The Story Behind 316-318 Bowery

Last week, GVSHP co-sponsored an event with Fourth Arts Block (FAB) at LaMaMa Experimental Theater Club at 6 East 1st Street, just off the Bowery. If you attended the book talk or have found yourself strolling along the Bowery, you might have come across this great building at the southwest corner of the Bowery and […]

How Bohemians Got Their Name

On April 17, 1423,  an event took place which, implausibly enough, lead to the creation of the modern notion — or at least nomenclature — of ‘bohemia.’ ‘Bohemian,’ as commonly used in the West for the last two centuries, means a person who lives an unconventional lifestyle, often with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic, […]

The Titanic & The Village

Today marks one hundred and one years since the RMS Titanic sank into the cold dark North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg over 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland. Though the ill-fated liner never made it to New York, many sites in the city and right here in the Village are associated with the […]

South Village Landmark Proposal — What’s In?

Earlier in the week we looked at what sites the Landmarks Preservation Commission excluded from our proposed South Village Historic District in their draft proposed phase II designation. As promised, in anticipation of Monday’s night’s public property owner’s meeting on the draft proposal, today we are looking at what’s in.  Hint: it’s some great stuff.

Two Great Maps for One Great City

Do you recognize the three-dimensional map in this photo? Hint: half a century ago, the model-making team of Raymond Lester Associates was meticulously recreating the city’s five boroughs in preparation for a “universal and international” exposition that, next year, will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. If you guessed that this is the Panorama of the […]

Mad Men’s Village People

This Sunday, the Season 6 premiere of Mad Men will transport us back to late 1960s New York.  Along with the characters’ backgrounds, props, and costumes, locations play a big part in shaping the tone of the show as it moves through one of the 20th century’s most storied decades. Set primarily in the corporate […]

Then & Now: A Home Fit for Fifth Avenue (and Mark Twain)

For most, lower Fifth Avenue conjures up images of grand early to mid-20th century apartment houses that guide the eye towards Washington Square Arch, the gateway to one of the city’s most fabled parks. But before these buildings were constructed, the base of Fifth Avenue actually resembled the small-scale row house streetscapes of much of […]

    Take A Visual Trip Through the Art of the Fillmore East

    It was forty five years ago this month that Bill Graham opened the Fillmore East on Second Avenue. Though the venue only existed for a couple of years from 1968 to 1971, the Fillmore East had an outsized impact on the history of music in New York and imagination of those who experienced it and […]

    LPC Spotlights Women in the Arts

    March is Women’s History Month; the month-long celebration highlights the accomplishments of women in various fields throughout our history. With so much to choose from in New York City alone, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has put together a slideshow of designated landmarks with 19th and 20th century connections to women in the field of […]

    My Favorite Things: 1 Astor Place

    On the corner of Broadway and Astor Place stands one of my favorite things: the beautiful red brick and terra cotta building at 1 Astor Place.  Its bold color lends a powerful presence along the busy thoroughfare of Broadway, even though it’s nowhere near as tall as the buildings along this stretch. Its chamfered corner […]

    An Illustrated Trip Down Broadway

    We recently highlighted the marvelous illustration work of James Gulliver Hancock as he continues in his attempt to draw all the buildings in New York. This week, we thought we’d take a look at a much earlier attempt at cataloging the city – a great set of illustrations of Broadway from Bowling Green to 59th […]

    A Catholic leader for the South Village

    Yesterday’s news about a new pope in Rome has me thinking about Catholic institutions a bit closer to home. When I think of  leaders of catholics in the Village, I always think of Father Antonio Demo, the revered pastor who led Our Lady of Pompeii Church from 1898 to 1933.  Many might recognize his name […]

    Germania Theatre Then & Now

    Do you recognize this location? The building partially visible at left is the only part of this scene that has survived nearly 120 years after the photo was taken in 1895. The Germania Theatre (center) was demolished a few years later, as was every other building on that block. The horse-drawn carts have long been […]

    My Favorite Things: Illustrated Edition

    Australian artist James Gulliver Hancock began to draw buildings during his travels, allowing him to interact with the cities he was visiting in a way that went beyond his experience as a tourist. When he moved to New York, he began the blog All the Buildings in New York. While he has not yet drawn […]

    East Village History: Some Protected, Some Not

    Tomorrow, Community Board 3’s Landmarks Subcommittee will hear proposals for changes to two East Village landmarks: St Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery (an individual landmark and part of the St. Mark’s Historic District) and Congregation Mezritch Synagogue at 415 East 6th Street in the newly designated East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. You can see the proposals for […]

    Jazz This Monday Night at Zinc Bar!

    Check out this great article “notebook for night owls” from the Village Voice, dated January 31, 1963. Says cornetist Jack Fine, “Some people call our jazz traditional, some think it’s swing. All I want is for it to sound happy.” Click on the image to get a closer view of the text that discusses a […]

    Vinyl in the Village

    On Monday evening, GVSHP and the New School for Public Engagement hosted a film screening, For The Records — The Legacy and Lessons of Bleecker Bob’s.   The documentary film by Emily Judem and Hazel Sheffield explores Bleecker Bob’s impending closure and the nature of change and development in an urban setting.  It also showcases the […]

    Building Ornamentation

    GVSHP’s program this evening, the Art of Exterior Ornamentation: A Talk with the Owners of Essex Works, features a local company that provides restoration of ornamentation on historic buildings. The craftsmanship involved in restoring damaged historic materials is always interesting, particularly for those of us who don’t work with our hands.

    South Village Tenement to Become Single-Family Mansion?

    Neighborhoods like Greenwich Village contain many houses built for merchant families in the 19th century, converted to multi-family housing (usually for immigrants) decades later, and then converted back to single-family housing in more recent decades. However, a recent Department of Buildings filing may indicate what appears to be a first for the South Village, the […]

    Betty Friedan and the Feminine Mystique

    Betty Friedan’s (February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) seminal work, The Feminine Mystique, was published on February 19, 1963 by W.W. Norton publishers, then located at 55 Fifth Avenue. After authoring The Feminine Mystique, Friedan would go on to become the national voice of second-wave feminism, help found the National Organization for Women (and serve as […]

    Welcome to NYC, Dylan Thomas

    On this day in 1950, the Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas arrived in New York City.  Born in Swansea, Wales, Thomas left school at age 16 and became a journalist.  In 1934, he won a poetry contest, unofficially beginning his literary career.  Later that year his first book Eighteen Poems was published followed by […]

    Early Village Preservation Efforts Preserved

    The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Archive and Oral History Project was begun in 1995, a project to document over sixty-five years of grassroots advocacy to “Save the Village.” The collection contains oral history interviews, clippings, and photographs that illuminate this preservation history. Today we’ll be spotlighting the oral history interview of Edith […]

    Quinn holds the cards on rezoning and landmarking

    From The Villager Newspaper, February 14, 2013 Op-Ed:  Quinn Holds the Cards on Hudson Square Rezoning and South Village Landmarking http://www.thevillager.com/?p=10221 By Andrew Berman, Katy Bordonaro, Zack Winestine, Micki McGee, Richard Blodgett, Carl Rosenstein and Silvia Beam The Hudson Square rezoning currently before the City Council presents a rare case where a win-win is possible. Done […]

    Children’s Education by GVSHP

    Did you know that since 1991, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has offered elementary students an unparalleled opportunity to engage with New York City’s past by exploring the diverse culture and architecture of Greenwich Village?  Greenwich Village: History & Historic Preservation highlights the uniqueness of Greenwich Village’s historic built environment and the importance […]

    Bye, bye, blizzard

    The weekend blizzard, dubbed Nemo by some media outlets, dropped 11.4 inches of snow as recorded in Central Park, a lot less than the historic blizzard of 1888, which dumped 22 inches of snow on New York City, with drifts of up to 40 inches in some areas. That historic storm was the impetus behind […]

    A Look Back in Time at 30 Christopher Street

    The snow is coming down here in New York City, so why not grab a cup of hot chocolate and read up on a Village landmark with us at Off the Grid? Today we’d like to feature the seven-story building at 30 Christopher Street. One of our readers wanted to learn more about this building’s […]

    Development Rises on Funeral Parlor’s Ashes

    As GVSHP highlighted several years ago now, the site at 152 2nd Avenue between East 9th and 10th Streets was sold to be replaced by a new six-story ‘luxury’ retail and residential development. Today we swung by the site to see that construction is finally accelerating and several of the floors are going into place. […]

    Historic Hotels of the Village

    A recent report by Crain’s New York that a number of hotels were opening in and around the Union Square area had us thinking here at Off the Grid about some historic Village hotels.

    NoHo and SoHo Firewall Against NYU in Jeopardy

    From the January 31, 2013 issue of The Villager. Noho and Soho’s firewall against N.Y.U. is at risk http://www.thevillager.com/?p=10030 By Andrew Berman, Executive Director, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation The mantra from the New York University administration throughout the public approval process for the school’s massive expansion proposal was “We’re making our plans transparent […]

    Grand Central Grandeur, in the Village

    Tomorrow, February 1, Grand Central Terminal will celebrate its Centennial.  A year-long celebration of events and programming will ensue, marking the milestone of the opening of this Beaux Arts landmark (check out these great little-known facts about the station). While attention will be justifiably focused on this Midtown landmark tomorrow, we thought we’d take the […]

      Architecture That Never Was

      Readers of Off the Grid should be familiar with the many preservation victories Greenwich Village has won over the years, including the extension of Fifth Avenue through Washington Square Park, urban renewal high-rises in the Far West Village, and Westway, a highway meant to replace the crumbling west side elevated highway which closed in 1973. […]

        Conspiracy Atop the Arch

        Ninety-six years ago today a group of artists gathered at the top of the Washington Square Arch. Poet Gertrude Drick, painters John Sloan (who drew the etching above) and Marcel Duchamp, and Provincetown Playhouse actors Russell Mann, Betty Turner, and Charles Ellis got into the arch and up the spiral staircase through an unlocked door. […]

        10 Sheridan Square: Then and Now

        The intersecting streets at Sheridan Square and 7th Avenue South are some of the most well-known and well-worn in Greenwich Village. While surrounded by notable structures housing the likes of The Stonewall Inn and Village Cigars, one of the most prominent structures around the square is the fourteen-story apartment house at 10 Sheridan Square where […]

        My Mom and Pop: 9th Street Bakery

        On Friday, EV Grieve broke the news that 9th Street Bakery would be closing after 87 years in business on East 9th Street between 1st & 2nd Avenues.  This comes after their rent was more than doubled.  350 East 9th Street, the building that houses the bakery was built in the year 1875 by architect […]

        Happy Birthday, Patricia Highsmith

        Author Patricia Highsmith, called the “Dark Lady of American Letters” by her biographer Joan Schenkar, was born on January 19, 1921. She was the author of over twenty-two books including Strangers on a Train, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and although published under a pseudonym, the lesbian novel The Price of Salt. While she was born […]

        Before the 21 Club: Greenwich Village Speakeasies

        On this day, January 16, in 1919, Prohibition took effect, prohibiting the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes.”  Today, the Prohibition speakeasy has become a novelty in New York City.  Countless new bars and restaurants spring up in “hidden” locations and seek to embody the old-time spirit of these illegal establishments.  […]

        Happy Anniversary St. Mark’s Historic District!

        On January 14, 1969, the St. Mark’s Historic District was designated. The district was one of the first historic district designations by the newly created Landmarks Preservation Commission. The district also includes the GVSHP’s home in the Neighborhood Preservation Center on East 11th Street, which formerly served as the rectory for the adjacent St. Mark’s […]

        LPC Releases Permit Application Guide

        Are you an owner of a landmarked building or someone that files applications through the Landmarks Preservation Commission? If so, we want to point you to a helpful resource that the LPC has just released: the LPC Permit Application Guide. The guide can be found on our Resources page along with other useful information for […]

        NYU Variance Hearing Shines Light on BSA, Elected Officials

        Yesterday’s Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) hearing on NYU’s variance application for 730 Broadway was revealing in several ways. GVSHP urged the board to reject NYU’s application (read our testimony HERE) as did Community Board #2, the NoHo Neighborhood Association (NNA), and a representative of Assemblymember Deborah Glick.  NNA and Assemblymember Glick are, by […]

        In Memoriam: Ada Louise Huxtable

        Yesterday, legendary architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable died at the age of 91 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  In 1963, Ms. Huxtable was appointed as the architecture critic for the New York Times where she became the first full-time architecture critic at an American newspaper and transformed architectural review into a mainstream and respected field of […]

        GVSHP Library Spotlight: Historic Walking Tour Map of Greenwich Village

        Through the 1960s and early 1970s, this hand-drawn Greenwich Village map was self-published by the Seymour family, long-time residents of Greenwich Village and preservation pioneers within New York City. This map is part of a small self-guided walking tour guide meant to introduce residents and Village visitors alike to the architectural heritage of the neighborhood. […]

        Newest Library Acquisition

        Over the summer we told you about the 1959 Greenwich Village Guide book published under the auspices of The Villager newspaper.  This past week GVSHP received a donation to our library which included a 1947 version of the Greenwich Village Guide.  This edition features advertisements from some venerable Village businesses and institutions.

        A New Year’s Hotspot

        The Meatpacking District—or to preservationists the Gansevoort Market Historic District—was the scene of many a New Year’s Eve party this past Monday night. But as the neighborhood’s most recent name suggests, this area has an interesting industrial past.  We here at Off the Grid thought we would post some historic images of the neighborhood, for […]

        Programs Rescheduled Due to Hurricane Sandy

        If you’re a regular at our public programs, you know that two of our scheduled November events were cancelled due to Superstorm Sandy.  Luckily, though, we were able to reschedule these great events and have added them to our January lineup! Tuesday, January 15, Msgr. Thomas J. Shelley, Professor of Historical Theology at Fordham University, […]

        Walking East 3rd Street: Church of the Most Holy Redeemer

        Walking East 3rd Street is a collaboration between GVSHP and the students in NYU’s Fall 2012 Intro to Public History course. Each pair of students was tasked with researching the cultural history of one particular block of East 3rd Street and sharing with us something fascinating they discovered along the way. All posts in the […]

        Walking East 3rd Street: The Bowery Branch YMCA

        Walking East 3rd Street is a collaboration between GVSHP and the students in NYU’s Fall 2012 Intro to Public History course. Each pair of students was tasked with researching the cultural history of one particular block of East 3rd Street and sharing with us something fascinating they discovered along the way. All posts in the […]

        Support GVSHP’s End of Year Appeal!

        This year has seen some tremendous successes and some huge challenges for GVSHP.  Next year promises to be even bigger, with many projects in motion. Your support makes all the difference between the preservation of our neighborhood’s character and its destruction, and is the foundation of GVSHP’s ability to document, celebrate, advocate for and educate about its history. Help make 2013 […]

        When Broken Zoning Rules Lead to Exhumed Bones

        Working in historic preservation you sometimes find yourself dealing with things you never expect. On this date in 2006, GVSHP wrote to Mayor Bloomberg regarding a 19th century abolitionist church graveyard that had been dug up and disturbed in the process of preparing for the construction of the Trump SoHo Condo Hotel.  Sadly, the disturbance […]

        Give GVSHP Gear This Holiday Season

        With the holiday season upon us, it’s good to know that GVSHP offers a variety of Village-themed gifts that they’re sure to love and that you can feel good about purchasing. A portion of every sale goes to support the continuing education, advocacy, and research work of GVSHP. Whether its maps or mugs, cards, books, […]

        LPC Posts Their Hearing Schedule for 2013

        Today marks the last day in 2012 of public hearings for the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), the City agency in charge of regulating designated landmarks and historic districts across the five boroughs. At each public hearing, the LPC hears a number of applications from property owners who wish to make changes to their landmarked buildings. […]

        St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church

        Recently, our friends over at EV Grieve posted a great then-and-now of the southwest corner of Avenue A and East 10th Street.  This beautiful building, St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church, became an official New York City Landmark in 2008 (you can read the designation report HERE).  Completed in 1883, St. Nicholas of Myra actually has a […]

        Christmas Festivities, East and West

        The holiday season is well underway and our neighborhoods have wonderful events going on to help ring in the Christmas spirit. Today we thought we’d highlight a couple of upcoming events for you. Washington Square Park This past Wednesday, the Washington Square Association held the 88th annual tree lighting ceremony in Washington Square Park. The […]

        Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, Musician Who Inspired Generations

        Louisiana’s notorious Angola State Prison.  Folk singer Pete Seeger.  The Dry Dock District in Alphabet City.  The Library of Congress.  Kurt Cobain. http://youtu.be/mcXYz0gtJeM?t=15s Seemingly unrelated, right? Not exactly. They are all connected to legendary folk musician Huddie William “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, who died from Lou Gehrig’s disease on December 6, 1949. If you don’t know […]

        Collection Spotlight: The Real Estate Brochure Collection at Avery Library

        Curbed New York recently posted an engaging photo montage on their site featuring vintage real estate images. The article reminded us here at Off the Grid about a most useful collection for researchers interested in the development of housing across New York City, the New York State Real Estate Brochure Collection at Avery Library at […]

        A ‘Crazy’ Weekend

        This past Saturday the GVSHP Brokers Partnership presented a film screening of Get Crazy (1983) at the Anthology Film Archives. The screening was followed up with a lively panel discussion and after party at Veselka Bowery. Get Crazy, a campy satire which has become a cult classic, relives the late 1960’s experience of a music […]

        BSA Grants Variances on East 9th Street

        In September the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to grant variances to the Mutliple Dwelling Law to allow rooftop additions to be built at 329, 331, 333 & 335 East 9th Street. Though we are not pleased with the Board’s decision, there is a bright side.

        47 West 8th’s Run-In with the Landmarks Law

        Do you remember the fake ivy saga involving the storefront of 47 West 8th Street in the Greenwich Village Historic District? It first came to our attention in early 2010 when we noticed the property had violated the Landmarks Law by not filing for a Certificate of Appropriateness (C of A) application before it made […]

        City’s Own Data Contradicts Their Claims on Trump SoHo’s Legality — Pt. I

        Six and a half years ago, a pitched battle began against the scheme to construct a 454 ft. tall behemoth at 246 Spring Street which came to be known as the “Trump SoHo Condo-Hotel.”  GVSHP and many neighbors and community groups opposed having this 46-story monument to ego and self-promotion in their midst, but unfortunately the zoning […]

        Savoring the Holidays with Veniero’s

        We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now that the holiday season is underway, we wanted to celebrate with a photo of one of our favorite Italian bakeries – Veniero’s on East 11th Street between First and Second Avenues. As you can see, this East Village sweet spot, which has been serving up scrumptious goodies […]

        Bittersweet Anniversary for Provincetown Playhouse

        On November 22, 1918, the first performances were staged at the Village’s renowned Provincetown Playhouse in the theater company’s permanent home. Founded in 1915 in Massachusetts as the Provincetown Players by a group of writers and actors, the theater company moved its performances to an apartment at 139 MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village in 1916. […]

          Post-Sandy Thanksgiving in the Village

          Many of us have a lot to be thankful for this year- our safety and that of our friends and family, a roof over our heads, and a hot meal.  Others, though, are not as fortunate.  This Thanksgiving, many organizations and businesses have organized special ways to help those affected by Sandy. Right outside our […]