These cats need a home

These signs arrived yesterday on Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue ... where Ollie's Place needs to find homes for 12 cats ASAP.

According to the signs, the nonprofit that rescues cats and puts them up for adoption has lost its lease. We don't know any more than what's posted on the signs. 

You can stop by the shop at 430 E. Ninth St. or email cats@mightymutts.org for more details. 

Ollie's arrived here in 2011. 

Thanks to Kait for the photo... and to William Klayer for also sharing the news.

Remembering East Village artist M. Henry Jones

M. Henry Jones, a longtime East Village-based animator, filmmaker and 3D photographer, died this past June at age 65.

This Thursday evening at 7, his many friends and loved ones are coming together for a memorial at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on Second Avenue at 10th Street. 

Here's more about him and his work via the Burchfield Penney Art Center: 

In 1975 he moved to New York City, where he attended the School of Visual Arts. He soon became one of many prominent figures in the East Village alternative art space, working with several artists and musicians, and founding Snake Monkey Studios, a concept based out of his apartment on Avenue A. 

Jones' films throughout the 1970s and 1980s transcended the boundaries between moving and stagnant imagery, employing a meticulous and carefully crafted process to give viewers a unique visual experience. His early works are also representative of some of the earliest interactions between music, and films intended to complement its structure; one of Jones' most widely recognized films, "Soul City," is a stroboscopic color film created in collaboration with The Fleshtones. The two-year production of the two-minute film required each individual frame of the group's performance footage to be precisely cut, tinted and rephotographed. 

The film made its debut on the music and art scenes in 1979 and was unlike anything that had ever been done before. "Soul City," along with Jones' other animations for musicians pioneered the music video artistic concept years before MTV and the rise of music videos as we know them today.

David Hershkovits shared this about him in a July post at Legsville: 

Visiting him in his studio or running into him in the East Village neighborhood where we both still lived was an adventure in its own right. My head would spin getting lost in the weeds of his enthusiasms, but I'd always walk away elevated by the conversation, inspired by his hands-on approach and dedication, in his words, "to make the world a better place." 

And from curator Marc H. Miller of Gallery 98: 

Fans of Jones often refer to him as a “technical genius” but he is probably better described as a forward-looking visionary blessed with stubborn perseverance. Because his first works date nearly a decade before the widespread use of computers and digitization, Jones was restricted to labor-intensive analog techniques to create effects that would soon be facilitated by digital programs like Photoshop. 

Today we marvel not only at the visual effects he produced but also at the arduous, time-consuming processes he needed to use to achieve them. In hindsight, it becomes clear that the technology itself was the true subject of Jones’ work, as well as its most important component.

What is the city planning for the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park?

Updated 9/19: You can find a recap of the plans for the space here.

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There are several items of potential interest on the docket tomorrow night (Sept. 15) for Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, & Resiliency Committee virtual meeting. 

The fourth item of the agenda, "Proposed plan for renovation of the multi-purpose court in NW corner of Tompkins Square Park," has drawn much interest to date...

There isn't any official word yet on what this "proposed plan for renovation" entails.

As you may recall, from September 2019, the skateboarding community came together to show their support for keeping the multipurpose courts (aka TF) in the northwest corner of Tompkins Square Park free of synthetic turf. 

As we reported in July 2019, the city had plans — apparently only known to residents who may have attended a Community Board 3 committee meeting in May — to cover the courts with synthetic turf, rendering the space useless for skateboarders and street hockey players, among other groups. (People have been skating at this spot since the 1980s, and it has been called "the last great meet-up spot for skateboarders and their friends in New York.") 

However, less than 24 hours before a much-publicized rally was to take place, the city announced that it would no longer cover the space in turf, originally proposed to make up for the amenities lost during the years-long gutting of East River Park.

"Tompkins Square Park has served as the epicenter of NYC skateboard culture for decades. As such, we have decided to leave the area previously proposed for synthetic in the park as is and will not move forward with creating a synthetic turf area there," Parks Department spokesperson Crystal Howard said in a statement to Patch at the time. 

There have been plans in the works titled "Tompkins Square Park Pavement Reconstruction." This project would, as the name suggests, "reconstruct pavement surfaces at Tompkins Square Park." 

While areas of the Park could stand for some resurfacing, doing so on the site that skaters use could potentially render the TF useless. As one regular told us: "When they put new asphalt in, it can take years to set ... it's the smooth ground that's great to skate on that we love. Or they could fuck it up and ruin it as a skate spot." 

Another resident we talked with wishes the Parks Department would focus on other areas needing attention in the Park, such as the restrooms, which some people think are the worst in North America. (Relief is on the way there with the expected reconstruction of the Tompkins Square Park field house next year. Or so.)

According to the Parks Department website, the design for the "Pavement Reconstruction" phase is 30% finished, with an anticipated February 2023 completion date — just for the design. (The project is also still in the procurement phase.)  

Here is the link to the Zoom registration for tomorrow night's (Sept. 15) meeting... which starts at 6:30. 

Full reveal at 15 Avenue A

Workers removed the plywood from outside the gut-renovated and taller 15 Avenue A on Monday... revealing the building's entrance and retail space here between First Street and Second Street ... 

As previously reported, the currently vacant building received a vertical extension with two new floors, moving from four to six... with five residential units (likely condos) in the making.

The new retail tenant is expected to be a wine bar/restaurant from Bushwick-based pizzeria Roberta's. (First reported in September 2019.)

Community Board 3 approved a beer-wine location for the ground floor back in September. The minutes from that meeting show that Roberta's will have 12 tables and 44 seats with one 12-foot L-shaped bar with four seats. Hours of operation were listed as 11 a.m. to midnight, with "Italian food (pizza, pasta) prepared in a full kitchen, serving food during all hours of operation, no televisions, and ambient recorded background music."

The retail space at 15 Avenue A was previously the Family Dental Center, which moved down to Essex Street in 2017. The building changed hands in early 2018 for $4.3 million, per public records. Z+G Property Group is the landlord.

Tuesday's parting shot

Seen today in Tompkins Square Park... photo by Derek Berg...

Report of a 2-alarm fire at 11-13 Avenue D

A two-alarm fire damaged several businesses and displaced residents late last night at 11-13 Avenue D between Second Street and Third Street. 

The @FDNYalerts account first noted the fire at 12:41 a.m. ...

Manhattan 2-Alarm Box 0415, 13 AVE D, MULTIPLE DWELLING A, 1 FLR STORE

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) September 13, 2022

... with the "under control" coming at 2 a.m. ...

Manhattan 2-Alarm Box 0415, 13 AVE D, MULTIPLE DWELLING A, 1 FLR STORE, Under Control

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) September 13, 2022

Nearby residents reported seeing flames coming through the roof of the six-floor building. (H/T Bobby G.) 

Video taken from the scene shows extensive damage to the three ground-floor businesses: Joesph's Convenience Store, New Chinatown Restaurant and Royal Fried Chicken. (New Chinatown Restaurant was not open at the time, as firefighters had to cut through the gate to access the establishment.)

At this time, there isn't any official word of injuries, the origin of the fire or the extent of the damage to the residential units.

Updated 8:30 a.m. 

EVG reader Bobby G. shares this photo from this morning...

Screengrabs via video by THEMAJESTIRIUM1.

Astor Wines & Spirits has new owners — its employees

Astor Wines & Spirits, founded in 1946, has been sold to its employees. 

The Fisher family, which has owned and operated the business since 1968, shared the information in a press release yesterday. Terms of the transaction, completed on Aug. 16, were not disclosed. 

Company president Andy Fisher explained the decision in a statement.

"My brother Rob, Astor's chief operating officer, and I believe the best succession plan is to entrust Astor to the people who have been so instrumental in building our enterprise," he said. "By becoming an employee-owned business, we ensure that Astor Wines & Spirits will maintain our qualitative standards in selection and service while providing the additional benefit of rewarding our outstanding team." 

Astor Wines & Spirits has approximately 75 employees. 

Here's more about how the sale worked:

The sale was made to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). In an ESOP transaction, the current stockholders sell their shares to the ESOP, and are paid over time from the company’s earnings. Shares in the newly formed ESOP are free to employees who redeem those shares at retirement.

On retirement, the redemption value of the employee’s shares is predicated on the success of the business. ESOPS generally have higher sales and job growth than non-ESOP companies. Examples of other ESOPS include Publix Super Markets, WL Gore (the makers of Gore-Tex) and Bi-Mart.

In 2006, the shop moved from Astor Place to its current home in the De Vinne Press Building at 399 Lafayette St. on the NE corner of Fourth Street. In 2008, Astor Center — an educational facility that offers classes on wine, spirits and cocktails — opened at the same location.

A new broker for 44 Avenue A

New broker signage went up late last week outside 44 Avenue A at Third Street. The long-empty (three-plus-years) storefront adjacent to Two Boots was previously the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater's East Village outpost, UCBeast.

It's a large space — 3,300 square feet over two floors, including a 99-seat theater ... with entrances on Avenue A and Third Street.

No word on the asking rent via the new listing. (Theater image about via Tri State Commercial Realty.)

Citing financial difficulties, Upright Citizens Brigade Theater closed UCBeast in February 2019. The comedy venue first opened in September 2011. UCB took over part of the expanded Two Boots empire — the video store on Avenue A and the Pioneer Theater around the corner on Third Street.

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

As noted before, we've talked with several residents who'd love to see the space used for some type of cinematic venture similar to the Metrograph, the boutique two-screen theater — which also features a restaurant, a bookstore and a lounge — down on Ludlow Street.

In the spring of 2021, Marcello Assante was looking to open Cinema Paradiso here... a cafe, restaurant, and center for cinephiles to enjoy foreign and independent features. However, Community Board 3 would not approve a full liquor license for all hours of the space, which Assante argued was necessary to help the venture be profitable.  

Signs of fall: the Feast of San Gennaro starts Thursday

The Feast of San Gennaro starts Thursday in Little Italy... and runs through Sunday, Sept. 25. 

Workers have been setting up along Mulberry Street... as seen last night... 

Two FYI dates! The 24th Annual Cannoli Eating Contest is Friday at 1 p.m. ... and save room for the 3rd Annual Zeppole Eating Competition on Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. 

Go hear Andrei Codrescu at the Bowery Poetry Club

Andrei Codrescu, the poet-author and longtime contributor to NPR's "All Things Considered," is releasing his new book, "Too Late for Nightmares," tomorrow (Sept. 13).

And tomorrow night, he'll give a reading alongside several of his colleagues at the Bowery Poetry Club. Time: 7-9 p.m. at the Club, 308 Bowery near First Street... there isn't an entry fee ... or required advance registration.

Noted (again)

As noted on Saturday... the booted Subaru (without plates) remains booted in the bus lane (sung to the tune of "Sandy" aka "Stranded at the Drive-In") outside 35 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street. 

A reader has said the city towed the car here and left ahead of the milling on Third Street last week. So it has been here since at least Thursday.

Good Beer is closing

Photo by Steven

Several bummed-out Good Beer fans told us that the retail shop on Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue is closing.

Owner David Cichowicz confirmed to EVG contributor Steven that Good Beer will shut down in the days ahead, depending on the inventory. 

The shop apparently couldn't recover from the COVID-related closures and subsequent slowdown in business. 

In an appreciation post from April 2020, EVG reader Abfus had this to say: 

As the name suggests, Good Beer has always stocked an impeccable selection of domestic and international beer across every style. And it gets deliveries from local breweries several times a week, so you can simultaneously support the locally owned store and the city's flourishing brewery scene.

Good Beer first opened in November 2010.

A full reveal at Zero Irving on 14th Street

As you may have noticed, Zero Irving (formerly the Union Square Tech Training Center, 14 @ Irving and tech hub) on 14th Street is now completely free of scaffolding, a sidewalk bridge, etc. ... providing the final view of the completed 21-story building...

The building, developed jointly by the city's Economic Development Corp. and RAL Development Services, will feature 14 floors of market-rate office space as well as a technology training center, co-working and event spaces on the seven floors beneath.

Zero Irving has reportedly signed several full-floor deals recently, including data analytics software company Sigma Computing Inc. on the ninth floor and B2B payments platform Melio on the 15th and 16th floors. And most recently: Laurel Road, a digital banking platform and brand of KeyBank, leased space for offices on the 11th floor. 

Urbanspace will operate a food hall on the ground level...

A refresher on what to expect with that via the Urbanspace website:

Thirteen vendors will occupy the 10,000-square-foot venue with an outdoor patio. Urbanspace is curating a dynamic lineup of chefs, food entrepreneurs, and exciting new restaurant concepts. The result will be more than a market: it will be a fertile ground for the food community, a place where ideas are shared and creativity and individuality shine. At least 25% of the Food Hall will be reserved for use by first-time entrepreneurs or start-up companies operating for less than four years.

No word on an opening date.

Long contested by local preservationists and community groups, the new building sits on the former site of a P.C. Richard & Son on city-owned property.

Foundation work started here in August 2019.

Jo's Tacos coming to 14th Street

Signage is up for Jo's Tacos, coming soon to 226 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (Thanks to Pinch for the intel!)

Not sure who Jo is at the moment.

The landlord here split the storefront in half (The previous tenant, Williamsburg Pizza, decided not to reopen this spot during the pandemic. The pizzeria's other locations remain in service.)

The other side is — ding, dong — Bong World. 

And remember when we asked what will pair well with a bong shop?

J. Crew signage official a day before its grand opening on the Bowery

Updated 9/13:  From J. Crew:  This is "a new men’s concept store featuring a curated collection of J.Crew menswear, vintage finds including art and furniture, plus coffee from Urban Backyard." 

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 The JC signage went up Friday here at 316 Bowery at Bleecker...

... ahead of the grand opening of a new men's concept tomorrow...

As previously noted, the storefront will be selling coffee-espresso drinks (Think Coffee across the street must love this!) ... and there looks to be space for sidewalk seating.

There's also speculation, via Gear Patrol, that this will be a J. Crew Liquor Store redux. That was the brand's "clubby boutique" in an old liquor store in Tribeca from 2008-2019. 

Also from Gear Patrol: "Even if J.Crew doesn't use the basement, the ground level is still over 3,000 square feet, making this, at least to my knowledge, the biggest dedicated J.Crew Men's Shop in New York City, if not the U.S."

Last year, JC hired Brendon Babenzien — former Supreme design director — to be the creative director of J.Crew Men's. He debuted/celebrated his first collection last week at a party at Jean's, an opening-soon restaurant via the owners of Superiority Burger and Williamsburg Pizza in the former Butter space on Lafayette that featured a 7-song set by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.  

After filing for Chapter 11 in May 2020, J. Crew exited bankruptcy that fall. Per Retail Dive:

Lenders have taken over controlling ownership after a federal bankruptcy court approved J. Crew's reorganization plan. That deal left investment firm Anchorage Capital Group as the retailer's current majority owner. Kevin Ulrich, Anchorage's CEO, said in the release that his firm sees "an immense opportunity for growth and expansion at each brand," which includes the J. Crew and Madewell banners.

Sunday's parting shot

A Twin Towers memory on the 21st anniversary of 9/11... a view from Second Avenue and Third Street circa 1995. Thanks to Grant Shaffer for the photo.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo from Avenue A) ... 

• Here's a look at the proposed designs for the new East River Park amphitheater (Thursday) 

• At the grand reopening of Essex Card Shop (Tuesday) 

• Officials now say water tested at the Riis Houses never had arsenic in it; lab says results were 'incorrect' (Saturday) 

• An end-of-summer appreciation: InCircles (Monday) 

• CB3 wants your input on 2023 budget priorities (Friday)

• The East Village outpost of the Mermaid Inn reopens; take a look inside (Thursday) 

• Caleta will offer small plates and Bad Habit ice cream on Avenue A (Wednesday)

• Today in civic duty (Wednesday)

• The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space turns 10 (Wednesday) 

• It's milling time (Thursday) • Why Blank Street Coffee seems everywhere, and maybe that's not a good thing (Monday) 

• J. Crew confirmed for the Bowery; opening scheduled on Sept. 13 (Tuesday) 

• State seizes Sestina for nonpayment of taxes; owners cite 'technical difficulties' (Tuesday) 

• Classic Odessa Restaurant signage gone for now on Avenue A; 'It's in a safe place' (Wednesday)

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Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

Mayor Adams gives the all clear to the water at the Jacob Riis Houses

Image via @nycgov 

The city announced yesterday that residents of the Jacob Riis Houses on Avenue D can safely use the water at the complex between Sixth Street and 13th Street. 

In making the announcement, Mayor Adams and Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan stopped by a Riis House residence to drink from a kitchen sink. 

 Before chugging a glass, Adams declared: "Nothing's better than New York City water."

This morning, @nycHealthy reviewed the final test results for contaminants and we can confidently say the water at @NYCHA Jacob Riis Houses meets EPA standards. I wouldn’t ask residents to do anything I wouldn’t do, which is why I stopped by Riis Houses to drink the water myself. pic.twitter.com/0eTnIBDyaZ

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) September 10, 2022

This comes after the news Friday in which Environmental Monitoring and Technologies Inc. admitted that its earlier findings of arsenic in the water were incorrect. 

The water saga started on Sept. 2 when the NYCHA said it found traces of arsenic in the tap water at the Riis Houses ... and warned residents not to drink the water or use it for cooking indefinitely. According to posted notices, the levels of arsenic are above levels considered safe by EPA standards. 

Here's part of the statement released from Mayor Adams yesterday: 

I know the last eight days have been unbearable for the residents of Jacob Riis Houses, but, this morning, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reviewed the final test results for contaminants and found the water to be well within EPA drinking water quality standards. We can confidently say the water at Riis Houses is and has been free of any discernible amount of arsenic since the initial tests were initiated in August and meets EPA standards. I would not ask the residents of Riis Houses to do anything I wouldn’t do, which is why I have already stopped by Riis Houses and drank the water myself. 

As we stated yesterday, NYCHA nor any other city agency will test water through Environmental Monitoring and Technologies any longer, and the city intends to pursue all available legal options on behalf of the residents of Riis Houses and will look for how we can reimburse residents for costs incurred over the last week. In regard to the Legionella bacteria reported earlier this week, we suspect these results are inaccurate. 

As public health experts have noted, Legionnaires Disease cannot be contracted by drinking water. Additionally, we are actively reviewing our Legionella surveillance data, and have found no reported or confirmed cases of Legionnaires Disease at Riis Houses over the last 12 months.

Other reactions...

After being on the ground hearing directly from residents this week and laying out questions + demands below, we heard little from the City at tonight’s mtg with Riis families.

Blaming an outside vendor for NYCHA’s mistakes is not accountability. These families deserve better. https://t.co/rcSWQMA1Wg

— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) September 10, 2022

Noted

Multiple readers noted some mostly charred mannequin heads this morning at Temperance Fountain in Tompkins Square Park (top photo via Steven, and below by Derek Berg) ...

This happened last evening (video clip here) ... not sure of the why at the moment... NYFW?

Saturday's parting shots

Photos by Derek Berg 

A few scenes from the (51st) 10th Street Block Festival today...