The area South of Union Square was once the antique center of the country. During the second half of the 20th century, dozens of freight trucks would converge in the neighborhood every weekday to replenish the inventory of antiques stores, even as dealers and decorators would descend on those stores ready to deplete them. The […]
Hip-Hop at 50This is the third in a series of posts that celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Birth of Hip Hop. Our exploration takes us to the seminal places of Hip Hop’s early days in our neighborhoods and introduces some of the instrumental figures in the downtown world of Hip Hop. The Ritz Party @ Webster Hall, […]
Today we welcome Chloe Gregoire aboard as our new Research and Preservation Associate (pronouns: she/her). Chloe has been an intern at Village Preservation since September of 2022. In that role, she has assisted on various research projects, including helping to establish a timeline and other details about small businesses in the West Village. She has […]
The song “Good Times” by disco-funk band Chic is more than just a catchy tune that encapsulates the carefree party spirit of the late 1970s. Ranked number 68 on the list of all time great songs of the rock era by Rolling Stone magazine, it not only epitomized the disco era, but quite quickly helped […]
Here at Village Preservation, our love of preserving history and adaptive reuse extends beyond buildings to all manner of objects and materials that came before us. Luckily, our area is full of small businesses that share that same environmentally-conscious philosophy. We’ve previously shared some of our favorite thrift stores, and today we’re rounding up even […]
Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive is a treasure trove of photographs that display the visual history of our changing neighborhoods and notable New York City landmarks and sites. We are fortunate to have recently added to that a collection of images from Linda Yowell, a longtime Village Preservation Trustee, valued chair of our Preservation Committee, […]
Hip Hop at 50This is the second in a series of posts that celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Birth of Hip Hop. Our exploration takes us to the seminal places of Hip Hop’s early days in our neighborhoods and introduces some of the instrumental figures in the downtown world of Hip Hop. The Museum […]
In August 2023 news broke that a row of six historic buildings on 3rd Avenue south of Union Square were scheduled for demolition. 50-52, 56, 58, 60, and 64 3rd Avenue comprise almost the entire block between 10th and 11th Streets. Dates of construction of the buildings date from the early 19th to the turn […]
The veneration of a martyred-thirteen-year old virgin once brought residents of the South Village together in celebration every August 11th. A special mass would kick off the event, which was anchored at the intersection of Sullivan Street and West Houston by a tall, papier-mâché tower atop which stood a statue of the martyr and a […]
The Smithsonian Institution is a treasured facet of American culture, founded by the U.S. government on August 10, 1846 “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” The Smithsonian is the largest complex of museums, education centers, and research institutes in the world. While its main branch may be situated on the Mall in Washington D.C. […]
Hip Hop at 50This is the first in a series of posts that celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Birth of Hip Hop. Our exploration takes us to the seminal places of Hip Hop’s early days in our neighborhoods and introduces some of the instrumental figures in the downtown world of Hip Hop. While the […]
Opened in 1972 as the Queens County Art and Cultural Center, the Queens Museum stands in the midst of busy Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in a building as old as the park itself, when it was created out of the Flushing River wetlands, garbage dump, and ash heap that had been located here (immortalized by F. […]
Edward LaGrassa was an architecture student in 1969 when he photographed hundreds of cast iron buildings and structures, largely in SoHo and Tribeca, but also in Harlem and Upper Manhattan. He took the pictures for a school project, and luckily, the negatives were scanned and donated to Village Preservation, becoming the stunning “Edward LaGrassa’s Cast […]
It is well known that newspapers were once the place to go for everything: international news, an apartment, weekend plans, and maybe even a date. They might no longer play quite so central a role in our lives, but for anyone interested in historical research, they’re still one of the best resources out there. Finding […]
Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village, or NoHo: click here to nominate your favorite. Want to help support small businesses? Share this post with friends. A hobby is a nice thing to have. […]
One of the best things about walking around our neighborhoods is the delight in looking up and discovering a beautiful or unique feature of a building. You can traverse the same street a thousand times, and on the thousand-and-first pass, a stone detail or a colorful window sill that you’ve never noticed before might catch […]
Beverly Moss Spatt (1924-2023) was a leading figure in New York City planning and preservation for over fifty years. She served on the City Planning Commission from 1966-1970 and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) from 1974-1982, where she was the first woman chair from 1974-1978. During her tenure leading the agency, so many important […]
As we’ve previously covered, the East Village in the 1970s was a far cry from the neighborhood we know today. But amidst the chaos of city negligence, architectural deterioration, and needless destruction, community members rose up to reclaim and rebuild their neighborhood with a new vision. The roots of that vision took hold and continues […]
On July 28, 2020, Village Preservation sent a long and comprehensive letter to Sarah Carroll, chair of the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, asking the agency to preserve historic 59 Fifth Avenue, as part of our proposed South of Union Square Historic District. As of yet, the LPC has taken no action on preserving the building […]
“Working as an artist on the Lower East Side in the late Forties and early Fifties wasn’t always easy, as Alfred Leslie can tell you. He once received a visit from the police, who asked him what he was doing in a huge, dark loft, with only a flickering lamp to see by. ‘I’m an […]
Jean Shepherd (July 26, 1921 – October 16, 1999) is probably best known as the voice of the beloved and relatively new holiday classic, A Christmas Story. But he was a very regular presence on the radio waves in the 1950s and 60s thanks to his program that aired on WOR Radio. While his tales […]
Greenwich Village has always been a cutting edge neighborhood, but who were the true trendsetters? Who dared to dream up something truly novel and break barriers we didn’t even know existed? Greenwich Village boasts an abundance of history, but it’s rare to find historical figures who can truly claim to be the first. In the […]
Tony Bennett (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023) was one of the most beloved jazz musicians of all time. Armed with a set of golden pipes and an even more golden heart, Bennett garnered near-universal admiration with a career spanning over seven decades. The landscape of music has shifted to become nearly unrecognizable since […]
Village Preservation has long paid tribute to the widespread impacts players in our neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo have had on the civil rights and social justice movements in the United States. Few places in America have contributed as much to these histories in such a concentrated area. In 2017, we […]
Beverly Moss Spatt (1924-2023) was a leading figure in New York City planning and preservation for over fifty years. She grew up in Brooklyn where she helped form that borough’s first reform Democratic club. She served on the City Planning Commission from 1966-1970 and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission from 1974-1982. She served as […]
Today we welcome a new small business to our neighborhoods — help us welcome the next. Tell us which new independent store in Greenwich Village, the East Village, or NoHo you’re excited about by emailing us at info@villagepreservation.org. As advocates for local small business, we find great satisfaction in hearing of new independent establishments opening […]
“The camera alone can catchthe swift surfaces of thecities today and speaks alanguage intelligible to all.” Berenice Abbott The work of Greenwich Village photographer Berenice Abbott (July 17, 1898-December 9, 1991) stands as an important bridge between the photographic circles and cultural hubs of Paris and New York. Born in Springfield, Ohio, Abbott moved to […]
“I don’t go around looking for trouble, and yet these experiences often lead me out of sculpture to realms of danger — fantastic, literal, psychic danger.” — George Spaventa, ARTnews, September 1961 It is always exciting to find more strands of the expansive history in our neighborhoods; whether incidentally, or while following a direct lead. In this […]
The East Village is a neighborhood known for its rich history, diversity, and creative culture. That diversity includes the wealth of religious institutions found across the neighborhood, as highlighted by our Churches Tour on our East Village Building Blocks website. Covering a span from 1799 to 1970, stops on the tour include the oldest site […]
Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village, or NoHo: click here to nominate your favorite. Want to help support small businesses? Share this post with friends. Our July Business of the Month is your […]
Connie Converse was arguably the first modern singer-songwriter, writing and playing intimate songs on her acoustic guitar in the mid-1950s, before Bob Dylan ever arrived in Greenwich Village. But her original, beautiful, and remarkably poignant talent has remained virtually unknown — until now. The moving, witty, and melodically sophisticated songs she wrote in the 1950s […]
Many of the most revered artists of the past century were profoundly impacted by their time in and around our neighborhoods. Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has risen above even those icons to become the top-selling female artist on the planet, all while developing a style that is as immersive as it is iconic. Born March […]
Many of the donated images in our Historic Image Archive were received with little identifying information. We often think, who are these people? Where is this location? When was this picture taken? Sometimes we figure it out all on our own, like this one. Other times, it’s a bit more difficult, as in this case where […]
“I had spent many years pursuing excellence, because that is what classical music is all about… Now [jazz] was dedicated to freedom, and that was far more important.” – Nina Simone On June 27th, 2023, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated three new individual landmarks, all with ties to the history of modern […]
Sex and the City, the wildly successful TV series that premiered on June 6, 1998 and captivated audiences with its fashionable characters and hooky storylines, showcased many New York City locations with its fairy tale version of city life, more than a few of which were in our neighborhoods. These locales were often as important […]
Born in March 1873, Inez Haynes Irwin, otherwise known as Inez Haynes Gillmore, was a remarkable suffragette, author, and feminist that once resided here in Greenwich Village at 240 West 11th Street. Inez had a storied life that went against many of the societal norms for women at that time. In one of her first […]
Launched in 2017, Village Preservation’s Civil Rights and Social Justice Map marks sites in our neighborhoods significant to the history of various civil rights and social justice movements, and now includes over 225 entries. Those sites are divided among six different groups, including one for social justice and other civil rights activism. Today we take […]
Here at Village Preservation we strive to highlight the lives and contributions of the many artists who lived, dreamed, and created profound works of art in our neighborhoods. Now, we’re excited to partner with On This Spot, a nonprofit digital mapping project, to do just that! On This Spot shares the inspiring stories of a […]
Imagine over a thousand workers arriving at Penn Station on a dedicated train, gathering at Union Square, and marching up Fifth Avenue toward Madison Square Garden (the Sanford White-designed one by Madison Square Park) as a band plays La Marseillaise and The Internationale. The Garden is bedecked with red banners and sashes; its tower aglow […]
There’s no doubt that summertime in our New York City neighborhoods is sizzling hot! And as thermometers continue to tick upward and Independence Day celebrations approach, we recommend that you skip the fireworks and head into some of the coolest institutions in the city: independent bookstores. Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo have some of […]
We’ve recently unearthed information about another great African American jazz musician who called our neighborhood south of Union Square home, and have added him to our South of Union Square map’s music and African American history tours. Born in Dennison, Texas, on October 31, 1930, Booker T. Ervin was a tenor saxophonist who resided at […]
In 1967, gay rights activist Craig Rodwell had a vision for a place that would serve not only as a bookstore but also as a space for community gatherings and activism. As a volunteer for the New York chapter of the Mattachine Society, a political group advocating for gay rights, Rodwell believed that the group […]
There’s no better place to enjoy summer than the East Village, Greenwich Village, and NoHo! There is something for everyone, including amazing local ice cream, live music, community gardens and even bird watching — all captured for posterity in our historic image archive. Volunteers at the Jefferson Market Garden in the mid 1980s, from the […]
There’s a particular exuberance in the air as spring gives way to summer in the Village. We love June around here for many reasons: seeing all the people and pets out and about, fountains flowing in parks, rainbow flags in windows of small businesses to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and cafes with tables full of […]
Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village, or NoHo: click here to nominate your favorite. Want to help support small businesses? Share this post with friends. If you traveled back in time to the […]
Classic Stage Company (known as CSC amongst theatergoers) is an East Village theatrical landmark and one of the longest-running Off-Broadway companies. CSC has been committed to re-imagining classic stories for contemporary audiences since 1967. It is a home for both established and emerging artists to grapple with great works of the world’s repertory that speak […]
LGBTQ+ Pride and History Month is upon us. As we take the time to honor the struggles and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community in New York City and beyond, there remain numerous sites that speak to the history yet remain unprotected under our landmarks laws and vulnerable to demolition. Village Preservation has been advocating for […]
In the later years of the 19th century, the area South of Union Square became a hub of consumerism, bringing in department stores like Macy’s to entertain a new wave of capitalism. One of these stores, later featured in the works of artist Isabel Bishop, was Hearn’s Department Store. Established in 1879 by James A. […]
The cultural and artistic ecosystem of Greenwich Village has provided us with no shortage of literary giants to admire, study, and honor. Prominent among them, yet hardly ever mentioned in the canon of 20th century American poets, is José García Villa (August 5, 1908 – February 7, 1997), an acclaimed Filipino poet lovingly referred to […]
It is a well-known and celebrated fact that countless visual artists have lived and worked in Greenwich Village over the years. These talented individuals have made the neighborhood their home, drawn to the historic architecture and vibrant culture spurred by fellow creatives. One artist, perhaps lesser known in the mainstream but certainly influential within her […]
Fifty years ago, a groundbreaking movement was born—a movement that would forever change the landscape of LGBTQ+ rights, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This year, we joyfully celebrate the 50th anniversary of PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), an organization that has played a pivotal role in supporting, educating, and advocating for the LGBTQ+ community and their loved ones. As we reflect on half a century of tireless dedication, unwavering support, and incredible progress, we honor the legacy of PFLAG and its profound impact on countless lives.
One of the East Village’s earliest designated but perhaps least well known landmarks, is the Church of the Immaculate Conception and Clergy House, located at 406–412 East 14th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A, and designed a NYC landmark June 7th, 1966, just 8 months after the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission began designating landmarks, showing how highly they thought of […]
Village Preservation is very proud to honor Yara Arts Group as a Village Awardee in 2023. Join us in recognizing Yara and these other worthy awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Tuesday, June 13. Registration is free and open to all! Established in 1990 by Virlana Tkacz, Wanda Phipps, and Watoku […]
Each year at our Annual Meeting and Village Awards ceremony, Village Preservation presents one unique award: the Regina Kellerman Award, named in honor of Village Preservation’s first Executive Director. Regina was a passionate advocate for historic preservation, and this year’s awardee is a golden example of her vision for preserving the architectural and cultural heritage […]
The Tompkins Square Park bandshell, constructed in 1966, was the center of cultural and political movements in the East Village during the tumultuous decades of the late 20th century. From its use as a backdrop for the founding of the Young Lords Party in 1969, to the Grateful Dead’s first-ever New York City show, the […]
For five seasons, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel had us slapping our knees and laughing from our bellies with its quick-witted humor and whimsical absurdity. Each character seemed to move at a mile a minute through their own struggles and ambitions, set against the backdrop of New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the […]
Not that long ago, someone strolling down one of our neighborhood streets could have been forgiven for not looking up from their iPhone, except perhaps to avoid walking into oncoming traffic. All that started to change 11 years ago, when we launched our historic plaque program. These days, not looking increasingly means missing out on […]
The dance performance of “Strange Fruit” portrays the emotional journey of a white woman as she reacts in horror to the sight of lynching she witnessed and participated in. This dance interpretation of the poem by Abe Meeropol was performed by trailblazing dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist Pearl Primus at Cafe Society in April 1943, only […]
One of the delights of working in the field of historic preservation is getting to regularly dig into old image archives, where unique, wonderful, and fleeting glimpses into the past await, captured from the perspectives of individuals who lived and worked in these neighborhoods. Riccardo Spina, whose family first arrived in Greenwich Village from Italy […]
Humans, anthropocentric as they are, project their emotive capacity onto the inanimate world. If you’re throwing away an old pair of shoes, and you stare at them long enough, they will stare back at you sadly. Those who can make art out of manipulating these transfigurations are almost like magicians. And for years, we were […]
Village Preservation is very proud to honor The Red Door Place as a 2023 Village Awardee. Join us in recognizing The Red Door Place and these five other worthy awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Tuesday, June 13. Registration is free and open to all! The Red Door Place is an […]
Village Preservation is very proud to honor the Monster Bar at 80 Grove Street as a Village Awardee in 2023. Join us in recognizing them and these five other worthy awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Tuesday, June 13 at 6pm at Cooper Union’s Historic Great Hall. Registration is free and open to all! […]
Village Preservation is very proud to honor Dashwood Books as a Village Awardee in 2023. Join us in recognizing Dashwood and these other worthy awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Tuesday, June 13. Registration is free and open to all! Established in September, 2005, Dashwood Books is New York’s only independent […]
Village Preservation is very proud to honor Essex Card Shop as a Village Awardee in 2023. Join us in recognizing Essex Card shop and these other worthy awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Tuesday, June 13th. Registration is free and open to all! Essex Card Shop is an example of so […]
This special two-part post explores the legacy of the energy pioneers who constructed solar collectors and a windmill at 519 East Eleventh Street. In the first installment we explored the origins of the East Village’s renewable energy fixtures and the activists who had the gall to imagine them. This week we will dive into the […]
Honor Our LGBT Elders Day is celebrated each year on May 16th. While every day is a good day to pay tribute to those who have paved the way for the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender) community, it is also fitting to set aside a special day to honor and celebrate the courage, persistence, […]
At the age of 24, after spending a decade building her music career in Nashville, Tennessee, Taylor Swift moved to New York City. Like so many artists before her, Swift was particularly drawn to Greenwich Village, and many of her songs since have paid tribute to the neighborhood. During her early period in New York […]
As spring unfolds, our neighborhoods’ many green spaces become even more enticing. For some, it’s trips to our parks to lay out on the grass; for others, volunteering at one of the many community gardens that dot our streets. Regardless of your preference, having these green spaces available helps make our community vibrant and livable. […]
Focus on your breath. It all begins there. Notice its natural rhythm and let that movement expand into a full-body contraction and release. This will form the basis of a stylized movement vocabulary that will allow you to explore the dynamic tension between the need to vent your passion and the desire for control. Now […]
This special two-part post explores the legacy of the energy pioneers who constructed solar collectors and a windmill at 519 East Eleventh Street. In the first installment we will explore the origins of the East Village’s renewable energy fixtures and the activists who had the gall to imagine them. Next week we will dive into […]
This special two-part series explores Ai Weiwei’s experiences in two different East Villages — one in New York and the other in Beijing — both of which were hubs of artistic experimentation and influence. In the first installment, we explored Ai Weiwei’s formative years in New York, discussing his friendship with Allen Ginsberg and his […]
Coming up the weekend of May 20-21 is the Sacred Sites Open House, a series of programs organized by the New York Landmarks Conservancy to give visitors unique access to an array of religious institutions across the state (Village Preservation is a cosponsor of the event.) Several of those churches stand in the neighborhoods we […]
Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village, or NoHo: click here to nominate your favorite. Want to help support small businesses? Share this post with friends. Given a choice between switching pharmacies and breaking […]
Pete Seeger: born on the Lower East Side on May 3, 1919.
Going to the movies: One of America’s favorite pastimes. Before the advent of at-home technologies such as VHS, DVDs, and certainly streaming services, often the only way to see a beloved old film, or to discover one you may have missed when it was first released, was at a revival movie house. The earliest of […]
This special two-part series explores Ai Weiwei’s experiences in two different East Villages — one in New York and the other in Beijing — both of which were hubs of artistic experimentation and influence. In the first installment, we will delve into Ai Weiwei’s formative years in New York, where he developed both his career […]
Great Poetry Reading Day is celebrated each year on April 28. Poetry is one of humankind’s oldest art forms. In ancient times, prior to written alphabets and other forms of literary prose, poetry was used to convey historical facts, culture, and traditions from generation to generation. When written language was invented, poetry was one the […]
As a historian, researcher, and photographer active in preservation, Susan De Vries has been a valued contributor to the field for over two decades. Recently, we’ve added some of her photographs to our Historic Image Archive. Within these collections are images of some of the historic buildings we’ve worked to protect over the past few decades. Early in […]
