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 […]
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 […]
Tomorrow marks the 103rd anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, the 1911 disaster that killed 146 workers and sparked a movement for workplace safety laws and regulations and a new appreciation for the labor union movement. The fire took place in what was then called the Asch Building (now known as the Brown Building) […]
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 […]
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 […]
On some level, whether it’s top-of-mind or just part of the mental wallpaper, the consciousness of a Greenwich Village lover is often occupied with mourning. You walk the ever-changing streets past the locations of the café you used to love, the bookstore you admired, the theater you always wanted to go to, or that mysterious […]
We at GVSHP want to wish everyone a happy holiday season and best wishes for the new year. We’ll be posting intermittently for the next week or so until we pick up a normal schedule again at the beginning of 2014. It’s been a momentous year of course. What better way to end the year […]
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 […]
On November 10, 1975, Patti Smith’s album ‘Horses’ was released. Simply put, music was never the same again.
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 […]
Some surprising good news today about the growth of chain stores in the Village, East Village, and NoHo. Like many, Village Preservation has been working to try to discourage the proliferation of chain stores in our neighborhoods, while encouraging the retention of small, independent businesses. Apparently the trend is finally going our way.
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
For stalwarts of the affordable housing scene in New York City, what obstacles come to mind that block the path to construction of new affordable units? We asked a few experienced hands, and they said the cost of land, construction and operations, as well as less access to capital at the outset of a project. […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Six years ago today, on August 8, 2007, the Landmarks Preservation Commission wrote to GVSHP responding to our request to consider Webster Hall, the East Village social and assembly hall built in 1887 , for landmark designation. In their letter, the Commission informed us that in response to the information we submitted, the building was ‘calendared.’ […]
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 […]
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 […]
As the summer rolls on, we thought we’d take the time to do a little Landmarks update. The above screenshot from our Landmarks Applications Webpage shows three Certificate of Appropriateness (C of A) applications to be heard in August at the Landmarks Commission. Click on the photo to learn more about these applications and how […]
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 […]
Want to learn more about Bella Abzug and other feminist and civil rights pioneers like her? Visit GVSHP’s Civil Rights and Social Justice Map. Bella Savitzky Abzug was born in the Bronx to Jewish immigrants from Russia on July 24, 1920. First elected on November 3, 1970, she would become a U.S. congresswoman, leading […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Last week, Off the Grid celebrated the upcoming Obie and Tony Awards. Today, GVSHP is honored to announce … the 2013 Village Awardees! Each year, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation honors our community by presenting the Village Awards, to recognize the people, places, organizations, and more that contribute significantly to the quality of […]
Today, we’d like to extend a “Happy ‘Landmark’ Birthday” to the NoHo Historic District Extension, which the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated on May 13, 2008. As you can see in the above historic district map, the extension connects the NoHo Historic District and the NoHo East Historic District. For the most part, the 56 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
On March 25, 1911, at approximately 4:40 PM, a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory at the corner of Greene Street and Washington Place, just east of Washington Square Park. One hundred and forty-six women and men, mostly recent Jewish and Italian immigrants, many under the age of 20, died in the fire. […]
Since 1991, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has presented awards to members of our community as our way of saying thank you to those individuals, organizations, and businesses that make the Village, East Village, and NoHo such unique and special places. As we have since the awards began in 1991, we invite the […]
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 […]
While the Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade wound its way up Fifth Avenue this weekend, the Village celebrated the holiday in a more low-key way.
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 […]
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 […]
Tomorrow, Community Board 3’s Landmarks Subcommittee will hear proposals for changes to two East Village landmarks: St Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery (an individual landmark and part of the St. Mark’s Historic District) and Congregation Mezritch Synagogue at 415 East 6th Street in the newly designated East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. You can see the proposals for […]
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 […]
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.
This coming March will mark the twenty-sixth anniversary of the founding of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) — the direct action and advocacy group organized to affect change in order to fight the AIDS Crisis. ACT UP was formed in New York City after a series of meetings at the LGBT Community Center […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
From The Villager Newspaper, February 14, 2013 Op-Ed: Quinn Holds the Cards on Hudson Square Rezoning and South Village Landmarking http://www.thevillager.com/?p=10221 By Andrew Berman, Katy Bordonaro, Zack Winestine, Micki McGee, Richard Blodgett, Carl Rosenstein and Silvia Beam The Hudson Square rezoning currently before the City Council presents a rare case where a win-win is possible. Done […]
Last week the design team behind the AIDS Memorial in St. Vincent’s Park presented some design changes at a public meeting held at the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). Off the Grid has been covering this story as it’s gone through the public review process. We thought we would update you on this memorial designed to […]
We hope you can join us for The Village and All That Jazz, an evening of music and history at Zinc Bar Monday, March 4th presented by GVSHP’s Brokers Partnership – RSVP here. Pianist Joe Alterman will perform and award-winning music critic Gary Giddins will explore the jazz scene of the Village during the 1960s, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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.
The Meatpacking District—or to preservationists the Gansevoort Market Historic District—was the scene of many a New Year’s Eve party this past Monday night. But as the neighborhood’s most recent name suggests, this area has an interesting industrial past. We here at Off the Grid thought we would post some historic images of the neighborhood, for […]
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, […]
Walking East 3rd Street is a collaboration between GVSHP and the students in NYU’s Fall 2012 Intro to Public History course. Each pair of students was tasked with researching the cultural history of one particular block of East 3rd Street and sharing with us something fascinating they discovered along the way. All posts in the […]
Walking East 3rd Street is a collaboration between GVSHP and the students in NYU’s Fall 2012 Intro to Public History course. Each pair of students was tasked with researching the cultural history of one particular block of East 3rd Street and sharing with us something fascinating they discovered along the way. All posts in the […]
Walking East 3rd Street is a collaboration between GVSHP and the students in NYU’s Fall 2012 Intro to Public History course. Each pair of students was tasked with researching the cultural history of one particular block of East 3rd Street and sharing with us something fascinating they discovered along the way. All posts in the […]
Walking East 3rd Street is a collaboration between GVSHP and the students in NYU’s Fall 2012 Intro to Public History course. Each pair of students was tasked with researching the cultural history of one particular block of East 3rd Street and sharing with us something fascinating they discovered along the way. All posts in the […]
Two weeks ago, Off the Grid featured a notice announcing the lighting of the tree in Tompkins Square Park. At this year’s lighting ceremony on December 9th, a plaque was also unveiled that details the history of the tree, and how its annual lighting is a memorial to the devastation of the AIDS epidemic on […]
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 […]
Working in historic preservation you sometimes find yourself dealing with things you never expect. On this date in 2006, GVSHP wrote to Mayor Bloomberg regarding a 19th century abolitionist church graveyard that had been dug up and disturbed in the process of preparing for the construction of the Trump SoHo Condo Hotel. Sadly, the disturbance […]
Recently someone asked me about a building he walked by in the East Village. Showing me a photo of the building on his phone, he figured it was a substation but was curious to learn more. I told him that GVSHP has completed a huge architectural survey of the neighborhood – over 3,000 buildings! – […]
This image from the GVSHP Archive features an idyllic view of people gathering on the sidewalk outside of First Presbyterian Church in winter. The image is taken at 12th Street and Fifth Avenue, looking south. Indeed, the Church of the Ascension, at 10th Street, is visible as well.
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. […]
Recently, our friends over at EV Grieve posted a great then-and-now of the southwest corner of Avenue A and East 10th Street. This beautiful building, St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church, became an official New York City Landmark in 2008 (you can read the designation report HERE). Completed in 1883, St. Nicholas of Myra actually has a […]
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 […]
Louisiana’s notorious Angola State Prison. Folk singer Pete Seeger. The Dry Dock District in Alphabet City. The Library of Congress. Kurt Cobain. http://youtu.be/mcXYz0gtJeM?t=15s Seemingly unrelated, right? Not exactly. They are all connected to legendary folk musician Huddie William “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, who died from Lou Gehrig’s disease on December 6, 1949. If you don’t know […]
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 […]
The eastern- and western-most areas of the Village were among the areas of Manhattan hard hit by Sandy. We recently reported how small business in the neighborhood were stepping up to get back on their feet post-Sandy, but there are others that are still out of commission. Last week Eater compiled a list of restaurants […]
This past Saturday the GVSHP Brokers Partnership presented a film screening of Get Crazy (1983) at the Anthology Film Archives. The screening was followed up with a lively panel discussion and after party at Veselka Bowery. Get Crazy, a campy satire which has become a cult classic, relives the late 1960’s experience of a music […]
In September the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to grant variances to the Mutliple Dwelling Law to allow rooftop additions to be built at 329, 331, 333 & 335 East 9th Street. Though we are not pleased with the Board’s decision, there is a bright side.
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 […]
We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now that the holiday season is underway, we wanted to celebrate with a photo of one of our favorite Italian bakeries – Veniero’s on East 11th Street between First and Second Avenues. As you can see, this East Village sweet spot, which has been serving up scrumptious goodies […]
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 […]
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 […]
“Brownstones occupy a unique place in the New York psyche, as one of the city’s most prototypical signposts, like yellow cabs and fast walkers, yet are able to stir aching desire and teeth-baring jealousy. Everybody wants one.”
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 […]
Each December GVSHP teams up with students in the Introduction to Public History course in NYU’s Public History and Archives program for a unique event where students present their semester-long research about the social history of a specific East Village street. This year, in conjunction with GVSHP’s architectural resource survey of the East Village, the […]
After riding out the week of Hurricane Sandy at home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, as the Greenwich Village Society office was without power, I was fairly anxious to explore somewhere outside my local neighborhood once the city got transit underway. Because my usual train wasn’t running and I had to alter my commute, I found myself […]
As GVSHP recently announced, the Hudson Square rezoning application is now on the desk of the Manhattan Borough President, after Community Board #2 pointedly recommended it be turned down UNLESS the neighboring South Village is protected from its impacts through landmarking, allowable building heights in Hudson Square are reduced, and other changes made. Like GVSHP, […]
Just prior to Sandy’s devastation, we reported the disappointing news that the City Council had agreed to approve the upzoning of Chelsea Market and allow a developer to construct two large additions atop the historic complex. The deal, brokered by City Council Speaker Quinn and approved by the Council’s Land Use Committee, was headed to […]
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 […]
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 […]
We hope you have weathered the hurricane as best as possible. Our office is still closed due to power outages that have affected most buildings south of 31st Street, but we thought we’d share some of our visual resources we have for you on the site: photos and maps. This seems to be a theme […]
We have recently learned that a new building permit application has been filed with the Department of Buildings for 75 First Avenue in the East Village. The permit, just filed and not yet approved, calls for an 8-story residential building. What had originally been proposed was a 14-story building that would have been completely inappropriate […]
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 […]
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 […]
Tomorrow will be our one and only chance to speak directly to the City Council before they decide whether or not to upzone Chelsea Market to allow two large towers to be built atop the historic complex. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am at the City Council Chambers in City Hall (map […]
Today marks the anniversary of the opening of the first Blockbuster store in the country in 1985, in Dallas, Texas. Filled with childhood nostalgia, we couldn’t help but recall the days when a trip into the local video store to pick out a VHS tape was one of the more exciting moments of any given […]
