March 14th — A Big Day for Village Birthdays
March 14th is a date when several people with important connections to the Village will celebrate, or would have celebrated, their birthdays.
On this day in history…
GVSHP is marking March, Women’s History Month, with some great public programs. But today I am going to focus on two men who helped to shape the history, geography, and culture of Greenwich Village and the East Village. On March 12, 1922, in Lowell, Massachusetts, Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac, known to us as Jack Kerouac, […]
Business of the Month: bookbook
Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — and we need your help selecting the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village or NoHo: just click here to vote for your favorite. Want to help support small businesses? Share this post with […]
Preservation Alert
PRESERVATION ALERT: New City Proposal Would Slash Neighborhood Zoning Protections; Hard-Fought-For Height Limits Would Be Lifted, Now and In the Future Dear friend, The City has just released a citywide rezoning proposal which would lift hard-fought-for neighborhood zoning protections and height limits for new development –by as much as 20 to 30%! The proposal […]
Handy Resource: LPC Hearing/Meeting Videos
First off, this is our 1,100th blog post! Be sure to click on the blue image in our sidebar to read more of our posts categorized by neighborhood. For today’s post, we thought we’d share a useful resource that you may not know exists. A little over a year ago, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) […]
The Kinks: When Rock ‘n’ Roll Met Preservation
Preservation and rock ‘n’ roll are rarely mentioned in the same breath, it seems fair to say – with at least one notable exception. When the great British rock band The Kinks, one of the most influential groups of the 1960s and beyond, released a concept album in 1968, they didn’t call it “The Village […]
What’s in Store for 237 Bleecker Street
If you love walking our Village streets, chances are you’ve come across the neglected little building at 237 Bleecker Street. Once a stagecoach house when it was built c. 1835, the wood structure is a cherished piece of Village history, yet it’s fallen on hard times. A proposal to reconstruct most of the facade and […]
The Jones-Shafroth Act Begins Puerto Rican Migration to the Lower East Side
Free Image from Creative Commons The Jones-Shafroth Act, which conferred United States citizenship upon residents of Puerto Rico and set the stage for the huge migration of Puerto Ricans to NYC following WWII, was enacted on March 2, 1917. In 1945, there were 13,000 Puerto Ricans in New York City. Within 10 years this number […]
On this day in history…
It was on March 3, 1967, that Ingrid and Sven Bernhard purchased the lot at 121 Charles Street in the West Village. It was just a vacant lot, but that’s what they needed. You see, the Bernhards had just acquired the house of their dreams, a charming little old wooden farmhouse. You might think I’m […]
Happy Birthday Lou Reed
Famed Rock n Roll legend and Greenwich Village icon, Lou Reed, was born on March 2, 1942.Reed grew up on Long Island and moved to New York City at the early age of twenty and co-founded the groundbreaking band the Velvet Underground with fellow musician John Cale. From a previous Off the Grid post on […]
Have a drink! The historic public drinking fountains of the Village and East Village
I have often noticed these old drinking fountains on historic buildings – there is one at the Jefferson Market Library on the corner of 6th Avenue and 10th Street, one at St. Mark’s Church, on the corner of 2nd Avenue and 10th Street, and one at Judson Memorial Church at the corner of Washington Square […]
With Black Seed, De Robertis Space Moves Forward, Mindful of the Past
Like many fans, we at Off the Grid were heartbroken when it really happened, after months and years of rumors: De Robertis Pastry Shop closed in December. Nos. 174 and 176 First Avenue were sold, and no one knew what would happen to the soulful storefront. Now there is some hopeful news to report coming […]
Business of the Month: East Village Cheese
Your input is needed! Today we feature our fourth “Business of the Month” — and we need your help selecting the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village or NoHo: just click here to vote for your favorite. This article was modified Wednesday, Feb. 25 with up-to-date information on […]
Today in Greenwich Village NYU History
Three years ago today, GVSHP and the Village won an important early victory in the ongoing battle against the NYU 2031 expansion plan. On February 23, 2012, Community Board #2 voted unanimously to reject the overly ambitious and out of scale development proposal. This was the first official vote on NYU’s massive proposed expansion plan […]
A Look at Past and Upcoming Programs
We have been busy here at GVSHP! We started the year with a program by art historian Avis Berman about artist William Glackens, a painter who lived most of his life near Washington Square, and who was a member of the so-called “Ashcan School” of painters that included John Sloan and Robert Henri. Then my […]
Happy “Landmark” Birthday, 203 Prince Street!
Today we’d like to wish 203 Prince Street a happy “landmark” birthday. On this day 41 years ago, in 1974, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated 203 Prince Street an individual landmark. The building is located in the South Village, a neighborhood you can learn more about on our Preservation page.
Remembering Edith Lyons
Eighteen years ago, GVSHP had the privilege of recording an oral history interview with early preservationist, Edith Lyons, the co-founder of the Joint Emergency Committee to Close Washington Square Park to Traffic. Lyons and the JEC led a seven year battle against Robert Moses’ plan to extend Fifth Avenue through the park. Thanks to Lyons […]
A Landmark of Hypocrisy?
You never know what you might stumble upon when walking around the neighborhood. Recently I discovered that NYU had installed a sign on the grounds of the I.M. Pei-designed Silver Towers complex touting its landmark designation by the City in 2008. The signage appeared to indicate that the NYU administration was proud of the landmark […]
Celebrate Valentine’s Day With Some Architectural Cherubs
In celebration of Valentine’s Day today, we thought we would tip our hats to some of our neighborhood’s architectural cherubs. There’s a wonderfully rich supply of them in the East Village, particularly within what had been known in the late 19th and early 20th century as “Kleine Deutschland” or “Little Germany,” the area centered along […]
Shop Local: Help For Your Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Gift
Valentine’s Day is almost here with almost no time left to waste! Due to the predicted below-freezing temperatures for this weekend, we’ve posted a last-minute sample list of local Village businesses that may be able to cover your flower and candy needs, featuring a sneak preview of photos from happy customers posted on Instagram: Sunny’s Florist Location: […]
Memo to Developers: Don’t Kill the Goose That Laid the Golden Egg
Call him the preservationist’s preservationist: Anthony C. Wood has not only built a distinguished career as an activist for historic preservation in New York City, but has also blazed a singular trail as a historian of the movement itself. He’ll be looking back, and looking forward, at a GVSHP program on Thursday evening, February 19. […]
The Origins of Historic Preservation in Academia
Having recently completed my undergraduate degree in architectural and urban history, I have been exploring options for further education in the discipline. During my research in the academic backgrounds of notable persons in the profession, I was particularly struck by Jane Jacobs’s lack of qualified training in city planning. This revelation sparked a curiosity in […]
Fifth Avenue and 12th Street, Then & Now
Today, the building that houses the Salmagundi Club at 47 Fifth Avenue is a bit of an odd duck. At four-and-a-half stories, the 1853 Italianate style rowhouse is sandwiched by taller apartment buildings on either side. To someone walking by, the stately old brownstone may almost look like the Little House from the Stuart Little […]
Welcome Aboard, Sam Moskowitz
We here at GVSHP are pleased to welcome Sam Moskowitz aboard, whose first day as GVSHP’s Director of Operations is today. Sam replaced longtime GVSHP Director of Operations Sheryl Woodruff, who left GVSHP at the end of 2014.
A Look Back at Our January Programs
Yesterday, Off the Grid provided a sneak preview into our upcoming February programs to celebrate African-American History Month. Today we want to take a look back at our January programs. This has been a tough winter, with one snowstorm after another and some pretty cold temperatures too. Sometimes this means having to re-schedule a program, […]
GVSHP African American History Month Series: Revisiting Spring Street Presbyterian Church
In celebration of Black History Month, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation will host several public programs this month with specific focus on the history of the African-American community in Greenwich Village. On Monday, February 9, archivist David Pultz will give an illustrated lecture at the First Presbyterian Church on the unique history of the former […]
Preservation Includes Community Gardens, and More
Not so long ago, there were 57 community gardens sprinkled along the streets of the East Village and Lower East Side – registered with the Parks Department’s GreenThumb program, that is; in total there were even more. Now there are 46. A coalition of gardeners, advocates and officials has just taken action to ensure that […]
Village People: Buddy Holly
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Buddy Holly was born in 1936, in Lubbock, Texas. As many music fans know, Holly formed the band that would ultimately become the Crickets in 1956, after […]
Village People: Aaron Burr
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) We don’t usually associate Aaron Burr with the Village. (I personally always associate him with New Jersey, where he was born, where he killed Alexander Hamilton, and […]
Village People: Dave Van Ronk
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Dave Van Ronk came to the Village in the 1950s, after twice shipping out with the Merchant Marine. He lived at 15 Sheridan Square, a section of […]
Business of the Month: La Bonbonniere
Your input is needed! Today we feature our third “Business of the Month” — and we need your help selecting the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village or NoHo: just click here to vote for your favorite. Marina Cortez Arrieta, 56, came to America from Peru three decades […]
Village People: Crystal Eastman
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Crystal Eastman was born to two Congregationalist ministers in Massachusetts, before the family moved to the ‘burned-over district’ of New York (from where the Shaker and Mormon […]
Village People: Murray Hall
(This post is the first of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) 453 6th Avenue is an apparently unremarkable building, now home to a noodle shop. Before being renumbered in the 1920s, this was 145 Sixth Avenue. Murray […]
Folk Music in Greenwich Village: 1953-1961
On Sunday 9 April 1961, Washington Square Park was full of folk musicians and their friends. The park had become a gathering place for them starting in the 1940s, when the likes of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie began singing and socializing there. A permit was required at this time, but was considered a formality […]
Folk Music In Greenwich Village: 1940s-1953
There are some that mark the beginning Greenwich Village’s involvement with the revival of American Folk music as 9 April 1961, with the ‘Beatnik Riot’ in Washington Square Park. But folk music was thriving in the Village long before, with folk musicians holding ‘hootenannies’ and gathering in the park to play and socialize from the […]
Village People: Pete Seeger
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Pete Seeger was a New York native, born on the Lower East Side on May 3, 1919. He was born to a very musical family: his father […]
Village People: Djuna Barnes
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Djuna Barnes was born in 1892, to a polygamist family at Storm King Mountain, New York. Her father made little effort to support his children, and Djuna’s grandmother […]
50 Years of Historic Preservation
On April 19, 1965 that the New York City Landmarks Law went into effect. GVSHP and many other organizations are celebrating this 50th anniversary all year long. Visit the website of NYC Landmarks 50 to see more. We have written in the past here on Off the Grid about the demolition of the original Penn […]
Celebrating Washington’s Birthday
This post is the third in a three-part series about holidays held in the Village, a collaboration between GVSHP and the students in NYU’s Fall 2014 Intro to Public History course. In conjunction with the public program held on Wednesday, December 17th, each group was also tasked with sharing their discoveries with us on Off […]
Lincoln and Memorial Day
This post is the second in a three-part series about holidays held in the Village, a collaboration between GVSHP and the students in NYU’s Fall 2014 Intro to Public History course. In conjunction with the public program held on Wednesday, December 17th, each group was also tasked with sharing their discoveries with us on Off […]
Irish Parade Riots
This post is the first in a three-part series about holidays held in the Village, a collaboration between GVSHP and the students in NYU’s Fall 2014 Intro to Public History course. In conjunction with the public program held on Wednesday, December 17th, each group was also tasked with sharing their discoveries with us on Off […]
Village People: Allen Ginsberg
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) We all know Allen Ginsberg. He lived in the East Village for more than thirty years, with his partner, Peter Orlovsky. He met Lucien Carr, Jack Kerouac, […]
Village People: Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was a prominent art collector, born into the Vanderbilt family, and married into the Whitney family, whose fortune had been amassed beginning with Eli […]
Community Board Public Hearing on GVSHP’s University Place/Broadway Corridor Rezoning Proposal Jan. 14
Community Board #2 will be holding a public hearing next Wednesday, January 14th at 6:30 pm at Grace Church High School, 46 Cooper Square (Bowery/East 6th Street), 3rd floor regarding GVSHP’s proposed contextual rezoning plan for the University Place and Broadway corridors. Anyone who is interested in the future or preservation of this area is […]
LGBTQ History: Around Christopher Street
Christopher Street is the place most of us look to when it comes to LGBTQ history in New York. It is the site of the Stonewall Uprising, with the second Stonewall Inn, the Gay Liberation Monument, and the Gay Street photo-op all within a few steps of each other. However, there are also a number […]
Zoning Does Matter: Townhouses, or A Tower?
ZONING MATTERS: REZONED WEST VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT SITE WOULD HAVE ALLOWED HUGE TOWER, NOW MARKETED FOR TOWNHOUSES ~ Hearing Jan. 14 on Univ. Pl./B’way Rezoning Proposal It has recently been reported that the two-story duplex co-op apartments at 8 Charles Lane/151-157 Charles Street are being marketed for sale and redevelopment. What’s so noteworthy, however, is that […]
Folk Music in Greenwich Village: 1961-1970
The exact date is impossible to confirm. But it is widely accepted that Bob Dylan arrived in New York City on 24 January 1961, in the midst of the coldest winter New York had seen in 28 years. He’d dropped out of the University of Minnesota, and spent the last twenty-four hours driving east with […]
Village People: Jane Jacobs
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) During the Great Depression, Jane Jacobs moved with her sister to Brooklyn, and then to Greenwich Village, to which she took an immediate liking. She studied at […]
Village People: Frederic Church
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Frederic Church, born in Hartford, CT in 1826, became a central figure of the Hudson River School, and a great American landscape painter. He studied under Thomas […]
Historic Preservation, In Context
As a student of architectural history at NYU and having lived in New York for the past four years, it is still such a delight to be able to walk around and see such an eclectic mix of buildings in the same neighborhood; to see the old and the new nestled together either in congruent […]
Village People: Isadora Duncan
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Isadora Duncan was the creator of what is now called ‘Duncan Dance,’ and an incredibly important figure in modern dance. She was born in California in 1877, […]
2014 Year In Review: GVSHP Programs
As we near the end of 2014, we thought we’d look back on the several dozen exciting lectures, book talks, exhibitions, walking tours, forums, panels, and community meetings conducted by GVSHP over the past year. All are shown on our Past Programs page, and many have links to video or photos of the events, in […]
It’s all about the kids!
At this time of year it’s easy to get in touch with your inner child. Everywhere you look there are reminders of how much of this holiday season is geared toward children. “Toys for Tots,” “Charlie Brown Christmas,” and of course, academic winter break. We all remember how much we enjoyed the end of the […]
Village People: Henrietta Rodman
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Henrietta Rodman was born in Queens, in 1877. In 1904, she graduated from Teachers College, Columbia University. She began her career teaching English and working as a […]
Village People: Elizabeth Fisher Read and Esther Lape
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) 20 East 11th Street now bears a plaque, which tells us that Eleanor Roosevelt lived here while she was First Lady. It says nothing, however, about the […]
Village People: Paul Clayton
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Paul Clayton was a mentor and friend to Dave Van Ronk, a friend to Liam Clancy, and later a mentor to Bob Dylan. (It is said that […]
Business of the Month: Sullivan Street Tea & Spice Company
Your input is needed! Today we feature our second “Business of the Month” — the first one selected by YOUR votes! Now tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village or NoHo: just click here to vote for your favorite. No. 208 Sullivan Street used to be a place where it […]
In the News: 49 Years Ago Today
Much of the Village Voice from the 1950s to the mid-2000s is available to view online via a Google digitization project. The huge trove of scanned newspapers helps reveal the changes that have occurred over fifty years to the architecture of the neighborhood, to music and culture, to local businesses, to politics, to the concerns […]
Building (801) Broadway: McCreery’s Cast-Iron Gem
For today’s Building Broadway post, we thought we’d take a look at the former McCreery’s Dry Goods Store at the corner of Broadway and 11th Street. Featuring this building is particularly timely because it was one of four “calendared” buildings in our neighborhoods that was, until very recently, scheduled to be “de-calendared” by the Landmarks […]
Village Videos: Fashion Faux Pas
For decades, various industries have used Greenwich Village (or the romanticized idea of Greenwich Village) as both a backdrop for advertisements and a way to give products cachet. The neighborhood has long been a particular favorite of the fashion industry. We’ve looked at the Village as a backdrop for fashion in the past, but submitted […]
The Beauty of the University Place & Broadway Corridors
Last week’s community meeting about the need to better preserve and protect the Village’s University Place and Broadway corridors was a great success. Well attended, participants at the meeting were extremely engaged and enthusiastic, and there appeared to be a very strong consensus about the need to change the current state of affairs which allows […]
Union Square: Activism by Design
Union Square is known today as a site of public gathering and for expressions of discontent. This is built upon Union Square’s rich, multi-layered history as a public space in Manhattan. The name of the park comes from its location within the downtown area, placed between, or at the “union,” of the then-Bloomingdale Road and […]
‘Tis the Season
December is chock full of holidays and no shortage of holiday tree lightings, carol singing events, and much more to help you celebrate the season. The trees are already up and alight in Tompkins Square Park and Abingdon Square Park, but there are plenty more activities across the Village for those looking to ring in […]
Tearooms of the Village
Though a rare surviving architectural element today, the tearoom (also known as a back porch or tea porch) was an original feature of Greek Revival rowhouses throughout New York City in the 1840s and 1850s. Constructed of wood, tearooms were located at the rear of brick houses and faced the gardens. If you’re familiar with […]
Small Business EVERYday
A week ago we were surrounded by ads for “Black Friday,” a day many people spend doing their holiday shopping at the big box stores. A few years ago, “Small Business Saturday” was created, to promote the independent retailers and other businesses. That’s nice, but maybe one day is not enough. How about “Small Business […]
LGBTQ History: Cooper Square and Bowery
In the 1890s, the Bowery, like Bleecker Street, was a center of ‘gay’ nightlife in New York City. On Bleecker Street, the Black Rabbit and the Slide did business, offering live sex shows and male prostitutes. On the Bowery, Manilla Hall and Little Bucks, like the Slide, served as ‘fairy resorts,’ where male prostitutes waited […]
Wonderful Wednesdays: The Mosaic Man’s Work, and Hudson River Piles, Both Live On
Today you may be shaking your head over the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s shocking plan to de-calendar some 100 buildings from landmark consideration. But there’s plenty of good news in our neighborhoods as well. Feel free to send your observations from the sunny side of the street to kloew@gvshp.org. From light poles come sculptures The ongoing […]
Astor Place Art Update
A Keith Haring sculpture (Self Portrait; 1989) has recently appeared in front of 51 Astor Place at the corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark’s Place. In both his life and artworks, Haring is deeply connected to our neighborhoods. Over the years, GVSHP has looked at Haring’s ties to places within the neighborhoods we cover […]
World AIDS Day, 2014
Since 1988, December 1 has marked a day of awareness for the global pandemic of HIV/AIDS. World AIDS Day is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), and to commemorate those who have […]
Remembering the Original New Yorkers
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we thought that we should share a brief history of the original New Yorkers, the Lenape. When the Dutch arrived in New York in 1624, there were approximately 15,000 Lenape Indians living on Manhatta, translated as “the island of many hills.” It was later renamed by the Dutch “Manhattan.” Although […]
University Place and Broadway in the Crosshairs
BY ANDREW BERMAN | Imagine a young developer from a big New York real estate family wants to make a name for himself. He decides to do so by developing a luxury high-rise tower in the heart of Greenwich Village that will be one of the tallest, if not the tallest, structures ever erected in the […]
Community Cornerstone: Maryhouse
With the approach of Thanksgiving this week, we here at Off the Grid are taking stock of all the things we have to be thankful for. For many, the Thanksgiving holiday is a time to share with friends and family. It is also a time for reflection and giving. So I thought I would begin […]
Landmarked Lampposts
We often hear of historic districts, individual landmarked buildings and State and National Register sites. But did you know that there are sixty-two lampposts and four wall bracket lamps that have also achieved designated landmark status in New York City? (Of course, there are several more that are protected within historic districts or are on […]
When the Music Teachers Come Out to Play
Sometimes the riches of what’s given away for free in New York City can feel humbling: We are offered the artistic fruits of musicians, painters and writers at the top of their game, who share their work for the pleasure of sharing, asking nothing more than our attention. One such gift is given each Friday […]
The Art of Frederick Brosen
As part of GVSHP’s ongoing programming, native New Yorker and world renowned artist Frederick Brosen will give a free talk and slideshow at Theater 80 on Tuesday, December 9th at 6:30pm. Brosen’s presentation will feature his selected watercolor works of locations in New York City, including paintings featured in GVSHP’s book Greenwich Village Stories. For his […]
LGBTQ History: Bleecker Street
An early twentieth-century song entitled ‘The Greenwich Village Epic’ declares: ‘Fairyland’s not far from Washington Square.’ By this time, park police had arrested men for having sex with male partners multiple times in Washington Square Park, as they had in Central Park, Battery Park, Tomkins Square Park, and seemingly just about every other park in […]
No Money for Hudson River Park, But Lots of Money for Fantasy Pier Island
Today we were all hit with the surprise news that a $130 million contribution from the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, combined with $40 million in infrastructure funding from the City, State, and Hudson River Park Trust, will result in a huge new landscaped pier and performance center in the Hudson River Park off 14th Street, […]
A New Point of View
Can you identify the image in the photo above? On Monday evening, November 17th, we’ll present a program with photographer Janko Puls and his new book “Point of View New York City: A Visual Game of the City You Think You Know.” Here is what people are saying about this book: “A thoughtful and unique […]
Business of the Month: Makari
Your input is needed! Today we kick off our new “Business of the Month” feature on independent stores in Greenwich Village, the East Village and NoHo. Tell us which store to highlight next: just click here to vote for your favorite. Behind an understated storefront on busy Third Avenue near 14th Street lies a charming […]
Eating Fire: A Brief History of the Lesbian Avengers in NYC
Tonight at the Hudson Park Library at 6:30pm, lesbian activist, independent journalist and East Village author Kelly Cogswell will discuss her new book at our free public program, “Eating Fire: My Life as a Lesbian Avenger”, detailing the origins of the Lesbian Avengers, a direct action group born in 1992 from the Queer arts and […]
Armistice Day to Veterans Day
Off the Grid has explored the many memorials in the Village dedicated to those who died in wars over the years for both Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Of course Veterans Day is a day of remembrance AND thanks, as it honors all those who have served in the military, wartime or peace. For many […]
121 Charles Street, from Yorkville to the Village
By now, many of you have heard about the controversy over the little house at 121 Charles Street, at the corner of Greenwich Street. If you haven’t, ERG Property Advisors listed the house for sale as a development site for “a developer or user to execute a wide variety of potential visions, from boutique condominiums, […]
On This Day: Lou Reed’s “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, Walk on the Wild Side, was released on November 8, 1972. At the time, Walk on the Wild Side was groundbreaking in many ways — musically, lyrically, thematically. Though it’s now comfortably middle-aged, the song […]
Forging a Path Through the Village
A couple of weeks ago we looked at a variety of buildings in our neighborhoods that at one time served as horse stables, but have since been repurposed. This week, we thought we’d take a look at a building type that is sometimes related to stables and horses (but is also hard to find in […]
Elections Past and Present
The Village is quiet today, as if enjoying a lull after the storm of elections. After months of predictions telling us the likely outcome, the predictions mostly came true, and it’s over — whether one feels that’s for better or worse. So – a collective sigh. And, in the lull, here’s a gentler look back […]
Saving Sacred Spaces
After a nearly half-century wait, last week the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission finally voted to approve landmark status for the 150-year old religious building located at 334 East 14th Street, now the Tifereth Israel Town & Village Synagogue, and prior to that a German Baptist and a Ukrainian Autocephalic Church. Ironically, the Commission’s decision was followed soon […]
An Unassuming Tenement with a Big History
The tenement at 342 East 11th Street has quite an attractive façade, for those who can will themselves to look up past the delightful display of pastries in the window of Veniero’s, the Italian bakery and café on the ground floor. The building was constructed 1865-66. Because it was built to house multiple families before […]
A Ukrainian “Rainbow” Celebrates Sixty Years in the East Village
Veselka, an East Village institution, is celebrating its 60th anniversary and invites the community for free perogies and other Ukrainian comfort foods and beverages this Monday from 6pm to 11pm. Bring your party hats, a hungry appetite and come celebrate this village treasure! A Brief History In the wake of World War Two, Wolodymyr Darmochwal […]
LGBTQ History: MacDougal Street
(This post is the first of a series on the history of the LGBTQ community in Greenwich Village.) It is easy to assume, in the aftermath of the Stonewall riots, that Greenwich Village’s LGBTQ history happened entirely on Christopher Street. Of course, there’s a lot more to LGBTQ history in the Village than Stonewall, just […]
Then & Now: 117 7th Avenue South
Earlier this month the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) approved a revised design for a new building at 192 7th Avenue South, corner of West 11th Street. It will replace a one-story structure. This is the second of two new buildings that the LPC has approved on 7th Avenue South this past year, no. 130 being […]
Halloween in Greenwich Village – A Salute to Ralph Lee
There are some people who can make great changes, come up with unique and far-reaching ideas, or create institutions that attain legendary status, yet keep a low profile themselves. By now everyone associates Halloween in Greenwich Village with the annual Village Halloween Parade, an event that draws 2 million people to the 6th Avenue corridor […]
Oh How Our Houses Have Changed
This October, GVSHP is presenting a course that explores historic preservation by examining changing styles of housing, changing housing laws, and urban renewal in the twentieth century. While the course was developed specifically for practicing real estate brokers, I was reminded while sitting in on a recent lecture how much these issues are relevant (and […]
Commemorating a Favorite Concert Hall, the Fillmore East
GVSHP will officially unveil a new historic plaque at the former Fillmore East at 105 Second Avenue on Wednesday, October 29 at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but we appreciate reservations at rsvp@gvshp.org. About the place I first learned the name “Fillmore” from Grateful Dead bootleg tapes, which, among […]
Water Works
New York City tap water. Winner of many awards. Secret ingredient of Joe’s pizza crust. We take it for granted when we turn on the tap, and we are annoyed when an underground water main ruptures, disrupting traffic for days. But what is the story behind the New York City water supply system? There was […]
Bleecker & Christopher Streets — Then & Now
The produce spilling out into the street and the haphazard awnings in the above 1925 photo of Bleecker and Christopher Streets is quite different from the Bleecker Street scene of today. Though the commercial tenants on the street have certainly changed, the corner building, with its interesting window design, has a long history.
NYU Expansion Plan; Not Over, But Still Outrageous
Last week’s news that the First Department Panel of the Appellate Division struck down Supreme Court Justice Donna Mills’ ruling halting much of the NYU expansion plan was disappointing to say the least. But, as we have reminded people, it is not the end of the story by any means. Working with our co-plaintiffs and […]
A Tale of Two Tenements: 338-342 East 13th Street
Today on “A Tale of Two” I actually have three tenements to share and compare. This group can be found on the south side of East 13th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. If you’re familiar with tenement design and have a tendency to admire buildings like I do, you might have noticed that these […]
One-third of South Village still not landmarked
One-third of South Village still not landmarked Op-Ed BY ANDREW BERMAN, Executive Director, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation October 16, 2014 Word that an eight-story building is planned for 134 W. Houston St., next to the MacDougal Sullivan Gardens, has refocused attention on the unfinished fight to preserve the historic South Village, and […]
The Little-Known Commission Behind the City Beautiful
Have you ever walked by an unattractive building and thought – or maybe heard an innocent ask – “How could they allow that to be built?” Well, unfortunate edifices are allowed to be built because usually there is no “they” – no arbiter of aesthetics for as-of-right new construction outside of landmarked areas (beyond […]
Horsing Around the Village
By the turn of the twentieth century it is estimated that almost 75,000 horses and 4,500 stables could be found in New York City. Before the mass-adoption of the car and truck, horses played a vital role in the transportation economy of the city. Though today horses are largely absent from the city’s streets, their […]
