He blew into town on a cold January day in 1961, slammed the door of his car, walked into Café Wha and landed a gig that night. That’s the legend, anyway. Truth is that he slogged around uptown hustling for gigs in the Theater District for months before the Village beckoned. But once he found […]
On March 3, 1865, The Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company, commonly referred to as The Freedmen’s Bank, was created by the United States Congress to aid freedmen in their transition from slavery to freedom. During the bank’s existence, 37 branches were opened in 17 states and the District of Columbia, making it one of the […]
Although Paul Robeson is most strongly associated with the Harlem Renaissance, this dynamic public figure cut his teeth on the Greenwich Village theater circuit and fully embraced the bohemian, progressive, and activist lifestyle that made the neighborhood so famous. A college football star, lawyer, actor, and activist, Robeson was even the subject of a great sculpture […]
In this series, ‘More is More,’ we look at historic districts extensions in our area. In the previous posts, we covered the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District Extension and the St. Mark’s Historic District Extension. Today we are going to look at the NoHo Historic District Extension, designated May 13, 2008. Following the designation […]
The historic 2017 federal court decision that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people are protected from employment discrimination under the civil rights act has deep roots in a house in the South Village at 186 Spring Street — a hotbed of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) civil rights activity in the post-Stonewall era. In fact, […]
Ten years ago today, a chimney at 86 Bedford Street separated from an interior wall and collapsed into the world-famous Chumley’s bar. Chumley’s would never be the same again. The bar (now a restaurant) did recently reopen, in October 2016. According to Architectural Digest, it was updated to “evoke the 1920s glamour of New York’s […]
On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Witnesses point towards the fleeing gunman moments after King was shot. This ended the life of one of the 20th century’s most revered and influential figures. It also began a fifteen year […]
On this date in 2013, GVSHP and Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) unveiled our plaque to memorialize and celebrate Jeanne Manford at the Church of the Village at 13th Street and 7th Avenue. Jeanne had died a few weeks earlier at the age of 92, but forty one years earlier in 1972 she […]
On this last day of Women’s History Month, we would be remiss if we didn’t salute one of my favorite 20th century female figures, Eleanor Roosevelt. Aside from being First Lady (1933-1945), a political leader, a social reformer, a civil rights activist, a writer, a mother and a UN delegate (1945-1953 & 1961-1962), she was […]
On March 30, 1974, the Ramones played their very first public performance. The Ramones are of course considered the inventors of punk rock, as well as the ultimate downtown band and the embodiment of the CBGB’s scene. The Ramones’ lightning-fast performances rarely lasted more than a few minutes.
The following is an updated re-posting originally authored by Dana Schulz. It was on this date in 1951 that the infamous Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of espionage. The Jewish-American Communists, along with Soviet spy Morton Sobell, were accused of selling nuclear secrets to Russia. Ethel’s brother, David Greenglass, worked at Los Alamos National […]
On March 29, 1516, the Venice Ghetto was established by decree of the Venice Ruling Council. The very first ghetto, it was a tiny 2 1/2 block area on a small, dirty island housing over 4,000 people. The name comes from the Italian getto meaning “casting,” or Venetian geto meaning “foundry.” The Venice Ghetto, long after the […]
The developer of the old Stuyvesant Post Office still wants to build higher than zoning allows on the block wide site between East 13th and 14th Streets west of Avenue A in the East Village. Today we hold a rally and public hearing to oppose the variance application for 432 East 14th Street. In the […]
Today is the deadline for submitting a nomination for the 2017 Village Awards. We have already received many nominations, but we know that you know the perfect unsung hero deserving of an award. Don’t wait, let us know today! Use the easy form below.
106 years ago, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire took place, which was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in American history. This tragedy is commemorated each year with memorials and reflections upon the plight and progress of workers, women, and immigrants. The Shirtwaist Factory Fire also offers a time to reflect on another more recent tragedy […]
This Saturday and Sunday, expert tour guide Joyce Gold will lead tours celebrating the radical, notorious women of Washington Square. The square and its environs have a long been home to creative, politically active, and influential women. In the spirit of these women and Joyce’s upcoming tours, I’ve been thinking a bit about another innovative […]
The celebration of Women’s History Month cannot go without being reminded of the venerable Jane Jacobs. Much has been written about her here on Off the Grid, but let’s pause a moment to reflect on her impact as a pioneering woman in the field of both urbanism and activism.
Five years ago today, the South Village was named one of the Preservation League of New York’s ‘Seven to Save’ — the seven most important, endangered historic sites in New York State. This major accomplishment followed the landmarking of the first third of the South Village in June 2010, and was intended to bring attention to the […]
Off the Grid is highlighting the 2016 Village Awards winners in the lead up to the March 27th deadline for submitting nominations for the 2017 Annual Village Awards, which will take place on June 6th. Click here to submit a nomination or for more information about the event and to RSVP. Read about other awardees from […]
The following was originally written by Sheryl Woodruff and posted two years ago. It has been updated with new content. Read the original post here. It seems that on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is Irish or of Irish descent. The parade winds its way up Fifth Avenue, tourists and locals patronize the many Irish pubs that […]
March is Women’s History Month. We here at GVSHP are celebrating by highlighting different sites and locations of significance to Women’s history in the Village. A great source is our recently-released Civil Rights & Social Justice Map, which has more than twenty sites connected to Women’s history and women’s rights; click here to see them all. As […]
Today we celebrate the glorious structure on the corner of Broadway and East 10th Street: Grace Church in New York. On this day in 1966, Grace Church in New York and its rectory were designated New York City Landmarks. In 1974, the entire complex was listed on both the State and National Register of Historic […]
Happy Pi Day! Every year on March 14th is the celebration of the mathematical constant Pi (π) as the month/day (3/14) matches the first three significant digits of π (3.14). A traditional way to celebrate Pi Day is to indulge in a slice of pie. Below we have compiled a list of a few places […]
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. The march of time […]
Op-ed by GVSHP Executive Director Andrew Berman in Read it here. To great fanfare, Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced plans for a slick new “tech hub” to be built on E. 14th St. just east of Fourth Ave., on the current site of a P.C. Richard store. Sandwiched between two high-rise New York University […]
March is Women’s History Month. With the recent “Day Without Women” activities and our upcoming walking tour on Radical, Notorious Women of Washington Square, we thought we would take this time to highlight some of the radical and notorious women who helped shape our neighborhoods.
On March 8, 1968, the Fillmore East opened at 105 Second Avenue. The first night’s lineup of Big Brother & Holding Company, Tim Buckley, and Albert King was the start of a three year run of music legends that included The Who, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Blood Sweat & Tears, The Grateful Dead, Hot Tuna, the Allman […]
Here at GVSHP, we’re always singing the praises of the avant-garde, innovative, inspiring women of Greenwich Village, East Village and NoHo. But since March is Women’s History Month, we’ve got a great reason to shine an even brighter spotlight on the legacy of our lady neighbors. Today, let’s talk about playwright, essayist, and activist Ana Maria […]
On March 6, 2007, three historic structures GVSHP fought to have preserved were designated as New York City landmarks: 159 Charles Street, 354 West 11th Street and 150 Barrow Street, aka the Keller Hotel. These designations represent just part of GVSHP’s ongoing campaign to preserve the Far West Village, which has also resulted in three historic […]
With everything going on in the world, you may have missed a great new resource DNAinfo recently released: an incredible interactive 3D rotatable map,called How Tall Will New Buildings in My NYC Neighborhood Be? Their 3-D map shows what construction could do to every neighborhood’s skyline and streetscape. To help you see how you could be […]
Historic Preservation in this country is, in many ways, undergoing a bit of a face lift. If at one time the field was seen as a pursuit of the moneyed and genteel, preservation these days is focusing on community, on culture, and on grassroots development. As our urban centers face unprecedented growth, gentrification, and threats […]
February is Black History Month. We here at GVSHP are celebrating it by highlighting different sites of significance to the African-American community within our neighborhoods. We’re focusing on sites found on our new Civil Rights & Social Justice Map, discussing their connections to African-American History and the Civil Rights Movement.
Three years ago today, Village Preservation conducted an oral history with Gloria McDarrah, a Village resident for over 60 years and a longtime member of GVSHP. She worked in publishing, education, and for a while in the 1990’s, at the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Gloria has lived in a variety of locations throughout the Village and […]
Our friends at the Grey Art Gallery hosted a wonderful private tour of their most recent exhibition for GVSHP members last night! The exhibition, entitled Inventing Downtown: Artist –Run Galleries in New York City 1952-1965, highlights artists’ efforts to create new exhibition venues for innovative and ever-evolving works of art — from abstract and […]
In 2014, Village Preservation conducted an oral history interview with Veselka owner and Village Preservation Trustee Tom Birchard. Tom is the son-in-law of Veselka’s original owner, who in 1954 bought a candy shop from a retiring Italian couple. It became a destination for the growing Ukrainian population, serving them homemade traditional Eastern European dishes and […]
February is Black History Month. We here at GVSHP are celebrating by highlighting different sites and locations of significance to African-American history in the Village. A great source is our recently-released Civil Rights & Social Justice Map, which has more than twenty sites connected to African-American history and civil rights; click here to see them all. One […]
February is Black History Month. We here at GVSHP are celebrating it by highlighting different sites of significance to the African-American community within our neighborhoods, including those on our new Civil Rights & Social Justice Map. In early 1962, writer Amiri Baraka (then known as LeRoi Jones) and then-wife Hettie Jones moved into the house at 27 Cooper […]
February is Black History Month. We here at GVSHP are celebrating it by highlighting different sites and locations of significance to African-American history in the Village. A great source for this is our recently-released Civil Rights & Social Justice Map.
Browsing through GVSHP’s recently updated image archives, I came across photographs of the Variety Theater, which was, once upon a time, a favorite place of mine to go and see new works of theater. The Variety Arts Theater once stood on the west side of 3rd Avenue between 13th And 14th streets. Built around 1897, […]
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. Books, books, and more […]
Happy Valentine’s Day! Love may be in the air for some, while others (myself included) might just use this holiday as a great excuse to binge on sugar. But no matter how the adults are celebrating, we can count on school children across the country to tote paper valentines into class today. Store-bought valentines offer all shapes, themes, […]
GVSHP recently released 90 new images on the GVSHP image archive. Almost half of them date to the early years of GVSHP, when we were known as the Greenwich Village Trust for Historic Preservation. In 1982 GVSHP’s then-Executive Director Regina Kellerman planned an archaeological dig at the site of what is now the Sheridan Square Viewing […]
Show your love for community centers and spaces for a powerful and quick event next Tuesday. Join GVSHP, elected officials, community groups, and neighbors for a rally and press conference on the steps of City Hall to save the former Charas/El Bohio Community Center (the old P.S. 64) at 605 East 9th Street, which is in grave danger […]
February is Black History Month. We here at GVSHP are celebrating it by highlighting different sites and locations of significance to African-American history in the Village. A great source for this is our recently-released Civil Rights & Social Justice Map. Here are just two incredible entries from there:
41 years ago today, New York City was a much different place than it is today. By almost every measure it was dirtier and more dangerous. Many viewed the city as inevitably doomed to failure and the decade was a period of decay- failing industries, collapsing infrastructure, enormous budget gaps, and a population net loss of […]
This week, James Baldwin, one-time resident of Greenwich Village, returns to his old neighborhood — on the silver screen at least. Film Forum is showing the new documentary I Am Not Your Negro, based on Baldwin’s unfinished text Remember This House, and directed by Raoul Peck. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, the film explores the […]
In this series, ‘More is More,’ we look at extensions of historic districts in our area. In the previous post, we covered the designation of the St. Mark’s Historic District Extension. Today we are going to look at the Greenwich Village Historic District Extension, designated in 2006. This was the first-ever expansion of the Greenwich Village […]
February is Black History Month. We here at GVSHP want to celebrate it by highlighting different sites of significance to the African-American community within our neighborhoods. Over the course of the next month we will be discussing some of these areas that we have marked on our new Civil Rights & Social Justice Map, looking at […]
The Cornelia Street Cafe which opened its doors in July 1977 needs your help. In 1998, the Cafe was one of the restaurants recognized by GVSHP with one of our annual Village Awards presented to “Cornelia Street Restaurants”. We recently received this email from them: “It is time for us to protect the legacy of the Greenwich […]
Edward I. Koch served as Mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989, following terms as Greenwich Village’s Congressman, City Councilmember, and Democratic District leader. Koch, a self-described “liberal with sanity”, passed away four years ago today, following several decades living at 2 5th Avenue. Koch previously lived at 81 Bedford Street, 72 Barrow […]
Have you heard that chant, or others like it, echoing off Greenwich Village buildings recently? I know I have, because the recent political goings-on have turned our city and country into one giant public space for demonstration. But in the streets of Greenwich Village and the East Village, this is nothing new. Our neighborhoods’ public […]
Ten years ago today, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) held hearings on three Federal-era (1790-1835) houses GVSHP had proposed for landmark designation — 94, 94 1/2, and 96 Greenwich Street, located just below Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan. These houses were built in 1798, making them among the oldest extant structures in Manhattan. That same […]
In this series, ‘More is More,’ we will look at extensions of historic districts in our area. Extensions to historic districts are just what they sound like — additions to previously-designated historic districts that abut the original district and are determined to share not just geography but architectural and/or historic significance. Why such areas are […]
“Alternative facts” seems to be the buzzword this week, and may become the phrase of the next four years. For better or worse, for those of us involved in the fight for preservation and against overdevelopment, tackling the concept of “alternative facts” — assertions by someone in authority that seems to have no basis in […]
It was 100 years ago on January 23rd that a group of Village bohemians – artists, poets, writers, actors – had had enough. They had moved to Greenwich Village to live their own kind of lives, free of convention, free of rampant capitalism and moralizing, free of strict social rules they felt degraded society rather […]
The Villages and Noho have long been recognized a breeding ground of activity around civil rights and social justice — a fact GVSHP has recently sought to highlight with our own civil rights and social justice map of the Village, East Village and NoHo. Today we take a closer look at just one of a hundred […]
Politician, feminist and Villager Bella Abzug is featured in our Civil Rights Map. An outspoken advocate to the Equal Rights Amendment and co-founder or the organization Women Strike for Peace, she was also one of the first members of Congress to support lesbian and gay rights. Bella Savitzky Abzug (July 24, 1920 – March 31, […]
Uncertain times bring a certain amount of anxiety. Concern about the future of our basic constitutional rights is something many of us are currently feeling. While the new era of political discourse has raised the specter of silencing citizens, it is good to remember those institutions created to protect our liberties. The ACLU, founded on this […]
Currently the Skyscraper Museum in Battery Park City is hosting an exhibit “Ten & Taller: 1874-1900” that “examines every single building 10 stories and taller that was erected in Manhattan between 1874 through 1900.”
By now the challenges facing small independent local shops are well known. The good news is there are some solutions. GVSHP has gone to the New York City Council in support of some of them. What can you do every day in some way? Visit a local independent shop in your neighborhood! Every month we select a Business […]
As 2016 fades into memory, we wanted to look back on all that GVSHP accomplished during the year, and what we have to look forward to in 2017. In 2016, GVSHP: Helped lead the opposition against the Mayor’s plans to roll back neighborhood zoning protections, successfully blocking most of the plan and leaving the majority of our […]
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 may have seen […]
GVSHP’s recently published Greenwich Village Historic District New Buildings Report for the first time catalogues every new building approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) in the Greenwich Village Historic District, our city’s largest and one of its oldest historic districts. That’s got us thinking a lot about this set of buildings, and what we can learn […]
It seems that President-elect Donald Trump is having a difficult time filling the roster for his inauguration ceremony. In previous years, the inauguration festivities have included extensive and star-studded ceremonies featuring speeches, musical performances, dance numbers, and dramatic readings. But this year, many artists have shown an unwillingness to participate, or have their work featured, in […]
Here at GVSHP we are excited about our recently launched Village Civil Rights & Social Justice Map. With our upcoming LGBT history bar crawl at the end of the month (you can sign up for the program here), we thought we would discuss some sites on the map beyond the West Village and its bars […]
All week we have looked at the rich contents of newly designated Sullivan-Thompson Historic District designation report that was posted last week by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). Today we hone in on one of the 157 amazing historic properties included in the district and what we can learn about it from the designation report. After a 10-year […]
Off the Grid has previously taken a look at African American history in the South Village, which was home to almost a quarter of the city’s African-American population during the mid-19th century and known as “Little Africa.” The newly designated Sullivan-Thompson Historic District included part of “Little Africa,” and in looking at the recently published designation report for […]
The Vesuvio playground, one of the few green spaces in the newly designated Sullivan-Thompson Historic District, is a true haven for South Village children. In the 1920s, the New York City Parks Department started buying land for playgrounds in the then-Italian-immigrant community.
The newly designated Sullivan Thompson Historic District designation report was posted last week by the LPC. This week, we will be looking at some of the 157 amazing historic properties included in the district. 83 and 85 Sullivan Street are two of the district’s individually landmarked properties, both of which obtained landmark designation in 1973. […]
If you’re walking down the sidewalk and see someone with a small notebook, staring up at a historic building as he jots down a charming sketch of an architectural detail, then you just might have stumbled upon artist Nick Golebiewski. And you might never guess that what Nick’s doing is actually creating content for an […]
2016 is coming to an end. What better way to ring in the New Year than at some of Bob Dylan’s old haunts? Below is a non-exhaustive list of some of the most well known (including ones that have moved) so your New Year’s Eve won’t be Blowin’ in the Wind!
The following is a re-posting of a post by Elizabeth Finkelstein from 2011: Call it whatever you’d like: antique, vintage, or historic. If one thing is for certain, the Village is really, really old. Old by New York City standards, and even old by American standards. But which building is the oldest of the old? 121 Charles […]
The following is a re-post originally written in 2011: Word that the West Village’s 75 1/2 Bedford Street is back on the market always brings attention to the slender house in which Enda St. Vincent Millay is said to have written “my candle burns at both ends.” But it also raises the question of whether […]
The following is a re-post originally written by Sheryl Woodruff in 2011: The New York Public Library, whose digital gallery we here at GVSHP turn to quite frequently when looking for images to assist in our own research, recently included an article in their November newsletter entitled “Who Lived in a House Like This?” with […]
In 2015, the City Council passed legislation requiring the City to produce its first-ever comprehensive cultural plan: CreateNYC. CreateNYC is supposed to become a roadmap to guide the future of arts and culture in NYC. The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) and Hester Street Collaborative (HSC) are working together with artists, cultural organizations, New York City agencies, arts […]
JUST SIX DAYS LEFT IN 2016! 2016 was a year of incredible accomplishments for GVSHP. Help us keep the progress going, and protect what we hold dear about our neighborhoods.
The recently landmarked Sullivan-Thompson Historic District is one of the first historic districts in New York City so designated almost exclusively based upon its immigrant history and working-class architecture. As stated by the LPC research staff in their presentation before the Commissioners’ vote, “The architecture in the proposed district reflects the waves of immigration that […]
2016 marked the 80th year in the Merchant’s House Museum’s history. While the museum is also a NYC landmark, did you know it’s also one of the few landmarks to have both exterior and interior designation?
Jean-Michel Basquiat, born December 22, 1960, may have lived just 27 short years. But in that time he created a language of art which may resonate more than ever today, and became in many ways the quintessential late 20th century downtown artist.
This past Saturday and Monday, many dedicated souls braved the winter weather to celebrate the local businesses of Greenwich Village. With tour guide Joyce Gold, GVSHP and our partners at Village Alliance, Washington Square Park Conservancy, and many local businesses, celebrated the holiday cheer and local atmosphere that is abundant in our neighborhood at this […]
Quiz time. How well do you know the great shops selected as part of our Business of the Month initiative? Let’s see if you really #shoplocalnnyc Two people with the top score will be selected at random to win a copy of Greenwich Village Stories: A Collection of Memories Greenwich Village Stories is a love letter to […]
Christmas is coming early this year! We have been told by the Landmarks Preservation Commission that the designation report for the newly landmarked Sullivan-Thompson historic district, aka phase III of our original South Village proposal, will be published today. Perhaps appropriately, it is scheduled to be released almost exactly three years after the designation of […]
In uncertain times, one may find it especially useful (and comforting) to remember days gone by – days, and people, who railed against the status quo, tirelessly pushed for progress, and stepped boldly into territory unconventional and untrod. Greenwich Village, luckily for us, was (and still is) home to scores of just such people. One […]
On Saturday, December 10, 2016, the extraordinary Patti Smith accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature on behalf of Bob Dylan in Stockholm, Sweden. In a transcendent performance, Smith was overwhelmed with emotion when she stopped mid-performance only to begin again and drive home her powerful rendition of Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” to a […]
Join GVSHP tomorrow night in the main sanctuary of the Museum at Eldridge Street as we present the Andy Statman Trio for the second consecutive year. The concert supports both GVSHP and the Museum at Eldridge Street. This year’s concert is presented by GVSHP’s Broker’s Partnership to honor one of its founders, Marlene Hartstein. Limited […]
Ten-block, 160-building district gets immediate protections from developers, incl. Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner; brings to 1,250 total number of buildings landmarked in neighborhood since 2003 The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously today to landmark the third and final phase of GVSHP’s proposed South Village Historic District, called the Sullivan Thompson Historic District! Landmark designation […]
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. Strolling the neighborhood of […]
In 2016, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation held approximately 15 book-related programs. Each author related their insights, perspectives, and tales of Village history and beyond, showing the multifaceted depth that you can only find on our streets and in our buildings. What better way to celebrate these wonderful literary works than by giving them […]
One of my favorite two-block sections in Greenwich Village may be an unlikely one – East 9th Street between Broadway and 5th Avenue. It’s not the oldest strip in the neighborhood, or the one with the best shops. In fact, it’s home to a rather uniform group of mid-century apartment houses, with almost no ground-floor […]
As mentioned in the GVSHP testimony at the designation hearing for the Sullivan-Thompson historic district, the majority of the historic fabric in this district is its tenements. Here is a laboratory and cross-section of tenement types which served as the homes for much of NYC’s African American community in the 19th century as well as many […]
Happy (slightly late) birthday to Greenwich Village resident and long-time GVSHP supporter Calvin Trillin, born December 5, 1935. Mr. Trillin was a contributor to GVSHP’s publication Greenwich Village Stories (available for purchase this holiday season!), and has been the host of several of our annual Village Awards Ceremony, as well as a featured speaker at GVSHP’s benefit […]
Last Thursday was the official unveiling and dedication of the restored Mosaic Trail poles as part of the Astor Place and Cooper Square renovation, which greatly expanded the pedestrian space in the area. Go check them out! The poles and bases were removed in 2014 as part of the overall work, which required digging up […]
Bob Dylan in Sheridan Square The South Village has many reasons to be celebrated these days. Of course, the (hopefully) impending designation of the Sullivan Thompson Historic District is a big story for GVSHP. Our 13-year quest to protect all of the areas of the South Village is finally coming to fruition with the potential […]
Every December 1st since 1988 has been marked as World AIDS Day, but this year’s commemoration of those lost to and living with HIV and AIDS is a particularly special one for the Village. Twenty-eight years after the day was first marked, today we saw the dedication of the new AIDS Memorial and the NYC […]
Neighbors, elected officials and fellow preservation groups turned out in droves yesterday at LPC with GVSHP to speak in favor of the designation of the Sullivan-Thompson historic district, the third and final phase of GVSHP’s original South Village proposal submitted to LPC ten years ago. This proposed district is made up of roughly ten blocks […]
This is part of Off the Grid’s “My Favorite Things” series. As the old saying goes, you win some, you lose some. That’s particularly true in preservation, where sometimes in spite of the most heroic of efforts and compelling of cases, historic treasures succumb to the wrecking ball. I’m frequently asked, “Which fight do you most regret […]
The final pieces of the renovation of Astor Place will be unveiled and dedicated tomorrow. Thanks to the creative verve of Jim Power, aka the Mosaic Man, and the support of the Village Alliance Business Improvement District and City Lore, and many more, GVSHP is excited to participate in the unveiling of the Astor Place […]
On Monday morning, I was walking up the subway stairs at Union Square thinking, “what am I going to write about for Off the Grid this week?” As I came around the corner, lo and behold the idea presented itself. I found thousands of multi-colored Post-It notes adorning the long, white tile wall at the Union […]
Peter Ruta, born February 7th, 1918, recently passed away on November 16th, 2016, at his home in Westbeth with wife and family. He was 98 years old. Peter’s life and work were a great inspiration to many, as he overcame incredible adversity to become a world-renowned painter. He was born in Germany, raised in Italy, and […]
For everyone who attended Saturday’s walking tour, we hope you enjoyed learning about shopping in the Gilded Age and the Ladies’ Mile. Did you know that November 21 actually is an important date in the establishment of this shopping district?
