Do you know what a lot line window is? Could you identify them in the historic photo of the Bayard-Condict Building above? They’re a little tricky to see given the angle of the camera, but they are the windows on the side elevation (wall) that butts up against the property’s lot line and the one-story […]
On June 28, 1914, in a place far away from Greenwich Village, something happened that changed the world forever. The heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife, were assassinated. Of course this act triggered the start of the First World War. Most of Europe was plunged into armed […]
This post is part of the Looking Up series, which explores 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 Schermerhorn Building at the corner of Lafayette Street and Great Jones Street is an individual landmark and part of […]
A neighbor was having a sale last Saturday to clear out bric-a-brac. My trusty companion and I arrived looking for the advertised guitar, which was already sold, so we left with an armful of books for $6 instead. Among the lode were two Greenwich Village Guides, published by The Villager newspaper. The years 1947 and […]
In 2014 Village Preservation presented a program at the Community Room at Westbeth with author Prof. William W. Buzbee and his book, “Fighting Westway: Environmental Law, Citizen Activism, and the Regulatory War that Transformed New York City.”
They’re next door neighbors, but they could not be more different. One is high-rise and concrete, the other low-rise and brick. One is modern and geometric, while the other is quaint and irregular. One is pre-planned and serene, the other — spontaneous, and buzzing with activity. Who is this odd couple? It’s Silver Towers and […]
One year ago today outside the Church of the Village at the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 13th Street, GVSHP helped to unveil a plaque to commemorate the first meeting of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). The organization, which now has 350 chapters in all 50 states, had its humble beginnings […]
On June 19, 2008, 101 Avenue A, home to the Pyramid Club, was found eligible for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places after GVSHP researched and nominated it for consideration. The listing highlighted both the unique architectural character of the building, as well as the variety of significant cultural uses over […]
What could be better on Throwback Thursday than taking a look-see at the advertisements of yesteryear that are still visible today? Ghost signs, or fading ads, have been described a number of different ways. The most common is an old painted sign (including letters and images) on the side of a building advertising a product […]
It may be a hazy West Village memory now, but there was a time in the recent past when some local parks were not the well-kept, well-used green spaces they are today, but sometimes barren or forbidding places. Now Christopher Park — a .19-acre triangle formed by Christopher, Grove and West Fourth Streets — will […]
Last evening, as part of Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting, we celebrated the best of Greenwich Village, the East Village and NoHo by presenting our annual Village Awards. Each June for the last 24 years, Village Preservation has presented the Village Awards to the people, businesses, organizations, and even public spaces that make our beloved neighborhoods […]
Every so often we get a call or an email here at GVSHP asking about a scaffold-like structure that suddenly pops up on a rooftop of a neighboring building. What is it and what does it mean? Quite simply, more often than not these are temporary mock-ups constructed to help Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) staff […]
On a hot summer day in the East Village, when your skin is sticky and the streets are oppressive, there’s nothing quite like escaping into the cool haven of De Robertis Pasticceria and Caffe for an orzata with lemon ice. Since you’re there, you’ll probably go ahead and taste one of the best cannolis or […]
After the great Frank O’Hara plaque unveiling earlier this week (you can view video and photos from the event), today we thought we’d take a look at another celebrated Village poet — Edna St. Vincent Millay, with this recent look back by GVSHP’s Amanda Davis. The narrow house at 75 ½ Bedford Street is well […]
GVSHP’s Annual Meeting and Awards are quickly approaching (this coming Monday night from 6:30 to 8pm at the New School’s Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street — RSVP here). This year we are proud to honor Kathy Donaldson, the longtime President of the Bedford-Barrow-Commerce Block Association, with our Regina Kellerman Award, named for GVSHP’s first Executive […]
For fifty-three years, La MaMa E.T.C. has brought amazing theater off, off Broadway and into the East Village. GVSHP is proud to honor the theater with a 2014 Village Award at our Monday, June 16th ceremony. We hope you’ll join us (RSVP here) to celebrate La Mama and our six other wonderful awardees! La Mama […]
Here’s a neighborhood old-timer for you. The New York Marble Cemetery, which turns 184 years old this year, was developed in 1830 as the first privately owned, nonsectarian cemetery in New York City. We shared some great old photos in this past Off the Grid post. The cemetery can be hard to spot, but if […]
You’re invited to a plaque unveiling and festivities honoring Frank O’Hara on Tuesday, June 10 at 6 p.m. outside 441 East Ninth Street. I am mainly preoccupied with the world as I experience it, and at times when I would rather be dead the thought that I could never write another poem has so far […]
Located at 34 Carmine Street between Bleecker and Bedford Streets, Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books has got a big name and an even bigger place in the hearts of Village neighbors and New York City bibliophiles. Stocking a floor-to-ceiling collection of personally-selected works at remarkably low prices, this independent bookstore has been a fixture of the […]
Recently, Off the Grid has spotlighted a number of blogs that we like to read to keep us up to date about our community and our city beyond the borders of the Village. We’ve spotlighted Untapped New York, which helps its readers discover New York’s architecture and culture from the perspective of both experts and […]
In the old Italian South Village, St. Anthony of Padua church stands on the corner of Sullivan Street and Houston Street, an anchor for the vibrant community of Italian immigrants who settled in this neighborhood over 100 years ago. Nestled two doors south of the church on Sullivan Street is the venerable Pino Prime Meats, […]
The 1960’s was a turbulent decade marked by numerous notable murders, assassinations, and attempted assassinations (some of which, like the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination, the Bobby Kennedy assassination, and the murder of Kitty Genovese, have previously been chronicled on Off the Grid). But one may have shook downtown more deeply and personally than any […]
It’s not that often that we here at Off the Grid report on happenings on the Upper East Side. But a big preservation victory there earlier this month with broad implications for landmark protections throughout New York City is certainly worth reporting on, and it’s a victory we are proud to say GVSHP had a […]
Browsing the merchandise at New York Central Art Supply can be a little intimidating for the uninitiated, but that’s just because this store, which has been owned by the same family for three generations, is chock full of the most unique paper and art supplies you’ll find almost anywhere. It is worth checking out regardless […]
In continuation of our Landmarking 101 series, today we’re focusing on active violations on a landmarked property and just who is responsible for them. Whether you’re a broker or a prospective buyer, this is particularly important information to know! If you buy a property with unresolved violations, you become financially responsible for correcting them. That’s […]
Lately Pier 40 has been in the news due to the controversial possibility of air rights being sold from this and other piers within the Hudson River Park. To me, though, Pier 40 always was and will be the place I used to stretch before and after running along the river in the park. It’s […]
It’s that time of year again! Every June, as part of Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting, we highlight with our Village Awards those special businesses, organizations, individuals, and places that make Greenwich Village the best neighborhood in the world. This year’s Village Awards winners have been selected: LaMaMa New York Central Art Supply New York Marble […]
In 1973, what was once one of the largest and most elegant hotels in the country collapsed onto Broadway, killing four and injuring many.
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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.
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 […]
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,” […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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, […]
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 […]
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, […]
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) […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 – […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
…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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 – […]
