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 […]

        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 […]

                            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 […]

                                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 […]

                                    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 […]

                                                  Skirmish in the Subway: A Not So Merry Christmas for Gangster Monk Eastman

                                                  This post is the second 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 […]

                                                    Ghosts of Off the Grid Past

                                                    Traditions abound during the holiday season. For many, family and charity are top priorities, while for others, shopping is the order of the day. And for most cultures, food plays a large role in the gatherings and traditions of the season. And popular culture is a highlight for many as well. So on this Christmas […]

                                                      What’s Up With that Rotting School on East 9th Street?

                                                      Oh, if only Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration hadn’t auctioned off P.S. 64 to a private buyer back in the sultry days of July, 1998, a whole decade and a half ago. The community center called CHARAS/El Bohio that improved and inhabited the historic 1906 schoolhouse would not have gone homeless for 12 years (after finally […]

                                                      South Village Highlights – see for yourself

                                                      On Tuesday we celebrated the Landmarks Preservation Commission vote to designate the South Village as an Historic District. I hope you will see for yourself why we fought so hard for 10 years to accomplish this. Circle a day on your calendar now, and set aside some time to stroll the streets between Washington Square […]

                                                      South Village Landmarked Today!

                                                      We’re excited to share that the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) voted today to landmark the South Village Historic District, a two hundred forty-building, thirteen-block section of Greenwich Village south of Washington Square Park, and the second phase of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation’s (GVSHP) proposed South Village Historic District (the first phase […]

                                                      Building Broadway: Incredible Photographs from 1920

                                                      Here we are in the midst of the holiday season. The city was blanketed with snow this weekend and shoppers are frantically working through their holiday gift-giving lists. For today’s Building Broadway post, I’d like to share a wonderful gift that was left to all of us almost 100 years ago: Arthur Hosking’s photographs of […]

                                                      Old Buildings, New Forms: Creative adaptive re-use in the built environment

                                                      On Tuesday evening, Village Preservation presented a program with architect, preservationist, and author Françoise Bollack about her new book, Old Buildings, New Forms: New Directions in Architectural Transformations, published by the Monicelli Press. It was a wonderful presentation, with images from her book of places all over the world where old buildings were saved instead […]

                                                      Looking Up: The Beginning of Bond Street

                                                      This is the first in the Looking Up series of posts, which will 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. Located at 1-5 Bond Street near Broadway, the Robbins & Appleton Building is a prime example of […]

                                                      Still Living in Dawn Powell’s Village

                                                      Dawn Powell lived in Greenwich Village and wrote about it as well as or better than anyone. A fiction writer, playwright and essayist who has attained the cult status of “a writer who should be much better known,” Powell was born in Ohio in 1896, made it to New York City as a young adult, […]

                                                      An 89-Year Tradition Continues in Washington Square Park

                                                      Last week, all eyes were on Rockefeller Center for the lighting of that famous Christmas tree. But did you know that the tree lighting in Washington Square Park was a tradition that dates back much earlier? The tree in Washington Square Park was first placed and lit in 1924, and the tradition has continued annually. […]

                                                        My favorite farmers’ market: Abingdon Square Greenmarket

                                                        Back in October, Village PReservation worked with our friends and neighbors at GrowNYC, Abingdon Square Conservancy, and the Abingdon Square Greenmarket on a history and photo project about Abingdon Square. We had a great time and really enjoyed talking with people at the market, and working with GrowNYC. Our guests were treated to cider from […]

                                                        Great Album Covers, Preserved Forever

                                                        They may not necessarily be a basis for landmark designation, but it’s always nice when the setting for a great album cover gets landmark protections, ensuring that it lives on for future generations to appreciate. The Village and East Village have inspired and launched the career of many musicians over the years.  So it’s no […]

                                                        Great Scot! The Designs of D. & J. Jardine

                                                        Today we thought we’d feature a few designs by the late 19th century architecture firm of D. & J. Jardine. A prolific firm in New York City in general, the work of D. & J. Jardine can also be found in five historic districts and at one individual landmark between Houston and 14th Streets. Brothers […]

                                                        Stories of the Village

                                                        This week, our friends at the Jefferson Market Branch Library will host workshops for a new project they are undertaking called Your Village, Your Stories. The library’s foray into recording and archiving the stories of the neighborhood had us thinking about GVSHP’s own collection of oral histories, which include narratives by early preservation activists and […]

                                                        Things We’re Grateful For: Federal Houses

                                                        At this time of year, we’re thinking about the many things we’re grateful for, as well as the founding of our country. Both those bring us to the many Federal-era (1790-1835) houses in the Village, NoHo, and East Village, especially those we have been able to ensure will survive well into the future due to […]

                                                        We’re Thankful for the Building That Wasn’t

                                                          There’s a residential building under construction on Third Avenue in the East Village that doesn’t get much love in the blogosphere. It’s just another luxury residence replacing older buildings with character (plus a parking lot), the naysayers say (though 20% of the units will be reserved for low-income tenants). And they have a point. […]

                                                        Building (670) Broadway: Pilasters with…Bird Feet?

                                                        For today’s “Building Broadway” offering, I couldn’t help but notice a curious detail as I walked along the bustling thoroughfare: pilasters with bird feet bases at 670 Broadway! Well, that’s very likely not what they are, but I’ve never seen bases designed like that (but if you have, please share). On the Monday before Thanksgiving, […]

                                                        When Greenwich Village was farmland

                                                        Here in Greenwich Village, we are surrounded by history.  So sometimes when I walk the streets, I try to imagine what life was like at different times in the past. When I see modest Federal style houses, I imagine a time in the early 1800’s when fresh water didn’t come from a faucet, but was […]

                                                        Beyond Patchin Place

                                                        We’d like to share former GVSHP staffer Dana Schulz’s “Then & Now” post about a delightful block north of the Jefferson Market Library. The north side of West 10th Street between 6th Avenue and Greenwich Avenue is perhaps best known as the gateway to Patchin Place.  The buildings flanking this entrance, though, are also quite […]

                                                          From the Archives … The Old Pear Tree

                                                          This week, research requests to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation converged and pointed us to a unique image in our Historic Image Archive. Titled “The old pear-tree planted by Governor Stuyvesant at the corner of Third Avenue and 13th Street,” the image (known as a lithograph) was printed in 1861 in a Manual […]

                                                            Building Detective: Where in the East Village Was Bernard Herrmann?

                                                            Citizen Kane Psycho North by Northwest Taxi Driver Recognize these movies? Can you guess what they all have in common? As the title of this post suggests, they are all connected through the film scores of legendary composer Bernard Herrmann. Hermann was born on June 29, 1911 in New York City. Before scoring numerous Hollywood […]

                                                              Community Cornerstones: Penny Jones & Co. Puppets

                                                              We here at Off the Grid have often explored the history of the artists’ residence Westbeth, as well as mining the depths of the artistic talent located in the venerable housing complex. So we thought we’d spend some time looking at one of the many unique artistic groups who make the place home: Penny Jones […]

                                                                Zito’s Bakery: Past, Present, and Future

                                                                Yesterday the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) approved an application for a new storefront at 259-263 Bleecker Street in the Greenwich Village Historic District Extension II. If this address rings a bell to you, it’s likely because it was the home of the popular Zito’s Bakery for many decades. I really love historic storefronts in the […]

                                                                Reminder: Waterfront Town Hall Wed. Nov. 13 – 6:30 PM

                                                                We hope you and your neighbors can join us tomorrow evening for an important community meeting about Hudson River Park air rights. The New York State Legislature recently passed a bill allowing the sale of air rights from Hudson River Park piers for development along the waterfront in our neighborhood. Decisions will soon be be […]

                                                                Places We Love: That Shopable Block, East 9th Street

                                                                Today we introduce a new feature, Places We Love, focusing on architectural and cultural 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. “Although I don’t know where my career will take me, I would like to live in […]

                                                                  Historic Senate Vote Had Roots in Village House

                                                                  The United States Senate’s historic passage yesterday of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), banning workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, has deep roots in a house in the South Village at 186 Spring Street — a hotbed of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) civil rights activity in the post-Stonewall […]

                                                                  Joni Mitchell, in a Bleecker Street Cafe

                                                                  We here at Off the Grid are obviously big fans of the Village folk scene of the 1960s, and today we’re thrilled to spotlight one of its biggest stars. Singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell was born on November 7, 1943 in Fort Macleod, Canada. As with so many aspiring musicians of her day, she came to New […]

                                                                  A new mayor means a new administration

                                                                  New Yorkers have elected a new mayor, but it’s important to note that any mayor of any city does not operate in a vacuum.  A mayor selects many individuals to lead individual parts of city government. On Monday, Karen wrote about the position of Chair of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, a key post in the […]

                                                                  72 Fifth Avenue, Then & Now

                                                                  Today we take a look back at a piece written by former GVSHP staffer Dana Schulz about an interesting piece of history on Fifth Avenue involving scandal, cigarettes, and urban policy. Read more from our Then & Now series on Off the Grid! In 1847, on Bond Street in London, a young man named Philip […]

                                                                  Memo to the New Mayor: Strengthen the LPC

                                                                  Mr. Mayor, don’t forget the Landmarks Preservation Commission! Amid lobbying on higher-profile issues like stop-and-frisk, public schools, economic inequality and even animal cruelty, the mayor elected Tuesday may not have shaping one of the smallest mayoral agencies atop his list of to-do’s. Yet implementing a couple of relatively easy, thoughtful changes could improve operations of […]

                                                                  Captains of Industry

                                                                  As Election Day approaches, like many of you, we’re wondering what the future holds for New York City, as the Bloomberg Era will soon be coming to an end. Toward that end, all this Fall we have been looking back on what we have been able to accomplish over the last ten years, and thinking […]

                                                                  Building (808) Broadway: Halloween Edition

                                                                  It’s that time of year again. Someone dressed as Minnie Mouse passes you on your way to the office (just this morning, in fact) and dogs in their Halloween finest parade around the city’s many parks. That’s why on today’s Building Broadway post we’re taking a closer look at 808 Broadway, also known as the […]

                                                                    The Red Herring at 570 Lex

                                                                    If the “art deco masterpiece” that is 570 Lexington Avenue no longer stood on the southwest corner of Lexington Avenue and 51st Street, perhaps affordable housing could be constructed in its place. But this “suave fantasy of polished marble and modern metals,” built in 1931 for the Radio Victor Corporation and since known as the […]

                                                                    Remembering Lou Reed

                                                                    The world mourned the passing of Lou Reed this past weekend at the age of 71. Front man of The Velvet Underground, Reed was born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, and came to epitomize the raw New York City experience of the 1960s and 1970s. As with many of the great artists of […]

                                                                    A Decade of Preserving Historic Houses of Worship

                                                                    With next Tuesday’s hearing on the possible landmark designation of the Tifereth Israel Town & Village Synagogue on East 14th Street — the nearly 150 year old former German Baptist and Ukrainian Orthodox Church which has been under consideration for landmark designation for almost fifty years — we thought we’d take a look at some […]