A couple of weeks ago I was walking along 3rd Street in the East Village and stopped in front of a sculpture park that I had seen many times before. Just past Avenue B, the park holds a number of metal sculptures which, without doing any research, seemed to be the work of current artists […]
Now that I have your attention, what I have to say isn’t just about pizza. It’s about what we already know: Greenwich Village is a really special place. Why would you ever want to leave? Imagine if you had a successful business in New York City – any neighborhood in New York City – and […]
On the corner of Avenue B and East 8th Street sits the striking former Tompkins Square Lodging House for Boys and Industrial School, which opened on April 21, 1887, and was designated an individual New York City landmark on May 16, 2000, one of dozens of individual landmarks in the East Village (see a list […]
On Avenue C between 9th and 10th Streets sits a small, unassuming two-story garage. Chances are you’ve walked past it and never even noticed it. The large garage door with spray-painted “No Parking” message is less than inspiring. However, this building was once witness to history. In 1891, the leading cause of child mortality was […]
How time flies – five years ago last March, the former East Eleventh Street Baths between Avenues A and B became an official New York City Landmark. I remember it very well; I wrote the designation report, after all! Last year, I featured this building on Off the Grid as one of my favorite things. […]
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 […]
In honor of Black History Month, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has released a list of 25 designated landmarks related to African-American culture and history. One of the 25 is the Charlie Parker Residence at 151 Avenue B in the East Village. The building became an official New York City Landmark in 1999 for its […]
Tomorrow evening GVSHP will be holding a special event at one of the East Village’s newest cultural hot spots- the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MORUS). Opened on December 8, 2012, on Avenue C between 9th and 10th Streets, MORUS preserves neighborhood history of the East Village and promotes scholarship of grassroots urban activism by […]
Yesterday, after years of renovation work, St. Brigid’s church on Avenue B and East 8th Street was re-opened to the public. Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan consecrated and dedicated the refurbished church, which will merge with the nearby St. Emeric’s Church on Avenue D. EV Grieve reported on the ceremonial procession of the congregation from St. […]
On Friday, EV Grieve broke the news that 9th Street Bakery would be closing after 87 years in business on East 9th Street between 1st & 2nd Avenues. This comes after their rent was more than doubled. 350 East 9th Street, the building that houses the bakery was built in the year 1875 by architect […]
Today would have been Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 84th birthday. The iconic figure of the Civil Rights Movement, assassinated on April 4, 1968, will be honored with a concert this Sunday, January 20th at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery. As the flyer posted on the fence of the churchyard indicates, the concert will include numerous vocalists singing […]
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 […]
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 […]
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! – […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Last Tuesday, October 9th, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. Stretching between the Bowery and Avenue A, East 2nd Street and St. Mark’s Place, the district includes about 325 buildings and is the largest ever created in the East Village. We’re excited to see that landmark protections have […]
When you’ve been living in, working in, and researching the East Village for many years you sometimes start to think you know it all. But then there are moments when you’re casually walking down the street, look up, and see something you have never before noticed and know nothing about (this is the beauty of […]
Today, we think of Times Square when we think of the theatre district, but over 100 years ago, 14th Street centered around Union Square was full of theatre houses. The photo above shows what 136 East 14th Street looked like in 1908 when it was occupied by the Theatre Unique. It’s hard to believe that […]
Walk into McSorley’s Old Ale House today and you will see an equal mix of the genders enjoying a beer. It’s hard to imagine that for 116 years this would not have been the case, as women were not allowed into the establishment. The philosophy was, “Good Ale, Raw Onions, and No Ladies.” In 1939, […]
Don’t let this title confuse you- it’s the magic of Hollywood! GVSHP’s favorite prohibition-era series Boardwalk Empire is back filming in the East Village today, in the empty lot next to 220 East 4th Street. Above the entrance-way to the lot a large sign was erected reading “Carmine Street Garage.” When the show’s plot detours […]
A 19th century row house on the south side of East 12th Street between Second and Third Avenues is currently undergoing a facelift, though we can’t say it’s for the better. No. 224 East 12th Street was constructed in 1852. Since this year pre-dates the formation of the New York City Buildings Department in 1866 […]
Many people know that the East Village is abundant with Ukrainian restaurants and Eastern European lunch counters. They also know that there are plenty of old-school Italian joints to get some authentic red sauce or cannolis. But another part of the East Village’s mouth-watering culinary heritage is its own Little India– a block of 6th […]
Next in the Map It! series is Stuyvesant Street, which runs through the northern portion of the East Village between Second and Third Avenues. Today, it’s one of the shortest streets in the city, but did you know at one point it was much longer?
Right around this time last year, we were more than excited by the filming of Boardwalk Empire at nearby restaurant John’s of 12th Street (check out photos from the filming HERE). So we were thrilled last week when EV Grieve alerted us that the prohibition-era mob show would be back . Today the HBO series […]
At a time when over-development is an ever-present threat in our Village neighborhoods, City Councilmember Rosie Mendez has distinguished herself as a staunch advocate for historic preservation and zoning protections. Since 2005, Rosie has served District 2 in Manhattan, which includes the East Village as well as parts of NoHo and Greenwich Village. In recognition […]
We’re thrilled to announce that last week the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously voted to confer individual landmark status on one of our favorite East Village buildings: the former Van Tassell & Kearney Horse Auction Mart at 128 East 13th Street! The Commission’s vote marks the finishing touch on GVSHP’s six-year campaign to preserve this remarkable […]
Walking along East 2nd Street, between Avenue A and First Avenue, you might have noticed a historic building that, in terms of its age and style, seems out of context with its immediate neighbors. It now serves as a residence, but what was it originally and who used it? And what’s with the parking lot […]
EV Grieve broke the news this morning that the beautiful early 19th century rowhouse at 316 East 3rd Street has alas been demolished. We knew it was coming, but the site of the now-vacant lot really brings to light the fact that the East Village is still gravely unprotected in terms of landmarking. The building […]
If you’ve gotten our program email or flyer you know that Time and Space on the Lower East Side is the title of one of our upcoming events. But it’s also a wonderful book of photographs that looks backward and forward, positing the idea that places are not simply “then and now,” but exist in […]
The Village Voice recently released its annual 10 best picks for the best restaurants in the East Village. Check it out and see how it compares to your personal list of East Village culinary favorites. GVSHP has been no stranger to food in the East Village. Be sure to check out our stories on eating […]
It was on this date in 1951 that the infamous espionage trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg began. The Jewish-American Communists, along with Soviet spy Morton Sobell, were accused of selling nuclear secrets to Russia. Ethel’s brother, David Greenglass, worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory and allegedly supplied Julius with information regarding the atomic bomb. […]
One of my favorite things about historic architecture research is uncovering the fascinating histories of lesser-known buildings. When I worked at the Landmarks Preservation Commission, I researched and wrote the designation report for the East Eleventh Street Baths at 538 East 11th Street. So let’s take a look at what makes this East Village spot […]
As I was considering a topic for last week’s Presidents’ Day post, I came across a great find from our nation’s past that took place right here in present-day NoHo. To my delight, the anniversary of this historic event was right around the corner, today in fact! Yes, on February 27, 1860, relatively unknown presidential […]
The East Village is renowned for its avant-garde, Off-Off Broadway theaters. One of the great examples is the Theater for the New City. Founded in 1971 by Crystal Field, George Bartenieff, Lawrence Kornfeld, and Theo Barnes, TNC was an offshoot of the Judson Poets Theater. Then-Mayor John Lindsay had recently given a speech envisioning a […]
Between the 2nd and 3rd stories of this handsome building at 310-312 East 11th, between 1st and 2nd Avenues, there is a faint sign that reads “Knickerbocker Boarding.” Today the building is a parking garage but the sign indicates that there may be more to its history than meets the eye. Using GVSHP’s research about […]
As EV Grieve recently reported, the final credits may be on the way for a movie theater turned grocery store on Avenue A. As the end may be coming for the former Hollywood Theater, we thought we’d take a brief look at another East Village showplace that only recently went the way of the silent […]
We hope that you had a wonderful New Year celebration! With the arrival of 2012 we all have some resolutions that we plan to work on in the coming months – whether it’s working off some of those extra holiday pounds, taking up a new hobby, or spending some more time volunteering. Here at GVSHP, […]
In recent years, the East Village on the whole has come to be known for its budding gastronomy scene. One street in particular that has really hit it big in this scene is East 7th Street. With our program tomorrow evening on the social history of East 7th Street, we thought it only made sense […]
Recently, we told you all about the East Village Meat Market, a traditional Ukrainian butcher shop on 2nd Avenue and 9th Street. We also told you that this was the last such surviving butcher shop in the East Village. Two others that have been lost within the past 5 years are Kurowycky Meat Products, formerly […]
Anarchist and revolutionary thinker Emma Goldman, known for her political activism, writing, and speeches, can claim East 13th as her home in the early twentieth century. Goldman was known for supporting a wide-range of controversial causes, including free speech, birth control, women’s equality, union organization, and workers’ rights. She was considered, by the Federal Bureau […]
We’ve been anxiously awaiting the big reveal of the new artwork on the All Saint’s Ukrainian Church on East 11th Street, just west of our offices in the Neighborhood Preservation Center. So we’re thrilled to see that the scaffolding has finally come down!
If you’re like me and grew up around Eastern-European family, you know that it’s pronounced kah-bah-see and that it’s best served with a little sauerkraut and spicy mustard. You then also probably know that the traditional neighborhood butcher shops that serve up this sausage delight, among other smoked and cured meaty goodness, are now few […]
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 […]
Tough decision, I know. Luckily, in the East Village/Lower East Side, you don’t have to travel far to stock up on both of these Jewish treats. If you’ve ever stood on line for a pastrami on rye at Katz’s or grabbed a bagel with lox and a schmear at Russ & Daughters, you know what […]
Over the past couple weeks, blogs have been buzzing with news and photos of 215 East 12th Street- dubbed the “Kate Spade House.” Owned since 2007 by Pamela Bell, one of the four original partners of the Kate Spade brand, this 4-story, 25-foot wide townhouse is described by Stribling as “brimming with original detail, charm […]
One of the many wonderful things about the East Village is the fascinating layers of history that convey the evolution of the neighborhood. The buildings at 19-23 St. Mark’s Place are an excellent example of how the East Village has changed over time from a wealthy merchants neighborhood, to a landing spot for immigrants, to […]
Walking down the quiet, shady block of East 3rd Street between Avenues C and D, the last thing you would expect to stumble upon is an art gallery. But look no further than number 292 where you will find a community gallery, founded by squatters, officially known as Bullet Space. If you’re intrigued, let’s start […]
For those of you who don’t flip through your grandparents’ stacks of mail order catalogs, Hammacher & Schlemmer (say that ten times fast!) was the city’s first hardware store, opened in 1848, and is the country’s longest running catalog, first published in 1881. The store originally opened in 1848 at 221 Bowery at a time […]
We are very fortunate that photographer Berenice Abbott captured images of New York City in the 1930s and 1940s (Abbott, by the way, lived off and on in Greenwich Village, including in the Provincetown Playhouse and Apartments, recently demolished by NYU). With an almost singular focus on streetscapes and architecture, her images, like the one below, provide unparalleled […]
Recently, our fellow-blogger friend, Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, noted that the facade of the East Village building that is home to Moishe’s Jewish bakery had gotten a facelift. He asked, “Can renovations ever just mean renovations, without implying some major shift, a landlord’s plan to seek a higher paying tenant?” This question got us thinking- […]
With Hurricane Irene on the way, the city is bracing for some possible high winds and flooding associated with the storm. WNYC made a handy interactive map that highlights parts of our neighborhoods that may be vulnerable to flooding during an intense storm. In addition to the important flooding information, the map also indirectly reveals […]
This weekend, tour guide Lawrence Frommer and Fourth Arts Block executive director Tamara Greenfield led a tour of East 4th Street between the Bowery and 2nd Avenue for GVSHP. (Want to hear in advance about GVSHP’s free lecture and tour series? Sign up for our monthly event emails.) The tour provided an overview of Fourth […]
One facet of the streetscapes that we encounter each day but may not give much thought to are the fire escapes that weave their way up the facades of so many neighborhood buildings. If you just look up throughout the Village, you’ll be treated to both dainty floral flourishes and rusting utilitarian forms. Whether intricate […]
The 1870’s were difficult years for our Nation. Economic depression had hit Europe and on September 18, 1873, it reached the U.S. with the failure of banking firm Jay Cooke and Company, which had been the main backer of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The country went into a steep economic downward spiral in what is […]
Waiting for the Wrecking Ball (NY Times) Mars Bar- Before & After (Off the Grid) Mars is Gone (Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York) The End of an Era, in Photos (The Gog Log) Mars Bar Murals (The Local East Village) The Long, Slow Death of Mars Bar (Grub Street) Where to Get Your Dive Bar Fix […]
Like all other applications for work on landmarked properties in Greenwich Village, GVSHP has been keeping tabs on the progress of the recently-approved plans to re-clad the large mid-century white-brick apartment building at 2 Fifth Avenue, just north Washington Square Park. Although decidedly more modern than the historic nineteenth century townhouses in the area, the […]
We’ve already established that the mafia in the East Village liked their cannolis and their veal scallopini. This next bit of history is is consistent with that pattern. Lanza’s Restaurant, located at 168 1st Avenue in a tenement built in 1871, was opened in 1904 by Sicilian-Italian transplant Michael Lanza. It is rumored that in […]
We’re still reveling in yesterday’s excitement of seeing Boardwalk Empire set up a mock-prohibition-era scene in the East Village. In fact, we’re drinking Mint Juleps and listening to Cole Porter right now. Okay, we don’t get quite that crazy at the office, but we have been thinking more about the neighborhood’s connections to prohibition and […]
Get out your trilby hats and flapper dresses- Boardwalk Empire, the HBO Prohibition-era mob drama, is filming right here on East 12th Street and 2nd Avenue at John’s Italian Restaurant. Set in Atlantic City, the series often departs to New York to check in with Jewish mob boss Arnold Rothstein and his then-“employee” Sicilian-American gangster […]
Many of you may remember the unusual, eclectic toy tower that once stood in the 6th & B Community Garden on Avenue B and East 6th Street. The East Village has a wealth of community gardens and 6th & B is definitely one of the most spirited in the neighborhood. The garden was started in […]
What does a beloved TV sitcom mom, Ike and Tina Turner, and one bad motha have in common? All were portrayed by actors who honed their craft at a theater company that had its start in the East Village. Phylicia Rashad (who played Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show), Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett (who […]
No, we’re not referencing the catchy pop song of a similar title (although it’s now stuck in our heads!). We’re talking about the Umbrella House, 21-23 Avenue C, between East 2nd and 3rd Streets- the building with the lively umbrellas suspended from its facade. Built in 1899 as an Old Law Tenement by prominent East […]
In a former post, we took a look at the past and future of the Mars Bar. Today we sadly report that the building’s demolition has been made official…
This spring marks the 30th Anniversary of the St. Mark’s Greenmarket and Music at Abe Lebewohl Park. The joint milestone got us a little nostalgic (okay, we know, when are we not nostalgic?) and we decided to take a walk down the memory lane of this neighborhood staples’ home- Abe Lebewohl Park. If you’ve ever […]
Last night, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) revealed maps of their two proposed historic districts in the East Village. The larger of the two proposed districts is composed of sections of blocks on and around lower Second Avenue: The smaller of the districts encompasses the entire blockfront on the north side of East 10th Street […]
This is post #4 in a series devoted to our ongoing research of 143-145 Ave D, documenting all of the detours & discoveries uncovered along the way (for background, see parts one, two and three) It’s been a while since we’ve shown some love to one of our favorite buildings over at 143-145 Avenue D, […]
Speaking of the firm Town, Davis & Dakin (which as you’ll recall from yesterday’s post built NYU’s original main building), we recently came across some great shots of the stately Greek Revival church that once stood at 46-48 Second Avenue. According to the Historic American Buildings Survey, the Second Avenue Presbyterian Church was built by […]
A few days ago, the venerable Mars bar on the corner of 2nd Avenue and 1st Street painted “Thanks for the memories, miss you all” over its entrance, in expectation of the much-anticipated demise of the beloved business and the building which housed it. While the actual end date, as well as future plans for the site, […]
Today we are thrilled to welcome Andito Lloyd – our new East Village & Special Projects Director – to the small but mighty GVSHP team! Andito will soon become a very familiar face to many of our readers, as she will be leading the force to preserve the unique, special character of the East Village […]
Tomorrow we’re teaming up with Green Guerillas and the Manhattan Land Trust to host a self-guided walking tour of the East Village’s varied and remarkable community gardens. Today there are over 600 of these in New York City, though the first modern community garden was right here in the East Village. The Liz Christy Community […]
What’s not to love about the charming Greek Revival house at 149 Second Avenue, a throwback to another era in the life of the East Village? The house is the oldest building on its blockfront, Second Avenue between East 9th & East 10th Street, and one of the only early houses on the avenue to […]
We were extremely saddened to read on EV Grieve this morning that Cornell Edwards, owner of the Flower Stall at 143 E. 13th St, has passed away. Cornell opened The Flower Stall in 1967, and since that time was not only a devoted small business owner, but also a wonderful steward of the neighborhood and […]
The New York Public Library’s digital gallery contains some fun photos of the Second Avenue elevated train, which began operation in 1880 and cast shadows upon the street for more than 60 years. We know what you’re thinking: Isn’t this a photo of First Avenue? Yes indeed. Despite its name, the elevated actually ran along […]
This is post #3 in a series devoted to our research of the fascinating building at 143-145 Avenue D. Those of you who have been following our research on 143-145 Avenue D – the oldest extant building in Alphabet City (for background, see parts one and two) – are now well-versed in the building’s connection […]
This is post #2 in a series devoted to our ongoing research of 143-145 Ave D, documenting all of the detours & discoveries uncovered along the way. For background, see part one. As we mentioned in our first post in this series, certain elements on the facade of 143-145 Avenue D initially gave us a […]
What follows is first in a series of posts devoted to our research of the fascinating building at 143-145 Avenue D. Early last year, while surveying Alphabet City as part of our research on the history of every single building in the East Village, we became interested in 143-145 Avenue D – at first glance […]
