The pre-war multi-family townhouse located at 313 East 6th Street has been listed for the first time since the 1970s. While all New York buildings have their stories to tell, this one has seen more than most. Home to multiple famous artists and a documentary director, 313 East 6th Street has survived both raging fire and FBI surveillance units. It now awaits its next chapter and next owners. 

East Village Greek Revival Mansions

Originally constructed in 1853, later renovations reformatted the single-family home into three apartments. In 1902 the residence was officially relabeled a multi-unit dwelling.

The entryway features an original double-wide formal entrance and brownstone stoop. The house contains traditional Greek Revival elements with complimentary Italianate details, similar to other houses on that street. Brick interior walls, tall windows, and original staircases add authentic charm.

A large 30-foot backyard offers a green respite for sun and lounging while high ceilings deliver both northern and southern light to the bedrooms. The home has 6 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms with a total square footage of 5,480 square feet

313 East 6th Street is currently vacant and gutted. The building will require a top-to-bottom build-out. Future owners will have the rare opportunity to design and build the home, or apartments, of their dreams. This and other row houses on 6th Street received landmark status in 2012 when added to the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. 

A 1948 Certificate of Occupancy states a “social club” was once located in the basement. Most recently, the bottom floor was kept as an art studio. A fire in 2022 partially damaged the upper quarters, but ensuing repairs verify the home is structurally safe and sound. Aside from architectural charm, the building was home to many famous voices of New York City’s past.

Mark Rothko’s Painting Stint in the 1930s

The late abstract artist Mark Rothko (born Markus Rothkowitz) and his first wife, Edith Sachar, occupied an apartment here in the late 1930s. During those years, Rothko was a part-time teacher at the Center Academy of the Brooklyn Jewish Center. He taught children from 1929 to 1952. Edith and he lived in many parts of the East Village until his wife’s pressure for him to become famous eventually drove them to separate.

A well-known painting of his titled “Thru the Window” was painted in this apartment. Both the artist’s signature and building address are written on the back of the painting.  

Rothko was propelled to fame in the 1940s and cemented himself as both an abstract painter and surrealist. Rothko was contemporaries with other famed artists such as Max Weber, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Franz Kline. Famous for monolithic works of color study, a Rothko original titled “No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red)” sold at Christie’s for $186 million in 2014, the 5th most expensive painting sale in history.

Abstract Expressionist Alfred Leslie at 313 East 6th

Painter and filmmaker Alfred Leslie, of the Bronx, also had a stint at 313 East 6th Street. As second artist in residence, Leslie utilized the garden level for his Manhattan studio.

Famous for macro-sized portraiture and an extensive series of watercolors, Leslie documented his road trips through original artworks.  Through his many iterations as an artist, Leslie was also a filmmaker; combining cartoons, home movies and old feature films. The 1959 film Pull My Daisy was directed by Alfred Leslie and narrated by Jack Kerouac. Other film collaborations included poet Frank O’Hara. He later got into sculptures made of found and everyday objects.

In the 1960s Leslie segued from abstract expressionism to realistic figurative pieces. Losing much of his work in a fire, Leslie later gained fame for his large-scale charcoal drawings. Alfred Leslie passed away from COVID-19 in 2023.

Documentary Maker’s Home

The last shift in ownership came in the 1970s when 313 East 6th Street was purchased by director Emile de Antonio and his wife. Still under ownership of the Antonio family, it was a surprise to some when this property was listed on the market.

Emile de Antonio, like Rothko and Leslie, also led a prolific creative and political career in New York City. Directing and producing documentary films on social, political and counterculture events, de Antonio has been called “the most important political filmmaker in the United States during the Cold War.” 

Amongst famous works including Painters Painting, released in 1972, de Antonio was in charge of distribution for Pull My Daisy, the film directed by Alfred Leslie. His film In the Year of the Pig was Oscar nominated in 1969. De Antonio is known to critique American culture and politics with an emphasis on political dissension. Because of this de Antonio was under constant surveillance by the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover. A 10,000 page dossier compiled regarding De Antonio became subject of his autobiographical film, Mr. Hoover and I.

Then and Now

Of course, times have changed. Located smack in the middle of Ukrainian Village, 313 East 6th Street is now in a bustling part of East Village, close to Whole Foods and Tompkins Square Park. Still, how many who wander by know Rothko used to look out those windows?

The post Rothko’s Historical Former East Village Apartment For Sale appeared first on CitySignal.

Welcome to the Lower East Side, where it’s near impossible to have a bad time! From the lively bars and clubs to the cultural institutions and museums, this neighborhood has a little something for everyone which is why this historic area is popular with locals and visitors alike. Visit the Lower East Side and you’ll notice that this neighborhood has a vivacious energy that refuses to be ignored.

History of the Lower East Side

In the 1600s, Dutch settlers along with an enclave of freed black farmers and members of the Lenape Nation were all living in the area that would eventually become the Lower East Side. According to the Encyclopedia of New York City, the Lenape would eventually be displaced, and the farms purchased by the Delancy family, who would hold onto this large chunk of Manhattan for quite some time. One of the only sections that didn’t belong to Delancy was Corlears Hook, a port used by the Dutch and later by the British.

After the American Revolution, both Corlears Hook and the Delancey Farm, were seized due to the Delancy family’s loyalty to the British Empire and developed by the city as it expanded northward. However, the neighborhood was never really favored by the upper class of the city and by the early 1800s the area became known as a slum. Some of the first tenement buildings in the city were built here, which drew large numbers of immigrants, artists, and working-class people to the area.

Due to the influx of artists into the neighborhood, the Lower East side begin to grow in popularity throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s. Though, sadly, not popular enough to raise the neighborhood out of poverty entirely. In the 1960s, real estate developers began referring to the northern part of the Lower East Side as “The East Village” as many artists and venues that made the area popular with counter-culture enthusiasts lived above Houston Street. This cut down on the size of the Lower East Side and made it significantly smaller.

Around the 1980s, students and artists seeking cheap housing began to move to the area. This helped the city with some redevelopment efforts, and the neighborhood turned itself around by the year 2000. Luxury buildings began development in the area, and tons of businesses flocked there to take advantage of the neighborhood’s new popularity. Today, the Lower East Side is full of art, culture, and life, celebrating its newfound success while paying homage to its tumultuous past.

Museums of the Lower East Side

 

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This neighborhood has a ton of unique museums to visit. Some of the best in the area include:

New Museum

This contemporary art museum has been around since 1977 and is currently the only museum in Manhattan dedicated solely to contemporary art. This place is a haven for new art, mediums, and ideas that will one day change the world.

Tenement Museum

This museum details the history of immigration in NYC, as well as the history of tenement housing. Guests can tour actual tenements, with recreations of homes from all the way back as 1860. History won’t always be pretty, but it’s important to experience and remember.

International Center of Photography

This museum focuses on the history and practice of photography. They have beautiful exhibitions detailing the impacts of historical and contemporary photography, as well as educational programs to encourage future photographers.

Entertainment Venues of the Lower East Side

The Lower East Side is one of the best neighborhoods in the city to experience live music and dance the night away. There are a ton of options so it might be difficult to pick and choose. Here’s some of our favorite venues in this neighborhood.

Rockwood Music Hall

There are three separate stages located at this music hall venue. Each stage is slightly different in the types of seating options they offer. For example, one of the stages is fully seated, another has a dance hall, and the third has a bit of both. Your needs should be accommodated regardless at this venue.

Many great bands and artists have played at this venue since 2005. Popular artists like Lady Gaga, Jessie J, and Bille Joe Armstrong are among some of the most famous artists who have performed here.

The Slipper Room

Looking to spice up your evening? Check out the Slipper Room which puts up a variety of acts included burlesque. The late night shows you catch here are full of laughs, awe, and intrigue, making this one of the coolest performance spaces in the city.

The Bowery Ballroom

The Bowery Ballroom is famous for a reason. This venue is lively and features some of the best artists around such as Lana Del Rey, Radiohead, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. While some of the biggest musical acts in the world perform here, the venue reserves plenty of space for indie bands to perform as well. Regardless of what you’re planning on watching, tickets at this venue are typically quite affordable, which is why this place is popular with both local residents and visitors.

Where to Eat in the Lower East Side

 

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The Lower East Side is home to plenty of famous restaurants and a wide assortment of delicious cuisines. It’s hard to really pick out the best of the best, however, here are some of the restaurants members of our staff have really enjoyed.

Katz’s Delicatessen ($$)

One of the most famous restaurants and delis in all of NYC, Katz’s Deli has been serving up amazing meals since 1888. Their deli meats can be shipped to almost anywhere in the nation, and they always have Jewish specialties ready to eat in person. If you’re stopping by here, be sure to try the Pastrami on Rye, it’s what Katz’s Deli is well known for! Katz’s can get busy, so if possible, try to plan on going during off-peak hours otherwise be prepared to wait for up to an hour.

Wildair ($$$)

This new American restaurant is already making a name for itself with its delicious, innovative, and organic dishes. For those with a sweet tooth, you’re in luck because the donut selection at Wildair is always fun and unique. Regardless of if you’re stopping in for a full meal or just a little pick-me-up donut, you won’t be disappointed.

Beauty and Essex ($$$)

Ever been to a restaurant run like a speakeasy? To dine at Beauty and Essex, you’ll need to walk through a pawnshop to reach the restaurant’s entrance. Once inside, be prepared to be awed by its fun and eclectic decor. There are two levels of seating at the restaurant, one for more social affairs and one with more private dining rooms currently connected by a grand spiral staircase. This place is one of the coolest restaurants in the neighborhood.

Bars of the Lower East Side

 

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There are a ton bars in this neighborhood, all of which bring a special energy to NYC nightlife. Some of the best bars include:

Pianos ($$$)

This club resides in an old piano bar, and keeps the spirit of the past alive with dinner, dancing, and amazing live music. This place even does bottle service for private tables, making it one of the finest clubs in the area.

Loreley Beer Garden ($$)

This beer garden is a great place to gather with friends, even in the winter, thanks to its heated outdoor space. They are well known for their brunch menu, and for the beautiful greenery that graces both the interior and exterior of the establishment.

Mr. Purple ($$)

This cocktail lounge is one of the more subtle bars in the neighborhood, but they can get rowdy when they want to. Their annual New Year’s celebration brings in a crowd, and their outdoor space has spectacular views.

Where to Live in the Lower East Side

Due to its rising popularity over the last few decades, the Lower East Side has experienced significant population growth. As a result, many new residential developments have been or are in the process of being developed and constructed for housing. Based on our research, here are some of the best apartment complexes to live in.

208 Delancey

This elegant condo was built in 2021, and is one of the best looking buildings in the neighborhood. Many of the units have private outdoor space, and residents have access to a shared public roof deck, a fitness center, and private parking.

57 Pitt Street

One of the more historic buildings in the neighborhood, this rental complex was first constructed in 1900 then renovated. The new flooring, exposed brick, and large windows are welcome features.

One Essex Crossing

This huge condo building finished its construction in 2021. Several units feature enormous private outdoor space. Residents have access to a fitness center, children’s playroom, and even a concierge service that can grant you access and insight to things happening in the city.

81 Orchard Street

This rental building was constructed in 1910, but has been recently updated. Now all units have stainless steel appliances, in-unit washers and dryers, and central air. The apartments here are perfect for smaller families and young professionals.

One Manhattan Square

This tall condo has some of the best views in the city and everything a resident could want, including a swimming pool, a hot tub, a fitness center, and even a media room. This building is the height of luxury.

Traveling in the Lower East Side

The Lower East Side is pretty easy to get to and traverse. Some of the best ways to get around here are:

Trains

The NYC subway system services the Lower East Side via the B, D, F, M, J, and Z trains.

Buses

The NYC bus system services the Lower East Side via the M9, M14, M15, M21, M22, and M103.

Bike Rentals and Rideshares

The Lower East Side is connected to two major bridges going in and out of Brooklyn. Because of this, and the narrow streets, traffic can get rather annoying here. Rideshares are still popular, but they will take awhile. Biking, on the other hand, is very popular due to the miles of bike lanes and Citi Bike docking stations.

The Lower East Side has had a tumultuous past, but has been thriving for more than 40 years now. The art, nightlife, and food here make the neighborhood one of the best in the city. The energy here is palpable, drawing people in and making them want to stick around. Even if you don’t currently live here, you’ll want to stop by and check it out on a nice weekend. Be sure to plan time for a few of the activities on our list.

The post Lower East Side Neighborhood Guide: The Neighborhood That Never Sleeps appeared first on CitySignal.

This eager attitude to eat can be found in New York City residents and visitors alike. There is just something so special about what this bustling archipelago has to offer in regard to grub. But, where do you even start? In Manhattan alone there are roughly 27,000 restaurants that exist. Kind of crazy, no? How does one even begin to navigate the treasure hunt in finding the best spots? 

Well, to start, exploring by neighborhood is probably your best bet. Lucky for you we have sifted through the best Lower East Side restaurants to begin the journey. Throughout the years, the Lower East Side of Manhattan has gone through a copious amount of changes. Originally an area that had roots in farming is now a spot that holds some of the best famously known streets in all of New York City. Starting at Canal Street all the way up to Houston Street, the Lower East Side is home to some of the best restaurants in lower Manhattan. 

Lower East Side Restaurants

Freemans – Freeman Alley ($$)

 

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In fall of 2004 the owners of Freemans were exploring the streets of Manhattan when they stumbled across a cozy and unused alley off the Bowery. Thus came the birth of Freemans. This American-style restaurant was built up to mock a rugged clandestine colonial tavern. The cuisine features tastes that are simple, rustic, and inspired by Old World traditions. 

Freemans offers brunch everyday from 11AM to 4PM and dinner Sunday to Monday 6PM to 10PM. From Tuesday to Saturday, dinner runs a bit later from 6PM to 11PM. They also have a seasonal cocktail and food menu in which you can check out on their Instagram. 

Pig and Khao – 68 Clinton Street ($$)

 

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Leah Cohen is the chef and owner of this Filipino-Thai fusion gem. Pig and Khao first opened up in 2014 with only 74 seats available. The intimate setting decorated with Southeast Asian inspired dishes has thrived since the day they served their first meal. Cohen had a dream of mixing her passion of cooking with her Filipino upbringing as well as constant visits to the motherland. With her desire to stay true to authentic Southeast Asian flavors, Pig and Khao became a spot that was acclaimed by publications such as the New York Times, New York Magazine, and The Huffington Post. 

Pig and Khao offers both a dinner and brunch menu. For dinner, they offer a Night Market Menu in which restaurant-goers can choose from which features monthly dishes for $48/person. You can also take part in their cocktail tasting for $30/per person. For brunch, Pig and Khao have the option for bottomless mimosas at $21/person with the purchase of 1 brunch food item. 

Russ & Daughters Café – 127 Orchard Street ($$)

 

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Russ & Daughters is certainly a culinary and cultural icon in New York City. Since 1914, they have been serving the highest quality of smoked fish, caviar, bagels, bialys, babka, and other traditional Jewish baked goods. It has been owned and operated by four generations of the Russ family with the original store on 106 Houston St. The shop is called Russ & Daughters with just the option to purchase goods, but the café offers full-service. 

The café opened in 2014 on the 100th anniversary of Russ & Daughters on Orchard St. which is the same street in which the current owner’s grandfather pickled herring. The history of this spot runs deep in traditional family values. At the café, restaurant-goers can view the salmon slicers at work through an open-kitchen setup. One could visit Russ & Daughters at really any time of the day to get a light meal, brunch, lunch, cocktails, or dinner. 

La Contenta – 102 Norfolk Street ($$)

 

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Stop by La Contenta for some authentic Mexican food in the Lower East Side. The owner and chef, Luis Arce Mota, first started his career as a dishwasher at Carmine’s in Times Square. With hard work and determination, Luis advanced his career and gained experience under the tutelage of many renowned chefs such as David Bouley and Michael Lomonaco. He eventually studied at Cordon Bleu in Paris and the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

In 2014, Luis and his partners opened up La Contenta, an intimidate Lower East Side bistro. Diners can enjoy an unique menu highlighting Mexican ingredients that have been incorporated with classis French techniques. Stop by for brunch or dinner and don’t forget to get there early to take advantage of their happy hour deals.

Double Chicken Please – 115 Allen Street ($$)

 

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Double Chicken Please first opened during the height of the pandemic in November of 2020. Faye Chen and GN Chan, the two co-owners, partnered up with Chef Mark Chou, who received his training at Eleven Madison Park, to bring together a delightful cocktail menu with a delectable food menu.

Like its name, the restaurant offers two experiences in one space. Check out the front for a more casual laid back atmosphere and be sure to try their famous chicken sandwiches and inventive cocktails on tap. Want something more along the lines of fine dining? Then book a seat in their Back Room. The food there is simply divine and their rotating list of inventive and classic cocktails will have you coming back over and over again.

Dudley’s – 85 Orchard Street ($$)

 

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From the same team that brought us Ruby’s, Dudley’s is a Australian corner pub-and-bistro you’ll need to check out. Whether you’re meeting friends for brunch or dinner, you can guarantee to enjoy the food and drink menu here. They’re best known for their big brekkie, avocado toast, bronte burger, and crispy rice salad but frankly, everything on the menu looks divine.

The restaurant does not currently take reservations and will serve guests on a first-come-first-serve basis so be sure to head no over earlier to put your name on the waitlist. Thankfully, there’s plenty of activities to check out around the Lower East Side. So take a nice stroll while you wait!

Wolfnights – The Gourmet Wrap – 99 Rivington Street ($$)

 

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Each bite of a wrap at Wolfnights is made to be ideal. The team here uses unique house-made ingredients to create unique, one-of-a-kind wraps that contain everything you’d ever want. Every single bite is meant to give you a full blast of flavor, from sweet, savory, sour, spicy, fresh, and crunchy!

Wolfnights technically has two locations but the one by Lower East Side is perfect after a long night out partying at the many lounges, clubs, and bars in the area. Stop by and give Wolfnights a try. We promise you won’t regret it.

Contra – 138 Orchard Street ($$$)

 

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Established in 2013 by chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske, Contra is a dinner-only restaurant that serves a rotating menu of seasonal and experimental dishes. The restaurant has Contra originally opened up with a $55 five course set menu but after reopening after the pandemic in 2021, they now offer an a la carte menu to provide diners with more freedom. The food menu here changes daily so you can expect a different experience each time you visit. Don’t just take our word for it, Contra has earned a Michelin star and also two star rating by the New York Times!

Ivan Ramen – 25 Clinton Street ($$)

 

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Craving a bowl of good shio ramen? Stop by Ivan Ramen for their world famous take on traditional Japanese style ramen. Ivan Orkin, the owner of Ivan Ramen, fell in love with Japan and its culture and moved there permanently after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America. There, he opened up his first ramen shop on the suggestion of his wife. To everyone’s surprise, the shop succeeded and his ramen shop became one of the top ramen shops in Japan. He eventually opened yet another ramen shop in Japan and eventually Ivan Ramen in the Lower East Side of New York. Today, Ivan is recognized as one of the leading American authorities on ramen.

Katz’s Delicatessen – 205 E Houston Street ($$)

 

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Katz’s first opened up in 1888 as a small deli named Iceland Brothers. Willy Katz joined the partnership in 1903 and eventually bought out the entirety of the deli in 1910 with his cousin Benny Katz. With that, the deli was renamed to Katz’s Delicatessen and the rest is history. Kat’s has been family-owned for over 100 years and is currently run by Alan Dell, his son Jake Dell, and Alan’s brother-in-law Fred Austin. Today, the deli is one of the remaining Jewish-style delis. Stop by Katz’s to try their famous pastrami and corned beef rye bread sandwich. You won’t be disappointed.

Empanada Mama – 95 Allen Street ($)

 

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Owner Socrates Nanas opened up this Columbian joint with one thing in mind: how can I feed the masses by offering big flavors in small packages? This idea evolved into a beloved modern Patty Place that harbors nothing but great energy in mind. Every empanada dish is made with fresh ingredients to ensure the most delicious of meals. 

Their menu consists of roughly forty different empanadas stuffed and sealed with wheat or corn based shells. Some different flavors one can choose from are as follows: Greek (spinach pie), Cuban (ham, pork, and cheese), Polish (kielbasa and sauerkraut), Hawaiian (ham, cheese, and pineapple), Italian (sausage, peppers, and onions), and American (cheeseburger). Some of their small offerings include arepas, tamales, veal, rice balls, and pork-tenderloin meatballs. 

Dirt Candy – 86 Allen Street ($$)

 

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Looking for an inventive vegetarian spot? Well, Dirt Candy is everything a vegetarian could ever dream of. This is one of Manhattan’s only solely-vegetable restaurants. Their award winning chef, Amanda Cohen, is constantly changing the menu to see how elaborate she can get with what she discovers. Their single tasting menu will alternate depending on the season due to the produce that is freshly available.  

Dirt Candy’s five course tasting menu is $90/person and is only served at night. They also offer a wine pairing for an additional $50 which both include tip, but not tax. Their current spring menu is available and has been since April 14, 2022. But, as stated before, it will change depending on the season. 

Essex – 124 Rivington Street ($$)

 

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Essex is an American restaurant offering dishes in a warehouse space with balcony seating. They have both a dinner and brunch menu with an extensive list of dishes. Not only that, but do they also offer an oyster happy hour (who doesn’t love an oyster happy hour?). Every Sunday – Friday from 5PM to 7PM Essex hosts a happy hour indoors and outdoors where customers can choose from discounted drinks, dishes, and $1.50/PC oysters. 

Their weekend brunch special comes with a choice of an entrée, 90 minutes of bottomless mimosas, bloody marys, screwdrivers, and Narragansett draft beers for $42.95/person. If you are interested in booking a table for more than 7 guests, you must place a reservation. The brunch party menu includes 2 hours of mimosas, bloody marys, screwdrivers, and Narragansett draft beers for $52.95/person. 

Serafina Ludlow – 98 Rivington Street ($$)

 

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With locations all over Manhattan, Serafina finds itself as a beloved modern Italian spot. Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato, the two owners, are good friends with an interesting story. Before the 90s they were out on the water and quickly became lost at sea. Stranded, all they could think about was having the perfect pizza. To strengthen their spirits at surviving they promised each other that when they got back to safety, they would open a pizzeria which also served some of the best pasta in the world. Thankfully they survived and in 1995 opened Serafina Fabulous Pizza on the Upper East Side. 

Serafina has a strong commitment to quality of food based on an authentic approach to Italian cuisine. Their ingredients are sourced from all over the world. Assaf and Granato have visited farms and produce partners in Italy to hand pick items they serve to their customers. Their olive oil, burrata and mozzarella, parmesan, prosciutto, tomatoes, flour, vinegar, and truffle are all straight from Italy. 

Cervo’s – 43 Canal Street ($$$)

 

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In the summer of 2017 Cervo’s opened up as a downtown ode to the seafood of the Iberian peninsula. They also pay homage to the sustainable ingredients of the Northeast. Their wine list features bottles from Coastal Spain and Portugal with fun cocktails thrown into the mix. This is yet another joint known for serving the utmost delicious oysters. However, they are a bit more pricey here ranging from $3.75/each to a whole dish for $40. 

Other than oysters, customers can taste seafood specialties such as Yellowfish Tuna, Watercress, Clams, Prawns, and mussels paired with tapas-like dishes. Cervo’s is known for their fish, so if you have a kick for seafood then this is definitely the place to go! 

Yopparai – 49 Clinton Street ($$$)

 

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There is nothing that says Japanese tradition like an izakaya. This funky joint brings the excitement of an izakaya right to Manhattan. Albeit the small size, Yopparai thrives off the intimacy. Their sake bar and restaurant is known for their wide variety of sake paired with traditional cuisine and adventurous dishes. Their most ordered items are the homemade tofu, sashimi, and grilled meat/fish. 

Currently, they have been adding new dishes like sushi and Japanese hot pot (the perfect meal for cold weather). Yopparai has highly educated staff members that are experts in the sake world and can help you choose which sake is best for you. 

For an even more intimate experience, check out Yopparai Ronin. It’s a new omakase date-night spot located just down the same street at 69A Clinton Street and was put together by the same team at Yopparai. Their Chef’s selected tasting menu is constantly changing to reflect the different seasons.

Balvanera – 152 Stanton Street ($$)

 

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Argentine chef, Fernando Navas, works hard to represent the cuisine and spirit of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He cooks up porteña cuisine with influences from different dynamic areas of Argentina. The menu features traditional small plates with the choice of both mouth-watering vegetable and carne dishes. Not only are there small plates, but Balvanera has the option for friend and family style food as well. 

Balvanera’s drink menu was created in collaboration with Argentine Wine Consultant, Sebastian Koncurat to construct the best pairings one could receive. There is a wide selection of Argentinian wines available with a very particular offering of beer as well. Wine is available by glass, carafe, or bottle to accommodate any sort of request. 

Sauce – 78 Rivington Street ($$)

 

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Sauce has got the sauce. This restaurant is known and loved for their heritage chicken parmesan, grass-fed beef meatballs, homemade pasta, and extra thin-crust pizza. But, the catalyst of it all is their famous sauce. They thrive on Italian tradition and prepare their sauce much like a “nonna” would before a Sunday dinner. 

Sauce’s menu is served daily from 5PM to 11PM with the option for both a kid and dessert menu. The space is cozy, the music sets the tone, and their plates are filled to the brim with some of the best Italian food on the LES. 

The post The 18 Best Restaurants in the Lower East Side appeared first on CitySignal.

Indigenous Lenapehoking

Before the island now known as Manhattan was colonized by the Dutch, the area around St. Mark’s Place was inhabited by the Lenape people and was part of Lenapehoking, or the Lenape homeland. Lenape people hunted, fished, foraged, and practiced agriculture in Lenapehoking. Modern-day Astor Place, just west of St. Mark’s, was known as Kintecoying or “Crossroads of Three Nations,” a central gathering point between three different Lenape groups who lived in Manhattan in the 16th century and the site where three important trails intersected. Part of one of these trails (which ran from Shempoes Village near present-day Stuyvesant Street and Second Avenue to Kintecoying) passed through St. Mark’s Place.

Petrus Stuyvesant

In the seventeenth century, a mixture of European diseases, land takeover by Dutch colonists, war, and violence either killed or drove most Lenape people from Manhattan. The area’s colonial history begins when the land north of New Amsterdam (present-day Lower Manhattan) was divided into 12 “bouwerijs,” the Dutch word for farm. The largest, Bouwerij #1, was used to support the governing officers of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. In 1651 it was sold to Petrus (or Peter) Stuyvesant, the last director-general of New Netherland (the name for the entire area claimed by the Dutch in eastern North America); Stuyvesant’s purchase included two enslaved people. Stuyvesant purchased adjacent acreage, including more of the area now known as St. Mark’s Place. He may have eventually enslaved an estimated 40 people who labored on that land.

Stuyvesant also built a Dutch Reformed church, known as Bouwerij Chapel, on the site of what is now St. Mark’s Church In-the-Bowery. Stuyvesant himself is buried beneath the church, and nearby Stuyvesant Street, Stuyvesant Square, and Stuyvesant Town bear his family name. Interestingly, an enslaved woman named Mayken van Angola and her husband, Domingo lived near the chapel and in 1662 petitioned the Dutch West India Company for her freedom in exchange for doing housework for Stuyvesant. She was manumitted (freed) and may also be buried beneath St. Mark’s.

After the British seized control of New Amsterdam in 1664, Stuyvesant surrendered in exchange for keeping 62 acres of his land. It remained in his family through the American Revolution. In 1793, his descendants sold it to The Episcopal Church for $1. The present building, St. Mark’s Church In-the-Bowery, was consecrated in 1799. Today it is one of the oldest church buildings in Manhattan, second only to St. Paul’s Chapel.

A Fashionable Address?

St. Mark’s Place is an extension of 8th Street. When the city commissioners laid out the plan for the Manhattan street grid in 1811, 8th Street was a demarcation line: streets below it would retain their configuration, as they were too developed to shift to a grid pattern. North of 8th Street, the grid would be adhered to, with buildings and roads shifted as needed.

In 1811, however, 8th Street wasn’t developed east of Broadway. The first houses (besides farm buildings) weren’t constructed until 1831-32. These oversized Federal-style homes were built on both sides of the street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, and developer Thomas E. Davis built them in hopes of attracting wealthy New Yorkers, who were moving steadily north as the city expanded. This is likely why, in 1835, he named the street St. Mark’s Place, after the nearby fashionable church, in an attempt to make it sound like an exclusive address. Two of the original townhouses remain today: number 4 (the Hamilton-Holly House) and No. 20 (the Daniel LeRoy House). However, numbers 25, 20, and 28 also remain but with significant alteration.

St. Mark’s Place never took off as a truly fashionable address, possibly because cattle were driven through it regularly, causing injury to pedestrians. Still, it was home to some famous names. Eliza Hamilton, widow of Alexander Hamilton, and two of her children lived at No. 4 from 1833 until the home was foreclosed on in 1842. Author James Fenimore Cooper lived at No. 6 during the same era. Many more successful but less well-known New Yorkers made it their home: David Hanriques, for example, a Jamaican-born banker who was eulogized in The New York Times as “a gentleman of the old school,” lived on St. Mark’s Place from 1831 until his death in 1859.

St. Mark’s Place residents had easy access to a growing number of important institutions built nearby. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art was founded at the western edge of St. Mark’s Place in 1859. The Astor Opera House, the site of the Astor Place/Shakespeare Riot of 1849, opened on Astor Place in 1847.

Little Germany

By the mid-nineteenth century, would-be fashionable New Yorkers were moving on from St. Mark’s Place. German immigrants, who came to the United States seeking better economic prospects, moved into the area, turning it into a “Little Germany,” also known as Kleindeutschland or Deutschlӓndle. By 1855 New York City had the third-largest German population of any city in the world, including those in Germany itself. By 1880, 250,000 German speakers called New York City home. Most of those folks lived in the East Village.

With the influx of immigrants came new services, social halls, singing societies, and fraternal organizations, many headquartered on St. Mark’s Place. In 1884, for example, the New-York Cooking School held classes for poor girls (“plainly clad but bright looking girls,” The New York Times reported) in the Wilson Industrial School at 125 St. Mark’s Place. They learned to make an Easter feast of egg and bread dishes. Now it holds apartment buildings and a Starbucks, to many residents’ chagrin.

Today, the most visible remnant of Little Germany is the Deutsch-Amerikanische Schützengesellschaft (German-American Shooting Society) building at 12 St. Mark’s Place. Shooting—specifically target practice and marksmanship—was a popular hobby for an immigrant group that had experienced both the Revolutions of 1847-48 in Europe and the threat of anti-immigrant violence in their new home. The building was constructed in 1888 and features beautiful terracotta ornamentation created by Professor H. Plasschaert, a sculptor. The society’s logo, located on the building front at the fourth story, features crossed rifles and the inscription “Einigkeit Macht Stark,” or “Unity Makes Strength.” The society sold the building in 1920.

The Ottendorfer Library, today a part of the New York Public Library, on 2nd Avenue between St. Mark’s Place and 9th Street is another relic of the neighborhood’s German past. Built in 1884, the library was a gift to the community from successful editor Oswald Ottendorfer and was the first free library in the city.

Elevated train lines opened on both Second and Third Avenue during this time period, with the Second Avenue “El” offering service starting in 1875 and the Third Avenue El beginning in 1878.

Apartments and Boarding Houses

The increased population density of the East Village during the latter half of the nineteenth century led to a shift away from large, single-family homes to boarding houses, apartment houses, and tenements. Other immigrant groups moved into the area. The German population shrank as its members found economic success and moved to less-crowded neighborhoods. Their exodus was sped up by the General Slocum Disaster in 1904, when over 1,000 people, mostly women, and children from the city’s German community, died in a boating incident, leaving the neighborhood grief-stricken and traumatized.

City directories and census lists from the later decades of the nineteenth century reveal St. Mark’s Place as home to both those born in New York as well as immigrants from Germany, Ireland, England, Scotland, Canada, Sweden, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. The street seems to have maintained something of a middle-class character, despite the presence of boarding houses, where many, unable to afford rent on a full apartment, lived. Druggists, physicians, lawyers, journalists, piano manufacturers, carpenters, clerks, tailors, masons, laborers, and manufacturers all called St. Mark’s Place home those decades.

The Little Missionary’s Day Nursery, founded in 1896 by Sara Curry, acquired 93 St. Mark’s Place in 1901. It offered day care, kindergarten, classes, and clubs for neighborhood residents. It still operates today.

The Early Twentieth Century

The demographics of the neighborhood around St. Mark’s Place continued to shift as Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe fled violent pogroms and moved to the Lower East Side and adjacent areas. Italian immigrants also began moving to the area. St. Mark’s Place, while home to many, was also a commercial strip frequented by New Yorkers of many backgrounds, with businesses, saloons, drug stores, and restaurants. A photo below from 1910 shows the businesses at 14 – 18 St. Mark’s Place: a cigar store emblazoned “Smoke Telonette,” a clothing store advertising “Furnishings for Correct Dressers,” H.J. Tillman Tailor, The Astor Place Cafe, and 14 St. Mark’s Restaurant.

A 1915 photo of 18 – 23 St. Mark’s Place below shows Weiner’s Private Restaurant & Dairy Lunch Room, Schultz & Co Manufacturers of Gold and Silver Leaf, Victoria Printing Co, Cur-o-Pile Paper Co, a ladies tailor and furrier, and the Office of Arlington Hall.

Arlington Hall at 23 St. Mark’s Place was a ballroom used for weddings and parties as well as union meetings and political rallies. It was here in 1917 that the People’s Council for Democracy and Peace, a pacifist group organized in response to WWI, held a rally to oppose conscription. Members of the U.S. Army’s Thirty-First Company, Eighth Coast Artillery set up checkpoints at both ends of the block, ostensibly to allow only as many as would fit in the hall into the area. According to The Sun, a crowd of four or five thousand gathered in Second Avenue as a result. Soldiers and plainclothes cops attended the meeting, then checked all men for their registration cards, arresting fourteen.

This incident shows how St. Mark’s Place was developing as a home for freethinkers, radicals, artists, and intellectuals. Leon Trotsky lived briefly at 80 St. Mark’s Place. The small printing presses in the area, like Victoria Printing Co., produced leftist magazines and newspapers. Anarchist Emma Goldman opened the Modern School at 6 St. Mark’s Place on New Year’s Day in 1911. For ten years the school offered children a decidedly anti-establishment education. This was only the beginning of the street’s countercultural reputation.

Gangsters, Guns, and Gamblers

St. Mark’s Place also saw its fair share of vice in the 1910s and 1920s. In 1900, the Rev. Dr. Charles Parkhurst, president of the Society for the Prevention of Crime led a raid on 9 St. Mark’s Place in order to demonstrate that the cops were getting kickbacks from gambling houses. His raid found 300 men and boys actively gambling, while most police raids of gambling dens found nothing because everyone had been tipped off. (Bizarrely, Parkhurst, a well-known anti-corruption activist, and minister died in 1933 at the age of 91 after he climbed out a bathroom window and off a porch roof while sleepwalking.)

Twelve years later, police themselves attempted a raid on a gambling den on the second floor of 6 St. Mark’s Place. Prevented from entering by an “ice chest door” (the heavy, reinforced front of an early refrigerator), as The New York Times reported, the cops were shot at while attempting to hack their way into the room. Seven men were eventually arrested.

Perhaps most famously, Arlington Hall was the site of a January 9, 1914 “dance” that quickly turned into a gunfight between rival gangs: the Italian gang headed by Jack Sirocco and the Jewish gang headed by “Dopey” Benny Fein. Both men were labor racketeers, and the dispute was over control of the East Side labor unions. The gunfight ended up on the street. A 65-year-old court clerk named Frederick Strauss, a veteran of the Franco-Prussian War and the financial secretary of the Odd Fellows Lodge in St. Mark’s Place, where he was headed that night was shot twice in the head in the melee. He died of his wounds. Only one person was charged in his death: Captain John Sweeney of NYPD was called to account for the neglect of duty that allowed a dance-that-was-clearly-going-to-be-a-gunfight to occur in his territory.

In 1921, 19-year-old Harry Cook, an employee of the delicatessen at 130 St. Mark’s Place, was shot in the heart while on the job in the early hours of November 8. He stumbled outside, bleeding, in view of two cops, but the shooter was never found. The motive was unclear, but there were hints that it was personal. The young man was to be married the next day, and his future father-in-law had helped him buy into a partnership of the delicatessen but may have had reservations about Cook or the business deal.

But perhaps the most terrifying crime occurred in the wee hours—around 4:30am—of October 4, 1925. Max Pfeffer’s restaurant at 25 St. Mark’s Place was full of waiters, coming off shift at the end of a long week with their wages and tips in cash on their persons. Six armed men entered and robbed diners of a total of $9,000. One Julia Kardos, a young woman who worked the restaurant’s pie counter, fainted and was revived by the gunmen who poured cold milk on her head. The robbers sped away as the proprietor of nearby Arlington Hall fired his gun in an attempt to draw the attention of local law enforcement.

Hippie Haven

The Great Depression and WWII years pushed St. Mark’s Place toward decline. The housing stock was old. A June 1935 fire in The Mansion, a social hall at 27 St. Mark’s Place, killed six wedding guests. 82 St. Mark’s Place was condemned in 1938, when a crack in the wall threatened to collapse around residents. An emergency shelter catering to men with substance use disorder opened at 69 St. Mark’s Place (and hosted, among others, a former cornetist in John Philip Sousa’s band). The elevated train lines on Second and Third Avenues were torn down in 1942 and 1955, respectively, cutting off the eastern edge of the neighborhood from mass transit but paving the way for better and more profitable streetscapes.

By the 1950s, cheap rent in the St. Mark’s Place area had begun attracting Beatniks and others who eschewed the values of conventional post-war American life. Poet W.H. Auden and Beats like Jack Kerouac moved into the neighborhood, which was gaining a reputation as Greenwich Village’s rougher, cheaper counterpart. Activists Abbie Hoffman and Jack Rubin lived at 30 St. Mark’s Place, while Lenny Bruce made his home at 13 St. Mark’s Place for a time. Many of these folks patronized Gem Spa, the neighborhood soda fountain/deli/candy store that occupied the corner of St. Mark’s Place and Second Avenue from the 1920s until 2021.

Arlington Hall had become the Polish National Home or Polski Dom Nardowy. The downstairs bar area known as The Dom became a Beat hangout after a local bar proprietor took it over. It was described in a 1965 guide to the neighborhood as “a groovy get-together place for the neighborhood cats and chicks who dig dancing and Polish food at Avenue A prices.” The bar was open from 4 pm to 4 am, with dancing starting at 8:30 pm, and breakfast served starting at 12:30 pm. It was an immediate hit with people from all walks of life.

In 1966 Andy Warhol curated the multimedia show Exploding Plastic Inevitable (featuring Nico and the Velvet Underground) at The Dom. Photos from the event show sharply and conventionally well-dressed young white people. Soon Warhol had transformed The Dom’s upstairs area into the Electric Circus, a discotheque that didn’t serve alcohol because everyone was high on something else. At that point, according to a 1974 article in The New York Times, The Dom became a popular hangout for Black Beats, hippies, and neighborhood residents.

In 1967 500 hippies held a “be-in” featuring bands like The Group Image and Sheila the Slum Goddess on St. Mark’s Place; they planted a tree in the middle of the street that was later moved to Tompkins Square Park. The East Village Other, a local paper, chronicles this era well.

Theater 80, at 80 St. Mark’s Place, opened in a former nightclub space; the building had also previously had a speakeasy/jazz club called Schieb’s. The 1967 world premiere of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown put the theater on the map and on secure financial footing; it’s perhaps surprising that a street with St. Mark’s reputation would birth one of the most wholesome musicals in the American canon. (Its next major production was Hair, a more apt choice.)

In the 1980s, Theatre 80, under the same ownership, transformed into a movie theater that screened revivals. It returned to its Off-Broadway roots in the 1990s and continues to this day, though it is facing massive financial challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The building also houses Schieb’s Place/William Barnacle Tavern, a speakeasy that pays tribute to the building’s past, and the Museum of the American Gangster.

The Dom closed in 1974 and was converted into the Cowpalace, a country-western disco. But during its heyday, The Dom helped make St. Mark’s Place into a hippie haven. The counterculture there was so strong that tourist buses would pass through just to gawk at the street’s denizens. Clothing stores like Limbo opened, offering vintage and second-hand items, especially denim, to shoppers like Janis Joplin and Yoko Ono and inspiring influential stylists. An ice cream parlor called the Ice Cream Connection, which sold drug-named flavors, operated at 24-26 St. Mark’s Place. It later became a longstanding neighborhood eatery Dojo.

Punk Days

The 1970s on St. Mark’s Place was marked by a turn toward punk. Club 57 opened at 57 St. Mark’s Place, a church basement, in 1979. An alternative disco specializing in absurdist theme nights and performance art, it was frequented by artist Keith Haring. Manic Panic, which bills itself as America’s first punk boutique, was opened by sisters Trish and Snooky Bellomo in 1977. Trash and Vaudeville, another boutique, soon followed. St. Mark’s Place had record stores like Freebeing, technically on Second Avenue, and St. Mark’s Sounds at number 20. The neighborhood had a vibrant visual arts scene in those days as well. St. Mark’s Comics opened in 1983 at 11 St. Mark’s Place.

6 St. Mark’s Place, former home of the anarchist Modern School, became a bathhouse in 1915, serving the neighborhood’s immigrant population. By the 1950s, it was a run-down immigrant-focused bathhouse by day, gay bathhouse by night, and became an exclusively gay establishment in the 1960s. In 1979 it was purchased by Bruce Mailman, a theater producer and entrepreneur, who renovated it and reopened it as The New St. Mark’s Baths. The baths were a popular attraction for gay men until they were forcibly closed in 1985 amid the AIDS epidemic.

For a good view of St. Mark’s Place in this era, check out Billy Joel’s 1986 music video for “A Matter of Trust,” which was shot in the old Arlington Hall/Dom space.

A Changing City

Throughout the 1990s, St. Mark’s Place hung on to its downtown character, though that has changed in the 21st century as small businesses across the city have faced rising rents and stiff competition from chains. Coney Island High at number 15 was a popular punk venue in the 1980s and 1990s. It closed when the building was demolished in the early aughts and replaced with condos. 19-25 St. Mark’s Place has been home to both a Supercuts and Chipotle. All the music stores have closed.

Today, St. Mark’s Place is lively and youthful, albeit less “downtown” or countercultural than in the past. The most commercial block of St. Mark’s Place, between Second and Third Avenues, offers many options in Asian fast-casual dining and take-out, catering to the area’s large international student population. Other options for eats include New York classics Mamoun’s Falafel and 2 Bros. Pizza.

For drinks, there’s Barcade, a spin-off of the popular Williamsburg spot, and Irish Pub Bill McCabe’s. Moving further east, bookstore Printed Matter/St. Mark’s is just across Third Avenue in the Swiss Institute building. That block is also home to Porto Rico Importing Co, a coffee and tea supplier owned by the same family since 1907, and the Slovenian Church of St. Cyril.

At the end of the block, you’ll find more options for drinks and eats, including Electric Burrito and Holiday Cocktail Lounge. Crossing First Avenue, the easternmost block offers East Village Books, a neighborhood fixture, and two tattoo parlors, as well bars and restaurants. Here you’ll find Crif Dogs and its hidden bar, Please Don’t Tell, accessible through a phone booth inside the restaurant. The street dead-ends into Tompkins Square Park. Perhaps fittingly, the final establishment on St. Mark’s Place is the symbol of gentrification and chain store takeover itself: a Starbucks.

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