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?
14th Street is an eclectic ecotone; it’s not only the upper boundary of the Village but also the lower Boundary of Chelsea and Gramercy. It’s not surprising then that this street hosts a unique collection of architectural styles, a few of them having been designated as city landmarks. Today marks the anniversary of two such […]
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 know you are […]
There is an absurdity in the photos and video which depict the event now known as “The Beatnik Riots” in Washington Square Park on April 9, 1961. At face value, the key characters in this drama are earnest, clean-shaven, bespectacled, young men in jacket and tie, and young ladies coiffed and dressed much in the […]
What makes New York the greatest city in the world? There are many ways to answer that question, but I think one reason rises to the top – New Yorkers themselves. The city’s teeming, diverse population is perhaps its greatest asset and resource. Our most celebrated neighborhoods are, for good reason, havens of immigration, innovation, […]
For over 85 years, the 195 foot tall smokestacks of the Superior Inks building were a local landmark and beacon for the Far West Village. They were also a vital link to the Greenwich Village waterfront’s maritime/industrial heritage, as in the mid-2000’s they were part of the last operating factory on the Greenwich Village waterfront. Unfortunately, […]
Built in 1936 as the very first public housing development in New York City or the nation, The East Village’s very own First Houses was landmarked on tomorrow’s date in 1974. The start of urban renewal, and I do not use the term ‘slum clearance’, can be traced to the development of First Houses in […]
On November 11th, 2003, GVSHP launched our campaign to protect the South Village. GVSHP partnered with the Preservation League of New York State, elected officials, other community groups, neighborhood residents, and Our Lady of Pompeii Church to study and consider proposing a South Village Historic District. For many of us, it is hard to believe that […]
We here at GVSHP work hard to honor, celebrate, and perhaps most importantly learn from our history. There were uplifting triumphs and disappointing setbacks, incredible progress and devastating losses, tremendous innovations and inexplicable reversals. This may be more important to remember today than ever. We now have a new tool as we seek to […]
On November 8, 1972, Walk on the Wild Side, Lou Reed’s classic paean to downtown New York, and some of the more prominent characters that occupied that space and time, was released. the original single At the time, Walk on the Wild Side was groundbreaking in many ways — musically, lyrically, thematically. Though it’s now comfortably […]
This Thursday, GVSHP will be hosting a program with our October Business of the Month, Chess Forum. The program is in preparation for the World Championship of Chess, which will begin the following day here New York City — the first time it’s been held in our hometown in over 20 years. More information can […]
GVSHP has now made available on our website a classic preservation and architectural history resource — the booklet Nineteenth Century Dwelling Houses of Greenwich Village produced by the Association of Village Homeowners in 1968 and reprinted in 1969. You can view it here. The Association of Village Homeowners was a community group founded in 1960 in response […]
On this day in 1979, The Talking Heads released their single ‘Life During Wartime‘ from the album Fear of Music. The song not only went on the be a classic of the band’s, the era, and the genre, but perhaps no song better captured the anarchic, chaotic, and ultimately creative feeling of the East Village/Lower […]
One of the most beloved public works of art was reinstalled in our community yesterday, after a two year hiatus. According to the NYC Department of Design and Construction, The Alamo Sculpture was originally installed in 1967 as part of “Sculpture and the Environment”. The Cube by Bernard “Tony” Rosenthal was one of 25 temporary art […]
The newly calendared Sullivan-Thompson Historic District contains some of the oldest and most historically significant buildings in the South Village, including St. Anthony of Padua, the oldest extant Italian-American Church in the country, 57 Sullivan Street, built in 1817 and the oldest extant house in the South Village, and a unique set of early reform housing/model […]
Happy Halloween! It’s a time for tricks and treats and taking to the Village streets for mischief and mayhem, fun and fright, and a parade on 6th Ave. starting at around 7pm. Though tonight’s paranormal procession will signal the end of the Halloween season, that doesn’t mean the Village will be without the supernatural until next […]
Halloween is right around the corner, so for this installment of Village People, let’s take a look at a Greenwich Village resident who knew a thing or two about fear and suspense – author Shirley Jackson. During her too-short life, Jackson was a master of the suspense and horror genre, enjoying success during her lifetime […]
At GVSHP, we’re proud and protective of many of our community’s more well-known residents. Recently, one of them was attacked in a high traffic online forum, sparking widespread outrage…
Landmarks for Sale—or the Wrecker’s Ball Following on the heels of great success with his free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, Joe Papp, the legendary founder of the Public Theater, was looking for a place to build his dream. A place, as he put it, where theater could “live […]
The following was originally posted by Drew Durniak. It showcases one of the South Village’s most significant and historic presences both architecturally and culturally, St. Anthony of Padua. It is located at the corner of West Houston and Sullivan Streets at the north end of the third phase of GVSHP’s proposed South Village historic district. […]
Last week, news broke that the City will be moving ahead with the final phase of GVSHP’s proposed South Village Historic District, a roughly ten-block, one hundred sixty building area south of Houston Street between Sixth Avenue and West Broadway. This amazing news is the culmination of a more than ten year campaign to seek […]
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. For twenty one years, […]
Two and a half years after the designation of the South Village Historic District, the official brown terra cotta signs are now appearing identifying the streets included in the landmark district. This district is part of the original proposal for South Village designation submitted to LPC by GVHSP in 2006. To date, the City […]
14 West 10th Street is a Greek Revival house near Washington Square Park with a dark history. It is probably most well known for being a one-time residence of Mark Twain, but did you know it’s also the site of a terrifying haunting and gruesome tragedy? Let’s take a closer look at what some people […]
It was on October 16th, 1916 that Margaret Sanger opened her first family planning and birth control clinic in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Although Sanger’s groundbreaking clinic wasn’t in Greenwich Village, its politics were very much of the neighborhood, and in fact were fostered by Sanger’s deep involvement with many radical and progressive movements centered in Greenwich Village at […]
The year was 1966. Lyndon Baines Johnson was in his second term as president, America was in the trenches in Vietnam. Both President Kennedy and Malcom X had been assassinated, and the nation had watched on television years of violence surrounding desegregation and the horrors of the Vietnam War.
On this day in 1961, fashion designer, author, and friend of GVSHP Issac Mizrahi was born in Brooklyn.
It is autumn time, but a new old garden springs alive again. After many years of community efforts, Carmen’s Community Garden on Avenue C between 7th and 8th Streets will re-open to the public. Many people and groups worked so hard to help make this happen.
A significant chapter in the Village’s extensive theater history belongs to The Ridiculous Theatrical Company. Founded in 1967 by dramatist, actor and agent provocateur Charles Ludlam, the Ridiculous Theatrical Company (RTC) was part of the theatrical genre, the Theater of the Ridiculous. This was an American movement that started in 1965 with its beginnings in […]
In the ten years leading up to 2004, the Far West Village along West Street experienced huge changes. Large, out-of-scale luxury developments were built where only low-rise buildings had been found for generations along the waterfront. In response, GVSHP and other local community groups banded together to push for landmark protections and downzoning of the neighborhood from […]
This series shines a light on the important things we’re achieving together in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. Each month, we’ll be exploring a new site or topic that has benefited from GVSHP’s work. With your support, every day we make a difference.
Yesterday we were honored to unveil the latest in our Historic Plaque Program at 526 LaGuardia Place, where sculptor Chaim Gross lived and worked. You may have passed by it many times and not be aware of the magic inside. Working predominantly in wood, stone, and eventually bronze, the work of Chaim Gross conveyed a […]
When it comes to modern urban design and planning, perhaps no name figures more prominently than that of Le Corbusier. A Swiss born French architect, he was one of the founders of modern architecture. The International Style, primarily the vernacular of Le Corbusier, was born of the progress of building materials. Compressed concrete, reinforced concrete, […]
11th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues is a pretty short block. But there is a lot of history and activity going on. The block is home to Webster Hall, a building with a long and storied history that GVSHP helped get landmarked in 2008. GVSHP’s partner, the Neighborhood Preservation Center, is celebrating its 17th birthday […]
You may have Vice-Presidents on the brain in anticipation of the upcoming Vice Presidential debate. To help, we thought we would take this opportunity to look at two past United States Vice Presidents with close ties to the Village — Aaron Burr and Theodore Roosevelt.
If you get GVSHP’s monthly program brochure in your mailbox, you may have noticed something different the last few months. We’ve got a whole new look! The programs brochure went through a little makeover this summer, and we’ve got Greenwich Village-based design firm Archigrafika to thank for it. Archigrafika was founded in 2009 by Pratt […]
Ever walk by those many empty storefronts, or past the multitude of metastizing chainstores, and wonder what can be done to preserve and protect our small businesses? Today there is a hearing at City Hall by New York City Council Committee on Small Business jointly with the Subcommittee on Zoning & Franchises regarding promoting retail […]
Let’s talk about…gentrification. Did your heart just start racing? The term gentrification and its many implications is such a hot button issue, so complex and layered, that just reading the word may strike dread in your heart. The term was first coined by British sociologist Ruth Glass in 1964, and she defined it as a […]
On October 1, 2010, the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) agreed to GVSHP’s request to find 326 and 328 East 4th Street eligible for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. According to the significance statement issued by the NYSHPO, “the two adjacent three story, brick houses at 326 and 328 East […]
A stroll through the Village on a crisp autumn day offers so many alluring bakeries and cafes that it is almost impossible to choose one in which to spend your time! Here is a round-up of just a few of our favorite scrumptious spots for sipping and noshing! Enjoy! And you are welcome!
Autumn is in the air here in the Village! As the leaves start to change and the air becomes cooler and more crisp, what better way to enjoy than out and about in some Greenwich Village greenspace? In addition to providing some bucolic backdrop, the parks in the Village are as historic as the buildings. […]
It’s no secret that the Village has changed. However, due to rising demand for real estate, hyper-gentrification threatens the unique and special fabric of our neighborhoods. It’s not just small and independent businesses and cultural institutions that are being lost, but the livelihoods of many Village residents. These were the places they worked, places they shopped, […]
“I’d read about the Village, how Bohemian it was, and after getting thrown out of college, couldn’t wait to get here.” So were the words of groundbreaking playwright Edward Albee (March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016).
On September 21, 1965, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) held its very first public hearing. Twenty-eight buildings were on the agenda, including five in Brooklyn, fifteen in Manhattan, one in the Bronx, and seven in Staten Island. Eight of the properties are located in GVSHP’s catchment area between Houston and 14th Street. We have written extensively about […]
School has started and we are eagerly anticipating our fascinating program this Thursday evening organized with The Loisaida Center Inc. at their 710 East 9th Street location near Avenue C. The program is about one of the foremost architects of school buildings from the turn of the last century, and will include presentations about how his work featured in their […]
Tucked away on East 7th Street between Avenues C and D is the former Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Anshe Ungarn. This small synagogue, designed in the classical revival style, is set amidst Old and New Law tenements. It’s a small but striking reminder of a time when New York was home to the second largest Jewish community […]
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. For over 65 years, […]
The following post was originally written over five years ago as part of a series on East 7th Street. This post described the history of the stretch of East 7th Street between Avenues C and D when it was known as Political Row. It was given this name during the 19th century when it was […]
Village Preservation is fortunate to be participating in two terrific events this coming Saturday, September 17th and we invite our friends and readers to come and visit us! Astor Alive! Festival is being presented by the Village Alliance and is free to the public. The Festival will celebrate The New Astor Place, a vibrant cultural […]
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Merchant’s House Museum. The museum is the only historic house museum in the Greenwich Village/Soho/NoHo neighborhoods, and is considered one of the finest surviving examples of domestic architecture from the period, the late-Federal and Greek Revival styles (the house dates to 1832). On Wednesday, September 21st, […]
Where can you enjoy the best of Greenwich Village bars, restaurants, and shops, all in one handy (and beautiful) location? At Washington Square Park on September 14th, where thirty of the neighborhood’s best food and drink purveyors will be in one place for the 14th annual Taste of the Village! The event has been very popular since […]
With a raft of demolition permits in the air, it reminds us that a year ago today one of the most anti-preservation pieces of legislation was first heard at the NYC Council Land Use committee. Intro 775 had a purported goal of protecting landmarks, but that notion was downright Orwellian to anyone familiar with the bill. Unfortunately, Intro. 775 became law in June of […]
Looking for a cool place to hang in the East Village? We have a few ideas for you. Since the Village abounds with some of the coolest places on earth to imbibe, this is really only a starting point. Of course, we went out into the field to do some research! (it was our pleasure, […]
On this day in 1885, poet and novelist Elinor Wylie was born. Wylie’s writings were popular in the 1920’s and 30’s, and lived in Greenwich Village from 1921 until her death.
The following post was originally written five years ago to showcase one of our neighborhood buildings with an interesting history, 133 Fourth Avenue. From 1904-1926 this 1897 building on the corner of 13th Street and 4th Avenue was home to the trailblazing hardware store, Hammacher & Schlemmer. Since 2011, the building has seen a few updates, […]
Man Ray was born on August 27, 1890 in Philadelphia to Russian Jewish immigrants. His father was a tailor and his mother a seamstress. He was named Emmanuel Radnitzky but was known as Manny. The family moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1912 and changed their last name to Ray due to the prevalent anti-semitism […]
Waverly Place and Mercer Street is just east of Washington Square Park. This unique part of town is still world renowned for history, culture, arts, creativity and university intellect. Just the place we need… another Starbucks.
On August 31, 1928, Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera premiered in Berlin.
It’s “back to school” time again, when the temperatures drop (very slightly), students flood back to campus, and we all sharpen our pencils after a leisurely summer. Campus bookstores across the country will be expecting big crowds these next few weeks, as students make their lists of which books they’ll need to get them through […]
Happy Birthday to Romana Raffetto, owner of Raffetto’s Pasta located at 144 West Houston Street. Romana was born in a small town in Italy in 1932 called Asolo, known as the “city of a hundred horizons” because of the beautiful landscapes surrounding this medieval town. She moved to the Village in 1957, and has lived here […]
This summer, the Museum of Ice Cream opened in Gansevoort Market, allowing visitors to swim in sprinkles and selfie with a scoop in front of ice cream inspired accouterments. Unfortunately the museum doesn’t delve into the history surrounding ice cream or ice cream in the neighborhood. However, thanks to some quick research and our friends at […]
Recently we have been running a series in Off the Grid on the Village as the birthplace of modern drama. NoHo has its own history with drama, and as it turns out, it’s a violent one. In 1849 the Astor Place Riot took place in front of what is today 21 Astor Place, then the […]
At 283 Bleecker Street, a charming green awning once announced the name of an equally charming shop – Second Childhood, a local business dedicated to antique and unique toys for children of all ages. Owned by longtime neighbor Grover Van Dexter, who preferred to be called simply “Van,” this Bleecker Street shop was the quintessential […]
Charles Busch is the quintessential Villager. A prolific playwright and actor, he has lived in the West Village for most of his adult life. This reporter has been a life-long fan of Charles and so on this, his ??? birthday, I caught up with him amidst his busy schedule to ask him for his thoughts […]
The wedding of John Wojtowicz and Ernest Aron (later Elizabeth Eden). On August 22, 1972, what may be the most legendary bank robbery in New York City history took place. And it had some interesting Village connections. On that sweltering August day, John Wojtowicz, Salvatore Naturile, and Robert Westenberg entered a bank on the […]
Believe it or not, the Soho Playhouse is actually within the Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District, which was designated 50 years ago this week, a district which is part of the larger South Village. At 15 Vandam, it might have continued as another in the row of 1820s Federal style houses. However in the late 19th century, […]
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. Where can you get […]
Twenty-three years ago, New York Magazine was worried about the Village. And they weren’t the only ones. On August 16, 1993, The Village Under Siege ran on the cover with an accompanying image of the Washington Square Park, unlit and ominous against the bright, glittering lights of downtown’s skyscrapers. The article detailed a rowdy, often […]
Occasionally in the course of my research of buildings in our area, I come across a familiar name. Last week exactly that happened. In looking into the history of 35 East 9th Street, I found that it had a famous resident at one time, Hugh Ferriss. For those who aren’t familiar with the name, you […]
On August 16th, 1966, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District. This small but distinct neighborhood is part of the South Village. It sits on a street grid designed by Aaron Burr in 1797, although the area was mostly developed between 1820 and 1829, cut out of a John Jacob Astor estate. The District […]
On August 12th, 1988, art legend Jean Michel-Basquiat was announced dead at Cabrini Medical Center on East 19th Street. According to the autopsy, Basquiat died from “acute mixed drug intoxication (opiates-cocaine).” In the months leading up to his death, Basquiat was reportedly doing up to a hundred bags of heroin a day.
Summer time, and the bounty of vegetables and fruits are abundant. Sometimes you want a touch more of the flavor of the farm with your meal. Besides local grocery stores and green markets there are Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects in the city. There are three CSA’s in the East Village area you should be aware […]
As both we and the media have recently reported, two months ago GVSHP requested the landmark designation of a potential historic district on East 11th Street between Third and Fourth Avenues. GVSHP was aware that a developer was planning to move ahead with plans to demolish a significant stretch of this block, which we had long […]
Some things never change about New York City life; New Yorkers’ social lives have seemingly always hinged on the restaurants and bars in their neighborhoods. Aside from the very lucky few, most of our apartments are too small to serve as gathering spaces. In fact, many New York apartments don’t have living rooms or common […]
On Wednesday, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation will be hosting a walking tour on Dylan Thomas that will culminate in a visit to the White Horse Tavern on Hudson Street. The tavern is one of Thomas’s favorite haunts and the last place he drank at before he died. It is even rumored that his […]
Gone but not forgotten, below is a list of just some of the individuals who have carried honorary titles in connection to the Village. Each one was influential in the arts or in advocating for the unique character of the neighborhood. Their legacies will forever remain testaments to how they shaped the Village, and how the Village […]
Longtime GVSHP member Miriam Cahn has called the Village her home for over 45 years. She was a special education teacher at Lennox Hill Hospital for many years before retiring to fulfill her calling as an artist. She recently contacted GVSHP to donate some of her extensive art collection to GVSHP. Her original collection covers a […]
Recently, GVSHP has been reporting on and testifying against the plans for a building to replace the 2 story parking garage at 11-19 Jane Street. Built in 1921, the structure is an early work by architect Jacob M. Felson. While not a household name, some of Felson’s later buildings are among the most distinctive and characteristic structures of […]
Note: This is an updated version of a post originally written by Drew Durniak On this day in 1973, what was once one of the largest and most elegant hotels in the country collapsed onto Broadway, killing four and injuring many.
Greenwich Village is not the only part of the City which defies the New York City grid. NoHo also challenges the regularity of the 200+ year old grid with what I like to call Gridus Interruptus (its Latin, sort of). Each of its streets has its own story but today we will look at NoHo’s “newest” […]
The landmark documentary Paris Is Burning was released in New York on March 13, 1991. Filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s, the film is an intimate peek into New York’s LGBTQ culture, specifically ball competitions, where participants dress, dance, and compete in a number of themed categories. Paris Is Burning received rave reviews upon its release, […]
Today GVSHP pays its respects to Al Orensanz, the Director of the Angel Orensanz Foundation for the past 30 years, who passed away on Saturday, July 23. Al, along with his brother Angel, was a cultural hero in New York City, and the Lower East Side has been enriched by their efforts over many decades.
