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Author: Andrew Berman

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 […]

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    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, […]

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    Andrew Berman speaking at rally to prevent demolition of nine houses in Meatpacking District, October 28, 2021

    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 […]

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    SoHo photo by Megan (Markham) Bucknall/Unsplash (left); City Counil photo by Gerardo Romo/NYC Council (right)

    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 […]

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      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 […]

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      Officials Stonewall on Information Regarding Condition of Nine Landmarked Meatpacking District Houses, OK Demolition

      City agencies have continued to refuse to provide information about the basis for deciding that nine landmarked 1840s houses at 44-54 Ninth Avenue/351-55 West 14th Street in the Meatpacking District are “unsafe” and in imminent danger of collapse unless demolished (all but the party walls), even though there are no signs of stress, cracking, listing, or other […]

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        New Oral History: Playwright John Guare and 60 Years of Life In Greenwich Village

        Playwright John Guare has been connected to the Greenwich Village theater scene for more than 60 years. From Caffe Cino to the Public Theatre, The House of Blue Leaves to Six Degrees of Separation and beyond, he’s left an indelible mark on American theater, especially the kind of innovative playwrighting and performance that has been rooted in our neighborhoods for generations.  […]

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          ‘Manhattan Promenade’: The Plan for Adaptive Reuse of the High Line ca. 1979, and Other New Historic Images

          We’re proud to share with the public new historic images and materials from a 1979 proposal by Greenwich Village architect Noah Greenberg to turn the abandoned West Side Elevated Rail Line that ran through his neighborhood into a “park in the sky” called “Manhattan Promenade.” While the proposal was well received at the time, it of course never came […]

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            High Line looking north up Washington Street at Little West 12th Street.jpg

            Welcome Aboard, Hew Evans

            Today Hew Evans (pronouns: they / them) joins Village Preservation as our Administrative and Programs Assistant. Hew has been interning for us since May of this year, during which time they’ve helped to plan and promote our immensely successful Village Voices benefit and public exhibition. Additionally, Hew has performed research for our South of Union […]

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              New 2020–2021 Annual Report Available

              Our latest Annual Report is available, looking back at the organization’s work from the end of last summer to now. It’s been a momentous year, with battles fought, victories won, new realities faced, and tons of new programs and resources created and shared. None of it would be possible without the ongoing support we receive from our […]

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                Village Preservation Annual Report 2021 (cover and page 3)

                Village Preservation Releases Nearly 1,000 Crowdsourced Images of the World Trade Center, 9/11, and Aftermath, with Moving Personal Stories

                We are proud to release nearly 1,000 images donated by the public to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks on the World Trade Center. Earlier this year we asked the public to share their images connected to the World Trade Center, the attacks, and the aftermath, and received hundreds of images […]

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                  A sampling of 9/11 and World Trade Center photos from Village Preservation's historic image archive

                  Opponents Overwhelm Six-Hour City Planning SoHo/NoHo Rezoning Hearing; City’s Baseless Claims of Racism Face Backlash; Elected Officials Join Opposition

                  Some important updates on the SoHo/NoHo rezoning fight: Opponents Swamp Supporters at Public Hearing: Around 100 people testified at yesterday’s City Planning Commission public hearing, even though it was held just prior to the Labor Day weekend and as the city was still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Ida, showing this administration’s contempt for […]

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                  Village Preservation’s Juan Rivero speaking at yesterday’s rally with Christopher Marte and Congressmember Jerrold Nadler.

                  City Planning Commission SoHo/NoHo Upzoning Hearing This Thursday, September 2, 10 am

                  Virtual and In-Person Testimony Allowed Borough President Holds Five-Hour Public Hearing, Withholds Recommendation Opponents Including Incoming and Past Councilmembers Urge Rejection The City Planning Commission will hold its sole public hearing on the massive SoHo/NoHo Upzoning plan this Thursday beginning at 10 am. Virtual and in-person testimony at 120 Broadway’s basement concourse hearing room will […]

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                  Village Preservation’s Juan Rivero leading the August 23 press conference with past and future SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown City Councilmembers urging rejection of the plan.

                  Details on SoHo/NoHo Hearings, New Data Shows Falsehoods and Lies Behind Rezoning

                  Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will hold her virtual public hearing on the Mayor’s SoHo/NoHo Upzoning plan starting at 6 pm on Monday, August 23 — register here. Testimony is limited to 2 minutes but longer comments can be submitted to info@manhattanbp.nyc.gov.  The hearing will begin with a panel of presenters consisting almost exclusively of […]

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                    Community Board 2 Overwhelmingly Rejects SoHo/NoHo Rezoning Plan; BP and CPC To Hold Hearings

                    On Monday night, Community Board 2 voted nearly unanimously to roundly reject Mayor de Blasio’s proposed SoHo/NoHo Upzoning plan. The thoughtful and highly detailed 11-page resolution outlined how the plan would fail to achieve its purported goals of making the neighborhood more affordable, protect artists and arts groups, retain the historic character of the neighborhood, […]

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                      Explore Local Small Businesses and Discover Big Local History

                      Summer is the perfect time to explore, support wonderful independently owned local small businesses, and discover our neighborhoods’ rich and amazing history. You can do all that with our expanded and updated Small Business/Big History Map, your guide to some incredible local small businesses and the fascinating history connected to their buildings, blocks, and vicinities. […]

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                        Small Business Big History map Screen Shot

                        Welcome Aboard, Anna Marcum

                        Today Anna Marcum joins Village Preservation as our Director of Research and Preservation. Anna is an architectural historian and preservationist based in Brooklyn who has worked on historic preservation projects in cities across the country, from Boston to New Orleans, Los Angeles to the Texas Gulf Coast. She comes to Village Preservation from the Center […]

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                          Share Your Photos For Upcoming September 11th 20th Anniversary

                          This September will mark 20 years since the deadly attacks on the World Trade Center. Few New Yorkers were left untouched by this devastating assault, which shattered our city, our sense of safety, and our sense of selves. Residents of our neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan were particularly hard hit — from losing loved ones and […]

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                          Mid-Year Appeal: Help Us Do More When It’s Needed Most!

                          New York is at a pivot point. We’ll soon have a new Mayor, City Council, and leaders of city agencies. We’re emerging from a pandemic, and charting our future. Big real estate and government leaders are conspiring to strip away rules and regulations that protect our neighborhoods from unmitigated greed and avarice. Now more than […]

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                            New Historic Image Collection Explores Downtown Drag + Performance Scene of the 1990s

                            As we approach LGBTQ+ Pride Weekend, Village Preservation is proud to share with you a wonderful new collection in our historic image archive of donated images from Jillian Jonas chronicling the fiery and flamboyant downtown drag performance scene of the 1990s. Jonas, who was the house photographer at the legendary Boy Bar on St. Mark’s Place, also captured […]

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                            Talking Points for SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning City Council Public Hearing

                            With the City Council’s one and only public hearing for the city’s proposed SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown upzoning on Tuesday Nov. 9, here are talking points we strongly suggest you use for your testimony and comments you submit to the City Council (see link above to register to speak or submit testimony): It’s a giant giveaway to developers, […]

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                              Welcome Aboard, Sarah Eccles

                              Today we welcome Sarah Eccles as our new Research and Preservation Associate. Sarah is a historic preservationist with a keen interest in the relationship between communities, people, and the built environment. She is a recent graduate of the Pratt Institute Historic Preservation program. Much of her research dealt with the representation of people in historic […]

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                              Demographic Deception: de Blasio’s SoHo/NoHo Plan

                              Last week, the City ‘certified,‘ or issued its final proposal for the massive upzoning of SoHo, NoHo, and parts of Chinatown. The voluminous documents contained numerous inaccuracies, falsehoods, and mischaracterizations, designed to sell this obscene real estate giveaway to the Mayor’s real estate benefactors as a boon to social justice and equity. But if you […]

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                                Welcome Aboard, Juan Rivero

                                Today Juan Rivero joins Village Preservation as our new East Village and Special Projects Director. Juan is an urban planner, researcher, and community advocate with experience in government, academia, and not-for-profits. He has most recently been serving on the coordinating committee and board of the City Club of New York, and teaching courses on urban […]

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                                  Celebrate African American History Month and the Elizabeth Blackwell Bicentennial and Join Us in Fighting to Protect This Critical History

                                  This February is African American History Month, a time to highlight and celebrate the rich history of African American struggle, success, and life in our neighborhoods over the last four hundred years (the first non-Native American settlers of Greenwich Village and the East Village were, in fact, African Americans).  It’s also the 200th anniversary of the birth […]

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                                    New African-American History Curriculum for Children’s Education Program

                                    Just in time for the upcoming Black History Month, Village Preservation has developed a new, four-part course on African American history for middle school students as part of our Children’s Education Program.  This remote Zoom course focuses on local, citywide, national, and global themes and movements. It looks at the Dutch origins of slavery in New […]

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                                    Community Alternative Rezoning Plan For SoHo And NoHo — Public Hearings 12/3 And 12/8

                                    Village Preservation and ten other local community organizations representing thousands of residents have released a community alternative rezoning plan for SoHo and NoHo. The Mayor’s plan would allow new development up to 2.4 times the size current rules allow and a deluge of oversized luxury condos, while opening the floodgates to giant big box chain […]

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                                    Plan To Upzone and Rezone SoHo and NoHo Announced

                                    Details Are Scarce, But Indications Raise Big Concerns and Conflicts of Interest; Local Elected Officials, Citywide Candidates, and Real Estate Interests Back Move In a surprise move this Wednesday, Mayor de Blasio announced that he intends to propose a rezoning of SoHo and NoHo that would include upzoning certain areas to substantially increase the size of allowable […]

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                                    NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer Comes Out In Support of SoHo/NoHo Upzoning, Saying They’re “Critical” In Neighborhoods Like SoHo

                                    NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer has recently weighed into the debate about upzoning SoHo and NoHo, expressing his unequivocal support for a change which would allow larger development in these neighborhoods, where current rules allow new structures 300 feet tall or greater. Various groups, in some cases backed by developers with vested interests and potential development sites in SoHo and […]

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                                    Welcome Aboard, Lena Rubin

                                    Today we welcome aboard Lena Rubin as our Programs and Administrative Assistant. Lena has been interning with Village Preservation since June of 2020. In this role she has helped to plan public programs, assisted with the creation of the organization’s new website, and contributed to our East Village Building Blocks website and our upcoming South […]

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                                      The First Global Economic Crisis, and An Easily-Overlooked Greenwich Village House

                                      Today, global economic crises are all too familiar and common. A bad day on Wall Street, or a troubling decision by China or the European Union, can send markets tumbling around the world, with the effects felt swiftly and pervasively. That’s because, in the 21st century, news can reach virtually anywhere almost instantaneously, and our […]

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                                      Welcome Aboard, Joey Rodriguez

                                      Today we welcome aboard Joey Rodriguez in the role of Director of Communications. Joey comes to us from the Flushing YMCA where he served as the Fund Development and Communications Director for the last two years, and helped guide both their internal and external communications plans as well as their major fundraising planning. Before the […]

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                                      Westbeth Is Born!

                                      On May 19, 1970, a project like no other ever imagined or realized before opened its doors on the corner of West and Bethune Streets. Westbeth (a portmanteau of those street names) was the first large scale adaptive reuse of an industrial building for residential purposes, and the first subsidized housing for artists in the […]

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                                        Traveling the World from Home, with Village Authors

                                        For most of us right now, traveling the world to explore places or cultures different from our own is not an option.  But fortunately through the works of some great Greenwich Village authors, we can safely explore places (and times) very different than our own, and enjoy a bit of the escape we may not […]

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                                        Things We’re Looking Forward To Doing Again, Part 4

                                        We’re continuing to spend a lot of time thinking about things we used to do before the coronavirus outbreak, that we’re looking forward to hopefully doing again once things return to ‘normal.’  We’ve also been spending a lot of time going through our historic image archive at www.archive.gvshp.org, remembering some of those once-common activities, and just exploring the […]

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                                        Things We’re Looking Forward To Doing Again, Part 3

                                        We’re continuing to spend a lot of time thinking about things we used to do before the coronavirus outbreak, that we’re looking forward to hopefully doing again once things return to ‘normal.’  We’ve also been spending a lot of time going through our historic image archive at www.archive.gvshp.org, remembering some of those once-common activities, and […]

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                                        Things We’re Looking Forward To Doing Again, Part 2

                                        We’re continuing to spend a lot of time thinking about things we used to do before the coronavirus outbreak, that we’re looking forward to hopefully doing again once things return to ‘normal.’  We’ve also been spending a lot of time going through our historic image archive at www.archive.gvshp.org, remembering some of those once-common activities, and […]

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                                        Things We’re Looking Forward To Doing Again

                                        We’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about things we used to do before the coronavirus outbreak, that we’re looking forward to hopefully doing again once things return to ‘normal.’  We’ve also been spending a lot of time going through our historic image archive, remembering some of those once-common activities, and just exploring the history of […]

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                                        Things We’re Looking Forward To Doing Again

                                        We’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about things we used to do before the coronavirus outbreak, that we’re looking forward to hopefully doing again once things return to ‘normal.’  We’ve also been spending a lot of time going through our historic image archive at www.archive.gvshp.org, remembering some of those once-common activities, and just […]

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                                        Politicians, Playwrights, and Parades: The Irish legacy of the East Village and Greenwich Village

                                        For many, celebrating Irish American heritage in March brings one to Fifth Avenue for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, or perhaps a visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. But for those willing to venture beyond Midtown, there’s a rich Irish American history to be found in Greenwich Village and the East Village. While both neighborhoods […]

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                                        Civil Rights, the NAACP, and W.E.B. DuBois: The African American history tied to 70 Fifth Avenue

                                        When we think of great African American historic sites in New York, we typically think of Harlem’s Apollo Theater, Lower Manhattan’s African Burial Ground, or Brooklyn’s Weeksville Houses. But one building that should perhaps join the list is 70 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village, which housed the headquarters of the NAACP, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights […]

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                                        How the New York Public Library got its start in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo

                                        Founded on May 23, 1895, the New York Public Library (NYPL) is the largest municipal library in the world, with 53 million items and 92 locations across Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. It’s also the steward of some of New York’s greatest landmarks, reflecting a century and a quarter of Gotham’s history, and in […]

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                                        There’s Been A Lot of Talk About Affordable Housing in SoHo and NoHo. Here’s What They Really Mean

                                        An abridged version of this piece appeared as an op-ed in the January 23, 2020 edition of AM-Metro NY. A recent report issued on behalf of the NYC Department of City Planning, the Manhattan Borough President, and City Councilmember Margaret Chin called for seeking opportunities to create affordable housing in SoHo and NoHo, and to […]

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                                        SoHo noho general village preservation

                                        From Civil War generals to Oscar winners: 7 historical figures who called 14-16 Fifth Avenue home

                                        Madison Realty Capital filed plans last month to demolish 14-16 Fifth Avenue, a five-story apartment building constructed in 1848, and replace it with a 244-foot-tall tower. Because it is located within the Greenwich Village Historic District, it can only be demolished if the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission rules that the building itself is of no historic or architectural merit, and […]

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                                        Welcome Aboard, Louisa Winchell

                                        Today we welcome aboard Louisa Winchell as our Research and Preservation Associate. Louisa has been working with Village Preservation as a Research and Preservation Intern since August 2018, and in her new position will continue to undertake research, writing, and mapping projects to support Village Preservation’s advocacy initiatives related to expanding landmark and zoning protections, […]

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                                          14 historic sites of the abolitionist movement in Greenwich Village

                                          In the years before the abolition of slavery in New York State in 1827 and the Civil War, New York was a hotbed of both pro-slavery and anti-slavery sentiment. The latter group consisted of both prominent African-American institutions and individuals (mostly associated with churches) who organized economically, politically, and socially against slavery, and whites who […]

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                                          31 Literary Icons of Greenwich Village

                                          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 […]

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                                          Publishing giants, radical literature, and women’s suffrage: More secrets of Union Square South

                                          The area south of Union Square, on the border between Greenwich Village and the East Village, is changing. The approval of the new 14th Street Tech Hub south of Union Square combined with an explosion of tech-related development in the area has resulted in the demolition of mid-19th-century hotels and Beaux-Arts style tenements, with new office towers like 809 Broadway taking […]

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                                          Retracing The East Village’s Historic Little Italy

                                          October, the month when we mark Columbus Day, is also Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month. That combined with the recent celebrations around the 125th anniversary of Veniero’s inspires a closer look at the East Village’s own historic Little Italy, centered around First Avenue near the beloved pastry shop and cafe. While not nearly as famous […]

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                                          12 historic Italian-American sites of the East Village

                                          October is Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month! That’s a perfect time to take a closer look at the East Village’s own historic Little Italy, centered around First Avenue near the beloved pastry shop and cafe. While not nearly as famous or intact as similar districts around Mulberry Street or Bleecker and Carmine Street in the South Village, if […]

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                                          ‘Friends’: Greenwich Village Fantasy vs. Reality

                                          On September 22, 1994, the TV show ‘Friends’ premiered on NBC.  Airing ten seasons, with its finale airing on May 6, 2004, ‘Friends’ was consistently one of the most popular shows on television, and after decades of syndication, one of the most popular in history.  And for a generation of young twenty- (and eventually thirty-) […]

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                                          Uncovering the stories behind downtown’s overlooked synagogues

                                          On August 8, 2008, Village Preservation and the East Village Community Coalition (EVCC) submitted a request to the LPC to landmark a little-known but remarkable survivor– Congregation Mezritch Synagogue at 515 East 6th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A.  The building was the last operating “tenement synagogue” in the East Village. A young, little-known developer named Jared Kushner was […]

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                                          Welcome Aboard, Dawson Knick

                                          Today we welcome aboard Dawson Knick, who will be taking over our Program and Administrative Associate position, replacing Laura Fleischmann. We are sad to see Laura go, but we wish her the best of luck with her new adventures. Dawson’s excited to continue his work with the Village Preservation team, assisting with member services, public […]

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                                            More Historic Photo Mysteries Solved — Brownstone Revival and New York Apocalypse Edition

                                            Village Preservation has a collection of over 2,000 images in our Historic Image Archive, ranging from the 18th to the early 21st century, most of Lower Manhattan, but with some images across the five boroughs.  The majority were donated, and some come with absolutely no information about date or location. We’ve managed to figure out […]

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                                            The long road to landmark: How NYC’s Stonewall Inn became a symbol of civil rights

                                            Millions converge in New York City each year in late June to celebrate events which took place in and outside of a Greenwich Village bar in 1969. The Stonewall Riots are not only be memorialized here in New York City, but those events have come to take on international significance. There are celebrations and marches in countries across the globe, […]

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                                            Go inside 7 landmarked houses in Greenwich Village this weekend

                                            This Sunday, Village Preservation will hold its 21st annual Spring Benefit House Tour. As this year also marks the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District, all the homes and the reception site are landmarked structures located within the district. The tour is the main annual fundraiser for Village Preservation, allowing us to conduct hundreds […]

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                                            11 landmarks of immigration in Greenwich Village

                                            Each year, immigrant history week is celebrated in late April, commemorating the day in 1907 when more immigrants came through Ellis Island than any other day in history. More than a few of those immigrants came through Greenwich Village, which has a long and storied history of welcoming newcomers from across the city, country, and […]

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                                            12 social change champions of Greenwich Village

                                            Few places on Earth have attracted more or a broader array of activists and agitators for social change than Greenwich Village. And much of that activity took place right in the heart of the neighborhood in the Greenwich Village Historic District, where that rich history has been preserved through landmark designation for the past half-century. […]

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                                            13 places in Greenwich Village where the course of history was changed

                                            This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District. Click here to check out our year-long activities and celebrations. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District.  One of the city’s oldest and largest landmark districts, […]

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                                            20 transformative women of Greenwich Village

                                            This year marks the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District on April 29, 1969.  One of the city’s oldest and still largest historic districts, it’s a unique treasure trove of rich history, pioneering culture, and charming architecture. GVSHP will be spending 2019 marking this anniversary with events, lectures, and new interactive […]

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                                            African American History in the East Village

                                            The East Village is probably not the first neighborhood that comes to mind when most New Yorkers think about African American history.  But this incredibly rich, multi-layered neighborhood was home to some remarkably consequential events, places, and figures in African-American history. To help explore just some of them, we have created a new African American […]

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                                            Welcome Aboard, Laura Fleischmann

                                            Today we welcome aboard Laura Fleischmann, who will be taking over our Program and Administrative Associate position. She’s excited to continue her work with the GVSHP team, assisting with member services, public programs, special projects, and many things in between.

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                                              15 things you didn’t know about the East Village

                                              Earlier this month, GVSHP launched its East Village Preservation effort, releasing its new website “East Village Building Blocks,” which contains historic information and images for every one of the neighborhood’s 2,200 buildings. Of course, any neighborhood spanning five centuries of history and nearly 100 blocks will reveal some surprises when you scratch the surface. But the East Village’s story has […]

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                                              Strange Bedfellows: Stanford White and Diane Arbus

                                              Today we begin a new blog series, Strange Bedfellows, where we take a look at unlikely pairs or assortments of noteworthy people who lived or spent time in surprisingly close proximity to one another in our neighborhoods. The St. Mark’s Historic District is known for all sorts of unique surprises — it contains Manhattan’s only […]

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                                                The St. Mark’s Historic District: Tiny, But Packed With History

                                                One of New York City’s most charming and distinctive corners, the St. Mark’s Historic District was landmarked by the City of New York on January 14, 1969. Containing fewer than 40 buildings on parts of just three blocks, this extraordinary East Village enclave contains several notable superlatives, including Manhattan’s oldest house still in use as a residence, […]

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                                                From Mark Twain and the Lovin’ Spoonful to Tech Hub: The overlooked history of Union Square South

                                                Straddling Greenwich Village and the East Village, the neighborhood south of Union Square between Fifth and Third Avenues was once a center of groundbreaking commercial innovations, radical leftist politics, and the artistic avant-garde. With the city’s recent decision to allow an upzoning for a “Tech Hub” on the neighborhood’s doorstep on 14th Street, there are […]

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                                                Open House New York in Greenwich Village: The history of three unique sites

                                                Among the many delights included in this weekend’s Open House New York will be three iconic Greenwich Village buildings–a Gothic Revival church with many architectural firsts, a library that was originally a courthouse which heard the “Trial of the Century,” and a groundbreaking artists’ housing complex that was formerly home to Bell Telephone Labs and the site […]

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                                                What’s in a name? Gay Street

                                                Gay Street is one of the most charming and picturesque streets in Greenwich Village, an icon of the historic neighborhood’s anachronistic character. But the origins of its name are hotly debated, with the LGBT rights movement and abolitionism often cited as the source of its unusual nomenclature. And while the street certainly has strong connections to […]

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                                                Nile Rodgers: Musical Innovator, Child of the Village

                                                The award-winning guitarist, composer, and producer Nile Rodgers was born on September 19, 1952. Rodgers co-founded the influential disco group Chic; produced music for artists as diverse as David Bowie, Sister Sledge, Daft Punk, Madonna, Diana Ross, and Disclosure; and played a pivotal role in the flowering and success of rap and hip hop. Less […]

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                                                The oldest house in the Village? It’s not what you think

                                                The Village is known as one of the oldest parts of New York City, where historic architecture can be found everywhere, and charming houses from a bygone era still stand. Here at the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, a perennial question we’re asked is “which is the oldest house in the Village?” It’s a […]

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                                                From George Washington to Hudson Square: The history of the Charlton-King-VanDam neighborhood

                                                It’s an often-overlooked enclave with the largest concentration of Federal and Greek Revival style houses in New York City. Its origins can be traced back to historical figures as esteemed as George Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jacob Astor, but it’s just as deeply connected to Italian immigrants and radical 20th-century innovators. The […]

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                                                When NYC collapsed: The rise and fall of America’s largest and grandest hotel

                                                In the mid-1970s, New York City was falling apart. Its finances, infrastructure, and social cohesion were, figuratively speaking, crumbling. But in one very tragic case, they were literally crumbling, too. And it all came tumbling down on August 3, 1973, when what was once one of the world’s grandest hotels (which had more recently become known for […]

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                                                When Maxfield Parrish’s Magic Came to Greenwich Village

                                                The great American artist and illustrator Maxfield Parrish was born on July 25, 1870 in Philadelphia.  Born Frederick Parrish, he died more than ninety-five years later on March 30, 1966 in Plainfield, New Hampshire.  In between, he created some of the most stunning, iconic, and memorable paintings and illustrations of the late 19th and early […]

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                                                Development dispute over P.S. 64 in the East Village continues, two decades later

                                                Twenty years ago, on July 20, 1998, Mayor Rudy Giuliani sold former Public School 64 on the Lower East Side, then home to the Charas-El Bohio Community and Cultural Center, to a developer, despite opposition from the building’s occupants and the surrounding community. The decision and the building remain mired in controversy to this day. Community groups […]

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                                                Elizabeth Blackwell In Our Neighborhood: The historic sites where America’s first female doctor made her mark

                                                One of the most radical and influential women of the 19th century changed the course of public health history while living and working in Greenwich Village and the East Village. Elizabeth Blackwell, America’s first female doctor, established cutting-edge care facilities and practices throughout these neighborhoods, the imprint of which can still be felt to this […]

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                                                Jane Jacobs’ NYC: The sites that inspired her work and preservation legacy

                                                Jane Jacobs’ birthday on May 4 is marked throughout the world as an occasion to celebrate one’s own city — its history, diversity, and continued vitality. “Jane’s Walks” are conducted across the country to encourage average citizens to appreciate and engage the complex and dazzling ecosystems which make up our cityscapes (Here in NYC, MAS is […]

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                                                Edward Hopper’s Greenwich Village: The real-life inspirations behind his paintings

                                                There’s no lack of artists deeply associated with New York. But among the many painters who’ve been inspired by our city, perhaps none has had a more enduring and deeper relationship than Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882–May 15, 1967), particularly with Greenwich Village. Hopper lived and worked in Greenwich Village during nearly his entire adult life, […]

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                                                How Greenwich Villager Howard Bennett fought to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday

                                                On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. This ended the life of one of the 20th century’s most revered and influential figures. It also began a 15-year campaign to make Dr. King’s birthday a national holiday — the first-ever honoring an […]

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                                                Carole Teller’s ‘Changing New York’ captures the city’s 20th-century transformation

                                                Change in New York is an expected norm, sometimes so constant it almost goes unnoticed. It’s such an ingrained part of the New Yorker’s experience, we often forget just how much our city has transformed, and what we have left behind. To help us remember, we have Carole Teller. A Brooklyn-born artist who’s lived in the […]

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                                                15 Trailblazing Women of Greenwich Village and the East Village

                                                Greenwich Village is well known as the home to libertines in the 1920s and feminists in the 1960s and ’70s. But going back to at least the 19th century, the neighborhoods now known as Greenwich Village, the East Village, and Noho were home to pioneering women who defied convention and changed the course of history, […]

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                                                15 Sites of Critical African American History in Greenwich Village

                                                Greenwich Village has been known throughout its existence for breaking new ground and embracing outsiders. One often-forgotten but important element of that trailblazing narrative is the extraordinary role the Village played in relation to African American history. The neighborhood was home to North America’s earliest free Black settlement in the 17th century, to some of America’s […]

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                                                It Happened Here: Taxi Driver

                                                The innocuous-looking apartment building at 226 East 13th Street, between Second and Third Avenues, may raise few eyebrows now.  But on February 8, 1976, the building became synonymous in the popular imagination with drugs, prostitution, runaways, murder and mayhem,  steeped in the urban decay which many saw as defining New York City in the 1970’s.

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                                                How an East Village building went from gangster hangout to Andy Warhol’s Electric Circus

                                                Fifty years ago this week, the Velvet Underground released their second album, “White Light/White Heat.” Their darkest record, it was also arguably the Velvet’s most influential, inspiring a generation of alternative musicians with the noisy, distorted sound with which the band came to be so closely identified. Perhaps the place with which the Velvets have come to […]

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