A few new details this morning about the new independent cinema fashion designer Alexander Olch is building at 7 Ludlow St. (at Canal Street). Along with his partners, Olch will be going before Community Board 3 next month in pursuit of a liquor license.
The theater is a work in progress inside a warehouse building owned by Chinatown banker Thomas Sung. The independent cinema, called Metrograph, will include two theaters, a bookstore, restaurant and lounge.
According to documents filed with Community Board 3, operating hours will be 9 a.m. to 4 a.m. Late weekday hours are meant to accommodate “movie openings/special events, etc.” The operators are planning 17 tables and 72 seats. There will also be two bars on separate floors with 16 seats. The menu is described as “Art Deco American Cuisine.”
The names of the applicants are Alexander Olch, who has a store on Orchard Street; Jake Perlin, programmer-at-large at the Film Society of Lincoln Center; Ethan Oberman; and Joachim Keams. The theater is expected to open early next year.
There are a few other interesting items on the agenda for CB3’s liquor licensing committee October 19. For starters, Eddy Buckingham and Hok Lam will be returning for another shot at winning support for their nearly 162-seat restaurant at 5 Doyers St. The venue, called Chinese Tuxedo, was rejected in April. Now the pair is going for a wine and beer permit. They’d like to stay open until 1 a.m. on weekends.
A new team has set their sights on the former home of Preserve 24, the short-lived restaurant at 200 Allen St./ 175 East Houston St. It was one of the costliest flops on the LES dining scene ever. Shane Covey and Adam Elzer (partners in East Village restaurants Upstate and Empellon) are hoping to stay open until 2 a.m. all nights of the week. As of yet, there are no details in the application about the concept.
