July is National Hot Dog Month (as designated by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council) and we have a few savory slices of NYC hot dog history in our Historic Image Archive. Nathan’s Famous was founded by Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker in 1916. The original still stands in Coney Island on the corner of […]
Village Preservation’s team is a strong one – we’re lucky to have a group of interns who are looking to gain experience in historic preservation in a non-profit environment. Internships are paid, and our interns come from all educational and life backgrounds. Not to brag, but we know that our intern team is the best […]
William Moses Kunstler (July 7, 1919 – September 4, 1995) was a giant in the legal profession most well-known for his groundbreaking civil rights and social justice work. While a highly controversial figure throughout his career, his work continues to inspire movements in the ongoing fights for human rights and social justice, legacies that run […]
“South of Union Square, the Birthplace of American Modernism” is a series that explores how the area south of Union Square shaped some of the most influential American artists of the 20th century. Throughout the 20th century, the area south of Union Square attracted painters, writers, publishers, and radical social organizations, many of whom were […]
Though forms of birth control existed long before the introduction of “the pill” in 1960, most women often did not have easy access to it. In the early 20th century, public views of birth control were often negative, discussion of it was usually stifled, and in general women did not have a great deal of […]
A wise man once said that only one food goes just as well with pie, coffee, or tears: ice cream. But you can’t always take wise men at their word; so we decided to put this piece of ancient wisdom to the test. On a suitably hot, summer day, we embarked — armed with a […]
Every June, New Yorkers and people from around the world gather in our city to celebrate Pride Month and honor the memory of the Stonewall Riots, three nights in 1969 that helped launch the modern fight for LGBTQ+ rights. And while the Stonewall Inn at 53 Christopher Street is indeed a landmark of that movement […]
The chunk of lower Broadway and its surrounding streets, depicted in the map above, extending north from Houston Street to East 9th Street, and east from Broadway and Mercer Street to Lafayette Street and the west side of Cooper Square, was officially designated as the NoHo Historic District on June 29th, 1999 after a multi-year […]
After the Supreme Court Decision DOBBS v.JACKSON WOMEN’S HEALTH ORGANIZATION overturning Roe v. Wade was released on Friday, June 24, people took to the streets. It was no surprise that people hoping to make their voices heard looked to our neighborhoods as a gathering place. Two of the many protests and rallies that took place in New York City were held in Washington Square Park and Union Square. These protests were organized by intersectional advocacy groups across Labor, Defund the Police, Housing, Immigration, and LGBTQIA+ movements.
The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary at 218 Second Avenue/216-222 Second Avenue/301-309 East 13th Street is one of the most consequential sites in medical history in New York City. Established in 1820, it is the oldest specialized hospital in the Western Hemisphere and one of the oldest hospitals in New York. Significant advances in […]
Our Historic Image Archive includes thousands of photos documenting the people and architecture of the Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, as well as New York City, from the late 18th to the early 21st century. In honor of Pride, today we explore some of our LGBTQ+ digital photo archives. In 2021, longtime Greenwich […]
To celebrate Pride this year, we’re guiding you on an exploration of today’s LGBTQ+-owned businesses led by the Queer Money Project — to celebrate both the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community in our neighborhoods, and to support small businesses (both of which we do 24/7, 365-days-a-year, but what better time than now?). And we’re doing it in an exciting new way that allows you to participate in Village Preservation programming on your own time. Grab a friend and visit these sites that we’ll reveal on Instagram throughout NYC Pride Weekend.
According to the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, only 14% of engineers in the United States are women. In 2022, though the number of women in S.T.E.M (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields is ever increasing, it’s shocking to hear that women still make up such a low percentage of engineers. Perhaps this is a result […]
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. Restaurants have it tough. Sixty percent of them […]
Any time of year is a good time to explore our nation’s rich and enduring immigrant history. Fortunately for us, we don’t have to travel far to honor the spirit of the newcomer from foreign lands, as there are many key landmarks to the history of immigration to be found in our own communities. One […]
The intersection of religion and identity can be potent, or even combustible, mix. For one Greenwich Village church and its congregation, in the late 1970s they came to a head in not just the spiritual but the real world realm in a way that made history. In June of 1978, the the Washington Square United […]
Flag Day is celebrated to commemorate the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777, by resolution of the Second Continental Congress: “Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” While not an official […]
Dave Van Ronk has been called a “folk singer’s folk singer.” He personified the image of the Greenwich Village artist and musician as the “local” who didn’t forsake his roots for fame and fortune. He was alternately dubbed both “the Mayor of Greenwich Village” and “the Mayor of MacDougal Street,” and stood as a symbol […]
1991 was a memorable year. The Cold War ended as the Soviet Union collapsed. The Gulf War was waged. We watched Murphy Brown and slow danced to Bryan Adams. And the Giants won the Superbowl! But perhaps most notably, on June 10, 1991, Village Preservation held its first Annual Village Awards! Since 1991, we have […]
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 […]
Frank Lloyd Wright’s (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) contributions to American architecture are wide and varied; his low slung Prairie style homes that irrevocably changed American residential design and his smooth seashell spiral of the Guggenheim Museum overlooking Central Park are among the most significant architectural works of the 20th century. While neither would […]
Greenwich Village’s Hudson River piers have always held a certain clandestine fascination for some segment of the public. After an automobile crash caused the elevated West Side Highway to collapse in December of 1973, Piers 18 – 52 fell into a derelict state, creating a dystopian yet incredibly private space for LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers to […]
New York’s Fifth Avenue rarely conjures up images of radicals or revolutionaries; it’s more commonly associated with high-end shopping, well-heeled cultural institutions, and corporate headquarters. But cross 14th Street, and all that changes, especially if you step back into the 20th and 19th centuries, when Fifth Avenue south of that great dividing line (and South […]
Each year, Village Preservation honors the invaluable people, businesses, and organizations that make a special contribution to our neighborhoods at our Annual Meeting and Village Awards. This year, on June 14, 2022, at 6 PM we will be celebrating seven outstanding awardees — RSVP HERE to attend in person and HERE to participate virtually via […]
Standing on one of the highest points in Manhattan, the Morris-Jumel Mansion has been part of the northern Manhattan landscape for more than 250 years. Surrounded by Roger Morris Park on Edgecombe Avenue, the structure is the oldest home in Manhattan and a beloved museum in Washington Heights …
Rose Cecil O’Neill was an American artist, cartoonist, illustrator, and author whose career shot to stardom at the early age of thirteen when she won a drawing prize from her hometown newspaper, the Omaha World-Herald. She eventually became the highest-paid and most famous woman in the field of commercial illustration, introducing the world to a […]
Village Preservation is very proud to honor Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis and Middle Collegiate Church as a Village Awardee in 2022. Join us in recognizing Rev. Dr. Lewis and Middle Church and these other worthy awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Tuesday, June 14th. Registration is free and open to all!
Lewis Miller is a floral designer by day. But by night, he’s known as “the Banksy of Floral Design.” Perhaps you have happened upon one of these striking floral creations that materialize (as if by magic) in our neighborhoods, and thought you had reached nirvana, or heaven, or somewhere other than New York City. But […]
Village Preservation is very proud to honor Zinc Bar as a Village Awardee in 2022. Join us in recognizing Zinc Bar and these other worthy awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Tuesday, June 14th. Registration is free and open to all!
According to historian Christopher Moore, the first legally emancipated community of people of African descent in North America was found in Lower Manhattan, comprising much of present-day Greenwich Village, NoHo, and the South Village, and parts of the Lower East Side and East Village. This settlement was comprised of individual landholdings, many of which belonged […]
Each year, Village Preservation honors the invaluable people, businesses, and organizations that make a special contribution to our neighborhoods at our Annual Meeting and Village Awards. This year, on June 14, 2022, at 6 PM we will be celebrating seven outstanding awardees — RSVP HERE to attend in person and HERE to participate virtually via livestream. New York City is […]
Our neighborhoods have long been meccas for immigrant cultures from near and far, facilitating a multicultural mix that have made them among the most unique communities in America. In that vein, today we’d like to spotlight the life and legacy of Vasant Rai, one of the world’s most decorated and honored masters of Indian classical […]
Village Preservation’s proposed South of Union Square Historic District was recently named one of 2022-2023’s “Seven to Save” — the biannual list of the most important endangered historic sites in New York State — by the Preservation League of New York State. This designation shines a spotlight on the incredibly valuable and varied architecture of […]
Each year, Village Preservation honors the invaluable people, businesses, and organizations that make a special contribution to our neighborhoods at our Annual Meeting and Village Awards. This year, on June 14, 2022, at 6 PM we will be celebrating seven outstanding awardees — RSVP HERE to attend in person and HERE to participate virtually via […]
Each year, Village Preservation honors the invaluable people, businesses, and organizations that make a special contribution to our neighborhoods at our Annual Meeting and Village Awards. This year, on June 14, 2022, at 6 PM we will be celebrating seven outstanding awardees — RSVP HERE to attend in person and HERE to participate virtually via […]
Village Preservation’s proposed South of Union Square Historic District was named one of the “Seven to Save” by the Preservation League of NY State for 2022-2023. The area is full of striking late 19th and early 20th century loft buildings, late 19th century hotels, early 20th century apartment buildings, and mid-19th century institutional buildings. Some […]
The East Village is one of New York City’s most historically dynamic neighborhoods, as evidenced by its rich and diverse built environment. The neighborhood displays excellent examples of so many types of dense urban housing present in New York City, from single-family rowhouses to tenements of the “pre,” “old,” and “new” law typologies, to public […]
New York City’s trees shade us in the summer, beautify our neighborhoods, help reduce noise, clean our air, counteract heat islands, absorb rainwater, and support important urban wildlife, among an almost infinite number of their bountiful attributes. Did you know that the trees of our urban forests are publicly owned? They are every bit as […]
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. I think we could all agree that city […]
Village Preservation is very excited to hold its first in-person Annual Meeting and Village Awards in three years on June 14. We’re especially excited that event will be co-hosted by The Cooper Union and held in The Great Hall. The Great Hall is a wonderfully appropriate setting for this important annual event for Village Preservation. […]
The Merchant’s House Museum at 29 East Fourth Street offers a most comprehensive view into what life might have been like for the wealthy merchant class in New York City during the 19th-century. While the house and its history date to 1832, its life as a museum began more than a century later in 1936 […]
Each year, Village Preservation honors the invaluable people, businesses, and organizations that make a special contribution to our neighborhoods at our Annual Meeting and Village Awards. This year, on June 14th, 2022 at 6 PM we will be celebrating seven outstanding awardees — RSVP HERE to attend in person and HERE to participate virtually via livestream. […]
Founded in 1969 by activists Ellen Willis and Shulamith Firestone, the Redstockings were one of the first Women’s Liberation groups, known for their then-radical support of a woman’s right to an abortion. Based in New York City, their name is a portmanteau of “Bluestockings,” an 18th century women’s literacy group, and “Red,” then a color […]
People of African descent have lived in the area now known as the East Village since the mid-17th century, when semi-freed African slaves of the Dutch West India Company in New Amsterdam were granted farmland here in the area that lay between the established Dutch settlement south of Wall Street and the lands still populated […]
On April 21, Village Preservation joined with the the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project to honor the city’s oldest gay bar and a pioneering event from the early days of the movement for LGBTQ+ rights. The honoree was Julius’ Bar at 159 West 10th Street and the notable event was the Sip-In. In the 1960s, […]
On May 4th, 1626, Dutch Explorer Peter Minuit landed on the island known to its indigenous population as Manahatta, orchestrating what has often been referred to as the “purchase” of the island for the Dutch (the indigenous people of course had no concept of land “ownership,” and likely saw the gifts as a token of […]
The neighborhood South of Union Square is a true crossroads — where art, politics, industry, commerce, the New York elite, and the working class collided to create an eclectic culture and built environment that helped shift the center of the global art world to New York City. In addition to its namesake social realist art […]
The Weehawken Street Historic District (designated May 2, 2006) consists of a small area on three blocks around West, Christopher, and 10th Streets. Although primarily known for its relation to New York City’s maritime industry from the 1830s to 1920s, the tiny district was also the center of New York’s Queer Leather and Denim (L&D) […]
We held a panel entitled Neighborhood Bookstores in the Age of Amazon in celebration of Independent Bookstore Day, featuring the Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Bookstore (34 Carmine Street), Printed Matter (38 St. Marks Place), and Book Club Bar (197 East 3rd Street). This national commemoration comes amidst a critical period for independent bookstores and for small […]
Louis Werckle “is a little old man, of no physical strength, and of apparently less courage.” That’s how The New York Times snarkily described the janitor of the Manhattan Savings Institution on October 28, 1878, an innocent and unwilling participant in one of the greatest crimes of the 19th century, which took place smack dab […]
Arguably the most important “father of electricity,” Nikola Tesla spent 13 years developing some of his most famous inventions critical to the future of electricity in laboratories located in Greenwich Village, NoHo, and the edge of today’s Chinatown. Emblematic of the way in which the far-sighted Tesla’s legacy and contributions to science were largely undervalued […]
The Greenwich Village Historic District (GVHD) was designated (landmarked) on April 29, 1969. The district holds some of the most important and beautiful parts of Greenwich Village within its bounds — from Washington Square to Abingdon Square, from the New School to the New York Studio School. Historic houses of worship and historic houses, key sites […]
On April 25, 1795 the cornerstone was laid for St. Marks Church-in-the-Bowery — a historic cornerstone itself of our neighborhoods. What no one knew then was that the building would be a center for the dance community for one hundred years and counting. The history of dance and performance at St. Mark’s is rich and deep, and continues to engage New York City in unique and significant ways.
Spoilers ahead for the first and second season of “Russian Doll” limited TV series Our neighborhoods have long been seen as a refuge and melting pot for immigrants of all nations and origins. Eastern and Southern Europeans and Chinese immigrants created communities within the heart of the Lower East Side, while Italians and African Americans […]
As Village Preservation prepares to unveil a plaque commemorating the “Sip-In” at Julius’ Bar on April 21, 1966, one might wonder about the Mattachine Society of New York, which organized this historic event as part of their broader participation in the 1945-1969 Homophile Movement in New York City and beyond. We know the leaders of […]
Christopher Moore (b. January 20, 1952, d. March 13, 2022, of complications from COVID and pneumonia) was a curator, archivist, author, storyteller, researcher, and the longest-serving member of New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, from 1995 to 2015. Moore became a notable fixture in the New York City preservation movement through his work to preserve […]
On April 19, 1965, New York City passed its landmarks law. While credit for passage of this law is often attributed to the demolition of Penn Station, the tragic loss of that beautiful Beaux Arts monument was just another straw on the proverbial camel’s back. The ability to protect our important built history which came […]
New York is a city of immigrants and, moreover, we are a nation largely of immigrants (Native Americans and the descendants of those brought here as slaves being the main and notable exceptions). This is especially true of our neighborhoods, which have attracted immigrants of all stripes for centuries. Immigration and the diversity of our […]
Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an icon. Her talent, accomplishments, and message lit a path for many who have come after her to rise to the top of their own profession. Anita Baker nominated Smith for her posthumous induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That was in 1989, […]
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. Perhaps you dream of being guitarist extraordinaire Bill […]
“South of Union Square, the Birthplace of American Modernism” is a series that explores how the area south of Union Square shaped some of the most influential American artists of the 20th century. Throughout the 20th century, the area south of Union Square attracted painters, writers, publishers, and radical social organizations, many of whom were […]
Our Gilded Age blog posts have previously looked into some of the major stores and influential people of the era in our neighborhoods South of Union Square. This period, from the end of the Civil War until around 1900, is renowned for its excess, luxury, and wealth enjoyed across American cities. Rapid economic growth bolstered […]
Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo are not known for having the large structures that can be found in Midtown (and thanks to last week’s rejection of a plan in the state budget to remove the limit on size of residential development in the city, our communities hopefully won’t be getting any supertall buildings […]
“What we can see out in the sunlight is always less interesting than what we can perceive taking place behind a pane of windowglass. In that pit, in that blackness or brightness, life is being lived, life is suffering, life is dreaming….” Baudelaire, Windows The pandemic has been, for many of us, the defining […]
Filled with mingled cream and amber, I will drain that glass again. Such hilarious visions clamber Through the chamber of my brain. Quaintest thoughts, queerest fancies Come to life and fade away. What care I how time advances; I am drinking ale today — Edgar Allan Poe This ode to ale by one-time Village resident […]
The neighborhood South of Union Square has no shortage of trailblazers in the arts, architecture, commerce, and social justice. Architects, like James Renwick, Jr., Louis Korn, Goldwin Starrett of Starrett & Van Vleck, and Albert Buchman of Buchman & Fox for example, typically get the lion’s share of the accolades for the design and construction […]
Approved as part or the New Deal on April 8th, 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) had a significant impact on our neighborhoods’ social resources and cultural capital. Considered to be one of 20th century America’s largest investments in social infrastructure, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) pursued over 26 different projects in the Greenwich Village, […]
The twin towers of the World Trade Center dominated the New York City skyline for almost thirty years, from their grand opening on April 4, 1973, until their destruction on September 11, 2001. They were visible from almost all corners of the city, and on a clear day, one could see them from up to […]
The Historic District South of Union proposed by Village Preservation has many amazing buildings designed by great architects of the 19th and 20th centuries. We have previously (and extensively) highlighted the work of James Renwick Jr. in the area. But many other incredibly accomplished architects — some of equal prominence and standing to the renowned […]
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 in […]
There are many sites throughout Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo that have played an important role in Black history and the struggle for civil rights in the United States. One of those sites, located in the West Village across from Sheridan Square, did so twice, in two separate centuries, in two very different […]
This is the latest installment in our Gilded Village blog series. The Gilded Age was a time of contradictions and change: extreme wealth and desperate poverty; political stability and corruption; venal greed and generous philanthropy; social retrenchment and reform; an ever-more powerful establishment and a rising immigrant class. Nowhere were the paradoxes and churn of […]
Greenwich Village, NoHo, and the East Village. You will have an opportunity to learn more about the history of arts and culture in our neighborhoods, as well as participate in workshops that build our ability to continue to preserve our land as well as culture unique to our communities.
Anna Gullo, a survivor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, believed, “In America, they don’t let you burn.” But the tragic events of March 25, 1911 proved her wrong. So did the failure to prosecute Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, the factory owners who locked the factory doors to protect their profits rather than their […]
Greenwich Village has long been a mecca and incubator for radical social justice advocates. With Village Preservation’s interactive map of the Greenwich Village Historic District as well as our Civil Rights and Social Justice Map, we can take a virtual walk through the neighborhood to visit significant sites related to many of these remarkable activists. […]
A self-proclaimed “gay superhero,” Stormé Delarverie (≅ December 24, 1920 – May 24, 2014, Pronouns: she/her in public, he/him in performance) was a drag king, bouncer, and neighborhood activist who outspokenly protected LGBTQ+ communities in our neighborhoods and Lower Manhattan. Pronounced “Stormy De-Lah-vee-yay,” she made a name for herself as the (alleged) spark that started […]
On March 22, 1841, the Irish Emigrant Aid Society was established “to afford advice, information, aid and protection to emigrants from Ireland and generally to promote their welfare.” The Society was founded by Bishop John Hughes and Dr. Robert Hogan, president of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, and leading Irish merchants, philanthropists, and politicians. […]
When spring arrives, our wonderful neighborhoods are alive with activity. Many more people are out and about, enjoying the unique beauty of our slice of the big city, where you can see the blue sky and the greenery of gardens, trees and flowers. The multitude of green spaces in our neighborhoods beckon at these times. And […]
New York City is blessed with a broad range of historic and internationally recognized cultural institutions across the five boroughs. But few know how many of them have origins here in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. A look through our recently released Beyond the Village and Back maps, one covering Manhattan below 72nd […]
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 on behalf of small business, we find great satisfaction in hearing of new independent establishments opening […]
The Gilded Age in New York City, from roughly the end of the Civil War to 1900, is a cacophony of contradictions. On the surface, the era was defined by excess, luxury, materialism, abundance, technical advancement, and extreme new wealth, which brought with it unprecedented corruption, inequality, and unrestrained greed. The Gilded Age is easily […]
