This post is part of a series about Village intersections that correspond to the date. September is here and a new month means a new corresponding Village intersection! Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue is now the site of several large apartment buildings, but did you know it was once the location of the famous Brevoort […]
In the early 2000’s GVSHP conducted research that led to the designation of the Gansevoort Market Historic District. That research included photo surveys of the area. We recently added one such photo survey to GVSHP’s Historic Image Archive covering the northern area of the district above 14th street including the Chelsea Market, the old Nabisco factory, and the High […]
Today is a rare day on Off the Grid as we are able to combine two of our ongoing series: Many Layers of History and Beyond the Village and Back. Unlike some of our other ‘Many Layers of History’ dates, August 31st or 8/31 does not correspond with any Village intersection. But it does correspond with […]
There are limitless things to discover among the astounding collections of photographs by Carole Teller in GVSHP’s Historic Image Archive. A resident of the East Village for over 50 years, Carole so beautifully and thoroughly documented her neighborhood’s architecture, daily life, and many quirks, we have had to dole it out in multiple parts (see Part […]
“We need to change the system. We need to overthrow, not the government, as the authorities are always accusing the Communists [of conspiring to do], but this rotten, decadent, putrid industrial capitalist system which breeds such suffering in the whited sepulcher of New York.” Such are the words of the “radical Christian,” Dorothy Day, who […]
The Department of City Planning (DCP) recently launched an online tool that has compiled more than 8,000 historic maps of New York City and laid it on the current street grid. The fun and interesting tool is called NYC Street Map, and it allows you to see alterations made to the City Map since 1938. The brown and […]
Last week we put out a call for help to solve mysteries regarding the locations of some images from our Historic Image Archive‘s most recent addition, Carole Teller’s Changing New York, Part 4. Some were solved this week by readers, and some by staff. Some still remain unsolved… if you think you know the location of any of […]
On August 24, 2016, the New York City Planning Commission held a hearing to consider a zoning change and transfer of air rights for the development of the three-block long St. John’s Terminal site at West and Houston Streets. GVSHP testified along with political officials, neighbors and other organizations at the hearing demanding a series of […]
The Village’s misfits, we know quite well, are very dedicated, special kinds of misfits. Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground certainly fall into this category. Everyone remembers when they were unknown, fighting for their unusual sounds and visions, giving voice to the fringes of NYC culture. That’s where Lou Reed could be found. August 23rd, […]
It’s August in New York. It’s hot. Need I say more? And conversations tend to revolve around the temperatures at this time of year. How hot is it? How humid is it? When will the heat let up? Is autumn around the corner yet? We here at GVSHP decided that it was high time to […]
The renowned writer Alex Haley was born on August 11 in 1921. In the 1960’s, the Haley rented a writing studio in the back of the Greenwich Village building at 92 Grove Street. It was here that Haley conducted over 50 interviews with Malcolm X over a 2-year period, beginning in 1963. Malcolm X, the […]
We recently unveiled the new addition to our Historic Image Archive, Carole Teller’s Changing New York, Part 4, which includes about two hundred fifty images of Greenwich Village, the East Village, NoHo, the Lower East Side, and everywhere from Times Square to the Financial District from the 1960s to the 1990s. Between Carol’s memory and our […]
GVSHP took a trip to the Whitney Museum’s exhibition called “David Wojnarowicz: History Keeps Me Awake at Night,” and learned about this incredible Villager, artist, poet, and activist. His work from the 1990s, before his death of complications from AIDS, agitated for change and strove for visibility, supporting and nurturing a community of artists through hard […]
It’s an often-overlooked enclave with the largest concentration of Federal and Greek Revival style houses in New York City. Its origins can be traced back to historical figures as esteemed as George Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jacob Astor, but it’s just as deeply connected to Italian immigrants and radical 20th-century innovators. The […]
We recently added two new collections of photographs to the GVSHP Historic Image Archive, and they do not fail to impress! One is the Meatpacking District Above 14th Street/Chelsea Market/High Line Before Transformation and it comes from GVSHP’s own photo archives, taken in early 2002 as part of our advocacy efforts to preserve the Meatpacking […]
They Dwelt on West 9th Street: Marianne Moore, Mother of Modernism is the 5th in a series. One of this author’s favorite poets dwelt on West 9th Street. Marianne Moore, known as the Mother of Modernism, lived on the 7th floor of the neo-Classical apartment building at 35 West 9th Street from 1966 until her […]
GVSHP’s primary focus is between the Hudson and East Rivers, from Houston Street to 14th Street. Still, in 2016 GVSHP fought to secure the Sullivan-Thompson Historic District which dips 3+ blocks just below Houston and abuts the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District, which was designated on August 14, 1973.
This post is part of a series about Village blocks that correspond to calendar dates. Once again, another August date corresponds with a Village intersection. Jackson Square Park is located at 8th Avenue and 13th Street, and has had an interesting and varied life as an unimproved public rallying place, a classic Victorian viewing garden, […]
Earlier this week, photographer and NYC tour guide David Schmidlapp took us on a meander through the East Village using four old, beautiful maps of New York City as part of a program for GVSHP. Armed with a copy of each map, we explored the present-day streets imagining the streams, farmlands, docks, and buildings as they […]
On August 9, 2010, GVSHP and the East Village Community Coalition asked the Landmarks Preservation Commission to consider designating this historic building at 323-327 East 6th Street with various layers of historical significance as a New York City landmark.
August 8th is International Cat Day! From pets to pest control, cats make up an important but often overlooked part of NYC and its neighborhoods. In the Village, you can not only find them in many of the bodegas that dot the neighborhoods, but also in a few areas dedicated to rescuing cats and finding […]
It’s not often that a building plays a starring role in a major motion picture. But in In Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, which premiered on August 1st, 1954, that is exactly the case. Most people know that Hitchcock set the film in Greenwich Village, but did you know that the location he used as a […]
An important figure within New York’s Italian immigrant communities was the padrone — a middleman acting on behalf of his compatriots, helping them with advice, assistance, and protection. Padrone actually means “boss or lord,” and some may have abused their power and taken advantage of or exploited their fellow Italian immigrants, many acted in a much […]
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. There is something especially welcoming when you […]
In the mid-1970s, New York City was falling apart. Its finances, infrastructure, and social cohesion were, figuratively speaking, crumbling. But in one very tragic case, they were literally crumbling, too. And it all came tumbling down on August 3, 1973, when what was once one of the world’s grandest hotels (which had more recently become known for […]
This post is part of a series about Village blocks that correspond to calendar dates. You can read some of the other ones here. August is here and so is another date that corresponds with a Village intersection! As we are now in the 8th month, we’re taking a look at every East Villager’s favorite […]
Every month, GVSHP posts the upcoming applications for changes to landmarked properties in our neighborhoods that are significant enough to warrant a public hearing, known as certificates of appropriateness. Typically included in these applications are old photos of the properties which can serve to provide explanation or justification for proposed changes to landmarked structures. GVSHP […]
Last week we shared an online Historic Bowery Walking Tour. This week we are sharing a walking tour of the Gansevoort Market Historic District, landmarked in 2003 thanks to efforts by GVSHP. Back in 2002 GVSHP wrote: “Gansevoort Market is one of Manhattan’s defining neighborhoods – gritty, hard-working, low-rise, with its own special character, and a rich collection […]
The Fourteenth Amendment, adopted on July 28, 1868, played an important role in setting legal precedents for equality after the Civil War. The most radically worded of the Reconstruction Amendments, it was intended by its post–Civil War Radical Republican sponsors to stop the efforts by the former Confederate states to nullify emancipation. Its language promotes “liberty” […]
The Young Lords announced the founding of their New York Chapter in Tompkins Square Park on July 26, 1969. The Puerto Rican nationalist group started as a turf gang in Chicago’s Lincoln Park in 1960, but by the mid-60s had transformed into a civil and human rights movement, led by Jose Cha Cha Jimenez.
The great American artist and illustrator Maxfield Parrish was born on July 25, 1870 in Philadelphia. Born Frederick Parrish, he died more than ninety-five years later on March 30, 1966 in Plainfield, New Hampshire. In between, he created some of the most stunning, iconic, and memorable paintings and illustrations of the late 19th and early […]
Architect Alexander Jackson Davis was born on July 24, 1803. Davis, one of the most successful and influential American architects of his generation, is perhaps best known for his association with the Gothic Revival style of architecture and rural settings. Though many surviving examples by Davis exist in upstate New York and at other locales […]
The Bowery is Manhattan’s oldest street, predating European settlement. We don’t know exactly when native Americans first began to use this path. We do know that in those early days it was called the Wickquasgeck Road because it led to a settlement of people bearing that name. Following European settlement, the Dutch established a set […]
Twenty years ago, on July 20, 1998, Mayor Rudy Giuliani sold former Public School 64 on the Lower East Side, then home to the Charas-El Bohio Community and Cultural Center, to a developer, despite opposition from the building’s occupants and the surrounding community. The decision and the building remain mired in controversy to this day. Community groups […]
On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 Moon Landing became one of the most defining events of American History in the 20th Century. Two years prior though, the Village experienced its own “Goodnight Moon Landing” when the house of Margaret Wise Brown, author of the famous children’s book Goodnight Moon, was moved from 1335 York […]
This Friday, July 20, marks the 20th anniversary of the controversial auction of the former P.S. 64/CHARAS-El Bohio Community and Cultural Center at 605 East 9th Street by then-Mayor Giuliani over widespread community opposition. Check out the Facebook event page here.
Our ever-expanding historic image archive has a number of fascinating collections which offer glimpses into our neighborhood and beyond throughout past decades. Carol Teller’s Changing New York (Parts I, II & III), Jack Dowling Collection: Decay and Rebirth Along the Greenwich Village Waterfront in the 1970s, and Ruth E. Cushman Collection: NY Undergoing Change in the […]
There were many moments to celebrate along the arc of fighting for the protection of the Gansevoort Historic District, also known as the Meatpacking District. One such milestone took place on July 17, 2002, when the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation determined, in response to an application by GVSHP, that […]
On this date in 1804, just five days following his infamous duel with Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr sold two plots of land in our neighborhood. Why? Well, he was charged with multiple crimes in New York and New Jersey following the duel, including murder, and he would end up avoiding both states for many years (those charges […]
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. You might walk right past the narrow […]
This piece is part of a series about Village blocks that correspond to calendar dates. You can read some of the other ones here. Another day, another date that corresponds to a Village intersection! For many in the Village, 7th Avenue and 12th Street holds a strong place in their memories of the neighborhood: this […]
The Village is a very far cry from the Nebraska prairie where Willa Cather spent much of her childhood. But her most productive writing period was indeed while she lived in various apartments in the Village, where she lovingly and vividly wrote about the people and places she knew and cherished from her childhood in […]
Lee Morgan, prodigy jazz trumpeter, born on July 10, 1938, in Philadelphia. One of his sisters bought him his first trumpet, and by the time he was a teenager he played with John Coltrane for the album Blue Train. At 18, Dizzie Gillespie tapped Morgan to join his band. The jazz world opened up before […]
We have written a number of times about the former P.S. 64/ CHARAS-El Bohio Community and Cultural Center and our efforts to save the landmarked building. The beloved historic structure was built in 1906 and designed by architect and then-New York City Superintendent of School Buildings C.B.J. Snyder (November 4, 1860 – November 14, 1945). During his tenure […]
They Lived on West 9th Street: Dashiell Hammett is the 4th in a series. Dashiell Hammett (May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) is arguably one of the most mysterious and alluring characters of American 20th century literature. Dashing and elusive, he rose from nothing to becoming one of the most celebrated of American writers.
The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum at 2 East 91st Street is a renowned museum and institution, the only of its kind in the United States, born of a long history and connection between philanthropy and industry.
The roof of the former McCreery’s Dry Goods Store at the corner of Broadway and 11th Street is obviously an addition. But few know that two different fires in the course of a century destroyed two different roofs. On July 3rd, 1909, the original mansard roof was lost to flames. The one story addition which […]
As we enter July, it’s not hard to notice that some of the dates align with some neighborhood intersections. In honor of today’s date, we are taking a look at some of the buildings and history around the intersection of 7th Street and 2nd Avenue .
They Lived on West 9th Street: S. J. Perelman is the 3rd in a series. Born in Brooklyn in 1904, S.J. Perelman grew up in Providence RI, the son of a dry goods store owner. Perelman entered Brown University in 1921 but dropped out in order to pursue his dreams in New York City. He […]
On June 28, 1914, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, an event that led to the start of World War I. While the Archduke himself bears few of any ties to the Village, WWI had a significant impact on the social and cultural life of the neighborhood and beyond. The atrocities of WWI marked an […]
Helen Keller’s connections to New York City and Greenwich Village are numerous but perhaps less well known, as they are largely rooted in her work not as an advocate for the disabled, but in her sometimes controversial work as a suffragette, birth control advocate, antimilitarist, socialist, and an early founder of the American Civil Liberties Union […]
On June 26, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5 to 4 decision (United States v. Windsor), declared unconstitutional part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which defined marriage solely as a legal union between a man and a woman. This landmark case had its roots here in the Village with the […]
Recently, I responded to a portion of a recent “report” by the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) that (incredibly, but predictably for REBNY) blamed the retail vacancy crisis impacting our city on landmarking and historic districts. In that case, they misrepresented and inflated the number of days until storefront permit is issued by the […]
As we add images to our Historic Image Archive, we try to provide as much identifying information as possible on each one. Sometimes the images come to us with the exact location of the image, date, etc. Sometimes they come with no information whatsoever, and we have to comb our files, mental and otherwise, to try to […]
This picturesque wintry scene of Christopher Street was painted by Greenwich Village resident and artist Beulah Bettersworth in 1934. Looking west from Hudson Street along Christopher, it shows the Ninth Avenue El Christopher Street Station and St. Veronica’s Church beyond. Currently, this painting is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. […]
The former Public School 64, which once housed the CHARAS community and cultural center, was designed by master school architect C.B.J. Snyder in the French Renaissance Revival style in 1904-06. And on June 20, 2006 Landmarks Preservation Commission designated it an official New York City landmark, saving it from planned demolition by its developer/owner. .
The summer of 1978 in New York City has been well documented. The city was a place of joy, grit, and transition, looking for the next big idea — or building — to move it forward. That summer was also when the Supreme Court handed down its first-ever decision about our landmarks law. The Penn […]
Our Beyond the Village and Back series takes a look at great landmarks in New York City outside of our neighborhoods, finding the sometimes hidden connection to the Village. Today we take a slightly unorthodox approach of looking back at a groundbreaking exhibit which took place on June 18, 1994 at one of our city’s most beloved […]
On June 15, 1904, a disaster of unprecedented proportions took place in New York City, resulting in the loss of over 1,000 lives, mostly women and children. This largely forgotten event was the greatest peacetime loss of life in New York City history prior to the September 11th attacks, forever changing our city and the […]
A recent “report” by the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) was released that (incredibly, but predictably for REBNY) blamed the retail vacancy crisis impacting our city on landmarking and historic districts. Although it was uncritically parroted by some media outlets, some simple digging found multiple misrepresentations and inaccuracies. Here’s just one:
Buddy Holly (Charles Hardin Holley) was born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas. He was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and producer who was one of the pioneers of Rock and Roll as it emerged in the 1950s. His impact on music and musicians resonates to this day, and those who cite him as […]
Walking through the 11th Street horse-walk into the courtyard of St. John’s in the Village Episcopal Church is like walking through a magical passageway into a holy place. It’s all the more meaningful knowing that this passageway was used by countless anonymous Villagers with HIV/AIDS beginning in the 1990’s, all of whom were on their […]
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, one of Greenwich Village’s most inventive and exciting producers of new works, is partnering with GVSHP, the NYC AIDS Memorial Board, St. John’s in the Village, and the Stonewall Chorale to present a new play by Villager Cusi Cram. With dramaturgy by Villager Guy Lancaster, and starring (former Villager!) Kathleen Chalfant (Angels […]
Once again, another date has come that lines up with an intersection in the Village, but as the calendar starts to climb, our focus also starts to move westwards. In honor of today’s date, we are taking a look at some of the buildings and history on and around the intersection of 6th Avenue and […]
West 14th Street has a multi-layered history, preserved in its architecture, which reflects the development of the surrounding area as well as New York City itself. West 14th Street is also a border street, separating Greenwich Village to the south from Chelsea to the north. Save Chelsea’s President Laurence Frommer and I teamed up for […]
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. Corner diners seem to be going the […]
On June 6th in 1892, the Chicago “L” (elevated train line) began running. But did you know that elevated trains (or “Els” as they were known) were once a not uncommon sight throughout the Village and East Village? The IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit) 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 9th Avenue lines all ran through our neighborhoods […]
As we reflect upon the life and legacy of Robert F. Kennedy, his central role in the progress of civil rights in America comes immediately to mind. Kennedy was to become one of the heroes of the movement for his tireless and ultimately successful work through the Department of Justice to secure the Civil Rights […]
We at GVSHP were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Romana Raffetto of Raffetto’s Fresh Pasta, located at 144 West Houston Street. She was a great friend to GVSHP over the years, supporting South Village preservation efforts and providing us with an oral history, along with her son Andrew. We remember and honor Romana, […]
June is Pride Month, which makes it especially exciting time to be in the Village. LGBT history is closely tied with the Village and environs, and throughout the course of this month we’re focusing on four areas of our neighborhood — the West Village, East Village, South Village, and NoHo — to highlight important locations, […]
“What thoughts I have of you, tonight, Walt Whitman.” This opening line of Allen Ginsberg’s poem “A Supermarket in California,” draws meandering inspiration from one of New York’s most renowned meanderers, Walt Whitman, who was born on May 31, 1819. But the admiration of noted East Village poet Allen Ginsberg is only one of many connections […]
This is an updated version of a previous post by Andito Lloyd. On May 30, 2012, GVSHP officially launched its historic plaque program with the unveiling of our very first plaque, commemorating the life of Justus H. Schwab and the role he played in the social movements that shaped the East Village and the Lower […]
Theater for The New City (TNC) was founded in 1970 and has served its community with a wide variety of programming for nearly fifty years. TNC has premiered nearly one thousand new American plays and won more than forty OBIE Awards. Co-Founder Crystal Field has led the incredible institution since its founding. And on June 6th, […]
Are you one of the many people who has had to take on the seemingly all-powerful Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) in a real estate/preservation fight? Sometimes it may seem like REBNY and the other forces of Big Real Estate control everything in New York City. But we’ve actually tangled with the well-funded […]
Penny Arcade has been living the bohemian life in New York City, and making art about it, on and off for more than four decades. She says she is “fundamentally a poet,” but also sings, dances, acts, and claims a hand in defining performance art in the 1980s. Arcade — a.k.a. Susana Ventura — is […]
Ralph Lee directed the first Village Halloween Parade in 1974 in conjunction with the Theater for the New City. This mile-long theatrical production of masked performers, giant puppets, musicians, and other flamboyant characters took on a life of its own. 45 years later, the parade has become an annual extravaganza with a reported 60,000 participants […]
West 14th Street has a multilayered history, preserved in its architecture, which reflects the development of the surrounding area as well as New York City itself. West 14th Street is also a border street, separating Greenwich Village to the south from Chelsea to the north. Save Chelsea’s President Laurence Frommer and I teamed up for […]
The Bea Arthur Residence for homeless LGBT youth, named for “Golden Girl” Bea Arthur, was born of a partnership between the Cooper Square Committee and the Ali Forney Center. This incredible community-building project and beautiful historic building renovation is also GVSHP’s 2018 Regina Kellerman Award Village Awardee.
In the days leading up to the 2018 East Village St. Georges Ukrainian Festival, GVSHP took a trip to the Ukrainian Museum in New York City on East 6th Street to see, among other things, the unparalleled artwork of Ukrainian-American East Villager and Cooper Union graduate Yaroslava Surmach Mills (1925-2008). The retrospective of her work includes […]
One of the most radical and influential women of the 19th century changed the course of public health history while living and working in Greenwich Village and the East Village. Elizabeth Blackwell, America’s first female doctor, established cutting-edge care facilities and practices throughout these neighborhoods, the imprint of which can still be felt to this […]
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. Gone are the days when there used […]
They Lived on West 9th Street: Maurice Sendak is the 2nd in a series. Did you know that in the early 1960s, American illustrator and writer Maurice Sendak (June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) lived at No. 29 West 9th Street? While living there, he wrote and illustrated one of America’s most beloved children’s […]
The Comedy Cellar is one of the most iconic comedy clubs in the world if not THE most iconic. This family-owned business is also one of GVSHP’s 2018 Village Awardees.
West 14th Street has a multilayered history preserved in its architecture which reflects the development of the surrounding area as well as New York City itself. West 14th Street is also a border street, separating Greenwich Village to the south from Chelsea to the north. Save Chelsea’s President Laurence Frommer and I teamed up for […]
Greenwich Locksmiths, located in the heart of the Greenwich Village Historic District, is one of our 2018 Village Awardees. Located at 56 Seventh Avenue South for the last several decades, this Village fixture and its owner embody what is truly special about our neighborhood.
Street artists lend a special charm to a city. The dedication to walk about with an easel, large or small, to paint a scene can imbue any street corner with a greater sense of importance. We are fortunate to have in our neighborhood an exquisite artist of the highest caliber painting love letters to the Village […]
The 20th Annual Spring House Tour Benefit on May 6th, 2018 featured an array of homes unlike any others in the tour’s twenty year history. Tour goers and volunteers alike were delighted by the variety and depth of interest in each and every dwelling. Today we have a round up of those gorgeous homes.
With its parallel octagonal towers rising above the beach, the sprawling Art Deco bathhouse complex at Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways has, since opening in 1932, served as a monument to Art Deco design, grand public works, and popular beach-time fun.
Anthology Film Archives is an international center dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of film and video, with a particular focus on independent, experimental, and avant-garde cinema. GVSHP is proud to honor Anthology Film Archives with a 2018 Village Awards at our upcoming June 6th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Click here for more information about the event and […]
Jane Jacobs’ birthday on May 4 is marked throughout the world as an occasion to celebrate one’s own city — its history, diversity, and continued vitality. “Jane’s Walks” are conducted across the country to encourage average citizens to appreciate and engage the complex and dazzling ecosystems which make up our cityscapes (Here in NYC, MAS is […]
May the 4th be with you! While today is a special day for many Star Wars fans, for us in the Village today’s date is a reminder of that the low-number streets of the NYC grid plan are encompassed by within our neighborhoods. May is also Lower East Side history month and it is important […]
Over the past 28 years, GVSHP has honored the unique and outstanding people, organizations, places, and business that make the Village what it is with our Village Awards. You can RSVP to this year’s June 6th Awards Ceremony here. This year we will be honoring an amazing group of awardees, each with an incredible story:
Ah, springtime in New York City. Tulips and daffodils fill our parks, people pour into the streets to enjoy the sunshine, and, of course, GVSHP produces the Annual Spring House Tour Benefit! One of our most anticipated events of the year, the House Tour allows tour-goers to walk through spectacular Village homes, all while raising […]
There are a number of legendary rock venues in our neighborhood, many an integral part of the 1980s NYC club scene. One of the leading ones was ‘The Ritz,’ located in Webster Hall, designated a New York City landmark in 2008, on East 11th Street between Third and Fourth Avenues. The Ritz opened on May […]
The building formerly known as the Trump Soho has made the national and international news. But GVSHP was protesting it over ten years ago when its construction was first announced on “The Apprentice.” We fought the City hard to prevent its construction, which we contended violated zoning laws. But then-Mayor Bloomberg and elected officials like then-Borough […]
GVSHP has been conducting and sharing oral histories since the mid-1990s. As we look back on two powerhouse oral histories, we’re considering the importance of such documents as “the first kind of history,” as “part of the struggle of memory against forgetting.”
Nirvana is one of the most influential alternative rock bands of all time. They helped to popularize this genre of music and brought the Washington State grunge scene that emerged in the 1980’s-90’s to the masses. Though most closely associated with that other coast, on April 26th, 1990, the band played a highly important gig […]
Standing diagonally on its lot at the intersection of East 10th Street, Stuyvesant Street, and 2nd Avenue, St. Marks Church-in-the-Bowery is the oldest site of continuous worship in our city. The cornerstone for the church was laid on April 25, 1795, and the church we know and love today isn’t even the first structure of […]
On April 24, 1904, artist and former resident of our neighborhood, Willem de Kooning, was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He would go on to be one of the 20th century’s leading artists within the Abstract Expressionist movement, a key figure in making New York the center of the art world.
William Shakespeare is believed to have been born on April 23, 1564, and coincidentally died 52 years later on April 23, 1616. Of course his legacy continues to live on throughout the world, and can certainly be felt right here in Greenwich Village.
