Report: Kushner Cos. sell 2 more East Village buildings

Kushner Cos. continues to pare down its East Village portfolio "as part of a sweeping exit from the neighborhood that launched the career of its former chief executive, Jared Kushner," as Crain's put it on Friday. 

The latest to go: 318 E. 11th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue (above, left), and 99 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. Public records show that Sky Management Corp. paid $11.2 million for the buildings with 33 residential units. 

How did Kushner fare on these investments? To Crain's:

The firm broke about even on 318 E. 11th, selling the 6-story, 18-unit mixed-use site near Second Avenue for $7.6 million this month after paying $7 million for it in 2012, the register shows. A two-bedroom there that leased in August was advertised for about $5,000 per month.

But Kushner Cos. incurred a significant loss with 99 E. Seventh, a 5-story, 17-unit multifamily building near First Avenue that went for $3.6 million after costing $5.1 million in 2012, according to deeds. A two-bedroom there was listed this month at $4,200.

Most recently, the real-estate development firm sold six EV buildings: the four contiguous properties at 329, 331, 333, and 335 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue ($26.9 million), and 516 and 518 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B ($11 million). 

At one point, Kushner Cos. was the second-largest owner of East Village residential buildings, trailing only convicted felon Steve Croman. 

Back to Crain's: 

With the deals, the firm has sold about 60% of its East Village portfolio, which at its peak about a decade ago totaled roughly 40 buildings between East Houston and East 14 streets, and Avenue B and Third Avenue, according to a Crain's analysis. Today, by contrast, Kushner Cos., which often invested alongside partners, appears to own just 15 sites, including 201 E. Second St., 500 E. 11th St. and 165 Ave. A., based on public records. 

The publication previously pointed out that the exit is due, in part, to the "rules passed as part of pro-tenant reform laws in 2019 have made it more difficult for landlords of rental sites to run the traditional playbook of converting regulated units into pricier market-rate versions. Some landlords have blamed those reforms for stifling the investment sales market."

ICYMI: This February, Blue Man Group to take final bow on Astor Place after 34 years

Photos from 2019 by Stacie Joy 

The Blue Man Group will end its long-running show — some 17,000 performances — at the Astor Place Theatre this coming Feb. 2. 

No reasons were cited for the end of the production here and in Chicago. According to The Guardian, "The announcement comes at a time when theaters around New York and across the country are struggling to stay afloat amid dwindling ticket sales and shrinking audience sizes compared to pre-pandemic shows."

Productions of Blue Man Group will continue in Berlin, Boston, Las Vegas and Orlando.

In 1987, a trio of Lower East Side artists — Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton and Chris Wink — started what would "arguably become the most financially lucrative performance art troupe in the world." Cirque du Soleil bought the show in 2017. 

Before taking up residency on Astor Place on Nov. 17, 1991 (EVG readers gave the show six weeks tops), the group played out and about at a variety of local venues, including King Tut's Wah Wah Hut on Avenue A at Seventh Street (where Niagara is now).

Per the flyer from August 1989: "Bring a walkman to the show!"
 

Flyer via the King Tut's Wah Wah Hut Facebook page

2 familiar names now offering coffee on St. Mark's Place

Two St. Mark's Place businesses, better known for their other offerings, are now selling coffee.

The Holiday Cocktail Lounge at 75 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue now opens at 8 a.m. for coffee and croissants... aka, Holiday Coffee Lounge. 

Meanwhile, on the next block to the west, the book store Village Works at 12 St. Mark's Place has opened a cafe with coffee and muffins...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Village Works (@villageworksnyc)

Posted hours have been 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Tree appreciation post

From the past few days...

1 — Tompkins Square Park 

2 — Avenue B at Ninth Street 

3 — 10th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue 

4 — 11th Street near Second Avenue 

5 — Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue

The disappearing buildings of 50-64 3rd Ave.

Several of the six buildings at 50-64 along the west side of Third Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street are starting to disappear as demoliton continues...

We saw some demo prep work late last year (64 Third Ave., where the Ainsworth was), though the activity in the empty buildings tapered off earlier this year. 

Kinsmen Property Group — a joint venture between State Building Group and another Toronto company, Madison Group — bought the walk-up buildings over several years, paying more than $60 million for the parcel. Residences are planned for the space — the site allows for 160,000 square feet of new construction. However, there is no sign of new building work permits just yet. 

Meanwhile, Kinsmen Property Group also owns a development site between Delancey and Kenmare on the west side of the Bowery. New building permits dating to 2022 are on file for a 72,441-square-foot mixed-use commercial building via Real Estate Equities Corporation at 156-166 Bowery. 

The building now looks ready for demoliton...

NY Yimby points out that the 85-foot-tall structure will yield 72,441 square feet of office space.

ICYMI: 19-23 St. Mark's Place sells

News surfaced last week that there's a new owner of 19-23 St. Mark's Place, the 8-story retail-residential complex between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

According to public records and published reports, real-estate investment firm Movcap bought the property for $27.5 million. 

This is the second time the building changed hands in five years: UBS Realty Investors paid $34 million for it in early 2020. 

The retail tenants include restaurants CheLi and Szechuan Mountain House, plus Mango Mango, T-swirl Crêpe, and Teso Life. There are 41 residential units on the upper floors (including at least one really nice one). 

And you can't always see those upper floors that look like they blew in from another building...

Movcap founder Lawrence Movtady told Crain's that he intends to continue operating the property "with some minor renovations and touch-ups." 

And! 

"It's always exciting when there's some history to a property," he said. "It definitely adds a bit of cache and opportunity for branding." 

Yes! History. The address has a long history. As Off the Grid noted: 

The buildings at 19-23 St. Mark’s Place are an excellent example of how the East Village has changed over time from a wealthy merchants neighborhood to a landing spot for immigrants, to the launch pad for numerous counterculture and artistic movements. Where else would one find a building which had been townhouses for wealthy families, a ballroom, a gangster hangout, a Polish wedding chapel, and a performance venue with the Velvet Underground as the house band? 

In the early 2000s, a developer gutted the space and added a new façade, creating mall-friendly retail spaces whose tenants have included a Chipotle and CBGB gift shop. 

Most recently, the long-empty retail space outside No. 23 has been a crashpad for summer travelers...

Le Fournil now open Mondays for the first time

If you're a fan of Le Fournil, then Monday's might be a little better for you. 

The French bakery at 115 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street is now open on Mondays — 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

And don't sleep on the self-serve drip coffee.

The Monday opening announcement...
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Le Fournil Bakery NYC (@lefournilnyc)

Closings: Crepe City on Avenue A

After a July debut, Crepe City has closed at 199 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street. (H/T Lola Sáenz.) 

We're told that they're just wasn't enough business, and the two partners sold the shop and moved on to other projects. (One of the partners, Alex, is now at Choco Dream down on Gouverneur Street.) 

No word yet on what will be taking over the space. 

Before a brief smoke-shop stint, this storefront was home to the first outpost of Mikey Likes It Ice Cream from 2013 to 2022.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (and the Christmas trees arrived yesterday at Key Food on Avenue A)... 

• A new community fridge for the East Village (Thursday) 

• Workers reach the top of 644 E. 14th St.; future of building next door still in limbo 1 year later (Tuesday) 

• Witnesses: Argument erupts in gunfire on Avenue B and 4th Street (Sunday)

• 1 more week for the pandemic-era curbside dining structures (Friday) 

• $400,000 revamp planned for the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run (Wednesday) 

• This holiday season, C&B Café serves up its first-ever pies (Monday)

• Construction watch: 204 Avenue A (Thursday) 

• Mini Gourmet Deli is a new walk-up coffee and juice stand on 14th Street (Wednesday) 

• The retail space housing NYC's first dog cafe, Boris & Horton, is for rent on Avenue A (Monday) 

• A look at the recently revamped Brindle Room on 11th Street (Friday) 

• Bruce Springsteen covers East Village-based singer-songwriter Jesse Malin's song "She Don't Love Me Now" (Friday) 

• Rachel Sennott is the latest star to receive the look-alike contest treatment — and today at 3 in Tompkins Square Park (Sunday) 

• Openings: Vintage Store on Houston (Tuesday) Hearty & Healthy on 1st Avenue (Thursday) 

• CC Cyclery closes 13th Street shop to go mobile (Tuesday) 

• Movie picks: The story of Ernest Cole, a photographer almost lost to history (Friday) 

• The day before it was to rain all day (Wednesday) 

• Tompkins Square Park today between the rain showers (Thursday)

• Coming attractions: House of Pasta on 12th Street (Monday) 

• A clean start for this 5th Street storefront with the arrival of Wash & Fold (Wednesday) 

• Signage alert: Bar Snack on 2nd Avenue (Monday) ... Rice Thief on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday) 

• Openings: Kernel on 4th Street (and long live Other Music!) (Tuesday) 

• A look at the Schmuck sign on 1st Avenue (Thursday)

On the NW corner of 9th and A, Ralph's is closed for the season (photo by Steven)...

----- 

And EVG is now on Bluesky if you want to join us there...

[Updated] Witnesses: Argument erupts in gunfire on Avenue B and 4th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Residents who live around Avenue B and Fourth Street were startled early this morning by the sound of a heated argument that escalated into gunfire. 

Witnesses reported hearing an initial volley of three shots around 3 a.m., followed by three more moments later. Witnesses said at least one person was struck. 

One shot shattered the Half Gallery's front door on the NW corner of Fourth and B. Another shell casing was discovered near a dumpster at 240 E. Fourth St./50 Avenue B.

Witnesses described seeing a man crouched behind a dumpster during the incident while another individual was spotted fleeing the scene. 

Two neighbors managed to capture blurry cell phone images of at least one of the individuals involved, which have been turned over to the NYPD.

This is a developing story. We will update you when more information becomes available. 

Updated 3 p.m. 

A witness told us that one man was struck in the leg during the shooting. It is unknown whether he was the intended victim or a passerby. 

Witnesses and other sources on the block said the argument stemmed from a party held on recent Saturday nights inside the former Lamia's Fish Market at 47 Avenue B. A witness who spoke with police said the event, allegedly hosted by Populares Cantina Mexicana, was shut down by the NYPD at 2 a.m. 

There is a bullet hole inside the Half Gallery (between these two paintings)...

... and another in the door at 240 E. Fourth St./50 Avenue B.

Rachel Sennott is the latest star to receive the look-alike contest treatment (and today at 3 in Tompkins Square Park

A Rachel Sennott look-alike contest is scheduled today at 3 in Tompkins Square Park at the Hare Krishna Tree.

So you know where to go if you have a resemblance to the actress-comedian ("Shiva Baby," "Bottoms," and "Saturday Night"). And $50 to the winner!

The flyer looks the same as we've seen for other public events staged via YouTube personality Anthony Po...

Last month, as you likely heard, there was a Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest in Washington Square Park... in which the actor crashed the event. 

There have been others for everyone, from Paul Mescal to Zayn Malik.

The Wall Street Journal stated the other day: "We may be living in a golden age of celebrity look-alike contests." 

The competitions tend to be hastily organized, pay out almost nothing to the winner and probably will no longer be a thing in a month. But the boisterous gatherings are big parties that double as a way to find a date who looks like your celebrity crush. And unlike going to see an Elvis impersonator, there's always a chance the real guy shows up. 

 

The best look-alike subjects, organizers and attendees said, are internet darlings with somewhat achievable physical appearances and the influence to pull a large crowd. Being an A-lister is not a must. Thanks to social media, even niche or relatively new stars can command a fervent following. 

 Then there was the one for Jack Donoghue organized by our old friend Gutes that never happened. To the Journal: "This was mostly just a ploy for me to find a boyfriend, but then I got too busy to pull it off lol."

Saturday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

From Ratfest 2024 in Tompkins Square Park today...

EVG Etc.: Reaching a compromise on 'City of Yes;' looking at Paul Morrissey's archives

Opening for the day at Globe Slicers on the Bowery 

• Four people injured in a mini-van collision on Third Avenue at Sixth Street; driver arrested (ABC 7 ... 1010 WINS ... CBS 2) 

• The Mayor's "City of Yes" — with a few concessions — gets approvals from key City Council committees. News and reactions to the plan that will accelerate housing construction: (The City ... Streetsblog ... Gothamist ... City & State ... The New York Times ... The Post) 

"The approved plan included almost no changes to address objections raised about its impact in neighborhoods like Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo" (Village Preservation) 

• City Hall plans to transfer all shelter operations, including those for asylum seekers, back to the Department of Homeless Services by June 2026 (The City) 

• Daniel Penny will not testify in subway chokehold trial as defense rests (Gothamist) 

• Police just released info about a 60-year-old man hit with a pipe for not giving stranger money on First Avenue and 13th Street last month (1010 WINS)

• Another new bakery, this one on Cooper Square at the former Dunkin' (Eater) 

• At 95, Shaindel Schreiber still dispenses babka and advice at Moishe's Bakery on Grand Street (The Forward) 

• A look at the archives of Paul Morrissey, a longtime East Village resident, a fixture of the NYC underground cinema scene, and a collaborator of Andy Warhol. He died last month at age 86. (Air Mail — you need to provide an email address to access the article)

• "3 Weeks of Christmas" films at the Village East by Angelika (Official site) 

• Two chances to see David Lynch's "Wild at Heart" on the big screen (Metrograph) 

• An archival interview from 1989, in the East Village, with My Bloody Valentine after the release of their mesmerizing debut full-length record, Isn't Anything (Hot Press) 

... and always a lot of interesting programming from the storefront studio on First Avenue on East Village Radio... for example...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sleeping Giant Glossolalia (@sgglossolalia)

Saturday's opening shot

Morning views from First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... sun's out!

Good knight

Photo by Derek Berg 

Along Avenue B at Tompkins Square Park...

When Love comes to town

 

In late August, news arrived that Bruce Springsteen had covered East Village-based singer-songwriter Jesse Malin's song "She Don't Love Me Now." 

Now there's a video for the track (H/T Bayou!), filmed at Heaven Can Wait on Avenue A, which also cameos. 

The song is featured on Silver Patron Saints, the triple-vinyl album on Glassnote Records benefiting Malin's Sweet Relief artist fund.

In May 2023, Malin suffered a rare spinal stroke that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Malin, a partner in several local establishments, including Niagara, 96 Tears and the Bowery Electric, plans to return to the stage for the first time since early 2023 on Dec. 1-2 at the Beacon Theater, billed as "the largest hometown show of his career." 

He will perform a set with his band. Then special guests, among others, Jim Jarmusch, the Hold Steady, Fred Armisen, Lucinda Williams, Rickie Lee Jones, Jakob Dylan, Butch Walker, J Mascis, Adam Duritz and David Immergluck of Counting Crows, will join him on stage. The Times just published a feature on Malin here.

Movie picks: The story of Ernest Cole, a photographer almost lost to history

Frequent EVG contributor Daniel Efram caught a screening of "Ernest Cole: Lost and Found" earlier this week at the Anthology Film Archives on Second Avenue and Second Street. 

And there was a surprise Q&A with the director, Raoul Peck ... Peabody Award Winner (HBO's "Exterminate All the Brutes") and Oscar-nominated (James Baldwin, "I Am Not Your Negro").

The documentary tells the story of Ernest Cole, "one of the most important chroniclers of apartheid-era South Africa," per the Associated Press. He died "mostly forgotten and penniless" at age 49 in 1990. 

The film is garnering positive reviews (93% aggregate on Rotten Tomatoes). Dan called it an "intriguing portrait."

Starting today, you can catch its theatrical release at the IFC Center on Sixth Avenue near Third Street.

Today in desk-side visits

EVG reader Jacki Carroll shared this photo with us from this morning — an unscheduled office visit!

We asked our friend and local hawk/wildlife photographer Goggla for insights into who this might be...

Looks like an adult, but I'm not sure who it is. Definitely not Christo (not his coloring), but it could be one of the Washington Square hawks who have become mysterious. They did not nest in WSP last year, but no one knows if they nested somewhere else or not. Union Square was always part of their territory and they'd often perch on the Con Ed building lantern on 14th Street. That pair is different now than the ones Roger Paw blogged about, so their habits are not really known. 

Check out Goggla's photo site for more on our resident red-tailed hawks, Christo and Amelia, and others.

1 more week for the pandemic-era curbside dining structures

Photos by Stacie Joy

You have one week to dine in one of the neighborhood's remaining pandemic-era dining structures. 

By the end of the day on Nov. 29, bars and restaurants must remove street dining structures to align with the city's permanent Dining Out NYC program. 

As previously noted, the significant change with the new guidelines is that enclosed, year-round roadway dining structures will no longer be permitted. The revised regulations stipulate that roadway cafes must now be open-air, easily portable, and simple to assemble and dismantle. 

Additionally, these establishments are restricted to operating only from April through November. (Sidewalk cafes are permitted year-round.) 

Ahead of next Friday, curbside dining structures continue to come down around the neighborhood (and other parts of NYC). For instance, on Wednesday, workers demolished the large streetery outside Eastpoint on Avenue B between Second Street and Third Street.

With the takedown deadline looming, a cottage industry has popped up...

Here's some background via a Nov. 4 article at Streetsblog about the timing of removing the structures: 

Businesses enrolled in the program had to either conform their set-ups to city's new designs to get the extension to Nov. 29 or take down their old-set-ups on Nov. 1. Many opted to simply give up their street seating sooner rather than set up new streeteries for just a few weeks. 

The city required restaurants to either apply for the permanent program or take down their sheds by early August, which caused the first wave of restaurant demolitions. Those that did sign up for the new program had to bring their roadway set-ups in line with the new design guidelines by Nov. 1; all street seats must come down by Nov. 30, even if they've been updated. 

DOT officials have said there were around 3,0000 roadway and sidewalk café applications as of late September. That's in contrast to the 13,000 participating in the temporary program in 2020.

A look at the recently revamped Brindle Room on 11th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

After a months-long closure over the summer and into the fall, The Brindle Room recently reopened at 647 E. 11th St. near Avenue C. 

Owner Jeremy Spector, along with new partner Shervin Nassi, redesigned ("reimagined" was the word) the space and expanded the menu — food and drinks. 

The Brindle Room, known for its burgers, now also serves steak frites, spaghetti and meatballs, and chicken wings, among other items. Here's a look ...

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 5-11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 4 p.m. to midnight; Sunday 4-10 p.m.

The Brindle Room opened on 11th Street in the summer of 2022... Spector and Co. spent 11 years at 277 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. The restaurant was doing takeout during the early days of the pandemic but stayed shut after the spring of 2020. 

Spector later vowed to find a new home for The Brindle Room.