Someone tagged the steps at the Merchant's House Museum

On Sunday night, someone tagged the stairs at the landmarked Merchant's House Museum on Fourth Street with the word Zealot.

Staff at the Merchant's House posted about the vandalism on Instagram:

The 1832 stoop, urn pedestals, entrance surround, and window sills and lintels are all made of “Tuckahoe marble,” from quarries in the lower Hudson Valley. The marble was nearly pure white in color and considered the finest grade. #shameonyou

The steps have been vandalized before, most recently in 2015.

Merchant's House, between the Bowery and Lafayette, is the only 19-century family home in New York City preserved intact on the inside and out.

The Black 6 Coffee Trading Co. takes up temporary residency on 4th Street

The Black 6 Coffee Trading Co. arrived at 124 E. Fourth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue back on Feb. 10.

The veteran-owned company, which was created to fund the nonprofit organization the Black 6 Project, is currently sharing space with street-food specialists Tac N Roll whose owner, Eric Wong, previously served in the Marine Corps.

This pop-up featuring coffee and a variety of breakfast parathas will be here until July.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tac N Roll (@tacnrollnyc) on Feb 10, 2020 at 6:55am PST

You can read more about the Black 6 Project's efforts to fund humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions at this link.

Monday's parting shot

A moment on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place today via Derek Berg...

There's a giant mural of Kobe and Gianna Bryant going up on the Lower East Side

Here's a WIP look at a tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant going up outside Emma Lazarus High School on Hester and Eldridge. The brightly-colored, large-scale mural is by Mark Paul Deren, aka Madsteez.

Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed alongside seven other people on Jan. 26 when the helicopter they were in crashed in California.

[Updated] Report of a fatality at the Astor Place station

There are delays and multiple impacts in 4 5 and 6 service while we remove third-rail power after someone was fatally struck by a train at Astor Place. https://t.co/Z7aQlLpRmm

— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) February 24, 2020

Several readers have passed along information that there are extensive delays on the 4, 5 and 6 trains this afternoon (as of 3:30 p.m.).

According to the MTA and various social media users, a man on the tracks was struck by a southbound 6 train at Astor Place around 3 p.m.

In an alert at 4:18 p.m., the MTA reported that service was resuming. However, the MTA says southbound 6 trains are skipping Astor Place as the NYPD and FDNY continue their investigation.

Will post more information as it becomes available.

Updated:

Per the Post:

Monday’s victim was already on the roadbed in the East Village station when a southbound No. 6 train ran over him around 3 p.m., cops said. He was declared dead at the scene.

It was not immediately clear how the victim ended up in the tracks, police said.

A man was also struck by a train at Astor Place yesterday morning. He was walking along the tracks, according to published reports. He was expected to survive his injuries.

Updated 2/26

According to Gothamist, the victim was an 80-year-old man, who jumped on the tracks to retrieve an item he dropped.

94-96 Avenue A wrapped ahead of 1-floor extension

[Photo from Friday]

Workers spent parts of this past Thursday, Friday and Saturday erecting a sidewalk bridge and scaffolding around the building on the northeast corner of Avenue A and Sixth Street.

As we reported last May, the newish owner of 94-96 Avenue A filed plans with the city for a one-floor extension at the building that previously housed Sidewalk Bar and Restaurant.

According to the approved work permit, there'll be an interior renovation of the fourth-floor apartments, and an addition of a fifth floor. The three buildings in this assemblage/zoning lot — 94 Avenue A, 96 Avenue A and 501 E. Sixth St. — will be combined into one, per the permit.

The building's current square footage will increase from 8,304 to 10,151. Despite the expansion, the taller No. 94-96 will have 10 residential units instead of the current 11. The filing also shows that there are plans for a roof deck.

This corner was home for 32-plus years to the Sidewalk, which closed in February 2019.

Penn South Capital paid $9.6 million for the property in March 2019, per public records. Pini Milstein, who retired, was the principal owner of the building as well as the operator of the Sidewalk.

A bar-restaurant called August Laura opened in the building's retail space last October.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• 1-floor expansion planned for Avenue A building that housed the Sidewalk

• The building housing the former Sidewalk sells on Avenue A

• New owners set to take over the 33-year-old Sidewalk Bar & Restaurant on Avenue A

Activity at the fire-damaged Cafe Mocha

This past week, workers covered up the windows at Cafe Mocha, which was wiped out by the three-alarm fire on Feb. 10 at 48 E. Seventh St./116 Second Ave.

Workers were also spotted removing debris from the retail space as well as the rest of the building (thanks to Steven for the photos on Friday)...



There is a full vacate on the property, though the city is allowing emergency work, including sealing the roof.

Cafe Mocha has taken a hopeful approach about possibly reopening. A sign on the door and a message on their Instagram account thanks neighbors and customers for their loyalty through the years.




[Photo from Feb. 15]

Meanwhile, on Seventh Street, the Italian restaurant Via Della Pace was also damaged. In an Instagram post on Feb. 11, management said that they were unsure whether they'd continue on with the business.

Based on the 300-plus comments on the post, many patrons hope to see them back.



The cause of the fire is under investigation. Five firefighters were treated for minor injuries. None of the residents were said to be injured. One tenant of the building said on an EVG Facebook post that "all tenants and animals are safe and sound."

And no word on any type of crowdfunding campaigns for the displaced residents. Please let me know if you hear of any.

The Third Man has closed on Avenue C

Paper now covers the front door and windows at the Third Man, the cocktail bar at 116 Avenue C that shut down at the beginning of the month.

There isn't any official notice of a closing on the Third Man's website or social media properties. Google and Yelp list the space between Seventh Street and Eighth Street as permanently closed. (Several Instagram users noted the bar's last day was Feb. 1.)

This closure doesn't come as a surprise. Owners Eduard "Edi" Frauneder and Wolfgang "the Wolf" Ban also operated Edi & the Wolf on the next block. That Austrian restaurant closed last April due to "increasing operating costs."

The Third Man, with an early-20th-century-Vienna–theme (and a nod to the classic film), opened in December 2012.

Solidcore snaps up former ICP space on the Bowery

An outpost of the nationwide fitness chain solidcore is opening in the former home of the International Center of Photography's (ICP) home at 250 Bowery...



Here's a description of their popular workout via Well & Good:

It involves a megaformer, free weights, and a whole lot of being really, really mindful of the way you move your body. The method uses slow, controlled movements (“the slower the better!” is a common refrain in class) to burn out your slow-twitch muscles to the point of failure. The thinking is that this creates long, lean muscles over time.

This location just south of Houston Street debuts on March 7 ... in an area where more boutique gyms and studios have been opening.

The ICP cleared out of this space last summer ahead of a move to Essex Crossing.

A sign of spring (and summer)

Jen the bookseller is back at her usual spot on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place for the afternoon...

Photo by Steven

Week in Grieview

[Outside St. Stanislaus on 7th Street yesterday via Derek Berg]

Posts from this past week included...

• NYPD's body-cam footage shows the deadly police shooting on Avenue A and 7th Street from Jan. 9 (Friday)

• A Visit to Odessa Restaurant (Thursday)

• The Marshal seizes Hotel Tortuga (Tuesday)

• On second thought, Jiang Diner is moving back to 5th Street (Wednesday)

• Brooklyn Bean Roastery arrives on Avenue A (Tuesday)

• Last Dance: Lafayette Street live music venue closes tonight after just 4 months (Tuesday)

• Rock on: Remembering Bill Graham's Fillmore East (Wednesday)

• Tio Pio bringing its rotisserie chicken to 14th Street (Tuesday)

• Hearts for Gem Spa (Monday)

• Demolition watch: 183 Avenue B (Wednesday)

• Police looking for suspect who stole 3 Phase 2 paintings from Avenue C studio (Wednesday)

• Idlewild Coffee Co. coming to 5th Street (Friday)

• Chairnobyl (Wednesday)

• That Thai Direct renovation is taking longer than expected (Tuesday)

• Checking out the new International Center of Photography at Essex Crossing (Monday)

• MAD Toast House has gone out of business (Thursday)

• Change is coming to Kmart on Astor Place (Wednesday)

... and yesterday, EVG regular Lola Saénz spotted acclaimed photographers Janette Beckman (left) and Martha Cooper on Second Avenue...



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Desires: Food from the corner deli

A recent corner deli rebrand to note, one with a romance novel meets Food Network vibe.

ES Wholesome Food has new owners here at 226 E. Seventh St. at Avenue C... the deli is now called [drumroll] Your Desire in Food...



Your Desire serves a variety of wraps and sandwiches as well as offers the usual corner deli items [that you desire?].

The rebrand comes shortly after the shed/storage space on the Seventh Street side welcomed a palm reader as its new tenant ... this after several years as a gallery called the Stand...


[Photo from Feb. 9]

Previously on EV Grieve:
On Avenue C, market known for Cobra Malt Liquor giving way to Wholesome Foods

St. Mark's Place now free of this mobile boiler

[Then]

And in posts that we didn't get around to posting this past week... the mobile boiler that had been sitting outside 56 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue has finally left the block...


[Now]

Seems as if the temp boiler was sitting there for years. Several readers on the block had complained about it — mostly because it wasn't even hooked up to the building for the longest time.

City records show that the permit for a new boiler was approved back in June.

Today in photos of a squirrel eating tomato sauce from a can in Tompkins Square Park

Cute alert! Thanks to Eden for the photos...



Previously on EV Grieve:
• What other photos of squirrels eating things can we post?

• Meanwhile, a squirrel with a coconut drink this morning in Tompkins Square Park

• Today in photos of squirrels carb loading in Tompkins Square Park