Spot the Shot – Revealed!

This week’s Spot the Shot comes from…

…inside the gorgeous 1853 rowhouse that currently houses the Salmagundi Club. Followers of GVSHP may have attended one of our many recent programs held in this spectacular early mansion, or visited us prior to 1999, when our offices were located in the building’s attic!

No. 47 Fifth Avenue is quite unique, as it is the only surviving mansion of dozens that once lined this portion of Fifth Avenue; all others have since been replaced with apartment buildings. It was designated an individual landmark in 1969 – the same year the surrounding neighborhood was designated the Greenwich Village Historic District.

Now, as historic researchers we love when buildings are designated individual landmarks, because it makes our job so much easier! It means that, at the time of designation, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) would have written an extensive report detailing the entire history of the building (as opposed to when the building is part of a historic district, in which case the description in the designation report will be far more brief).

Because the Salmagundi Club was one of the earliest landmark designations (the LPC was created in 1965, only four years prior), its designation report is relatively short. Today, designation reports for individual landmarks can be upwards of 50 pages long!

To access the designation reports for this and other landmarks in the West Village, East Village, NoHo and the Meatpacking District, visit our website, click Resources, then Historic District and Individual Landmark Designation Reports, Maps, and Photos, and then select which you’d like to read.

The Salmagundi Club was also the recipient of a Village Award in 2008. Stay tuned for the announcement of this year’s awardees!