Italian American Museum

Officials at the Italian American Museum in Little Italy are planning to sell their three-story building to a real estate developer, the New York Times reported. The property is not landmarked, and the zoning lot allows for an 85-foot — or more than six-story — building.

Joseph Scelsa, the president and director of the museum, said he hoped a new owner would allow the 1,000-square-foot museum to occupy a bigger space rent-free inside the new structure, and to preserve some of the building’s original details from its past as a bank. [more]

Jared Kushner

Updated at 5:50 p.m. April 16: Residents of an East Village building recently acquired by real estate scion Jared Kushner are taking the young mogul to housing court this week over allegations he failed to provide basic services at the property in the two months following the acquisition in February, EV Grieve reported.

Tenants of the unidentified building allege that Kushner failed to provide heat, hot water and even a locked front door at the property and prioritized securing 7-11 as a tenant on the ground floor over their well-being. Construction work to make way for the new tenant has also caused cracks in the walls of apartments, the tenants said. [more]

From left: Tenant Amy Roberts and Stuy Town

A New York state judge today approved a $68.8 million settlement in the Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village tenant class action, in which residents alleged that the complex’s owners had improperly deregulated rent-stabilized units, according to Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs. [more]

194 Orchard Street

A six-story mixed-use project could be coming to 194 Orchard Street near East Houston Street, Bowery Boogie reported.

The builder filed an application with the city Department of Buildings aiming to construct a 9,225-square-foot mixed-use property, with 2,288 square feet for commercial use and 6,937 for residential. The residential space will occupy the upper four floors. [more]

From left: Chloe Sevigny, the exterior of 119 East 10th Street and a photo of her home

Perhaps this time the sale of actress Chloe Sevigny’s apartment will stick, as her 1,250-square-foot East Village co-op is in contract for the second time, EV Grieve reported. [more]

Theater for the New City

The Theater for the New City, a staple of the East Village cultural scene, is getting a major $1.7 million makeover, the Local East Village reported.

The theater, which first moved to its current location at 155 First Avenue in 1986, has commissioned Shake Shack designer James Wines for the redesign. The facade will feature theater seats decorated with umbrellas, coats and programs. Crystal Field, the theater’s executive artistic director, told the Local that the design would complement the neighborhood, adding that “we’re very proud that it isn’t one of those glass and steel designs found all over the city.”  [more]

From left: LPC Chairman Robert Tierney, 27 East 4th Street (credit: PropertyShark) and a rendering of the project

After several delays, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will decide tomorrow on the fate of the controversial East Village hotel slated to be built next to the Merchant’s House Museum, the New York Observer reported.

The nine-story hotel, which is slated to rise at 27 East 4th Street, irked neighborhood preservationists who felt that the structure would “overwhelm and detract from the special architectural and historic character” of the museum, according to a petition circulated last year. Residents also felt that the construction could damage the 181-year-old museum building.  [more]

Knickerbocker Village

Local politicians have written to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, urging them to reverse a decision denying aid to some tenants of the Lower East Side’s Knickerbocker Village following Hurricane Sandy, the Lo Down blog reported. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, City Council member Margaret Chin and State Sen. Dan Squadron wrote the letter, which addressed reimbursement for hotel expenses, property damage and medical expenses, for which tenants were supposedly eligible. [more]

From left: the old Jefferson and a rendering of the new Jefferson condo

The Jefferson condominiums, located at the long vacant 211 East 13th Street between Second and Third avenues, has started preliminary marketing efforts that bank on the site’s history as a vaudeville theatre, according to a teaser website spotted by EV Grieve. The 82-unit ground-up construction — a rarity in the neighborhood — is slated to open an off-site sales office this spring. [more]

From left: the American Felt Building, Tom Cruise in “Risky Business”

Tom Cruise is in contract to sell his condominium unit at the American Felt Building in the East Village for $3 million, a source familiar with the transaction told The Real Deal today. [more]