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Category: Advocacy Efforts

A Tale of Two Tenements: 226 & 228 East 6th Street

This week we thought we’d take another look at sister tenements – designed by the same architect, built the same year, and located next to each other – in the East Village. Constructed c. 1890 by builder/owner Jobst Hoffman, 226 and 228 East 6th Street are two such buildings. Designed in the Renaissance Revival style, […]

277 West 10th Street, Then & Now

Located at the corner of West 10th and Washington Streets, the imposing building at 277 West 10th Street was built between 1894 and 1896 to the designs of Martin V.B. Ferdon. Now residential, it lies within the boundaries of the Greenwich Village Historic District Extension in the Far West Village. No. 277 West 10th Street […]

Landmarking 101: The Case of 121 Charles Street

The freestanding house at 121 Charles Street has been in the limelight the last few weeks. The home is currently on the market and the listing notes that the home is “the best development opportunity currently available in Manhattan.” While the press has explored a lot of angles on the home and its real estate […]

Building Profile: P.S. 25, now P.S. 751

Located at 113 East Fourth Street on a through-block lot bound to the north by East Fourth Street and to the south by East Fifth Street, sits one of the East Village’s oldest extant public schools, P.S. 25, now P.S. 751. The Flemish Renaissance Revival public school was designed by Charles B. J. Snyder (more […]

Constructing Lafayette Street

Street construction is a constant part of New York life. The jackhammers, the dust, and the diverted traffic all conspire to fray one’s nerves and disrupt one’s day. This view looking north on Lafayette Street from Houston Street shows one of the most disruptive times in New York City history – the construction of the […]

Sanitation on the Hudson River Waterfront

OK, let’s face, it, nobody likes to talk about or think about sanitation. Well, I shouldn’t say “nobody.” I know someone who not only thinks about and talks about sanitation, she is passionate about sanitation. Her name is Dr. Robin Nagle, and she is Anthropologist-in-Residence with the New York City Department of Sanitation. (It’s a […]

Fighting Westway

In 2014 Village Preservation presented a program at the Community Room at Westbeth with author Prof. William W. Buzbee and his book, “Fighting Westway: Environmental Law, Citizen Activism, and the Regulatory War that Transformed New York City.”

Check for Violations Before Buying a Landmark

In continuation of our Landmarking 101 series, today we’re focusing on active violations on a landmarked property and just who is responsible for them. Whether you’re a broker or a prospective buyer, this is particularly important information to know! If you buy a property with unresolved violations, you become financially responsible for correcting them. That’s […]

Collecting the history of the Village one interview at a time

This past fall, GVSHP launched a new oral history project. This ongoing project was developed in order to add to our understanding of the South and East Villages, areas in which we are advocating for new protections such as landmarking and rezonings. While we have spent considerable time documenting the architectural history of these neighborhoods, […]

Our Wishlist for the Next Buildings Commissioner

As Mayor De Blasio slowly fills the many leadership positions in a mammoth city government, those of us invested in preservation and development have been waiting for two announcements in particular: of a new Landmarks Preservation Commission chair, which happened today, and of a new Department of Buildings commissioner. About the latter, there has been […]

Tap Into Untapped Cities

We’ve been reviewing some of the blogs that we here at Off the Grid like to follow to keep ourselves up-to-date on happenings both community-centered and across New York City. So far we have explored EV Grieve, the blog that is a must-follow for anyone interested in the East Village. We have also investigated Jeremiah’s […]

Lucy Moses Honors

It was eight years ago today on May 8, 2006 that GVSHP was honored with the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Lucy G. Moses Award for organizational excellence.  We were in great company that night at St. Bartholomew’s Church, including Evelyn and Everett Ottner, the Park Slope preservation pioneers, who received the Preservation Leadership Award, and […]

Happy Birthday Greenwich Village Historic District!

Forty-five years ago today, mayor John Lindsay was still smarting from the botched cleanup of the February 1969 snowstorm, The 5th Dimension was at the top of the pop charts with Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In, and the newly created Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the Greenwich Village Historic District. It also produced a historic district […]

Matt Umanov, Guitar Fixer and Village Storyteller

This is the latest installment of the Off the Grid series in which we highlight the people, places and events featured in our new book Greenwich Village Stories, available for purchase now. Visit our Facebook page for the latest on book contributors, release events and readings, and contest information. Music first brought Matt Umanov to the Village. Playing, building, and repairing […]

April 12, 1901: Back When the “New Law” was New

The 20th century had hardly begun when the New York State legislature signed into law a new act to address old problems in this city regarding tenement construction. This groundbreaking event took place on April 12, 1901. Formally known as the New York State Tenement Act of 1901, the legislation was considered a big step […]

The Land of Meatpackers, Then Models, Then Moschino

Seven years ago, a picturesque swath of lower Manhattan by the Hudson River was listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. This official designation by government agencies marked another layer of recognition and protection of this unique area, traditionally known for cobblestones, hanging sides of meat, blood in the gutters, brick warehouses, […]

Europe and Greenwich Village

I recently spent my vacation visiting the European cities of Barcelona, Rome, and Trieste. During my time there, dutifully and happily playing the role of tourist, I was reminded of the depth of European history versus American history. Here our history is preserved and reflected in buildings that are at most a few hundred years […]

The Small-Business-Saving Squad of the East Village

It seems like everyone supports small business — it’s as American as Mom and apple pie. But all you have to do is observe the changing streetscape, or read a website like Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, to know that small businesses are vulnerable things, and can have very short lives in New York City. A […]

A Luckless Landmark

When the building at 150 Barrow Street, known as the Keller Hotel building, was landmarked seven years ago today, the future looked bright for this historic waterfront treasure. Although vacant for many years before it was given landmark status, new plans for a residential conversion had been filed with the city. Alas, those plans never […]

My mind was really wandering today…

Today as usual I was reading my morning newspaper on the subway. There was a great article about historic preservation in New York, featuring Village Preservation’s Executive Director Andrew Berman. Reading it made me feel happy (and proud!) that I work at Village Preservation and that the work we do is important, and that people […]

A ‘Greenwich Village Stories’ Walking Tour of the East Village

This is the latest installment of Off the Grid’s series, “Greenwich Village Stories,” in which we highlight the people, places and events featured in our upcoming book release Greenwich Village Stories, available for purchase on March 25th. Visit our Facebook page for the latest on book contributors, release events and readings, and contest information. The […]

Then & Now on Little West 12th Street

We’d like to share GVSHP staffer Amanda Davis’ “Then & Now” post about a delightful block just west of the High Line. On the other side of the High Line, just outside the Gansevoort Market Historic District, sits two old three-story rowhouses at 53 and 55 Little West 12th Street. Now home to the Brass […]

Coming Soon — Greenwich Village Stories

GVSHP works to preserve the architectural and cultural heritage of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo in many different ways.  Landmark designations and zoning protections, though challenging to secure, can at least ensure the perpetuation of that special physical fabric.  But culture, while inevitably intertwined with that physical fabric, is more ephemeral; harder to quantify, and […]

A First for Recognizing LGBT History in the South Village

Over the past several weeks, we’ve been highlighting the recent designation of the South Village Historic District, which GVSHP fought ten years to achieve, as well as the treasure trove of information found in the newly-available designation report for the district, which in several cases cites research and materials provided by GVSHP. The South Village’s […]

MacDougal, Sullivan, & Thompson

No, it’s not the name of a law firm. It’s the names of 3 of my favorite streets in the recently-designated South Village Historic District. For many years I lived in the South Village, and often when I gave people directions, I would find myself saying, “Stay on Bleecker, cross 6th Avenue, then you’ll cross […]

NYU Buildings Worth Landmarking, Not Protesting

Here at GVSHP, we’ve been poring over the new South Village Historic District designation report, and it has some wonderful facts and even a few surprises we thought we’d share. Earlier this month, New York State Supreme Court Justice Donna Mills delivered great news by announcing her legal decision that several of the pieces of […]

Explore the South Village’s History

As you likely know by now, the South Village was designated an official New York City historic district by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) at the end of December. Part of the landmarks process is the publication of a landmark designation report for the neighborhood by the LPC, which acts as an outline of the […]

What’s Up With that Rotting School on East 9th Street?

Oh, if only Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration hadn’t auctioned off P.S. 64 to a private buyer back in the sultry days of July, 1998, a whole decade and a half ago. The community center called CHARAS/El Bohio that improved and inhabited the historic 1906 schoolhouse would not have gone homeless for 12 years (after finally […]

South Village Highlights – see for yourself

On Tuesday we celebrated the Landmarks Preservation Commission vote to designate the South Village as an Historic District. I hope you will see for yourself why we fought so hard for 10 years to accomplish this. Circle a day on your calendar now, and set aside some time to stroll the streets between Washington Square […]

South Village Landmarked Today!

We’re excited to share that the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) voted today to landmark the South Village Historic District, a two hundred forty-building, thirteen-block section of Greenwich Village south of Washington Square Park, and the second phase of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation’s (GVSHP) proposed South Village Historic District (the first phase […]

Great Album Covers, Preserved Forever

They may not necessarily be a basis for landmark designation, but it’s always nice when the setting for a great album cover gets landmark protections, ensuring that it lives on for future generations to appreciate. The Village and East Village have inspired and launched the career of many musicians over the years.  So it’s no […]

Stories of the Village

This week, our friends at the Jefferson Market Branch Library will host workshops for a new project they are undertaking called Your Village, Your Stories. The library’s foray into recording and archiving the stories of the neighborhood had us thinking about GVSHP’s own collection of oral histories, which include narratives by early preservation activists and […]

We’re Thankful for the Building That Wasn’t

  There’s a residential building under construction on Third Avenue in the East Village that doesn’t get much love in the blogosphere. It’s just another luxury residence replacing older buildings with character (plus a parking lot), the naysayers say (though 20% of the units will be reserved for low-income tenants). And they have a point. […]

Building (670) Broadway: Pilasters with…Bird Feet?

For today’s “Building Broadway” offering, I couldn’t help but notice a curious detail as I walked along the bustling thoroughfare: pilasters with bird feet bases at 670 Broadway! Well, that’s very likely not what they are, but I’ve never seen bases designed like that (but if you have, please share). On the Monday before Thanksgiving, […]

Reminder: Waterfront Town Hall Wed. Nov. 13 – 6:30 PM

We hope you and your neighbors can join us tomorrow evening for an important community meeting about Hudson River Park air rights. The New York State Legislature recently passed a bill allowing the sale of air rights from Hudson River Park piers for development along the waterfront in our neighborhood. Decisions will soon be be […]

A new mayor means a new administration

New Yorkers have elected a new mayor, but it’s important to note that any mayor of any city does not operate in a vacuum.  A mayor selects many individuals to lead individual parts of city government. On Monday, Karen wrote about the position of Chair of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, a key post in the […]

72 Fifth Avenue, Then & Now

Today we take a look back at a piece written by former GVSHP staffer Dana Schulz about an interesting piece of history on Fifth Avenue involving scandal, cigarettes, and urban policy. Read more from our Then & Now series on Off the Grid! In 1847, on Bond Street in London, a young man named Philip […]

Memo to the New Mayor: Strengthen the LPC

Mr. Mayor, don’t forget the Landmarks Preservation Commission! Amid lobbying on higher-profile issues like stop-and-frisk, public schools, economic inequality and even animal cruelty, the mayor elected Tuesday may not have shaping one of the smallest mayoral agencies atop his list of to-do’s. Yet implementing a couple of relatively easy, thoughtful changes could improve operations of […]

Captains of Industry

As Election Day approaches, like many of you, we’re wondering what the future holds for New York City, as the Bloomberg Era will soon be coming to an end. Toward that end, all this Fall we have been looking back on what we have been able to accomplish over the last ten years, and thinking […]

A Decade of Preserving Historic Houses of Worship

With next Tuesday’s hearing on the possible landmark designation of the Tifereth Israel Town & Village Synagogue on East 14th Street — the nearly 150 year old former German Baptist and Ukrainian Orthodox Church which has been under consideration for landmark designation for almost fifty years — we thought we’d take a look at some […]

The Anti-Chain Gang

Here in the world of preserving worthy buildings, there’s a question that often comes up. “Preserving buildings is well and good,” people say. “But what about preserving the personalities and pursuits that occupy those buildings?” That’s the next frontier. For the most part, meatpackers are mostly gone from the Meatpacking District, few struggling artists still […]

Community Cornerstones: The Renee and Chaim Gross Foundation

Tucked away on an unassuming block on LaGuardia Place is the former studio and home of sculptor Chaim Gross and his wife Renee. Gross, whose art can be found in the permanent collections of such institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, worked and lived in the Village for […]

Ten Years of Progress on Landmark and Zoning Protections — And the Road Ahead

GVSHP is proud to share it’s new report “Ten Years – A Thousand Buildings – One Hundred Blocks:  A Decade of Progress on Landmark and Zoning Protections in the Village, East Village, and NoHo.” As we come to the end of the Bloomberg era, this meticulously detailed and richly photographed report examines what GVSHP has […]

October 11, 2005: City Approves Far West Village Rezoning

On October 11, 2005, the Far West Village rezoning plan was unanimously approved and adopted. Village Preservation had led the fight for this plan to protect a vulnerable part of the Village. Here’s the story: In early 2004, following our successful efforts to landmark the Meatpacking District, Village Preservation and allied community groups kicked off […]

One Year in the Life of the East Village/LES Historic District

On this day one year ago, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission officially designated the East Village/LES Historic District. Encompassing 325 buildings and 15 blocks, centering along Second Avenue and stretching between East 2nd Street and St. Mark’s Place, it is by far the largest historic district designation in the neighborhood, and encompasses much of the […]

Celebrate Good Times … At Webster Hall

On Wednesday, GVSHP will be celebrating the 14th Birthday of the Neighborhood Preservation Center, the building where we have made our headquarters for the last fourteen years. The celebration – tickets are still available – is a benefit for the center, which serves as a resource center that offers space and shares information to facilitate […]

Where Have You Gone, Fugazy Theatre?

Last month we featured the drawings of Anthony F. Dumas, a man who was responsible for illustrating countless theaters across the world. One of the beauties of his drawings is uncovering theaters that have been lost for decades, some for well over half a century. That’s exactly how we found the Fugazy Theatre. But just […]

Back to School! GVSHP’s Children’s Education Program

September means back-to-school time for a lot of New Yorkers, and GVSHP is no exception. As a non-profit organization, part of our mission is to teach children about history and architecture through our Children’s Education program, using Greenwich Village as a model.  This 3-part program is available to all elementary schools throughout the five boroughs. […]

440 West 14th Street: Then & Now

Near the southern end of the High Line, the Meatpacking District bustles with designer clothing stores, outdoor cafes, and trendy hotels. Tourists in particular flock to this area, and it can often be a source of amusement to watch club-goers navigate the bumpy Belgian block (aka cobblestone) streets in their fashionable stilettos. Many New Yorkers, […]

Happy Anniversary, Gansevoort Market Historic District!

On September 9, 2003, the Gansevoort Market Historic District was officially designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.  The designation not only culminated a three-year effort to protect the increasingly endangered Meatpacking District from the very real prospect of mass demolitions and oversized new development (such as the Hotel Gansevoort, which preceded the […]

Bleecker Street Cinema Closed

It was a sad day for cinephiles on September 6, 1990 when the Bleecker Street Cinema closed.  The beloved movie house was another casualty of the trends that had led to the demise of similar smaller cinemas – the ones that showed older classic films and lesser-known independent and foreign films. There was enormous pressure […]

Behind the Seams of the Butterick Building

Do you have childhood memories of your mom sewing your clothes? Or have you ever come across your grandmother’s old sewing machine and huge stash of patterns and fabrics? If you know someone who sews, ask them if they know the name “Butterick” and they will very likely say yes. That’s because 150 years ago […]

Lost Theaters Of The East Village: Loew’s Avenue B

In the early 1900s, the East Village was teeming with theaters and movie houses.  Second Avenue was the Yiddish Rialto, or Theater district, lined with venues showcasing theater performed, written, and directed by Jewish New Yorkers, often in Yiddish. Vaudeville pioneer B.F. Keith (the ‘K’ in RKO theaters, and eventually films) opened his first theater […]

South Village: Local Landmark Designation vs. National Register Listing

Last week GVSHP took an important step in documenting the South Village for its listing on the National Register of Historic places by photographing a selection of sites to be included in the nomination report.  This nomination, written by architectural historian Andrew Dolkart, will soon be sent to the State Office for Historic Preservation to […]

Op-Ed: Preservation Can Help Affordability

As seen in:     Don’t Believe REBNY’s Hype; Landmarking Can Help Affordability Read the full article in The Villager or Gotham Gazette     BY ANDREW BERMAN  |  In July, the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) went on a media blitz, touting their latest report blasting landmark preservation in New York City. […]

Building (809) Broadway: Keep on Manufacturing

Our Building Broadway series provides a glimpse into the manufacturing past of Broadway’s historic loft buildings. From Houston to 14th Streets, read more posts in this series by clicking here! Located between 11th and 12th Streets, 809 Broadway has been in the news recently with the announcement that Blatt Billards is leaving this location for […]

This Day in Preservation History: Save Gansevoort Market Founded

On August 1, 2000, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation convened the first meeting of the Save Gansevoort Market Task Force.  This project of GVSHP eventually led to landmark designation for most of the Meatpacking District, State and National Register of Historic Places designation for the entire neighborhood, and two successful campaigns to prevent […]

Building (620) Broadway: A Colonette Confection

Building Broadway is a new series from Off the Grid that highlights the beautiful historic loft buildings that line Broadway between Houston and 14th Streets. These posts cover only bits and pieces of the histories of these buildings; learn how to become your very own building sleuth with our guide to researching the Village! Kicking […]

Wood-frame houses in the Village

This evening, our friends at the The Wooden House Project, a blog that explores Brooklyn’s wood-frame houses, will be conducting a walking tour of some interesting wooden houses in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. I’ll be taking the tour tonight, but thought I would take this opportunity to get in the right frame of mind […]

Smorgasbord of Landmark Applications Tomorrow Run The Gamut

It may be the dog days of summer, but tomorrow the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) will hear nine applications for changes to landmarked properties in our neighborhoods, ranging from the Meatpacking District to the South Village and NoHo, and from minor changes to dramatic proposed makeovers. You can find information about the extent of these […]

Hearing on ‘Phase II’ of the South Village Historic District

Yesterday the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) held its only public hearing on “phase II” of GVSHP’s proposed South Village Historic District. There was a great turnout in support of landmarking the district and we thank everyone who came to testify, sent letters to the commission, and otherwise voiced their support. You can read GVSHP’s testimony […]

NoHo East Historic District Turned 10 Yesterday!

Today, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will be holding a public hearing on the proposed South Village  Historic District. Yesterday, the NoHo East Historic District turned ten years old! Yes, on June 24, 2003, the area that encompasses parts of Bleecker, Mott, and Elizabeth Streets and the Bowery was officially given local landmark protections (see map […]

PFLAG Historic Plaque Unveiling On A Beautiful Day

Yesterday the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), and The Church of the Village unveiled a bronze historic marker now permanently affixed to the facade of this landmark church memorializing the first meeting of what came to be PFLAG, led by Jeanne Manford, at the church […]

A South Village Anniversary

We’re gearing up for the Landmarks Preservation (LPC) hearing about “Phase II” of the proposed South Village Historic District next Tuesday, June 25. We hope you can join us at the LPC at 1 Centre Street, 9th floor, and testify in favor of designating this and the rest proposed South Village Historic District. You can […]

What’s Happening at 688 Broadway?

Lately we’ve been receiving emails asking about what’s happening at 688 Broadway in NoHo, which is located on the east side of the street between East 4th and Great Jones Streets. The site is currently an outdoor market, but its vendors don’t have long before the market will close. What will go there in its […]

Landmarks Preservation Commission Celebrates Gay Pride, Doesn’t Designate Gay Landmarks

The Landmarks Preservation Commission has recently begun creating on-line slide shows to showcase various history months as represented by some of the city’s roughly 31,000 landmarked properties.  In March, they highlighted Women’s History Month, and in February, Black History Month. Now for the first time, the LPC has also created a “Gay Pride Month” slide […]

2013 Village Award Winner: NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan

You don’t often hear “NYU” and “award” in the same sentence (at least not when GVSHP is giving the award).  But a bold and unapologetic group of NYU faculty who have spearheaded the charge from within against the university’s massive Village expansion plans was a favorite of the GVSHP Awards Committee this year. Let’s find […]