St. Vincent’s Hospital: Architecture & History in the Greenwich Village Historic District
St. Vincent’s Hospital was the site of defining periods and events in the history of Greenwich Village.
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Tag: LGBT
July at Village Preservation: The Revolutionary Village and More
As celebrations of the Semiquincentennial begin across the nation, we at Village Preservation are using this moment to highlight the revolutionary contributions of our neighborhood and city. Rather than focusing solely on the Revolutionary War era, our “Revolutionary Village” theme highlights 250 years of ongoing revolution in politics, culture, the arts, and society that have […]
Preserving Pride: Exploring LGBTQ+ History and Advocacy with Village Preservation
Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo are widely recognized as the historic heart of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. At Village Preservation, celebrating this rich legacy isn’t a seasonal event in June, but a 365-day-a-year mission to document, honor, and protect the cultural history and physical spaces where history was made. Our interactive resources, […]
LGBTQ Life 100+ Years Ago: the Havens of the South Village
Just South of Washington Square Park, north of West Houston Street, and nestled between Sixth Avenue and LaGuardia Place are the highly compact blocks that make up the South Village Historic District, for which Village Preservation won landmark designation in 2013. Known for its rich immigrant history, its streets are a hodgepodge of modest Federal […]
Pride, Preservation, and Patriots: Join Us for June Programs
June is one of the most exciting months of the year at Village Preservation. As summer arrives, we invite you to join us for a diverse lineup of programs exploring everything from Revolutionary-era estates and Jazz Age New York to affordable housing, public housing history, art, and LGBTQ+ heritage. This month also features two of […]
Revolutionary Verses: Two Centuries of Poetry in the Village
April is National Poetry Month, a chance to celebrate the power of language, imagination, and place. Few places in America have inspired as much poetry or had as many poets call it home as Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. For over two centuries, these neighborhoods have served as both refuge and crucible for […]
Deborah Glick: A Legislative Life for the Village
Deborah Glick has proudly served Greenwich Village in the New York State Assembly for three and a half decades. When elected in 1990, she became the first openly gay member of the legislature, and continued to break ground throughout her career, including leading the fight for marriage equality in the state. Shortly before she announced […]
Eve Adams in Greenwich Village
In 1925, a Jewish-Polish immigrant named Eve Adams opened a tearoom at 129 MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village. The spot quickly became a gathering place for artists, poets, activists, and, most notably, members of the lesbian community. An outspoken lesbian and activist herself, Eve undoubtedly changed the course of queer culture and history in our […]
Echoes of 1823: Rescuing Greenwich Street’s Forgotten Federal Treasures
The designation of 486 and 488 Greenwich Street as individual New York City landmarks on July 24, 2007, marked a critical milestone in the long-standing effort by Village Preservation to safeguard the remaining examples of early 19th-century Federal-style architecture in Lower Manhattan. Located in the Hudson Square neighborhood, these modest yet elegant row houses offer […]
From LGBTQ+ History to Art Deco: Village Preservation’s Upcoming Programs
Hosting over 80 programs annually, nearly all of which are free and open to the public, Village Preservation programming brings the architectural and cultural history of our neighborhoods to life through tours, lectures, conversations, webinars, and much more. You can revisit many of these programs on Village Preservation’s YouTube channel. Today we take a look […]
Saving Tony Dapolito: A Landmark of Culture, Community, and Cinema in Jeopardy
Tony Dapolito Recreation Center stands in the heart of Greenwich Village and has served these many years as much more than just a city rec center. It’s a place where generations of New Yorkers learned to swim, shoot hoops, and connect with their neighbors. It’s also a cultural touchstone — immortalized in films like Raging […]
Shadowed Sanctuaries: The Mafia’s Complicated Role in Queer Nightlife
Across the country, June is recognized as Pride Month, celebrating LGBTQ+ communities in honor of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a pivotal moment in the fight for gay rights and liberation. Our neighborhoods have held a longstanding, deep connection with the queer community, having served as hubs for bars, restaurants, clubs, theaters, and community centers that […]
The Lesbian Bars and Gathering Spots of the Village
Throughout the history of LGBTQIA+ life in our neighborhoods, there is a rich lineage of spaces specifically intended for queer women and lesbians. Today, as we start Pride Month, let’s take a look at just a few of the many historic lesbian bars, clubs, and hangouts that called our neighborhoods home — from a century […]
2025 Village Award Winner: Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center
Village Preservation is proud to honor the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center as a 2025 Village Awardee! Join us in recognizing SNMVC and the five other remarkable awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Wednesday, June 11th, at the historic Great Hall at Cooper Union. Registration is free and open to all. […]
Celebrating the Power of Storytellers: The Importance of Oral Histories in Preserving a Neighborhood’s Spirit
Every neighborhood has its own unique story, a tapestry woven from the experiences, struggles, and triumphs of its residents. These stories are often passed down from one generation to the next, shaping the very identity of the place. In a world where rapid urbanization, technological advancements, and cultural shifts often leave little room for reflection, […]
A Look at the History of Female Nightlife Activists in the Village
Our neighborhoods have long thrived on an electric, eclectic energy that fuels creativity, rebellion, and cultural ferment. Amid the many powerful forces shaping the area’s nightlife history, women are among the pivotal yet often overlooked figures — transforming not only the local scene but the wider social and political landscape. These women were not just […]
Celebrate Black History with Village Preservation’s Public Programs, Past and Present
Greenwich Village has long been a hub of creativity, activism, and cultural exchange, and its Black history is deeply woven into the neighborhood’s identity. From the early days of New York City’s African American communities to the Civil Rights Movement and beyond, Black residents have shaped the social, artistic, and political fabric of the Village. […]
East Village Nightlife: A Home for Drag and DIY Performance
On August 7, 1994, drag queens took the stage at Boy Bar (15 St. Marks Place) to partake in a show titled “It’s a Mod Mod World”. Through the Jillian Jonas collection in our historic image archive, we can see the rarely told histories of this iconic space and its contemporary, The Pyramid Club (101 […]
Exploring LGBTQ+ History at the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center
The Tony Dapolito Recreation Center has a long history of serving the surrounding community, visitors from other parts of New York City, and in some cases, the world. The rec center was constructed in several phases, first opening in 1908 as the Carmine Street Baths. The original structure and was designed by the firm of […]
The Gay Liberation Front’s Impact on LGBTQ+ History
In June 1969, a police raid on the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village was met with a resistance that launched the modern Gay Liberation Movement. Following decades of mostly discreet and targeted gay rights activism led by the Mattachine Society, the events set forth at Stonewall launched the movement into the popular consciousness. There was no […]
The Wit and Verse of the American Byron: Fitz-Greene Halleck
Fitz-Greene Halleck, a 19th-century American poet, is best known for his witty and satirical verse. His connection to Greenwich Village is an intriguing aspect of his life, highlighting the cultural vibrancy of the area during his time. However, while he was once known widely as the American Byron in his lifetime, today he is a […]
Stonewall National Monument: Marking Nearly 60 Years of Pride and Resilience
It is the first National Monument designated to mark LGBTQIA+ history. President Obama designated the Stonewall National Monument on June 24, 2016, becoming official on June 27, 2016. The road to designation was a long one. In the 1990s Village Preservation, then known as Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), along with the now-defunct […]
Greenwich Village Immortalized, in LEGO!
Have you heard the exciting news? Village Preservation has released a special edition Greenwich Village building set made of genuine LEGO bricks! Composed of 449 pieces, the incredible miniature display depicts some of the most emblematic landmarks of the Village, from the Jefferson Market Library, to Stonewall, to the Washington Square Arch and Fountain, plus […]
LGBTQ+ History in the Image Archive: Utilizing the New Tag Feature
A new and exciting feature of Village Preservation’s sizable Historic Image Archive is the ability to filter images by category, or “tag.” We have painstakingly tagged every single one of our nearly 5,000 historic photographs (an ever growing number), so that users can easily view images organized by their interests. As an example, the “LGBTQ+” […]
Whitman in the Village: The Poet’s Third Space
Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo sit at the heart of New York’s LGBTQ+ history and culture, which as some might be surprised to hear, stretches back to the earliest days of New York. Perhaps most prominently, well over a century before the Stonewall Inn, Julius’ Bar, The Pyramid Club, and many other important […]
A Vibrant Tapestry: African American History in Our Neighborhoods
Our neighborhoods are renowned for their rich cultural history and storied past. While often associated with artistic bohemia and progressive movements, our streets hold a lesser-known narrative that significantly shaped the African American experience in America. From the Harlem Renaissance to the Civil Rights Movement, Greenwich Village, the East Village, NoHo, and the area South […]
What’s So Special About the South Village?
Village Preservation kicked off its campaign to honor, document, and seek landmark designation for the South Village and its remarkable immigrant and artistic histories in December 2006, and completed the effort in December 2016 with designation of the third and final phase of our proposed South Village Historic District, the largest expansion of landmark protections in the neighborhood since 1969. […]
Pier 40’s Murals Illustrate Local History
Pier 40 was built between 1958 and 1962 for the Holland America Cruise Line, and became the largest passenger and freight terminal in the Port of New York at the time of construction. Jutting into the Hudson River and effectively extending Leroy, Clarkson, Houston, King, and Charlton Streets west into the water, the pier was […]
A History of Protest and the Marjorie Zien Collection
Greenwich Village resident and photographer Marjorie Zien has spent the last several decades chronicling life in her neighborhood and city. In 2021 she donated a collection of photos to Village Preservation taken throughout our neighborhoods in the aftermath of 9/11. In 2023 she donated to us a new collection of photos, which you can view […]
Revealing LGBTQ+ History on Spring Street
Village Preservation has long paid tribute to the widespread impacts players in our neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo have had on the civil rights and social justice movements in the United States. Few places in America have contributed as much to these histories in such a concentrated area. In 2017, we […]
Mystery Photos — 90s Drag Scene Edition
Many of the donated images in our Historic Image Archive were received with little identifying information. We often think, who are these people? Where is this location? When was this picture taken? Sometimes we figure it out all on our own, like this one. Other times, it’s a bit more difficult, as in this case where […]
The Literary Legacy of the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop
In 1967, gay rights activist Craig Rodwell had a vision for a place that would serve not only as a bookstore but also as a space for community gatherings and activism. As a volunteer for the New York chapter of the Mattachine Society, a political group advocating for gay rights, Rodwell believed that the group […]
2023 Village Awardee: Monster Bar, 80 Grove Street
Village Preservation is very proud to honor the Monster Bar at 80 Grove Street as a Village Awardee in 2023. Join us in recognizing them and these five other worthy awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Tuesday, June 13 at 6pm at Cooper Union’s Historic Great Hall. Registration is free and open to all! […]
Celebrating Arthur A. Levin on this National Honor Our LGBT + Elders Day
Honor Our LGBT Elders Day is celebrated each year on May 16th. While every day is a good day to pay tribute to those who have paved the way for the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender) community, it is also fitting to set aside a special day to honor and celebrate the courage, persistence, […]
January Favorites from the Archive
The Village Preservation Historic Image Archive highlights the history of the people and built environment of Greenwich Village, the East Village, NoHo, and New York City in general. All the images provide a unique perspective reflecting on the time and location of when and where the photo was taken. Looking at just a few images […]
Julys Past From Our Historic Image Archive
Our Historic Image Archive provides a snapshot of our neighborhood’s past. From summers on the piers to drag shows at the Pyramid Club and an important archeological dig, you can almost feel the summer heat emanating from some of these photos. Sheridan Square Dig In July and August of 1982, Regina Kellerman, Executive Director of […]
June is Gay Pride; But July is Gay Liberation
Although June 1969 is in many ways burned in the public consciousness as the pivotal month for the development of the modern LGBTQIA+ Rights Movement, in many ways, the July which followed may have been just as if not more important. It was that month which saw the establishment of several key organizations and traditions […]
Walk Through LGBTQ+ History with Our Civil Rights and Social Justice Map
Every June, New Yorkers and people from around the world gather in our city to celebrate Pride Month and honor the memory of the Stonewall Riots, three nights in 1969 that helped launch the modern fight for LGBTQ+ rights. And while the Stonewall Inn at 53 Christopher Street is indeed a landmark of that movement […]
LGBTQ+ Pride Through The Decades
Our Historic Image Archive includes thousands of photos documenting the people and architecture of the Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, as well as New York City, from the late 18th to the early 21st century. In honor of Pride, today we explore some of our LGBTQ+ digital photo archives. In 2021, longtime Greenwich […]
Washington Square United Methodist Church: Where Identity and Inclusion Collided
The intersection of religion and identity can be potent, or even combustible, mix. For one Greenwich Village church and its congregation, in the late 1970s they came to a head in not just the spiritual but the real world realm in a way that made history. In June of 1978, the the Washington Square United […]
Go West! – The Leather & Denim Scene in the Weehawken Street Historic District
The Weehawken Street Historic District (designated May 2, 2006) consists of a small area on three blocks around West, Christopher, and 10th Streets. Although primarily known for its relation to New York City’s maritime industry from the 1830s to 1920s, the tiny district was also the center of New York’s Queer Leather and Denim (L&D) […]
The Documents of History: Mattachine Society of New York’s Archival Papers of 1951-1976 at the New York Public Library
As Village Preservation prepares to unveil a plaque commemorating the “Sip-In” at Julius’ Bar on April 21, 1966, one might wonder about the Mattachine Society of New York, which organized this historic event as part of their broader participation in the 1945-1969 Homophile Movement in New York City and beyond. We know the leaders of […]
Stormé DeLarverie: Village Guardian
A self-proclaimed “gay superhero,” Stormé Delarverie (≅ December 24, 1920 – May 24, 2014, Pronouns: she/her in public, he/him in performance) was a drag king, bouncer, and neighborhood activist who outspokenly protected LGBTQ+ communities in our neighborhoods and Lower Manhattan. Pronounced “Stormy De-Lah-vee-yay,” she made a name for herself as the (alleged) spark that started […]
Local Lesbian Bookstores: Founders of a Feminist Future
Historically, our neighborhoods have hosted many independent and unconventional bookstores. These small institutions have helped define the character of our neighborhoods as a literary capital of the Western world. With apartments as small as ours, these bookstores took on the role of collective public living rooms, acting as places of community gathering and organization. But, […]
Taking a Closer Look at “Fortune and Men’s Eyes”
Telling the stories of incarcerated young men in the 1960s, Fortune and Men’s Eyes was a drama written by John Herbert in 1967 to process and analyze his own experience in Canada’s prison system. It was produced by Greenwich Villager and LGBTQIA+ rights activist David Rothenberg at the Actor’s Playhouse at 100 Seventh Avenue So., […]
A Dominating Narrative: The Mineshaft and BDSM Culture in the Meatpacking District
Notice: The following text contains references to sexual materials and activities appropriate for mature audiences only. Reader discretion is advised. 835 Washington Street has had many past lives. In the 1930s, it was a humble butcher and meatpacking plant, until the industry declined in the 1950s and ‘60s. Then in the 1970s it was a […]
2021 Village Preservation Public Programs Round-Up
As we close the chapter on yet another wild and successful of year of public programs at Village Preservation, we wanted to take the time to reflect and highlight some of 2021’s best moments. Despite the twists and turns of this year’s ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, we’ve hosted 80 different educational lectures, book talks, and walking […]
Greer Lankton: An Artist’s Life in the Village of the Dolls
Greer Lankton (she/her, April 21, 1958 – November 18, 1996) was an East Village-based multidisciplinary artist who worked in illustration, photography, and sculpture. She’s mostly known for creating lifelike paper-mache dolls of celebrities, and she explored themes around celebrity iconography, beauty standards, and the white feminine ideal. While not all of her dolls were of […]
Terrance McNally Offers Wonderful Window Into The Rich History #SouthOfUnionSquare
The trailblazing playwright and author Terrance McNally lived for decades with his husband Tom Kirdahy at 29 East 9th Street in the area of Greenwich Village South of Union Square before his death from COVID 19 in 2020. McNally was called “the bard of American theater” by the New York Times and “one of the […]
Visual AIDS Day Without Art
Day Without Art was Visual AIDS’ first major event. It launched on December 1, 1989 as “a day of action and mourning.” Thousands of arts institutions and organizations around the world organized to illustrate the true loss of art and artists created by AIDS epidemic, and demonstrate the power of art to raise awareness of the ongoing AIDS pandemic.
Candy Darling: A Superstar in Her Own Right
Candy Darling (She/Her, November 24, 1944 — March 21, 1974) was a transgender icon and muse for well-known artists and musicians like Andy Warhol and The Velvet Underground. Darling was an influential Downtown character throughout the 1960s, often interacting with its creative scene through Seymour Levy’s “Salon” on Bleecker Street. She was one of Andy […]
Sylvia Rivera: A Controversial But Powerful and Enduring Activist for LGBTQ+ Rights
Sylvia Rivera (July 2, 1951 – February 19, 2002, She/Her) was a trailblazing advocate for the rights of transgender individuals and LGBTQ+ communities. A vocal opponent of racism and transphobia within the 1970-80s Gay Liberation Movement, Rivera was controversial (to say the least) during her time. While delivering her infamous speech, “Y’all Better Quiet Down!” […]
Welcome Aboard, Hew Evans
Today Hew Evans (pronouns: they / them) joins Village Preservation as our Administrative and Programs Assistant. Hew has been interning for us since May of this year, during which time they’ve helped to plan and promote our immensely successful Village Voices benefit and public exhibition. Additionally, Hew has performed research for our South of Union […]
Cary Grant Before He Was Cary Grant, in Greenwich Village
Cary Grant: a name synonymous with Hollywood glamor in the mid-20th century. He tumbled and swanned, he looked equally incredible in a pristine tuxedo and in Katherine Hepburn’s fur-embellished silk robe in Bringing Up Baby, where he does a little jump and quipping, “I just went gay all of a sudden!” From Holiday to To […]
The Mattachine Society, and the Post-Stonewall Shift
As with any revolution, there was a spark, which lit the fire fed by years of quieter work and struggle which preceded it. Such is certainly the case with the LGBTQ rights movement, which burst into prominence in our neighborhood on June 28, 1969 with the Stonewall Riots, leading to a new, much more aggressive […]
Downtown Drag + Performance in the 1990s — the Jillian Jonas Collection
The Village Preservation Image Archive highlights the history of the people and built environment of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, as well as New York City in general. It has been assembled over the years through generous donations, and consists of thousands of photos in several dozen different collections. Our most recent addition […]
New Historic Image Collection Explores Downtown Drag + Performance Scene of the 1990s
As we approach LGBTQ+ Pride Weekend, Village Preservation is proud to share with you a wonderful new collection in our historic image archive of donated images from Jillian Jonas chronicling the fiery and flamboyant downtown drag performance scene of the 1990s. Jonas, who was the house photographer at the legendary Boy Bar on St. Mark’s Place, also captured […]
Jackie Curtis: East Village Superstar, “Pioneer without a Frontier”
“I am not a boy, not a girl, I am not gay, not straight, I am not a drag queen, not a transsexual – I am just me, Jackie.” This wonderful declaration of what Jackie was not leaves so much space to explore who Jackie was — Villager, performer, superstar whose praises were sung by […]
Remembering the HIV/AIDS Crisis
We’re in the midst of battling a global pandemic, with a federal government which often seems disinterested at best in addressing the situation and unwilling to take the steps necessary to stop it. Though very different, it’s not the first time we’ve faced such a situation. In the 1980s and 90s, Greenwich Village, the East […]
Legendary LGBTQ Nightlife of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo
LGBT nightlife in New York has changed drastically throughout the years, with an exodus of sorts to Brooklyn. There have been a multitude of reasons suggested for the decline, including rising rents, growing social acceptance obviating the need for LGBT clubs, and dating culture shifting to apps, eliminating the need to meet someone in a […]
African American, Feminist, & LGBTQ Solidarity at the Women’s House of Detention
The Women’s House of Detention, an eleven-story prison in the center of Greenwich Village, closed on June 13th, 1971.
LGBT Historic Sites in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo
June is Pride Month, which makes it an especially exciting time to be in the Village. LGBT history is closely tied with our neighborhood and their culture, and throughout the course of this month we’re focusing on four areas of our neighborhood — the West Village, East Village, NoHo, and South Village — to highlight […]
Village Pride & LGBT Establishments
June is Pride Month, a time when LGBT communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves. The Stonewall uprising in June 1969 is the original inspiration behind the annual June festivities. The global coronavirus pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives, including how pride festivities take place this year, as the annual NYC Pride parade has […]
Cherry Lane Theatre: More Than Just An Off-Broadway Theater
The Cherry Lane Theatre is the oldest continuously operating off-Broadway theater in New York City. Almost as interesting and drama-filled as the incredible plays produced here is rich and varied history of the theater itself — a history that includes gay discos, Barbra Streisand, and thousands of turtles. Let’s dive in!:
Rita Mae Brown and Her “Rubyfruit Jungle”
Rita Mae Brown, New York University alumnus & former Greenwich Village resident, has achieved great success in the fields of LGBTQ activism and writing. Her most popular work, “Rubyfruit Jungle,” was one of the first books published that went against gay stereotypes and showcased a lesbian character in a positive manner. Today we look back […]
Our Epic Greenwich Village and East Village Watch-List
It’s time to dive into our beloved neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo as they’re seen through the movie camera lens. Presented in no apparent order, this list is full of Village locations, Villagers behind and in front of the camera, romance, action, drama, intrigue, and all the things to keep us […]
Beauford Delaney: Harlem Renaissance & Abstract Painter
Harlem Renaissance painter Beauford Delaney was known for his colorful modernist compositions and unique approach to figuration. One of the most important African-American artists of the early 20th century, he often painted portraits of prominent black figures, street scenes, and abstract paintings. Delaney spent a good portion of his career in Greenwich Village, with many […]
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 […]
Penny Arcade’s Village Preservation Oral History – Chronicles of the Queen of Downtown
GVSHP shares our oral history collection with the public, highlighting some of the people and stories that make Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo such unique and vibrant neighborhoods. Each includes the experiences and insights of leaders or long-time participants in the arts, culture, preservation, business, or civic life. “Hi, my name is Susana […]
Former Schools of Greenwich Village and the East Village
Now that school is back in session and summer weather is having its last hurrahs, we’re all either living by the bell or remembering the days when we did. So many schools in our neighborhoods have come and gone over the decades, while others have stuck around. While all these schools served the function of […]
Mae West learned “the best way to behave is to misbehave” in Greenwich Village
Mae West is well known as being one of America’s earliest and biggest Hollywood starlets. But the struggles of her early years trying to make it big in the Big Apple are less well known. Many of those took place in Greenwich Village, to which she often later returned as a star — willingly or […]
The Pyramid Club: New York City’s First Drag Landmark
101 Avenue A is home to the Pyramid Club which became a launching point for pioneering drag superstars like Lady Bunny and RuPaul, setting in motion the contemporary drag movement. The club gave birth to the iconic drag festival, Wigstock, which liberated drag from gritty nightclubs, bringing it into the broad daylight. The Pyramid Club […]
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center — Finally a Landmark
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. We’ve recently had ten new buildings in our area designated landmarks, which also means ten new designation reports rich in history available to pour […]
Immersive Village History in your Pocket: Google Arts & Culture
Sure, our phones might seem to be more curse than blessing sometimes, eating up our time and attention more than we’d like to admit. But of course they have also brought about unbelievable the-future-is-now ways of connecting us all. Google Arts & Culture virtually brings you face to face with some of the most astounding […]
The Stonewall National Monument
On June 27th, 2016, President Obama designated the Stonewall National Monument, the 412th National Park site, and the first U.S. National Monument chosen specifically for its LGBT history. This milestone moment brought national attention to the Village site that transformed LGBT lives forever.
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 […]
St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery’s Pride Ribbon Project
To honor and recognize LGBT Pride Month, each year the St. Marks Church-In-The-Bowery produces an art installation along 2nd Avenue between 10th and 11th Street, the Pride Ribbon Project. The installation will be up through the end of June, and we highly encourage you to come to see this in person and read through and […]
Cole Porter: A Prolific Musical Career Launched in Greenwich Village
Cole Porter was a paradox; a musical genius who truly defined a time in musical history, he was at once a privileged sybarite and a bohemian provocateur all at the same time. Porter also lived a contradictory lifestyle. He was gay, and yet he remained devoted to his wife until her death in 1954. It […]
East Village Building Blocks Tour: the LGBTQ East Village
While the neighboring West Village may have the more well-known sites, the East Village contains a rich assortment of places connected to LGBTQ history, including the homes of noted artists, writers, musicians, and activists. It also holds a vast array of performance venues and gathering spaces that attracted and helped launch the careers of many […]
Viewers Choice: Top 5 Village Preservation Program Videos of 2018
Each year, Village Preservation hosts more than sixty public programs. They cover our neighborhoods from the western edge of Greenwich Village to the easternmost reaches of the East Village. Topics cover a diverse range of areas including rock and roll, restoring artists’ studios, terracotta mosaics in the subways, street photography, women’s poetry, and so much […]
A Tale of Two Crises: Thomas Paine and Marie Du Mont
On December 19, 1776, Thomas Paine published The American Crisis, a series of pamphlets that helped fan the flames of American patriotism to inspire the American troops and public during the long, arduous years of the Revolutionary War. In a previous blog post, we discussed Paine, his legacy, and how he spent his final years […]
“An Intimate and Unconventional Space:” Caffe Cino
Caffe Cino at 31 Cornelia Street was a community, a haven, the birthplace of countless theatrical careers and movements, and the origin of off-off-Broadway theater. In November 2017, Caffe Cino was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which is a great symbolic honor for the Caffe, which opened in 1958 and closed its […]
Gay Activist Alliance Headquarters Bombed
On October 15, 1974, the Gay Activist Alliance Firehouse, located in SoHo at 99 Wooster Street, was bombed.
Coming Out, and Going Out, in the Village
October 11th is National Coming Out Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness and visibility of the LGBT community through the process of “coming out,” or identifying one’s LGBT identity to friends, family, and others. In the Village, what better way to live loud and live proud than to frequent some of the establishments that […]
Beyond the Village and Back: Assyrian Revival on West 30th Street
In 2001, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated 130 West 30th Street as a Landmark. Designed by the preeminent architect Cass Gilbert in 1927–28, the building was built to accommodate offices, showrooms and manufacturing space for the fur industry.
Beyond the Village and Back: “Becoming Visible” and The Legacy of Stonewall at the NYPL
Our Beyond the Village and Back series takes a look at great landmarks in New York City outside of our neighborhoods, finding the sometimes hidden connection to the Village. Today we take a slightly unorthodox approach of looking back at a groundbreaking exhibit which took place on June 18, 1994 at one of our city’s most beloved […]
Bea Arthur Residence: 2018 Regina Kellerman Award Winner
The Bea Arthur Residence for homeless LGBT youth, named for “Golden Girl” Bea Arthur, was born of a partnership between the Cooper Square Committee and the Ali Forney Center. This incredible community-building project and beautiful historic building renovation is also GVSHP’s 2018 Regina Kellerman Award Village Awardee.
Announcing the 2018 Village Awardees
Over the past 28 years, GVSHP has honored the unique and outstanding people, organizations, places, and business that make the Village what it is with our Village Awards. You can RSVP to this year’s June 6th Awards Ceremony here. This year we will be honoring an amazing group of awardees, each with an incredible story:
Mapping Civil Rights and Social Justice — A Year Later
On January 3, 2017, GVSHP launched our Civil Rights and Social Justice Map. Something in the air told us there might be a hunger and need for this kind of information. But even we would not have guessed that the map would receive over 70,000 views in that time, with its praises sung in BrickUnderground, […]
Julius’ Bar, an LGBT Landmark
On December 5, 2012, GVSHP asked the New York State Office of Historic Preservation to find Julius’ Bar (a Village Award winner) eligible for the State and National Registers of Historic Places based upon research and documentation we provided (click HERE to see the letter), citing its critically important place not just in New York […]
The Legacy of the Stonewall Riots
The infamous raid on the Stonewall Inn occurred at 3am on June 28th, 1969, and was followed by five nights of ongoing protests. These events came to be known as the Stonewall Riots or Uprising, which is considered to be a major turning point in the gay rights movement, or in many ways the birth of […]
The Church of the Village: Remembering Injustice Against Gay Clergy Event
On Wednesday, June 21st, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation attended a plaque unveiling at the Church of the Village to honor former gay clergymen. Reverends Clarence Edward Egan and Paul Abels were both pastors in the Village, very active in the neighborhood, and firmly rooted in fighting for civil rights and social justice. […]
LGBT History in All Corners: NoHo
June is Pride Month, an especially exciting time in our neighborhoods. LGBT history is closely tied with the Village and environs, and this month we’re highlighting the LGBT history of the West Village, East Village, South Village, and NoHo. Many of these sites can be found on our GVSHP Civil Rights and Social Justice Map, and we […]
LGBT History in All Corners of the Village: East Village
This is the latest post in our Pride Month series, read the first on the West Village here. June is Pride Month, which makes it especially exciting time to be in the Village. LGBT history is closely tied with our neighborhoods, and throughout the course of this month we’ll be highlighting the LGBT history of […]
LGBT History in All Corners of the Village: The West Village
June is Pride Month, which makes it an especially exciting time to be in the Village. LGBT history is closely tied with the Village and its environs, and throughout the course of this month we’re focusing on four areas of our neighborhood — the West Village, East Village, South Village, and NoHo — to highlight […]
Historic Court Decision Had Roots in Village House
The historic 2017 federal court decision that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people are protected from employment discrimination under the civil rights act has deep roots in a house in the South Village at 186 Spring Street — a hotbed of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) civil rights activity in the post-Stonewall era. In fact, […]
Ana Maria Simo – Lesbian Avenger in the East Village
Here at GVSHP, we’re always singing the praises of the avant-garde, innovative, inspiring women of Greenwich Village, East Village and NoHo. But since March is Women’s History Month, we’ve got a great reason to shine an even brighter spotlight on the legacy of our lady neighbors. Today, let’s talk about playwright, essayist, and activist Ana Maria […]
Black History Month in the Village: African-American & LGBT Historic Sites
February is Black History Month. We here at GVSHP are celebrating it by highlighting different sites of significance to the African-American community within our neighborhoods. We’re focusing on sites found on our new Civil Rights & Social Justice Map, discussing their connections to African-American History and the Civil Rights Movement.
LGBT History: Not Just West Village Bars
Here at GVSHP we are excited about our recently launched Village Civil Rights & Social Justice Map. With our upcoming LGBT history bar crawl at the end of the month (you can sign up for the program here), we thought we would discuss some sites on the map beyond the West Village and its bars […]