New development (Stella!) at Houston and Avenue C finally sheds its sidewalk bridge

Construction is past the four-year mark now at 11 Avenue C (aka 350 E. Houston St.) where work continues at this new 10-story residential building ... one notable milestone — the sidewalk bridge has been removed from around the triangular-shaped property... 

And it turns out the building has a name — Stella ... as seen now above the main entrance on Second Street...

Stella joins the other newer residential buildings nearby bearing a single name — The Adele and The Robyn. 

And here are a few more views of Stella, where some renters will have a balcony and floor-to-ceiling window views of East Houston and Avenue C ...

BLDG Management is the developer behind the project, which will feature 46 residential units and ground-floor retail. Still no word on pricing or availability just yet.

Foundation work began in December 2016 here on this lot that housed the neighborhood's last gas station. The well-worn plywood rendering lists a March 2018 completion date. Why the delay? Architect of record Rotwein+Blake previously stated that "the narrow triangular site presented numerous challenges from its odd shape to zoning constraints."

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Workers officially reach the top at 11 Avenue C, where a 10-floor building sits on the neighborhood's last gas station

... and a 2011 flashback...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included... 

• East Village Loves NYC prepares 1st holiday feast; tops more than 70,000 meals made for hungry New Yorkers in 2020 (Wednesday) 

• A Visit with Frank "Frankie Christmas" Bianco (Tuesday) 

• This East Village resident is holding a one-man protest against landlord Steve Croman (Tuesday)

• High winds takes down the B&H Dairy awning (Friday) 

• About Evil Katsu, a pop-up ghost kitchen now open on the Lower East Side (Monday) 

• East Village season's greetings (Friday)

• Gallery Watch: Mrs. Evan Williams by Jamian Juliano-Vilan at JTT Gallery (Wednesday) 

• This week's NY See panel (Thursday) 

• The Village Voice is returning, and is this a good thing? (Wednesday)

• You may now drive — or jump up and down on — 1st Avenue at 7th Street again (Wednesday ... Monday) 

• Sweet Generation is leaving the East Village (Thursday)

• MiGarba shuts down on 4th Avenue: "We close due to New York restrictions and unsustainable rent" (Monday) 

• The now-closed Bleecker Street Bar looks to relocate to Broadway (Monday) 

• Sauced Up! spreads its wings on 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

• Medan Pasar now serving Malaysian cuisine on 7th Street (Thursday) 

• Signage reveal for Greenwich Marketplace on 4th Avenue (Thursday) 

• Teso Life is open on St. Mark's Place (Monday) 

• EVG turns 13 — thank you for the kind words! (Monday)

... and a scene from outdoor dining early last week on Sixth Street...

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Personal ad as seen on St. Mark’s Place. Must hate Vincent Gallo. pic.twitter.com/HphpMmXDyx

— evgrieve (@evgrieve) December 26, 2020

A post-Christmas Book Swap Sunday

Perhaps you received a book or two as a Christmas gift... and need to make some room on your shelf... then consider dropping by the Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B where today marks another Book Swap Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

As the organizers said: "Let's share our used books to help us get through this pandemic together. Leave your donations, and take home some others. Reading is a safe survival tactic!" 

Photo courtesy of Kevin Farley

Saturday's parting shot

A moment from today's free zumba class on Avenue B courtesy of the Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition ... photo by Derek Berg... 

Report: Welcome to Exploding Manhole Season.

As Gothamist points out today, we're now in Exploding Manhole Season, when, as they put it: "The city's creaky tangle of underground utilities is once again under siege from salty water." 

As a result, there have been numerous manhole explosions reported around the city. 

Around here, we've had some smokers, as you can see in the top photo on Avenue A between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. And this morning, there was a report of a "smoking maintenance hole" on Second Avenue at 13th Street ...

Fortunately, nothing exploded in these two instances. The Gothamist post included this helpful infographic via Con Ed ...

Zumba on the open streets of Avenue B this afternoon

The Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition is hosting a post-holiday zumba event on Avenue B at Ninth Street today from 1-3. 

Per the invite: "Warm up in the cold 🥶 with some FREE #Zumba Saturday All levels welcome (masks & distancing required)."

An early morning view along Avenue A

A view along Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street this morning... after yesterday's reported high of 60, temperatures dropped to the 20s overnight with wind chills in the teens... causing the Avenue A reflective pool to freeze over ...

East Village season's greetings

In recent weeks EVG contributor Stacie Joy has been taking photos of holiday scenes around the neighborhood ... here's a roundup of an East Village Christmas season...

Hello again

 

One last Christmas song for the season... and one we aren't tired of — the recently released "Hello Santa Claus" by the local band Pom Pom Squad.

High winds takes down the B&H Dairy awning on 2nd Avenue

The high winds overnight damaged several outdoor dining spaces ... and it took down the awning at B&H Dairy on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place... (Derek Berg took the top photo; and BW took the shot below...)

B&H's small outdoor space was also damaged by the awning.

It has been a struggle this year for the 82-year-old lunch counter — absence of indoor dining aside... there have been two break-ins ... and the vandalized front window... not to mention the trash mound. 

B&H is currently crowdfunding to stay in business.

Christmas miracles: Joseph C. Sauer Park is back open on 12th Street

Updated: Readers report the gates were locked as early as 1 p.m.

The reconstruction of Joseph C. Sauer Park is complete here on 12th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... and the Park officially reopened today. (Thanks to Choresh Wald for the photo!)

Work appeared to have been completed several days ago, but the space remained locked, prompting questions from community members eager to have access to the Park during the pandemic.

Local Assembly Member Harvey Epstein shared the reopening news yesterday ...

Good News: The Sauer Park project on East 12th Street between Avenues A & B has been completed, and the park will be reopened tomorrow – a Christmas present to the community!

— Harvey Epstein 哈維 D. 艾普斯汀(男) (@HarveyforNY) December 24, 2020

The $4 million renovation — part of Mayor de Blasio’s Community Parks Initiative — originally had a completion date of October 2020, though that was later changed to this month, per the Park's website. The links below provide more history of the project. 

Updated: 

A reader shared this photo from inside today ...

... and an aerial view from a week ago...

Previously on EV Grieve:

• A petition to keep the 8-foot fence at Joseph C. Sauer Park on 12th Street

• Year-long renovations expected soon at Joseph C. Sauer Park on 12th Street; locals want fence to remain at 8 feet

• Pols: Fence at Joseph C. Sauer Park on 12th Street will remain at 8 feet

Thursday's parting shots

HBD to Dr. Anthony Fauci on this Christmas Eve day ... and as seen at Two Boots Pizza on Avenue A and Third Street...

Thanks to EVG regular Greg Masters for the photos!

'Whoa Christmas' for the holidays

Independent music and theater venues have been among the hardest hit businesses during the pandemic.

To support one local spot, EV musician Matt Hanley recently rented the Kraine Theater on Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery to film ballet scenes for a music video.

"The money is important, but there's also a need to keep its staff doing something ... that's why instead of a cash donation, I rented the Kraine Theater for a couple of hours," he said. "All in all, the effort employed a dancer, a local videographer, an editor and sent a chunk of change to the Kraine / Frigid NYC."

And the end result of this is the music video for "Whoa Christmas," written by Hanley and performed by the Bedroom Guys... described by them as "a waltz in the spirit of 'The Nutcracker' and the Replacements."

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood and NYC...

Sweet Generation is leaving the East Village

After nearly six years at 130 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, Sweet Generation is closing up its bakery ahead of a move to a larger location in Brooklyn.

Per their Instagram this morning:

Come by and say goodbye to our tiny little adorable shop ❤️ We are so sad to go, and also so excited for our next big step opening our beautiful new space in Brooklyn (right off the Jefferson L stop). 

The shop will be open today until 3 p.m. They'll be open for curbside pickup only on Saturday, Sunday and Monday ... taking orders by phone: (646) 964-5777. Closed for good starting on Tuesday. And there are sales are elect items. 

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.

Image via Instagram

Medan Pasar now serving Malaysian cuisine on 7th Street

Medan Pasar debuted this week at 102 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue... 

They are currently open for takeout or delivery starting at 11:30 a.m. Find their menu here. Or call them at (646) 756-4006. 

The Instagram account @eastvillagefoodfinds highlighted their Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang (pictured below): "Full of flavor, some nice kick and a stick-to-your ribs meal overall — perfect for keeping you warm in these cold months."

 

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This space on Seventh Street was previously Comparti New York — a catering and events business.