Happy Birthday Jack Kerouac!

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.” […]

Seen & Heard Around the Village: East Edition, 3.10.12

EV Grieve puts together a 1st Avenue penthouse striptease and reveals the new Retina mural on the Bowery You can now buy creations by the Mosaic Man on Etsy (Gothamist) Students at the East Village Community School learn healthy cooking skills (DNAinfo) Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space will share history of squatting & activism (NY […]

    Seen & Heard Around the Village: West Edition, 3.10.12

    Exhausting images of Astor Places (Bowery Boys) Two townhomes of Downing Street have a big day (Curbed) Writer Mickey Rapkin buys his greeting cards at Greenwich Letterpress (Racked) Carrie Bradshaw’s house is flipping (Curbed) Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York has a timeline of the upscale-ization of Bleecker Street Police seize more than 3,000 books from 6th […]

      Remembering the Fillmore East

      Forty-four years ago today, music promoter Bill Graham opened the Fillmore East at 105 Second Avenue. This 2,600 seat venue hosted concerts from 1968 to 1971, including performances by the Allman Brothers Band, the Who, and the Doors. The venue was known for launching many seminal bands of the era, and because of its excellent […]

      This Day in History: The Rosenberg Trial Begins

      It was on this date in 1951 that the infamous espionage trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg began.  The Jewish-American Communists, along with Soviet spy Morton Sobell, were accused of selling nuclear secrets to Russia. Ethel’s brother, David Greenglass, worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory and allegedly supplied Julius with information regarding the atomic bomb.  […]

      My Favorite Things: East Eleventh Street Baths

      One of my favorite things about historic architecture research is uncovering the fascinating histories of lesser-known buildings. When I worked at the Landmarks Preservation Commission, I researched and wrote the designation report for the East Eleventh Street Baths at 538 East 11th Street. So let’s take a look at what makes this East Village spot […]

      This Day in History: Abingdon Square Becomes a Public Park

      One of the most interesting things about New York City’s public parks is the rich history that lies beyond the grass and trees.  Abingdon Square, bounded by 8th Avenue, Hudson Street, Bank Street, and West 12th Street, is no exception. The quarter-acre park was originally part of the Warren Estate.  Sir Peter Warren was a […]

      The Keller Hotel: Then and Now

      We’re coming up on the sixth anniversary of the landmarking of the Keller Hotel at West Street and Barrow Street in the Far West Village. The Keller Hotel (built 1897-98) is one of only three remaining intact former sailors’ hotels on the Greenwich Village waterfront, and as you can see from the before and after […]

      Peruse These Village Bookstores

      Last year, Off the Grid featured a look at some of the Village’s more specialized bookshops, including shops featuring cookbooks, comics, and mystery books. If you didn’t catch it, be sure to take a look. With so many independent bookstores to cover, this time around, we thought we would explore some of the neighborhood’s all-genre […]

      Happy Presidents’ Day

      Can you name the only United States president to be born in New York City? Here’s a hint: he served as the city’s Police Commissioner when the 9th Police Precinct Station House on Charles Street in the Far West Village was constructed in 1896-97.                      

      We Miss You, Keith Haring

      On February 16, 1990, we lost one of the most memorable and enduring figures of the 1980’s Downtown arts scene, Keith Haring (born May 4, 1958).  Haring came to New York in 1978 to study at the School of Visual Art, and quickly became a noted up and coming artist.  Haring utilized whatever canvas was […]

      Gone But Not Forgotten: Van Nest Place

      Walking west along Charles Street, it is hard to imagine that the area bounded by West 4th, Bleecker, and Perry Streets was still rural until the mid-1860s. At the center of this property was the former estate of Sir Peter Warren. The Warren estate survived on this site, although altered in form, until the mid-1860s. […]

      Village Sweet Spots

      Calling all procrastinators!  It’s not too late to buy your special someone a tasty chocolate treat.  To make your last-minute Valentine’s shopping easier we’ve put together a list of our favorite Village chocolate spots!

      Baking on Broadway — Then and Now

      Standing where Broadway begins its curve to the west at 10th Street, the landmarked Grace Church has been a fixture of Broadway’s landscape for over 160 years. James Renwick Jr.’s gothic masterpiece was consecrated in 1846 after the congregation moved uptown from its original location at Broadway and Rector Street. The 1890s photo above shows […]

      What’s in a Name: Taras Shevchenko Place

      If you’ve taken a trip to the new Cooper Union building or gone for a beer at McSorley’s, you’ve most likely noticed that small one-block street that runs between St. George’s Ukrainian Church and Cooper Union, between Seventh Street and Sixth Street.  This little off-the-grid street is known as Taras Shevchenko Place, named after the […]

      Map It! Bleecker at Christopher Street

      Have you ever come across a peculiar street pattern in the city and wondered how it became that way? It’s a topic that’s especially prevalent in the Village, where street development occurred long before the adoption of the Commissioner’s Plan of 1811. As many of our readers know, this plan is what formed the famed […]

      February Long on New and Old News

      February may be the shortest month, but that does not mean that there is any shortage of important things happening this month on the Village Preservation calendar. Far from it.  Aside from our ongoing roster of programs, as anyone who has been following the battle over NYU’s massive 20 year expansion plan knows, this month […]

      My Favorite Things: Archive Edition

      A recent inquiry by a researcher looking to document the emerging folk scene in the Village had me looking through the archive of Robert Otter, a photographer who captured the Village’s vibrant and bohemian character from 1960 to 1972. I was happy to spend time looking through these photographs. Indeed, the image “Barefoot in Washington […]

      Ghost Sign: 310-312 East 11th Street

      Between the 2nd and 3rd stories of this handsome building at 310-312 East 11th, between 1st and 2nd Avenues, there is a faint sign that reads “Knickerbocker Boarding.” Today the building is a parking garage but the sign indicates that there may be more to its history than meets the eye. Using GVSHP’s research about […]

      A Vicious Anniversary

      On this day in 1979, Sex Pistols punk rocker Sid Vicious was found dead of a heroin overdose in a Greenwich Village apartment.  Born John Simon Ritchie, Vicious (as he came to be known) joined the band in 1977, taking over for bassist Glen Matlock.  Vicious notoriously faked his musical ability, with his own band […]

      Variety, East Village Style

      As EV Grieve recently reported, the final credits may be on the way for a movie theater turned grocery store on Avenue A.  As the end may be coming for the former Hollywood Theater, we thought we’d take a brief look at another East Village showplace that only recently went the way of the silent […]

      Jackson Pollock’s Old Stomping Grounds

      On Thursday evening, Village Preservation and the New School for Public Engagement hosted a lecture titled, “Jackson Pollock’s Downtown Years” given by art historian and MoMa educator Larissa Bailiff.  While we can’t recount the entire amazing lecture to you (you’ll have to wait until a video of the event is available!), we can highlight some […]

      Superblock Sleuthing

      “Superblock” is a term that we have been hearing more and more with the publication of the NYU 2031 Plan and its roadmap for massive additional development on two of the city’s most prominent and historic superblocks- Silver Towers and Washington Square Village.  The University is asking zoning and urban renewal deed restrictions to be […]

      Creative Conversion

      In an earlier post we cleared up some common misconceptions about landmarking, one of which is the notion that landmarking “freezes a building in time.” Every Tuesday the Landmarks Preservation Commission meets to review and work with architects on major alterations to historic buildings. We find it especially gratifying to see creative conversions that satisfy […]

        What’s in a Name: Bleecker Street

        It is hard to imagine Bleecker Street, with its high fashion boutiques, small businesses, cafes, and food shops as farmland, but then again it is hard to visualize any part of Manhattan in its rural state. Bleecker Street’s provenance is that of the Bleecker family, prominent New York City citizens who owned farmland in the […]

        Welcome Amanda Davis – Village Preservation’s Newest Staff Member

        Today we are thrilled to welcome Amanda Davis – our new Director of Preservation and Research – to the Village Preservation team! Among many others, Amanda’s projects will include design review for projects in our historic districts, historic buildings research for undocumented buildings, and attending public hearings and community meetings on behalf of Village Preservation. […]

        Sullivan Street Playhouse: Gone But Not Forgotten

        The final performance of the off-Broadway hit The Fantasticks took place at the Sullivan Street Playhouse at 181 Sullivan Street in the South Village on January 13, 2002.  That marked the end of a remarkable 42-year run of the show – making it the longest-running musical ever. Unfortunately, the closing of the show and playhouse would also […]

        The Ghost of Preservation Battles Past: The House of Genius

        61 Washington Square South, before it was demolished in 1948, was known as the House of Genius, part of the so-called genius row named for the artists and writers who made the red brick houses between West Broadway (now LaGuardia Place) and Thompson Street home for the latter half of the twentieth century. Number 61 […]

        A Boxing Legend’s Memory Lives on 14th Street

        Have you ever walked on 14th Street near Irving Place and looked up to see that this section of the thoroughfare had a secondary street sign naming it “Cus D’Amato Way?”  I recently did just this.  I walk on 14th Street every day- how had I never noticed it?  And how did I not know […]

        East 10th Street’s Landmark-worthy Buildings

        What an amazing picture!  Talk about the good old days. We love historic images here at Village Preservation.  They help us with our research, like our building-by-building documentation of the East Village, and frankly they’re just fun to look at.  This picture of East 10th Street from 1934 is a favorite, with a great row of houses, […]

        Seen and Heard Around the Village 1.6.12: West Edition

        The Downtown Piano Queen played at the space of the former Circle in the Square Theater (Bowery Boogie)…and Van Halen played at Cafe Wha! (NY Times) The Thompson Street location of Porto Rico Coffee has closed …. and Atlas Meats is almost completely demolished (Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York) Rents in the Meatpacking District go from […]

        Seen and Heard Around the Village 1.6.12: East Edition

        After 28 years Polonia, Polish restaurant, closes due to small-business-killing landlords (The Local East Village) PS 64 principal wages dress code war on teachers (DNAinfo) EV Grieve notes many neighborhood closings this week: Mars Bar; Vampire Freaks; Autumn Skateboard Shop; Billy’s Antiques.  And notes the upcoming Starbucks at 3rd Street & 1st Avenue Tompkins Square […]

        My Favorite Things: Poets Edition

        This is the latest installment of Off the Grid’s series, “My Favorite Things,” in which we showcase some of our very favorite spots around the neighborhood, highlighting the incredible architecture, history, people, and businesses of the Village, East Village, and NoHo; read more HERE. The Village and East Village have spawned so many remarkable and […]

        Walking East 7th Street: Tompkins Market and Armory

        Walking East 7th Street is a collaboration between GVSHP and the students in NYU’s Fall 2011 Intro to Public History course. Each pair of students was tasked with researching the cultural history of one particular block of East 7th Street and sharing with us something fascinating they discovered along the way. All posts below were […]

        Blurring the Lines with Blind Windows

        In response to our recent post “A Sign That Tells More Than Just Street Names,” about the oddly ‘elevated’ street sign embedded above the third floor of 128 Charles Street, an Off the Grid reader also wondered about the rows of mysteriously “bricked up” windows along the Greenwich Street facade of the building. Well, dear […]

        My Favorite Things: Holiday Edition

        Last Saturday night I joined hundreds of other holiday revelers in one of my favorite offbeat, annual Village traditions: Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night. Now in its twentieth year, Unsilent Night proved to be the most magical 45 minutes I have ever spent meandering through the Village streets.

        In Memoriam, Anthony Amato

        Anthony Amato, the founder and artistic director of the Amato Opera, died last Tuesday at the age of 91. Through his company, Anthony Amato created a home for opera within the Village’s larger theater scene, forging a role for the immigrant community’s contribution to the arts and culture of the neighborhood. Anthony and his wife […]

        Advocating for the Future

        You may have seen 60 Minutes last night with a segment about the impact of the mortgage crisis on neighborhoods in Cleveland, Ohio.  With owners and banks abandoning homes the city has decided to demolish them as a means to prevent blight and crime.  The reporter, Scott Pelley, walked down the street with a former city official counting […]

        On the Square

        As we enter the final phase of the holiday shopping season we thought we would continue our look at some of the historic retail establishments in our area. Last week we looked at Wanamaker’s huge store and annex near Astor Place. Farther north at Union Square, a major retail presence for decades was the S. […]

        East 7th Street: A Foodie’s Paradise

        In recent years, the East Village on the whole has come to be known for its budding gastronomy scene.  One street in particular that has really hit it big in this scene is East 7th Street.  With our program tomorrow evening on the social history of East 7th Street, we thought it only made sense […]

        My Favorite Things: Washington Square North

        The iconic early 19th century rowhouses that flank the north side of Washington Square Park are in many a passersby’s mind synonymous with the early history of the neighborhood.  Originally, the whole block looked like this.  Developed in 1833 under the auspices of the Trustees of Sailors’ Snug Harbor, the row was built to house […]

        Things I’ll Miss About GVSHP: Part 2

        Nearly four centuries ago, Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant, whose life has been the stuff of legend on account of his wooden leg and his role in losing New Amsterdam to the English, lived on a farm in the area we now call the Village. Generations later, his great-grandson, Petrus, bequeathed land for the construction of […]

        Dog Day Anniversary

        On December 4th, 1971, John Stanley Wojtowicz married Ernest Aron in Greenwich Village, in what Mr. Wojtowicz described as a Roman Catholic ceremony. This event might be considered noteworthy for taking place nearly four decades before the legalization of gay marriage in New York, and decades before the now ubiquitous debates about, and demand for, equal […]

        Back to the Butchers

        Recently, we told you all about the East Village Meat Market, a traditional Ukrainian butcher shop on 2nd Avenue and 9th Street.  We also told you that this was the last such surviving  butcher shop in the East Village.  Two others that have been lost within the past 5 years are Kurowycky Meat Products, formerly […]

        Things I’ll Miss About GVSHP: Part 1

        As many readers are probably aware, in January I’ll be leaving my position of 3½ years as GVSHP’s Director of Preservation & Research (shameless plug: apply for my job). It’s a bittersweet move for a host of reasons. Suffice it to say, it’s been an absolute dream to spend my days fighting tirelessly for a […]

        East Village Tenement Housed “the Most Dangerous Woman in America”

        Anarchist and revolutionary thinker Emma Goldman, known for her political activism, writing, and speeches, can claim East 13th as her home in the early twentieth century. Goldman was known for supporting a wide-range of controversial causes, including free speech, birth control, women’s equality, union organization, and workers’ rights. She was considered, by the Federal Bureau […]

        The Backstory on Backhouses

        One of the many wonderful things about our neighborhoods is the seemingly limitless possibility for surprises.  Though small in scale and geography, the Village, East Village, and NoHo may have more unexpected and often unknown nooks and crannies than any other area of New York City.  And sometimes those surprises are hidden from the public, […]

        Thanksgiving Ragamuffins

        Thanksgiving has been an unofficial tradition in the US since settlers first came here, an unofficial holiday since 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared a national day of giving thanks in the midst of the Civil War, and an official one beginning in 1942. Many different traditions have sprung up around this holiday, but have […]

        Big Reveal on East 11th Street

        We’ve been anxiously awaiting the big reveal of the new artwork on the All Saint’s Ukrainian Church on East 11th Street, just west of our offices in the Neighborhood Preservation Center. So we’re thrilled to see that the scaffolding has finally come down!

        History’s Mysteries: Ghost Sign on East 6th Street

        Talk about 6 degrees of separation!  A half-    painted over, fading ghost sign (old hand painted advertisement) on a wall of a tenement building at 620 East 6th Street has more random connections than Kevin Bacon. If you’re curious to find out how an old ad on a wall on East 6th Street is connected to “The […]

        West Village Colossus

        Rising like an ark over Christopher Street, the Archive Building’s construction and multiple uses over a New York century reflect the changing character of the Far West Village waterfront and the city as a whole. Join us as we trace the unique history of this colossus of the West Village.

          Happy 20th Anniversary, Blue Man Group!

          Twenty years ago today, on November 17th, 1991, Blue Man Group “Tubes” opened at NoHo’s own Astor Place Theatre, where the group continues to dazzle audiences to this day. Happy Anniversary to one of our favorite things in the Village!

          My Favorite Things: The Corner of West 4th and West 10th Streets

          Villager’s often point to the neighborhood’s low scale buildings and meandering, off-the-grid street pattern as one of the many factors that make the Village so special. I have to admit, I have a love/hate relationship with the Village’s off-kilter streets. But then again, I get lost with a map. Prior to 2005 (the year I […]

            372 Lafayette Street – Take Two!

            Back in August, we wrote about 372 Lafayette Street, the proposed new building designed by Morris Adjmi that will – once given the go-ahead by the Landmarks Preservation Commission – occupy the site of the existing one-story garage on the corner of Great Jones Street in the NoHo Historic District. The LPC was only partially […]

            On This Day: Ellis Island Closes

            On this day in 1954, November 12th, America’s gateway, Ellis Island, closed its doors for good. According to History.com, 40% of Americans today can trace their roots through Ellis Island.  If we had to guess, that percentage most likely increases dramatically when looking at the population residing in the Village.  The South Village was marked […]

            My Favorite Things: Gone But Not Forgotten Edition

            This is the latest installment of Off the Grid’s series, “My Favorite Things,” in which we showcase some of our very favorite spots around the neighborhood, highlighting the incredible architecture, history, people, and businesses of the Village, East Village, and NoHo. As the old saying goes, you win some, you lose some.  That’s particularly true […]

            Seen and Heard Around the Village 11.9.11: For Food Lovers

            Gothamist goes inside the vault at Pfaff’s, the 19th century beer cellar turned cocktail loungs….and inside the new Veselka Bowery….and inside Prima, the new East Village seafood-centic cafe/bar First look at the menus of Whitehall, the new West Village, London-inspired restaurant and bar (Grub Street) The New York Times reviews the Bowery’s Saxon & Parole […]

            Seen and Heard Around the Village 11.9.11: East Edition

            Demolition permits on file for historic 316 East 3rd Street (EV Grieve) New York’s most loathed architect is no stranger to the East Village (NY Post) EV Grieve looks at the collapsed chimney on East 13th Street….and as of yesterday residents were still displaced Billy Leroy, of Billy’s Antiques & Props, misses the Old New […]

            Seen and Heard Around the Village 11.9.11: West Edition

            image courtesy of Bob Estremera On the market: a loft/antique store hybrid and St. Vincent’s condos (Curbed) Gothamist goes inside the new Greenwich Village Country Club Off-Off Broadway theater, Manhattan Theatre Source, closing….as is 30-year-old jazz cafe, Caffe Vivaldi (Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York)…but you can sign a petition to save Vivaldi! House with the largest […]

            Three Cheers for Father’s Heart Church!

            Last month we all cheered when it was announced that the Bowery Historic District was added to the State and National Register of Historic Places – a well-deserved recognition of one of New York’s oldest and most historic streets. We are also thrilled that another historic site in our neighborhood, an East Village icon, was […]

            Kielbasa Done the East Village Way

            If you’re like me and grew up around Eastern-European family, you know that it’s pronounced kah-bah-see and that it’s best served with a little sauerkraut and spicy mustard. You then also probably know that the traditional neighborhood butcher shops that serve up this sausage delight, among other smoked and cured meaty goodness, are now few […]

            Russ & Daughters: An Extraordinarily Ordinary Place

            As GVSHP gears up for our benefit evening Much Ado About Noshing this evening with Village writer Calvin Trillin and two generations of the Russ & Daughters family, we decided to revisit our roots and explore the history of 179 East Houston Street, the building owned by the beloved appetizing store. Russ & Daughters has been […]

            Seen and Heard Around the Village 11.5.11: West Edition

            Looking back at Gansevoort Plaza (Forgotten NY) MTA misspells “Bleecker Street” (Gothamist) Greenwich Village duplex feels like something  more uptown …. a former Today Show host’s Butterfield House penthouse is asking 7M …. and Marc Jacobs exec swaps one Village townhouse for another (Curbed) Gothamist has all your Greenwich Village Halloween Parade pics HERE and […]

            Seen and Heard Around the Village 11.5.11: East Edition

            Cooper Union may charge tuition (NY Times) Villa Capri condos coming to Avenue C (Curbed) Public Theater renovations boosted by $2 Million donation (NearSay) Zip code 10003 has 169 chain stores! (EV Grieve) Greenwich Village Country Club starts putting on University (WSJ) Director Adria Petty puts EV dream pad on the market (The Local East […]

            Veselka Bowery Opens Tonight

            With GVSHP’s office located on the corner of 2nd Avenue and East 11th Street, staff are very familiar with Veselka, the Ukrainian restaurant/diner on 2nd Avenue and East 9th Street. (Besides, Veselka was a recipient of a Village Award in 2010, and we love our Village Award winners.) On Wednesday night staff enjoyed a preview […]

            My Favorite Things: Alamo (the Cube)

            It’s fall, 1967. A one-ton steel cube is dropped by the Lindsay administration into the middle of a grimy traffic island in an increasingly dodgy part of town. Instantly scuffed and plagued by graffiti, the hulking, monochromatic form could have easily been dismissed as a bland mid-century beautification scheme. A stark gift to the people […]

            Ready, Set … Nosh!

            This past weekend we were caught off guard when Jack Frost paid us a visit before the Great Pumpkin! Wonder what Linus would have made of that? While the weather may be unpredictable one thing that is foreseeable is the irresistible draw we all have for comfort foods as the temperatures drop. Everyone has a […]

            Halloween Round Up

            We hope that everyone had a safe, fun, and sugar-filled Halloween!  To close out the holiday we’ve rounded up some of our favorite events and decorations from around the Village that embody the neighborhood’s Halloween spirit.  Let’s start right in GVSHP’s backyard with St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery’s Dia de los Muertos celebration.

            Deadly History

            With today being Halloween, we thought we would take a look at … dead bodies in the Village! You can tune out the ominous laughter you may be hearing right about now, today’s post is actually about some fabulous historic cemeteries in the East and West Village.