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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The High Line has become one of Manhattan’s most popular attractions, offering a unique opportunity to travel above the hub-bub of our city streets and gain a unique perspective on the surrounding cityscape. GVSHP was an early supporter of the effort to preserve the former elevated freight rail line and turn it into a […]
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. […]
Today would have been Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 84th birthday. The iconic figure of the Civil Rights Movement, assassinated on April 4, 1968, will be honored with a concert this Sunday, January 20th at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery. As the flyer posted on the fence of the churchyard indicates, the concert will include numerous vocalists singing […]
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 […]
This Tuesday, Jeanne Manford died at the age of 92. Sometimes referred to as the “Mother of the Straight Ally Movement,” Jeanne’s may not be a household name in all quarters, but her legacy and impact upon our broader culture is enormous. And it has strong roots in Greenwich Village, and its early embrace of […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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.
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 […]
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 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 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 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 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 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 […]
Two weeks ago, Off the Grid featured a notice announcing the lighting of the tree in Tompkins Square Park. At this year’s lighting ceremony on December 9th, a plaque was also unveiled that details the history of the tree, and how its annual lighting is a memorial to the devastation of the AIDS epidemic on […]
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 […]
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 […]
Recently someone asked me about a building he walked by in the East Village. Showing me a photo of the building on his phone, he figured it was a substation but was curious to learn more. I told him that GVSHP has completed a huge architectural survey of the neighborhood – over 3,000 buildings! – […]
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, […]
This image from the GVSHP Archive features an idyllic view of people gathering on the sidewalk outside of First Presbyterian Church in winter. The image is taken at 12th Street and Fifth Avenue, looking south. Indeed, the Church of the Ascension, at 10th Street, is visible as well.
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The eastern- and western-most areas of the Village were among the areas of Manhattan hard hit by Sandy. We recently reported how small business in the neighborhood were stepping up to get back on their feet post-Sandy, but there are others that are still out of commission. Last week Eater compiled a list of restaurants […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
CRITICAL PUBLIC HEARING TOMORROW ON PROPOSED HUDSON SQUARE REZONING AND IMPACT ON THE SOUTH VILLAGE Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 28th, the City Planning Commission will hold its SOLE public hearing on Trinity Realty’s proposed Hudson Square Rezoning.
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
It’s easy to see much of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. But one of the biggest impacts from the storm was the loss of income suffered by hourly employees due to businesses closed because of power outages, or the inability to get to work. Businesses are not required to pay hourly employees when they […]
While we’re not yet technically at the ‘silver’ (i.e. 25th) anniversary, but November 18th Mark’s the date in 2008 when we were able to get Silver Towers in the South Village landmarked. On that day the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to designate this I.M. Pei-designed complex, first proposed by GVSHP in 2003, including its […]
“Brownstones occupy a unique place in the New York psyche, as one of the city’s most prototypical signposts, like yellow cabs and fast walkers, yet are able to stir aching desire and teeth-baring jealousy. Everybody wants one.”
This morning, just before Appalachian Spring played on the radio, I learned that today would have been composer Aaron Copland’s 112th birthday. This struck a particular chord with me as I grew up listening to his music. His pieces always brought to mind images of rural America, but, actually, Copland was born and raised in […]
Each December GVSHP teams up with students in the Introduction to Public History course in NYU’s Public History and Archives program for a unique event where students present their semester-long research about the social history of a specific East Village street. This year, in conjunction with GVSHP’s architectural resource survey of the East Village, the […]
After riding out the week of Hurricane Sandy at home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, as the Greenwich Village Society office was without power, I was fairly anxious to explore somewhere outside my local neighborhood once the city got transit underway. Because my usual train wasn’t running and I had to alter my commute, I found myself […]
As GVSHP recently announced, the Hudson Square rezoning application is now on the desk of the Manhattan Borough President, after Community Board #2 pointedly recommended it be turned down UNLESS the neighboring South Village is protected from its impacts through landmarking, allowable building heights in Hudson Square are reduced, and other changes made. Like GVSHP, […]
Just prior to Sandy’s devastation, we reported the disappointing news that the City Council had agreed to approve the upzoning of Chelsea Market and allow a developer to construct two large additions atop the historic complex. The deal, brokered by City Council Speaker Quinn and approved by the Council’s Land Use Committee, was headed to […]
Tonight’s program, Greenwich Village Catholics: A Lecture by Thomas J. Shelley, is cancelled. This evening’s program, Greenwich Village Catholics, with Thomas J. Shelley is cancelled because of complications from the storm. GVSHP plans to reschedule this program as soon as we possibly can. Thank you for your understanding while we continue to recover from Sandy.In […]
Many residents in and near our area are still without power, heat, or water. Some are elderly or infirmed, and some have small children. Two complexes in need are Westbeth in the West Village and Fulton Houses between 16th and 19th Streets in Chelsea. To help at Fulton Houses: Come at noon or 3pm to […]
We hope you have weathered the hurricane as best as possible. Our office is still closed due to power outages that have affected most buildings south of 31st Street, but we thought we’d share some of our visual resources we have for you on the site: photos and maps. This seems to be a theme […]
We hope that you are staying safe and dry as Hurricane Sandy batters New York. Today we’re going to take a look at Bob Dylan’s noted song “A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall.” Dylan’s composition, which was included in his second album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (the iconic cover of which was shot on Jones Street), […]
We have recently learned that a new building permit application has been filed with the Department of Buildings for 75 First Avenue in the East Village. The permit, just filed and not yet approved, calls for an 8-story residential building. What had originally been proposed was a 14-story building that would have been completely inappropriate […]
Following up on our earlier post discussing public hearings at the Landmarks Preservation Commission, we thought we’d focus our attention on another important part of the landmarks public review process: community board hearings. Alterations to landmarked buildings that require an LPC public hearing must also be presented to the local community board. GVSHP attends all […]
Promoting and celebrating local, small businesses in the neighborhood has always been a top priority for GVSHP. Such establishments create a valuable and unique presence in our neighborhoods, vital to their character. This November, we are offering three exciting lectures that will focus on historic local businesses in the Village. Each event is distinct in […]
Designation reports are detailed documents created by New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission at the time a building or district is landmarked. These reports often serve as guidelines when the Commission needs to determine the appropriateness of future changes to the property. So what do historic designation reports have to offer those outside the field […]
Tomorrow will be our one and only chance to speak directly to the City Council before they decide whether or not to upzone Chelsea Market to allow two large towers to be built atop the historic complex. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am at the City Council Chambers in City Hall (map […]
Today marks the anniversary of the opening of the first Blockbuster store in the country in 1985, in Dallas, Texas. Filled with childhood nostalgia, we couldn’t help but recall the days when a trip into the local video store to pick out a VHS tape was one of the more exciting moments of any given […]
We hope that you can join us for our upcoming event Reel Rockers: Come ‘Get Crazy’ in the East Village — A Film Screening and Discussion! Presented by GVSHP’s Brokers Partnership, this special event is taking place on Sunday, November 11th (rescheduled) Saturday, December 1st at Anthology Film Archives and you can click here to […]
Last Tuesday, October 9th, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. Stretching between the Bowery and Avenue A, East 2nd Street and St. Mark’s Place, the district includes about 325 buildings and is the largest ever created in the East Village. We’re excited to see that landmark protections have […]
Irish writer Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born October 16, 1854. The author of many short stories, plays such as The Importance of Being Ernest and The Duchess of Padua, and the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde was a popular writer during his lifetime, and continues to be so today. To celebrate […]
When you’ve been living in, working in, and researching the East Village for many years you sometimes start to think you know it all. But then there are moments when you’re casually walking down the street, look up, and see something you have never before noticed and know nothing about (this is the beauty of […]
Tomorrow, Saturday, October 13th, the Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street (off Astor Place) will be hosting a block party to celebrate the re-dedication of their historic theater space, and you’re invited! The block party will run from noon to 5pm and will also feature an open house in the historic NoHo space. According to […]
It’s one of the quaintest and most intriguing streets in the West Village. It’s located just a block from the Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement. And as Off the Grid favorite Jerry Seinfeld would say, it’s thin, clean, and neat. So in honor of Thursday’s National Coming Out Day, Off […]
The New School’s new building at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 14th Street is getting closer and closer to being completed. After topping out back in May, the patinated brass and glass cladding has been steadily climbing the sides of the new sixteen-story building (full view below) which will house dorm units and library and […]
In September of 2011, Off the Grid reported the discovery of a sign during changes to a storefront at 15 8th Avenue (between West 12th & Jane Streets). The sign, which was made in stained glass, read J. Yormark Shoes. We here at Off the Grid were thrilled to hear from members of the Yormark […]
Monday, October 8, is Columbus Day, a day of recognition of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World 520 years ago as well as a day to celebrate the contributions and heritage of Italian Americans. Though the parade on Monday will be on 5th Avenue, when we think of Columbus Day we are […]
Last week, amid the news of an added connection between the Broadway-Lafayette and Bleecker Street subway stations, we offered you the history of the Bleecker Street station, which is listed on the State & National Register of Historic Places. There is another nearby station that fits this historically significant bill as well- Astor Place. One […]
As Curbed and EVGrieve recently pointed out, the renderings for a new building to be constructed on the long-empty lot between 13th and 14th Streets near 3rd Avenue were released the other day. The 83-unit residential building will include “private rooftop cabana terraces,” a residents’ library, fitness center, lounges, and a rooftop terrace with an […]
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place each year from September 15th to October 15th, we wanted to highlight an institution in our neighborhood that has dedicated itself to the promotion of Spanish culture for nearly 150 years.
Kenny’s Castaways, the music venue which has been located on Bleecker Street near Thompson Street since 1976, will stage its last performance tonight. Citing rising rents and a decreased audience, the storefront at 157 Bleecker will become a gastro pub that will also feature music, according to the New York Times.
Despite the cloudy skies, today GVSHP was joined by community, affordable housing, and tenant groups from the Village and Chelsea to call upon the City Council to reject the proposed Chelsea Market upzoning, which will come up for a vote next month. You can view a photoset of today’s press conference here as well as […]
The Board of Standards and Appeals recently decided in favor of developers seeking to build rooftop additions at 329-335 East 9th Street and to allow illegally built additions to remain at 514-516 East 6th Street. GVSHP, residents, community advocates, as well as Councilmember Mendez had testified before the Board in opposition to the additions citing […]
Next in the Map It! series is an unusual quirk in our streetscapes that few people may have noticed. In fact, it wasn’t until last week when I was looking at the Sanborn map for block 576 that I happened to spot this strange deviation in a neighborhood where idiosyncracies are already the norm. So […]
Yesterday’s news headlines were abuzz with the phrase “subway flaw fixed,” in reference to today’s opening of the connection between the Broadway-Lafayette and Bleecker Street stations. As the New York Times explains, “Until this week, only riders on downtown No. 6 trains at Bleecker Street could transfer to the B, D, F or M lines […]
Bettye Lane, a photojournalist who lived at Westbeth, died last Wednesday at the age of 82. She has been called the official photographer of the women’s movement and was one of the few photographers who captured the 1969 Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village. She has worked for Time and Life magazines and her work has […]
We recently learned that the proposed East Village/Lower East Side Historic District has been scheduled for a vote by the Landmarks Preservation Commission on October 9. Since the district was announced nearly a year and a half ago, GVSHP and other preservation advocacy and community groups have pressed for the LPC to designate the proposed historic district […]
The Reverend Howard R. Moody, Minister Emeritus of Judson Memorial Church was born on April 13, 1921, and died on Tuesday, September 12, 2012 at the age of 91. Moody’s 35-year ministry at Judson had an enormous impact on Greenwich Village and New York City. He worked for social justice for those outside the system, reformed […]
We hope you can join us for tonight’s critical public hearing on the proposed Hudson Square rezoning at 6:30 pm at the Fire Museum, 278 Spring Street (Varick/Hudson Streets), 3rd floor. This meeting will focus on the zoning impacts of the plan. It’s critical that we have a strong turnout tonight (we’ll be ready with […]
When I was home recently I looked through one of my parents’ photo albums and happened to find this photo of Seventh Avenue South taken at some point in the 1970s. I thought it would make for a great then and now. Even though not that much time has passed, there have been a number […]
Part of GVSHP’s work with the community is our Preservation Watch program —a way to help ensure that landmarks, buildings, and zoning violations are reported and the law enforced, and to preserve our neighborhood’s historic integrity. GVSHP wants to ensure that such violations are reported and acted upon as swiftly and thoroughly as possible. That […]
With Fashion Week ending yesterday, we thought we’d wrap up our week with a look at some fashions of yesteryear in which the Village played a supporting role. The urban landscape of our neighborhoods has long been a favorite for photographers both as a subject in its own right and as a character-filled backdrop.
As we continue to document the research we have compiled on every building and site in the East Village, we run across some incredible stories of the neighborhood’s history. Such is the case for a site at 358-362 East 8th Street, a lush green oasis in the middle of the block between Avenues C and […]
The New York Times recently published an amazing article titled “A History of New York in 50 Objects,” which was “inspired by ‘A History of the World in 100 Objects,’ the British Museum’s BBC radio series and book.” Of course, we couldn’t resist compiling our own list in reference to the Village. Here, we look […]
Today, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) will be hearing the new building application for 27 East 4th Street, the site next to the landmarked Merchant’s House Museum. If you can make it, the hearing time has been set for 3:45pm. Those planning to testify should plan to arrive early (by about 3:15) to get through […]
This coming Sunday will mark the ninth anniversary of the designation of the Gansevoort Market Historic District. The first new district to be enacted in the Village since the first Greenwich Village Historic District in 1969, Gansevoort Market was designated as a mercantile district consisting of industrial, commercial and residential buildings historically linked to the […]
We hope you can join us for an incredibly important community board public hearing tonight that will affect the future of both the South Village and Hudson Square. It’s at 6:30 tonight at the Saatchi Building at 375 Hudson Street, Ground Floor, ‘S’ space (facing King Street). The City is moving ahead with a plan […]
The seminal tome of the Beat generation, Jack Kerouac’s novel, “On the Road,” was published on September 5, 1957. Though written in 1951 on a continuous 120 foot roll of paper it took many years and many revisions to finally get published in 1957.
Feeling the end-of-summer/back-to-school blues? Get back in the academic spirit this evening with our free lecture- C. B. J. Snyder’s School Design in the Village. Urban public schools are some of the most architecturally intriguing buildings in the dense city landscape. In New York City, Charles B. J. Snyder almost singlehandedly made school design what […]
Off the Grid will be going, well, off the grid for the holiday weekend. While we’ll be celebrating the last days of summer, we must note that this Monday not only marks Labor Day, but the 50th anniversary of the passing of quintessential Village poet ee cummings. To do so, we are re-posting our salute […]
GVSHP recently received an inquiry from a researcher looking for information about the historic 1966 “Sip In” that took place at the bar Julius’. This seminal protest, which challenged the regulation that bars were not allowed to serve homosexuals, took place three years before the historic Stonewall Rebellion. While there are many resources for those […]
As most everyone knows, we’re kind of map and statistics geeks here at Off The Grid. Thus it’s no surprise that a handy little tool put together by WNYC in the wake of the Republican National Convention, mapping the levels of Republican voter registration throughout New York City, caught our attention. The interactive map (below) […]
In our continuing efforts to save 186 Spring Street in the South Village, we’ve highlighted the significant role the building played in the early LGBT rights movement. In the immediate post-Stonewall era, 186 Spring Street was home to an array of critical figures of this era. From this house, they helped establish some of the […]
As we have covered in past Off the Grid posts, the South Village building at 186 Spring Street holds strong historical significance for its role in the Lesbian and Gay Civil rights movement and the early fight against the AIDS epidemic. We presented this information to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (read our letter HERE) in the […]
We hope you can join us for our upcoming lecture on Charles B. J. Snyder on Tuesday, September 4th (RSVP information). An architect and Superintendent of School Buildings from the city’s consolidation in 1898 until 1923, Snyder was the guiding force behind the planning and construction of more than 140 elementary schools, ten junior high […]
Today, we think of Times Square when we think of the theatre district, but over 100 years ago, 14th Street centered around Union Square was full of theatre houses. The photo above shows what 136 East 14th Street looked like in 1908 when it was occupied by the Theatre Unique. It’s hard to believe that […]
PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release August 22nd, 2012 EARLY GAY RIGHTS LANDMARK FACES DEMOLITION BUT CITY AND DEVELOPER REFUSE TO SAVE IT Gay Leaders and Preservationists Rally to Preserve Threatened 1824 House With Profound Role in Gay Rights and AIDS Activist History Manhattan – Today the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) was joined […]
The building from this “Spot the Shot” post is at 229-231 East 12th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. “The Claremount” was constructed in 1901 by developer Max Weinberg, who built a number of buildings in the East Village and Lower East Side at the turn of the century. Designed by Weinberg’s architect of choice […]
Walk into McSorley’s Old Ale House today and you will see an equal mix of the genders enjoying a beer. It’s hard to imagine that for 116 years this would not have been the case, as women were not allowed into the establishment. The philosophy was, “Good Ale, Raw Onions, and No Ladies.” In 1939, […]
