The former DeRobertis building on 1st Avenue is now the Slater, where the penthouse is $15k

As previously reported, there have been ongoing renovations at 174-176 First Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street.

The residential units above the storefronts (Black Seed bagels has been in the north space since October 2015) hit the rental market earlier this summer.

For starters, the building has a new name: the Slater.



And a few building blurbs via Streeteasy...

Each apartment in this newly gut renovated building is sprawling with natural light from both Eastern and Western exposures.

The state-of-the-art kitchen touts high-end stainless steel appliances consisting of a Whirlpool Microwave, Fisher and Paykel Stove and Oven, Liebherr Refrigerator, LG Dishwasher and a Summit Wine Cooler.

And...

Additional features guaranteed not to be found elsewhere include USB electrical outlets, HD video intercoms and Latch Keyless entry system on every apartment door.

The building’s expansive furnished communal roof deck will also have a pergola, bbq station and high top bar for entertaining with 360 degrees New York City skyline views.

Together, these renovations are one of a kind and guaranteed to be the envy of the neighborhood. At The Slater, you’ll find premium finishes and the best comforts.

The penthouse, featuring seven bedrooms and four bathrooms, has an asking price of $15,125. (The fine print: "The price advertised is the net effective rent with one month free on a 12 month lease.")

This building was owned for generations by the DeRobertis family. They closed DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe here after 110 years in business in December 2014. The economy, age and health reportedly compelled the four DeRobertis siblings to sell the building (for $9.9 million, per public records).

In May 2018, High Point Property Group reportedly bought the five-story walkup for $12.1 million. The seller was a joint venture between EBMG, LLC and AMJ Equities.

The current landlord has said they'll return a refurbished DeRobertis neon signage to the storefront above Black Seed.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ugh: The 110-year-old DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe closes after Dec. 5

[Updated] 110-year-old DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe looks to be closing once the building is sold

174-176 First Ave., home of DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe, is for sale

Let's take a look at the DeRobertis in-house bakery

What happened to the DeRobertis neon sign on 1st Avenue?

Niconeco Zakkaya debuts on 10th Street

Niconeco Zakkaya is now open at 263 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The business, which started in 2015 as an online enterprise, sells original Japanese stationery and other handcrafted items.

You can check out their wares on Instagram...

View this post on Instagram

Lovely mailart on the wall from my dear friend @queenie_abelle❤️ Some new arrivals in the shop👋 Weekdays opening 11:00-19:00📝 See you!😊 #niconecozakkaya

A post shared by niconeco zakkaya (@niconeco_zakkaya) on Aug 28, 2019 at 10:00am PDT

Previously on EV Grieve:
Niconeco Zakkaya, seller of Japanese stationery and gifts, opening a shop on 10th Street

Here's info on the LUNGS CSA

The folks at Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS) passed along news about their ongoing community-supported agriculture (CSA!) program... and info about how to take part this fall...

The program runs week to week. A person can sign up just the weeks they want produce. One just pre-pays for the weeks they want to participate. It is $10 per week and you get a full bag of locally grown seasonal produce.

In September, the Miracle Garden, 194 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, serves as the pick-up spot Show up between 1-3 p.m. at Miracle Garden this coming Sunday [Sept. 1] and start supporting an amazing community organization that promotes the community gardens in the East Village while also supporting local farming and healthy eating.

All the money goes to the local family farm.

Questions about the CSA? Ask away via email: info@lungsnyc.org.

Breakfast deals

[Photo from January by Stacie Joy]

EVG friends @allblackcats shared this photo from outside Rossy's Bakery & Café, the family-run establishment at 242 E. Third St. between Avenue B and Avenue C... $2 gets you a coffee and either a bagel or doughnut...



For more on Rossy's, read our A Visit To feature from January right here.

Getting a quick round in before the rain today

Finding a quiet area of Tompkins Square Park, near the Avenue B playground construction zone, to practice the short game this morning ... photo by Steven.

The disappearing northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Workers continue to demolish the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place... the building that previously housed Korilla BBQ is about half of what it used to be (the building that housed the Continental next door is still standing) ...



... you can catch a glimpse of what's left behind the construction shroud...



As you likely know, 3 St. Mark’s Place, 23 and 25-27 Third Avenue are coming down to make way for an office building with ground-floor retail.

The size of this new building has yet to be determined. As previously reported, Real Estate Equities Corporation (REEC) wants to transfer the air rights from the landmarked Hamilton-Holly House at 4 St. Mark's Place to add more square footage to their office building, a move that has had its critics.

In June, the LPC ultimately lent its support to the plan, and has issued a report to the City Planning Commission to allow the proposal under a specific zoning resolution.

The City Planning Commission will likely sign off on the project next as part of the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. City Council will have the final say on the size of the Morris Adjimi-designed building.


[The proposed 3 St. Mark's Place as seen from Astor Place]

Meanwhile, as you may have noticed, someone recently wrote an obituary on the west-facing wall of 5 St. Mark's Place...





RIP St. Mark's...



This wall was once home for years to the John Spacely "Gringo" mural... from 1983 to the early 2000s ...


[Image via]

And a view from 1983 via the "Lower East Side: Back In The Days" Facebook group...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Demolition permits filed for northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

End is nearing for the businesses on the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

New building plans revealed for 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Concern over potential air-rights transfer for new office building on St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue

Developers of 3 St. Mark's Place are looking to increase the size of their proposed office building at 3rd Avenue to 10 floors with air-rights deal

The lobbyists behind the air-rights transfer and zoning variance for 3 St. Mark's Place

Final demolition phase for 1 St. Mark's Place; more questions about lobbyists attached to project

Report: LPC approves transfer of air rights across St. Mark's Place

Live at 1 St. Mark's Place this summer; views of 51 Astor Place are free

The Tompkins Square Library will pop up tomorrow at Ninth Street Espresso (on 10th Street)

[Image via Instagram]

The folks from the Tompkins Square Library on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B will be bringing their pop-up cafe branch to Ninth Street Espresso — the location a few doors away at 341 E. 10th St. — tomorrow.

Here are details via the Library's website:

We will offer books about the neighborhood, its history, culture and artists. We will check them out for you at the café!

Pop Up Library café Corner upcoming dates:

Thursdays, Aug. 29, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Thursdays, Sept. 12 and 26, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Thursdays, Oct. 10 and 24, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to the Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street

Brooklyn's the Modern Chemist opening an outpost on East Houston

Work continues inside 181 E. Houston St., where TMC, "a non-pharmacy version of the Modern Chemist" in Brooklyn (as the Times put it back in April), is opening soon here between Orchard and Allen. The TMC initials arrived on the front door yesterday.

The Modern Chemist opened in Park Slope in 2010, and later expanded to Gowanus and Dumbo.

Per the Times, "the high-end shop sells drugstore goods like cosmetics and novelty items."

Here's more background via the Modern Chemist website:

Unimpressed by faceless chains, founder and pharmacist Carlos Urriola opened the first location in Park Slope in 2010, which quickly became a staple in the neighborhood. A growing demand prompted the launch of a second location in Gowanus. As our stores have grown, so has our team, with the addition of pharmacist and partner Par Vora.

Fast-forward to 2017, our most exciting year yet! This third and largest outpost brings our unrivaled service to Dumbo’s residents, workers and visitors alike. In addition to traditional pharmacy services, we also provide a recharge station, gourmet food and coffee, curated selection of personal care and beauty products, wellness experts-in-residence and a relaxing outdoor space.

Speaking of faceless chains, the CVS on the corner of Houston and Orchard is still not open (despite signage, since covered, pointing to an Aug. 25 debut).

This TMC storefront, along with Dr. Smood next door, is the former American Apparel space that closed in October 2015.

An LES coffee casualty

A for rent sign now hangs in the front window at 182 Allen St., bringing an end to this outpost of Hedgehog Coffee between Houston and Stanton.

There wasn't any notice about a closure at the shop or online. Hedgehog only arrived at this narrow space last August, taking over for the Swedish espresso bar Konditori.

Hedgehog Coffee also has a location in Park Slope.

Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea signage arrives on St. Mark's Place

The Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea signage is now up 33 St. Mark's Place.

As previously noted, the chainlet, with an outpost in Flushing, takes over the space from CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice, the Taiwan-based chain that closed in late May after nearly five and a half years in business.

This space here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue was Rockit Scientist Records until the spring of 2012. There was also, for a sec, Iris Cafe.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Rockit Scientist Records to become a bubble tea shop on St. Mark's Place

Tuesday's parting shot

A dog's journey... photo on Avenue A today by Derek Berg...

Last week to comment on the city's plans to close East River Park

[East River Park photo from Saturday]

Friday (Aug. 30!) is the deadline for public comments on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR).

This link has details on how — and where — to comment.

By now you likely now the story behind the ESCR project, a coastal protection initiative jointly funded by the City of New York and the federal government, aimed at reducing flood risk due to coastal storms and sea-level rise. ESCR is the first element of the city’s "Big U" plan to protect Lower Manhattan from surges like those seen during Superstorm Sandy.

As part of the project, city officials, starting next spring, plan to close East River Park for three-plus years, elevating it with 8- to 10-feet of soil and chopping down trees, etc., from Montgomery Street to East 13th Street.

Some residents, referring to it as the Kill Our Park Plan, have asked for the demolition and reconstruction of East River Park to take part in phases so that they continue to enjoy some of the amenities that the public space provides. (The revised plan, unveiled last fall, dramatically changed course over what had been discussed the previous four years. Community stakeholders said they felt blindsided by the changes.)

For more background:

• The official East Side Coastal Resiliency Project page is at this link.

• "A Beginner’s Guide to the NYC Environmental Impact Statement for the East River Park" via East River Park Action is here.

• A primer on the East River Park's past and future by the Village Preservation is at Off the Grid.

Also, this Gothamist piece has a nice background of what has transpired to date.

You may also breeze through the mostly unreadable Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the project here. There are hundreds and hundreds of pages of documents with footnotes and collateral materials (the table of contents alone is a unwieldy 32 pages).

The final vote via City Council is expected in late September.

And tonight (Aug. 27), the East River Park Action group is hosting a meeting at the Sixth Street Community Center between Avenue B and Avenue C (more details here) ...




Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: The reality of storm-proofing East River Park in 2020

Storm center: Questions linger over updated plans for the East Side Coastal Resiliency project

At East River Park