Photo of a previous year’s Festival by Melvin Audaz

In 1987, Avenue C was renamed Loisaida Avenue, “a Spanglish name for the Lower East Side, connoting the Puerto Rican and Latinx community which have had a significant presence there since the mid-20th century,” explained Village Preservation executive director Andrew Berman. That same year on the Sunday before Memorial Day, the vibrant community hosted the first Loisaida Festival to celebrate their neighborhood’s culture. Thirty-four years later, and the Festival is still going strong. For the second year, the event will be virtual on two Sundays–May 23 and 30–featuring an exciting roster of musicians, performers, and family-friendly entertainment.

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+ POOL, designed by Family New York & PLAYLAB, INC. Rendering by Luxigon

A plan to build a swimming pool on the East River is finally moving forward after being in the works for over a decade. In an Instagram post published on Saturday, the nonprofit +POOL announced the group had received confirmation from the city to proceed with due diligence on their project: a floating, self-filtering pool on the south side of Pier 35 on the Lower East Side.

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All images courtesy of ODA New York

In preparation for a spring sales launch, new details and a teaser website for the 12-floor residential building at 208 Delancey Street on the Lower East Side have been revealed. As first spotted by New York Yimby, fresh renderings of the ODA New York-designed project show a bright lobby with a natural color scheme and an impressive rooftop terrace with plantings and multi-use areas. In total, the building measures 85,000 square feet and contains 85 units, including two ground-floor townhouses.

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Photo by Shinya Suzuki on Flickr

Outdoor food market operator Smorgasburg announced on Wednesday that it will open a new flea market at a location already familiar to most New Yorkers. Hester Flea will set up shop on the Lower East Side at Hester and Essex Streets, the same place where the Hester Street Fair operated for the last decade, organizers said in an email. As Curbed first reported, the Seward Park Co-op board did not renew the longtime LES fair’s lease after their agreement ended last year.

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All renderings by VMI Studio

The second condo building at the Essex Crossing mega-development has revealed a slew of new renderings, along with the first pricing details. Located at 202 Broome Street, One Essex Crossing is the seventh of nine buildings at the Lower East Side project. The 83-unit building was designed by CetraRuddy and is distinguished by its elevated 9,000-square-foot amenity garden. Prices range from an $890,000 studio to a $6,689,000 duplex penthouse. Occupancy is expected later this year.

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Photo by Gluck+

Once an enclave for immigrants and the working class, and later a haven for artists, the Lower East Side’s evolution continues into the 21st century as a destination for luxury developments. While major projects like the Essex Crossing mega-development and One Manhattan Square have hogged the spotlight, more modest new buildings are also making their mark on the neighborhood, including 150 Rivington. The approachable seven-story apartment building boasts a modern glassy facade, contains 45 condo units, and a cozy landscaped rooftop with an outdoor kitchen, fireplace, and endless city views.

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All photos courtesy of Evan Joseph

New photos of the sprawling outdoor space at condo tower One Manhattan Square were released this week, providing a first peek at what developers say is the largest private garden in New York City. Designed by landscape architecture firm West 8, the green space measures 45,000 square feet, sits on an incline, and boasts unique features like a furnished adult treehouse and a Japanese-inspired tea pavilion.

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A young Tenement Museum member was treated to an advance tour after starting her own fundraising for the museum and raising $1,000. Photo by Gemma Solomons

The pandemic has taken its toll on almost every New York City museum, but the Lower East Side’s Tenement Museum has had it especially hard. Because of the cramped quarters of the historic tenement houses that make up the museum, they’ve been unable to reopen indoors. As NY1 reported in late July, the museum laid off 76 part-time employees, 71 of whom were tour guides. But there’s now a glimmer of hope for the museum that educates people on the history of immigration to New York in the 19th and 20th centuries. They will be restarting their outdoor walking tours for single household groups beginning this weekend.  Read more

Rendering: SHoP Architects

Three projects that include the construction of four towers and the creation of nearly 3,000 housing units in Two Bridges meet all zoning requirements and can move forward without City Council approval, an appeals court ruled Thursday. The Appellate Division of State Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s ruling that had stopped the Manhattan megaproject from going ahead.

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Renderings courtesy QuallsBenson/ visuals

Leasing launched on Wednesday for 142 apartments at the Lower East Side’s Essex Crossing development. The Artisan, located at 180 Broome Street, is the largest building at the nine-site project and contains office and retail space, as well as access to the ground-floor Market Line. Pricing starts at $3,000/month for studios, $4,000/month for one-bedrooms,$6,000/month for two-bedrooms, and $8,000 for three-bedrooms.

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