Eight Years Off the Grid
GVSHP launched our blog Off the Grid on February 25, 2011, to share news, research, viewpoints, and historic information about our neighborhoods and beyond. Since then, we have written over 2,000 blog posts (wow!). In honor of our 8th Anniversary, we wanted to look back at our most popular blog post of each year:
2011: When was my building built? and other tricky research questions.
Our most popular post in 2011 helped readers answer some basic research questions. While many new resources have become publicly available since 2011, such as GVSHP’s East Village Building Blocks website, and the 1940s Tax Photos, the basics of this post still apply as the NYC Map and Department of Buildings website are still critical resources for anyone doing research in NYC.
https://gvshp.org/blog/2011/11/14/when-was-my-building-built-and-other-tricky-research-questions/
2012: Is Gay Street Really ‘Gay’?
Spoiler Alert: the answer is no, but it’s a great story.
https://gvshp.org/blog/2012/10/10/is-gay-street-really-gay/
2013: Happy Birthday, Andy Warhol
Our most popular blog post OF ALL TIME, this post looks at the how the Village was not just where the King of Pop (art) lived, but was a huge influence on his career as well.
https://gvshp.org/blog/2013/08/06/happy-birthday-andy-warhol/
2014: Kitty Genovese and the Village
The tragic 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese is still discussed over 50 years later as an example of “bystander effect” or “Genovese Syndrome”. While this theory has largely been discredited in this case, and the murder took place in Queens, this blog looks at both Genovese’s ties to the Village and how the way this case played out in the press tied into the myths and realities of urban life at the time.
https://gvshp.org/blog/2014/03/13/kitty-genovese-and-the-village/
2015: Where did Ross on Friends Live?
Love them or hate them, Friends has been part of the pop culture landscape since 1994. We’ve also broken down some facts and myths about Friends here.
https://gvshp.org/blog/2015/03/26/where-did-ross-on-friends-live/
2016: Tenement House Act of 1901
This popular post discusses how this groundbreaking 1901 legislation changed the lives of NYC residents and real estate development by mandating improvements in living conditions for apartment dwellers. For example, the new law mandated that all rooms have windows, and that each apartment have its own toilet facilities. Another important aspect of the law was its impact on older tenement buildings, as it mandated a series of changes designed to address the dangerous and unsanitary conditions in the older buildings.
https://gvshp.org/blog/2016/04/11/tenement-house-act-of-1901/
2017: The Cornelia Street Cafe: Nearing 40, and in Need of Help
Unfortunately, this post couldn’t prevent the 2018 demise of the Cornelia Street Cafe, a local artist-run cafe and performance space that for over 40 years, served as “a culinary as well as a cultural landmark”. If only there was some sort of legislation in place to help small business owners….
https://gvshp.org/blog/2017/02/02/the-cornelia-street-cafe-almost-40-years-old/
2018: The Greenwich Village Building with a Starring Role in Hitchcock’s Rear Window
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film featured a wheelchair-bound Jimmy Stewart, who through his rear window believes one of his neighbors has committed murder. The location in the film is a fictional 125 West 9th Street.
https://gvshp.org/blog/2018/08/07/the-greenwich-village-building-with-a-starring-role-in-hitchcocks-rear-window/