Here in the world of preserving worthy buildings, there’s a question that often comes up. “Preserving buildings is well and good,” people say. “But what about preserving the personalities and pursuits that occupy those buildings?” That’s the next frontier. For the most part, meatpackers are mostly gone from the Meatpacking District, few struggling artists still […]
Tucked away on an unassuming block on LaGuardia Place is the former studio and home of sculptor Chaim Gross and his wife Renee. Gross, whose art can be found in the permanent collections of such institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, worked and lived in the Village for […]
The Carl Fischer Music building dominated the skyline of Astor Place and Cooper Square for many decades. This 12-story building with its iconic sign along the north face is located across the street from Cooper Union and within the NoHo Historic District. For over seventy-five years it housed the printery and a retail store for […]
On October 17, 1967, Pablo Picasso wrote in a letter that he agreed to allow his colleague, Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar, to reproduce a large-scale sculpture of “Bust of Sylvette” for the University Village/Silver Towers complex, which GVSHP later proposed and successfully fought to have landmarked. The sculpture is one of only two public outdoor […]
GVSHP is proud to share it’s new report “Ten Years – A Thousand Buildings – One Hundred Blocks: A Decade of Progress on Landmark and Zoning Protections in the Village, East Village, and NoHo.” As we come to the end of the Bloomberg era, this meticulously detailed and richly photographed report examines what GVSHP has […]
For stalwarts of the affordable housing scene in New York City, what obstacles come to mind that block the path to construction of new affordable units? We asked a few experienced hands, and they said the cost of land, construction and operations, as well as less access to capital at the outset of a project. […]
Tucked mid-block between historic tenements on 6th Street in the East Village is a modern building devoted to the preservation and exhibition of Ukrainian art. While the building is new, the non profit that makes it home, The Ukrainian Museum, is not. Founded in 1976 by the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA), the […]
On October 11, 2005, the Far West Village rezoning plan was unanimously approved and adopted. Village Preservation had led the fight for this plan to protect a vulnerable part of the Village. Here’s the story: In early 2004, following our successful efforts to landmark the Meatpacking District, Village Preservation and allied community groups kicked off […]
It’s been many years since the sad saga began at the Annie Leibowitz properties in the West Village. The 1830s buildings, part of the Greenwich Village Historic District, are located at 755-57 Greenwich Street and 305-311 West 11th Street (and are now back on the market). It was October 11, 2002 when work (without a […]
On this day one year ago, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission officially designated the East Village/LES Historic District. Encompassing 325 buildings and 15 blocks, centering along Second Avenue and stretching between East 2nd Street and St. Mark’s Place, it is by far the largest historic district designation in the neighborhood, and encompasses much of the […]
You don’t have to live in the Village to celebrate the birthday of John Lennon, who was born on October 9th, 1940. But Villagers, and those who love the Village, have a special reason to celebrate the birth of one of the greatest and most transcendent popular musicians of the late 20th century.
On Wednesday, GVSHP will be celebrating the 14th Birthday of the Neighborhood Preservation Center, the building where we have made our headquarters for the last fourteen years. The celebration – tickets are still available – is a benefit for the center, which serves as a resource center that offers space and shares information to facilitate […]
Breakfast at Tiffany’s, one of the defining movies of the 1960’s, and defining movies about New York, was released on October 5, 1961. Long skinny black dresses were never the same again. It’s often understandably assumed that Holly Golightly and Paul Varjack lived in the Village, as the cast of unconventional characters which populated their […]
It’s been just under four years since the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated as an individual landmark the 1838 Isaac T. Hopper House at 110 Second Avenue in the East Village. GVSHP had strongly supported this individual designation – which happened on October 13th, 2009 — and had given the former Hopper House an annual “Village […]
On October 1, 1998, Charlie Zito passed away after years of baking bread on Bleecker Street, in the heart of the South Village. There is nothing like the aroma of fresh-baked bread, and when Zito’s Bakery was making bread, I remember that aroma on Bleecker Street – because sometimes it would stop me in my […]
Karen Loew joins us today as GVSHP’s new Director of East Village and Special Projects. I hope you’ll join us in welcoming Karen to the GVSHP family.
Last month we featured the drawings of Anthony F. Dumas, a man who was responsible for illustrating countless theaters across the world. One of the beauties of his drawings is uncovering theaters that have been lost for decades, some for well over half a century. That’s exactly how we found the Fugazy Theatre. But just […]
Last week’s announcement in The Villager confirming The Village Voice’s move from its offices in Cooper Square got us thinking about the history of the storied Village newspaper. The Voice, which began in 1955 in a tiny space in Sheridan Square, had been located in Cooper Square since 1991. Its office is now located downtown […]
With the recent news that things are finally beginning to move with the city’s redevelopment of Astor Place, including pedestrianizing sections of Astor Place between Lafayette Street and Cooper Square and surrounding Tony Rosenthal’s Alamo cube sculpture with a plaza, we thought we’d take a look at the site of other big recent change to the […]
F. Scott Fitzgerald, considered one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century and the chronicler of America’s jazz age of the 1920’s and its “Lost Generation,” was born September 24, 1896 in St. Paul Minnesota. He died a mere forty-four years later in Hollywood, California, of a heart attack, though alcoholism and tuberculosis may have […]
September means back-to-school time for a lot of New Yorkers, and GVSHP is no exception. As a non-profit organization, part of our mission is to teach children about history and architecture through our Children’s Education program, using Greenwich Village as a model. This 3-part program is available to all elementary schools throughout the five boroughs. […]
It was ten years ago this month that the city’s Independent Budget Office (IBO) released the landmark study confirming what many New Yorkers intuitively knew, but the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) has continually sought to deny — landmarking does not negatively impact property values, and if anything, tends to modestly increase the […]
The Villager reported today that the Village Voice has vacated its office at 36 Cooper Square and decamped 80 Maiden Lane far downtown. The Voice, a longtime fixture in our neighborhood, was founded in Greenwich Village in 1955, set up shop in Sheridan Square by the 1960s, and moved to its recent location on Cooper […]
The Fourth Arts Block will present its tenth annual FAB! Festival on Saturday, September 28, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. Festivities take place on East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and the Bowery and are free and open to the public. FAB received a 2011 Village Award from GVSHP for its work to preserve the […]
Eminent architect Matthew W. Del Gaudio died on September 17, 1960. One of his most well-known buildings is right here in the heart of the South Village, Our Lady of Pompeii Church, which stands on the corner of Bleecker and Carmine Streets. The building that stands today was constructed in the years 1926 – 1928, […]
Near the southern end of the High Line, the Meatpacking District bustles with designer clothing stores, outdoor cafes, and trendy hotels. Tourists in particular flock to this area, and it can often be a source of amusement to watch club-goers navigate the bumpy Belgian block (aka cobblestone) streets in their fashionable stilettos. Many New Yorkers, […]
On September 13, 1907, the RMS Lusitania docked at Pier 54 on the Greenwich Village waterfront following its maiden transatlantic voyage. Pier 54, located at West 13th Streets, was the New York home for Cunard Line, a British shipping company. The Lusitania docked safely that day, but eight years later the ship was sunk by a German U-boat […]
For today’s “Building Broadway” post we thought we’d do things a little differently. With Broadway being such a busy thoroughfare, it’s not uncommon to find lots of great details on its historic loft buildings aimed to catch your attention or to tell you a little something about its past. But sometimes, when we have shopping […]
For a few days after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, life in Greenwich Village was far from normal. I remember having to walk north of 14th Street just to get a newspaper and basic supplies from a convenience store. There was no traffic allowed below 14th Street, so there were no deliveries to […]
As you should now be aware, today is primary election day in New York City. The polls close at 9:00 P.M. tonight, so if you haven’t already, check the location of your polling place and go out and vote. As many of the primary races around the city feature people who have worked in their […]
On September 9, 2003, the Gansevoort Market Historic District was officially designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. The designation not only culminated a three-year effort to protect the increasingly endangered Meatpacking District from the very real prospect of mass demolitions and oversized new development (such as the Hotel Gansevoort, which preceded the […]
It was a sad day for cinephiles on September 6, 1990 when the Bleecker Street Cinema closed. The beloved movie house was another casualty of the trends that had led to the demise of similar smaller cinemas – the ones that showed older classic films and lesser-known independent and foreign films. There was enormous pressure […]
On September 6, 1901, President William McKinley was shot while visiting the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York; he died eight days later on September 14. Both the man responsible for the assassination, and the man who assumed the presidency as a result, had some interesting connections to our neighborhoods. McKinley was only the third […]
Do you have childhood memories of your mom sewing your clothes? Or have you ever come across your grandmother’s old sewing machine and huge stash of patterns and fabrics? If you know someone who sews, ask them if they know the name “Butterick” and they will very likely say yes. That’s because 150 years ago […]
Journalist, author, and Greenwich Village resident Malcolm Gladwell turns fifty today. Happy Birthday, Mr. Gladwell. Like many authors who have chosen to make the Village their home, Gladwell is originally from elsewhere. Born in Great Britain, Gladwell grew up in Ontario, Canada before moving to the United Stated. He lived in Indiana and Washington D.C. […]
It’s always fun to look at then and now photos of buildings and streetscapes we’ve long come to admire here on Off the Grid. Today, just ahead of the Labor Day weekend, we wanted to check in on the Hebrew Actors’ Union building at 31 East 7th Street in the East Village. With its stark […]
I used to hear from people who said that they hated being in New York City in the summer, and would escape on the weekends to the Hamptons, upstate New York, the Poconos, etc. To me, sitting in traffic every Friday and Sunday, or dealing with peak-fare crowed trains, is not how I want to […]
Founded 111 years ago by reformer Mary Kingsbury Simkhovitch, Greenwich House began as a place to help improve the lives of the expanding immigrant populations in the neighborhood. While times have changed, Greenwich House continues to serve seniors, children, and families with services such as arts education, after-school programs, substance abuse programs, and social and […]
In the past Off the Grid has taken a look at some of the architecture surrounding Tompkins Square Park, including St. Brigid’s Church, the Tompkins Square Lodging House for Boys, the Charlie Parker House, and the Tompkins Square Branch of the New York Public Library. Today we thought we would take a look inside the […]
…what a long, strange trip it’s been. On August 26th, 1970, an electric lady was introduced to the rock and roll scene on 8th Street in Greenwich Village. Ushered in by none other than Jimi Hendrix, Electric Lady Studios at 52 West 8th Street was built to provide Hendrix with affordable studio space that would […]
On August 28th, 1963, one of the most iconic and transformative events of the civil rights movement took place, the ‘March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.’ One of the largest demonstrations ever staged in our nation’s capitol, it featured Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech, and is credited with helping […]
An amazing resource that we have featured here and there on Off the Grid is the theater drawings of Anthony F. Dumas. From the Jewish Rialto along lower Second Avenue to the little gems hidden in the nooks and crannies of the Village’s quirky streets, Dumas seemingly covered it all. And while many of these […]
With Labor Day fast approaching and temperatures rising, my thoughts are turning to … ice cream! Greenwich Village has recently become one of the best neighborhoods in New York City for the treat, and with fall just around the corner, now is the time to indulge.
Last week the Whitney Museum revealed its 3D cut-out recreation of the noted Edward Hooper painting Nighthawks in the prow of the Flatiron Building. The ‘pop-up’ project highlights the museum’s ongoing exhibition Hopper Drawing, which examines the drawings and creative process of the Greenwich Village-based artist. Hopper moved to New York in 1899, and after […]
On Monday, September 16th, GVSHP and our co-sponsor The New School for Public Engagement will present a screening of the documentary film, “For the Records” by Emily Judem and Hazel Sheffield. The subject of the film is the record store Bleecker Bob’s which closed last April after 45 years of doing business in Greenwich Village, […]
In the early 1900s, the East Village was teeming with theaters and movie houses. Second Avenue was the Yiddish Rialto, or Theater district, lined with venues showcasing theater performed, written, and directed by Jewish New Yorkers, often in Yiddish. Vaudeville pioneer B.F. Keith (the ‘K’ in RKO theaters, and eventually films) opened his first theater […]
Last week GVSHP took an important step in documenting the South Village for its listing on the National Register of Historic places by photographing a selection of sites to be included in the nomination report. This nomination, written by architectural historian Andrew Dolkart, will soon be sent to the State Office for Historic Preservation to […]
On August 16, 2006, GVSHP sent the Landmarks Preservation Commission an urgent request to consider landmark designation of the the old Fire Patrol House #2 at 84 West 3rd Street, between Sullivan and Thompson Streets in the South Village. At the time, the building had just been put on the market by its owner, the […]
A couple of weeks ago I was walking along 3rd Street in the East Village and stopped in front of a sculpture park that I had seen many times before. Just past Avenue B, the park holds a number of metal sculptures which, without doing any research, seemed to be the work of current artists […]
On August 12, 1964, ground was broken for the construction of 505 LaGuardia Place (then known as 505 West Broadway), the first of the three towers which, along with the giant Picasso sculpture “Sylvette,” form what was called University Village. The entire complex was built by NYU, and two of the towers are owned by […]
On August 8, 2008, GVSHP and the East Village Community Coalition formally requested that the City landmark the historic Congregation Mezritch Synagogue building at 415 East 6th Street in the East Village (you can read the request, and more about the building’s history, here). At the time, plans had been filed to demolish the […]
Six years ago today, on August 8, 2007, the Landmarks Preservation Commission wrote to GVSHP responding to our request to consider Webster Hall, the East Village social and assembly hall built in 1887 , for landmark designation. In their letter, the Commission informed us that in response to the information we submitted, the building was ‘calendared.’ […]
As seen in: Don’t Believe REBNY’s Hype; Landmarking Can Help Affordability Read the full article in The Villager or Gotham Gazette BY ANDREW BERMAN | In July, the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) went on a media blitz, touting their latest report blasting landmark preservation in New York City. […]
Twentieth century pop art icon Andy Warhol was born on August 6th, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. But his life as an artist and visual pioneer was very much about New York, largely downtown New York. Warhol certainly made his mark on the Village and East Village, and both, in turn, made their mark on him. […]
Our Building Broadway series provides a glimpse into the manufacturing past of Broadway’s historic loft buildings. From Houston to 14th Streets, read more posts in this series by clicking here! Located between 11th and 12th Streets, 809 Broadway has been in the news recently with the announcement that Blatt Billards is leaving this location for […]
Today marks the birthday of great Greenwich Village artist and chronicler of everyday life in Lower Manhattan John Sloan, born August 2, 1871. Sloan worked as an painter and illustrator, first in Pennsylvania, and then most notably in New York at the turn of the twentieth century. His work is now highly regarded, and he is considered […]
This past Monday evening, many of us gathered on MacDougal Street near Bleecker for the unveiling of a bronze plaque honoring the San Remo Café. The San Remo Café operated in this corner location for many years and was a home of sorts for so many of Greenwich Village’s most creative people. One of those […]
On August 1, 2000, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation convened the first meeting of the Save Gansevoort Market Task Force. This project of GVSHP eventually led to landmark designation for most of the Meatpacking District, State and National Register of Historic Places designation for the entire neighborhood, and two successful campaigns to prevent […]
On July 31, 1923, the New York Times featured an article about an injunction against seven places of business located in the South Village that served alcohol against the strictures of the Volstead Act, or Prohibition. The article refers to “anti-Bohemian” sentiment by neighbors resulting in tip-offs to the authorities about the speakeasies. As GVSHP […]
As the summer rolls on, we thought we’d take the time to do a little Landmarks update. The above screenshot from our Landmarks Applications Webpage shows three Certificate of Appropriateness (C of A) applications to be heard in August at the Landmarks Commission. Click on the photo to learn more about these applications and how […]
Building Broadway is a new series from Off the Grid that highlights the beautiful historic loft buildings that line Broadway between Houston and 14th Streets. These posts cover only bits and pieces of the histories of these buildings; learn how to become your very own building sleuth with our guide to researching the Village! Kicking […]
On Monday, July 29th, GVSHP, along with our friends at Two Boots, unveils our latest historic plaque, this one commemorating the San Remo Café, which was a favorite Village hangout for writers, musicians and other artists from the 1940’s to around 1970. Regulars included Allen Ginsberg, Dylan Thomas, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Miles Davis, […]
Want to learn more about Bella Abzug and other feminist and civil rights pioneers like her? Visit GVSHP’s Civil Rights and Social Justice Map. Bella Savitzky Abzug was born in the Bronx to Jewish immigrants from Russia on July 24, 1920. First elected on November 3, 1970, she would become a U.S. congresswoman, leading […]
Talking Point Read the full article here July 18, 2013 BY ANDREW BERMAN | In late June we learned that the state Assembly and Senate had passed legislation that, among other things, allows the sale of air rights from piers within the Hudson River Park for development one block inland, with the […]
This evening, our friends at the The Wooden House Project, a blog that explores Brooklyn’s wood-frame houses, will be conducting a walking tour of some interesting wooden houses in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. I’ll be taking the tour tonight, but thought I would take this opportunity to get in the right frame of mind […]
MacDougal Alley is one of those hidden enclaves of Greenwich Village that many passersby may not notice, but if they do they are treated to a wonderful piece of city history. Many of the residences here were former stables built beginning in 1833 when the alley was formally created as a private court to serve […]
Last week Off the Grid featured a story about the 55th Annual Washington Square Music Festival, which presents free concerts in Washington Square Park on Tuesday evenings in July. This week, we thought we would venture East, where the Third Street Music School has been featuring free Thursday afternoon concerts since 1981. Music in Abe […]
As everyone keeps their fingers crossed that Con Edison can keep the power flowing during this week’s heat wave, we thought we’d take a look at the history of its monumental headquarters building on Irving Place. Though situated on the north side of 14th Street, the tower of the Consolidated Edison Building looms over the […]
Now that I have your attention, what I have to say isn’t just about pizza. It’s about what we already know: Greenwich Village is a really special place. Why would you ever want to leave? Imagine if you had a successful business in New York City – any neighborhood in New York City – and […]
For those who don’t know it, the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection at 59 East 2nd Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues, is one of the most striking and impressive ecclesiastical structures, not only the East Village, but all of New York (their website is here). While it has served as the […]
In honor of Bastille Day this Sunday, July 14, we here at Off the Grid thought we would take a look at the French Quarter, a small area south of Washington Square with a large French population in the latter decades of the 19th century. This area, part of GVSHP’s proposed South Village Historic District […]
On West 13th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues stands a parking garage on the very edge of the Greenwich Village Historic District. It happened to catch my eye one day as I was walking by so I thought I’d learn more about its history. As it turns out, the building began as a furniture […]
Last night, the 55th Washington Square Music Festival held its first of four free concerts in Washington Square Park. The music festival is sponsored by the Washington Square Association, an organization founded in 1906 as a neighborhood civic organization working to preserve the neighborhood’s residential character.
On this day, July 9th, back in 1962, Bob Dylan recorded his song, “Blowin’ in the Wind.” There are many, many connections between Bob Dylan, this song, and the Village, and you can read about some them in this Off the Grid post from two years ago. Some of the places where Dylan wrote and […]
It may be the dog days of summer, but tomorrow the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) will hear nine applications for changes to landmarked properties in our neighborhoods, ranging from the Meatpacking District to the South Village and NoHo, and from minor changes to dramatic proposed makeovers. You can find information about the extent of these […]
School may be out for the summer, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take time to appreciate the art and architecture of PS 34 Franklin D. Roosevelt at 730 East 12th Street in the East Village. With the popularity of the show Mad Men, (check out our blog about Village spots featured on the show) […]
On the corner of Avenue B and East 8th Street sits the striking former Tompkins Square Lodging House for Boys and Industrial School, which opened on April 21, 1887, and was designated an individual New York City landmark on May 16, 2000, one of dozens of individual landmarks in the East Village (see a list […]
On the last Sunday of June, since 1970, the New York City LGBT community has celebrated the last day of Pride Week with a march (NOT a parade) that ends its route where the gay-rights movement began, Greenwich Village. By now everyone knows the story of the 1969 Stonewall Riots that happened on Christopher Street […]
On this particularly rainy Monday, an image of Gene Kelly singin’ and dancin’ in the rain sure does come to mind. Lo and behold, an exciting discovery was made: the writers of the classic 1952 movie musical Singin’ in the Rain (and countless other Broadway shows and Hollywood musicals) got their big break at the […]
On Avenue C between 9th and 10th Streets sits a small, unassuming two-story garage. Chances are you’ve walked past it and never even noticed it. The large garage door with spray-painted “No Parking” message is less than inspiring. However, this building was once witness to history. In 1891, the leading cause of child mortality was […]
On Monday evening I attended the Jefferson Market Garden Friends’ Annual Garden Party. If you are already familiar with the Jefferson Market Garden (a 1991 Village Award winner), there’s no need for me to tell you what a wonderful place this is. If you are not, then allow me to tell you a story about […]
Yesterday the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) held its only public hearing on “phase II” of GVSHP’s proposed South Village Historic District. There was a great turnout in support of landmarking the district and we thank everyone who came to testify, sent letters to the commission, and otherwise voiced their support. You can read GVSHP’s testimony […]
Today, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will be holding a public hearing on the proposed South Village Historic District. Yesterday, the NoHo East Historic District turned ten years old! Yes, on June 24, 2003, the area that encompasses parts of Bleecker, Mott, and Elizabeth Streets and the Bowery was officially given local landmark protections (see map […]
Yesterday the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), and The Church of the Village unveiled a bronze historic marker now permanently affixed to the facade of this landmark church memorializing the first meeting of what came to be PFLAG, led by Jeanne Manford, at the church […]
We’re gearing up for the Landmarks Preservation (LPC) hearing about “Phase II” of the proposed South Village Historic District next Tuesday, June 25. We hope you can join us at the LPC at 1 Centre Street, 9th floor, and testify in favor of designating this and the rest proposed South Village Historic District. You can […]
Lately we’ve been receiving emails asking about what’s happening at 688 Broadway in NoHo, which is located on the east side of the street between East 4th and Great Jones Streets. The site is currently an outdoor market, but its vendors don’t have long before the market will close. What will go there in its […]
The Landmarks Preservation Commission has recently begun creating on-line slide shows to showcase various history months as represented by some of the city’s roughly 31,000 landmarked properties. In March, they highlighted Women’s History Month, and in February, Black History Month. Now for the first time, the LPC has also created a “Gay Pride Month” slide […]
Thank you to everyone who joined us last night as we celebrated our 33rd Annual Meeting and presentation of the Village Awards at the beautiful Tishman Auditorium at The New School, one of our favorite events of the year. At this festive mix of business and pleasure, our valued members and the general public get […]
Tonight, GVSHP will present our Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony. This evening will look back on the work of the Society over the last year, while honoring those who make a special contribution to our Village neighborhoods. Here at Off the Grid, we have been exploring each of our 2013 Awardees the past few weeks. […]
While Bil Baird may not be a household name today, his legacy lives on across the globe through a famous scene in the 1965 movie, The Sound of Music. Baird, a master puppeteer, produced and performed “The Lonely Goatherd” (above) with his wife Cora and their band of marionettes. With a little movie magic, however, […]
The East Village has seen many changes over the last twenty years, but perhaps none so inspiring as the changes due to the work of Ninth Precinct Community Council President Jeremiah Shea. Shea, and his work on behalf of the neighborhood, will be honored with a 2013 Village Award at GVSHP’s Annual Meeting and Awards […]
As the city’s and nation’s economy works through its slow recovery, the New York public library reminds us how the last great national economic crisis affected our city. Though we commonly recall images of Depression-era squatters in Hoovervilles in Central Park, various temporary encampments sprouted throughout the city during the 1930s — many of them […]
Last week I wrote about one of my favorite spots in the South Village, the Sir Winston Churchill Square. If you took my advice and went for a visit, you may have noticed an old painted billboard on the brick wall above the park. This is for Avignone Pharmacy (now Avignone Chemists), another one of […]
You don’t often hear “NYU” and “award” in the same sentence (at least not when GVSHP is giving the award). But a bold and unapologetic group of NYU faculty who have spearheaded the charge from within against the university’s massive Village expansion plans was a favorite of the GVSHP Awards Committee this year. Let’s find […]
If you have ever spent time in the area where Bleecker Street meets Sixth Avenue, then you know it’s a busy place with lots of people, cars, buses, bicycles, strollers, pianos, and more. When the weather is nice, a lot of people like to get a slice or a bagel and sit on a bench […]
The Bowery Alliance of Neighbors (BAN), a grassroots organization, has been a passionate force within the New York City preservation community since 2007. Co-founded by David Mulkins and Anna Sawaryn, BAN advocates for the preservation of the historic buildings on the Bowery. They focus their efforts particularly on the east side, which lacks the zoning […]
On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, as he left the ballroom after giving his victory speech following his win in the California Presidential Primary. Many believed his primary victory would lead to securing the Democratic nomination for President, and the Presidency. This was one of many assassinations […]
On June 5, 1981, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published its first national notice about cases of what would come to be known as AIDS. In its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (a national publication of public health information and recommendations) published that day, the CDC noted that five previously healthy gay […]
Since 1885, a drug store has stood at the corner of 2nd Avenue and 6th Street. Although it has had various owners over the years, members of the Palermo family have owned the store since 1962. Ever since, the family has worked to provide the community knowledgeable and personalized service in the sale of prescription […]
In the East Village, community gardens began growing when neighborhood activists threw “seed-bombs” into empty, trash-strewn lots. Tomorrow, GVSHP teams up with Green Guerillas – the organization that arose from these first green activists – for a walking tour of the neighborhood’s community gardens. Since the tour is sold-out, we thought we’d provide a history […]
