Vanishing New York Backup

At the He Zhen Snap Button Company at 166 Mott Street, Mr. Li (his name is He Zhen, but everyone calls him Mr. Li) has spent the past 32 years machine-stamping snaps, studs, and rivets into clothing. Any time I've walked by, there have been men inside, hanging out, talking, watching a televised soccer match . It's that kind of neighborhood place. Recently, I went by to find an art gallery in the button shop's space. My heart sank, thinking that yet another gallery had taken over a mom-and-pop garment business, a trend that's been happening up and down the Lower East Side and into Chinatown. But something felt different about this one. I went inside and discovered a more compelling local story. Above the paintings, stacked on shelves, are clear boxes crammed with buttons. Not props for authenticity's sake, this is the real thing. In the back room, Mr. Li still has his workshop, with a phalanx of stamping machines and a well-organized array of buttons on the wa...

Reader Joe Preston writes in with photos of a vanished gem, "I thought you might find some interest in this photo of my Grandmother’s bar, Slugger Ann’s Bar & Grill, circa 1960 on the NW [correction: NE] corner of 12th Street & 2nd Avenue." Slugger Ann's, photo courtesy of Joe Preston Joe says, "She owned it from the early 50s until her death in 1980. She is also the grandmother of my first cousin and godfather, Jackie Curtis of the Warhol Factory. (Our Mothers were sisters.) Slugger Ann, as she is most famously known, was not only the super for this building, but the Village East Cinema diagonally across the street as well, where Jackie and Peter Hujar also lived. Jackie also lived in a small studio in this building, which has the address of 301 East 12th St. It was a first floor apartment." He adds, "The Naked City TV series along with Kojak was filmed here many times." shot from Naked City After Slugger Ann's, the bar bec...

VANISHED The Barnes & Noble flagship store on 5th Avenue and 18th Street closed for good on January 6 , and while I generally don't bemoan the loss of chain stores, the death of bookstores makes my blood run cold. Also, this particular Barnes & Noble was special. Bonus shot of Loehmann's goodbye sign First, the store had been in this spot since 1932 . It was old and crummy, with the feel of a real bookstore, not a shiny shopping mall experience. The floors crackled when you walked on them. Their selection was vast--not just the bestsellers--you could find almost anything. They sold serious books. And textbooks. When you followed one of the painted lines on the floor, you were led to the way, way back, to a room filled with textbooks arranged on old metal shelves that climbed to the high ceiling. Here, perusing professors' selections, you could find obscure titles on every subject. Students could also save money by buying used textbooks here. And you co...

Last month, One More Folded Sunset alerted us to the imminent closures of a group of old-school businesses at Park Place and Flatbush in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. The landlord has sent letters of eviction, giving them weeks to vacate. The Dominican restaurant El Gran Castillo de Jagua has been on the corner for nearly four decades , according to a Daily News piece on the closures. “We’ve lost our business,” 63-year-old Sergio Olivio told the paper, while holding back tears. As of today, the restaurant is still there, but not for long. I went into El Gran Castillo de Jagua for lunch recently. It was some of the best food I have ever tasted. Chicken, plantains, avocados, rice and beans, washed down with Morir Sonando--"to die dreaming." All made perfectly, tasting fresh and clean. El Gran Castillo de Jagua has a large dining room in the back, as well as a small lunch counter with swivel stools. People come and go, sit on the stools, wait for their take-out me...

People for the Pavilion is a group fighting to save the New York State Pavilion, a ruin of the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows park. Recently, they hosted a kick-off event to share their plans and engage in conversation with the community to strategize the future of this un-landmarked landmark. I asked co-founder Matthew Silva a few questions about the project. What's the story with the pavilion? Is it being torn down--and why? The New York State Pavilion was built for the 1964 New York World's Fair and was meant to showcase "The best that New York had to offer." Basically, it was a showcase for New York industry. Some of the unique features were its three observation towers, the large elliptical tent of tomorrow, and its floor, which was giant Texaco road map made out of terrazzo. [ See it here .] It was meant to be retained as a tourist attraction after the fair but due to some unfortunate circumstances politically and economically, the building quic...

VANISHING Not the Oyster Bar in Grand Central, which is under dubious renovation, but the other one, the one with the fantastic neon sign on the corner of 7th Avenue and 54th Street, that one. It shuttered last night after 55 years in business. Opened in 1959 , the Famous Oyster Bar was run by the same Greek family until the owner, Angelo Agmonostopoulo, died in 2010, when partner Ajit Saha took over. The restaurant's nautical theme includes a hand-carved model of the Titanic, brass port windows, an impressive seashell-filled ceiling lamp fixture, a lifebuoy printed with the name "Oyster Bar," sea captain statuettes, and a 20-foot oil painting of Greece. All of which are up for auction today at noon, with a preview at 10:00 a.m. (more info below). I'd never been in to the Famous Oyster Bar before, but always admired their vintage neon sign. Thanks to reader Charles for letting me know about the closure, I did not miss my last chance for a meal in this ...

VANISHING A couple of readers have written in to let us know about the closure of Sweet Gifts at Video Cafe on 9th Avenue and 48th Street in Hell's Kitchen. On their Facebook page , and in a note on the door, Sweet Gifts writes: "To our extended Family that have supported us for the past 20 years . We are sorry to inform you that we can no longer serve our beloved Community. It breaks our hearts to have to say these words, but as you can see from the changes to our Community and rising rents, we can no longer continue our operations . We thank you for your support, kindness and memories that will remain in our hearts forever." Reader David M. writes: "This one hits hard for us as it's our neighborhood and we go there a lot after school with my kid. They were an old local video store that still rented DVDs and blu rays, but had tried to adapt in the past decade by adding candy, clothes, and toys. Everyone working there looked really sad and people ...