Greenwich Village’s Oldest Church — Originally “in the field”
On October 22, 1820, a group of Greenwich Village residents gathered at the home of Catherine Ritter.
Business of the Month: Music Inn, 169 West 4th 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, … Continued
Archive Exploration Made Easy On Our New Website
Archiving is one of the many ways that Village Preservation ensures the preservation of our neighborhoods. By keeping records and files of images, stories, and the processes of preservation since … Continued
The De Vinne Press Building: “A Tour-de-force of Bricklaying” at 393-399 Lafayette Street
Not everyone knows its name or its history, but few have passed the incredibly impressive red brick building at the northeast corner of Lafayette Street and East 4th Street and … Continued
First SoHo-NoHo Upzoning+Rezoning Public Meeting Next Monday, October 26, 6-8pm Sign Up To Speak TODAY!
The first public meeting on the city’s proposal to rezone and upzone SoHo and NoHo will be next Monday from 6-8 pm. This will be the first time further details … Continued
Translation and Transformation: Carl Jung, Beatrice Hinkle, and Greenwich Village Bohemia
Carl Jung (1875-1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist whose ideas about the human unconscious had a profound effect on literature, art, and philosophy. While he was a longtime corresponder and collaborator … Continued
From our Director: Village Preservation and VillagePreservation.org
Dear friend, Over the last year and a half, we’ve gone through a transformation. Our new name is Village Preservation, and in June we launched our new website: VillagePreservation.org. Both … Continued
Advocacy Made Easy On Our New Website
Advocacy through preservation leadership is one of Village Preservation’s most important functions. You can be a part of that by attending hearings in person or virtually, and sending emails through … Continued
Greenwich Village’s Italian Benevolent Hospital Cared For Thousands, Was Cared For By Operatic Superstar
The closure of St. Vincent’s Hospital in 2010, Greenwich Village’s one full-service hospital, was and remains the subject of considerable grief and dismay. But St. Vincent’s wasn’t the first Greenwich … Continued
New Historic Images Added to Archive From Landmarks Applications –Ninth Avenue El demo, and Pre-PS 41
We’ve just added over a dozen wonderful new images to our historic image archive culled from recent landmarks applications in our neighborhoods. Some highlights include the old Ninth Avenue Elevated … Continued
Sign Up Now For Fall Continuing Education Classes
Village Preservation’s highly acclaimed continuing education classes are available online this Fall! Sign up now to reserve a spot: whether you’re a real estate professional seeking required NYS continuing education … Continued
Horror Takes The Village! The Movies and Monsters That Roam The Streets of Our Neighborhoods
Some of the most iconic films in history have used New York City as its backdrop. Sweeping dramas, gut-busting comedies, and action/adventure movies have swung through the streets dozens of … Continued
Victory!: 3 St. Marks Place Air Rights Transfer Defeated
We are thrilled to report that today the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee voted down the application by a developer seeking to transfer air rights from the landmarked house at 4 … Continued
New Podcast for LGBT History Month
October is LGBT History Month, and we’ve got a great new episode of our Off the Grid podcast on our Soundcloud page to help celebrate. Explore some of the many … Continued
Adaptive Reuse and Two Centuries of History on Glorious Display at 632 on Hudson
There are very few welcome surprises that have come along in the past months of this pandemic. But Village Preservation’s Spring House Tour Benefit, a much beloved annual event that … Continued
Throwback Thursday, For Fans of Old Photos
Do you love old photos like we do? It’s fascinating to see the changing and remaining face of our neighborhoods over the years and decades. Village Preservation is fortunate to … Continued
The Legacy of Italian-American Entertainment Venues in the South Village
In 2007, Village Preservation published “The Italians of the South Village” by Mary Elizabeth Brown, Ph.D. The report is exhaustive and highlights buildings, people, and dynamic histories of a long-storied … Continued
The Voice of Italian Anti-Fascism at 80 Fourth Avenue
Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century, the neighborhood south of Union Square was a hub for leftist and labor organizing.
Plan To Upzone and Rezone SoHo and NoHo Announced
Details Are Scarce, But Indications Raise Big Concerns and Conflicts of Interest; Local Elected Officials, Citywide Candidates, and Real Estate Interests Back Move In a surprise move this Wednesday, Mayor de Blasio … Continued
New Addition to Our Historic Image Archive Gives Intimate View of Greenwich Village and NYC in the 1940s and 50s
We recently added a new collection, the Jean Polacheck Collection, to our historic image archive. This collection dates largely from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, and includes scenes of Washington … Continued
400 Years of Hispanic History in Our Neighborhoods
Over 2.4 million New Yorkers, or nearly one-third of its population, identify as Hispanic or Latino, including myself. National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) is one of many occasions … Continued
Beyond the Village and Back: The Aguilar Free Circulating Library
The impressive Aguilar Branch of the New York Public Library, originally known as the Aguilar Free Circulating Library, stands at 110th Street in East Harlem, between Lexington and Third Avenues.
49-51 Fifth Avenue: Trailblazing History Behind a Genteel Facade
One of my favorite things about our neighborhoods is the history that is under our feet and to our side and yet unknown. Case in point is 49-51 Fifth Avenue. … Continued
Welcome to the New Village Preservation Website
Our new website, VillagePreservation.org, has all the information and resources you expect from our old website, and more, but in a simpler, clearer, easier to use format, allowing you to get the … Continued
Jesús Colón Writes and Fights for Puerto Rican New Yorkers
The progressive mutual-benefit organization the International Workers Order (IWO) was located at 80 Fifth Avenue.
Hats Off To Fawzy Abdelwahed, Co-Owner of B&H Dairy!
Today we salute Fawzy Abdelwahed (born September 28, 1973), who, along with his wife Ola, owns and runs the much beloved East Village restaurant, B&H Dairy. Fawzy’s is a true … Continued
NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer Comes Out In Support of SoHo/NoHo Upzoning, Saying They’re “Critical” In Neighborhoods Like SoHo
NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer has recently weighed into the debate about upzoning SoHo and NoHo, expressing his unequivocal support for a change which would allow larger development in these neighborhoods, where current rules … Continued
New Map Shows Most Buildings in NYC ca. 1940
It’s no secret that we are big fans of the New York City Municipal Archives digital collection of all 720,000 of its tax photos of most building in New York … Continued
The Pathfinder Mural: Public Political Art in the Far West Village
“The pathfinder mural is a historic political and artistic landmark now nearing completion on a six-story wall of Pathfinder publishing house in New York’s Greenwich Village. The centerpiece of the … Continued
Veniero’s: An East Village Cornerstone Since 1894
On September 23, 1894, one of the East Village’s longest-running businesses, Veniero’s Pasticceria, opened its doors. This venerable local institution has been serving confections, cakes, and pastries to New Yorkers … Continued
Hearing for St. Marks Office Tower Air Rights Transfer This Thursday
The final public hearing on the application to allow an air rights transfer to increase the allowable size of a planned office tower at 3 St. Mark’s Place (3rd Avenue) by 20% … Continued
Old P.S. 64 on the L.E.S. — Immigrant School Innovator and Latinx Culture Leader
Village Preservation has partnered with Urban Archive to explore the history of the former P.S. 64/Charas-El Bohio Cultural Center in their Story of a Building campaign. The former P.S. 64 … Continued
Beyond the Village and Back: The ‘Marble Palace’ A.T. Stewart Store at 280 Broadway
The A.T. Stewart Store, now better known as the Sun Building, was built in 1845-46 by New York architects Joseph Trench and John B. Snook for the prosperous and pioneering merchant Alexander Turney Stewart (October 12, 1803 – April 10, 1876). This magnificent Italian Renaissance “Marble Palace” at 280 Broadway, designated an NYC individual landmark on October 7, 1986, is one of Manhattan’s most significant 19th century structures.
Beyond the Village and Back: Bowne House in Flushing, Queens — Birthplace of Religious Freedom in America
One of New York’s most historic but least known landmarks is the Bowne House, built ca. 1661 at 37-01 Bowne Street in Flushing, Queens. The two-and-a-half story wood house is the oldest building in the Borough of Queens and one of the oldest in New York City.
Is NYC Government Still Trump’s Apprentice?
The Trump SoHo was approved for construction by the City on May 8, 2007, over the objections of dozens of elected officials and a broad coalition of community and business … Continued
Welcome Aboard, Lena Rubin
Today we welcome aboard Lena Rubin as our Programs and Administrative Assistant. Lena has been interning with Village Preservation since June of 2020. In this role she has helped to … Continued
A Tour of Jewish Historic Sites South of Union Square
The area south of Union Square is the center of an amazing and dynamic collection of histories.
Cemeteries of The East Village, Part III
Continuing our Cemeteries of the Village series, today we look at two historic cemeteries that predate the modern street grid: The St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery Vaults and the nearby but long … Continued
A Local Firehouse With Two Seminal Connections to 9-11
A two-story firehouse stands in the middle of the rich historic neighborhood south of Union Square.
Business of the Month: Barnyard Cheese, Meats and Fine Foods, 168 Avenue B
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, … Continued
Perry Street and the Battle of Lake Erie
Quiet, reserved Perry Street has been home to some very not-quiet and reserved types over the years, including Frank Serpico, Margaret Mead, James Agee, Margaret Sanger, and Dawn Powell. Appropriately … Continued
Village Preservation’s New 2019-2020 Annual Report Available
Our latest Annual Report is available, looking back at the organization’s work from the end of last summer to now. It’s been a tumultuous year, with adjustments made, events canceled, battles fought … Continued
New Evidence of 19th Century African American Life in Our Neighborhoods
You never know what you may find when doing historic research in our neighborhoods, and it often raises more questions than it answers. I was recently looking into the history … Continued
Make Sure Our Voices Are Heard: Census+Vote
Responding to the census and participating in the upcoming national elections are critical to ensuring our communities are represented, our voices heard, and our democracy maintained. However, doing each is a … Continued
Cemeteries of Greenwich Village, Part II
Archeologist Elizabeth D. Meade, PhD has created an amazing map of the hundreds of cemeteries and burial grounds, past and present, in NYC. Over 35 such sites can be found … Continued
As Fifth Avenue Nears 200, A Look Back at How & Where It All Began, and Celebrated 100
Fifth Avenue, one of New York’s defining thoroughfares, stretches from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, kicked off (or terminated, depending upon your perspective) by Washington Square Arch. It stretches … Continued
There’s a Buzz About Urban Beekeeping
We at Village Preservation keep tabs on all different types of preservation, including environmental sustainability. So we’ve been really interested to learn about the expanding opportunities in our neighborhoods for … Continued
Cemeteries of the East Village, Part I
Archeologist Elizabeth D. Meade, PhD has created an amazing map of the hundreds of cemeteries and burial grounds, past and present, in NYC. Over 35 such sites can be found … Continued
The New Deal is Still Living
The subject of how much government can and should invest in infrastructure and public works is a hot topic of debate, especially now. Such conversations often point back to the … Continued
“Where is the artist rich enough to rent a studio in Greenwich Village?”, they asked in 1921
Does this question sound familiar? Studios in Greenwich Village now often rent for at least $2,000 and up per month, meaning an artist would need an annual salary of $80,000 … Continued
Seized During the Red Scare, This Lefty Archive from Our Neighborhood Is Now Available Online
80 Fifth Avenue at 14th Street is a building with an incredibly rich civil rights and social justice history, about which we have done a great deal of research as … Continued
The Modern Roller Skate, and Men Fighting for Women’s Suffrage — Introduced at the Same East Village Locale
The East Village is renowned as a place of great cultural innovation over the years. But two of the least well-known great leaps forward with roots in the neighborhood — … Continued
Hey, Hey, It’s the Monkees — on Thompson Street!
This may be a little known fact even for the most dedicated of Monkees fans, but from 1967 to 1969, Monkees lead singer Davy Jones had a ‘mod’ clothing shop … Continued
Celebrating Black-Owned Businesses in Our Neighborhoods
August is Black Business Month. So we’re showcasing some of the many amazing Black-owned businesses in our neighborhood. Like all our great independently-owned businesses, you can patronize all year round … Continued
Why Isn’t This Landmarked?: 112 Fourth Avenue
The five story Italianate style cast-iron loft building at 112 Fourth Avenue was constructed in 1872.
Rose Schneiderman: Making History at the Intersection of Labor and Women’s Suffrage
A remarkable number of people and places in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo played important roles in the move towards women’s suffrage. These neighborhoods were long centers of … Continued
Emma Goldman, “The Most Dangerous Woman in America”
A remarkable number of people and places in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo played important roles in the move towards women’s suffrage. These neighborhoods were long centers of … Continued
Join Us: Support the ‘Save Our Storefronts’ Campaign and Legislation for Small Business Relief
The plight of local small businesses and non-profit institutions right now is devastating. Forced to close or limit access due to the pandemic, many have lost income and shut down permanently. Storefronts … Continued
New Addition to Our Preservation History Archive Sheds Light on Charlton King VanDam Historic District on Its Anniversary
Fifty-four years ago this week, the Charlton King VanDam Historic District was designated, only the fourth historic district ever designated in New York City and the first in Greenwich Village, with one … Continued
Explore Our 19th Amendment Centennial StoryMap
August 18th is the hundredth anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment, which prohibited discrimination in voting in the United States based upon sex. It was the culmination of … Continued
Business of the Month: Namaste Bookshop, 2 W. 14th St.
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, … Continued
The Woman On The White Horse: Inez Milholland and the March for Suffrage
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution was adopted on August 18, 1920, affirming that “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged … Continued
Preserving, Adapting, Reusing: Good for Buildings, Good for Clothing, Good for Small Business
We here at Village Preservation are in the business (so to speak) of trying to help ensure historic buildings are preserved and, when necessary, adapted and reused rather than destroyed. … Continued
Oral History with the King of Carmine Street Custom Guitars, Rick Kelly
Village Preservation 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 … Continued
Mabel Ping-Hua Lee and the Fight for Chinese American and Women’s Rights
On May 4, 1912, ten thousand people marched for women’s suffrage along Fifth Avenue.
The First Global Economic Crisis, and An Easily-Overlooked Greenwich Village House
Today, global economic crises are all too familiar and common. A bad day on Wall Street, or a troubling decision by China or the European Union, can send markets tumbling … Continued
The Hospital for Special Surgery, Born in the East Village
You might be surprised to know that the Hospital for Special Surgery, the oldest existing orthopedic hospital in the United State, and a powerhouse in the world of medicine and … Continued
Director Nicholas Ray Bookends His Career in Greenwich Village
Director Nicholas Ray (August 7th, 1911-June 16, 1979) most noted for his celebrated 1955 film Rebel Without A Cause and a string of celebrated and influential (if not always commercially … Continued
Oral History with the Queen of Cuisine, Mimi Sheraton
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. … Continued
Tony Hiss’ Travels and Recollections from 8th Street
Author Tony Hiss has written 14 books on a wide range of subjects, was a staff writer for the New Yorker for over 30 years, and served on Village Preservation’s … Continued
Hilly’s Bar and Restaurant: It Was No Disco, Nor CBGB
Hilly Kristal is no doubt best known as the owner of CBGB in the East Village. But he actually had his first restaurant and bar in Greenwich Village just a … Continued
Sarah Smith Garnet: Suffragist, Principal, Villager
In the late 1880s, Brooklyn-born Sarah Smith Garnet helped found the Equal Suffrage League, a Brooklyn-based club for Black women, which worked with the Niagara Movement, a predecessor to the … Continued
Spotlight on Small Businesses: La Sirena, 27 East 3rd Street
La Sirena, 27 East 3rd Street A colorful little shop that anyone who has walked on East 3rd Street will recognize is La Sirena. A former Village Preservation Business of … Continued
Fourth Avenue’s “Book Row” Defines an Era
Beginning in the 1890s and lasting for over 80 years, the area between Astor Place and Union Square was a hub of secondhand bookstores.
The Greenwich Village Comedians Who Created A Hollywood Comedy Blockbuster
Greenwich Village is known as the home and birthplace of many a cultural movement — The New York School of Painters and Writers, the modern LGBTQ Civil Rights Movement, many … Continued
From Greenwich Village To The Moon, and Back
These days, with cameras on our phones always at the ready, we give little consideration to a time when picture-taking technology was in its infancy. In the late 1830s, methods … Continued
Renowned Actor Ira Frederick Aldridge Gets His Start at the African Grove Theatre
Ira Frederick Aldridge is today remembered as one of the most renowned actors of the nineteenth century.
Art and Suffrage on 14th Street
Art of Our Century Gallery Celebrates 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage with a contemporary twist A Particular Group of Women at a Particular Place in Time, a solo exhibit of paintings timed … Continued
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 … Continued
Taco Tuesday in Greenwich Village and the East Village
This homesick Texan is always on the lookout for a tasty taco…! And while I may miss my home state on occasion (mostly because I miss the Tex-Mex food!), I … Continued
Welcome Aboard, Joey Rodriguez
Today we welcome aboard Joey Rodriguez in the role of Director of Communications. Joey comes to us from the Flushing YMCA where he served as the Fund Development and Communications … Continued
Where Hip Vintage in NYC Got its Start: Limbo on St. Marks Place
Limbo, the renowned vintage clothing shop on St. Marks Place in the East Village during the late 1960s and early 1970s, was started by Martin (Marty) Freedman in 1965. It … Continued
Echoes of Silence: New American Cinema’s Take On Life in Greenwich Village
In 1965, Village Voice writer Jonas Mekas — founder of the Anthology Film Archive, Village Awardee, and subject of a Village Preservation oral history — wrote: “It is not very … Continued
When the “Most Dangerous Man in America” Tried to Start A Religion and Change the World from Hudson Street
When President Nixon was in trouble, with his aides taped saying they needed an enemy to demonize, they looked to a Harvard Professor and spiritual guru of sorts that had … Continued
Paulo d’Angola: the Former Slave Who Became One of Greenwich Village’s First Landowners
In 1626, Paulo d’Angola arrived to New Amsterdam on the first ship bringing enslaved people to this region.
Exploring our New Image Archive
We are very excited to share our new and improved Historic Image Archive with you! Whether you are an historic researcher or photography buff, our new archive offers endless layers … Continued
The Scopes Monkey Trial and its origins in Greenwich Village, south of Union Square
On July 10, 1925, what would come to be known as the “Scopes Monkey Trial” began in Dayton, Tennessee.
A Little Piece of London, France, and Greece Once Stood in NoHo
726-730 Broadway (aka 418-426 Lafayette Street) is a through-block loft building located in the NoHo Historic District. Not much to look at, what used to be here is infinitely more … Continued
Small Business EVERY-Day: Mercer Street Books & Records, 206 Mercer Street
Certain times a year like “Small Business Saturday” or “National Small Business Week” we’re encouraged to shop local to promote our independent retailers. That’s nice, but one day or week … Continued
Business of the Month: Echelon Cycles, 51 8th Avenue (Now at 151 West 19th 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, … Continued
Jackson Square Library: An Exquisite Building, and once a church of ‘Exquisite Panic’
Jackson Square Library, one of New York City’s first free circulating libraries, was a gift of George Washington Vanderbilt, III.
Elvis is in the building: July 2, 1956
Greenwich Village and the East Village have launched many a musical career over the decades. But perhaps one of the least known examples of the neighborhoods as musical launching pad … Continued
Gettysburg General Daniel E. Sickles’ Complicated Legacy
Civil War Major General Daniel E. Sickles had one of history’s most contentious, strange, and multifarious biographies.
Celebrating Ice Cream (and small businesses) in our neighborhoods
The July heat can be miserable in the city. How do New Yorkers cool off? By hitting up their favorite independently-owned local ice cream shops. Fortunately National Ice Cream Month … Continued
The First Library for Women, in Greenwich Village
New York City has a rich history of developing a library system, starting with a variety of private charitable ones, several of which became the basis for the New York … Continued
“No Jim Crow in the IWO!”, the rallying cry heard from 80 Fifth Avenue for a quarter century
For nearly a quarter of a century, the International Workers Order fought relentlessly for racial equality.
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 … Continued
“The Bells” – Poe’s Poetry and Ochs’ Folk Music in the Village
Where do folk music and gothic poetry come together? In Greenwich Village, of course! Two beloved but very different figures in the Village’s history are united in a surprising twist … Continued
Greenwich Village Folk Recording Released 58 Years Later by Smithsonian
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings recently released an album by Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton of old-time music produced from archival recordings by two legendary musicians performing live in Greenwich Village. These … Continued
Support Our Mid-Year Appeal
Ten years ago today, we secured landmark designation of 235 buildings on 12 blocks in Greenwich Village, the largest expansion of the Greenwich Village Historic District in its history. It … Continued
