Phillip Kalantzis Cope

Good morning, East Village.

The local blogosphere this morning is dominated by items about neighborhood real estate. EV Grieve takes a look at some of the neighborhood’s priciest apartments. Grieve also has an interesting then-and-now take comparing the price of an apartment at 224 Avenue B today – about as much as $2,400 – versus its price in 1909 – $25. Grieve notes that, according to inflation calulators, $25 in 1909 is equivalent to about $600 today. But, Grieve writes, “Inflation calculators don’t take into account East Village inflation.”

Earlier this week, we wrote about the roughly year-old concert venue known as Extra Place on the street of the same name. Bowery Boogie reports on the opening of a new restaurant nearby to give the party people “someplace to quell their munchies.”

And DNAinfo has a post detailing 14 building code violations at the recently opened Hotel Toshi on East 10th Street.

Seeking The Next Community Editor

And we at The Local would like to remind you that Friday is the deadline for applications for our next community editor. If you live in our coverage area – 14th Street to Houston, Broadway to the East River – have editing experience, are familiar with WordPress and are interested in the paid position please e-mail us.

Rachel Wise

Good morning, East Village.

With NYU’s decision to abandon plans for a new tower on Bleecker Street, Save the Lower East Side ponders what the move might mean for the prospects of future development by the university in the East Village. EV Grieve notes that the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation is one of the participants in a town hall meeting about the university’s plans at 6:30 tonight at Our Lady of Pompeii, Carmine and Bleecker Streets.

Grieve also has detailed posts about the new “greenstreets” construction projects on Avenue D and along East First Street.

Ephemeral New York offers a quick riff on the turn of the 20th century trend of naming tenements for presidents and mentions two buildings in the neighborhood – the McKinley and the Roosevelt. EV Transitions offers a lesson in more recent neighborhood history with a look at some behind-the-scenes photos of the Rolling Stones filming their “Waiting On A Friend” video at the St. Marks Bar & Grill and along St. Marks Place in the 1980’s.

And DNAinfo has photos of the just-completed mural at Bowery and Houston Street. Bowery Boogie, Gothamist, and Grieve have details on the project, too.

Gloria Chung

Good morning, East Village.

We’d like to encourage you to check out the exploration of liquor licensing issues in the neighborhood over at Capital. The piece is framed around the demise of Superdive and describes how the East Village has become “a nightscape” in which bar owners have clustered together in the neighborhood. “A century ago, that meant the creation of a Garment District,” the Capital piece reads. “Now it means the creation of a Party District.” It’s a piece that it well worth reading and it has already generated its share of discussion in the blogosphere.

In other neighborhood news, The Daily News has an interview with Thomas Grant, a volunteer at an East Village soup kitchen who blacked out and tumbled onto the path of a subway train Sunday before being rescued by another man on the platform.

Gloria Chung

Good morning, East Village.

As we return from the long holiday weekend, the local blogosphere is filled with nostalgic takes on the neighborhood.

Emphemeral New York takes a closer look at the carvings on the facade of the old Italian Labor Center (now home to Beauty Bar) at 14th Street near Third Avenue.

Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York examines the history of the old Moskowitz and Lupowitz restaurant on Second Avenue and Second Street.

And Gothamist has a post about the Nostalgia Shoppers’ Special Train on the Sixth Avenue Line, which started this weekend and will continue each Sunday through Dec. 26

In other neighborhood news, EV Grieve has an interview with the new owner of the Polonia restaurant on First Avenue near East Seventh Street.

Bowery Boogie has an update on the new mural at Bowery and East Houston.

Seeking The Next Community Editor

And we at The Local are continuing to review applications for our next community editor. If you live in our coverage area – 14th Street to Houston, Broadway to the East River – have editing experience, are familiar with WordPress and are interested in the paid position please e-mail us.

Michelle Rick

Good morning, East Village.

Having nimbly avoided the crush of Black Friday shoppers, we begin this morning with a look at Thursday’s article in The Post, which described how the firefighters of Engine 28 and Ladder 11, on Second Street near Avenue B, had recently opened a Twitter account to alert neighborhood residents when the firehouse was unable to respond to emergency calls.

Over the past month, The Post reported, the firehouse was pulled out of service on 20 occasions because of a range of issues including mechanical trouble or training or to provide coverage for other firehouses when their units were pulled from service.

EV Grieve reports that sometime after The Post’s piece went up, the firehouse’s Twitter account was disabled.

In other neighborhood news, DNAinfo has a post on the recently opened Dorian Grey Gallery on East Ninth Street.

Seeking The Next Community Editor

And we at The Local would also like to remind you that we are continuing to review applications for our next community editor. The six-month term of Kim Davis – who has performed the job admirably – ends just after the New Year. If you live in our coverage area – 14th Street to Houston, Broadway to the East River – have editing experience, are familiar with WordPress and are interested in the paid position please e-mail us.

The students of “The Hyperlocal Newsroom.” Seated (from left): Stephanie Butnick, Sarah Tung, Elisa Lagos, Molly O’Toole, Clint Rainey, Meredith Hoffman, Rachel Morgan. Standing (from left): Tania Barnes, Maya Millett, Helen Zhang, Simon McCormack, Laura Kuhn, Jenn Pelly, Spencer Magloff, Suzanne Rozdeba, Robyn Baitcher, Sally Lauckner, Timothy J. Stenovec, Claire Glass, Sophie Hoeller, Carolyn Stanley, Alexa Tsoulis-Reay, Darla Murray, Andre Tartar, Amanda VanAllen.

Good morning, East Village.

When The Local launched in September, we issued an open invitation to our neighbors to join us in this experiment in journalistic collaboration.

Today, we would like to express our gratitude to all of those who have traveled with us on the journey so far, sharing their ideas, energy and talent with the site to help cover the community that we all call home.

Our appreciation extends far and wide – to the students of “The Hyperlocal Newsroom,” an elective course at NYU Journalism through which students report for the site, to our able authors from across the community, to local photographers who have generously shared the vivid images that they have captured reflecting the richness and variety of neighborhood life.

To them all, we extend our thanks and our wish that the list that follows – and the spirit of cooperation that this site represents – will continue to grow in the weeks and months to come.
Read more…

eastvillagedenizen

Good morning, East Village.

DNAinfo has details on the newest – and, apparently, very temporary – mural at the space at Bowery and Houston Street. NYU Journalism’s Jenn Pelly
captured an image Tuesday night of the mural in progress.

DNA also reports that the owners of the wall space at Sixth Street and Avenue C – where the mural of President Obama was recently removed – are looking for an artist to re-paint the space.

And Antonio Garcia, the artist known as Chico who created the Obama mural, spoke with New York NearSay about its removal.

In other neighborhood news, Bowery Boogie has a full report on Kanye West’s not-so-surprise concert Tuesday at the Bowery Ballroom.

And Ephemeral New York posts an unidentified archival photo from 1903 that the site believes may be a relic of the time when the East Village was known as “Little Germany.”

Michelle Rick

Good morning, East Village.

There’s been a lot of activity in recent days around the subject of transportation and pedestrian safety in the neighborhood and we begin this morning by taking a closer look at some of the recent coverage. DNAinfo has an informative post about five surveillance cameras that have been installed along the M15 bus route on First and Second Avenues.

The cameras will be used to help enforce a ban against vehicles riding in the lanes (exceptions are made for right turns and picking up or dropping off passengers) and drivers are subject to a fine between $115 and $150. Bowery Boogie posted a photo of a group cyclists towing rolling billboards to publicize the violations.

The benefits and drawbacks of bike lanes, a source of much debate in the neighborhood, is the subject of a piece in The Times. And over at City Room, they want to hear from readers – few New Yorkers are as well-versed in this issue as we are here in the neighborhood so go ahead and weigh in.

Michelle Rick

Good morning, East Village.

On Friday, we wrote about how – despite the efforts of preservationists – permits were issued that would allow for the re-development of two townhouses at 326 and 328 East Fourth Street. EV Grieve has more details about what changes are expected to occur at the properties, including a look at the work plans.

In other neighborhood news, we’d like to offer congratulations and commiserations to Marc Canora, chef at Hearth restaurant on the corner of East 12th and First Avenue, who made it to the finals of “Next Iron Chef” before finishing as runner-up to Tribeca-based chef Marc Forgione.

There are two interesting historical looks at the intersection of Broadway and East 10th Street. Ephemeral New York has a then-and-now post featuring photographs of the intersection in 1911 and today. And EV Transitions examines the growth of Grace Church and the origin of the bread line that used to stretch from the old Fleischmann’s bakery nearby.

And The Villager has an update on Ray’s Candy Store, including details on how it fared with the Health Department’s revised sanitary inspection grades for restaurants.

Michelle Rick

Good morning, East Village.

The Villager reports that the overhaul of St. Brigid’s Church at Eighth Street and Avenue B might cost significantly more than expected.

According to The Villager, the church’s $10 million restoration fund has already been exhausted and there is still extensive structural work to be done. While church officials have deflected The Villager’s report they have not offered a timetable for when the work at the church will be completed.

In other neighborhood news, Bowery Boogie looks at the Bowery’s role in shaping modern slang, including such phrases as “chum” and “kick the bucket,” which Boogie suggests were popularized by notorious 19th century “street thugs” whose slang “never quite faded from our collective lexicon.”

Ephemeral New York offers up an item about neighborhood style, circa 1984, as seen in the pages of an old copy of the East Village Eye.

And EV Grieve, who blogged the EV Lambo to fame, may have found a rival for the neighborhood’s automotive affections.

Dan Nguyen

Good morning, East Village.

There’s more information this morning about the disappearance of the mural of President Obama over at Sixth Street and Avenue C. DNAinfo reports that the owners of the space, RCN, said that they removed the mural because they considered it a piece of “illegal graffiti.” A spokesman for RCN told DNA that they never endorsed the creation of the mural, which was done by Antonio Garcia, who paints under the name Chico. (The mural was also connected to recent news events: one of the assistant painters who helped Mr. Garcia create the mural is Jairo Pastoressa, who has been charged with murder in a fatal stabbing Oct. 25.)

EV Transitions offers some striking stills and newsreel footage documenting the 1956 fire at the old Wanamaker building at Eighth Street and Broadway. According to Transitions, 187 firefighters were injured in the blaze, which took 25 hours to control. The 50 million gallons of water that were used to put out the fire also flooded the Astor Place subway station causing enough damage to shut down the BMT and IRT subway lines for two days.

And, from a more recent page in history, The Villager reproduces an image of the old Tent City in Tompkins Square Park taken in the late ’80s or early ’90s.

<Gloria Chung

Good morning, East Village.

We woke up to soothing pictures of the willow trees of Avenue C, brought to us by EV Grieve. The tranquility was quickly broken by news of protest on East Fourth Street around the corner, where a group of protestors raised objections to planned alterations to the 170 year old houses at 326 and 328. DNA Info has the story and reporters for The Local are preparing their own report on the larger issues surrounding the debate.

It must be time for coffee.

eastvillagedenizen

Good morning, East Village.

We begin today by letting out a sigh of relief about a local musical landmark. There was a fire Saturday night at 98 St. Marks Place, known to music lovers as one of the buildings featured on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s 1975 album “Physical Graffiti.” While the blaze looked scary – EV Grieve has some vivid photos of the fire – no serious injuries were reported and the damage appears to have been contained mostly to a second-floor apartment. When Grieve visited Sunday there was virtually no visible damage to the exterior.

In other neighborhood news, New York magazine offers its take on NYU’s expansion plan. Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York examines the disappearance of the mural featuring President Obama at Sixth Street and Avenue C and traces the lineage of recent street art at the site. (NYU Journalism’s Claire Glass captured an image of the mural being removed last Wednesday.)

And while we’re on the subject of street art, Neighborhoodr has a photo of Jim Joe’s latest piece.

Vivienne Gucwa

Good morning, East Village.

EV Grieve has a detailed post about the ongoing dispute between the residents of East Fifth Street and the owners of the now-closed Sin Sin Lounge.

The post describes how the block association on Fifth used a recent hearing before the State Liquor Authority to call for the revocation of the liquor license that’s associated with the property.

Meanwhile, Bowery Boogie reports on a recent Lada Gaga sighting at a Lower East Side yoga studio.

EV Transitions has a nice history lesson on the old A.T. Stewart/John Wanamaker department store on Broadway and Ninth Street.

And The Villager offers some intriguing clues about the owner of the EV Lambo.

Vivienne Gucwa

Good morning, East Village.

We’d like to welcome the new blog on the block, EV Transitions, which made its formal neighborhood debut via EV Grieve. (Grieve playfully noted that a intellectual property rights fight might be on the horizon because the author appropriated “EV” for the blog’s name.)

Transitions is a wonderful look at neighborhood history using archival maps and photographs juxtaposed with contemporary images. It is well worth a visit and we at The Local look forward to stopping by and sending viewers to the blog often. We’ve added Transitions to our blogroll and if you would like your blog added, too, please e-mail us.

In other neighborhood news, Bowery Boogie reports that “On The Bowery” – Lionel Rogosin’s iconic 1957 documentary which had a local showing in September – is returning Nov. 19 for a one-week run at the Film Forum.

And we’d also like to remind you that we’ve begun our search for The Local’s next community editor, who would start work just after the new year. We’re accepting applications until Dec. 3, and you can find additional details here.

Phillip Kalantzis Cope

Good morning, East Village.

As we return from a relatively quiet weekend, we were struck by this story in The Post, which describes how some Lower East Side businesses are considering using uniformed off-duty police officers to patrol the area between Houston and Delancey Streets to help cut down on noise complaints. If the move is approved by the police, could a similar plan be in the works for the East Village?

EV Grieve has a then-and-now look at life on Avenue A using historical photographs from the New York Public Library’s photo archives. Ephemeral New York also offers a look at World War II era photos, these from Fifth Street between Avenues A and B.

DNAinfo has an obituary for Howard O’Brien, the beloved bartender over at Sophie’s on East Fifth Street.

And NYU Journalism’s own Dave Winer reports that shooting will take place on the Bowery Wednesday for the new Chris Rock film, 2 Days in New York.

Gloria Chung

Good morning, East Village.

Last week, we wrote about Phil Schoenberg, the Queens College history professor who runs a service that leads tours of neighborhood houses that are reportedly haunted. EV Grieve raises the question of whether ghosts might also be inhabiting an abandoned house on East 13th Street.

Bowery Boogie has an interview with the creators of a two-minute video of trick basketball shots that was filmed on eight courts on the Lower East Side.

And after last week’s fatal stabbing on East Seventh Street, The Villager has prepared a compelling report on the accused killer, Jairo Pastoressa.

Sarah Tung

Good morning, East Village.

Earlier this week, we wrote about the sparsely attended protest at Tompkins Square Park where even the organizer, John Penley, failed to appear. EV Grieve publishes a post that offers a cryptic explanation for Mr. Penley’s absence.

“Some pretty heavy stuff came down on me the night before Halloween,” Mr. Penley wrote on his Facebook page, according to the Grieve report. “I got maced and someone else close to me got a baseball bat to the face. I have gone into hiding for awhile.”

The Post reports that one of the neighborhood’s most notorious underground culinary options, Bread.Butter.Cheese., is shutting down its daily service. The reason? Its chef apparently has a new job at a mainstream restaurant.

And in other neighborhood news, The Times visits Peels at the Bowery and East Second Street.

Sarah Tung

Good morning, East Village.

We in the neighborhood will always claim the poet Allen Ginsberg, a longtime resident of East 12th Street, as one of our own, despite his New Jersey roots. Ephemeral New York has a post about Gregory Corso, another Beat Generation writer, who was reared a bit west of us over on Bleecker Street and is noteworthy for his extensive ties to the Village.

EVGrieve posts a report that the actress Cynthia Nixon is buying a house on East Sixth Street that Andy Warhol once called home.

And, following Tuesday’s election, Gothamist posted an item about a new complaint from city voters.