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Category: NoHo

The Libraries of Greenwich Village and the East Village

In this day and age, information about nearly any topic is at our fingertips. A quick internet search can reveal any number of facts we might need. This wasn’t always the case, however. For decades, it was libraries and their books that provided such knowledge. In Greenwich Village, several fantastic libraries provided neighborhood residents the […]

Mourning President Lincoln on Broadway

It was almost 150 years ago this evening that President Abraham Lincoln was fatally shot by actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington. The event was the first assassination of an American president and sent shock waves throughout the nation. A period of mourning set in for weeks, and included viewings of the […]

Tell Us Your Greenwich Village Story

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. In the opening lines of his contribution to […]

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 […]

Photos of the Merchant’s House as a Young Museum

We always love talking about the Merchant’s House here on Off the Grid (here’s some proof); how could you not be amazed by a house that was occupied by one family – the Tredwells – from 1835 (three years after it was built in 1832) to 1933? Original interior plasterwork, furniture, and the like give […]

Building Broadway: Incredible Photographs from 1920

Here we are in the midst of the holiday season. The city was blanketed with snow this weekend and shoppers are frantically working through their holiday gift-giving lists. For today’s Building Broadway post, I’d like to share a wonderful gift that was left to all of us almost 100 years ago: Arthur Hosking’s photographs of […]

Looking Up: The Beginning of Bond Street

This is the first in the Looking Up series of posts, which will explore the unique architectural and historical stories that can be discovered when we raise our gaze above the sidewalk, the storefront, and the second floor. Located at 1-5 Bond Street near Broadway, the Robbins & Appleton Building is a prime example of […]

Great Scot! The Designs of D. & J. Jardine

Today we thought we’d feature a few designs by the late 19th century architecture firm of D. & J. Jardine. A prolific firm in New York City in general, the work of D. & J. Jardine can also be found in five historic districts and at one individual landmark between Houston and 14th Streets. Brothers […]

Things We’re Grateful For: Federal Houses

At this time of year, we’re thinking about the many things we’re grateful for, as well as the founding of our country. Both those bring us to the many Federal-era (1790-1835) houses in the Village, NoHo, and East Village, especially those we have been able to ensure will survive well into the future due to […]

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, […]

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 […]

Tower of Music

The Carl Fischer Music building dominated the skyline of Astor Place and Cooper Square for many decades.  This 12-story building with its iconic sign along the north face is located across the street from Cooper Union and within the NoHo Historic District. For over seventy-five years it housed the printery and a retail store 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 […]

Bibles Off Broadway

With the recent news that things are finally beginning to move with the city’s redevelopment of Astor Place, including pedestrianizing sections of Astor Place between Lafayette Street and Cooper Square and surrounding Tony Rosenthal’s Alamo cube sculpture with a plaza, we thought we’d take a look at the site of other big recent change to the […]

The Voice Leaves the Village

The Villager reported today that the Village Voice has vacated its office at 36 Cooper Square and decamped 80 Maiden Lane far downtown. The Voice, a longtime fixture in our neighborhood, was founded in Greenwich Village in 1955, set up shop in Sheridan Square by the 1960s, and moved to its recent location on Cooper […]

Building (693) Broadway: The Wise Old Owl

For today’s “Building Broadway” post we thought we’d do things a little differently. With Broadway being such a busy thoroughfare, it’s not uncommon to find lots of great details on its historic loft buildings aimed to catch your attention or to tell you a little something about its past. But sometimes, when we have shopping […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

The Story Behind 316-318 Bowery

Last week, GVSHP co-sponsored an event with Fourth Arts Block (FAB) at LaMaMa Experimental Theater Club at 6 East 1st Street, just off the Bowery. If you attended the book talk or have found yourself strolling along the Bowery, you might have come across this great building at the southwest corner of the Bowery and […]

How Bohemians Got Their Name

On April 17, 1423,  an event took place which, implausibly enough, lead to the creation of the modern notion — or at least nomenclature — of ‘bohemia.’ ‘Bohemian,’ as commonly used in the West for the last two centuries, means a person who lives an unconventional lifestyle, often with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic, […]

Two Great Maps for One Great City

Do you recognize the three-dimensional map in this photo? Hint: half a century ago, the model-making team of Raymond Lester Associates was meticulously recreating the city’s five boroughs in preparation for a “universal and international” exposition that, next year, will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. If you guessed that this is the Panorama of the […]

My Favorite Things: 1 Astor Place

On the corner of Broadway and Astor Place stands one of my favorite things: the beautiful red brick and terra cotta building at 1 Astor Place.  Its bold color lends a powerful presence along the busy thoroughfare of Broadway, even though it’s nowhere near as tall as the buildings along this stretch. Its chamfered corner […]

Germania Theatre Then & Now

Do you recognize this location? The building partially visible at left is the only part of this scene that has survived nearly 120 years after the photo was taken in 1895. The Germania Theatre (center) was demolished a few years later, as was every other building on that block. The horse-drawn carts have long been […]

NoHo and SoHo Firewall Against NYU in Jeopardy

From the January 31, 2013 issue of The Villager. Noho and Soho’s firewall against N.Y.U. is at risk http://www.thevillager.com/?p=10030 By Andrew Berman, Executive Director, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation The mantra from the New York University administration throughout the public approval process for the school’s massive expansion proposal was “We’re making our plans transparent […]

LPC Releases Permit Application Guide

Are you an owner of a landmarked building or someone that files applications through the Landmarks Preservation Commission? If so, we want to point you to a helpful resource that the LPC has just released: the LPC Permit Application Guide. The guide can be found on our Resources page along with other useful information for […]

NYU Variance Hearing Shines Light on BSA, Elected Officials

Yesterday’s Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) hearing on NYU’s variance application for 730 Broadway was revealing in several ways. GVSHP urged the board to reject NYU’s application (read our testimony HERE) as did Community Board #2, the NoHo Neighborhood Association (NNA), and a representative of Assemblymember Deborah Glick.  NNA and Assemblymember Glick are, by […]

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. […]

Post-Sandy Thanksgiving in the Village

Many of us have a lot to be thankful for this year- our safety and that of our friends and family, a roof over our heads, and a hot meal.  Others, though, are not as fortunate.  This Thanksgiving, many organizations and businesses have organized special ways to help those affected by Sandy. Right outside our […]

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 […]

A Look Back at the Public Theater

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 13th, the Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street (off Astor Place) will be hosting a block party to celebrate the re-dedication of their historic theater space, and you’re invited! The block party will run from noon to 5pm and will also feature an open house in the historic NoHo space. According to […]

Historic Station Sequel

Last week, amid the news of an added connection between the Broadway-Lafayette and Bleecker Street subway stations, we offered you the history of the Bleecker Street station, which is listed on the State & National Register of Historic Places.  There is another nearby station that fits this historically significant bill as well- Astor Place. One […]

“Flaw Fixed” at a Historic Station

Yesterday’s news headlines were abuzz with the phrase “subway flaw fixed,” in reference to today’s opening of the connection between the Broadway-Lafayette and Bleecker Street stations.  As the New York Times explains, “Until this week, only riders on downtown No. 6 trains at Bleecker Street could transfer to the B, D, F or M lines […]

Few Republicans, And One Big Political Paradox, in the Village

As most everyone knows, we’re kind of map and statistics geeks here at Off The Grid.  Thus it’s no surprise that a handy little tool put together by WNYC in the wake of the Republican National Convention, mapping the levels of Republican voter registration throughout New York City, caught our attention. The interactive map (below) […]

Inside the LPC: Public Hearings vs. Public Meetings

So, why do we start this blog post with a photo of the Municipal Building located downtown across from City Hall? We thought we would dedicate some time here at Off the Grid to understanding the workings of the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), the city agency charged with the task of safeguarding historic buildings across […]

A Greenwich Village Guide: 1959

Although more and more of the research that GVSHP documents and shares is done online today, we also house a modest non-circulating resource library which contains fiction and non-fiction books, reports and guides on the subject areas of Greenwich Village, Historic Preservation, and New York City history. The library also contains hard copies of designation […]

An Update on 27 East 4th Street

For a few months now, many of you have been following the proposal for a new nine-story hotel at 27 East 4th Street. The site, which currently holds a one-story garage, sits directly next to the Merchant’s House Museum, one of the few exterior and interior landmarks in the city. Because 27 East 4th Street […]

Happy Birthday to Four NYC Landmark Districts

Two years ago today, the Greenwich Village Historic District Extension II, or what GVSHP terms the South Village Phase I District, was designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. It seems that come this time in June, many new landmark districts are born.

Astor Place: Then and Now

  Astor Place — in one form or another — has been part of Manhattan’s landscape for centuries. It follows the path of an old Native American trail that appears on maps of the island at least as early as 1639.  Today we thought we would take a quick look back at the area’s more […]

Titanic Connections

In the early morning hours of April 15, 1912, the 883 foot long, 50 ton, and reputedly unsinkable ocean liner the RMS Titanic sunk on its maiden voyage from England to New York off the coast of Newfoundland, after hitting an iceberg just before midnight the night before. Of the 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, […]

Researchers Rejoice 1940 Census Released!

Yesterday, the National Archives released its records of the 1940 Census. And that’s a big deal because census records remain sealed for 72 years. So historic researchers, genealogists and family history buffs rejoice, you can now track down information on who lived where and what they did in 1940. Census data has certainly been useful to […]

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 […]

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!

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 […]

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 […]

Stop the Presses!

As GVSHP announced on its blog last Thursday, we will be hosting a fundraiser in November featuring our own Greenwich Village writer Calvin Trillin, and the 98-year-old appetizing store Russ & Daughters. The event is taking place at Astor Center, the food and wine educational center connected to Astor Wines & Spirits. We thought we […]

On Set in the Village

Last week we took a look at some of the many Village locations used on the television series Friends. Not content to stop there, however, today we are going to showcase more locales in and around the Village which were supposedly the scene of several popular TV shows. Let’s start with Will & Grace.  Where […]

NYU Expansion Plan More Than A Little Scary

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 […]

Seen and Heard Around the Village 8.20.11: East Edition

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 […]

Adapting “Adaptive Re-Use”

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, […]

A Preservation Pioneer at 100

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 […]

Big Plans for 372 Lafayette Street

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.

A Proud and Soaring Thing

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 […]

Tell Us Your Greenwich Village Ghost Stories!

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 […]

The Times They Are A-Changing — Same-Sex Couples and the Village

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 […]

Seen and Heard Around the Village 5.29.11 – 6.4.11

Silver Towers Adorable East Village Mural Proposal (Gothamist) Another Protest Outside the Continental (EV Grieve) Annual Jane Street Block Sale on Saturday (NearSay) West Village Cat Fight (NY Post) Summer Tuesday Specials at the Mermaid Inn & Mermaid Oyster Bar (Eater) High Line: the Sequel (NY Times) The Interior Collapse of Two 5th Avenue (NY […]

Seen and Heard Around the Village 5.22.11 – 5.28.11

Summer means beautiful flowers for sale! Photos from Dance Parade 2011 (Gothamist) Currywurst Bros. Brings Berlin’s Favorite Food to West Village (Fork in the Road) LA Designer Misses East Village Americana Shop (Racked) Riot in Greenwich Village Dunkin’ Donuts Caught on Video (DNAinfo) Critics Fault NYU Growth Plan (WSJ) The Whitney Breaks Ground in MePa […]

Seen and Heard Around the Village 5.16.11 – 5.20.11

Meat Co. to Leave for NJ (WSJ) Driver Runs Down Narcotics Officer in Village (City Room) Still Got It: Max Restaurant (Gothamist) On Second Thought: Lower Second Avenue (Forgotten NY) NYU-Funded Report Says It’s Great for Village (Crain’s) Amato Opera Building on Sale for $6.95 Million (EV Grieve) First Annual Glamour Ball at Le Poisson […]

Seen and Heard Around the Village: 5.9.11 – 5.13.11

Life After the Amato Opera (EV Grieve) Inauguration of New Organ at Church of the Ascension (NY Times) Birdbath Bakery Now Open on 3rd Avenue (EV Grieve) Wine Shop to Pop Cork on Christopher Street (Crain’s) The End of 35 Cooper (Local EV) Residents Laud Historic District Plan (Local EV) Bankrupt St. Vincent’s Pays Millions […]

Seen and Heard Around the Village: 5.2.11 – 5.6.11

The St. Mark’s Greenmarket kicked off its 30th year on Tuesday! Historic Designation Sought for East Village (NY 1) Two open-air drinking establishments to open on the Highline (Gothamist) Remembering Kiev (Jeremiah’s Vanishing NY) Westbeth Worries About Transition to Rent Regulation (The Villager) Best coffee in the East Village (Serious Eats) Mars Bar Prepares to […]

NYU’s Twenty Year Expansion Plan, Twenty Years From Now

The Villager/East Villager/Downtown Express newspaper chain recently published an op-ed I submitted regarding the ‘NYU 2031 Plan’ — the university’s blueprint for expansion over the next 20 years, a large part of which requires zoning changes and sale of public land which must be approved by the City Planning Commission and the City Council. Much […]

A Successful Centennial

Friday, March 25, 2011, marked the 100 year anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.  The Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition, among countless other groups, had arranged events all weekend to commemorate this horrific event. The lineup kicked off with the Workers United Centennial Commemoration, held on  Washington Place and Greene Street outside of the building […]

It Happened Here: Album Covers

The Village and East Village have long been the home of music-makers and music venues; their streets and sites on more than one occasion the inspiration for song-writers and the subject of many a song line. But perhaps nothing has imprinted an image of these neighborhoods in the popular music-consuming consciousness in the same way as their depiction on the […]

Kintecoying

The Department of Transportation’s plans to pedestrianize portions of Astor Place have caused quite a stir in the neighborhood, as they have the potential to obliterate the historic street configuration that dates back to the earliest settlements in the city. As mentioned in our letter to DOT, Astor Place follows the path of an old […]