October Programs: Building Community in our Neighborhoods
At Village Preservation, our tours, lectures, book talks, exhibitions, and other public programs explore and celebrate preservation, history and culture. Beyond sharing vital information from the past and present about Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, our programs bring together community members from various walks of life to connect and learn from one another. Whether it is participants sharing their favorite memories of concerts at the Fillmore East on our East Village Rock Tour, or gathering at a local school to learn about historical figures who helped shape our community, such as Sarah Curry who founded the Little Missionary Day School, our programs provide the vital service of connecting you with your community and its history.
Today, we’re going to share some of our upcoming programming so that you can plan your calendar around some of these exciting events. October brings a number of collaborations to the fore with organizations like the Salmagundi Club, Merchant’s House Museum, New York Public Library, and the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS).
Plaque Unveiling: Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs’ Former East Village Residence
Gather with us at the the former residence of Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs on Thursday, October 6 at 5:30pm, as Village Preservation reveals a plaque commemorating this historic site. We’ll gather outside 204-206 East 7th Street (Avenues B/C) for the unveiling and to hear from experts about these two giants in literary and local history.
Allen Ginsberg and Willam S. Burroughs lived here early in their career. The two, along with occasional visitor Jack Kerouac, formed the nucleus of the Beat writers, an incredibly influential post-war countercultural movement. We will hear excerpts from their work and a discussion of the importance of the Beat Generation and of these authors’ early work; speakers will include Bob Holman, Bob Rosenthal, and Regina Weinreich.
More details and updates to come. Register today to secure free spot today!
Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America’s Ghosts
Join Village Preservation for a broadcast of a book talk from co-authors Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes for a paranormal expert storytelling event! This broadcast is taken from a book talk held in September at the Salmagundi Club in Greenwich Village. The broadcast will be followed with a live Q&A opportunity with co-author Andrea Janes. Register today for this exciting web broadcast on Wednesday, October 5 at 6:00pm ET.
Leanna and Andrea – hosts of New York’s ghostly walking tours outfit Boroughs of the Dead – are co-authors of A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: True Stories of America’s Ghosts (on-sale September 27, 2022). A Haunted History of Invisible Women…is an offbeat history of female ghosts, the stereotypes, myths, and paranormal tales that swirl around them, what their stories reveal about us, and why they haunt us.
For Village Preservation members at the Sustainer Level ($250+) and above, there is a special opportunity to attend the taping of this event at the Salmagundi Club on Wednesday, September 28th. There are a few seats left, and registration closes on Friday, September 23rd. Register today by emailing Leeanne G-Bowley for a seat. Please note, your registration is secured only upon receipt of a confirmation email. All attendees will receive a copy of the book.
Both these programs are co-sponsored by the Merchant’s House Museum, a great community partner that we are excited for our participants to get to know alongside Village Preservation and the authors of this wonderful book.
Book Talk – A Walk Down Fifth Avenue
On Tuesday, October 18th, Village Preservation will host author Bill Hennessey for a book talk all about Fifth Avenue below 14th Street. Held at one of our community partners, the historic Salmagundi Club, this book talk will be followed by an opportunity to buy the book and have it signed by the author. Register today for this free, in-person event.
Bill Hennessey’s Fifth Avenue: From Washington Square to Marcus Garvey Park presents an in-depth exploration of architecture along one of the world’s most iconic streets: New York City’s fabled Fifth Avenue. Through six fact-filled walking tours, this accessible illustrated guide takes readers along the entire length of Fifth Avenue, studying its architecture block by block, building by building, offering the chance to discover exceptional and unusual structures across Greenwich Village, Midtown, the Upper East Side, and Harlem. This talk will focus on the tour of Greenwich Village.
Heavily illustrated with more than 300 images and practical graphic maps that mark the stops along each route, Fifth Avenue spotlights hundreds of buildings, from familiar tourist destinations to lesser-known gems. Each of the walks offers a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of architectural styles, from the Beaux-Arts mansions of the turn of the twentieth century to the striking contemporary structures.Highlights also include works by distinguished architects such as Richard Morris Hunt, Stanford White, and Frank Lloyd Wright and contemporary leaders like Rem Koolhaas and Bjarke Ingels.
This in-person event will provide community members a free opportunity to gather at a historical building to discuss our neighborhoods rich architectural history. With opportunities to network with one another and purchase a book to be signed by the author, this event will continue to help build our community connections with one another and the built space that surrounds us each day.
Censorship, Socialism, and Synagogues – The Rich Legacy of Jewish History South of Union Square
Any opportunity to hear our executive director, Andrew Berman, speak is relished by our membership and the greater community. It’s even better when you get to visit another important organization fighting to preserve and share American History from our communities. Join us on Wednesday, October 26 from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011) for this exciting, free program.
Established in 1892, the mission of the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) is to foster awareness and appreciation of American Jewish heritage and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials relating to American Jewish history. At their home on West 16th street in downtown Manhattan, AJHS illuminates American Jewish history through our many archival treasures, scholarship, exhibitions, and public programs.
We are excited to partner on this particular program Censorship, Socialism, and Synagogues – The Rich Legacy of Jewish History South of Union Square, where Andrew will as we explore the incredibly rich and varied Jewish history of Greenwich Village and the East Village South of Union Square — from censorship battles to socialist agitators, and synagogues galore, including the former home of one of the country’s first reform congregations, which would build what was the world’s largest synagogue. The program will also discuss efforts to seek landmark designation for this historic, endangered area, which has played such a crucial role in not only Jewish but African American, LGBTQ+, women’s, labor, literary and artistic history. Register for free today on AJHS’ website.
Before Salmagundi: The Evolution of a Fifth Ave Mansion
We’ll return to the Salmagundi Club to learn more about the history of the building where it is housed. On Thursday, October 20, 2022 from 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM, architectural historian and Salmagundi club member Anthony Bellov charts its fascinating transformation over the years using evidence hiding in plain sight, when you know where to look. Now the oldest surviving mansion on iconic Fifth Avenue and a revered NYC Landmark, this extraordinary building’s fascinating transformation over the years using evidence hiding in plain sight, when you know where to look. Built in 1853 for the wealthy Hawley Family, elegant 47 Fifth Avenue had already been a residence for 64 years when the Salmagundi Club bought it in 1917 and remodeled it as their private clubhouse.
This program includes opportunities to meet your fellow community members in the parlor of the Salmagundi Club, followed by the presentation at 6:30pm. You may not know, but members of the Salmagundi club have access to fine dining in the building. As an attendee, you can choose to make a reservation and grab dinner with fellow participants in this exclusive setting. Please note that dinner is not included in this event and requires separate reservations and a la carte payment.
Register directly on the Salmagundi Club’s website, it’s free to attend the event and is sure to build our knowledge about the neighborhood as we also gather in-person to learn from one another and meet like-minded residents and visitors to Greenwich Village.
Music + Revolution: Greenwich Village in the 1960s
On Thursday, October 27th join Village Preservation at the newly renovated and reopened Jefferson Market Library for a discussion of the revolutionary role of music in our community in the 1960s.
Recording artist, performer, producer, professor, and author Richard Barone will lead a discussion of his new book Music + Revolution: Greenwich Village in the 1960s. Joining Richard will be musician Terre Roche of the Roches, Steve Addabbo, authors and historians Stephen Petrus and Mitchell Cohen, and more. This exciting, free, in-person program will be first come, first serve and you can find additional details on the library’s website. Mark your calendar and join us for this exciting event.
A key part of New York City “coming back” after the pandemic is building back our communities’ opportunities to gather, collaborate, learn from one another, and build the bonds that make strong communities. Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo have been standard bearers throughout history for community engagement and activisim. Whether it is through an in-person event, a virtual event, or an important commoration of history like our plaque unveilings, we are happy to play our role in this work by offering a robust slate of programs for free throughout our neighborhoods.