Coathangers at 285 Kent. (Nate Dorr’s Flickr)
We knew it was coming, but that still didn’t make the news any easier to digest; after weeks of swirling rumors, cryptic tweets, and endless speculation, we have official word that 285 Kent will close its doors at the end of this month. After a string of four final shows, yet another beloved Brooklyn institution will bid its final adieu.
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(Photo: Scott Lynch)
A State Supreme Court judge has blocked about half of NYU’s Greenwich Village expansion plan, saying that the city unlawfully turned over park land without first getting approval from the State Legislature. But the school says it can still move forward with the first tower, which could be as tall as 26 stories. [NY Times]
The New York City Economic Development Corporation has recommended 11 new ferry stops, including Grand Street in Manhattan. [DNA Info]
Apartments in a converted church on North 6th may hit the market soon. [Brownstoner]
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It is so freaking cold outside, we nearly forgot the gloriously momentous occasion that occurs on Jan. 7: Blue Ivy Carter’s birthday (that’s the holy spawn of Jay-Z and Beyoncé, in case you actively shun all pop culture media outlets). You know who didn’t forget Blue Ivy’s special day? Brooklyn-based rapper and remix mastermind MeLo-X, who released his remix of Beyoncé’s self-titled album, Yoncé-X, earlier today (following some carefully conceptualized teasers on Instagram, naturally).
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(Photos: Anthony Pappalardo)
Pavement fans once again proved their devotion to frontman Stephen Malkmus by showing up for a signing on the new year’s coldest day. Those who trooped out to Momofuku Milk Bar in Williamsburg — geared up in LL Bean, Doc Martens and beanies — were rewarded with complimentary posters autographed by Malkmus and his backing band The Jicks, along with the last thing most would want when the temperature drops to 10 degrees: free soft serve.
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(Courtesy Bowery Mission)
It’s not all that often that church pews double as theater aisles at The Bowery Mission’s Lower East Side Chapel but that’s what happened today, as local homeless men sought refuge from the single-digit temperatures.
Staffers set the thermostat above 70 degrees and unspooled a projection screen to show DVDs of The Bible, a 10-part miniseries that aired on the History channel last March. (The Blind Side was screened during a previous film session.) A few dozen men wearing hooded sweatshirts and nylon jackets watched stories of Jesus, Moses and Sampson before a backdrop of Christmas tree garland and organ pipes.
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Joe McGinty is 6-foot-5, which means he has to hunch over to play piano at his weekly karaoke night at Manhattan Inn. Not that it’s a big deal. “I’ve always enjoyed people singing around the piano,” says the 54-year-old.
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(Photo: Scott Lynch)
Police now say Menachem Stark was squashed to death. “It might be that they sat on him to get him under control and that they wound up killing him that way,” a police source tells the Daily News. [NY Daily News]
According to the Post’s sources, Stark’s business partner told police they owed money to characters who could be involved in the killing. [NY Post]
Meanwhile, rumors are flying in South Williamsburg: “One rumor had it that Mr. Stark had told his wife in recent weeks that he was being followed by men in a car. Another held that Mr. Stark had borrowed $500,000 from a mysterious, unidentified lender the day of his kidnapping.” [NY Times]
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(Photo: Daniel Maurer)
If there was ever any concern that there weren’t enough places on St. Marks to get your belly button pierced at 2 a.m. on a Friday night, Elite Jewelry and Piercing Co. has just opened, replacing self-serve fro yo shop Yogurt Station.
It’s the second late night “body mod” outpost to claim the space of a frozen yogurt joint on this very block (NYC Kulture replaced a Red Mango just across the street), which would suggest that the drunken vagabonds of St. Marks would rather enhance (or disfigure) their physical appearance than enjoy a frozen treat. Except that vegan ice cream joint DF Mavens is coming to the block.
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