Read blog posts about Black history

Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo have long been a focal point for Black history and the fight for civil rights, starting in the 17th century with North America’s first free Black settlement and through the 19th century, when “Little Africa“ in and around Minetta Lane became the center of Black life in New York City. In the 20th century, leading Black civil rights organizations and cultural hotspots were concentrated in Greenwich Village, while many of our city’s greatest jazz musicians and venues were found in the East Village. A key part of Village Preservation’s mission is to celebrate those histories through landmarking campaigns, resources both online and in person, and more.

Preservation

We fought for and won landmark designation of 70 Fifth Avenue, the former headquarters of the NAACP and The Crisis Magazine, and for 50 West 13th Street, home of leading 19th-century Black abolitionists, suffragists, and business leaders. We are currently fighting for landmark designation of our proposed South of Union Square Historic District, which was home to trailblazing Black political and civil rights organizations, studios where some of the greatest Black musicians of all time, from Billie Holiday to Jimi Hendrix, made history-changing recordings, where great Black musicians like Charles Mingus lived, where transformative works of Black literature like The Autobiography of Malcolm X were published, and more. Explore all this history here, and send a letter to elected officials to preserve this richly historic neighborhood.

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