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When someone you know tells you they recall the old SoHo days of the 90s’ please bring them a copy of this book Illegal Living.
There’s a terrific piece by Rosalyn Bernstein in the Huffington Post about the granddaddy of SoHo (so to speak) Shael Shapiro who co-wrote the book with Bernstein.
Built in 1895 by the real estate firm Boehm & Coon, 80 Wooster is a brick building with cast iron components on the east side of Wooster Street south of Spring that originally cost $105,000. Typical of its generation, it is a seven story warehouse building that was home to small manufacturers — doll factories, paper box and fabric recycling companies, often family businesses. It was home to the Miller Cardboard Company from 1931 to 1967 when it had become, like so many of its neighbors, functionally obsolete.
The founder of the Fluxus art movement, Maciunas, who was born in Lithuania in 1931, looked at the underutilized buildings and the moribund industrial neighborhood in 1967 and saw Fluxhouses — buildings where artists could live and work, sharing resources and creating art in studios of several thousand square feet that would cost a few dollars per square foot. It hardly mattered to Maciunas that living in these spaces, contrary to zoning regulations, was not legal.
Trained as an architect and graphic artist, Maciunas was an eccentric genius whose Fluxus manifesto spoke of purging the world of “bourgeois sickness,” and promoting a “revolutionary flood and tide in art.” Equally radical in life, he was driven by his vision to breathe life into the dead factories and he began to spread the word downtown, in smoky coffee houses and dark bars in Greenwich Village, at the Judson Dance Theatre, where the avant-garde hung out and performed, and in ads in the Village Voice. Artists flocked to see the buildings, many of them hitting up relatives and friends to borrow the $3,000 to $5,000 they needed to purchase the illegal living space.
God bless the old New York SoHo.
(2nd image: From Polaroid Portrait Series by Robert Watts, ca 1977. Getty Trust)
Let’s be honest; Moss is probably not coming back. Media Bistro said it first. Now; let’s look at a few things, shall we.
Oddly enough there are falling babies, at the headlining page of the Moss website, a Chaquira sculpture ironically entitled ”Good Luck Baby…” Now then, perhaps I’m reading a bit too much into this and it’s a huge PR stunt so people get their panties in a bunch. But it’s pretty doubtful at this point.
My theories. One: Rent is a bitch. Two: Design stores in SoHo are a dime a dozen. Maybe Moss lost some of its specialness. Not so unique as it once was. Plus those items are pretty dang pricey. Three: The holidays are upon us and it’s a fairly odd time to be “temporarily closed.” Shouldn’t they be stringing Christmas lights and getting their windows together. I mean, it’s Moss. Look, if downtown Cipriani’s is rumoured to have to sell of their Peter Beard art collection and then, viola! they install a large chrome horse; well friends, lets call a spade a spade, shall we?
This only gets a bit more suspect after my dear friend (who shall remain nameless in this internet era) who has a wedding registry with a few thousand still ready to roll. She emailed some Jimmy about her scene.
A Facebook post of an employee reads:
Um, do you need anymore proof?
Yep, Murray. My friend is none to happy with you. Her Thanksgiving dinner table is not complete now; at LEAST cut her the check for the two g’s you owe her. An unfinished table with Moss accoutrements, well, it’s pretty lame.
If you don’t believe me on Moss; go with one of the three:
Every goodbye ain’t gone – Carl Rowan
The Truth Is Out There- Fox Mulder
or
Gone baby, Gone- Kate Donnelly.
Peter Beard Gallery; SoHo *was still cool.
Damn. This is a massive buzz kill to excellent caffination via Stumptown coffee at City Girl Cafe (not to mention direct trade @ fair prices). Where will the 60 Thompson guests get their good Joe? I guess they’ll stay at the Ace or hope the owner reopens in the barrio.
This was an easy winner for the nabe. Don’t quite know what went wrong on this front (sans the usual rent increase, takover, etc)
This marks the launch of a new series entitled, Then and Now (or Now and Then). It’s a lost love letter to what was once a space…and now perhaps something a bit more commercial. Case and point with our first building at 143 Spring Street, a cool Federal type building which once housed the BBQ restaurant, Tennessee Mountain and is now being er…. resurrected as a gulp, Crocs. The architect, William J Rockwell, offers new images here. Long gone are the days of barbeque pork ribs.
While on Spring Street, I bounced over to Housing Works Bookstore Cafe I spent many days sipping coffee, moving through old piles of great books and of course, attempting to write a book (still untitled, still writing, still about an underachiever). It’s one of those great city treasures, rows and piles of books, rare finds, LP’s and old paperbacks for .50 cents. Not bad.
Back in say…2003, I would walk around Soho and check out the forefront street artists. This is when I met Davina and her Land of Lost Toys. I pitched her to Daily Candy and they were down. Upon visiting her website; it looks as if she’s expanded to personal photography projects, yet, I’ve always been attracted to her old, vintage, flea market finds. You’re able to buy her prints–toys, animals and kitchen appliances– here.
One sushi joint per day this week. Why? Because New York sushi (perhaps with the exception of Hawaii) gives the Pepsi challenge to any American city serving fish.
Omen (113 Thompson St) is pretty great. It’s one of the places you sneak into and wind up eating a very pure meal. It’s a true Japanese restaurant (Kyoto-style); from the clean wood to the sake to the fresh fish (the yellow fin; wow pretty much insane).
I miss it; but if in New York; you should go.
(image: NYM)
I was not a regular at Buffa’s, but while living on Mott Street I knew about it and stopped in a few times. It was one of those special old New York places with tons of character and characters that you hope will exist indefinitely. It is places like Buffa’s that made me fall in love with this city.
Unfortunately, Buffa’s no longer exists and what has replaced it is a sleek unimaginative café called Delicatessen offering mediocre food and drink at prices that don’t merit the cookie cutter atmosphere. In the last 10 years many of these types of places have cropped up around town offering their neighbors nothing while happily ripping off the unsuspecting tourists. Even though I know better I hastily sat down with my friend Jackie this past October not wanting to walk further to find another outdoor café that would accommodate us and our two dogs. We had lunch and some cocktails and for the most part all was acceptable except for the bland food and hands off service. Then the bill arrived and we saw that Jackie’s Bloody Mary was mixed with Ketel One vodka which she did not specify and it cost $15. We asked our aloof , wannabe hipster waiter about it and his reply was “Ketel One is the standard here…besides this is Soho.” We were speechless and couldn’t believe our ears. We didn’t need to be told where we were, we knew EXACTLY where we were. I don’t think a Bloody Mary costs $15 at Balthazar or at The Mercer Hotel, two chic, longstanding establishments a stone’s throw away. And, even if they do I wouldn’t flinch because everything else they have to offer makes it totally worth it.
We let the manager know about our waiter’s comments and she too defended the $15 price. It was not about the price at all, it was about the attitude. Even though the manager eventually took the drink off the bill we still felt disheartened that we got no apology or acknowledgement of the waiter’s rude behavior. It is really sad that this kind of place has replaced charming Buffa’s.
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Christina Dalle Pezze: After 10 years in Manhattan she defected to Brooklyn, but ventures back on the island every day to care for her thriving business, Simple Silhouettes in Soho.
My good pal, Kerry (“KK”) just reminded me of this long standing Thai staple, Kelley and Ping (the original: 127 Greene Street) which has been serving up good tea, noodles and dumplings in an Asian market atmosphere. Remember in Great Expectations (night scene) when Ethan Hawke stole Gywnnie (weighing about a buck one) away from her rich boyfriend and they ran into the rain. Well, that was Kelly and Ping’s. The space is housed in a high ceiling, railroad space bustling at lunch and more chill at night. Skylights, creaky floors and wood tables. Don’t forget your chopsticks.
(image: Photo by Carmen Lopez and AJ Wilhelm/NYM)
after thinking about the Balthazar typography situation, I’m always called to remind myself about Lucky Strike which has always carried a great downtown vibe, albeit a cozy hallway bar which opens to a warming back dining room. I’ve had many a meal here with good friends, wine, coffee, cigarettes (when I smoked one and when New York let you smoke one). Great hamburgers, bar steaks, and pastas. It’s a conversational joint…keep talking.
Should I be in New York City tonight, I might venture to the Mercer Kitchen upstairs (I pass on the Russell Crowe/Jack Bauer subterranean life) opting for a glass of vines or champs, excellent (crisp) french fries (with mayo please) and perhaps a flatbread. The staff still blows you off (literally, you must wave them down or trip them; this includes the bus staff when your water is tapped). I like the place hasn’t changed– decor or attitude wise–and it’s fun to see the neon sign of Fanelli’s across the way and the people outside passing without a glance. I met an old friend there for many a frites. My grandmother snubbed Demi Moore at the Mercer. I sat with my Pop after dinner at Balthazar for a night-cap (Johnny Walker Blue) and Donna and I had a $20 glass of champs (Kimmie D too). The lighting is dim, the leather seats show wear and tear and a fashion crowd still keeps the place a glow. it’s good company for one or two…because, you will always listen to the conversations around you. (image: image: theweblicist.com)
