Today, we welcome Zeynep Turan to Village Preservation as our Director of Preservation and Research. Trained as an architect and architectural historian, Zeynep brings scholarly expertise, experience in preservation advocacy, and a strong understanding of the relationship between the built environment and urban life. At Village Preservation, she looks forward to exploring the histories of […]
October is Italian American History and Heritage Month, and we’re incredibly proud of the mark Italian immigrants and Italian Americans left on both Greenwich Village and the East Village. Did you know our neighborhoods are home to the oldest Italian church in the United States, some of the oldest Italian American institutions in the country, and […]
More than 60 years ago, NYC passed its landmarks law to ensure our city’s architecturally and historically significant buildings would be preserved. A large chunk of Greenwich Village is protected this way, and is the reason everything from the iconic Jefferson Market Library to the early 19th century lining dozens of neighborhood streets survive. But […]
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the start of our Historic Image Archive, which began in 1996 with an incredibly generous donation of several dozen images by then-Village Preservation President Judith Stonehill from the New York Bound Bookshop, which she co-owned. Three decades later, the archive now contains almost 6,000 images in 75 collections, […]
It’s hard not to be struck by the low quality of the design of many new buildings in our neighborhoods and in New York City in general. The exceptions show that it’s not that hard to create good design, but too often developers just chose not to. And now we see city government doing the […]
Today, we welcome Hannah Chacko (she/her) aboard as our new Research and Preservation Associate. In 2025, Hannah completed her undergraduate degree from Hunter College in Design and Visual Communications, where she took the greatest interest in the intersections of user experience design, research, and accessibility. Along the way, she realized that she wanted to develop […]
In our series Beyond the Village and Back, we take a look at some great landmarks throughout New York City outside of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, celebrate their special histories, and reveal their (sometimes hidden) connections to our neighborhoods. Manhattan’s southernmost tip is known for many things: it’s the oldest part of the […]
Village Preservation has fought to preserve many a building through landmark designation, often based at least in part upon some significant use connected to the building, current or past. For example, we’re fighting right now to secure landmark protection for Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, the city’s first Spanish-language church, and the New York Eye […]
Today we welcome Jonathan Mellon as Village Preservation’s new Director of Research and Preservation. Born and raised in New York, Jonathan grew up in the city’s first historic district, Brooklyn Heights, and gained a strong appreciation for architecture from his mother, who had a background in art history. Jonathan has extensive experience working for the government in New York City, Washington, DC, and […]
Slavery in New York emerged almost immediately after Dutch settlement began in the early 17th century, and continued under English and American rule until it was finally abolished in 1827 in the state. It would not end throughout the country until 1865, with Union troops arriving in the farthest reaches of the Confederacy in Galveston, […]
What we recognize as landmarks and preserve says a lot about who we are. It tells us what we value, as well as what (by omission) we may prefer to ignore. It also helps shape our future, by defining how we see our past, where we came from, and how we got to where we […]
Today we welcome aboard Gaël (pronounced Ga—el) Evers as our new Director of Communication and Design, joining current and continuing Communications and Design Director David Herman. Gaël is a graphic designer and creative strategist who’s passionate about crafting clear, compelling communication that connects deeply with audiences. Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, raised […]
Today we welcome aboard our new Development Associate, Lily Gold. Lily is eager to join Village Preservation’s mission of supporting the cultural, historic, and social institutions that have made Greenwich Village a lasting and living landmark. Lily comes from the small Westchester County hamlet of South Salem, about an hour and a half north of […]
Today, we welcome Hannah Berry (pronouns: she/they) to the Village Preservation team as our new Arthur A. Levin Program Associate. Hannah previously worked as an intern for Village Preservation, assisting with numerous research and programming projects. During her time as intern, Hannah contributed to research and development of a (forthcoming) map on NYC’s jazz history, promoted […]
Greenwich Village, specifically the historic district at its core, has been described as many things, but “literary” may be among the most common. That’s not only because the neighborhood has an air of sophistication and drama, but because it has attracted some of the nation’s greatest writers over the last 200 plus years. Ahead, learn about just […]
