So Much To Be Thankful For In 2024!
Village Preservation has a lot to be thankful for this year. We often embark on yearslong campaigns to research and document history and to advocate for historic preservation. Today we look at some of the reasons we are thankful this Thanksgiving week of 2024:
Landmarking of 50 West 13th
This 1846 row house has an amazing history. From 1858 to 1884, it was home to Jacob Day, one of New York’s most wealthy and successful 19th-century African American businessmen and a crusader for African American civil rights. Noted suffragist, educator, and civil rights leader Sarah Smith Tompkins Garnet lived here for at least eight years, from 1866 to 1874.
Beginning in 1972 it was the home of the 13th Street Repertory Company, one of New York’s oldest Off-Off Broadway theaters. The theater, and several that occupied the space before it, hosted decades of prominent actors, directors, artists, designers, and playwrights, as well as Off-Off Broadway’s longest-running show ever, Line.
Our Supporters!
Village Preservation has a large, active base of thousands of members, along with tens of thousands more who sign letters, attend rallies, volunteer, attend programs, or are otherwise involved! Everything the organization accomplishes is because of your support. About 80% of our annual budget is funded by the individual donations of our members. If you are a member, THANK YOU! And if you are not yet a member, please join today! In addition to supporting the work of the organization, members gain early registration to our free programs as well as access to exclusive programming and events.
Community Partners
We can’t do it alone! Many organizational partners and elected officials are involved in our community advocacy efforts. Current campaigns include:
New York Eye and Ear Infirmary
The historic New York Eye and Ear Infirmary at East 13th Street and Second Avenue is in grave danger of being lost forever.
We thank our passionate partners including The Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary Alumni Association, Council Member Carlina Rivera, East Village Community Coalition, Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, and many more. Write the Mayor and City Officials here to take action on this issue.
Tony Dapolito Recreation Center
We thank the New York Landmarks Conservancy, Historic Districts Council, Save Harlem Now!, and many others who oppose the demolition. Click here to tell Mayor Adams and other elected officials to preserve this important property.
South of Union Square
The blocks south of Union Square are rich in the history of civil rights, labor, literature, and the arts, as well as striking architecture. We are continuing to advocate for the protection of this area that remains at risk of demolition.
We thank the hundreds of organizations, elected officials, and individuals who have signed letters of support including, for example, the Preservation League of NYS, the Anais Nin Trust, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the NAACP, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and many more. Take action and write to elected officials here!
Our Programming Partners
We are also thankful to the countless community partners we work with to produce educational programming including (but definitely not limited to!):
The New School, with whom we have partnered to present a special installation celebrating the centennial of the birth of renowned writer and activist James Baldwin
Pi Gardiner, longtime Executive Director of the Merchants House Museum, recently sat with us for an oral history. Access it here.
The Salmagundi Club, with whom we have partnered on many programs, including this one on the 150th anniversary of the club and its future, and our upcoming members holiday party.
And many, many more! For a full list of donors and programming partners, please read our 2023-24 Annual Report or most recent newsletter.