Jared Kushner’s (Preservation) Record

The Donald has been getting a lot of attention lately, what with his running for President and all.  So too has his family, which is being touted as an integral part of his campaign apparatus, and his most intimate advisors. When the irrepressible Mr. Trump started his campaign last year, we decided to stroll down memory […]

Jean-Michel Basquiat and the East Village art scene of the 1980’s

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s life and work are synonymous with the East Village/NoHo art scene of the 1980’s.  From his early years as a burgeoning young artist while studying at City-as-School, a progressive high school Village Preservation proposed for historic district designation which operates on the principles of John Dewey’s theory that students learn by doing, Basquiat was […]

Happy birthday, Tom Birchard!

Today we’re celebrating the birthday of Veselka owner and GVSHP board member Tom Birchard. As the owner of Veselka for the past several decades, Tom knows a thing or two about life, business, and history on the East Side. So he was an obvious choice for GVSHP’s oral history project — an ongoing campaign to […]

Kleindeutschland Roundup

In the late 19th and early 20th Century, the East Village and Lower East Side were home to a substantial German immigrant community.  As a result, this area became known as Kleindeutschland, or “Little Germany.”  Eventually the German community moved north to the Upper East Side and elsewhere, spurred on by the General Slocum Disaster, demographic […]

Progress on Astor Place Mosaic Lightpoles and Reconstruction

Have you heard about the exciting progress on the restoration of the beautiful mosaic-covered lamp poles as part of the Astor Place Reconstruction?  Maybe you’ve even seen one of the poles installed, now wrapped like a fig tree in the winter awaiting the official unveiling in September.   The progress has been tracked by The Villager newspaper, and […]

59 Bleecker Street – Art Deco in NoHo

Part of my job at GVSHP as the Director of Research and Preservation is to review all certificate of appropriateness applications for proposed changes to the landmarked buildings in our area (click HERE for the GVSHP Landmarks webpage).  Consequently, I am presented with a continuous stream of architectural resources that vary in type, style and […]

Lost Neighborhoods of New York: Goulash Row

New York is renowned for its vibrant immigrant history, and the many diverse neighborhoods born out of years of heavy immigration in the 19th and early 20th-centuries. But for all that still exists of famed neighborhoods like Little Italy, the Jewish Lower East Side, or Brooklyn’s Italian Bensonhurst, there are many immigrant enclaves virtually lost […]

Happy Birthday, Dave Van Ronk!

On this day in 1936, David Kenneth Ritz “Dave” Van Ronk was born.  Van Ronk was a highly influential figure in the American folk music revival and Greenwich Village music scene of the 1960’s.   He even earned the nickname the “Mayor of MacDougal Street”.

These Boots Were Made for Scraping

You might think modern-day New York’s streets and sidewalks are a little grimy, but they’re practically pristine compared to the city streets of a century ago. To start, in the early days of New York, most streets were not paved at all, and did not feature cleanly and convenient paved sidewalks. (This was especially true […]

A Third Life for Three Lives Books?

Did you see the recent letter by the owner of Three Lives Books?  The building that has been their home for 33 years is for sale — read the full letter here. Under current law there is no obligation for the new owner to offer a new lease or to maintain the amazing book store, a […]

Jefferson Market Garden Party

GVSHP holds events with the Jefferson Market Library and the Jefferson Market Garden several times per year, most recently a members only tour, our program marking the 50th Anniversary of the Sip-In at Julius’ (See photos here and video here), and Contemporary Writers on a Lost Greenwich Village: A discussion with authors Vivian Gornick and Sarah Schulman (see photos […]

Happy Birthday Greenwich Village Historic District Extension II!

This past Wednesday marks six years since the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District Extension II (click HERE for the designation report),which was Phase I of GVSHP’s proposed South Village Historic District from 2006.  This 235-building, 12 block designation was at the time the largest expansion of landmark protections in Greenwich Village since 1969.   […]

GVSHPride: Roundup of LGBTQ Resources and Information

Happy Pride Week! Each June during the week leading up to the Gay Pride March, NYC celebrates Pride Week.  Throughout the week, different groups and organizations will host events, throw parties, and do general outreach and advocacy to promote the history and visibility of the LGBTQ community.  Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has always worked […]

Old Village Matchbooks

A generous GVSHP supporter dropped off a fun treat to our offices a few weeks ago – old matchbooks from Greenwich Village bars and restaurants. They’re a philluminist’s dream! (Did you know that “philluminist” is the official term for a matchbook collector?) I love how these books meld historic graphic design with New York City […]

    The Air Up There

    You can buy bottled water.  You can buy plots of land. And in New York (and some other places), you can buy air rights. But what are “air rights?” An increasingly common component of development across NYC, “air rights” are a type of development right in real estate.  The owner of a building sometimes has the right to use and develop […]

    2016 Village Award Winner: Smalls Jazz Club

    Off the Grid is highlighting the 2016 Village Awards winners in the lead up to the June 14th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Click here for more information about the event and to RSVP. Read about other awardees here. Today we look Smalls Jazz Club, one of the premiere remaining successful Greenwich Village jazz clubs. Smalls Jazz […]

    Three Years Ago: Preservationists call for Archeological review of Mary Help of Christians cemetery

    Three years ago, EV Grieve published a post about the preservationists calling for an archeological review for the former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site.  A Roman Catholic Church formerly located at 440 E. 12th St., Mary Help of Christians was demolished in the summer of 2013 to make way for new development.  To […]

    Welcome Chelsea Dowell

    Today we welcome Chelsea Dowell to the GVSHP team as Director of Communications and Programming. We’re excited to have Chelsea on board and managing our public outreach and programming, and working with our members. Chelsea comes to us from the Green-Wood Historic Fund, where she promoted the 178-year-old Green-Wood Cemetery through innovative programs, membership, and […]

    East Village Spring Tours, Gardens & More

    Springtime has arrived in our wonderful neighborhoods.  Many more people are out and about.  Locals and visitors alike enjoy our diverse culture, community history and appreciate a part of the big city where you can see the blue sky instead of towers and the greenery of gardens and trees.  Here are two special walking tours we recommend.  Our own – free- […]

    Happy Birthday, David Vaughan!

    Ninety two years ago today, dance archivist David Vaughan was born in London, England.  Vaughan was the archivist for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company from 1976 until it disbanded in 2012.  The Merce Cunningham Dance Company was located in Westbeth in the West Village since 1971.  In addition to being the archivist, Vaughan is also […]

    Further Proof That Landmarking Does Not Hurt Affordability, and Unfettered Development Doesn’t Help

    Earlier this week the NYU Furman Center, which studies real estate development and urban policies, issued a report analyzing trends in gentrification in New York City from 1990-2014. Our ears pricked up, as the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) has long tried to link landmarking to gentrification, claiming it hurts affordability by, among […]

    What Style is It? Mid-19th Century Edition

    Greenwich Village, the East Village and NoHo offer a vast array of architectural styles that span their long histories.  Through this series “What Style Is It?” we will explore the architecture of our area and look at the various architectural styles and their features.  So far we have looked at the Federal style and Greek Revival. […]

    May The Fourth Be With You! Geek and Nerdom in the Village.

    Not long ago, in theaters far, far away (and near too), a movie came out that influenced the interests and imaginations of generations to come. There are a few connections between Star Wars and the Village.  On December 18, 2015, in honor of the release of The Force Awakens, a large crowd of fans gathered in […]

    From South Village to South Bronx, the Legacy of Jane Jacobs

    In 1955 the Committee to Save Washington Square Park was distributing flyers to alert the public about a proposal to drive a four-lane road through the center of the park.  One neighborhood  resident, then  a writer with Architectural Forum, read it, and got involved. Tomorrow May 4th is the centenary of Jane Jacobs birth.  We […]

    What Style Is It? Greek Revival Edition

    Greenwich Village, the East Village and NoHo offer a vast array of architectural styles that span their long histories.  The Greek Revival style, which dominated these neighborhoods for much of the 1830s and 40s, and of which ample examples survive today, was in many ways inspired by an event which took place on March 25, […]

    Happy Birthday, Willem de Kooning!

    On April 24, 1904 artist Willem de Kooning was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.  de Kooning was one of the major figures of the Abstract Expressionist movement.  Abstract Expressionism was an art movement developed in New York City and the “first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York City at the center of the […]

    From Parking Lot to Car Free Washington Square Park

    Today is Earth Day, first celebrated in NYC in 1970, and you may notice some of the streets around the city harkening to a quieter era.  Legislation passed in the City Council and supported by local Council Members Corey Johnson, Rosie Mendez and Margaret Chin, also make today Car Free NYC day. Three areas around the city were selected for this […]

    Celebrating 51 Years of Landmarking

    Fifty-one years ago today, on April 19, 1965, the New York City landmarks law went into effect.  A year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the landmarks law has been spearheaded by Landmarks50, an incredible coalition of which Village Preservation is a member, led by Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, the chair of the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center. […]

    The Death and Life of Louis Sullivan

    On April 14, 1924, the architect Louis Sullivan, the “father of modernism,” key figure of the Chicago and the Prairie Schools of Architecture, progenitor of the skyscraper and coiner of the phrase “form follows function,” died. None of these descriptors would lead one to believe that Sullivan would have any relationship to Greenwich Village, much less […]

    Happy Birthday, Max Ernst

    Artist Max Ernst was born on April 12, 1891.  Ernst was a pioneering figure in both the Dada and Surrealist movements.  The former, often referred to as “anti-art,” emerged after World War I as an anti-war, anti-bourgeois far left  movement.  Dadaist art pieces generally included readymade objects, a critique on the establishment of traditional art making, […]

    Tenement House Act of 1901

    April 12, 1901 marks the date when the New York State Legislature passed the Tenement House Act of 1901, more commonly known as the “New Law” or “New Tenement Law.”   This significant moment in New York City housing history resulted from intense pressure by housing reform groups, leading to Governor Theodore Roosevelt appointing a commission to […]

    Three Ways the New LPC Map is Better than NYCMap

    The Landmarks Preservation Commission recently released a new interactive map. The map shows all exterior, interior, and scenic landmarks, historic districts, and properties calendared for designation. According to LPC Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan, “The launch of this map is a key milestone in our efforts to ensure that all New Yorkers have the history of our city at […]

    43 MacDougal Street: A Happy Ending At Last?

    Five years ago we wrote about the terrible, deteriorating conditions at 43 MacDougal Street, a landmarked, 1846 Greek Revival townhouse at the corner of King Street in the King-Charlton-VanDam Historic District.  The building had been neglected to the point of near-abandonment for over a decade. With a rainy week ahead, we were worried the historic structure […]

    Rocky Horror Midnight Show Is Born

    While the Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in London and Los Angeles in 1975, the now classic cult film was not really successful until it launched its ongoing run of midnight shows here in Greenwich Village. That very first midnight show took place on April 1, 1976, at the Waverly Theatre (now the IFC Center) on 6th […]

    The Federal Style Explained

    We recently published a detailed report of the Federal style houses which GVSHP has helped to get landmarked, listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, or both.   This architectural style for houses prevailed between the Revolutionary War and about 1835, and derived from the English Georgian style following a classical vocabulary.  In […]

    Happy Dyngus Day!

    The Monday following Easter is known to Ukrainians as Dyngus Day, and many Ukrainian American communities will host parades and celebrations to commemorate this holiday.  In America, Dyngus Day is celebrated as a fusion of American and Polish traditions, with “polka bands, a parade, consumption of krupnik, and Polish food accompanying American patriotic songs sung […]

    One Year After the Second Avenue Explosion

    Tomorrow will mark one year since the tragic gas explosion on Second Avenue and 7th Street street that killed two people and led to the collapse and destruction of three buildings and created a gap in our East Village community.  Many groups and people came together with heroic rescue efforts in the immediate aftermath of […]

    See You on the Dark Side of the Village!

    In 1973, Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon; the album hit U.S. shelves on March 1st and UK on March 16th.  Dark Side of the Moon was the band’s eighth studio album, their most commercially successful album, and one of the best-selling albums ever worldwide.  Conflict, greed, the passage of time, and mental illness […]

    Saving the South Village — ‘Seven to Save’

    Four years ago today, the South Village was named to the Preservation League of New York State’s “Seven to Save” list.  This designation was a great boon to our ongoing efforts to preserve and protect the South Village, which has been a priority of GVSHP’s since we first proposed the area for landmark designation in 2006. […]

    Was My House a…Brothel?!

    It never fails to amaze me what we sometimes find, historically, was located in our neighborhoods. DNAInfo NY recently published an article, “MAP: Discover the Hidden History of New York’s First Sex Districts.”   In addition to a history of prostitution in 19th century New York City, the article features an interactive map.  The map identifies […]

    Oral History: Virlana Tkacz

    GVSHP is excited to share our oral history collection with the public, and hope they will shed more light on what makes Greenwich Village and the East Village such unique and vibrant areas. Each of these histories highlights the experiences and insights of long-time residents, usually active in the arts, culture, preservation, business, or civic life of […]

    History For Sale: 3 East 3rd Street

    Whenever we see another ‘For Sale‘ sign in our neighborhoods, it is often the cause for worry or fear.  Concerns naturally arise that another out-of-context tower might obliterate the skyline, or another new development might destroy the unique character of our retail spaces. But sometimes it could be a lot worse, and the hard work […]

    Megamansions of the Village

    Throughout the Village, we have seen houses built, and houses demolished.  But sometimes, we see something in between. In some cases, new owners want more space than a traditional Village building can provide them.  As a result, they will buy a couple of townhouses side-by-side or entire tenement buildings to combine internally, and create what some are […]

      How Greenwich Village Saved Piet Mondrian

      The great modern painter Piet Mondrian was born on this day, March 7th, in 1872. Mondrian (born Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan) is perhaps most closely associated with the De Stijl movement of the 1910’s and 20’s in his native Netherlands, and with ‘mod’ French fashion design of the 1960’s (see Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic Mondrian dresses).  But the time and place which […]

      In Old Greenwich Village

      I recently came across a book printed in 1894 by Thomas A. Janvier entitled In Old New York.  The section on Greenwich Village contained a treasure trove of illustrations, some of which could be compared to views of today. However, before I get to the images, here is how the author described the Village and its […]

      Springtime for GVSHP Children’s Education Program

      It may not technically be spring just yet, but the spring semester for GVSHP’s Children’s Education program, affectionately known as “Kids’ Ed,” is underway. Every year GVSHP introduces New York City elementary- and middle-school students to the concept of historic preservation with our 3-session program that includes 2 classroom visits and a walking tour of […]

      Oral History: Claire Tankel

      GVSHP is excited to share our oral history collection with the public, and hope they will shed more light on what makes Greenwich Village and the East Village such unique and vibrant areas. Each of these histories highlights the experiences and insights of long-time residents, usually active in the arts, culture, preservation, business, or civic life of […]

      Welcome Aboard, Harry Bubbins

      Harry Bubbins joins us today as GVSHP’s new East Village and Special Projects Director.  I hope you’ll join us in welcoming Harry to the GVSHP team. Harry comes to us from serving as the founding Director of Friends of Brook Park, a leading environmental and community advocacy organization based in the Mott Haven neighborhood of […]

        GVSHP Oral History: Gloria McDarrah

        Village Preservation is excited to share our oral history collection with the public, and hope they will shed more light on what makes Greenwich Village and the East Village such unique and vibrant areas. Each of these histories highlights the experiences and insights of long-time residents, usually active in the arts, culture, preservation, business, or […]

        Happy Birthday, Off the Grid!

        “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” For almost everyone in the workforce this stands out as the most clichéd question you can hear during a job interview.  However, in 5 years a lot can change, develop, and become more than what was originally intended.  On top of our landmarking victories and successful advocacy […]

        GVSHP Landmarks Webpage, A Great Resource!

        Ever wonder what is going on with the construction of the landmarked building next door, or anywhere in Greenwich Village, NoHo, Gansevoort Market, the South Village, and the East Village?  Well GVSHP offers to the public its Landmarks Applications Webpage, a wonderful resource that provides up-to-the-minute information on landmarked properties which require review via a […]

        On this Day: Washington Square Village Found Eligible for State and National Registers of Historic Places

        On this date in 2011, the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), presented a “Resource Evaluation” that agreed with the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s earlier finding that the complex known as Washington Square Village was eligible for inclusion in the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places. In this evaluation, SHPO noted that Washington […]