Tuesday, October 6, 2026 · No. 54 · Sunny, high 63°F
Good Tuesday morning. Eighth-grade families, today is the day the Education Department's admissions page set for the high-school application and SHSAT registration to open in MySchools. Also in the paper: $99 million lands behind the 37-story tower planned for Third and 84th, two restaurants in the works on Second Avenue and East 79th, and how Avenue A became York Avenue.
The Lead
The tower planned for Third and 84th lines up a $99 million loan and a new partner
The corner assemblage at 1491-1497 Third Avenue, at East 84th Street, has new money behind it. SMA Equities and Legion Investment Group have partnered on a planned 37-story residential building of about 300,000 square feet there, and the pair secured a $99 million pre-development loan from BDT & MSD Partners and Deutsche Bank, The Real Deal and Commercial Observer reported late last month. Patch reports that demolition of the existing buildings on the corner has begun. SMA Equities bought the corner lot at 1491-1493 Third in 2007 for $33.8 million, and the assemblage has been nearly 20 years in the making. Via The Real Deal; Commercial Observer and Patch also reported the deal.
via The Real Deal
Openings & Closings
Julian Medina plans a Spanish tapas spot next door to Soledad
Chef Julian Medina, who runs the Mexican restaurant Soledad on Second Avenue, is opening Caffetteria, a Spanish tapas restaurant, next door at 1827 Second Avenue between East 94th and 95th Streets, in the former Enzo Bruni La Pizza Gourmet space. Plans call for 46 table seats, 10 at the bar and 6 at a counter. No opening date has been announced. Via What Now New York.
via What Now New York
A ramen house with an omakase bar is planned for East 79th Street
Zurutto Ramen plans a restaurant at 244 East 79th Street, between Second and Third Avenues, in the former Sojourn space. The build-out covers about 1,800 square feet on the ground floor and 1,400 in the basement, with a service bar and a separate omakase sushi bar, under a 75-person cap. No opening date has been announced. Via East Side Feed.
via East Side Feed
Nearby on the East Side
Nearby: a kosher cafe and flower shop is coming to Third and 71st
BloomBar Café et Fleurs, a kosher cafe paired with a flower and gift shop, is slated to open at 1226 Third Avenue at East 71st Street in late October, with kosher pastries, matcha and grab-and-go florals. Hours and an exact opening date have not been announced. Via East Side Feed; Hoodline and YeahThatsKosher also reported the plans.
via East Side Feed
Yorkville, Remembered
How Avenue A became York Avenue
In 1928 the city renamed Avenue A north of 59th Street, along with a one-block stretch of Sutton Place, as York Avenue. The name honors Sgt. Alvin York, the World War I soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, where he helped capture 132 German soldiers. The First Avenue Association backed the change as part of an effort to revive the fortunes of the East Side.
source: Wikipedia
A small Yorkville habit worth keeping: the next time you pass a York Avenue street sign, tip a hat to the sergeant. See you tomorrow.