Past Village Awardees: Neighborhood Leaders and Icons
See part one of our “Past Village Awardees” series here
One of Village Preservation’s most beloved traditions is our Annual Meeting and Village Awards, in which we celebrate our achievements of the past year, and honor invaluable local leaders, institutions, businesses, places, and organizations in our neighborhoods. Fondly referred to as the “Oscars of the Village,” these awards showcase the remarkable people and places that have made a significant contribution to the special quality of life in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo.
Submit your nominations for the 2025 Village Awards today! Through March 10th, you can nominate one or more local small businesses, residents, community groups, public spaces, new designs, or restoration by providing your input.
The institutions and people who have received a Village Award run the gamut, representing the true diversity and variety of our neighborhoods. Through the years, we have honored many individuals, whose leadership, creativity, and activism in our neighborhood are remarkable. To inspire your 2025 nominations, we have compiled a list of past individuals who have received Village Awards for their impact on the Village:
2021: Linda Pagan
Linda Pagan is not only the owner of the beloved Hat Shop, but is also a small business advocate and preservationist. She opened The Hat Shop in the South Village/SoHo in 1995, and has been using her creative intuition to help build a community network for local artists and residents ever since.
After opening her shop, Linda quickly became a pillar of the community, co-founding the Thompson Street Business Association, which was instrumental in helping storefronts confront the challenges of 9/11; founding the Milliners Guild as a platform for mutual support among hat-making peers; co-launching SoHo Village NYC, a group that promotes the history of the neighborhood; and helping found Save Our Storefronts, a state-wide group that mobilized in response to the COVID-2019 crisis to secure legislative small business assistance.
COVID proved a challenge for Linda, as it did for most small business owners. When she was served a non-renewal from her landlord, which she didn’t take without a fight, she successfully gained an extension on her lease. Because of her stellar reputation in the neighborhood, Linda quickly found a new spot on Sullivan Street, where her shop remains to this day.
Learn more about the other 2021 award winners here.
2020: George Cominski
George Cominskie is a beloved longtime West Village and Westbeth community activist, having lived in Westbeth since 1983. George was President of the Westbeth Artist Residents Council (WARC) from 1989 to 1992, from 2002 to 2010, and again from 2012 to 2018. Working with WARC and Village Preservation, George helped lead the charge for expanded landmark protections in the Far West Village, including of Westbeth, and to stop inappropriate development in the surrounding neighborhood. George has been a tireless advocate for the residents and artists of Westbeth, and for keeping Westbeth an affordable and well-functioning community.
In addition to his community and Westbeth work, he has been very active with God’s Love We Deliver, AIDS Ride, and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. George jointly organized with Village Preservation the first Westbeth Artists Loft Tour which was a unique opportunity for the public to access the incredible spaces and artwork found at Westbeth.. This tour has been re-envisioned into an annual Open House NY tour in which 2,500 people visit Westbeth over a two-day period. George has also served on an advisory committee of The Whitney Museum of American Art and Pier 55.
Learn more about the other 2020 award winners here.
2019: Hettie Jones
Poet, memoirist, writing teacher, an activist for women’s rights, civil rights, and prisoner’s rights, and a proud mother of two, Hettie Jones was a powerful force in Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side from the 1950s until her recent passing in August 2024. One of the most prominent women of the Beat Generation, she co-founded the literary magazine Yugen with her then-husband, writer Amiri Baraka. Hettie’s memoir, “How I Became Hettie Jones,” vividly describes this artistic whirlwind, her challenges as a wife and mother in a bi-racial family during the Civil Rights Era, tensions with her Jewish family, and the challenge of finding her own way as a poet and writer in a literary scene dominated by men.
In addition to her writing, Hettie worked for years on the staff of the Partisan Review. Jones was previously the Chair of the PEN Prison Writing Committee, and from 1989 to 2002 ran a writing workshop at the New York State Correctional Facility for Women at Bedford Hills, from which she published a nationally distributed collection, Aliens At The Border. From 1994-1996 she was a member of the Literature Panel of the New York State Council on the Arts, and subsequently served two terms on the Board of Directors of Cave Canem.
Learn more about the other 2019 award winners here.
2018: Ralph Lee
This lifelong artist was the father of the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. From the age of seven, he knew he wanted to work in the theatre. At 11 he created his own puppet company, and at 17 he became a set designer. The first Village Halloween Parade in 1974 incorporated over one hundred of Ralph’s masks and giant puppets. Following the twelfth parade in 1985, Lee stepped down from his position as director, stating, “The parade has always been a celebration of the individual imagination in all its infinite variety. It continues to provide a framework for this expression and invites the participation of everyone.”
Ralph was the proud father of many characters, as well as two daughters and a son who collaborated on his bacchanalian celebrations, choreographing dance, and organizing the festival. While the current parade still includes its signature large puppets, it now includes more than 50 bands and commercial floats.
Learn more about the other 2018 award winners here.
Inspired by the stories of these past Village Awardees? Submit a nomination for your favorite local leaders today!