Checking in on 2 under-renovation properties along this charming block of 7th Street

Here's a look at the recently renovated 264 E. Seventh St. between Avenue C and Avenue D.

According to the approved permit filed with the city, the owners had No. 264 gut-renovated and converted to a two-family dwelling (from three units),  leaving the building's exterior in place and adding an extension in the rear.

You can see the exterior results of this work in the top two photos... as it still fits in this row of like-minded residences.

Things didn't look so good here in September 2016, when a permit was filed with the DOB to demolish the three-level, circa 1842 townhouse.

Preservations rallied to try to have the string of pastel-colored residences considered for landmarking. However, in late October 2017, the Landmarks Preservation Commission refused to consider them for such a designation.

In April 2019, word came via the Village Preservation that new owners purchased the property and nixed a full demolition. (Public records show an LLC paid $7.7 million for the address.)

And as noted before, Felicia Bond lived in the garden duplex at No. 264 when she illustrated the renowned children's book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" in the mid-1980s.

Meanwhile,  two residences to the east, the three-level 268 E. Seventh St., didn't fare as well ... demolition continues here... and the insides have been gutted...

Plans, as well as owners, have changed here in the past two years. Approved permits on file with the city show that workers are adding a vertical enlargement to bring the building to six stories... which will boost the number of units to six. 

Actor John Leguizamo owned No. 268 starting in 1995. In February 2013, the building hit the market with a $4 million ask. However, as Curbed noted at the time:

It's unclear how recently Leguizamo lived in the place, or whether or not he even still owns it — the deed was transferred to an LLC in 2002, and the listing says that it was "Recently a single family residence; currently used as a 3-family" ...

Leguizamo watchers on the block say that the actor moved away about 2001 or 2002.

Highpoint Property Group is now listed as the owner... picking up the property for $4.3 million in the fall of 2019, per public records. The Group's other East Village properties include The Slater at 174-176 First Ave. ... The Topanga at 202 Avenue A ... and The Callahan at 100 Second Ave.

More pizza for a former pizzeria

Look for more pizza on the high-profile corner of Second Avenue at 10th Street.

Signs arrived yesterday for Marinara Pizza ... (thanks to Steven for the photos!)

This will be the fifth outpost for the pizzeria, which has locations on the UES, UWS, Midtown East and Park Avenue South. (I've never had their pizza. Anyone?)

Two buzzy pizza joints have been at this address (160 Second Ave.) in recent years. Lions & Tigers & Squares — the Detroit-style pizzeria from the Artichoke team — debuted in October 2019 before closing during the pandemic last summer. 

And before this... Nicoletta spent six-plus years in business here until the end of 2018.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Cafe Centosette closes on Second Avenue

AuH20 Thriftique popping up for 2 days in former 7th Street home

AuH20 Thriftique is making an encore presentation tomorrow and Saturday in the shop's former home at 84 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

Per an Instagram post: 

Popping up at the old storefront, 84 E. 7th St., on Friday & Saturday, May 14 & 15, from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Stop by if you're in the East Village! We will also be buying! Bring your used clothes and accessories ... And we'll be bringing "wait to bundle" bags in case you'd like to pick up in person.

After 14 years of selling stylish women's vintage clothes and accessories, Kate Goldwater, who opened the storefront after graduating from college, shut down the business last fall.

She is continuing to offer items online. 

Image via Instagram 

Coffee shop slated for 194 1st Ave.

Updated June 2: Cafe Sandra is now open!

A coffee shop called Cafe Sandra has signed a lease at 194 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.

Cafe Sandra already has a website. And despite what the site states, they are not yet open for business. The storefront is empty.

The previous tenant, Space 194, a hybrid tea-coffee shop-gallery, closed in early 2020 after nearly a year in service.

The address was previously the Neptune. The Polish-American diner shut down in December 2016 after 15 years in business. After their departure, the landlord divided up the restaurant into two storefronts.

Photo by Steven. H/T Upper West Sider!

Wednesday's parting shot of a Basquiat painting that just sold for $93.1 million

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting titled In This Case sold for $93.1 million last night at Christie's. 

The record price paid for a Basquiat at auction came in 2017 when another painting of a skull sold to the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa for $110.5 million. 

As for last night, Bloomberg provides the play-by-play...

As the lot opened up to a salesroom populated exclusively by cameras and auction house specialists, Gemma Sudlow, a senior vice president at Christie's who was leading the auction, opened bidding at $40 million, and quickly brought its price to $52 million.

And...

Soon, six bidders began to vie for the work, slowly pushing its price in increments ranging from $1 million to $3 million. After about six minutes of bidding, the nearly 6.5 foot-high (2 meters) painting hammered at $81 million. Auction house fees payable by the buyer added on another $12 million.

And...

The painting was last purchased publicly in 2002, when it sold at Sotheby’s for just under $1 million. It then sold privately in 2007 for an undisclosed sum. The seller on Tuesday night, according to reports, was former Valentino chairman Giancarlo Giammetti; the buyer was not immediately known.

Basquiat died of a heroin overdose in 1988 at his home-studio at 57 Great Jones St. between the Bowery and Lafayette. He was 27.

Image via Christie's

Today in sunspots

Felton Davis of the Second Avenue Star Watchers shared this today...

Crystal-clear blue sky this afternoon, for an unusually large sunspot left of center, but the attempt to angle my aging telescope almost straight up was very difficult. Joanne stayed the course through about 45 minutes of agonizing adjustments, and then the sun promptly disappeared behind the clouds. The sunspot was approximately 8,000 miles in diameter, or a hundredth of the diameter of the sun.

... and a view of the sunspot...

... and the size of the sunspot next to Earth for a little comparison...

According to NASA: "The sun ... is roughly 109 times the diameter of the Earth — about one million Earths could fit inside the sun." 

And a word of warning from Felton if you want to start sunspot spotting: "Do not stare at the sun for any length of time, and do not point a telescope at it unless you have a very thick filter covering the tube."

Christopher Meloni brings 'Law & Order' to Astor Place

"Law & Order: Organized Crime" has been filming along the Bowery, Cooper Square and Astor Place this week... Derek Berg spotted Det. Stabler, aka Christopher Meloni, near Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street prepping for a scene...

The last time we saw Meloni in the East Village, he was carrying a chainsaw on St. Mark's Place.

Gallery Watch: 'My Snake Is Bigger Than Your Snake' at Freight + Volume

Text and photos by Clare Gemima  

Rebecca Goyette's My Snake is Bigger Than Your Snake

Freight + Volume Gallery, 97 Allen St.

My Snake is Bigger Than Your Snake is definitely a sight for sore eyes from the instant you stand in front of Freight + Volume on Allen Street. 

Visible before entering the gallery, a video of humans in dog suits giving birth, humping and licking all sorts of different things invites onlookers shamelessly into the space. 

Regardless of this show’s potent R18 feel, colors explode playfully throughout the gallery as you experience the artist’s multifaceted skill set displayed through illustration, soft sculpture, video work, and in her most exciting execution, ceramics. 

Reading about this show, I discovered so much extrapolated narrative attached to it that I would like to encourage readers to visit and interpret the art for themselves. I say this because often the charm of a great show is rubbed away by some forceful and didactic description that 1) an average gallery-goer may never read in the first place and 2) is a load of just utter, out-of-touch bullshit. 

I think the conflict I face regarding this show is that the work is outstandingly attractive to me, yet it presents a dense amount of self-involvement and inaccessible self-consciousness that it becomes less about the beauty of the objects and more about the artist’s lived experience. I can’t tell if this is a good thing or not, but there is so much going on — a successful mind-fuck above all else. 

There is strong authorship in the show that guides viewers through a personal story of Goyette involving the sale of her father's house after he had passed away. The new home-owner turned out to be a right-wing and starchy bum-hole Trump supporter who is crafted (life-size) for a full-on confrontation as you enter the space. He’s grotesque to look at, drowning in snakes and dressed in politically indicative attire. 

This recurring "Snake Man" debuts as No. 1 enemy to our hero and protagonist, Rebecca Goyette, aka Lobsta Queen. The dogs have human dicks, the humans each have two dicks, a group of sausages throws a party, and the art of sex is celebrated positively, strikingly, abjectly. 

Evidence for an aforementioned mind-fuck of a show is particularly blatant in Goyette's collection of ceramics, which are by far the most enticing part of My Snake is Bigger Than Your Snake. Her drawings are particularly tantalizing as well (think animal kingdom stampeding through a Grayson Perry tapestry). 

Go inside the mind of a tortured artist who chooses to torment her audience for fun with child-like and extremely perverse make-believe scenarios. 

My Snake is Bigger Than Your Snake will be showing at Freight +Volume, 97 Allen St., until May 16.

 ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 

Clare Gemima is a visual artist from New Zealand. New-ish to the East Village, she spends her time as an artist assistant and gallery go-er, hungry to explore what's happening in her local art world. You can find her work here: claregemima.com 

Ray's Pizza & Bagel Cafe owner eyes new concept for 2 St. Mark's Place

The owner of Ray's Pizza & Bagel Cafe on Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place has plans to open an Italian restaurant-bar in the adjacent space at 2 St. Mark's Place...   

Efthymios Papadopoulos will appear before CB3's SLA committee tonight for a new liquor license for the currently empty restaurant. The online application (link here) shows that the establishment would have 12 tables for 40 guests and a 12-seat bar. The proposed hours are 11:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily.

The previous tenant at 2 St. Mark's Place, Eliza's Local, didn't make it out of the pandemic, closing late last summer after a little more than 18 months in business. 

Before Eliza's, No. 2, next to the entrance of the St. Marks Hotel, was previously Ayios Greek Rotisserie, which quietly closed at the end of 2017 after 16 months in business. St. Mark's Ale House had a 21-year run until July 2016. And once upon a time, it was the second location of the Five Spot Cafe.

Tonight's virtual CB3-SLA committee meeting starts at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here.

Another Tony's Pizza for the East Village, this one for the former Vinny Vincenz space

A coming soon banner for Tony's Pizza now hangs on the front of 231 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. (Thanks to Steven for the pic!)

Tony's will be taking over the space from Vinny Vincenz, the 18-year-old pizzeria that quietly closed last month — much to the dismay of its regulars.

And this marks the second Tony's Pizza to be arriving in the East Village ... signage showed up outside 128 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place earlier this month... 

This outpost is taking over from another pizzeria — Nolita Pizza left last June after a year for a newer outpost down on Kenmare Street.

Still no word about who this Tony might be. There was some speculation (or perhaps hope?) that this might be related to the Tony's out on Graham Avenue in East Williamsburg, though the logos don't match up. (We messaged them to ask anyway.) 

The Starbucks on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place has not been open lately

Updated: Reopened as of May 17.

Observers say that the Starbucks location on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place has not been open for the past 7-10 days. 

Signs on the door simply note, "Our store is temporarily closed," with instructions to visit the nearest Starbucks. Calls to this branch result in an outgoing message stating, "your call cannot be completed at this time." 

While two neighborhood Starbucks outposts have closed in recent years (Second Avenue at Ninth Street, Broadway at Ninth Street), this isn't believed to be a permanent shutter. This location has been closed from time to time, like in July 2019 for an electrical issue.

Starbucks opened at this spot in August 2017.

The previous tenant, Nino's, had to close on Oct. 21, 2015, due to a gas leak in the building. On Nov. 17 of that year, Nino's received an eviction notice. Owner Nino Camaj had said that the gas was shut off in the building without any notice to him.

In late November 2015, Camaj's lawyers were reportedly talking with landlord Citi Urban Management to dispute the rent charged for the month during which they weren't open due to the gas leak. Camaj still had 10 years left on his lease and had been in court with the landlords.

He accepted a buyout in February 2016, after having been closed for nearly five months. Camaj told DNAinfo that he could no longer afford the $14,500 monthly rent. 

Photo by Steven!

Opinion: The overlooked stakeholders and potential bias in the Open Restaurants program

Today, the Department of City Planning and the Department of Transporation are inviting "key stakeholders" to a virtual presentation on bringing a permanent Open Restaurants program to life.

According to the invite, this is the "key first element of ... an amendment to the Zoning Resolution that will begin a public review in June."

A longtime East Village small business owner, who is not in the food-beverage industry and feels as if other retail establishments have been overlooked in the city's plans, shared some thoughts about the potential impact this might have on a neighborhood and its residents ... consider this a mini op-ed (opposing viewpoints are welcome) ... 

The biggest stakeholders are actually the residents who live above or beside these sheds and must put up with them so that landlords, restaurants and bars can increase their profit margin at the expense of residents' ability to live peaceably in their homes. 

These real stakeholders have been left out of the process at every turn. It creates another tale of two cities whereby those able to move and/or insulate themselves in their high rises or in areas where the COVID sheds don't exist are quite happy with the program while those who do not have that privilege must bear its burden. 

And the same goes for small business and retail diversity; why would a landlord rent to a retail shop when they can rent to a cafe or bar or restaurant that will have the ability to annex additional square footage in the street? More space equals higher rents equals a bias toward renting to businesses in the hospitality industry versus retail shops.

The Open Restaurants initiative came about in June 2020 to allow the hard-hit restaurant industry to open safely with outside seating while indoor dining was prohibited. It became a major lifeline for the restaurant industry during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, in late April, City Council voted (39-8) to make the Open Streets program permanent. 

There are 3 (!!!) chicks for red-tailed hawks Amelia and Christo in Tompkins Square Park

We have confirmation that Amelia and Christo, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, have three chicks in the nest this spring... Goggla shared the news — and these photos — from yesterday.

You can see the three nestlings in the top photo with Amelia.

Per Goggla: "This marks the second year in a row that the pair have produced three offspring, and they are all looking lively, which is great news."

And some solo shots...

Goggla has more photos and videos at this link.

NYPL plans to expand services at all branches by mid-July

New York Public Library (NYPL) officials announced yesterday that they plan to reopen all available branch libraries with expanded service by mid-July.

This means that you can expect "the full complement of services such as general space use, programs and classes incrementally reinstituted as quickly as circumstances allow," per the NYPL's announcement. 

In addition, starting yesterday, officials said that they expanded service at select locations to include limited browsing and desktop computer use. The Seward Park branch on East Broadway is the closest location with these additional offerings.

The Tompkins Square Library on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B still has its grab-and-go service. (The Ottendorfer Library on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street remains temporarily closed.)

Tompkins Square also continues to offer an array of online programming. Check out the free offerings here.

The NYPL closed all branches in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic. The limited grab-and-go service commenced in August. 

32 Avenue C is now shorter

Several readers have pointed out the demolition on the southeast corner of Avenue C and Third Street... where the long-empty three-story building (32 Avenue C) is now down to one level...   

Once upon a time, there were development plans for this parcel... with the filing of permits with the city in July 2005 for a new 6-floor residential building. The city disapproved the plans in May 2006, and nothing more happened with the project... and the building sat in disrepair.

Years later, the landlord filed a permit in the fall of 2017 with the DOB to "rebuild exterior walls; replace windows and sistering of floor joists to address" the various violations on file.

And now — several years after the initial repair work? According to recently issued work permits, plans call to "partially demolish the building" ... specifically the "second, third and roof floors." It wouldn't be entirely surprising if there are new permits filed one of these days to add a second and third floor.

Public records list the landlord as Abraham Benelyahou of Fairfax Management Corp. In 2014, the Daily News referred to him as "Manhattan's worst landlord."

As previously reported, residents have long complained about the drug activity on this corner. On Jan. 18, a 36-year-old man was shot and killed here. Since then, the NYPD has parked a patrol car nearby. (A vehicle from the 9th Precinct was on Third Street at the time of this photo mid-Sunday morning.)

The sidewalk bridge has helped give cover to any activity here... for the past eight-plus years. 

Expanded C&B Cafe nearly ready

As we've been reporting, C&B chef-owner Ali Sahin is expanding his cafe into the vacant retail space — the former dry cleaners — next door here at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The C&B team is getting closer to a grand opening of the combined storefront. EVG contributor Stacie Joy got another in-progress look...

Still to be done, the new freezer installed, the custom cabinets put up and the much-anticipated return of the record player and albums.

Ali showed Stacie the plans on his phone as he pointed out the new pass-through, the marble countertops and subway tiles...

Ali doesn't have any plans for indoor dining — just increased space for him and the team and a longer to-go counter.

You can follow C&B on Instagram for grand-opening details. 

Meanwhile, the original cafe remains open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Yubu bringing Korean food and beverages to 7th Street

Signage is up over on Seventh Street just west of First Avenue for Yubu, which will serve Korean food and beverages from the sliver of a storefront at 86 E. Seventh St.

This spot has been a launching pad for businesses that grew and expanded into larger spaces elsewhere.

Abraço was here for 10 years before moving across the street in early 2017. Last summer, Suki, the Japanese curry shop, relocated to 111 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. (Suki also opened a sushi outpost on St. Mark's Place.)

In between these two, we had Cafe Che/Benny's Burritos & Empanadas, which, unfortunately, didn't catch on ... 

Cinema Paradiso looks to bring foreign and independent films to Avenue A

Updated 5/11: The CB3-SLA committee voted against this applicant's plans as presented, instead offering stipulations that Marcello Assante can only serve food-dinner during the films — not before or after, thus doing away with any necessary revenue to keep this operation viable. He plans to return to CB3 next month. We'll have more about this in another post. 

Plans are in the works for a cafe-cinema at 44 Avenue A, the former home of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater's East Village outpost, UCBeast, as well as the Pioneer Theater.

Marcello Assante is on tonight's CB3-SLA agenda for a liquor license for Cinema Paradiso, a cafe-theater concept for the space here at Third Street adjacent to Two Boots. (Questionnaire here.)

Assante, a Naples native, has owned and operated a handful of restaurants through the years, including Bella Ciao, Capri Ristorante and Marcellino in Little Italy as well as Local 92 on Second Avenue. Assante has also been involved with the film industry in Italy, having worked with director Abel Ferrara. 

The space on Avenue A, which is already equipped with a movie screen, stage and theater seats for 119 people, seems perfectly suited to Assante's vision of creating a "big cinema culture" — a cultural center for cinephiles to enjoy foreign and independent features.

"My big love is cinema," he said in a recent phone call. 

Aside from new indie and foreign releases, he's also exploring hosting film festivals, premieres and live events, such as director Q&As, similar perhaps to, say, the Metrograph on Ludlow Street.

Cinema Paradiso will also include a cafe for people to have a pre- or post-film meal and drink. At the moment, he's not sure if he'll offer in-theater table service, such as at Alamo Drafthouse and the Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn or the iPic Theaters at the South Street Seaport. The cafe portion could be a standalone restaurant such as the Commissary at the Metrograph. 

"We need a liquor license to help support the rent, which is very high," Assante said. Would he move forward if the Community Board nixes the license? (UCBeast, the previous tenant, did serve alcohol.)

"I don't know. We are trying now and we will take it from there," he said. "We are here for cinema and culture."

The business name, Cinema Paradiso, comes from the 1988 Italian drama that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

"I'm Italian... 'Cinema Paradisio' is like my story," Assante said. "It's very personal. I was 8 years old and watching movies."

Citing financial woes, the Upright Citizens Brigade closed this theater in February 2019 after eight-plus years. UCB had taken over part of the expanded Two Boots empire — the video store on Avenue A and the Pioneer Theater with an entrance around the corner on Third Street.

The single-screen Pioneer Theater, which featured indie, underground and cult fare, closed on Nov. 7, 2008, after eight years. As owner Phil Hartman said at the time: "[I]t was always a labor of love and never commercially viable." 

[Image from 2002 via Cinema Treasures]

Tonight's virtual CB3-SLA committee meeting starts at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• UCB East has closed; what's next for their space on Avenue A and 3rd Street?

Report: Now there's an East River Park construction lawsuit

One of the two bidders for the reconstruction of East River Park has initiated a lawsuit against the Department of Design and Construction (DDC), DDC Commissioner Jamie Torres Springer, Comptroller Scott Stringer and IPC Resiliency Partners (IPC), according to the latest report from advocacy group East River Park Action. 

Tully Construction Co. Inc. filed the suit on April 26. (The lawsuit was amended last Monday.)

Per the group's email from yesterday:

Tully, the higher bidder, alleges the DDC did not follow its own protocols when they accepted the lower bid from IPC. The City has agreed to not award the contract until after the hearing date, which is currently May 27. The City also agreed not to register the contract for the ESCR until 30 days after the hearing date. 

The lawsuit claims that IPC, a newly formed joint venture, did not meet the Special Experience Requirements listed in the Project's Bid Booklet. Tully is seeking a judgment that the project should be awarded to them.  

As East River Park Action previously noted, the bids from both Tully and IPC exceeded the city's estimate.

And...

If Tully wins the judgment and DDC awards the Project to Tully at the higher bid of $1,335,473,290, then the costs of the ESCR project will exceed the City Engineer’s estimates by $136,907,910. 

$1.45 billion is allocated for this project. There is currently no additional funding from the city, state or federal government to complete the project. 

Meanwhile, the construction start date, once set to begin in the spring of 2020, is looking like the fall now. The continued delays are casting more doubts on the project's viability, per East River Park Action.

Find more background on the project here.

Previously on EV Grieve:

Report: Lowest bids for East River Park construction are $73 million over budget 

Original Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches lives on in a new Avenue A location

Last week we reported that the Original Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches outpost on Avenue A at 13th Street closed. That is true. 

However, they didn't leave a forwarding address. Nicky's lives on! Turns out that the quick-serve shop moved across the street to 216 Avenue A, a former spa, as the top pic shows. (Thank you to the readers who mentioned this!) 

The Nicky's signage arrived on that new storefront late last week. 

This marks the third East Village home for Nicky's, which originally debuted on Second Street in 2009.

Openings: Sanshi Noodle House on 2nd Avenue

Sanshi Noodle House debuted this past week on the northeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street.

As previously reported, this is the second location for the restaurant ... joining the original outpost in Flushing. You can check out some food pics via the Sanshi Instagram account. Here's a menu for the Flushing location. (A beer-wine license is in the works. They are on this month's CB3-SLA docket.)

Sanshi Noodle House is open for lunch from noon to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with dinner service from 5-8 p.m. (per Google).

This corner space has been vacant since Bar Virage closed in December 2018 after 20-plus years in business. 

Little Rebel announces itself on 2nd Avenue

Signage is up now for Little Rebel at 219 Second Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. 

Hospitality vets Dermot Lynch and Jarek Krukow are the owners of the bar-restaurant here. (They appeared before CB3's SLA committee last month.) 

Don't know too much about the concept at the moment except for what was on the CB3 questionnaire at this link.

This two-level space was previously home to Professor Thom's for 15 years. The sports bar did not reopen after the pandemic PAUSE in March 2020.

Sunday's parting shots

On this Mother's Day, Mother Earth paid a visit to Tompkins Square Park.

Musician-comedian Hila the Killa provided the eco-entertainment in front of Tom Manco's DJ Mother May installation...

Find out what Hila is up to these days here. Thanks to Derek Berg for the photos!

Book smart: the return of Jen the bookseller on Avenue A

Jen the bookseller makes her 2021 debut today at her usual spot on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place.

She says she'll be here today until the rain arrives later this afternoon.

You can follow Jen on her VorteXity Books Instagram account for updates. (And this photo is via her Instagram.)