167 First Ave., two storefronts away from Momofuku.

Here's more about Tatsu, via their website:

Tatsu was founded by a handful of tight-knit USC family who fell in love with Tokyo and ramen. Having tasted the best, we went on a mission to find the best ramen in LA — and were terribly disappointed.

This sparked our (neon) lightbulb to bring Tokyo "home" to LA. We reimagined the typical Japanese ordering vending machine as iPads and flew multiple chefs from Japan to deconstruct the chemistry-laden recipes and have them painstakingly house-made from scratch with natural ingredients (and tough love!).

We shocked the ramen traditionalists by also offering gluten-free option, 100% chicken and vegan broth.

"Tatsu" means dragon and opened its door in 2012, the year of the dragon. It has since become an LA institution that’s frequented by A-listers, hipsters and blacklisters.

Buzzfeed named it one of the best ramen places in Los Angeles:

You are greeted at Tatsu Ramen by iPads, not people. You select your order on the touch screen, grab your receipt and then take a seat. We ordered two bowls of the the default-vegan "Hippie Ramen." It's a garlicky bowl of veggies, fried tofu, and delicious noodles. You can add more flavoring at your table, including crushing your own garlic, but there was no need. It already tasted great.

You can find the Tatsu Ramen menu here.

No. 167 here between 10th Street and 11th Street has been empty in recent years. The last tenant was Ashiya Sushi, who moved away in 2015.

Avenue A bank-branch free for the moment with Santander's closure

This Santander outpost closed on Friday here on Avenue A at Fourth Street. Workers had removed the signage by the end of the business day.

A letter to Santander customers in January explained that the bank was consolidating this branch with the one at 841 Broadway.

This departure makes Avenue A bank-branch-less for now. The Chase closed at Second Street in November 2015 ... while the Citi shut down between Third Street and Fourth Street in January 2017. Both of those spaces remain on the rental market.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: Santander branch closing in April on Avenue A

EastVille Comedy Club has left 4th Street for Brooklyn

Here's one way to announce a move: Spray paint the message over your business sign. (Thanks to @EdenBrower for the above photo!)

That's the case here at the now-former EastVille Comedy Club on Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery ... the club has relocated to Brooklyn (by the Barclay's Center)...



Last October, EastVille looked at taking part of the former Chase space at 20 Avenue A and Second Street. However, CB3 denied the application, citing, among other reasons, that this address was never licensed before ... and that it exists in a saturated zone.

Previously on EV Grieve:
EastVille Comedy Club space for rent on 4th Street

Unwrapping the future Swiss Institute on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Back on Saturday, workers removed the sidewalk bridge and scaffolding from around the former Chase branch on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place...



... the future home of the Swiss Institute...



As previously reported, the nonprofit cultural center will open on June 21.

And via a news release:

The inaugural exhibition is titled "Readymades Belong to Everyone," marking the 3rd edition of SI’s Annual Architecture & Design Series. This exhibition is curated by Fredi Fischliand Niels Olsen, directors of exhibitions at the Institute for the History and Theory of Architectures at ETH, Zurich, and will track a history of exchange between artists and architects employing found objects associated with urban space.

The revamped building will create spaces for exhibitions, projects and public programs ... as well as a library, bookstore and rooftop garden.


[Rendering via the Swiss Institute]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Swiss Institute moving into the former Chase branch on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Neighbors at First Street Green Art Park

The Neighbors project is a series of portraits of Americans taken across all 50 states by photographer John Raymond Mireles ... the portraits went up yesterday along East Houston Street from First Avenue to Second Avenue at First Street Green Art Park.

Here are just a few of the images...











The opening reception is May 12.

Week in Grieview

[Photo in Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

Affordable housing lottery underway at 79-89 Avenue D (Friday)

Cherche Midi space on the market for new retail development on the Bowery at East Houston (Wednesday)

Jane's Exchange is not closing! (Wednesday)

Christo and his new lady hawk friend Amelia have at least one egg in their nest in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday)

Rue St. Denis is closing after 25 years of selling vintage clothing and accessories on Avenue B (Tuesday)

The Hard Swallow returns on 1st Avenue (Friday)

Former East Village Cheese space for rent on 7th Street (Monday)

On Avenue A, Coney Island Baby debuts; live music returning to the Pyramid (Thursday)

FDNY: Wiring blamed for April 21 fire on 9th Street (Saturday)

Activities at the the Tompkins Square Park library branch (Thursday)

Pop-up theater in the former Pork Pie Hatters on 9th Street (Tuesday)

Makeshift dog run in Tompkins Square Park has been padlocked (Friday)

LPC nixes proposed addition for 827-831 Broadway (Tuesday)

Former Rainbow Music shop will be a Chinese restaurant (Thursday)

No Malice Palace is closed again (Wednesday)

Y7 Studio bringing the hip-hop yoga to 250 E. Houston St. (Thursday)

Plywood arrives at Webster Hall (Monday)

Counting down to the Joe and Pat's opening (Monday)

Ace Hardware closes on 4th Avenue (Friday)

High praise for Mani in Pasta’s Roman-style pizzas on 14th Street (Thursday)

The return of Gothamist (Thursday)

Reader report: Economy Foam & Futon is leaving 8th Street for Chelsea (Wednesday)

Cafe in the works for 2 St. Mark's Place, previously Ayios and St. Mark's Ale House (Tuesday)

The force is apparently no longer with Suffolk Arms (Monday)

MoMa officials not really into MoMaCha's name on the Bowery (Monday)

Slurp Shop signage (Monday)

Discarded painting of the week (Thursday)

... and EVG reader Steph noted that the Man in White — the longtime LES resident seen for years dressed head to toe in white — was spotted in blue jeans and a blue jacket this past week...



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Revisiting Rue St. Denis

As you may know, Rue St. Denis, the decades-spanning vintage clothing and accessories shop, is closing on Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street after 25 years at this location.

Founder Jean-Paul Buthier and his partner Riccardo Bonechi are closing the store for a change of pace, not because of rising rents or declining sales, as The New York Times reported last week.

The photos here are by East Village-based photographer Gudrun Georges, who featured the boutique on her blog in July 2015... revisiting that post here...


[Riccardo Bonechi]


[Jean-Paul Buthier]

A commenter on her post had this to say about Rue St. Denis:

[C]alling it a store doesn't quite capture the experience of Rue St Denis — It feels more a like a day trip to a world where effortless chic and sporty glamour are forever percolating to create for you a new memory of a day when life was magical.

Find the full post here.

Meanwhile, the closing sale continues... haven't heard a final day just yet...

Saturday's parting shot

Tonight's sunset via Bobby Williams...

Citizens of the Anthropocene in Tompkins Square Park

[Photo Thursday by Steven]

In case you haven't seen these things hanging out in Tompkins Square Park the past few days... the one above is in the center of the Park.

Look up!

Hello up there!

A post shared by Citizens of the Anthropocene (@citizensoftheanthropocene) on Apr 23, 2018 at 10:43am PDT

And this one is near the entrance at Seventh Street and Avenue A


[Photo Thursday by Goggla]

And the explanatory laminated note...


[Click on image to go big]

As explained on Instagram: "We are the Citizens of the Anthropocene ~ an anthropomorphic race of plastic-bag humanoids."

Anyway, One word: Plastics.