Strolling through Father Demo Square at 6th Avenue and Carmine and Bleecker Streets, one might naturally assume that the name of the park has something to do with the neighboring Our Lady of Pompei Church, whose bell tower rises over the west end of the plaza. That assumption is correct, but who really was Father […]
Today we celebrate the birthday of tortured but beloved poet and writer Edgar Allan Poe. Born in Boston in 1809, and long associated with Baltimore, Poe called New York City home on several occasions during his lifetime. Of particular interest to GVSHP was the time the poet and author spent in the Village.
The final performance of the off-Broadway hit The Fantasticks took place at the Sullivan Street Playhouse at 181 Sullivan Street in the South Village on January 13, 2002. That marked the end of a remarkable 42-year run of the show – making it the longest-running musical ever. Unfortunately, the closing of the show and playhouse would also […]
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, […]
Talk about 6 degrees of separation! A half- painted over, fading ghost sign (old hand painted advertisement) on a wall of a tenement building at 620 East 6th Street has more random connections than Kevin Bacon. If you’re curious to find out how an old ad on a wall on East 6th Street is connected to “The […]
It was big news last year that Anderson Cooper purchased the historic firehouse at 84 West 3rd Street in the South Village with intentions to turn the building into a private home. The sale came in the midst of GVSHP’s campaign to gain landmark protections for the building (the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission refused to […]
At 2 AM this morning, a beautiful South Village building caught fire, resulting in a three-alarm fire that injured 10 firefighters and 1 civilian woman, sending all to the hospital. It took 140 firefighters over two hours to get the fire, which started in the basement and made its way all the way up the […]
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 […]
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 know that you all know it’s Bastille Day, but did you know that the South Village once had a large and lively French community? The 1880 U.S. census showed that a large number of French immigrants were, at this time, living on the streets south of Washington Square and as far east as Broadway. […]
On Saturday, at the age of 69, Clarence Clemons, aka the Big Man, passed away in Palm Beach, Florida. Known best for his role as the unbelievably talented saxophonist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Clemons’ passing has brought sadness to so many.
Over the many years GVSHP has presented the Village Awards, awardees have often been praised for their longevity. Though in rare cases, a newly established organization or business will stand out as a worthy recipient. Such is the case for the Le Poisson Rouge, which opened in 2008 and is thus a relative newcomer […]
This is an updated version of a post from 2011. The Washington Square Ghost! That’s right folks, we’re talking about Ghostbusters! Today marks the anniversary of the release of the classic film, which spawned a sequel, two animated television series, and a 2016 reboot. When released, the film was the most successful comedy in film […]
When former South Village resident Josette Lee emailed GVSHP a picture of her Dad from the 1970’s standing in front of two pushcarts located on Bleecker Street, we became as curious as she was about when exactly such carts disappeared from the South Village.
On May 24, 1941 a baby named Robert Allen Zimmerman was born in Duluth, Minnesota. Twenty years later, going by Bob Dylan in homage to one of his influences Dylan Thomas, he arrived in Greenwich Village in hopes of meeting his hero Woodie Guthrie. Within four months Bob Dylan had booked his first professional gig […]
On May 7, 2011, at the age of 72, Doric Wilson passed away, bestowing immense sadness on the Village and beyond. Doric was a rare gem who wore many hats, tipping them successfully with each role he played. One of the original pioneers of Off-Off-Broadway, Mr. Wilson was a playwright, director, producer, designer, critic, and […]
Much fuss has been made of the news that the adjacent “sister” houses at 18 & 20 Jones Street are both currently on the market. We’re curious to see if these beautiful Greek Revival homes will be swooped up together, or sold off separately. Only one thing is for sure (big sigh of relief): They’ll […]
This Sunday at 1:00pm, GVSHP will be holding a rally to urge the Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate the remainder of the South Village Historic District. We hope you will join us! Details can be found here. The crowd will convene in front of the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) on Sullivan Street between Bleecker and […]
