Every September, temperatures begin to drop, summer greens start the slow shift to orange and yellow, and our streets feel a bit fuller as students return to school. But schools have been part of our neighborhoods’ histories far longer than any given school year. Today we take a look at the history of perhaps one […]
Since 1980, Village Preservation has worked tirelessly to preserve, protect, and advocate for the historic, cultural, and architectural heritage of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. And while the boundaries of our neighborhoods are mostly pretty easy to define, stretching from the East River to the Hudson River, and from 14th Street to Houston […]
On August 7th, 1967, the J.M. Kaplan Fund and the newly constituted National Endowment for the Arts announced Westbeth Artists Housing: the first large-scale adaptive reuse of an industrial building for residential purposes. Westbeth provided affordable housing for Greenwich Village artists and their families to live and work. Located along the then-gritty and largely abandoned […]
The year was 1996. The first mobile flip phone had just hit the market, the Spice Girls were topping the charts with their hit single Wannabe, and President Bill Clinton won reelection. The year’s technological, social, and political innovations laid the groundwork for what became the world we know and enjoy today. And in New […]
Originally built for a mere milkman, the two homes bookending the intersection of Barrow and Commerce Streets remain one of the most charming spots our neighborhood has to offer. Nestled between Bedford and Hudson Streets, 39 and 41 Commerce Street embody the quintessential Greenwich Village character. Colloquially called “the twins,” the nearly identical houses have […]
Just South of Washington Square Park, north of West Houston Street, and nestled between Sixth Avenue and LaGuardia Place are the highly compact blocks that make up the South Village Historic District, for which Village Preservation won landmark designation in 2013. Known for its rich immigrant history, its streets are a hodgepodge of modest Federal […]
Randy Wicker is considered one of the most influential and impactful LGBTQ+ activists of both the pre- and post-Stonewall eras. Born February 3, 1938, in Plainfield, New Jersey, as Charles Gervin Hayden, Jr., Wicker grew up with his grandparents in Florida. His first encounter with New York did not come until his college years. In […]
A writer, a poet, and an early advocate for sexual freedom and gay rights, Allen Ginsberg has been a prominent voice for over 100 years in New York. Born June 3, 1926, Ginsberg grew up in a New Jersey suburb just west of New York City. His father, Louis, was a traditional academic type, working […]
Established May 23, 1895, the New York Public Library is the largest municipal library in the world. Today, the NYPL has over 92 locations across Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island, and holds over 53 million items. Its history is rich and deeply connected to our neighborhoods. The story begins in the mid-1800s, when New […]
Village Preservation is proud to honor Tavern on Jane, as a 2026 Village Awardee! Join us in recognizing Tavern on Jane and the five other remarkable awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Wednesday, June 10th, with emcee Penny Arcade, at the historic Great Hall at Cooper Union. Registration is free and […]
The year was 1981. The Rolling Stones entered the decade still considered the greatest rock-and-roll band in the world. But the industry was changing. The launch of MTV that year revolutionized music, making video and image essential parts of an artist’s work. While the Rolling Stones had a long history of music video production in […]
In the far eastern blocks of the East Village, where avenue names reflect the letters of the alphabet the East River waterfront looms large, once stood Slugs’ Saloon. Located at 242 East 3rd Street between Avenues B and C in a building constructed in 1873 as a five-story tenement with stores on the ground floor […]
Winter in New York is not for the weak. Avenues become wind tunnels, streets become ice skating rinks, and temperatures can get so low that one tries not leave the house. But, at some point, the roaring, lion-like winds of early March tame into gentle lamb-like breezes, and all of New York rejoices on sidewalks, […]
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette met, fell in love, and tragically died within a span of a decade. The two had a love story that captivated a nation…and the press. But their history and connection to New York were far greater than tabloid fodder. Behind the glamour, charm, and politics were two people, […]
At the corner of Second Avenue and East 12th Street stands a neighborhood staple, and one of New York’s rare interior landmarks. At 181-189 Second Avenue, the Village East by Angelika movie theater opened in 2021, but its history long predates that. With the help of our East Village Building Blocks webpage and the Landmarks […]
Sixth Avenue cuts through Greenwich Village from north to south. While Fifth Avenue may be more posh, and Hudson Street more homey, Sixth Avenue, too, is home to so many sites that are core to our neighborhood: Jefferson Market Library and Garden, the Waverly Diner, and Father Demo Square, among other locations. And of course, […]
From 14th Street to Houston Street, river to river, the streets and avenues of our neighborhoods ooze with a rich, unique lore found nowhere else in the city. At its center lies Fifth Avenue, dividing Manhattan’s east and west sides. Like many Manhattan streets, Fifth Avenue grew out of the original 1811 Commissioner’s Plan grid. […]
A folk singer, social justice activist, and leading figure of the counterculture movement that inspired generations, Joan Baez is undeniably a Greenwich Village icon. Born January 9, 1941, on Staten Island, Joan came of age amid political, social, and civil unrest that would go on to define her life and career. Both sides of Joan […]
On July 16, 1951, the best-selling novel, The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger (January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010), was released. It’s a coming-of-age story that follows the depressed and increasingly dejected sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield in his aimless escapades around Manhattan. An aspiring lost soul, Holden spends an unchaperoned weekend wandering the […]
In honor of South Village Month, we are turning to the Sullivan-Thompson Historic District designation report to explore what this neighborhood was like before it was known as part of the South Village. The area south of Washington Square Park and West Fourth Street and east of Seventh Avenue, now often referred to as the […]
From the northern edge of Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to 143rd Street in Harlem, Fifth Avenue divides Manhattan. The centerfold of the Manhattan, it is nearly impossible to imagine New York without the seven-mile-long stretch. But, like many Manhattan streets, Fifth Avenue grew out of the original 1811 Commissioner’s Plan grid. Its development […]
Picking a favorite restaurant in New York City is a near-impossible task. The criteria for what constitutes a good dining experience are based on a series of entirely subjective factors, such as taste, aesthetics, location, or ambience. Few understood this better than Mimi Sheraton (February 10, 1926–April 6, 2023), the legendary food critic, writer, and […]
At the turn of the last century, our neighborhood was in the midst of yet another transformative era. For decades prior, a fashionable, bourgeois class resided around Washington Square Park and lower Fifth Avenue, as grandiose red-brick Greek Revival townhomes attracted the wealthy, cementing the area’s cosmopolitan population. But with time, the neighborhood’s residents began […]
Behind every street corner, alleyway, and front stoop lies an untold story. Federal, Greek Revival, and Italianate styles dominate the neighborhood’s architecture, but how did they come to be here in the first place? Luckily, we have our comprehensive collection of landmark and historic district designation reports which provides us with the official record of […]
Before the subways, the skyscrapers, and even the cut through of Seventh Avenue South, New York was once a horse-drawn city. Little remains from that equine era, but traces of the past can still be seen through the buildings and homes of our neighborhood. In honor of Archtober, New York City’s month-long festival of architecture […]
Since its opening to the public in 2009, the High Line has become an irreplaceable New York City landmark. Stretching from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street and 11th Avenue, the elevated park offers residents and visitors sweeping Hudson River views, carefully manicured landscaping, and plenty of places to lounge, sit, people watch, and take in […]
New York is the city of the world. Dozens of languages fill the streets; foods from any corner of the world can be found on any block; and people of all kinds, regardless of nationality, creed, race, gender, or socio-economic background, can and do end up here. It’s a city that thrives off difference, with […]
It was the summer of 1965; the United States and the USSR were racing to the moon; the U.S. escalated its involvement in the Vietnam war; and years of civil rights protests led to the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. The 1960s are often remembered as a time of social upheaval, […]
Decades after the show’s debut on September 22, 1994, the corner of Bedford and Grove Street remains a must-see destination for fans of a certain iconic ‘90s sitcom. From 1994 to 2004, Friends dominated television screens, influencing a generation into talking a certain way and a certain kind of haircut. Primarily set in our neighborhood, […]
Do you live in an apartment? Well, for most New Yorkers, that was not always the case. Apartment living, while now synonymous with New York life, is a newer phenomenon, having not gained popularity with most New Yorkers until the late 19th century. Before the Civil War, unless they were poor or working class, or […]
On July 16, 1951, the best-selling novel, The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger (January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010), was released. It’s a coming-of-age story that follows the depressed and increasingly dejected sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield in his aimless escapades around Manhattan. An aspiring lost soul, Holden spends an unchaperoned weekend wandering the […]
Each year, thousands of self-identified lesbians take to the streets of New York City for the annual Dyke March, where participants march from Bryant Park to Washington Square Park in a proud display of protest and community. And while the New York Dyke March has become a local tradition, the first Dyke March, however, orginated […]
At her prime, she was called “the most dangerous woman in America.” At her core, she was a Jewish Russian immigrant who relentlessly advocated for women’s equality, workers’ rights, free speech, and political reform. Emma Goldman (1869–1940) was an anarchist and activist at heart, a pivotal leader in the American progressive movement. And it was […]
Across the country, June is recognized as Pride Month, celebrating LGBTQ+ communities in honor of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a pivotal moment in the fight for gay rights and liberation. Our neighborhoods have held a longstanding, deep connection with the queer community, having served as hubs for bars, restaurants, clubs, theaters, and community centers that […]
A New York winter can be brutal. There’s slush in the streets, wind tunnels down every avenue, and it feels as though the city is enveloped in a bleak, monochromatic grayscale. But, hope is not lost, because when that first warm breeze arrives and replaces the puffy coat can finally be put away, we’re all […]
Village Preservation is proud to honor Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens, or LUNGS, as a 2025 Village Awardee! Join us in recognizing LUNGS and the five other remarkable awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Wednesday, June 11th, at the historic Great Hall at Cooper Union. Registration is free and open to all. […]
Summer is just around the corner, and with it comes one of our favorite annual traditions: Village Awards season! This year, on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, Village Preservation invites you to the 45th Annual Meeting and 35th Village Awards. This free, public celebration honors the extraordinary people, places, and organizations that make our neighborhoods some […]
It was the bullet felt around the world. On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot by stage actor, Confederate sympathizer, and white supremacist John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington, DC. Lincoln succumbed to his wounds in the early hours of the following day, April 15, at the Peterson Boarding House just […]
At the start of Fifth Avenue sits the grand Washington Square Arch, welcoming New Yorkers and visitors alike into the heart of Greenwich Village. Today, on a stroll through the park, one might find street artists performing in the empty fountain, college students sharing a quick lunch between classes, and strangers deep in conversation about […]
Whether you’re a local, live nearby, or are just passing through, Village Preservation’s annual House Tour Benefit is not one to miss. For 24 years and counting, some of our community’s most beautiful and unique homes have opened their doors and allowed us (and you!) inside for a look at exquisite interiors, meticulous restorations, unparalleled […]
Like architecture, literature, and art, fashion is yet another entryway into the past. To understand what we once wore is to embody what we once believed, cared for, and prioritized. For example, the loose fitting smock-styled tunics and silhouettes of the 1920s signify a direct rebellion from more restrictive Victorian era clothing like corsets and […]
Sylvia Rivera (July 2, 1951 – February 19, 2002) was a fighter. Rivera (she/her) was an LGBTQ+ activist, a trans woman, and fixture in Greenwich Village and the East Village, and perhaps most prominently, a champion for those who did not adhere to the gender binary. Within the gay rights movement, Rivera advocated for those […]
On October 30, 1969, history was made in Greenwich Village when artists Patricia Grey and Nigel Jackson opened Acts of Art, the first black-owned gallery in downtown Manhattan at 31 Bedford Street. Once a humble butcher shop in a tenement home, this small West Village storefront evolved into a powerful symbol of the Civil Rights […]
A half block north Perry Street, on Hudson Street in the heart of Greenwich Village, sits a rather plain, mid-19th century brick townhouse with large white-paned windows. This perhaps otherwise unremarkable looking building offered Jane Jacobs a front-row seat to a perpetual performance of what she called the New York City street ballet, her observations […]
Enacted into law in October 1919, the Volstead Act took effect January 16, 1920, enforcing the then-newly established 18th Amendment and thereby prohibiting the manufacture and distribution of alcoholic beverages. Now known as Prohibition, this era of federally-mandated teetotalism lasted thirteen years, only to be repealed in 1933 by the ratification of the 21st Amendment, […]
Carol Greitzer is in so many ways the embodiment of a true New Yorker and Greenwich Villager. Born January 3, 1925, in Manhattan—on 15th Street, in a long-gone hospital—Greitzer grew up in the North Bronx, attended Hunter College after high school, received her master’s degree in English Literature from NYU, and went on to serve […]
This blog post was originally published November 27, 2024, and is one of our favorites among the more than 200 we’ve published over the last year. To stay current on all our posts, follow us on X or Facebook, or subscribe to our blog feed via email here. A rock star, a legend, a genius, Jimi Hendrix was one of […]
Christmastime in the city is like no other; rosy cheeks from ice skating at the many outdoor rinks throughout the city, arms overflowing with a festive bounty of gifts and delights for the holiday season, and (if we’re lucky) our beloved streets dusted in glistening snow. And while many think of uptown destinations as home […]
A rock star, a legend, a genius, Jimi Hendrix was one of a kind. He carried a generation and pushed music to never-before-seen, electric limits. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame cites Hendrix as “…the most gifted instrumentalist of all time.” Born November 27, 1942, to Al Hendrix and Lucille Jeter, hardship and struggle […]
The 1960s was an era defined by political unrest, civil rights protests, and the re-popularization of American folk music. Author David Browne’s book, Talkin’ Greenwich Village: The Heady Rise and Slow Fall of America’s Bohemian Music explores the significance of Greenwich Village as an epicenter for folk and other countercultural movements in the mid-20th century, […]
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s flying puppets on Sixth Avenue? The beloved Village Halloween Parade is an annual, time-honored tradition known for its avant-garde costumes, floats, and street performances. And while these days the longtime New York ritual looms large as the biggest Halloween parade in the world, with over 50,000 participants and […]
Oscar Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was a playwright and poet, a native Irishman turned British transplant, and, of course, a maverick and icon whose work and legacy continues to light the way for the LGBTQ+ community. Known for works like The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde had […]
Loisaida is a robust and varied community that includes creatives, activists, and mavericks who cultivated a richly diverse neighborhood. It’s also the subject of one of the many ‘guided tours’ on our East Village Building Blocks website, which contains information on every building in the East Village. We’re taking a look at some key sites […]
