When a Hotel Collapsed onto Broadway
In 1973, what was once one of the largest and most elegant hotels in the country collapsed onto Broadway, killing four and injuring many.
When They Stemmed the Flow of Immigrants into New York City
It’s estimated that in 2024, about 36% of New York City’s population is foreign-born, which is one of the highest percentages among U.S. cities. Immigrants also make up 44.2% of the city’s labor force, which is higher than the 64% of native-born New Yorkers who participate in the labor force. The federal Immigration Act of […]
“Is my building a landmark?” – CityMap Edition
Last week we shared one tip on how to find out if your building is a landmark. Today, we’d like to offer a second. CityMap has a helpful feature that allows you to see LPC-designated historic districts, and individual (exterior), interior, and scenic landmarks. This is a great resource if you happen to be more […]
Collecting the history of the Village one interview at a time
This past fall, GVSHP launched a new oral history project. This ongoing project was developed in order to add to our understanding of the South and East Villages, areas in which we are advocating for new protections such as landmarking and rezonings. While we have spent considerable time documenting the architectural history of these neighborhoods, […]
Our Wishlist for the Next Buildings Commissioner
As Mayor De Blasio slowly fills the many leadership positions in a mammoth city government, those of us invested in preservation and development have been waiting for two announcements in particular: of a new Landmarks Preservation Commission chair, which happened today, and of a new Department of Buildings commissioner. About the latter, there has been […]
“Is my building a landmark?”
One of the questions we’re asked every so often here at GVSHP is whether or not a building is a landmark (and by “landmark” we mean one officially designated by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission). Be it from a homeowner, a researcher, or a broker, many people are curious to know the answer to this […]
Happy Birthday Combat Rock and Joey Ramone
We have two great birthdays in the world of punk to mark. The two celebrants straddle the East and West Village, and both sides of the Atlantic.
Looking Up: The Cable Building
This is part of the Looking Up series of posts, which explore the unique architectural and historical stories that can be discovered when we raise our gaze above the sidewalk, the storefront, and the second floor. Above the display windows of Crate & Barrel, and the crowded Broadway and Houston Street sidewalks, is a facade […]
Tap Into Untapped Cities
We’ve been reviewing some of the blogs that we here at Off the Grid like to follow to keep ourselves up-to-date on happenings both community-centered and across New York City. So far we have explored EV Grieve, the blog that is a must-follow for anyone interested in the East Village. We have also investigated Jeremiah’s […]
In the East Village, Aiming to Leave No Deserving Place Behind
Do the tall arches of the sturdy red-brick Anthology Film Archives reassure you? Does the stillness of the New York City Marble Cemetery give you a thrill? Perhaps passing exuberant 101 Avenue A, the Pyramid Club, puts a bounce in your step? Well, there’s good news: these unique features of the East Village aren’t going […]
Lucy Moses Honors
It was eight years ago today on May 8, 2006 that GVSHP was honored with the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Lucy G. Moses Award for organizational excellence. We were in great company that night at St. Bartholomew’s Church, including Evelyn and Everett Ottner, the Park Slope preservation pioneers, who received the Preservation Leadership Award, and […]
A Tale of Two Tenements
As I was walking along East 11th Street recently I happened to notice two tenements sitting side by side that appeared to be “sister buildings” (built at the same time using the same design). When I headed back to the GVSHP office I looked through building permits we have on file from the Municipal Archives […]
Two Big Anniversaries on Carmine Street
This week we have two milestone anniversaries that relate to my old stomping grounds, Carmine Street. On this date, May 6, in 1908, the public bathhouse that is now the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center opened. Today this is at the 7th Avenue South end of Carmine Street, but in 1908, 7th Avenue South didn’t exist. […]
My Greenwich Village Story
This is the latest installment of the Off the Grid series in which we highlight the people, places and events featured in our new book Greenwich Village Stories, available for purchase now. Visit our Facebook page for the latest on book contributors, release events and readings. My first winter in New York was hard for reasons far greater than the polar […]
Jacob Riis: The Man Who Showed “How The Other Half Lives”
On May 3, 1849, Jacob August Riis was born in Denmark. At age 21, he immigrated to New York, arriving June 5, 1870. He immediately felt the need to protect himself, and purchased a gun. You may know his name from Jacob Riis Park on the Rockaway Peninsula, or from the Jacob Riis Houses in […]
Throwback Thursday: The Kickoff on King Street
Welcome to the inaugural post in our Throwback Thursday series where we will share some of our favorite old photos of everyday life in the Village, East Village, and Noho. Do you have a great old photo of you, a friend, or a relative in one of our wonderful neighborhoods? Please share them with us […]
On Saving the Soul of New York City and Yourself
Penny Arcade has been living the bohemian life in New York City, and making art about it, on and off for more than four decades. She says she is “fundamentally a poet,” but also sings, dances, acts, and claims a hand in defining performance art in the 1980s (for which she apologizes in one of […]
Happy Birthday Greenwich Village Historic District!
Forty-five years ago today, mayor John Lindsay was still smarting from the botched cleanup of the February 1969 snowstorm, The 5th Dimension was at the top of the pop charts with Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In, and the newly created Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the Greenwich Village Historic District. It also produced a historic district […]
GVSHP’s Village House Tour Benefit Features Homes within the Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District
Warm, sunny days in the Village have us here at GVSHP looking forward to our annual house tour, which takes place this Sunday, May 4th. There’s still time to buy tickets! Several of the homes on this year’s tour are located within the Charlton King Vandam Historic District, and since we haven’t featured a home […]
Washington Square Arch: Then AND Now
One of the many tools historic preservationists use in their work is historic images. They are an invaluable resource in seeing firsthand how our built environment has changed and stayed the same. We’ve spent time here at Off the Grid reviewing the many resources for older images of the Village, including the city’s tax records […]
The Libraries of Greenwich Village and the East Village
In this day and age, information about nearly any topic is at our fingertips. A quick internet search can reveal any number of facts we might need. This wasn’t always the case, however. For decades, it was libraries and their books that provided such knowledge. In Greenwich Village, several fantastic libraries provided neighborhood residents the […]
All the World’s a Village on Shakespeare’s 450th Birthday
Today marks William Shakespeare’s 450th birthday, although some sources say his exact date of birth is unknown. He never set foot in the Village – he lived before it was developed by European settlers – but Shakespeare would likely be pleased with the neighborhood’s vibrant literary history. How many other places can celebrate such a […]
A Greenwich Village Stories Walking Tour of the West Village
This is the latest installment of the Off the Grid series in which we highlight the people, places and events featured in our new book Greenwich Village Stories, available for purchase now. Visit our Facebook page for the latest on book contributors, release events and readings. The West Village has many restaurants, bars, and landmarks to visit, all offering glimpses into […]
Abingdon Square: 183 years ago…
On April 22, 1831, the City of New York acquired the land that is now one of my favorite places in the West Village, Abingdon Square Park. Once part of the vast Sir Peter Warren estate, Abingdon Square was named for Warren’s son-in-law, the Fourth Earl of Abingdon. We have written about this place before, […]
Ten Years Ago: Far West Village Protests, and Progress
April 18 and 19 mark two incredibly important Far West Village preservation anniversaries — each from 2004. At that time, GVSHP and allied community groups were engaged in a heated battle to try to prevent the wholesale destruction of the Greenwich Village waterfront and Meatpacking District, both of which had recently become “hot neighborhoods” where […]
Next Month, Everyone’s a Historian
Back in high school, I don’t remember History being everyone’s (or was that anyone’s?) favorite subject … but around the neighborhood lately, it definitely is. When a call went out to individuals and organizations in the East Village, Little Italy, Chinatown, and surrounds, to participate in the first-ever Lower East Side History Month, the response […]
Little Ukraine in the East Village
It seems that you can’t look at the news these days without seeing something about Ukraine. From the protests in Kiev, to the Russian annexation of Crimea, to the instability in its eastern cities, Ukraine might not be the place to visit right now. But New Yorkers need not venture far to experience authentic Ukrainian […]
Matt Umanov, Guitar Fixer and Village Storyteller
This is the latest installment of the Off the Grid series in which we highlight the people, places and events featured in our new book Greenwich Village Stories, available for purchase now. Visit our Facebook page for the latest on book contributors, release events and readings, and contest information. Music first brought Matt Umanov to the Village. Playing, building, and repairing […]
Mourning President Lincoln on Broadway
It was almost 150 years ago this evening that President Abraham Lincoln was fatally shot by actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington. The event was the first assassination of an American president and sent shock waves throughout the nation. A period of mourning set in for weeks, and included viewings of the […]
April 12, 1901: Back When the “New Law” was New
The 20th century had hardly begun when the New York State legislature signed into law a new act to address old problems in this city regarding tenement construction. This groundbreaking event took place on April 12, 1901. Formally known as the New York State Tenement Act of 1901, the legislation was considered a big step […]
The Land of Meatpackers, Then Models, Then Moschino
Seven years ago, a picturesque swath of lower Manhattan by the Hudson River was listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. This official designation by government agencies marked another layer of recognition and protection of this unique area, traditionally known for cobblestones, hanging sides of meat, blood in the gutters, brick warehouses, […]
Europe and Greenwich Village
I recently spent my vacation visiting the European cities of Barcelona, Rome, and Trieste. During my time there, dutifully and happily playing the role of tourist, I was reminded of the depth of European history versus American history. Here our history is preserved and reflected in buildings that are at most a few hundred years […]
Greenwich Village Stories Contributor Q&A with Karen Cooper
This is the latest installment of the Off the Grid series in which we highlight the people, places and events featured in our new book Greenwich Village Stories, available for purchase now. Visit our Facebook page for the latest on book contributors, release events and readings, and contest information. Karen Cooper has been the director of Film […]
Berenice Abbott and the Legacy of the New Deal
The Emergency Relief Appropriation Act was passed by Congress on April 8 in 1935, five years into the Great Depression. The name of the legislation may sound foreign, but most likely you are quite familiar with some of the programs it enacted. The New Deal’s WPA, or Works Progress Administration, was one of those programs. […]
Favorite Things Edition: Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York
Here at Off the Grid we often focus on our downtown Village neighborhoods, but the historic preservationist in me wants to learn about other neighborhoods as well. One of the best resources for keeping up to date with changes throughout New York City is the oft-plaintive blog Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York.
From the GVSHP Archives: Outdoor Artists
With the refreshingly spring-like weather making us long for a walk in the park today, we thought we’d take a look (via GVSHP’s archives) at some artists working en plein air in the Village. The following photos are from GVSHP’s Preservation Archive and Oral History Project, specifically a part of the Nat Kaufman Collection. The Nat […]
2001: A Space Odyssey’s Village Roots
On April 2, 1968, the groundbreaking film “2001: A Space Odyssey” was released. The epic story of the man’s evolution, his limitations, and his future in the space age was considered by many a landmark of modern film, with its influence seen in everything from the other movies including ‘Gravity,’ to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” […]
Tell Us Your Greenwich Village Story
This is the latest installment of the Off the Grid series in which we highlight the people, places and events featured in our new book Greenwich Village Stories, available for purchase now. Visit our Facebook page for the latest on book contributors, release events and readings, and contest information. In the opening lines of his contribution to […]
Places We Love: The Newsboys’ Home
It’s finally warm enough to re-start a new feature, Places We Love, focusing on architectural, cultural and commercial favorites that local folks feel are worth preserving, particularly in the East Village. If you have one you want to talk about, write to kloew@gvshp.org. Beth Sopko has lived on East 8th Street in a handsome 1902 […]
Village Big House
If one has the occasion to think about incarceration in the Village, many long-time residents would likely recall the Women’s House of Detention, an imposing building that loomed over Jefferson Market Courthouse from 1932 to 1974. However, about one-hundred years before the Women’s House of Detention came into being, the Village was home to New […]
The Ramones’ First Public Performances
The Ramones sprung onto the scene in mid-1974, revolutionizing rock music and performance by reinjecting energy, simplicity, and humor into a genre which had become increasingly serious, self-important, and bloated. In the midst of presidential scandals and resignations, urban decay, and disintegrating social fabric, the Ramones called for a new order based upon three chords, […]
293 and 297 West 4th Street: Then & Now
At 293 and 297 West 4th Street, between Bank and West 11th Streets in the Greenwich Village Historic District, sit two new townhouses that, at first glance, look like three. The façade of no. 293 was designed to resemble two three-bay wide rowhouses that are prevalent in the neighborhood, but in actuality it is one […]
A Greenwich Village Book, A Greenwich Village Bookstore
This is the latest installment of the Off the Grid’s series in which we highlight the people, places and events featured in our new book Greenwich Village Stories, available for purchase today. Visit our Facebook page for the latest on book contributors, release events and readings, and contest information. To celebrate the release of Greenwich Village Stories, […]
Commemorating the 103rd Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Tomorrow marks the 103rd anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, the 1911 disaster that killed 146 workers and sparked a movement for workplace safety laws and regulations and a new appreciation for the labor union movement. The fire took place in what was then called the Asch Building (now known as the Brown Building) […]
The Doors at the Fillmore East
On March 22, 1968, the legendary rock band The Doors performed at the East Village’s fabled Fillmore East. The performance is considered one of the most iconic in the band and the theater’s career — which is saying a lot, considering the near-mythic status each enjoy. The Fillmore East had been open just two weeks; The Doors, while […]
Looking Up: East Village Target Practice
This is part of the Looking Up series of posts, which explore the unique architectural and historical stories that can be discovered when we raise our gaze above the sidewalk, the storefront, and the second floor. The stretch of St. Mark’s Place between Second and Third Avenues holds a variety of building types — tenements […]
1980s Tax Photos: Then & Now
For today’s post in our Then & Now series, we thought we’d feature a few locations in our neighborhoods as they looked in the 1980s. Similar to last week’s post on using historic maps, the City of New York’s 1980s tax photos are an invaluable resource in helping us understand our built past. As with […]
Ten or More Questions with Bob Holman, Village Poet Extraordinaire
Bob Holman has been making poetry downtown for over 25 years. Among his many endeavors, he is perhaps best known locally as the impresario of the Bowery Poetry Club, founded in 2001 and morphed into Bowery Arts + Science last year. He is the author of 16 works of poetry. We’re delighted that Holman is […]
Irish Churches of the Village
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 dot the City, and the City is awash in green. It is easy to forget that St. Patrick’s Day is a religious holiday – […]
Fashionable Architecture
Today a the new exhibition Facades will open at the New-York Historical Society. The exhibition showcases New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham’s eight-year photo project, which began in 1968. Cunningham amassed a collection of vintage clothing from the late 18th century to the 1950s and then paired period-dressed models with historic New York City […]
Kitty Genovese and the Village
On March 13th, 1964, Kitty Genovese was brutally raped and murdered in Kew Gardens, Queens. The crime, and Kitty Genovese’s name, became symbols of much more than this one savage act. Largely through reporting in the weeks that followed, the murder became a parable of sorts about the unravelling of society, increasing crime, racial fears, […]
The Small-Business-Saving Squad of the East Village
It seems like everyone supports small business — it’s as American as Mom and apple pie. But all you have to do is observe the changing streetscape, or read a website like Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, to know that small businesses are vulnerable things, and can have very short lives in New York City. A […]
Dave Hill, Your Friendly Neighborhood Comic
This is the latest installment of Off the Grid’s series, “Greenwich Village Stories,” in which we highlight the people, places and events featured in our upcoming book Greenwich Village Stories, available for purchase on March 25th. Visit our Facebook page for the latest on book contributors, release events and readings, and contest information. Dave Hill, […]
Map It! Finding the Lost Stuyvesant Alley
Recently, someone contacted us asking about the location of Stuyvesant Alley, which no longer exists. As it turns out, historic maps were able to help shine some light. This long-gone alley could once be found on the block between Second and Third Avenues, and East 11th and 12th Streets not too far away from GVSHP’s […]
The Mexican First Lady and a Jewish Anarcho-Feminist Walk Into An East Village Tenement…
…well, it almost happened that way. The Village and East Village have historically been home to all sorts of strange bedfellows. Today we look at one of the most unusual such pairings, two people whose paths crossed just around the corner from our offices at 208 East 13th Street. 208 East 13th Street is a […]
A Luckless Landmark
When the building at 150 Barrow Street, known as the Keller Hotel building, was landmarked seven years ago today, the future looked bright for this historic waterfront treasure. Although vacant for many years before it was given landmark status, new plans for a residential conversion had been filed with the city. Alas, those plans never […]
(Street) Signs of the Times
If you haven’t already read it, the Times reported last week on the recent completion of a catalog of New York City’s ‘honorific’ street names designated since 1998. These honorific names are noted with a sign that appears in tandem with a street’s original name and can be seen all around the city. The honorific […]
What a Top Chef Loves About the Village
Anita Lo serves two of the things people need most: food and stories. Chef and owner of the esteemed Village restaurant Annisa, Lo is also a contributor to Greenwich Village Stories, the anthology of art and prose to be released by Village Preservation and Rizzoli later this month. You can pre-order the book here, or […]
Happy 45th To Neighboring 1830s East Village Cemeteries
The New York Marble Cemetery and the New York City Marble Cemetery (yes, it’s confusing) both turn 45 tomorrow. Well, they’re actually a lot older than that (over 180 years and counting), but on March 4, 1969 they were designated city landmarks by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. They can be found one block away from […]
A Tale of Two Times Articles
So there I was, innocently paging through the New York Times Real Estate section this past Sunday — I know you were, too, dreaming about the $2.5 million Mercer Street loft splashed on page 3 — when a pesky contradiction that’s been buzzing around the world of preservation and development landed right on my nose. […]
My mind was really wandering today…
Today as usual I was reading my morning newspaper on the subway. There was a great article about historic preservation in New York, featuring Village Preservation’s Executive Director Andrew Berman. Reading it made me feel happy (and proud!) that I work at Village Preservation and that the work we do is important, and that people […]
Happy Birthday, Mabel Dodge Luhan
By the time Mabel Dodge (also known, in recognition of her four husbands, as Mabel Evans Dodge Sterne Luhan) set up her weekly salon in her apartment at 23 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village in 1912, she had already been twice married and once divorced, gave birth to a son, and had attempted to take […]
A ‘Greenwich Village Stories’ Walking Tour of the East Village
This is the latest installment of Off the Grid’s series, “Greenwich Village Stories,” in which we highlight the people, places and events featured in our upcoming book release Greenwich Village Stories, available for purchase on March 25th. Visit our Facebook page for the latest on book contributors, release events and readings, and contest information. The […]
Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti — East Meets West (Village, that is)
On February 24th, 1975, Led Zeppelin’s double studio album Physical Graffiti was unleashed upon the world. The band’s second most commercially successful album, it went sixteen times platinum in the United States, and spawned such classics as Trampled Under Foot, Boogie With Stu, and the east-meets-west magnum opus, Kashmir. The monster album also emerged roughly […]
Happy Birthday W.H. Auden, East Villager
The British poet W.H. Auden, a towering figure of 20th century letters, is not the first person you’d put in a shabby apartment on St. Mark’s Place. Yet there he lived, at number 77, from 1953 until 1972 when he and his lover Chester Kallman left for a cottage at Oxford. He died in 1973. […]
Community Cornerstone: Little Red School House-Elisabeth Irwin High School
In 2012, GVSHP spotlighted the work of Little Red School House/Elisabeth Irwin High School on Off the Grid as part of our tribute to the winners of the 2012 Village Awards. The school was recognized for their “service as a trailblazer of progressive education for children of diverse backgrounds” and their commitment to “fostering true […]
Then & Now on Little West 12th Street
We’d like to share GVSHP staffer Amanda Davis’ “Then & Now” post about a delightful block just west of the High Line. On the other side of the High Line, just outside the Gansevoort Market Historic District, sits two old three-story rowhouses at 53 and 55 Little West 12th Street. Now home to the Brass […]
Coming Soon — Greenwich Village Stories
GVSHP works to preserve the architectural and cultural heritage of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo in many different ways. Landmark designations and zoning protections, though challenging to secure, can at least ensure the perpetuation of that special physical fabric. But culture, while inevitably intertwined with that physical fabric, is more ephemeral; harder to quantify, and […]
Valentine’s Day in the Village
If you waited for the last minute to plan your Valentine’s Day evening or need to pick up a few more supplies, don’t despair. There are plenty of shops in the East and West Village that have just what you need to say “I Love You” to that special someone. Are you staying in and […]
Summertime in Greenwich Village
Today, most New Yorkers are trudging through the snow and freezing rain, navigating those slushy street corners and not-yet-shoveled sidewalks. Yes, it’s another beautiful day! So as I look out the window at the snow-covered landscape, I think of how I spend summertime in Greenwich Village. One of my all-time favorite things to do, right […]
Photos of the Merchant’s House as a Young Museum
We always love talking about the Merchant’s House here on Off the Grid (here’s some proof); how could you not be amazed by a house that was occupied by one family – the Tredwells – from 1835 (three years after it was built in 1832) to 1933? Original interior plasterwork, furniture, and the like give […]
Buildings With Buzzcuts
Have you ever noticed a rowhouse or tenement that’s almost handsome? Something … is … off. Oh! That’s what it is: Its top is shorn. Where a decorative cornice once hung, now there’s a blank — or worse, metal flashing. Why must perfectly decent architecture be diminished in this way? Money, says Robert Perl, the […]
Looking Up: West 3rd Street
The Looking Up series of posts explore the unique architectural and historical stories that can be discovered when we raise our gaze above the sidewalk, the storefront, and the second floor. In this week’s edition of Looking Up, we’re casting our gaze skyward on West 3rd Street to recall what was once up there – […]
The Beatles Arrive in Greenwich Village
“Yeah, yeah, yeah” – as the New York Times wrote in February 1964 – it was in fact February 7, 1964 that the Beatles arrived for the very first time on our shores. Landing first in New York, the four lads from Liverpool made their historic Ed Sullivan Show appearance two days later. With most […]
East Village Sports Bars
OK, Super Bowl has come and gone, the groundhog says six more weeks of winter, and basketball and hockey don’t do it for me. So I’m focused on February 13, when Spring Training for Major League Baseball begins! A few weeks ago I wrote about Bergino Baseball Clubhouse on East 11th Street, and I’ve been […]
Will ‘One of the Most Important Buildings in the East Village’ Become a Landmark?
The structure that architectural historian Francis Morrone calls “one of the most important buildings in the East Village” is on the market for $14 million. It’s also set to be considered for city landmark designation this spring. On the first day of October, East Villagers awoke to the news that Tifereth Israel, the Town & […]
Marking African-American History Month in the Village
Over the last several weeks GVSHP has been taking a look at the designation report for the new South Village Historic District which we fought ten years to achieve. As February is African-American History Month, now seems like an especially appropriate time to highlight the African-American history of the South Village, the subject of a […]
Covering the good, bad, and sad of the East Village
Readers of Off the Grid might notice that we often cite other blogs in our posts. Staffers here at GVSHP, including me, read other blogs to keep up to date about the city and neighborhoods we serve. The real estate blog Curbed New York is a must read for its eyes and ears on the […]
A First for Recognizing LGBT History in the South Village
Over the past several weeks, we’ve been highlighting the recent designation of the South Village Historic District, which GVSHP fought ten years to achieve, as well as the treasure trove of information found in the newly-available designation report for the district, which in several cases cites research and materials provided by GVSHP. The South Village’s […]
The Hottest Spot on Tompkins Square in 1904
Tompkins Square Library opened at 331 E. 10th Street, on the northern edge of Tompkins Square Park, on December 1, 1904. Like many of the New York Carnegie libraries, it is a handsome McKim, Mead and White building (designated as an individual landmark in 1999) that looks almost exactly today as it did then. It […]
Community Cornerstone: Greenwich House Pottery
This past summer, Off the Grid posted a piece on Greenwich House, the community settlement house that brought education and social services to the community’s immigrant population at the turn of the 20th century. Today, Greenwich House continues to serve those in need, from its services for seniors and children to its arts programs for […]
Remembering Pete Seeger
“The artists.” Without a doubt, that response is the one I hear most often when I ask what people love most about the Village’s history. And when it comes to the artists of Greenwich Village, you can’t talk about them together without thinking of the iconic 1960s folk scene and the great Pete Seeger. Born […]
MacDougal, Sullivan, & Thompson
No, it’s not the name of a law firm. It’s the names of 3 of my favorite streets in the recently-designated South Village Historic District. For many years I lived in the South Village, and often when I gave people directions, I would find myself saying, “Stay on Bleecker, cross 6th Avenue, then you’ll cross […]
From Rear Tenement to Off-Broadway House
If you love theater in the Village, we think you will enjoy this blog post that was written by our colleague Chelsey Berryhill. While walking down Christopher Street, it is easy to become distracted by the eclectic, varying store fronts with the colorful crowds of people collecting outside. The aura of the Village would not […]
Upstairs/Downstairs: A Night Out on MacDougal Street
We’ve been focusing a lot lately here at Off the Grid on the newly designated South Village Historic District and the designation report that allows us to learn much about the architecture and history of the district. The designation report is a powerful tool, so we thought we would share one of the ways we […]
NYU Buildings Worth Landmarking, Not Protesting
Here at GVSHP, we’ve been poring over the new South Village Historic District designation report, and it has some wonderful facts and even a few surprises we thought we’d share. Earlier this month, New York State Supreme Court Justice Donna Mills delivered great news by announcing her legal decision that several of the pieces of […]
Coping With the Disappearance of Beloved Places
On some level, whether it’s top-of-mind or just part of the mental wallpaper, the consciousness of a Greenwich Village lover is often occupied with mourning. You walk the ever-changing streets past the locations of the café you used to love, the bookstore you admired, the theater you always wanted to go to, or that mysterious […]
Explore the South Village’s History
As you likely know by now, the South Village was designated an official New York City historic district by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) at the end of December. Part of the landmarks process is the publication of a landmark designation report for the neighborhood by the LPC, which acts as an outline of the […]
Historic Storefronts of the Village and East Village
If you like wandering around the streets of Greenwich Village and admiring the architecture as much as I do, I think you will enjoy this blog post that was written by our colleague Chelsey Berryhill. Thanks, Chelsey – good eye! GVSHP has been a tireless advocate for designation of historic districts. This blog post features […]
A 79-year old book on Greenwich Village still a valuable resource
For those familiar with the history of Greenwich Village, the name of author Jane Jacobs is quite familiar. Her book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, is well known as revolutionary to the study of urban planning. There is, however, another book just as revolutionary that is a must for researchers of the […]
8-Story Apartment Building to Replace Old East Village Theater
Many of us have known for some time that the former theater at 98 Avenue A would be facing the wrecking ball. In June of last year, a demolition application was filed at the Department of Buildings (DOB), but it was unclear what development would take its place. Last week, GVSHP learned that a new […]
Bergino Baseball Clubhouse
This is the first in a series of “Doing Business in the Village” blog posts that profile the small businesses that help make Greenwich Village such a special place. Jay Goldberg is a baseball fan. No question about that. His business Bergino Baseball Clubhouse, at 67 East 11th Street, just west of Broadway, is more […]
How to Build a Building Without an Architect
Today we take for granted that every building has an architect behind it. You need an architect to create a blueprint, right? Then an array of engineers, craftsmen and laborers follow the plans, and voilà, you have a building. In New York City, it wasn’t always so. Today “starchitects” are having their moment, but it […]
A Block of West Street, Then & Now
In the Far West Village, along the Greenwich Village waterfront, sits a block of West Street between 10th and Charles Streets. Of the buildings on this block, only 396 and 398 West Street sit within the Weehawken Street Historic District, which the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated in 2006. The Greenwich Village waterfront is one of […]
Then & Now: 99 Seventh Avenue South
The site at 99 Seventh Avenue South in Greenwich Village today houses the Garage restaurant, but seventy-five years ago, it was home to the Nut Club. The building was constructed in 1919 as a garage after the lot was cleared for the southward extension of Seventh Avenue in 1917.
My Favorite Things: Greenwich Village To Day
Geography has never been my forte. I’ve been lost more times than I can count while holding a perfectly good map in my hand. (See the past post: My Favorite Things: The Corner of West 4th and West 10th Streets for more on the subject of getting lost in Greenwich Village.) So it has to […]
Village Pleasures for a Long Winter’s Eve
The holidays are behind us, and a stretch of short days and long nights lies ahead. Whether you have items to exchange for something you really want, or simply find yourself seeking entertainment to while the winter away, we can offer a few media suggestions for the armchair urbanist. The year now past included notable […]
“The Ink Pot” on Sheridan Square, Then & Now
Happy New Year! And what better way to kick off a brand new year than by sharing one of our favorite series with you: Then & Now. Let’s turn the clock back almost 100 years ago to a time when bohemians roamed the Village. Until the early 1920s, the buildings around Sheridan Square were a […]
Hard Luck Town: A 1930s Shantytown in the East Village
This post is the last of a four-part series called Everyday Lives, Ordinary People: A History of East Village Immigrants, a collaboration between GVSHP and the students in NYU’s Fall 2013 Intro to Public History course. Each group of students was tasked with researching the cultural history of everyday people in the East Village between […]
A Rite of Passage for Jewish Gangsters of the Lower East Side: The Manhattan Third District Magistrate’s Court
This post is the third of a four-part series called Everyday Lives, Ordinary People: A History of East Village Immigrants, a collaboration between GVSHP and the students in NYU’s Fall 2013 Intro to Public History course. Each group of students was tasked with researching the cultural history of everyday people in the East Village between […]
