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Author: Andrew Berman
Who Were the Most Impactful Women of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo?
March is Women’s History Month. To mark the occasion, we’re taking a look at just some of the incredible women of our neighborhoods who had the deepest impact upon our world. With your input, we’re going to select the twenty-five most impactful. Below are seventy extraordinary women of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, […]
Welcome Aboard, Maya Wilson!
Today we welcome aboard at Village Preservation Maya Wilson (pronouns: she/her) as our new Programs Associate. Maya has been an intern with Village Preservation since June of 2022, and has collaborated on various research and programming projects during that time. During her tenure as an intern, Maya has developed a new art project for our […]
Finding the Most Impactful Women of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo
March is Women’s History Month, and we’re taking a good long look at just some of the incredible women of our neighborhoods who had the deepest impact upon our world. With your input, we’re going to select our Top 25 list. Below are seventy of the most impactful women of Greenwich Village, the East Village, […]
Ida Rauh
Rauh (March 7, 1877 – February 28, 1970) was a writer, sculptor, actor, birth control, activist, and a passionate advocate for labor rights and women’s suffrage. She played a key role in bringing the two movements together. Rauh graduated from NYU law school in 1902, but never practiced law. Instead, she became involved in the […]
Susan Brownmiller
Susan Brownmiller (born Susan Warhaftig, February 15, 1935) is the author of “Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape,” which has been cited as one of the first books to redefine rape as a political issue rather than an individual crime, and which catapulted the feminist anti-rape movement into mainstream consciousness. Born and raised in Brooklyn, […]
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Maria Sotomayor (born June 25, 1954) was the first Latinx, first woman of color, and only the third woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court. She was nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26, 2009, and after being confirmed in the Senate by a vote of 68-31, was sworn in on August […]
Yoko Ono and the Village
Yoko Ono (born Feb. 18, 1933) and her husband John Lennon lived for a time shortly after they were married at 105 Bank Street in Greenwich Village. As per MoMa: Since emerging onto the international art scene in the early 1960s, Yoko Ono has made profound contributions to visual art, performance, filmmaking, and experimental music. […]
Mine Okubo
Miné Okubo was a Japanese-American artist born in Riverside, California, in 1912. She is best known for her 1946 book Citizen 13660, in which she recounts her experience in a Japanese-American internment camp, which was one of the first widely-circulated personal accounts of the repression and indignities faced by over 100,000 Japanese-Americans during World War II, and […]
Margaret Mead in the Village
Anthropologist Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978) received her master’s degree from Columbia University in 1924, then taking a trip to the South Seas where she gathered material for her first book, Coming of Age in Samoa (1928). When she was not traveling, Mead worked as a curator at the Museum of […]
Janis Joplin in the Village
Janis Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) lived at 139 West 10th Street in Greenwich Village briefly before her death. During her time here, a bar and steakhouse called the Ninth Circle, owned by Mickey Ruskin of Max’s Kansas City, was located in the basement of the building. Jimi Hendrix frequented the place, as […]
Giving Tuesday — Give to Save!
Our neighborhoods are synonymous with creativity, history, charm, innovation, and openness. Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo have been incubators for some of the greatest artistic, social, architectural, and cultural movements of the last two centuries. Our lives, our stories, and our memories are rooted in place. That’s why Village Preservation is so important. Because these […]
Welcome Aboard, Jena Hinton
Today we welcome Jena Hinton (pronouns: she/her) as our new Program and Administrative Associate. Jena has been an intern with Village Preservation since September of 2021, and has collaborated on various research, programming, and archival projects during that time. She has helped to promote our neighborhood’s small businesses with her work on our Small Business, Big History and Business […]
Greenwich Village’s Own Angela Lansbury
On October 11, 2022, film, theater and television actress Angela Lansbury passed away, just shy of her 97th birthday. While the loss of the entertainment icon, called “one of the last surviving stars of the golden age of Hollywood cinema,” was felt around the world, it has some special resonance in Greenwich Village, one of […]
Welcome Aboard, Shannen Smiley!
Today we welcome Shannen Smiley (pronouns: she/her) as our new Research and Preservation Associate. Shannen has been an intern with Village Preservation since December of 2021, completing various research and programming projects along the way. She has collaborated with our full-time staff to conduct research for our Rock n’ Roll History tours and document historical […]
North America’s First Free Black Settlement In Our Neighborhoods
According to historian Christopher Moore, the first legally emancipated community of people of African descent in North America was found in Lower Manhattan, comprising much of present-day Greenwich Village, NoHo, and the South Village, and parts of the Lower East Side and East Village. This settlement was comprised of individual landholdings, many of which belonged […]
Mayor Proposes to Slash Staff and Budget for Landmarks Preservation Commission
Mayor Adams’ recently released draft proposed budget includes a steep cut to the funding and staffing of the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). The LPC is already the smallest city agency, charged with overseeing tens of thousands of landmarked properties across New York City, and surveying hundreds of thousands more to ensure that historically significant sites […]
URGENT: Hochul Plan to Lift Residential Density Limit in NYC Advances to State Budget; Write Legislators in Opposition TODAY!
Governor Hochul’s plan to eliminate the statewide limit on the maximum density of residential development was included in her proposed 2023 budget, leaving it up to State Legislators to oppose it or it will become law. This would remove the longstanding, reasonable, and necessary cap on residential development in New York State that limits it […]
Welcome Aboard, Leeanne G-Bowley
Today we welcome aboard Leeanne G-Bowley (pronouns: she/her) as Village Preservation’s Director of Programming. Leeanne brings with her experience across an incredibly varied 15-year career that emphasizes community, culture, learning, and equity. Leeanne has created impactful events, workshops, and cohort programs here in New York City and around the world. Through a career spanning work […]
New Historic Image Collection Captures Four Decades, Lost Institutions, 9/11, LGBT Celebrations
Today we are proud to share the first part of a collection of hundreds of photos donated by longtime Greenwich Village resident Robert Fisch, primarily of the Greenwich Village of his youth in the 1980s, landmarks and familiar sights of the neighborhood and city in the decades since then, the former World Trade Center and […]
Opposing Gov. Hochul’s Proposal to Allow Supersized Development in NYC Neighborhoods
Earlier this month, Governor Hochul proposed eliminating the longstanding, reasonable, and necessary cap on the size of residential developments in New York State, which limits it to a floor area ratio of 12 (12 FAR). To give context, the over 1000-ft.-tall supertall towers of 57th Street’s “Billionaire’s Row” were built under zoning that only allows […]
Victory: Punitive SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Measure Vetoed!
We are thrilled to report that late Friday Mayor Adams vetoed a draconian, punitive measure we opposed introduced by (now former) City Councilmember Margaret Chin and approved in December by the City Council (including local Councilmembers Carlina Rivera and Corey Johnson). That measure would have imposed crippling fines on noncertified artist residents of certain types of […]
Highlighting Landmarking Effort for 50 West 13th Street’s African American Voting Rights Crusader
Village Preservation is redoubling our efforts to seek landmark designation for the endangered 50 West 13th Street, an 1846 rowhouse that has served as the home of the 13th Street Repertory Theatre since 1971, and for decades in the late 19th century was the home and place of business of Jacob Day, one of New […]
Urge Mayor Adams to Veto Draconian SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Measure
Intro 2443A was passed by the City Council late last year along with the SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning + Displacement Plan, with almost no discussion or debate. The bill imposes draconian penalties upon residents of SoHo, NoHo, and parts of Chinatown who are not certified artists, endangering their ability to remain in their own homes, some of […]
Five More Reasons to Support Historic Preservation
We all know that historic preservation makes our cities and neighborhoods more beautiful, more distinctive, and full of the character which makes them vibrant, desirable places to live. Our neighborhoods — Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo — certainly exemplify that, but historic neighborhoods across the city, country, and world illustrate this irrefutable fact. […]
City Council Approves SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning + Displacement Plan
Hard-Fought-For Changes Will Blunt Some of Worst Elements of Plan, which Remains Giant Real Estate Giveaway Late yesterday the City Council voted 43 to 5 to approve the revised version of the Mayor’s SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning + Displacement plan. As we previously reported, after months of fighting, the plan was modified to eliminate or lessen some […]
Village Preservation Merchandise Makes Great Holiday Gifts
Scrambling to find the perfect holiday or year-end gift? Or feel you’ve earned yourself a treat after a busy annum? Village Preservation has the answer, with an array of gifts made even more meaningful because your purchase supports the cause of preservation. We offer everything from prints of historic photos to tote bags, tea towels […]
SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Rezoning Reminder: Final Vote as Soon as Wednesday, Call and E-Mail TODAY
The full City Council appears poised to vote on the revised SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning+Displacement Plan as soon as this Wednesday (full Council is currently scheduled to meet at 1:30 pm). It’s CRITICAL that City Councilmembers hear from you NOW that the revised plan — which would still promote grossly oversized development, the demolition of rent-regulated affordable […]
City Council Committee Approves SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning + Displacement Plan With Modifications
Yesterday the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee and Land Use Committee each voted to approve a revised SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning + Displacement Plan, with changes negotiated by Councilmembers Margaret Chin and Carlina Rivera, who urged their colleagues on the committee to support the plan. All but one did. In short, the revised plan is a bit less […]
Council Appears Poised to Vote on SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Plan TODAY, as New Financial Analysis Shows Fatal Flaws in Affordable Housing Claims
After several delays, the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee and Land Use Committee appear poised to vote on the massive SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning + Displacement plan today starting at approximately 11:30 am. There has been no public word on what if any changes the Council may make to the plan, though we have good reason to believe […]
New Historic Images Show Ghost Signs, Long Gone Gathering Halls, and More
Village Preservation has recently added more than two dozen historic images culled from recent landmarks applications to our Historic Image Archive. This includes a series showing printed wall signs on buildings in the Meatpacking District, NoHo, and the West Village from the 1910s to the 1940s; an 1891 image of Clinton Hall (demolished) on Astor […]
City Council Vote On SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Pushed Back to Week of December 6 — CALL AND WRITE NOW!
The vote on Mayor de Blasio’s SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning+Displacement plan, originally expected this Thursday, has now been pushed back to next week, with the first vote in the Council’s Zoning Subcommittee as early as next Tuesday. While we understand changes to the plan are being considered by the Council, most if not all appear to be […]
SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Vote Likely This Week — Flood the City Council with Calls and Letters
The City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee will vote on the Mayor’s SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning+Displacement plan as early as this Thursday, setting the stage for the final decision by the full City Council. It’s critical that Councilmembers hear from you NOW! Call your councilmember and tell them to vote NO. Tell them changes aren’t enough, the plan needs […]
SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Rezoning Vote Likely After Thanksgiving; Video and Final Push for ‘No’ Vote
The first (and in many ways most important) of three required votes in the City Council on the Mayor’s disastrous SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning + Displacement plan may take place as early as next Thursday, December 2, when the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee meets again. The subcommittee must vote on the plan, followed by the Land Use […]
SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning Update: Report Shows City’s Rezoning Projections Are Way Off Target
Yesterday’s City Council hearing on the Mayor’s proposed SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning/Displacement plan lasted about seven hours, with opponents — many longtime residents of rent-regulated housing threatened with displacement by the plan — vastly outnumbering supporters of the plan, nearly all of whom were associated with a single group that advocates stripping landmark designations and allowing maximum […]
Neighbors, Elected Officials, and Preservationists Protest Demolition of Nine Landmarked Meatpacking District Houses
Last Thursday, Village Preservation was joined by Borough President Gale Brewer, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, the Historic Districts Council, Save Chelsea, Save Gansevoort, a representative of State Senator Brad Hoylman, and Third Council District Democratic Nominee Erik Bottcher for a demonstration and press conference condemning the city and a developer tearing down most of nine city, […]
City Council Virtual Hearing on Disastrous SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning Plan TODAY — PLEASE TESTIFY AND/OR SUBMIT COMMENTS!
The City Council’s sole public hearing on the massive and disastrous proposed upzoning of SoHo, NoHo, and parts of Chinatown will be Tuesday, November 9, in the Zoning Subcommittee of the City Council. The virtual meeting begins at 10 am, but this is the fourth and final agenda item, so this item’s hearing is not […]
Rally To Save Nine Landmarked Houses in the Meatpacking District
Please join Village Preservation, the Historic Districts Council, and Save Chelsea this Thursday at 1 pm for a rally and press conference at 14th Street and Ninth Avenue to protest the city-approved near-complete demolition of nine landmarked 1840s houses at 44-54 Ninth Avenue/351 West 14th Street in the Gansevoort Market Historic District, and to demand […]
Facts and Data Continue To Contradict Upzoning Argument
or YIMBY Movement: A Flat Earth Society for the 21st Century Earlier this month, I wrote an op-ed citing two recent analyses — one about new housing construction by neighborhood in New York City, the other about affordable housing prices by neighborhood — which showed that the YIMBY (‘Yes In My Backyard’) theory that simply […]
Plaque Honoring Longtime Studio of Artist Frank Stella at 128 East 13th Street to Be Unveiled November 8
Join us, Frank Stella, and the Whitney Museum of American Art on Monday, Nov. 8, at 6 pm for a virtual plaque unveiling ceremony. Few buildings in New York have had as distinguished a history as 128 East 13th Street. Believed to be the last surviving horse and carriage auction mart in New York City, it […]