Irish American Heritage Permeates #SouthOfUnionSquare
Irish American figures defined the blocks where Greenwich Village meets the East Village.
More Historic Images: The Pryor Dodge Collection
It just never stops growing…Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive, that is. The latest addition is the Pryor Dodge Collection, a collection taken between 1966 and 1967. They provide a wonderful snapshot (pardon the pun) into Greenwich Village and the East Village from this time. Featured are children playing, musicians collaborating, and life on the Bowery. […]
Beyond the Village and Back: Cushman Row, 406-418 West 20th Street
Along with the houses on Washington Square North, Chelsea’s ‘Cushman Row’ at 408-418 West 20th Street is frequently noted as the finest row of Greek Revival residences in New York City.
City’s SoHo/NoHo Rezoning Plan Includes Part of Chinatown, and Hundreds of Rent Regulated Units Could Be Lost
The newly-released study by Village Preservation shows that the City’s SoHo/NoHo Rezoning Plan, which includes part of Chinatown, will make the area richer, whiter, and more expensive to live in than now, increase demolition pressures on existing rent regulated units, and potentially destroy more affordable housing than it creates. Town Hall and Teach In Tonight Village […]
Fighting the City’s SoHo/NoHo Rezoning Plan – By The Numbers
A newly-released study by Village Preservation shows that the City’s SoHo/NoHo Rezoning Plan will make both of these neighborhoods richer, whiter, and more expensive to live in than they are now, and likely create significantly less affordable housing than projected, potentially destroying more affordable housing than it creates. In the fall of 2020, the de Blasio […]
Pioneers Converge on MacDougal Street: Dr. Robert Hogan, Rev. Henry Highland Garnet, and Sarah Smith Garnet
175 MacDougal Street holds far more history than is visible upon first glance.
Recording Pioneer Rob Mason’s Life on 12th Street
For more than a quarter century, Rob Mason (the subject of a recent Village Preservation Oral History) operated RPM Studios from his live/work loft at 12 East 12th Street, south of Union Square. RPM was one of the first boutique recording studios in the city during a golden age of music and recording here from 1976-2004. […]
Small Business, Big History: Celebrating and Advocating
We continue to advocate for small businesses and to add new local independent businesses to our “Small Business/Big History” signage program, in which we are partnering with great local businesses to promote neighborhood history and the wonderful services and products they offer. Go here to learn all about our current Small Business efforts and to get […]
Latest Landmarks Applications
Village Preservation provides an ongoing record of all applications for changes to landmarked properties in our neighborhoods (Greenwich Village, NoHo, Gansevoort Market, the South Village, and the East Village) that require a public hearing before they can be approved. These proposals range from minor alterations to large additions, demolition, and new construction on landmarked sites. […]
New Image Collections Shows Interiors of One of Our Most Intriguing Houses, and the Village in the 1960s
We’re proud to share the latest additions to our historic image archive, both donated by photographer Pryor Dodge. The first shows the stunning interiors of 52 West 9th Street, the home and studio of his grandfather, renowned muralist William de Leftwich Dodge. The elder Dodge raised the roof of the house for his studio as so many […]
Village Preservation Historic Plaques Honor Trailblazing Women in our Neighborhoods
Today we’re looking at the historic plaques that Village Preservation has placed throughout our neighborhoods commemorating some of the amazing women who have lived, worked, and changed history here. Historic plaques are a great tool to educate the public about the remarkable history of our neighborhoods, and the incredible people, events, and movements connected to sites […]
Women of the Mimeo Revolution: Diane DiPrima & Anne Waldman
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating, honoring, and advocating for the important contributions of women in our neighborhoods. And today we’re highlighting the innovative work of women poets in the mid-century mimeograph revolution. As Rona Cran writes in “Space Occupied: Women Poet-Editors and the Mimeograph Revolution in Mid-Century New York City,” the downtown […]
Business of the Month: NoHo Juice Bar, 208 Mercer Street
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. Every nook and […]
A Village Song: “Bazooka Joe Don’t Live There Anymore”
The singer-songwriter Gone Marshall recently celebrated a bit of vintage Greenwich Village which might be familiar to you, over on the corner of MacDougal and Houston Street. If you’re thinking fondly of some of the old-school neighborhood heroes, you might find meaning in the new song, “Bazooka Joe Don’t Live There Anymore.” Marshall, known for a […]
Study: City’s Proposed SoHo/NoHo Upzoning Would Make Neighborhoods Richer, Whiter, and More Expensive
Plan would likely only create 1/5 of projected Affordable Housing, push out Asian American and lower income residents would likely destroy more Affordable Housing than it creates.
Spring Continuing Ed Classes Open to General Public
Village Preservations’ highly acclaimed continuing education classes are available online this May, and we are excited to now offer the course at a highly discounted rate to people not acquiring the continuing education credits.
Setting Women Up for Success: Lydia Fowler Wadleigh
The Police Athletic League Building at 34 1/2 East 12th Street between University Place and Broadway was built in 1855 for the New York City Board of Education, and designated an individual New York City landmark in 1998. The building has an amazing history in relation to the education of women and girls in our […]
Groundbreaking Artist and Educator Selma Hortense Burke’s Home at 88 East 10th Street
Selma Hortense Burke lived and worked at 88 East 10th Street from 1944 until at least 1949.
Women’s History Month: Celebrate, Honor, Preserve Women’s History
March is Women’s History Month, and we’re celebrating, honoring, and advocating, and you can too!
Levi Strauss, From Immigrant Peddler to International Icon
In the mid-19th century, Levi Strauss was responsible for bringing one of the world’s most durable clothing items to market: denim blue jeans. Levi Strauss would become a household name as his distinctly American invention — an enduring symbol of cowboy and frontier life in the 1800s, of Beat ‘cool’ in the 1950s, hippies in […]
Ten Years ‘Off The Grid’
A lot can happen in ten years — pop culture references grow old, new technology emerges, and the stories we tell continue to evolve. Village Preservation’s blog Off The Grid celebrates a momentous milestone today, thanks in part to all who have contributed to it over the years and our amazing supporters who continue to […]
Village Awards 2021 Nominations Now Open!
Nominate your favorite local business, institution, community group, restoration/renovation, or hero!
Women Crush Wednesday: The Wonder of Villager Judy Holliday
Judy Holliday, the brilliant star of stage and screen, was a New Yorker through and through. It makes perfect sense that while she was an up-and-coming superstar, she made her home in Greenwich Village in a floor-through apartment at 158 Waverly Place, a gorgeous 1839 Greek Revival townhouse. It is also no surprise that Holliday […]
The Legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois Reverberates Throughout Our Neighborhoods
In 1909, the activist, scholar, educator, writer, editor W.E.B. Du Bois co-founded the NAACP.
Yun Gee: Modern Artist, Inventor, Poet, Villager
Artist, poet, philanthropist, teacher, writer, and inventor Yun Gee (1906-1963) was the first Chinese-American artist to hold an important position in the history of Western contemporary art. Considered one of the great modernist avant-garde painters, Gee enjoys a number of other “firsts.” He was the first Chinese-born artist invited to join the Société des Artistes Indépendants; […]
Jackie Curtis: East Village Superstar, “Pioneer without a Frontier”
“I am not a boy, not a girl, I am not gay, not straight, I am not a drag queen, not a transsexual – I am just me, Jackie.” This wonderful declaration of what Jackie was not leaves so much space to explore who Jackie was — Villager, performer, superstar whose praises were sung by […]
Director Miloš Forman’s Life Takes Us from West to East Village, and Back Again
As a young filmmaker and a new New Yorker, the legendary filmmaker Miloš Forman lived in an apartment on Leroy Street in Greenwich Village.
“Artists in Revolt, Form New Society:” The 1913 Armory Show
On December 14, 1911, four artists assembled to discuss the world of new possibilities open to their field. They resolved to “[organize] a society for the purpose of exhibiting the work of progressive painters,” with the goal of highlighting “both American and foreign [artists]… favoring such work usually neglected by current shows & especially interesting […]
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Michael Stewart, and ‘Defacement’
In our new African American History curriculum for middle school students, we explore how Jean-Michel Basquiat’s art also served as a platform for advocacy, addressing some of the most pressing issues of race and discrimination of his (and our) day. Basquiat was already a successful studio artist when, on September 15th, 1983, events transpired in […]
Business of the Month: Anthony Aiden Opticians, 42 St. Marks Place
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. Do you wear […]
The Birth of the NAACP, and Their Deep Roots in Greenwich Village
For over 100 years, the NAACP has been fighting to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons, and to eliminate race-based discrimination. Though their headquarters is now located in Baltimore, Maryland, the organization called our neighborhood home for decades, and held its first public meeting here as well. Founded […]
Webster Hall’s First Ball (of many)
Webster Hall at 125 East 11th street has a remarkable past. Started as a social club in 1887, it is without a doubt one of New York’s most famous gathering spots. And that long history of bringing people together under one roof had a pretty auspicious start. In February of 1887, the new protected cruiser […]
Village Preservation Historic Plaques Honoring African Americans in Our Neighborhood
Historic plaques can be a wonderful way to educate the public about the remarkable history of our neighborhoods, and the incredible people, events, and movements connected to sites all around us. Historic plaques benefit local communities, as well as tourists and visitors, by sparking further interest in local history. Dedication ceremonies, which celebrate the installation […]
“Save The Village” Face Masks — Support Your Health, Your Community, and Preservation
Now for sale on our website — Village Preservation’s “Save The Village” face coverings, featuring this iconic 1960 image by Fred W. McDarrah of the demolition of a Greenwich Village artist’s studio covered with the “Save The Village” message. A purchase not only allows you to keep yourself and friends and neighbors safe. It also supports Village Preservation’s […]
Varga Girl Pin-Up Art, Rooted in Greenwich Village
Joaquin Alberto Vargas y Chavez (February 9, 1896 — December 30, 1982) was Peruvian-born painter of pin-up girls who would come to be known as the ‘Varga Girls.’ His artwork would appear in magazines, advertisements, calendars and even on the cover of a Cars album in the 1980s. He found the woman who would be […]
The NAACP and National Board of Review Confront “The Birth of a Nation’” Racism from 70 Fifth Avenue
On February 8th, 1915, D.W. Griffith’s acutely racist film The Birth of a Nation debuted.
“Secret Banned Rites”: Poets at Café Le Metro
Café Le Metro, now the 13th Step Sports Bar, was located at 149 Second Avenue. A four-story Greek Revival row house, it is the oldest on its block front and currently retains its original stoop, entryway and upper façade. Constructed in 1850 for original owner Joseph Kirnichon, the building was “tenementized,” or converted to house […]
The Largest Black Studies Collection in the U.S. — University Place Bookshop, #SouthOfUnionSquare
The University Place Book Shop was one of the longest-running “Book Row” shops.
Elizabeth Blackwell’s 200th: The Doctors Blackwell and Their Legacies
Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree, which she put to great use when she opened in NoHo the first infirmary run by women for women. Born on February 3, 1821, in Bristol England, Blackwell and her family moved to the United States in 1832. Following the […]
The Birth of the Tenement Fire Escape
On February 2, 1860, a terrible fire broke out in a tenement at 142 Elm Street (today Lafayette Street, just north of Howard Street in SoHo). The building was occupied by 24 families, according to The New York Times account at the time, and the fire started in a bakery in the basement. Ten women […]
Plan for 14-16 Fifth Avenue Demolition and Tower Replacement Returns; Hearing Feb. 16
The plan to demolish the 172 year old historic former townhouses at 14-16 Fifth Avenue in the Greenwich Village Historic District, and replace them with a high-rise tower, has returned and will be heard before Community Board 2’s Landmarks Committee on Tuesday, February 16 at 6:30pm. You can register for the Zoom meeting here (be sure to click on the […]
Voting Rights For All? 1624-1870
Village Preservation’s curriculum on Black history for middle school students focuses on local, citywide, national, and global themes and movements from pre-European settlement through the 21st century. One of the themes we explore is how voting rights and other civil rights evolved and were won by and for African Americans in our city and elsewhere […]
Celebrate African American History Month and the Elizabeth Blackwell Bicentennial and Join Us in Fighting to Protect This Critical History
This February is African American History Month, a time to highlight and celebrate the rich history of African American struggle, success, and life in our neighborhoods over the last four hundred years (the first non-Native American settlers of Greenwich Village and the East Village were, in fact, African Americans). It’s also the 200th anniversary of the birth […]
Who’s That Rapping At My Chamber Door? Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” Takes Flight in Greenwich Village
Almost 200 years after it was first published, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven still terrifies and delights. The poem, about a forlorn lover tormented by a mysterious bird as he slowly descends into madness, permeated both critical circles and the popular consciousness, proving that the macabre could and should share a space with literary fiction […]
Jackson Pollock’s Greenwich Village
Influential Abstract Expressionist painter Paul Jackson Pollock was born on January 28, 1912 in Cody, Wyoming. With his father, a farmer and government surveyor, mother and four brothers, Pollock grew up in Arizona and Chico, California, before moving to Greenwich Village. He lived in several Village apartments before becoming the Jackson Pollock who is considered one of […]
Leontyne Price Shatters Racial Barriers in Met Opera Debut
Leontyn Price, the groundbreaking, world-renowned soprano and longtime Greenwich Village resident, made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera on January 27, 1961. Ms. Price was one of the first internationally recognized African-American opera stars. Her career broke through racial barriers at another time in our history when the United States was experiencing intense racial strife […]
More Small Business With Big History
2021 is the year we realize more than ever the need to shop local as much as we can. We know you love to support small, local, independent businesses. And we do too. 2021 is here and Village Preservation continues to add new local independent businesses to our “Small Business/Big History” signage program, in which we […]
Igal Roodenko: Printer and Civil Rights Trailblazer #SouthOfUnionSquare
The anti-war and civil rights activist Igal Roodenko was a leader in a number of the most significant social movements of the twentieth century.
New African-American History Curriculum for Children’s Education Program
Just in time for the upcoming Black History Month, Village Preservation has developed a new, four-part course on African American history for middle school students as part of our Children’s Education Program. This remote Zoom course focuses on local, citywide, national, and global themes and movements. It looks at the Dutch origins of slavery in New […]
The Village Presbyterian Church Helps Gives Birth to an Off-Broadway Spanish Revolution
Our neighborhoods are filled with incredibly rich stories, each door and window a portal into the hidden history of New York City. It is always a surprise to find that, when you dig even deeper, you can find amazing stories hidden in nooks and corners. The stately Village Presbyterian Church once located at 141-145 West […]
Michael E. Levine Oral History: How the Greenwich Village Historic District, SoHo, and Stonewall Happened
Village Preservation shares our oral history collection with the public, highlighting some of the people and stories that make Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo such unique and vibrant neighborhoods. Each includes the experiences and insights of leaders or long-time participants in the arts, culture, preservation, business, or civic life. Michael E. Levine is […]
Bethune Street: Tribute to a Remarkable Woman
We have posted a number of times about the origins of the names of various streets in our area, nearly all of which honor men. Bethune Street, barely three blocks in length, deviates from that patriarchal trend. It was named after a woman who was exceptional in her philanthropic and educational work, Joanna Graham Bethune […]
After 2 1/2 Year Campaign, City Agrees to Consider 70 Fifth Avenue, South of Union Square, For Landmark Designation
Building Has Tremendous Historic Significance, and Site Is Vulnerable to Supertall Development; Push for Broader Landmarks Protections for Area Continues We are pleased to report that in a surprise move, yesterday the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to calendar, or begin the process of formally considering for landmark designation, 70 Fifth Avenue (2-6 West 13th Street), a site […]
The Umbra Collective: “The Downtown Poets Stayed Downtown”
Like the New York branch of the Black Panther Party, the Umbra Poets Workshop started in an unidentified location somewhere in the East Village. Working to establish a Black poetic community counter to the mainstream in the 1960s and ’70s, the collective conducted readings, performances, and festivals, met to collaboratively workshop each others’ writings, contributed […]
Remembering “The Day The Music Died” With a No. 1 Hit
“American Pie” is perhaps one of the most compelling, beloved, and cryptic songs in the American songbook. Written by Don McLean in 1970, the song sprang from the Folk Music movement in Greenwich Village. Izzy Young, well known to musicians and music aficionados around the world, whose Greenwich Village shop, the Folklore Center, was the […]
Business of the Month: The Good Earth Cleaners, 6 Bethune Street
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. Having our clothes […]
Cemeteries of The East Village, Part IV
Continuing our Cemeteries of the Village series, today we look at the blocks surrounding 2nd Street and Second Avenue. Two landmarked cemeteries still exist here, and four other 19th-century cemeteries once called these blocks home, but little trace of them remains. New York and New York City Marble Cemeteries The New York Marble Cemetery, a […]
New Oral History with Michael Levine Explores Roots of Greenwich Village Historic District, SoHo, Stonewall Riots, and More
We’ve just added our first new oral history of 2021. Michael E. Levine is an urban planner who worked as the NYC Department of City Planning’s Community Board #2 liaison beginning in the 1960s, and was intimately involved in the landmark designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District as well as pioneering zoning and landmark designations for […]
Explore More Local Small Businesses With Big History!
Village Preservation is expanding our “Small Business/Big History” signage project with four new additions in the West and South Village — Love Child Yoga, Cho’s Grocery, Three Lives Bookstore, and Julius’ Bar. Want to know what’s so unique about Horatio Street? What paint-throwing artist got his start on Carmine Street? Why Three Lives’ storefront may be even more famous for art than literature? And why a […]
#SouthofUnionSquare — The Social Reform Club at 45 University Place
In 1900, the Social Reform Club hosted a lecture by labor leader Edward King.
Bertram Goodman’s Views of the Village
We love historic photos of our neighborhoods, many of which appear in our vast historic image archive. A subset of that archive includes artists’ renderings and interpretations. One Village artist whose work we’ve often admired, Bertram Goodman, created a number of works showing Greenwich Village in the mid-20th century with a particularly special quality. Bertram […]
Saving 50 West 13th Street, Home of the 13th Street Repertory Theatre
Following the death late last year of Edith O’Hara, the founder of the 13th Street Repertory Theatre, Village Preservation urged the Landmarks Preservation Commission to consider landmark designation of 50 West 13th Street, the more than 170 year old rowhouse which has housed the theater since its founding. The 3 1/2 story house retains distinctive and unusual Greek Revival architectural […]
David Bowie, A Fellow Villager
Born David Robert Jones on January 8th, 1947, the cultural and rock icon David Bowie navigated his way through music, theater, and film like a chameleon. Known for his outlandish though purposeful alter egos, he changed the way audiences viewed art, creating performance pieces, backstories, and personalities that drove his music to become more than […]
Butterfly McQueen’s Groundbreaking Performances in the Village and Beyond
Butterfly McQueen — it’s an unusual name, but in many ways perfect for the woman to whom it is attached, as it evokes both flight and royalty. Born in Florida, McQueen was a dancer and actor who was made famous by her role as Prissy in Gone With The Wind — followed by many similar […]
Latest Issue of Village Preservation Newsletter Available
Check out the latest issue of Village Preservation’s newsletter available here.
Three Kings Day Call for Old PS64/CHARAS-El Bohio Community Center
On January 6 2015, on Three Kings Day, the East Village community and allies rallied on the steps of City Hall on a cold winter day to urge Mayor de Blasio to return the Old PS 64/CHARAS El Bohio Community Center to community use. That was just one of many, many grassroots actions over many […]
‘People in Trouble’: A Case Study of the AIDS Crisis in Historical Memory
In her manuscript for the novel People in Trouble, lesbian author and activist Sarah Schulman tells of a fictionalized AIDS activist organization called JUSTICE. By the time People in Trouble reached the shelves a couple years later, however, the real-life activist group ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) of which Schulman became an active […]
“The Prince of Greenwich Village,” Max Eastman
Around 1907, after recovering from a chronic backache, the 24 year old Max Eastman moved to New York City.
Tea & Sympathy, 108 Greenwich Avenue
If you’ve ever wondered what in the world treacle pudding is, or how one would properly consume marmite, Tea & Sympathy, the British outpost loved by Sarah Jessica Parker, Dame Judi Dench, Kevin Kwan, and none other than David Bowie, has got you covered. Opened on December 23, 1990, this tiny tea room at 108 […]
Georges Clemenceau, the Dreyfus Affair, and the fight against Anti-Semitism
On December 22, 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian and Jewish descent, was court-martialed, convicted of treason, and sentenced to life in prison at the notorious Devil’s Island prison for allegedly sharing military secrets with the German Embassy in Paris. Two years later, an investigation into the already closed case […]
Make Sure Preservation Has a Future
This has been a year like no other. We lost friends, loved ones, and local small businesses. We had to find new ways to reach our members, the public, and decision-makers. Education programs and fundraisers went virtual. But COVID-19 wasn’t the only source of challenges we faced. The Mayor put forward an unprecedented upzoning plan […]
2020 Village Preservation Year in Review: Landmarks Applications
This has certainly been a challenging year, to say the least. In spite of that, Village Preservation, the Community Boards, and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) have continued to review and process permit applications for the landmarked properties in our neighborhoods. Interestingly, in the virtual environment that we have been operating in, […]
2020 Village Preservation Public Programs Roundup
Despite all the challenges of the year, Village Preservation proudly hosted 76 programs (most of which were virtual), reaching over 9,000 people in 2020. How does one choose favorites? It’s nearly impossible, especially given that each program represents, at minimum, someone’s research, passion, skill, life’s work, book, or all of the above. So, in wrap-up […]
Theater Thursday: Checking In On Off-Broadway
Throughout history, societies look to the arts to give insight and meaning to events and experiences. And so with good reason, we have been thinking a great deal about our theater artist community in these days and months since the pandemic has closed our beloved cultural institutions. Artists who create theater have been given the […]
Tragedy on Second Avenue
On December 5, 2020 at about 5:00am, a fire broke out at 116 Second Avenue, a neo-Grec tenement. The six-alarm blaze spread to the 1892 Middle Collegiate Church next door to the south. Nearly 200 firefighters were dispatched and while four suffered minor injuries, thankfully the human toll did not go beyond that. However, the […]
Top Five Most Popular ‘Off The Grid’ Posts of 2020
As 2020 comes to a close, it’s a good time to take stock and look back on our most popular posts of the year. This eclectic mix of culture and history include the 1960s boy band the Monkees, and the oldest residence in Manhattan, 44 Stuyvesant Street. Tellingly, three of the five posts focus on […]
Small Businesses Meeting the Challenges of Today
Some of our favorite local small businesses were recently prominently featured in the New York Times. Longtime neighborhood anchors Veselka (‘rainbow’ in Ukrainian) and (the former) Dinosaur Hill were the focus of a long form article that many people shared with me. The latter is closing as a result of a well-earned retirement, while the […]
Small Business Roundtable: Support, Protect, and Shop!
Small businesses have been on everyone’s mind, and it’s no secret that Village Preservation is working hard to support our local small businesses — from our Small Business/Big History campaign, to our work supporting the ‘Save Our Storefronts’ Legislation for Small Business Relief, to our ongoing Businesses of the Month program, and much more. Recently, […]
Public Characters: Brenda Coultas and Investigative Poetics on the Bowery
Taped into a small notebook are photos of vacant lots on First Street and Second Avenue. Elsewhere there is a photo of flowers and graffiti for Joey Ramone outside the former site of CBGB, on Bleecker and Bowery. Gathered together, these pieces of ephemera constitute contemporary poet Brenda Coultas’ The Bowery Project (published in the […]
When Four “Els” Ran Overhead On Our Streets
From the late nineteenth century until the mid-twentieth century, four elevated rail lines crossed over the streets of our neighborhoods.
Celebrating 30 Years of Educating Students, With Big Plans for Spring!
Village Preservation is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year, and in honor of this momentous milestone, we have created an interactive storymap that charts the historic journey of our organization. Today, we look at the history and future of our Children’s Education program. In 1991, in partnership with the Merchant’s House Museum, we launched our […]
Small Business, Big History, and More
We know you love to support small, local, independent businesses. And we do too. And as the recent NY Times editorial put it this past weekend: “In the darkest days of the pandemic this year, it was New York’s small businesses — its coffee shops and restaurants, groceries and bakeries — that remained open, serving […]
Celebrating Our 40th Anniversary – A Strong Start
Village Preservation is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year, and in honor of this momentous milestone, we have created an interactive storymap that charts the historic journey of our organization. During that span, we have worked tirelessly to preserve our neighborhoods — no easy feat — and despite being a “child” of the 1980s, our […]
A Streetcar Named Desire — New Orleans Set, Greenwich Village Rooted
Tennessee Williams’ A Street Car Named Desire, one of the most critically acclaimed plays of the 20th century, opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. And while shocking its mid-20th century audience with its unabashed brutality and sexuality, when the curtain closed on opening night, the audience erupted into 30 […]
Small Business/Big History Program Expands – More Stores, More Stories
We’ve added several new local independent businesses to our “Small Business/Big History” signage program, where we partner with great local businesses to promote neighborhood history and the wonderful services and products they offer. Take a tour in person or virtually, and learn a thing or two about the history of these buildings, streets, and neighborhoods, […]
Saved from the Wrecking Ball: St. Brigid’s Church
Many people love the the historic architecture of our neighborhoods. But not everyone shares such a reverence, and historic buildings are often marked for demolition. Of course as supporters of Village Preservation know, we often must fight to protect our history; sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose. Today’s story illustrates that like perhaps no […]
Business of the Month: House of Oldies, 35 Carmine Street
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. This has always […]
New Proposal for Construction Next Door Threatens Merchant’s House Museum
A new application filed with the Landmarks Preservation Commission for construction on the lot adjacent to the Merchants House Museum at 27 East 4th Street once again threatens the safety and integrity of one of New York’s first landmarks, a nationally-recognized piece of American history, and a vital and irreplaceable public educational and cultural resource. […]
The Preservationist’s Progress: Mark Twain and 21 Fifth Avenue
With good reason, Missouri and Connecticut like to claim the great writer Samuel L. Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), as one of their own. But New Yorkers like to claim Twain as well, and there’s plenty of cause to do so. He did have a love/hate relationship with the city, […]
Community Alternative Rezoning Plan For SoHo And NoHo — Public Hearings 12/3 And 12/8
Village Preservation and ten other local community organizations representing thousands of residents have released a community alternative rezoning plan for SoHo and NoHo. The Mayor’s plan would allow new development up to 2.4 times the size current rules allow and a deluge of oversized luxury condos, while opening the floodgates to giant big box chain […]
Thank You To Our Members — Making 40 Years of Village Preservation Possible
It’s Village Preservation’s 40th birthday this year. In honor of this auspicious occasion, we recently released a story map that details our efforts documenting, celebrating, and advocating for the preservation of our neighborhoods, all of which are made possible by our members and supporters. The map is divided by decade, and so today we showcase […]
Following Backlash, City Drops Plan for Hotel Special Permit Requirement South of Union Square – Push for Real Protections
Following a huge backlash from neighborhood residents, the City has withdrawn its much criticized rezoning plan to require special permits for new hotels in the area of Greenwich Village and the East Village south of Union Square. Village Preservation had led the criticism of the plan, citing the broad range of mistakes and oversights in […]
Angel Hair Press: “A Rush of Poetic Chutzpah” in the East Village
The poets and New York natives Anne Waldman and Lewis Warsh met at the Berkeley Poetry Conference in 1965, while absorbing the Zen-influenced poems of San Francisco-based writer Robert Duncan. This chance encounter begat a romantic and creative partnership that, back across the country in the East Village, lit a spark within the Downtown poetry […]
#SouthofUnionSquare — Dance Tour
Our new interactive tool “Virtual Village” brings users on a multitude of virtual explorations.
The New-York Historical Society Finds Its First Home in the East Village
In 1804, New York City had already celebrated 190 years since its founding. Comparatively, the United States was only 28 years young. In order to honor the already rich history of the city, John Pintard, then the secretary of the American Academy of Fine Arts, drew up plans for an institution that would include a […]
I Feel Good…About the James Brown House Landmarking
On November 19, 1969, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated 326 Spring Street, also known as the James Brown House, a NYC Landmark. The James Brown House was built in 1817 and, as the designation reports notes, retains its original gambrel roof, second story lintels and dormers. Perhaps even more than its architecture and age, the […]
Support Local Small Businesses, and Learn Some History While You’re At It!
Did you know that for many local small businesses, more than half their revenue is generated in November and December, which brings them into the black for the year and allows them to stay afloat? This is especially true for sales-based businesses like bookstores. So please consider supporting neighborhood small businesses this time of year, […]
