Washington Square Park bathroom hours get cut amid concerns of sex and drugs (DNAinfo) West 4th Street newsstand removed to reveal MTA sign from 1932 (Gothamist) Forgotten NY takes a look at lower 6th Avenue & the streets absorbed by its extension Battle over Chelsea Market expansion heats up (Crain’s) Queer History Alliance says St. […]
Until very recently, the storefront at 15 8th Avenue (between West 12th & Jane Streets) looked fairly typical. Part historic, part less-so, like many in the Village it had been altered over the years to accommodate turnover in commercial tenancy. But walking by recently, we noticed that the removal of a non-original panel above the show […]
“Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, your love life’s D.O.A”… Sound familiar? That’s either because you recognize the opening lyrics to the theme song from Friends, or because it describes your life. The latter may not pertain to our older, more established readers, but there’s no doubt all of us (Villagers included!) have been there […]
A memorial was held for Nelson Perez, man who died in Brooklyn motorcycle accident (EV Grieve & DNAinfo) East Village parking fight that left woman in coma heads to trial (CBS) EV Grieve & Eater have more information on the Adres Balazs/Cooper Square Hotel deal Rosie Mendez ate at Life Cafe on its final night […]
NYU releases sham parks plan (City Room) Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York looks back at the Wall of Remembrance at Saint Vincent’s The City’s narrowest house can now be yours for $14,000/month (Curbed) New Yorkers celebrate end of “don’t ask, don’t tell” at Stonewall (NY1) Publisher, Pearson PLC, moving to Hudson Square with $13.5 million in […]
As our program schedule attests, we here at GVSHP love a good renovation story. So we were delighted when our friends over at the Merchant’s House Museum sent us pictures of their de-plastered wall, part of a $598,000 structural restoration project the museum is currently working on. What’s even better than a restoration story? For […]
Last week we talked about the history of the building at 48 3rd Avenue and left you wondering about the rest of the block of 3rd Avenue between 10th & 11th Streets. As a reminder, this started when we came across a great picture of the block taken by Berenice Abbott in 1937. Using information […]
Walking down the quiet, shady block of East 3rd Street between Avenues C and D, the last thing you would expect to stumble upon is an art gallery. But look no further than number 292 where you will find a community gallery, founded by squatters, officially known as Bullet Space. If you’re intrigued, let’s start […]
Check out pics and a menu of the new West Village Fatty ‘Cue located at 50 Carmine Street (Gothamist) The Waverly Diner loses its history in renovation (Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York) The Lobster Place on Bleecker Street closes (DNAinfo)….and Murray’s Cheese is moving in! (Eater) New restaurant on the Bowery is named after a pair […]
Rudin family has obtained $525 million for plan to remake St. Vincent’s site (Wall Street Journal) The Villager checks in with Philip Mortillaro, locksmith artist 345 West 13th Street demolished to make way for another luxury condo (Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York) Schedule announced for annual Washington Square Park Folk Festival (NYC.gov) NYU announces big changes […]
East Village coffee shop The Bean fights back Starbucks’ 186 locations (that’s more locations than there are subways stations!) (NY Times) Village Doorman, a new start-up will make getting packages delivered a lot easier (Bowery Boogie) Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York shares his true feelings about Cooper Union….and the New Yorker ponders, should we fight to […]
Though nineteenth and early twentieth century townhouses and tenements seem to dominate the East and West Villages, the neighborhoods do house their share of Modern architecture. Mid-century creations like Silver Towers, the O’Toole Building, and the Burger-Klein building, among others, brashly distinguish themselves from the surrounding neighborhood via their materials, scale, and unique design. Some […]
Last week our friends over at Curbed NY broke the news that the former Marlton House at 3 West 8th Street (between 5th & 6th Avenues) was going from New School dorm, which it had been for the past 25 years, to upscale hotel. According to the NY Post, it will be a “historical boutique […]
Last week Off the Grid visited Mulry Square and reported on the status of the re-installation of the 9/11 Tiles for America. We got to know two lovely Village Angels and were touched by the outpouring of love from the community. On Saturday a memorial was held where people helped to rehang the tiles while […]
Life Cafe, the restaurant within which Rent was written, closes after 30 years (EV Grieve) Saturday morning, the second person in a year was found dead outside St. Brigid’s Church (City Room) The Local East Village takes a look at how an East Village mosque has reached out to its neighbors in the past 10 […]
NearSay and the NY Post take a look at a Top Chef’s upcoming 9th Avenue Meatpacking restaurant This week, in his Streetscapes column, Christopher Gray takes a look at Rhinelander Row, the buildings that preceeded the National Maritime Union building (NY Times) Curbed gets up-to-date photos of the St. Vincent’s Triangle Plan On Carrie Bradshaw’s […]
As many of you know, GVSHP’s offices are located in the former rectory of St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery. Today we couldn’t help but notice all of the action taking place around the corner in Abe Lebewohl Park and on Stuyvesant Street. Turns out, Alec Baldwin is filming a Capital One commercial (the actor […]
The Public Square is our new weekly Q & A with the Village, East Village, and NoHo community. We’ll be querying our readers for their opinions about life in the neighborhood. Comments will be monitored and selected for featuring throughout the week. We’ve all griped about the worst new buildings in Greenwich Village, the East […]
In more Friends-cast news: Rumored Jennifer Aniston Penthouse sells to someone else (Curbed) Hudson Square has a new public art project (DNAinfo) Asian locavore restaurant Wong to open on Cornelia Street Monday….and Eater has the menu too Restored 112 Washington Place back on the market for $12 million (Curbed) Village residents get first look at […]
It’s being speculated that Friends’ star David Schwimmer owns the now-demolished 331 East 6th Street (EV Grieve) And in more celebrity news….Ryan Gosling says he’s “embarrassed” over breaking up Astor Place fight (DNAinfo) City Room takes a look at Larry Fagin, one of the East Village’s last standing bohemians who teaches poetry down the hall […]
Last week we tantalized you with an incredible photograph of 3rd Avenue between 10th and 11th Streets taken by Berenice Abbott in 1937. Today, we revisit that block to take a look at some of its history. In case you have forgotten how much the block has changed, this is what it looks like today. […]
As many of you may have seen or heard, the beloved 9/11 Tiles for America on the fence at Mulry Square were removed two weeks ago in preparation for Hurricane Irene. The neighborhood group that has been tending to the tiles over the past ten years and had organized their safe removal has been unofficially […]
We love receiving research queries here at GVSHP, but never more so than when the person asking the question has something to tell us. So we were quite pleased to receive an inquiry from a curator at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, who wanted to know the history of […]
Want to see pictures of the crazy, quirky, opening weekend of the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop?….here’s a sneak peak- Anthony Bourdain dressed up as a nun….see pictures here, here, and here. Oldest house on East 6th Street block has been completely demolished (EV Grieve) East Village pub-crawlers set world record– more than 170 bars […]
Waverly Inn employee injured during liquor robbery (DNAinfo) Coen Brothers confirm Greenwich Village folk film! (Gothamist) Chairman of Flatwood Capital sells his 133 Perry Street apartment for $11.8 million (The Real Deal) 10th annual Father Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance took place on Sunday and ended at Mulry Square, where the ‘Village Angels’ hand rehung Tiles […]
For those of you who don’t flip through your grandparents’ stacks of mail order catalogs, Hammacher & Schlemmer (say that ten times fast!) was the city’s first hardware store, opened in 1848, and is the country’s longest running catalog, first published in 1881. The store originally opened in 1848 at 221 Bowery at a time […]
This Monday most of us will be enjoying a day off, celebrating the last unofficial (long) weekend of summer. This well-deserved holiday makes it a little hard to remember that Labor Day became a national holiday because of labor unions, who have fought for many years on behalf of working people. In the spirit of […]
A tour of Jane’s Sweet Buns, East Village dessert spot that serves cocktail-inspired pastries (Food Republic) Danny Meyer will operate new restaurant within the Downtown Whitney (Eater) Uh Oh, 7-11 coming to the Bowery (EV Grieve) East 11th Street ice cream parlor teaches neighborhood teenagers more than just how to scoop (NY Daily News) Eater […]
EV Grieve continues its Hurricane-Irene-in-Tompkins-Square-Park-aftermath news….here & here. The fallen willow tree at La Plaza Cultural is more than just a loss of a tree (City Room)….as EV Grieve notes, there is even a memorial set up The man behind the Mosaic Man’s & Ray’s Twitter reveals himself (The Local East Village) Did you miss […]
A rare 7th-floor Village walk-up has gotten the attention of both NearSay and The Wall Street Journal Alec Baldwin buys a posh pre-war pad in the Devonshire House (casasugar) Bob Giraldi, Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ director, sells in 176 Perry (NY Observer) John Bartlet announces closure with letter explaining his plans to rescue animals (Racked) […]
It was big news last year that Anderson Cooper purchased the historic firehouse at 84 West 3rd Street in the South Village with intentions to turn the building into a private home. The sale came in the midst of GVSHP’s campaign to gain landmark protections for the building (the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission refused to […]
We are very fortunate that photographer Berenice Abbott captured images of New York City in the 1930s and 1940s (Abbott, by the way, lived off and on in Greenwich Village, including in the Provincetown Playhouse and Apartments, recently demolished by NYU). With an almost singular focus on streetscapes and architecture, her images, like the one below, provide unparalleled […]
NYU recently sent around a notice about this year’s NYU and Community Board #2 Children’s Halloween Parade. According to NYU, they want “YOU to help!” design an image for this year’s parade. Well, we couldn’t think of anything scarier than NYU’s massive proposed 20-Year Expansion Plan, in which the university asks the City to give […]
The demolition has begun at 331 East 6th Street…..and 328 East 4th Street gets a Stop Work Order (EV Grieve) The Dom was the hippest East Village hangout in the 60’s (Ephemeral New York) The Local East Village looks back at CBGB circa 1977 The Hurricane Irene line outside of Trader Joe’s on Friday was […]
Chumley’s is still not back on its feet, but sets sights on a 2012 reopening (City Room) Samuel Menashe, Greenwich Village poet, dies at the age of 85 (NY Times) Owner of the Cherry Lane Theatre has a change of heart, will not sell! (Playbill) In hurricane news from Gothamist…..the MTA orders 350 sandwiches Saturday […]
The Public Square is our new weekly Q & A with the Village, East Village, and NoHo community. We’ll be querying our readers for their opinions about life in the neighborhood. Comments will be monitored and selected for featuring throughout the week. Small businesses are critical components of healthy neighborhoods and have – not surprisingly […]
Recently, our fellow-blogger friend, Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, noted that the facade of the East Village building that is home to Moishe’s Jewish bakery had gotten a facelift. He asked, “Can renovations ever just mean renovations, without implying some major shift, a landlord’s plan to seek a higher paying tenant?” This question got us thinking- […]
With Hurricane Irene on the way, the city is bracing for some possible high winds and flooding associated with the storm. WNYC made a handy interactive map that highlights parts of our neighborhoods that may be vulnerable to flooding during an intense storm. In addition to the important flooding information, the map also indirectly reveals […]
We’re always on the lookout for album covers shot in the Village, East Village, or NoHo. Many of the great album covers of the last half century were shot on our streets, so you might say it’s a bit of a preoccupation of ours (see prior post, “It Happened Here: Album Covers“). So imagine our […]
This weekend, tour guide Lawrence Frommer and Fourth Arts Block executive director Tamara Greenfield led a tour of East 4th Street between the Bowery and 2nd Avenue for GVSHP. (Want to hear in advance about GVSHP’s free lecture and tour series? Sign up for our monthly event emails.) The tour provided an overview of Fourth […]
Anderson Cooper’s historic firehouse at 84 West 3rd Street shows off its new renovation (Curbed) There is an entire blog devoted to showcasing photos of the goings-on at the former Whitehall Storage site (The Watershed at 150 Charles Street) NYU gets a LEED Silver building on Washington Square North (Curbed) All’s fair in love and….rent-control? […]
Could East 13th Street between 3rd & 4th Avenues become Cornell Edwards Way? (EV Grieve) Mysterious bicycle storage on Astor Place flies high (Curbed) Scott Stringer & Go Green Lower East Side embark on a white-roof painting project (Bowery Boogie) The Local East Village creates a photo timeline of El Jardin del Paraiso on East […]
Word has been spreading that a developer intends to demolish an historic rowhouse at 316 East 3rd Street, near the corner of Avenue D in the East Village, and replace it with a Karl Fisher-designed seven-story condo. Prior to this, however, GVSHP and three other community groups submitted an emergency request to the Landmarks Preservation […]
As 51 Astor nears its final days, a look back at the battle for Astor Place (Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York) Some fantastic shots of the East Village from 1978-1999 (Michael Sean Edwards) Karl Fisher is set to demolish a historic East village rowhouse (EV Grieve) There was a fire at the Flea Market Cafe (The […]
Village residents expose the drama behind the Whitehall Storage Conversion at 150 Charles Street (YouTube) Spend a Sunday in Greenwich Village, Circa 1960 (Gothamist) What the exterior of 777 Washington Street looks like now (Curbed) Obama spent time mingling in the West Village (GulfNews) …and work has started on the new Whitney Museum at the […]
With the recent news that every Law & Order television episode will soon be available in one mammoth 104-disc set, we thought we’d round up this week’s posts with a look at the law. In flipping through some of the images in GVSHP’s Preservation Archive and Oral History Project, we found some early and striking […]
The tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in Greenwich Village and its impact on women’s rights and the labor movement is well known. There is a plaque at the Brown Building at 22-39 Washington Place, now an NYU building, to commemorate the fire so that its past is not forgotten. There is another building in […]
It looks like the end is near for 437 West 13th Street, the historic Art Deco meatpacking building on the corner of Washington Street that is slated to be replaced by a 175-ft tall glass tower. The owners just filed an application with the Department of Buildings to demolish the building.
One of the East Village’s few individually designated New York City landmarks is a distinctive Gothic Revival church at 545 East 11th Street. The building, today known as Father’s Heart Church, has been a distinctive presence in the East Village for more than 140 years. Its name and the nature of its congregants have changed […]
The term adaptive reuse is used by architects and preservationists to describe the process of adapting old structures for purposes other than those initially intended. Villagers are familiar with the Jefferson Market Library’s former history as a courthouse, the Public Theater on Lafayette Street whose building began its life as the Astor Library, or Westbeth, […]
On August 13, 1966, the classic ode to the trials and joys of summer days and summer nights, Summer in the City by the Lovin’ Spoonful, reached number one on the American Pop Singles Charts. Having entered the charts six weeks earlier over the July 4th weekend, the song stayed at No. 1 for the […]
Momofuku Milk Bar’s pastry chef, Christina Tosi reveals her favorite East Village spots (The Local East Village)……. and Constance Zimmer of Entourage gives a tour of her East Village 2-bedroom (NY Post) Newly released vintage video shows the East Village of 1967 (Gothamist) Neighborhood voices speak in favor of the proposed East Village historic districts […]
Carmine Street Guitars builds guitars from ‘bones of New York City,’ including those of Hotel Chelsea (DNAinfo) Westway Club in the West Village Village spices up the West Side Highway (NY Times) President Obama coming to the West Village TONIGHT! (DNAinfo) Greenwich Village Country Club Coming to Greenwich Village in October (Eater) The Meatpacking District’s […]
The sight of striking Verizon workers near GVSHP’s offices (as well as all over New York) reminds us of the long and storied history of the Village and East Village in the labor movement. In fact, their central role in American labor struggles is reflected in some of our neighborhood’s most important landmarks.
Meatpacking District businesses are not happy about “boob bollards” (NY Post) Joe Malone coming to Bleecker this fall & Jimmy Choo arrived on Bleecker yesterday (Racked)….. and Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York has more on Bleecker Street’s “Luxe Blitz” Police search for “Bicycle Bandits” wanted in Village mugging (DNAinfo) Back on the High Line again (Forgotten […]
Rent, the Broadway musical set in Alphabet City, comes back to Off Broadway (NY Times) A history of Ratner’s of Second Avenue, in the Saul Birns Building (Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York) East Villagers protested the onslaught of gentrification (Gothamist) A look at the current state of 326 & 328 East 4th Street (EV Grieve) 636 […]
Marking the 100th anniversary of his birth on August 11, 1911, Tablet printed a thoughtful piece on pioneering preservation architect Giorgio Cavaglieri, written by Allan M. Jalon. Jalon’s article takes a look back at man behind the adaptive re-use of two of the Village’s most iconic buildings, the Jefferson Market Library (formerly the Jefferson Market […]
Architect Morris Adjmi has big plans in store for the corner of Lafayette & Great Jones Streets in NoHo. This afternoon, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will be weighing in on his proposed new six-story apartment building at No. 372 Lafayette Street.
Though the character of Gansevoort Market has certainly undergone many changes over years, there are certain buildings and views that have remained remarkably intact. One such location where you can peer back in time is at Gansevoort Plaza, where Greenwich Street/9th Avenue, Gansevoort Street, and Little West 12th Street intersect. Though much new development has […]
The Short Life of the Tompkins Square Park Walk Man (EV Grieve) The End of a Bar & Its Surprisingly Artistic Life (City Room) Aziz Ansari’s East Village Crawl (NY Magazine) New Bakery Puts a Fresh Spin on Sweets (DNAinfo) Bleecker Businesses Say Subway Construction is a Summer Bummer (The Local East Village) The Flaming […]
Center for Architecture Grows in the Village (A/N Blog) The History That Inspired Monument Lane (Eater) Reviewing Monument Lane (NY Times) Subway-Inspired West Village Duplex Sells for $1.9 Million (Curbed) New Cider House Coming to the West Village (Fork in the Road) Flooding in Washington Square (Washington Square Park Blog) Tapas Join Fulfills Greenwich Avenue […]
The first weekend every August, thousands of twins from across North America will descend upon Twinsburg, Ohio for the annual Twins Festival. Not to be outdone, New York is full of twins as well, and not just of the flesh and blood variety. Our city’s architectural landscape has been dotted with notable twins for most […]
At 2 AM this morning, a beautiful South Village building caught fire, resulting in a three-alarm fire that injured 10 firefighters and 1 civilian woman, sending all to the hospital. It took 140 firefighters over two hours to get the fire, which started in the basement and made its way all the way up the […]
We all know NYU has made more than a few enemies in the Village over the years with their aggressive eviction and development practices. But who knew that Sex and the City (and so much more) designer Patricia Field was one of their casualties?
With all the brash starchitect-designed buildings that sprouted up in NoHo and the East Village in the early 2000s — 40 Bond Street, the ‘Sculpture for Living‘ at Astor Place, and 41 Cooper Square come to mind — we thought we’d take a historical look at the work of one of America’s original ‘starchitects.’ Chicago-based […]
Included within the boundaries of the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s proposed East Village/Lower East Side Historic District is the venerable limestone and terra cotta-clad Saul Birns Building, located on the west side of Second Avenue between 6th & 7th Streets. The building definitely stands out on Lower Second Avenue, which is lined primarily with converted early-to-mid-19th […]
On this day, August 1, in the year 1864 during the Civil War, General Philip Sheridan was appointed by Ulysses S. Grant as commander of the Army of the Shenandoah, where he defeated Confederate troops. Sheridan further gained fame when his tactics helped to force General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. He was instrumental […]
When: Wednesday, August 3….6:30-8:00 p.m. Where: Jefferson Market Library, 425 Avenue of the Americas (between West 9th & 10th Streets) Cost: Free!! RSVP: reservations required…email rsvp&gvshp.org or call 212-475-9585 x35 We know you love a good ghost story and we know you love the Village, so what could be better than a charming story featuring […]
West Village Cocktail Bar Named Best Bar in the World (NearSay) Part of the Ceiling Fell Down in the Marc Jacob’s Women’s Store (Racked) NYU Purchased 2 Apartments at 166 Perry (NY Magazine) Battle of the Staircases at Two Mercer Street Penthouses (Curbed) LGBT Center Held ‘Open’ Gay Wedding Reception (NY Daily News) West Villagers […]
Scaffolding Comes Off at the Hyatt Union Square (EV Grieve) Mysterious Arson on East 7th Street (NY Post) A Bargain at 57 Bond Street? (Curbed) 51 Astor Place Gets a Sidewalk Shed (EV Grieve) Movie Star News on East 14th Street (Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York) Why Varvatos was the Best Person to Take Over CBGB […]
Its irrepressible mid-century modern façade of opaque black glass is punctuated by cheery yellow balconettes, a slender projecting wall of red glazed brick, and cube-shaped letters spelling out B-U-R-G-E-R K-L-E-I-N. Many in the East Village are familiar with the unique building at 28 Avenue A and have wondered who or what Burger Klein was […]
One facet of the streetscapes that we encounter each day but may not give much thought to are the fire escapes that weave their way up the facades of so many neighborhood buildings. If you just look up throughout the Village, you’ll be treated to both dainty floral flourishes and rusting utilitarian forms. Whether intricate […]
Sometimes determining the provenance of a street’s name is fairly easy. It is true for Bank Street in Greenwich Village, which was named for … you guessed it … a branch of the Bank of New York, which located to the area during New York’s first yellow fever epidemic in 1799. Today we will look […]
We’ve long been curious about the history of the All Saints Ukrainian Church, which we pass by everyday because it’s located just down the block from our offices in the Neighborhood Preservation Center. Located at 206 East 11th Street, the church has been faced with stucco for as long as we can remember. Thus we […]
The 1870’s were difficult years for our Nation. Economic depression had hit Europe and on September 18, 1873, it reached the U.S. with the failure of banking firm Jay Cooke and Company, which had been the main backer of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The country went into a steep economic downward spiral in what is […]
Greenwich Village’s Red Room Tries a Price Cut (Curbed) Simpson Wong to Open Wong on Cornelia Street Next Month (Eater) Best Wine Shops in the West Village (NearSay) Twisty MePa Tower Approved by Landmarks Commission (Curbed) Grass-Covered Walls to Take Over Gansevoort Plaza (DNAinfo) Old Homestead Pays for Lesbian Couple’s Wedding on 1st Day of […]
Waiting for the Wrecking Ball (NY Times) Mars Bar- Before & After (Off the Grid) Mars is Gone (Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York) The End of an Era, in Photos (The Gog Log) Mars Bar Murals (The Local East Village) The Long, Slow Death of Mars Bar (Grub Street) Where to Get Your Dive Bar Fix […]
Part of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America HQ is for Lease (EV Grieve) Rachel Dratch’s East Village (The Local East Village) Behind the Bluestone at NoHo Newbie 41 Bond Street (Curbed) Alex Stupak Brings Mexico to the East Village (Diner’s Journal) Ray of Ray’s Candy Store Becomes an American (Villager) Stalled Development Site on […]
As one-time Villager Bob Dylan famously called it, the Times, They Are A-Changing. This Sunday New York State will begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and apparently the New York City Clerk’s office is expecting a flood of marriage license applicants that first day. The occasion presents a good opportunity to wonder how many […]
As recent news about the painting over of the sign for the Fat Black Pussy Cat on Minetta Street can attest, historic signs add an important dimension to how we view our built environment, advertising our beloved owner-operated businesses and reminding us of some long lost, but well-remembered icons from the past. Illuminated signs seem […]
Last week we explained what a landmark is and how designation affects property owners. Today, we’ll try to dispel some of the inaccuracies and misconceptions about landmarking and historic preservation.
We were intrigued to discover late last week that 264 East 7th Street, one of our favorite houses in the East Village, is for sale. Located between Avenues C & D, the 1842 Greek Revival house is part of a row of six that survive from when the block was first developed. They are distinguished […]
Just last week the famed Copacabana nightclub reopened yet again. At its newest incarnation at Times Square, guests were treated to an opening night performance by salsa great Willie Colón. One of the most recognizable names in nightclub history, the Copa opened its doors in 1940 at its original location at 10 East 60th Street. […]
$120 Million Village House Boasts Healing Powers (Curbed) Bowery Wine Company Has Closed (EV Grieve) Haunted Building on 2nd Avenue (Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York) New Shop Carries on Proud Tradition of St. Mark’s Place (EV Grieve) Fried Kool-Aid Comes to Cowgirl’s Baking (Gothamist) Art-Themed Bar Backers Bypass Community Board for Liquor License (DNAinfo) 41 Bond […]
Gansevoort Hotel’s Pool is the City’s Dirtiest (NY Post) Another British-themed Restaurant Set to Open on Greenwich Avenue (DNAinfo) Waverly Restaurant Gutted for Renovation, Expansion (Eater) The Crusties Move West (Villager) CB2 Committee Denies Liquor License Application for Iconic Gay Bar (Grub Street) Store That Banned Drunk Puppy Buying Gets Fan Mail (DNAinfo) Dim Sum […]
Like all other applications for work on landmarked properties in Greenwich Village, GVSHP has been keeping tabs on the progress of the recently-approved plans to re-clad the large mid-century white-brick apartment building at 2 Fifth Avenue, just north Washington Square Park. Although decidedly more modern than the historic nineteenth century townhouses in the area, the […]
We know that you all know it’s Bastille Day, but did you know that the South Village once had a large and lively French community? The 1880 U.S. census showed that a large number of French immigrants were, at this time, living on the streets south of Washington Square and as far east as Broadway. […]
Readers who have been involved in our efforts to support the City’s two proposed East Village Historic Districts know that a small but vocal group is looking to halt the plan in its tracks. Those in opposition believe that owners should be trusted to preserve their own properties without governmental interference. While this is a […]
On July 13, 1863 began several days of violence in New York City known as the Draft Riots. These civil disturbances rocked New York City and revealed a deep racial and class divide that existed in New York City in 1863, one that was particularly visible in the Far West and South Village.
We’ve already established that the mafia in the East Village liked their cannolis and their veal scallopini. This next bit of history is is consistent with that pattern. Lanza’s Restaurant, located at 168 1st Avenue in a tenement built in 1871, was opened in 1904 by Sicilian-Italian transplant Michael Lanza. It is rumored that in […]
We speak often of historic districts, individual landmarks and national and state register sites but, what do those terms really mean? This post will review how the designation of landmarks came to be, what a landmark is and the differences between state and local landmarks.
Susan Sarandon Buys West 9th Street Penthouse (NY Observer) Author Takes Readers Back to Greenwich Village’s Heyday (DNAinfo) A Soft Spot for Goat-Milk Ice Cream (NY Times) Printing House Opens Rooftop Pool in West Village (NearSay) The Secret Paths of the High Line (Curbed) Battle of Hudson River Park Dog Run (NY Post) Chaos on […]
123 Third Avenue Retail Space Sells for $11 Million (EV Grieve) Stranded Cat Rescued from East Village (NY Daily News) Foes of Historic District Plan Emerge (The Local East Village) Ray Deter, Owner of d.b.a Passes Away (DNAinfo) The Mosaic Man Joins Facebook & Twitter (Bowery Boogie) East Village Couple Severely Injured in Pennsylvania Shoot […]
On July 9, 1962, Bob Dylan recorded “Blowin’ In the Wind,” a song destined to become an anthem for a generation, and for the transformative civil rights and peace movements. Dylan is said to have written “Blowin’ In the Wind” at the Fat Black Pussycat Theater on Minetta Street, and first performed it at Gerde’s […]
We’re still reveling in yesterday’s excitement of seeing Boardwalk Empire set up a mock-prohibition-era scene in the East Village. In fact, we’re drinking Mint Juleps and listening to Cole Porter right now. Okay, we don’t get quite that crazy at the office, but we have been thinking more about the neighborhood’s connections to prohibition and […]
Get out your trilby hats and flapper dresses- Boardwalk Empire, the HBO Prohibition-era mob drama, is filming right here on East 12th Street and 2nd Avenue at John’s Italian Restaurant. Set in Atlantic City, the series often departs to New York to check in with Jewish mob boss Arnold Rothstein and his then-“employee” Sicilian-American gangster […]
It’s no surprise that the Village has a wealth of bookshops. Quaint, independently-owned stores that could pull even the most technology-addicted teenager away from his or her iPad, are scattered throughout the East and West Villages. It makes sense that bookworm staples like the St. Mark’s Bookshop or Three Lives & Company exist in the […]
Is This the West Village’s Coolest Rooftop? (Curbed) 2011 Pride Parade Had Much to Celebrate (Gothamist) Sicily, by Way of Cornelia Street (NearSay) Tell the New York Times What You Think About Preservation (HDC) Coen Brothers Working on Movie About 1960’s NYC Folk Scene (Gothamist) Hudson Street Condo Complex Sparks a Battle (WSJ) In the […]
Big Gay Ice Cream Signage Spotted on 7th Street (EV Grieve) The Yiddish Walk of Fame (The Local East Village) Restaurant Review: Yuba (NY Times) East Village Bar Owner in Critical Condition after Bike Accident (DNAinfo) Filming of Tom Hanks Movie was Very Loud (EV Grieve) Ghosts of St. Marks are Brought to Life in […]
Many of you may remember the unusual, eclectic toy tower that once stood in the 6th & B Community Garden on Avenue B and East 6th Street. The East Village has a wealth of community gardens and 6th & B is definitely one of the most spirited in the neighborhood. The garden was started in […]
