I Love Old New York recently visited the Block Drug Store, snapped a few pictures from the sidewalk, and chatted up the owner, Carmine Palermo. The blog’s shutterbug wasn’t allowed to shoot inside, however: “[Mr. Palermo] told us that such permission would cost a lot of money.” The Local called up the pharmacy to inquire about Mr. Palmero’s asking price, and he said that in general he only charges top dollar to filmmakers.
“We’re local,” he explained. “People depend on us. There are very few times when we can close — they want to take over the store for 12, 15 hours.”
So, just how much would he charge? “Whatever it takes to discourage them,” Mr. Palermo said.
Of course, nothing is stopping filmmakers from shooting the store’s neon sign. That’s exactly what local auteur Ajay Naidu did for the above shot in his film “Ashes,” which recently became available online.
Next month’s calendar for Community Board 3 meetings was just released, and a variety of familiar businesses will try their luck before the liquor license committee. Nublu, which has temporarily set up shop beneath Lucky Cheng’s, is again on the agenda for a possible new location on Avenue C. Japa Dog, the hotly anticipated hot dog chain, is also once again on the agenda. Nevada Smith’s will apply for a liquor license at its new home, 100 Third Avenue, as well. One other item caught The Local’s eye, too: A “request to support legislation to reclassify Alcopops (malt sweet pre-mixed alcoholic beverages), as spirits to be sold only in liquor stores.” Anyone ever tried an Alcopop?
Two adjacent lots on East Houston Street near Attorney Street have recently gone on the market for $9.5 million, The Lo-Down reports. The lots, at 327-329 East Houston Street, are part of the portfolio of the deceased William Gottleib, who was “legendary for hoarding his estimated $1 billion worth of NYC properties,” according to the blog. Following an inter-family struggle, Mr. Gottleib’s nephew is now selling much of the real estate empire piece by piece.
Mary Beth Powers often awakes to the overwhelming odor of bacon wafting from the IHOP 11 stories beneath her apartment.
“There can be times at three or four in the morning when you feel like you’re in the kitchen with them,” said Ms. Powers, who lives on 15th Street. “There is no relief.”
The smell is at times so pungent, she said, that it clouds her thinking.
“It smells like rancid bacon. I just imagine it: a film of crap on my furniture, on my rugs, on my walls. I actually wonder, is this being soaked up in my apartment?” said an exasperated Ms. Powers. “Is it in my hair? Do I smell like IHOP now?” Read more…
The police have arrested a suspect for an attack on a woman at the Broadway-Lafayette Station on Nov. 10.
Police say that 50-year-old Samuel Mangum of Staten Island snuck up behind the woman at around 10 a.m. as she was boarding an M train and assaulted her. No injuries were reported. Mr. Mangum faces one count of sex abuse in the third degree.
If you just can’t get enough of the images coming out of Occupy Wall Street, you’re in luck: JujoMukti will be hosting a photo exhibit of the protests on Dec. 1. The Local’s photographers and videographers have filed numerous dispatches from Lower Manhattan and Union Square; one of our contributors even spent two nights behind bars. Doors open at 7 p.m. at the tea lounge on East Fourth Street between Avenues A and B. Just be careful where you park your bicycle.
A construction shed has gone up at the boarded-up Avenue A Mini Market. A worker told The Local today that another bodega would open in the space between Ninth and 10th Streets. In September, the 24-hour store posted a sign saying it would soon reopen. One month later, a sign in the window advertised the space to potential tenants. A call to the building’s landlord was not answered.
An assortment of locals want one of the East Village’s largest vacant buildings to once again host community groups — it’s just unclear whether they have the leverage to force the owner’s hand.
After a discussion on Friday night at Theatre 80, roughly 20 residents decided they would press the owner of the old P.S. 64 building, Gregg Singer, to designate as much as two stories of the six-story building as public space. (On Friday, The Local posted interior shots of the building in its current state, as well as renderings of its potential redevelopment.) The group — still very much in the planning and strategizing phase — leaned towards making one floor a community facility that would be open to anyone living within a boundary to be determined. The other floor would accommodate local groups. To entice Mr. Singer, the coalition would present him with a list of potential tenants for the other floors in his 100-year-old building. Read more…
The police are searching for a man suspected of sexually assaulting a woman while she got on the subway at the Broadway-Lafayette station at 10 a.m. on Nov. 10.
The 42-year-old victim told the police that she was boarding an M train when the man came up from behind and assaulted her. The man then fled the station. No injuries were reported.
Police say the suspect is 35 years old, and is seen in surveillance footage wearing framed glasses and a backpack. Anyone with information should call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS.
Less than an hour before a meeting at Theatre 80 regarding the long-vacant building that once housed P.S. 64, The Local has obtained new images of what its future could be. A flyer commissioned by the building’s owner, Gregg Singer, states that the 100-year-old building on East Ninth Street between Avenues B and C “will soon undergo a cutting-edge, comprehensive redevelopment and historic restoration to transform this turn of the century, New York City landmark into a modern community facility use such as a new school, medical, hospital or health-related use, college or school dormitory, museum, non-profit organization with or without sleeping accommodations or any other use as defined as a ‘Community Facility Use'” by city zoning laws.
The flyer, which depicts the former school building’s courtyard being used as an outdoor cafe, then goes on to raise the possibility of condominiums in the 152,075-square-foot building, or the separate leasing of its six stories. Lastly, the flyer notes that a gymnasium, pool, auditorium or theater could be built on the ground floor. Read more…
The New York Post reports that famed playboy and hotelier André Balazs will officially seal the deal on his purchase of the Cooper Square Hotel today, and that he will change its name to The Standard East Village. Those aren’t the only changes in store: The tabloid reports that the hotel’s “public spaces will be reconfigured, its rooms refurbished and its restaurants overhauled.” When Balazs appeared before Community Board 3 in September he pledged to keep the hotel fairly low-key in comparison with the original Standard on the west side. Still, does this mean the end of The Trilby?
A job listing for a historian? In this economy? That’s right, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation is looking for a director of preservation and research, according to a new post on Histpres. Among the many job responsibilities: Coordinating historic buildings research, preparing draft requests for the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and responding to questions from the public regarding landmarking. (And one recommended qualification from The Local: A strong tolerance for lengthy community board meetings).
A landmarked building on Bond Street will get two additional floors and major renovations to the entrance and backyard thanks to an approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Curbed reports that the plan comes after a previous proposal was rejected by the commission for being too out of context with its surroundings between Bowery and Lafayette Street. The building, which was built in 1890, fared better than a planned addition to the nearby Puck Building, which was rejected yet again by the commission yesterday.
The police are searching for two men suspected of stealing cash from Souen restaurant on East 13th Street.
The duo broke into the macrobiotic eatery near University Place sometime between 11 p.m. on Nov. 13 and 6:30 a.m. the next day and stole an undisclosed amount of money, the police said. The suspects are depicted in a surveillance image released by the police.
Souen, which also has a noodle restaurant on Sixth Street in the East Village, specializes in Japanese food and encourages — according to its website — chewing.
Last month, a group of residents living near University Place raised concerns about crime in the area after an early-morning stabbing outside of a pizzeria.
The police have arrested a suspect in Sunday’s early-morning attempted rape, Lieutenant Patrick Ferguson of the Ninth Precinct announced tonight.
Mr. Ferguson said that he had just heard about the arrest shortly before addressing around 25 attendees at a Ninth Precinct Community Council meeting and had no further information. A police spokesman had not yet received any information regarding the arrest of the suspect, either. [See update below.]Read more…
Greenwich Village Society for Historic PreservationA rendering of the rooftop addition to the Puck Building that was shown at a public hearing.
For the third time, the owner of the historic Puck Building was sent back to the drawing board because his plans for a new rooftop penthouse were deemed too obtrusive.
“It’s too tall, it’s much too visible and what you see is too aggressive,” said Frederick Bland, a commissioner with the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Jared Kushner, the owner of the New York Observer and the principal of Kushner Companies, which owns the building at Houston and Mott Streets, has tried to gain approval for the proposed condominium since September. In October, the company returned to the landmarks commission with a more modest design, and was rejected again. Today, even more modest designs met the same fate. Read more…
If you’re feeling welcoming — and aren’t camera-shy — Bowery Boogie has information regarding a photography student who is hoping to photograph local residents inside their homes. The student at the International Center for Photography was charged with documenting the neighborhood in a unique way, and decided that portraits would be a welcome departure from familiar shots of the Bowery or Tompkins Square Park. “I was hoping to get a range of people to capture the diversity of the LES,” he wrote.
At last count, there were 24 items on the agenda for tonight’s meeting of the Community Board 3 liquor license committee. One business that will not be appearing: Nublu, which had to be removed from the agenda because owner Ilhan Ersahin is still working to secure a new space at 151 Avenue C. Mr. Ersahin also told The Local that he’s working to obtain a license to sell just beer and wine at his original space at 62 Avenue C. The State Liquor Authority revoked Nublu’s liquor license at the latter location back in August due to its proximity to a Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall. Since then, Nublu has hosted shows in the basement of Lucky Cheng’s.
For “1,150 Days,” I’ve photographed elements of day-to-day life in New York City to create a daily record of the environment I call home. It’s interesting how many different versions of New York have surfaced: a city centered around parked bicycles, a city of colorful lights and abstract shapes, and a city where pigeons try to fit in, too. Each of these seemingly mundane perspectives reveals a sense of levity and wonder; a reminder that the background of our daily lives is comprised of many unexpected and often missed details. What draws me to shoot in the East Village is the area’s culture, its fascinating people, and the living history of each block. Like JR’s TED-prize-winning Inside Out Project in Cooper Square, featuring portraits of local citizens.Read more…
Department of Buildings inspectors slapped the site at 331 East Sixth Street with a stop work order on Wednesday — the latest setback for the controversial project that is rumored to be the future home of “Friends” star David Schwimmer.
The order cites a complaint — filed through 311 — that the construction is undermining a property next-door, causing it to shake.
Last month the site was hit with a violation for failure to post the required permits for an eight-foot-tall fence at the front of the lot.
The antebellum row house was demolished in September to pave the way for a five-story, one-family building. Since the project was revealed, rumors have swirled that David Schwimmer is the man behind the demolition. The Local has made numerous efforts to find out who will be living in the house, as well as what it will look like, all to no avail.
The Local was a journalistic collaboration designed to reflect the richness of the East Village, report on its issues and concerns, give voice to its people and create a space for our neighbors to tell stories about themselves. It was operated by the students and faculty of the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University, in collaboration with The New York Times, which provides supervision to ensure that the blog remains impartial, reporting-based, thorough and rooted in Times standards. Read more »
Courtesy of Frontstoop Films.
