In 2014, Village Preservation conducted an oral history interview with Veselka owner and Village Preservation Trustee Tom Birchard. Tom is the son-in-law of Veselka’s original owner, who in 1954 bought a candy shop from a retiring Italian couple. It became a destination for the growing Ukrainian population, serving them homemade traditional Eastern European dishes and […]
GVSHP recently released 90 new images on the GVSHP image archive. Almost half of them date to the early years of GVSHP, when we were known as the Greenwich Village Trust for Historic Preservation. In 1982 GVSHP’s then-Executive Director Regina Kellerman planned an archaeological dig at the site of what is now the Sheridan Square Viewing […]
41 years ago today, New York City was a much different place than it is today. By almost every measure it was dirtier and more dangerous. Many viewed the city as inevitably doomed to failure and the decade was a period of decay- failing industries, collapsing infrastructure, enormous budget gaps, and a population net loss of […]
Edward I. Koch served as Mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989, following terms as Greenwich Village’s Congressman, City Councilmember, and Democratic District leader. Koch, a self-described “liberal with sanity”, passed away four years ago today, following several decades living at 2 5th Avenue. Koch previously lived at 81 Bedford Street, 72 Barrow […]
As 2016 fades into memory, we wanted to look back on all that GVSHP accomplished during the year, and what we have to look forward to in 2017. In 2016, GVSHP: Helped lead the opposition against the Mayor’s plans to roll back neighborhood zoning protections, successfully blocking most of the plan and leaving the majority of our […]
The newly designated Sullivan Thompson Historic District designation report was posted last week by the LPC. This week, we will be looking at some of the 157 amazing historic properties included in the district. 83 and 85 Sullivan Street are two of the district’s individually landmarked properties, both of which obtained landmark designation in 1973. […]
Join GVSHP tomorrow night in the main sanctuary of the Museum at Eldridge Street as we present the Andy Statman Trio for the second consecutive year. The concert supports both GVSHP and the Museum at Eldridge Street. This year’s concert is presented by GVSHP’s Broker’s Partnership to honor one of its founders, Marlene Hartstein. Limited […]
Peter Ruta, born February 7th, 1918, recently passed away on November 16th, 2016, at his home in Westbeth with wife and family. He was 98 years old. Peter’s life and work were a great inspiration to many, as he overcame incredible adversity to become a world-renowned painter. He was born in Germany, raised in Italy, and […]
For over 85 years, the 195 foot tall smokestacks of the Superior Inks building were a local landmark and beacon for the Far West Village. They were also a vital link to the Greenwich Village waterfront’s maritime/industrial heritage, as in the mid-2000’s they were part of the last operating factory on the Greenwich Village waterfront. Unfortunately, […]
On November 11th, 2003, GVSHP launched our campaign to protect the South Village. GVSHP partnered with the Preservation League of New York State, elected officials, other community groups, neighborhood residents, and Our Lady of Pompeii Church to study and consider proposing a South Village Historic District. For many of us, it is hard to believe that […]
GVSHP has now made available on our website a classic preservation and architectural history resource — the booklet Nineteenth Century Dwelling Houses of Greenwich Village produced by the Association of Village Homeowners in 1968 and reprinted in 1969. You can view it here. The Association of Village Homeowners was a community group founded in 1960 in response […]
Last week, news broke that the City will be moving ahead with the final phase of GVSHP’s proposed South Village Historic District, a roughly ten-block, one hundred sixty building area south of Houston Street between Sixth Avenue and West Broadway. This amazing news is the culmination of a more than ten year campaign to seek […]
In the ten years leading up to 2004, the Far West Village along West Street experienced huge changes. Large, out-of-scale luxury developments were built where only low-rise buildings had been found for generations along the waterfront. In response, GVSHP and other local community groups banded together to push for landmark protections and downzoning of the neighborhood from […]
11th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues is a pretty short block. But there is a lot of history and activity going on. The block is home to Webster Hall, a building with a long and storied history that GVSHP helped get landmarked in 2008. GVSHP’s partner, the Neighborhood Preservation Center, is celebrating its 17th birthday […]
On September 21, 1965, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) held its very first public hearing. Twenty-eight buildings were on the agenda, including five in Brooklyn, fifteen in Manhattan, one in the Bronx, and seven in Staten Island. Eight of the properties are located in GVSHP’s catchment area between Houston and 14th Street. We have written extensively about […]
The following post was originally written five years ago to showcase one of our neighborhood buildings with an interesting history, 133 Fourth Avenue. From 1904-1926 this 1897 building on the corner of 13th Street and 4th Avenue was home to the trailblazing hardware store, Hammacher & Schlemmer. Since 2011, the building has seen a few updates, […]
Happy Birthday to Romana Raffetto, owner of Raffetto’s Pasta located at 144 West Houston Street. Romana was born in a small town in Italy in 1932 called Asolo, known as the “city of a hundred horizons” because of the beautiful landscapes surrounding this medieval town. She moved to the Village in 1957, and has lived here […]
On August 16th, 1966, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District. This small but distinct neighborhood is part of the South Village. It sits on a street grid designed by Aaron Burr in 1797, although the area was mostly developed between 1820 and 1829, cut out of a John Jacob Astor estate. The District […]
On August 12th, 1988, art legend Jean Michel-Basquiat was announced dead at Cabrini Medical Center on East 19th Street. According to the autopsy, Basquiat died from “acute mixed drug intoxication (opiates-cocaine).” In the months leading up to his death, Basquiat was reportedly doing up to a hundred bags of heroin a day.
Longtime GVSHP member Miriam Cahn has called the Village her home for over 45 years. She was a special education teacher at Lennox Hill Hospital for many years before retiring to fulfill her calling as an artist. She recently contacted GVSHP to donate some of her extensive art collection to GVSHP. Her original collection covers a […]
Singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie was born on this day 104 years ago. Although he passed away in 1967, he remains a strong influence on many contemporary artists.
GVSHP holds events with the Jefferson Market Library and the Jefferson Market Garden several times per year, most recently a members only tour, our program marking the 50th Anniversary of the Sip-In at Julius’ (See photos here and video here), and Contemporary Writers on a Lost Greenwich Village: A discussion with authors Vivian Gornick and Sarah Schulman (see photos […]
Today marks the ten year anniversary of the LPC designation of 605 East 9th Street, the former P.S. 64 & Charas-El Bohio Cultural Center. GVSHP fought hard in support of this designation along with many neighborhood partners, which saved the property from imminent destruction. As part of an all too common story, the owners of the […]
Off the Grid is highlighting the 2016 Village Awards winners in the lead up to the June 14th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Click here for more information about the event and to RSVP. Read about other awardees here. Each year GVSHP presents a special award as part of our Annual Village Awards to recognize significant contributions to the field […]
Off the Grid is highlighting the 2016 Village Awards winners in the lead up to the June 14th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Click here for more information about the event and to RSVP. Read about other awardees here. Today we look Smalls Jazz Club, one of the premiere remaining successful Greenwich Village jazz clubs. Smalls Jazz […]
Off the Grid is highlighting the 2016 Village Awards winners in the lead up to the June 14th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Click here for more information about the event and to RSVP. Read about other awardees here. Today we look at an amazing interior renovation of a beautiful East Village Theater that is one […]
Today we welcome Chelsea Dowell to the GVSHP team as Director of Communications and Programming. We’re excited to have Chelsea on board and managing our public outreach and programming, and working with our members. Chelsea comes to us from the Green-Wood Historic Fund, where she promoted the 178-year-old Green-Wood Cemetery through innovative programs, membership, and […]
Off the Grid is highlighting the 2016 Village Awards winners in the lead up to the June 14th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Click here for more information about the event and to RSVP. Read about other awardees here. Today we look at Steve Cannon, poet and “keeper of the multicultural flame and flavor of downtown […]
Off the Grid is highlighting the 2016 Village Awards winners in the lead up to the June 14th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Click here for more information about the event and to RSVP. Today we look at at the first of seven awardees, Strand Bookstore.
This year’s Spring House Tour Benefit is right around the corner (this Sunday, actually), and features seven exquisite Village properties. In keeping with the storied history of the Village, the Spring House Tour has a longstanding tradition of including historic properties. This year is no exception, as six of the seven homes are located within our […]
50 years ago tomorrow, on April 19, 1966, the LPC landmarked St. Mark’s-in-the-Bowery Church. The Church is the oldest site of continuous worship in New York City. The parcel of land was purchased by Peter Stuyvesant in 1651 and a family chapel was erected on the site by 1660. Stuyvesant died in 1672 and was interred in […]
This year’s Spring House Tour Benefit is right around the corner and features seven exquisite Village properties. In keeping with the storied history of the Village as an artist’s haven, the Spring House Tour has a longstanding tradition of including artist’s and curators spaces on the tour. This year is no exception, and promises to delight.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission recently released a new interactive map. The map shows all exterior, interior, and scenic landmarks, historic districts, and properties calendared for designation. According to LPC Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan, “The launch of this map is a key milestone in our efforts to ensure that all New Yorkers have the history of our city at […]
While the Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in London and Los Angeles in 1975, the now classic cult film was not really successful until it launched its ongoing run of midnight shows here in Greenwich Village. That very first midnight show took place on April 1, 1976, at the Waverly Theatre (now the IFC Center) on 6th […]
Four years ago today, the South Village was named to the Preservation League of New York State’s “Seven to Save” list. This designation was a great boon to our ongoing efforts to preserve and protect the South Village, which has been a priority of GVSHP’s since we first proposed the area for landmark designation in 2006. […]
GVSHP is excited to share our oral history collection with the public, and hope they will shed more light on what makes Greenwich Village and the East Village such unique and vibrant areas. Each of these histories highlights the experiences and insights of long-time residents, usually active in the arts, culture, preservation, business, or civic life of […]
This Sunday, March 13th, is the three year anniversary of the NYC Council Land Use Committee vote to approve the proposed Hudson Square Rezoning. This vote was a significant milestone for GVSHP and our allies, as we had waged a campaign to get the City Council to refuse to approve the rezoning unless the LPC […]
George Washington was born on February 22nd, and his birthday was unofficially celebrated by Americans on that date throughout the 19th century. February 22nd finally became a federal holiday in 1879. The holiday was celebrated on February 22nd until 1968, when Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Law to provide annual observances of certain legal […]
GVSHP is excited to share our oral history collection with the public, and hope they will shed more light on what makes Greenwich Village and the East Village such unique and vibrant areas. Each of these histories highlights the experiences and insights of long-time residents, usually active in the arts, culture, preservation, business, or civic life of […]
Nine years ago today, on a freezing cold February day (like today), Village Preservation and hundreds of neighbors protested the Hotel Gansevoort billboards that had just been erected at the corner of Hudson and Gansevoort Street. Village Preservation Exec. Dir. Andrew Berman’s statements then stand true today, “The Hotel Gansevoort profits in every way it can […]
Village Preservation is excited to share our oral history collection with the public, and hope they will shed more light on what makes Greenwich Village and the East Village such unique and vibrant areas. Each of these histories highlights the experiences and insights of long-time residents, usually active in the arts, culture, preservation, business, or civic […]
Today marks the two year passing of folk music legend Pete Seeger. Seeger was an influential singer, songwriter, and civil rights and anti-war activist. Seeger also founded a nonprofit environmental organization in 1969, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, to advocate for the environmental clean up of the Hudson River. Like many artists, Seeger had a strong connection […]
As reported by our allies the Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, the New York State Supreme Court recently upheld the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s denial of the hardship application by a developer on the Upper Eats Side seeking to demolish two historic buildings which are part of the landmarked City and Suburban Homes First Avenue […]
On January 17th, 2012, the LPC designated the East 10th Street Historic District. The district includes 26 row houses mostly built in the 1840’s and 1850’s, extending from Avenue A to Avenue B. Very few modifications to the buildings have occurred on this block since 1860. Only four of the buildings were built since 1860, with […]
GVSHP Board of Advisors member Carol Greitzer was very active in the early preservation movement of the 1960’s. A female Democratic District leader in the Village in the 1960’s, she served as the Village’s representative on the City Council from 1969 to 1991, and remains a resident of Greenwich Village.
As 2015 comes to a close, we are thankful for the generous support of our members and all it has allowed us to accomplish this year. But we still need your help! There is so much more work to do in 2016 to continue the fight. Please consider GVSHP in your year-end giving! In 2015 we lost […]
In June, 2015 GVSHP was proud to award Barbara Shaum a Village Award. We are very sad to share the news that she passed away in September. Her longtime friend Eleanor Magid and her granddaughter Amity Paye shared a beautiful obituary they wrote with us: Barbara Shaum, New York’s doyenne of custom-made sandals, died at […]
4 St. Mark’s Place, also known as the Hamilton-Holly House and current home of Trash and Vaudeville, was recently in the news as it came on the market for $11.9 million. This building was built in 1831 and designated a NYC landmark in 2004. As part of Landmarks50, the celebration of this year’s 50th Anniversary of […]
Now home to seven apartments, 295 East 8th Street a.k.a. 127 Avenue B, opened in 1887 as the Children’s Aid Society, Tompkins Square Lodging for Boys and Industrial School. As part of Landmarks50, the celebration of this year’s 50th Anniversary of the NYC Landmarks Law, we are taking a look at some of the many […]
Everyone knows the iconic Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street and Broadway. But before moving to 34th Street, Macy’s operated out of a series of buildings on West 14th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. As part of Landmarks50, the celebration of this year’s 50th Anniversary of the NYC Landmarks Law, we are taking a look […]
As part of NYCLandmarks50, the celebration of this year’s 50th Anniversary of the NYC Landmarks Law, we are taking a look at some of the many and varied individual landmarks in our neighborhood. The Police Athletic League Building at 34 1/2 East 12th Street between University Place and Broadway was built in 1855 for the […]
There are hundreds of individual landmarks in Manhattan alone – many in Greenwich Village, NoHo, the East Village and surrounding areas. In celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Landmarks Law, enacted in 1965, we’re taking a look at some of these important sites, one of which is the Andrew Norwood House at 241 West 14th Street. […]
As part of NYCLandmarks50, the celebration of this year’s 50th Anniversary of the NYC Landmarks Law, we are taking a look at some of the many and varied individual landmarks in our neighborhood. The building complex now known as Colonnade Row, first named LaGrange Terrace, was one of the first properties landmarked under the Landmarks Law in […]
Next Wednesday, September 9th, a City Council hearing will be held on a bill that will drastically change NYC landmarks preservation protections. Intro. 775, if passed, would give those opposed to historic preservation a new tool to remove historic structures from our city. Read this Gotham Gazette editorial published today by GVSHP Executive Director Andrew Berman: “Intro. […]
Last night GVSHP held a public program co-sponsored by The Merchants House Museum; The Merchant’s House Museum – A Tale of Survival, a lecture and slideshow with Michael Devonshire. The Merchants House is one of only a handful of interior and exterior NYC landmarks, and is one of the first designated NYC landmarks. Michael Devonshire is a commissioner at the […]
On this day, 45 years ago, the famous McSorley’s Old Ale House at 15 East 7th Street (just east of Cooper Square) in the East Village admitted its first female patron following a discrimination lawsuit by the National Organization for Women. GVSHP 2015 Village Award Winner Barbara Shaum was the bar’s neighbor and became the bar’s […]
Aaron Hill, a dedicated Greenwich Village resident and New School Assistant Professor of Data Visualization, has compiled an interesting new map for GVSHP. This interactive map is sortable by the height and age of every building in the Greenwich Village Historic District. The map also provides the date built, square footage, number of units, number of […]
Twenty years ago today the movie ‘Kids’ was released. The film is about a day in the lives of a group of New York City teenagers. The film received more than its share of negative reviews and accusations of exploiting and sensationalizing its teenage subjects. But unsurprisingly a movie about young people being independent and participating in adult activities […]
We received several emails from readers asking about the history of their building following our post about Bagatelle. 95 Horatio Street, aka “The West Coast” is a 320-unit rental property that takes up almost a full block from Horatio Street to Gansevoort Street and Washington Street to West Street. This property encompasses nine lots that were […]
Stonewall was designated an individual landmark on June 23, 2015. Since then, people have asked us why, if the building was already located in a designated historic district, was the “double landmarking” necessary?
Many people know the restaurant Bagatelle located at 1 Little West 12th Street for their lavish brunch parties, where as one recent brunch reviewer stated “I’ve never seen so many bottles of Dom Perignon ordered in my life”. Bagatelle helped changed the face of NYC brunch in 2008 from a laid back Sunday afternoon meal to a […]
This is the final post on the 2015 Village Awards. Previous posts highlighted Barbara Shaum, Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, David Rothenberg, The Renee and Chaim Gross Foundation and the 201 East 12th Street Renovation. Join us tomorrow as we honor these awardees at the 2015 Village Awards. Today we look at the 2015 Regina Kellerman Award Winner – James and Karla Murray.
Off the Grid is highlighting the winners of GVSHP’s 2015 Village Awards, in the lead up to our June 17th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Previous entries include Barbara Shaum, Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, David Rothenberg, and The Renee and Chaim Gross Foundation. Today we will look at the amazing renovation job at 201 East 12th Street.
Off the Grid is highlighting the winners of GVSHP’s 2015 Village Awards, in the lead up to our June 17th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Previous entries include Barbara Shaum, Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, and David Rothenberg. Today’s winner that we will be profiling is The Chaim and Renee Gross Foundation.
Off the Grid is highlighting the winners of the 2015 Village Awards in the lead up to the June 17th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Previous entries include Barbara Shaum and Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks. Today we will look at the many notable accomplishments of Villager and Fortune Society founder David Rothenberg.
This is the second of six posts highlighting 2015 Annual Awards recipients. Visit here for more information on the 2015 Village Awards and Annual Meeting. The first blog post highlighted Barbara Shaum. Our second Annual Award winner is Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks. Bonnie Slotnick has lived on West 10th Street since 1976 and has been the owner of Bonnie Slotnick […]
With our Annual Awards coming up on June 17th, over the next few weeks on our blog we will present a little more information about each of our 2015 Annual Village Award Winners. Visit here for more information on the 2015 Village Awards and Annual Meeting. Today we will highlight 2015 Village Award Recipient Barbara Shaum, […]
Join us on Wednesday, June 17th for the 35th GVSHP Annual Meeting and 25th Village Awards Co-hosted by The New School
An Off the Grid reader contacted us to ask for more background information and history about the buildings mentioned in last week’s e-newsletter “Pushing the Envelope in the West Village“. Fortunately, with the resources available on GVSHP’s website, finding out more information on buildings in our neighborhood is generally pretty easy to do — we’ll walk […]
In 1984, East Village resident Dan Root took some photographs for a book that a friend of a friend was going to write about the changing East Village. For a couple of months he took pictures, when time and money allowed, of this changing neighborhood. The book was never written and the photographs were put […]
Today is the 184th anniversary of the incorporation of NYU. Originally chartered as the “University of the City of New-York”, in 1831 admission was open to all during a time when most universities only admitted members of the privileged classes. The founders of NYU imagined a non-denominational center of higher learning that would be open to all […]
On April 8, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act. This act granted the President the authority to establish programs such as the W.P.A. (Works Progress Administration, later renamed the Work Projects Administration) to combat the Great Depression. There are many great examples of the W.P.A.’s efforts throughout the Village and East Village.
Nominations are now open for the 2015 Annual Village Awards. This year’s Awards will be held on June 17th. We invite you to submit nominations for anyone and anything that contributes to the unique quality of life in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo.
A limited number of tickets are still available to Village Preservation’s Brokers Partnership Comedy Night. Tonight’s event is a fundraiser to support the Rebecca Ritter Daniels Scholarship. Rebecca was a great supporter of Village Preservation and the Brokers Partnership. Her presence has been missed. In her honor, Rebecca’s friends and family have developed a scholarship […]
Built in 1886, Webster Hall was designated a New York City landmark on a March 18, 2008. According to the Landmarks Designation Report,Webster Hall is “one of New York City’s most historically and culturally significant large nineteenth-century assembly halls.”
March 14th is a date when several people with important connections to the Village will celebrate, or would have celebrated, their birthdays.
Free Image from Creative Commons The Jones-Shafroth Act, which conferred United States citizenship upon residents of Puerto Rico and set the stage for the huge migration of Puerto Ricans to NYC following WWII, was enacted on March 2, 1917. In 1945, there were 13,000 Puerto Ricans in New York City. Within 10 years this number […]
Three years ago today, GVSHP and the Village won an important early victory in the ongoing battle against the NYU 2031 expansion plan. On February 23, 2012, Community Board #2 voted unanimously to reject the overly ambitious and out of scale development proposal. This was the first official vote on NYU’s massive proposed expansion plan […]
