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Category: Greenwich Village

The Death and Life of Louis Sullivan

On April 14, 1924, the architect Louis Sullivan, the “father of modernism,” key figure of the Chicago and the Prairie Schools of Architecture, progenitor of the skyscraper and coiner of the phrase “form follows function,” died. None of these descriptors would lead one to believe that Sullivan would have any relationship to Greenwich Village, much less […]

Happy Birthday, Max Ernst

Artist Max Ernst was born on April 12, 1891.  Ernst was a pioneering figure in both the Dada and Surrealist movements.  The former, often referred to as “anti-art,” emerged after World War I as an anti-war, anti-bourgeois far left  movement.  Dadaist art pieces generally included readymade objects, a critique on the establishment of traditional art making, […]

Rocky Horror Midnight Show Is Born

While the Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in London and Los Angeles in 1975, the now classic cult film was not really successful until it launched its ongoing run of midnight shows here in Greenwich Village. That very first midnight show took place on April 1, 1976, at the Waverly Theatre (now the IFC Center) on 6th […]

The Federal Style Explained

We recently published a detailed report of the Federal style houses which GVSHP has helped to get landmarked, listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, or both.   This architectural style for houses prevailed between the Revolutionary War and about 1835, and derived from the English Georgian style following a classical vocabulary.  In […]

Was My House a…Brothel?!

It never fails to amaze me what we sometimes find, historically, was located in our neighborhoods. DNAInfo NY recently published an article, “MAP: Discover the Hidden History of New York’s First Sex Districts.”   In addition to a history of prostitution in 19th century New York City, the article features an interactive map.  The map identifies […]

How Greenwich Village Saved Piet Mondrian

The great modern painter Piet Mondrian was born on this day, March 7th, in 1872. Mondrian (born Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan) is perhaps most closely associated with the De Stijl movement of the 1910’s and 20’s in his native Netherlands, and with ‘mod’ French fashion design of the 1960’s (see Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic Mondrian dresses).  But the time and place which […]

In Old Greenwich Village

I recently came across a book printed in 1894 by Thomas A. Janvier entitled In Old New York.  The section on Greenwich Village contained a treasure trove of illustrations, some of which could be compared to views of today. However, before I get to the images, here is how the author described the Village and its […]

Springtime for GVSHP Children’s Education Program

It may not technically be spring just yet, but the spring semester for GVSHP’s Children’s Education program, affectionately known as “Kids’ Ed,” is underway. Every year GVSHP introduces New York City elementary- and middle-school students to the concept of historic preservation with our 3-session program that includes 2 classroom visits and a walking tour of […]

Oral History: Claire Tankel

GVSHP is excited to share our oral history collection with the public, and hope they will shed more light on what makes Greenwich Village and the East Village such unique and vibrant areas. Each of these histories highlights the experiences and insights of long-time residents, usually active in the arts, culture, preservation, business, or civic life of […]

GVSHP Oral History: Gloria McDarrah

Village Preservation is excited to share our oral history collection with the public, and hope they will shed more light on what makes Greenwich Village and the East Village such unique and vibrant areas. Each of these histories highlights the experiences and insights of long-time residents, usually active in the arts, culture, preservation, business, or […]

GVSHP Oral History: Maria Kenny

GVSHP is excited to share our oral history collection with the public, and hope they will shed more light on what makes Greenwich Village and the East Village such unique and vibrant areas. Each of these histories highlights the experiences and insights of long-time residents, usually active in the arts, culture, preservation, business, or civic life of […]

Funny Face: ‘S Wonderful! ‘S Marvelous!

Funny Face, the iconic American romantic musical comedy directed by Stanley Donen and written by Leonard Gersche about a Greenwich Village bookworm transformed into the belle of the Paris fashion runways, was released on February 13, 1957. Fred Astaire, Audrey Hepburn, and Kay Thompson star in the movie, which contained assorted songs by George and […]

Next Stop, Greenwich Village: 1953 Was a Good Year for Leaving Home

On February 4, 1976, the film Next Stop, Greenwich Village premiered. Many movies, television shows, and plays have taken place in the Village, displaying the unique characteristics of the neighborhood, but arguably, none epitomizes the nostalgia of Greenwich Village quite like Next Stop, Greenwich Village. The movie, released on February 4, 1976, is set in the early […]

February: GVSHP celebrates African-American History Month

Since 1976, the United States has celebrated Black History Month, also called African-American History Month, in February. Some of our upcoming public programs will join in this celebration. On Thursday, February 4th, historian Joyce Gold will present a lecture and slideshow at the Hudson Park Library about the history of the African-American community in the […]

Remembering Jackson Pollock

Influential Abstract Expressionist painter Paul Jackson Pollock was born on January 28, 1912 in Cody, Wyoming. With his father, a farmer and government surveyor, mother and four brothers, Pollock grew up in Arizona and Chico, California. While living in California, he enrolled at Los Angeles’ Manual Arts High School, from which he was expelled, after […]

Business of the Month: Matt Umanov Guitars

Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — and we need your help selecting the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village or NoHo: just click here to vote for your favorite.  Want to help support small businesses?  Share this post with […]

The New York Orphan Asylum

This post is the first of a three-part series called Histories of Fourth Street, from East to West, a collaboration between GVSHP and the students in NYU’s Fall 2015 Intro to Public History course. Each group of students was tasked with preparing a presentation around a particular topic concerning a section of Fourth Street in […]

Why Residents of the University Place/Broadway Corridor and Surrounding Blocks Should Oppose the City’s Rezoning Plans

The City’s rezoning proposals ‘Zoning for Quality and Affordability’ (ZQA) and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) are making their way through the public review process. If approved, each would profoundly impact our neighborhoods and our city, increasing the size and amount of allowable development.  And while both have received overwhelming disapproval from community boards and Borough Presidents, […]

From the Village Preservatio Oral History Project: Tom Bernardin

Tom Bernardin has been a good friend to Village Preservation for some time.  And it’s safe to say he is obsessed with the history of our neighborhoods. In his capacity as the unofficial historian for Julius’, the historic gay bar on the corner of West 10th Street and Waverly Place, he has given lectures and […]

Tales from the Crypt: Greenwich Village as seen through its burial sites

Burial spaces serve a wide variety of purposes: religious, political, socioeconomic.  For example, a graveyard might demarcate the boundary of a church or private property, while the kind of interment that was undertaken (burial, cremation, mausoleum) might give insight into the roles and statuses the deceased maintained in their lifetime.  It also gives us insight […]

Landmarks50: 56 West 14th Street

Everyone knows the iconic Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street and Broadway. But before moving to 34th Street, Macy’s operated out of a series of buildings on West 14th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. As part of Landmarks50, the celebration of this year’s 50th Anniversary of the NYC Landmarks Law, we are taking a look […]

Haunted Greenwich Village

As Halloween is right around the corner, we here at the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation would like to satisfy your cravings for hauntings as you go out and wander the Village for candy.  Preserving the Village not only means maintaining the old buildings and historic landscapes, but sometimes also the domiciles of the […]

Happy Birthday Lee Krasner!

Influential American abstract expressionist painter Lee (Lenore) Krasner, was born on October 27, 1908 to Russian Jewish immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York. After graduating from high school, where she spent three years majoring in studio art, Krasner was awarded a scholarship and attended the Women’s Art School of Cooper Union and later studied at […]

A Landmark Anniversary for Westbeth

On October 25, 2011, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) voted unanimously to landmark Westbeth, following through on a promise made seven years earlier to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) and other community groups working to extend landmark protections in the Far West Village.  In 2009, GVSHP’s nomination of Westbeth was accepted […]

Remembering Edna St. Vincent Millay

Edna St. Vincent Millay was born on February 22, 1892 in Rockland, Maine.  But the Village was always in her blood; her middle name, St. Vincent, came from the Greenwich Village hospital where her uncle’s life had been saved just before her birth, and she often referred to herself as ‘Vincent.’  Millay moved to Greenwich […]

The African Grove Theater

Greenwich Village in the early 19th century had a varied mix of racial communities living within its boundaries.  As slavery was not formally abolished within New York until 1827, there existed both slave and free black communities, inhabiting an area around the now disappeared Minetta Creek (namesake for Minetta Lane/Minetta Street) known as “Little Africa.”  […]

Art in Odd Places 2015: RECALL

Today marks the 11th year and anniversary of the Art in Odd Places (AiOP) festival.  AiOP is a visual and performing arts festival that strives to present works outside the confines of traditional public space and stretch the boundaries of communication in the public realm.  The festival itself runs along 14th Street, all the way […]

The Andrew S. Norwood House, 241 West 14th Street

There are hundreds of individual landmarks in Manhattan alone – many in Greenwich Village, NoHo, the East Village and surrounding areas. In celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Landmarks Law, enacted in 1965, we’re taking a look at some of these important sites, one of which is the Andrew Norwood House at 241 West 14th Street. […]

James Baldwin and His Greenwich Village

What is it about James Baldwin? This writer, long recognized as an important voice in American literature, has been gone for over a quarter-century, yet seems to be speaking incessantly in the country’s ear. He was born in Harlem in 1924, and died in the south of France in 1987, and achieved the kind of […]

Happy Birthday, Truman Capote

The writer we know as Truman Capote was born Truman Streckfus Persons on September 30, 1924 in New Orleans. Although he grew up in the South, he and his family moved to New York in 1933, where he lived until moving to Connecticut in 1939. In 1942 the family returned to New York, and soon […]

Art Deco in the Village

  When we think of Art Deco architecture in New York City, what often comes to mind are Midtown icons such as the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, or Rockefeller Center. However Greenwich Village and the East Village boast some of their own Art Deco gems, also worth examining.

The Flatirons of the Village and the East Village

On September 20th, 1966, the Flatiron Building was designated a New York City landmark.  One of New York’s most beloved and iconic landmarks, the Flatiron Building is known for (among other things) its unique shape, formed by the intersection of Broadway and 5th Avenue forming an acute angle amidst the otherwise right-angled, rectilinear street grid of Manhattan. […]

Theaters of Greenwich Village and the East Village

A while back on Off the Grid we wrote about some of our favorite theaters. Theater, performance spaces, and the arts have all always been an important part of the Village, East Village, and NoHo’s cultural heritage and built environment. And last week, as part of our free public programs, we started a series about theaters […]

The Village Seen: Painter Patricia Melvin

Today is the second installment of a new occasional series, “The Village Seen,” to display the work of the many talented visual artists in our neighborhoods. Longtime East Villager Patricia Melvin has been painting downtown for more than three decades; you may have seen her stationed outside with her easel near Jefferson Market Library, St. […]

Checkmate! : Street Chess in the Village

Chess tables have been a staple of New York City public parks for decades. While the first ones appeared in parks during the 1940s, the popularity of “street chess” as it is known, came about beginning in the 1960s when a man named Bobby Hayward set up a chess set on top of a garbage […]

What’s In a Historic Plaque?

There’s an appealing 1951 painting by Stuart Davis owned by the Whitney Museum of American Art, though it’s not currently on view in the new building. Vibrant and memorable, the work is titled “Owh! In San Paõ.”  The Whitney explains the unusual name: “…Davis had planned to exhibit it at the 1951 Biennial in São […]

Tom Wolfe: New Journalism and the Women’s House of Detention

Acclaimed author and journalist Tom Wolfe is known for his use of New Journalism (employing fiction-writing techniques such as sustained dialogue, well-developed characters, and vivid scenes) and for his best-selling books including The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968) and The Bonfire of the Vanities (1987). After earning his Ph.D. in American Studies in 1957 and […]

Barney Rosset and Grove Press

Greenwich Village has long been associated with the arts and countercultural movements. Former publishing house Grove Press in particular exemplifies this history.  Founded in 1947 and named for its location on Grove Street in Greenwich Village, Grove Press rose to prominence after it was purchased by Barney Rosset Jr. in 1951.  Though the original location is not […]

When Greenwich Village was farmland

Here in Greenwich Village, we are surrounded by history.  So sometimes when I walk the streets, I try to imagine what life was like at different times in the past. When I see modest Federal style houses, I imagine a time in the early 1800’s when fresh water didn’t come from a faucet, but was […]

The Red Herring at 570 Lex

If the “art deco masterpiece” that is 570 Lexington Avenue no longer stood on the southwest corner of Lexington Avenue and 51st Street, perhaps affordable housing could be constructed in its place. But this “suave fantasy of polished marble and modern metals,” built in 1931 for the Radio Victor Corporation and since known as the […]

John Sloan’s Village

Today marks the birthday of great Greenwich Village artist and chronicler of everyday life in Lower Manhattan John Sloan, born August 2, 1871. Sloan worked as an painter and illustrator, first in Pennsylvania, and then most notably in New York at the turn of the twentieth century. His work is now highly regarded, and he is considered […]

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 […]

Then & Now: From Gas Station to Gallery

A new application for storefront work at a gas station on the corner of Eighth Avenue and 13th Street has us reaching into the GVSHP files today on Off the Grid; below is a “Then & Now” post written by former GVSHP staffer Dana Schulz about another gas station site in the Village. The odd, […]

My Favorite Things: Illustrated Edition

Australian artist James Gulliver Hancock began to draw buildings during his travels, allowing him to interact with the cities he was visiting in a way that went beyond his experience as a tourist. When he moved to New York, he began the blog All the Buildings in New York. While he has not yet drawn […]

Vinyl in the Village

On Monday evening, GVSHP and the New School for Public Engagement hosted a film screening, For The Records — The Legacy and Lessons of Bleecker Bob’s.   The documentary film by Emily Judem and Hazel Sheffield explores Bleecker Bob’s impending closure and the nature of change and development in an urban setting.  It also showcases the […]

Building Ornamentation

GVSHP’s program this evening, the Art of Exterior Ornamentation: A Talk with the Owners of Essex Works, features a local company that provides restoration of ornamentation on historic buildings. The craftsmanship involved in restoring damaged historic materials is always interesting, particularly for those of us who don’t work with our hands.

Betty Friedan and the Feminine Mystique

Betty Friedan’s (February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) seminal work, The Feminine Mystique, was published on February 19, 1963 by W.W. Norton publishers, then located at 55 Fifth Avenue. After authoring The Feminine Mystique, Friedan would go on to become the national voice of second-wave feminism, help found the National Organization for Women (and serve as […]

Welcome to NYC, Dylan Thomas

On this day in 1950, the Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas arrived in New York City.  Born in Swansea, Wales, Thomas left school at age 16 and became a journalist.  In 1934, he won a poetry contest, unofficially beginning his literary career.  Later that year his first book Eighteen Poems was published followed by […]

Early Village Preservation Efforts Preserved

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Archive and Oral History Project was begun in 1995, a project to document over sixty-five years of grassroots advocacy to “Save the Village.” The collection contains oral history interviews, clippings, and photographs that illuminate this preservation history. Today we’ll be spotlighting the oral history interview of Edith […]

Children’s Education by GVSHP

Did you know that since 1991, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has offered elementary students an unparalleled opportunity to engage with New York City’s past by exploring the diverse culture and architecture of Greenwich Village?  Greenwich Village: History & Historic Preservation highlights the uniqueness of Greenwich Village’s historic built environment and the importance […]

In Memoriam: Ada Louise Huxtable

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 […]

GVSHP Library Spotlight: Historic Walking Tour Map of Greenwich Village

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. […]

Newest Library Acquisition

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.

Programs Rescheduled Due to Hurricane Sandy

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, […]

Support GVSHP’s End of Year Appeal!

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 […]

LPC Posts Their Hearing Schedule for 2013

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. […]

Christmas Festivities, East and West

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 […]

Collection Spotlight: The Real Estate Brochure Collection at Avery Library

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 […]

47 West 8th’s Run-In with the Landmarks Law

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 […]

Village businesses step up

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 […]

“Simple Gifts” on Copland’s Birthday

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 […]

Tonight’s Program Cancelled

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 […]

Following Sandy: Our Neighbors in Need

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 […]

Get Involved: Landmarks Review at Community Boards

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 […]

Honor Local Business in November

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 […]

Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde

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 […]

5th and 14th — Then and Now

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 […]