Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation Day Declared!

City Council Member Rosie Mendez recognized the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation in its thirtieth anniversary year by proclaiming December 2, 2010 as Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation Day in New York City. Looking back, we are still quite honored.

You can read the full citation below.

WHEREAS: The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation was founded in 1980 as the Greenwich Village Trust. Over the course of the last thirty years, it has grown from a small, modest organization to one of the most dynamic and successful neighborhood and historic preservation organizations in New York City; and

WHEREAS: The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation began New York City’s first historic preservation education program for children, which now serves more than 1,500 students each year, including many at-risk students from Lower East Side schools;  and

WHEREAS: The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has taken innovative steps to educate the public about the landmarking process and to involve them in the decision-making process attached to it, including the creation of a first-if-its kind in New York City webpage through which all landmark applications requiring a public hearing in the Village, East Village, and NoHo can be seen by the public, with information about how to comment before decisions are made by the Community Board or the Landmarks Preservation Commission; and

WHEREAS: Empowered by a small group of tireless volunteers and interns, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has taken groundbreaking steps to research and document the history of the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, to educate the public about their past and advocate for its protection. It also conducts more than fifty public programs a year about the special architectural and cultural heritage and history of these areas, most of which are free and open to the public; and

WHEREAS: The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has endeavored mightily to enact measures to preserve the scale, character, and history of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, leading to the significant expansion of landmark designations throughout these neighborhoods, as well as zoning changes which help protect neighborhood character; and

WHEREAS: The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has been a leader in organizing and mobilizing residents of the neighborhoods it represents, and those who care about preservation across New York City, to educate them about and involve them in public processes which will profoundly affect the future of their neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS: The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation’s education, research, and preservation efforts help make our communities and New York City as a whole a more livable, culturally rich, and humane place with a strong sense of pride in community; and

BE IT KNOWN: That, in recognition of its 30^th Anniversary and its extraordinary service to our community, Rosie Mendez, Council Member of the 2^nd District, hereby declares this Thursday, December 2^nd in the year Twenty Ten to be:

Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation Day in New York City.