← View All

Tag: Greenwich Village Historic District

Women Crush Wednesday: The Poets

April is National Poetry Month! Launched by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, the month of April marks a marvelous opportunity to celebrate the expressiveness, delight, and pure charm of poetry. National Poetry Month reminds us of the integral role of poets and poetry in our culture. It is only fitting to recognize several […]

Christopher Park: A Small Space with a Long History

In the early 1800s, the area around modern-day Christopher Street was suffering from overcrowding, following the migration of residents from lower Manhattan after the yellow fever outbreak of 1822 that helped to create Greenwich Village. A devastating fire in 1835 led to residents calling for open space, and on April 5, 1837, they got their […]

Looking Back on The Cherry Lane Theatre’s Long History

The Cherry Lane Theatre opened as the Cherry Lane Playhouse in 1923, and is located within what was designated as the Greenwich Village Historic District in 1969 by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The Cherry Lane has the distinction of being New York City’s oldest, continuously operating Off-Broadway theatre. Tucked away from the bustle of the city along […]

Ada Louise Huxtable: Democratizing Architectural Discourse in Greenwich Village and Beyond

Ada Louise Huxtable (March 14, 1921 – January 7, 2013) was arguably the most formidable critical voice regarding architecture of the second half of the 20th century. Huxtable, who became the New York Times’ first full-time architecture critic in 1963, had the uncanny ability and excellent foresight to analyze architecture in a manner that highlighted the […]

Village Awards – Recognizing the Places That Make Our Neighborhoods Special

2023 Awards Nominations are Now Open! Each year, Village Preservation honors invaluable local leaders, institutions, business, places and organizations at its Annual Meeting and Village Awards. This fun and free public event highlights and celebrates those that make our neighborhoods some of the most interesting and exceptional in the city. Nominations are now open until […]

Evelyn Haynes: Insights from the Archive of a Preservation Pioneer

Evelyn G. Haynes (1909–2001) was a dedicated preservationist and a member of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission during its earliest days. Her family donated a collection of her records to Village Preservation, which are now available on our website. You can also see her contribution of many beautiful pictures of historic buildings of Lower Manhattan […]

    Eras of American Literature: Allen Ginsberg & Robert Lowell

    At the core of the Beat Generation was beloved East Villager Allen Ginsberg. He challenged the barriers that restricted what writers could print and created a handful of pieces that revolutionized American literature as we know it today. Recently, we discovered an old photograph via the Allen Ginsberg Project that inspired us to take a […]

      Joan Mitchell’s Village

      Joan Mitchell (February 12, 1925 – October 30, 1992) is one of the most well-known New York Abstract Expressionist painters. Born and raised in Chicago, Mitchell moved to New York City in 1949 after graduating from the Art Institute of Chicago and completing a fellowship in France. Naturally, she settled in Greenwich Village and the […]

      Doris Diether Oral History: Activist and Zoning Maven

      Occasionally referred to as the “Grand Dame of Washington Square Park,” Doris Diether (January 10, 1929 — September 16, 2021) was a critical figure in the early preservation battles of Greenwich Village. Doris was a dedicated member and the eventual head of the Zoning Committee for Community Board 2. Additionally, she was an early member […]

      #SouthOfUnionSquare, the Birthplace of American Modernism: Elizabeth Olds 

      “South of Union Square, the Birthplace of American Modernism” is a series that explores how the area south of Union Square shaped some of the most influential American artists of the 20th century. The area south of Union Square, which Village Preservation has proposed be designated an historic district, has attracted painters, writers, publishers, and […]

      2022 Small Business Holiday Gift Guide!

      Happy holidays, neighbors! If you’ve been struggling to find the perfect gift for the loved ones in your life, look no further. Village Preservation is spreading holiday cheer with a gift guide to help you shop, all while supporting the small, local businesses that make our neighborhood such a whimsical, wondrous place!  The shops on […]

      Reframing the Urban Pattern

      Accounting for 40 percent of energy consumption in the United States, residential and commercial buildings are a focal point of energy policy, research, and data. Since 1950, the United States has been making strides toward creating a more efficient energy system. Most of this progress, however, has overlooked the ability to retrofit and renovate the […]

      Literary Rebels: Five Banned Book Authors Connected to the Village

      Everyone knows our neighborhoods have been home to some of the world’s most celebrated literary icons. However, for some of these icons, their revolutionary writing has been a magnet for scorn and animus as much as it has been for admiration. These authors have often found their work censored by private individuals, government officials, or […]

      The Evolution of the Lichtenstein Studio

      The Greenwich Village Historic District is one of NYC’s oldest and largest, encompassing over 100 blocks and 2,200 buildings. One of those buildings plays a role in history much greater than suggested by the meager two-sentence description provided in the 1969 Designation Report. The entry for 741-745 Washington Street between Bank and Bethune Streets simply […]

        The Weight of Demolition Waste

        In 2016, we revisited Washington Square Park and the radical fight to go completely “car-free”. At the time, it was a matter of preventing power broker Robert Moses from devastating our neighborhood by building a highway through it. But this communal victory was also an act of environmental justice for Greenwich Village.  The fight for […]

        Leticia Kent Oral History: Revisiting Her Unique Window on History

        On October 8, 1997, we sat down with esteemed freelance journalist and long-time Villager Leticia Kent, for our very first, of what are now, scores of oral histories with great preservationists, artists, activists, and community and business leaders of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. Village Preservation staff and trustees sat down with Kent […]

        The Slow Death of 523-527 Sixth Avenue and 104-106 West 14th Street

        Each day Village Preservation monitors over 6,500 building lots in our neighborhoods for demolition and new building permits. This practice is integral to taking proactive measures to preserve the architectural integrity of our neighborhoods. Recently, there has been a troublesome influx of demolition permits filed in our neighborhood: 813 and 815 Broadway between 11th and […]

        The Second Cemetery of Congregation Shearith Israel

        Over 35 cemeteries are located throughout Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, though most have since been covered over and are no longer apparent. Each tells an important story about the history of our neighborhoods. One that fortunately still survives, and is among the most unique in the neighborhood, is the Second Cemetery of […]

        James Baldwin Leaves an Enduring Legacy in Greenwich Village

        “For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. There isn’t any other tale to tell, it’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness.”                    -James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues” James Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December […]

        A Woman Can Keep a Home and Build It

        According to the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, only 14% of engineers in the United States are women. In 2022, though the number of women in S.T.E.M (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields is ever increasing, it’s shocking to hear that women still make up such a low percentage of engineers. Perhaps this is a result […]

        Seeing Wright in the Village 

        Frank Lloyd Wright’s (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) contributions to American architecture are wide and varied; his low slung Prairie style homes that irrevocably changed American residential design and his smooth seashell spiral of the Guggenheim Museum overlooking Central Park are among the most significant architectural works of the 20th century. While neither would […]

        ‘Seven to Save’: Did It Work? 

        Village Preservation’s proposed South of Union Square Historic District was recently named one of 2022-2023’s “Seven to Save” — the biannual list of the most important endangered historic sites in New York State — by the Preservation League of New York State. This designation shines a spotlight on the incredibly valuable and varied architecture of […]

        Village Preservation Plaques Highlight LGBTQ+ History Throughout Our Neighborhoods

        On April 21, Village Preservation joined with the the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project to honor the city’s oldest gay bar and a pioneering event from the early days of the movement for LGBTQ+ rights. The honoree was Julius’ Bar at 159 West 10th Street and the notable event was the Sip-In. In the 1960s, […]

        Celebrating Our Neighborhoods’ Immigrant Heritage

        New York is a city of immigrants and, moreover, we are a nation largely of immigrants (Native Americans and the descendants of those brought here as slaves being the main and notable exceptions). This is especially true of our neighborhoods, which have attracted immigrants of all stripes for centuries. Immigration and the diversity of our […]

        Business of the Month: Carmine Street Guitars, 42 Carmine Street

        Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village, or NoHo: click here to nominate your favorite. Want to help support small businesses? Share this post with friends. Perhaps you dream of being guitarist extraordinaire Bill […]

        The Gilded Village: the Renwicks and the Roosevelts

        This is the latest installment in our Gilded Village blog series. The Gilded Age was a time of contradictions and change: extreme wealth and desperate poverty; political stability and corruption; venal greed and generous philanthropy; social retrenchment and reform; an ever-more powerful establishment and a rising immigrant class. Nowhere were the paradoxes and churn of […]

        John Brown and Edmonia Lewis: Civil Rights Crusaders Who Intersected in Greenwich Village

        Greenwich Village has long been a mecca and incubator for radical social justice advocates. With Village Preservation’s interactive map of the Greenwich Village Historic District as well as our Civil Rights and Social Justice Map, we can take a virtual walk through the neighborhood to visit significant sites related to many of these remarkable activists. […]

        The Gilded Village: Shopping in the Neighborhood #SouthOfUnionSquare

        The Gilded Age in New York City, from roughly the end of the Civil War to 1900, is a cacophony of contradictions. On the surface, the era was defined by excess, luxury, materialism, abundance, technical advancement, and extreme new wealth, which brought with it unprecedented corruption, inequality, and unrestrained greed. The Gilded Age is easily […]

        Past Village Awardees Inspire New Nominations

        Each year, Village Preservation honors neighborhood institutions, leaders, business, places and organizations at its Annual Meeting and Village Awards. This fun event highlights and celebrates the invaluable people, places, and organizations that make our neighborhoods some of the most interesting and exceptional in the city. Nominate your favorites by March 15

        Greenwich Village Rooftop Cottages in the Roaring ’20s

        The announcement of rooftop additions in our beloved historic districts frequently – and rightfully so in most cases – causes a surge of anxiety for preservationists. We do everything we can to make sure that the addition does not disrupt the historic streetscape from the public right of way, is aesthetically appropriate to the design […]

        Thaddeus Hyatt: Trailblazing Greenwich Village Abolitionist and Inventor

        Greenwich Village has long been the home of many of New York City’s most radical social justice advocates. With Village Preservation’s interactive map of the Greenwich Village Historic District we can take a virtual walk through the neighborhood to visit the homes of many of these remarkable activists. One recent addition to that map is […]

        ‘The Birth of a Nation’ Galvanizes a Movement #SouthOfUnionSquare

        Throughout the 20th century, the area south of Union Square attracted painters, writers, publishers, and radical social organizations, many of whom were challenging accepted American social and cultural ideals. The release on February 8, 1915 of The Birth of a Nation — a silent white supremacist propaganda film credited with both resurrecting the Ku Klux […]

        The Eclectic Streetscapes #SouthOfUnionSquare

        Beautifully detailed 1899 “Mail & Express” Broadway Streetscape Illustrations demonstrate the urgency of Village Preservation’s campaign to landmark the area #SouthOfUnionSquare. The neighborhood #SouthOfUnionSquare can be characterized as a true crossroads — where art, politics, industry, commerce, the New York elite, and the working class collided to create an eclectic built environment and cultural ferment emblematic of […]

        Small Business, Big History: Tudor Rose Antiques

        Tudor Rose Antiques has been part of the fabric of Greenwich Village since 1978. The shop specializes in antique sterling silver decorative items and fine jewelry, and is a great place to find a unique and highly personal gift or addition to your home. The store is located at 43 Greenwich Avenue between Perry Street […]

          Explore Jewish History on Our Greenwich Village Historic District Map

          Greenwich Village is a community rich with Jewish history, especially within the area that in 1969 was designated as one of the city’s first and largest historic districts. That legacy manifests in so many ways, including several incredibly prominent elected leaders of the 20th century who called Greenwich Village home. We’ll take a look at […]

          Washington Square Park, Once the Land of the Lenape

          Today we’re highlighting the rich Indigenous history of our neighborhood. This is crucial both to understand and respect the full history of the land we live on, and to recognize the story and experience of consistently marginalized groups. Washington Square Park, once a farming land and gathering place for the Lenape, tranformed over two centuries […]

          #SouthOfUnionSquare, the Birthplace of American Modernism: Reginald Marsh

          “South of Union Square, the Birthplace of American Modernism” is a series that explores how the area south of Union Square shaped some of the most influential American artists of the 20th century. In the 20th century, the area south of Union Square attracted painters, writers, publishers, and radical social organizations, many of whom were […]

          Theater Thursday Round Up

                  It’s Theater Thursday, and for the first time in a long time, we have good news to report on that front!  In case you’ve been out of the loop, our beloved theatrical institutions have been closed for the past year and a half due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  It was an excruciating time for […]

          Woman Crush Wednesday: Beatrix Farrand

          On the northeastern edge of the Greenwich Village Historic District, at 21 East 11th Street, just west of University Place, sits an 1848 late Greek Revival townhouse with a wide stoop topped with a transitional Italianate door. The beautifully preserved townhouse bears a red Historic Landmarks Preservation Center Cultural Medallion in honor of trailblazing landscape […]

          Woman Crush Wednesday: Jane Jacobs

          Who says you can’t fight City Hall? During these particularly troubling and divided political times, it is rewarding and inspiring to look to Jane Jacobs for encouragement. Jane redefined urban planning in the 20th century, and is one of the trailblazers highlighted in Village Preservation’s outdoor interactive exhibition, VILLAGE VOICES. Jane Jacobs caused people to […]

          A ‘Strange’ Spot on Bleecker Street

          You’re walking along Bleecker Street in the heart of Greenwich Village when the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. You feel all sorts of magic surrounding you, as if you’re at the nexus of mystical energies coming at you from all corners of the globe. You spy an elegant three-story brownstone […]

          Roots of Jazz Run Deep in Greenwich Village

          Greenwich Village is, in some circles, considered the “Capital of Jazz.” As jazz critic, author, and president of the Jazz Journalists Association Howard Mandel put it: “Greenwich Village is the capital of jazz because it has welcomed adventurous thinking, artistic expression, and audiences eager to hear the best of what’s exciting and new.” Some things […]

          Delving into the Past & Future of the Greenwich Village Historic District

          The Greenwich Village Historic District, which was designated (landmarked) on April 29, 1969, holds some of the loveliest bits of Greenwich Village within its bounds — from Washington Square to Abingdon Square, from the New School to the New York Studio School. Historic houses of worship and historic houses, key sites of immigrant, LGBTQ, African-American […]

          Who’s That Rapping At My Chamber Door? Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” Takes Flight in Greenwich Village

          Almost 200 years after it was first published, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven still terrifies and delights. The poem, about a forlorn lover tormented by a mysterious bird as he slowly descends into madness, permeated both critical circles and the popular consciousness, proving that the macabre could and should share a space with literary fiction […]

          Tea & Sympathy, 108 Greenwich Avenue

          If you’ve ever wondered what in the world treacle pudding is, or how one would properly consume marmite, Tea & Sympathy, the British outpost loved by Sarah Jessica Parker, Dame Judi Dench, Kevin Kwan, and none other than David Bowie, has got you covered. Opened on December 23, 1990, this tiny tea room at 108 […]

          2020 Village Preservation Year in Review: Landmarks Applications

          This has certainly been a challenging year, to say the least. In spite of that, Village Preservation, the Community Boards, and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) have continued to review and process permit applications for the landmarked properties in our neighborhoods. Interestingly, in the virtual environment that we have been operating in, […]

          Thank You To Our Members — Making 40 Years of Village Preservation Possible

          It’s Village Preservation’s 40th birthday this year. In honor of this auspicious occasion, we recently released a story map that details our efforts documenting, celebrating, and advocating for the preservation of our neighborhoods, all of which are made possible by our members and supporters. The map is divided by decade, and so today we showcase […]

          Take a Virtual Walk! Visit the Homes of Greenwich Village’s Social Change Champions

          Greenwich Village has long been the home of many of history’s most important social change champions. Now, using Village Preservation’s interactive map of the Greenwich Village Historic District, we can take a virtual walk through the neighborhood to visit the homes of these remarkable individuals. Get to know a nineteenth century abolitionist, an early-twentieth century […]

          Cyrilly Abels: Friend and Agent of Katherine Anne Porter

          Cyrilly Abels (1903-1975), the managing editor of Mademoiselle magazine and an agent for many of the most prominent writers of the twentieth century, was a longtime resident of 14-16 Fifth Avenue in the Greenwich Village Historic District, recently proposed for demolition. Abels lived here with her husband Jerome Weinstein at least as early as 1954 […]

          The Fight to Recognize LGBT Civil Rights History in Our Neighborhoods

          On January 16th, 2013, Village Preservation sent a letter to the  New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) requesting that it landmark key sites of significance to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) history we had identified. At this time, no buildings in the city were explicitly recognized or protected by the LPC primarily for […]

          A Rebuilt Corner, a Carpenter House, and an Art Deco Beauty: New Additions to Our Greenwich Village Historic District Map

          This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District. Click here to check out our year-long activities and celebrations. On April 29th, 2019, we launched our new interactive map, Greenwich Village Historic District, 1969-2019: Photos and Tours, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of […]

          “Our Village is Star in an Uptown Exhibit” — September 26, 1990

          Village Preservation has been, and continues to be, the guardian of many different archives. Still, our repository continues growing, and our newest online resource, the Preservation History Archive, is somewhat distinct from all the rest. Instead of relaying the broad history of our neighborhood, the Preservation History Archive holds original documents on the history of […]

          Small Business Snapshot, ca. 1998

          Artists and photographer Carole Teller donated hundreds of photographs to Village Preservation that she took from the 1960s-1990s. An East Village resident for over fifty years, Carole so beautifully and thoroughly documented her neighborhood’s architecture, daily life, and many quirks, we have had to dole it out in multiple parts in our Historic Image Archive […]

          Kahlil Gibran: An Immigrant Artist on 10th Street

          Both the reach and the origins of those who have called the Greenwich Village Historic District home have always been international in scope; Kahlil Gibran is a prime example of that broad reach. Born on January 6, 1883, in Lebanon, which at the time was part of Ottoman Syria, educated in Beirut, Boston, and Paris, […]

          A Poet, A Bookseller, and the Father of Social of Social Security: New Additions to the Greenwich Village Historic District 1969-2019 Photos and Tours Map

          This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District. Click here to check out our year-long activities and celebrations. On April 29th, 2019, we launched our new interactive map, Greenwich Village Historic District, 1969-2019: Photos and Tours, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of […]

          Village Firehouses Past and Present

          The city might at times feel like its on fire during the summer, but there have been times in the past when it has actually been. In the 1970s the Bronx was burning and Lower East Side was also suffering from fires and abandoned buildings. Before that, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire became one of […]

          How One Building Turned Greenwich Village Into an Artists’ Mecca

          This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District.  Check out our year-long activities and celebrations at gvshp.org/GVHD50.  Ever wonder what started Greenwich Village’s role as a mecca for artists?  A good deal of the credit can go to a single building which changed the way artists […]

            The long road to landmark: How NYC’s Stonewall Inn became a symbol of civil rights

            Millions converge in New York City each year in late June to celebrate events which took place in and outside of a Greenwich Village bar in 1969. The Stonewall Riots are not only be memorialized here in New York City, but those events have come to take on international significance. There are celebrations and marches in countries across the globe, […]

            Stonewall Inn: State and National Register Pioneer

            Six sites were recently designated landmarks by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission based on their LGBT history and association, two of which were part of a five-year campaign by Village Preservation: the LGBT Community Center and the former Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse. This comes four years after the first and until recently only NYC individual landmark […]

            New York State WorldPride Welcome Center Opens in Greenwich Village

            This June is LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) Pride month as well as the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, and among the many events and announcements was the grand opening of the New York State WorldPride Welcome Center. Where? Greenwich Village, of course.  Located at 112 Christopher Street,  the new […]

              Making Way for Ducklings in a Greenwich Village Bathtub

              One day in 1939, famed writer and illustrator Robert McCloskey took a trip to a market near his Greenwich Village apartment and left with a group of live ducklings in tow. He brought them to his home at 280 West 12th Street, which he shared with his roommate, the illustrator Marc Simont, and placed them […]

                The Hallowed Music Halls of the Greenwich Village Historic District

                This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District.  Check out our year-long activities and celebrations at gvshp.org/GVHD50.  Music is an integral part of the cultural legacy and impact of our neighborhoods! In March 2019 we explored the iconic music venues and punk meccas of the East […]

                A New Archive for GVHD50: Retaking the 1969 Designation Photos

                This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District. Click here to check out our year-long activities and celebrations. In the years leading up to April 29, 1969, when the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the Greenwich Village Historic District, […]

                GVHD50 and Stonewall50 – LGBTQ Sites of the Greenwich Village Historic District

                This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District. Click here to check out our year-long activities and celebrations. Rounding up each person, place, and moment in the Greenwich Village Historic District’s LGBTQ history would take longer than it does to line up […]

                A Truly Historic House Tour! Village Preservation’s 21st Spring House Tour in the Greenwich Village Historic District

                We recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Greenwich Village Historic District (GVHD50) with a bash in Washington Square Park. But thankfully, there’s even more GVHD fun right around the corner.  The actual anniversary is April 29th, when we will be rolling out some truly fantastic online tours of the district, and our 21st Annual […]

                Artists Homes of the Greenwich Village Historic District

                This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District. Click here to check out our year-long activities and celebrations. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the designation of The Greenwich Village Historic District (GVHD). The GVHD contains a treasure-trove of important history, […]

                Churches of the Greenwich Village Historic District

                This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District.  Check out our year-long activities and celebrations at gvshp.org/GVHD50.  Churches are found throughout the Greenwich Village Historic District, and were built as early as 1821, and as late as the 1970s, after the district’s designation in 1969 (one […]

                13 places in Greenwich Village where the course of history was changed

                This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District. Click here to check out our year-long activities and celebrations. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District.  One of the city’s oldest and largest landmark districts, […]

                Great Writers and the Greenwich Village Historic District

                This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District.  Check out our year-long activities and celebrations at gvshp.org/GVHD50.  The Greenwich Village Historic District has been home, over the years, to countless writers, authors, poets and other literati. Known as an area for artists, the writers […]

                  20 transformative women of Greenwich Village

                  This year marks the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District on April 29, 1969.  One of the city’s oldest and still largest historic districts, it’s a unique treasure trove of rich history, pioneering culture, and charming architecture. GVSHP will be spending 2019 marking this anniversary with events, lectures, and new interactive […]