Continuing Ed Rocks in the East Village
Each Fall and Spring semester, Village Preservation offers a Continuing Education Course for Real Estate Professionals. Designed to fulfill all legal requirements for the compulsory 22.5 hours of continuing ed credits for real estate licensees, the course is also open for the general public to audit at a discounted rate.
Our home base for the course is the Parish Hall of the historic St. Marks Church-in-the-Bowery, one of New York City’s earliest designated landmarks. Highlights of the four-day course, propelled by our great fortune of being located in the heart of the East Village, are two afternoon walking tours — one led by acclaimed tour guide Hank Orenstein, and the other by yours truly!
My colleague Chloe and I will take participants on an architectural history tour, and this year, we’re adding a special twist: all of the sites will be connected to the history of rock ‘n’ roll in the neighborhood (and, I mean, the East Village is about as punk rock as it gets!).
To entice you to join us, here is just a taste of what we’ll get to experience in person:
CBGB
The “undisputed birthplace of punk,” no tour of the history of music in the East Village would be complete without a visit to the site of CBGB.
The legendary club was housed in two Old Law tenements constructed in 1878. Later altered in 1934 by architects Scacchetti & Siegel, the interior was combined, resulting in the four-story, four-bay lodging house with a yellow brick Art Deco facade that stands today.
A music venue was originally established here in 1969 by Hilly Kristal as “Hilly’s.” By 1973, he changed the name to CBGB & OMFUG, which stood for “Country, Bluegrass, Blues, and Other Music for Uplifting Gourmandizers.” For the next 33 years, CBGB was a progenitor of punk rock, launching the careers of acts like The Ramones, Talking Heads, The Police, and Blondie.
To the dismay of many, the club closed its doors in 2006. The final performance at CBGB was by Patti Smith, closing out with her ballad, “Elegie.”
Fillmore East
A few blocks north on Second Avenue is a building that was originally constructed as the Commodore Theater, a Yiddish theater, in 1925-26. By 1963, it had transformed into a venue called the Village Theatre, hosting performances by the likes of The Who, Richie Havens, Blues Project, the Yardbirds, Cream, and the Grateful Dead.
From 1968-71 it housed the Fillmore East, created by rock impresario Bill Graham, who also ran the Fillmore West in his hometown of San Francisco. This venue drew countless rock, folk, jazz, and blues stars, including Chuck Berry, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, the Fugs, Van Morrison, Joan Baez, Donovan, the Allman Brothers Band, Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, and Miles Davis, as well as multi-genre performers of the day like Lenny Bruce and Timothy Leary.
The building also has a fascinating history as a venue for political activism and LGBTQ+ advocacy. In 2014, Village Preservation installed a plaque to commemorate the Fillmore East.
Trash & Vaudeville
A 2024 Village Award winner, Trash & Vaudeville has been dressing punk rockers for decades. Located at 96 East 7th Street since 2016, the store first opened at 4 St. Mark’s Place in 1975, during a time when punk was just emerging as a subculture and aesthetic in the neighborhood.
Founded by Ray Goodman, a man whose name became synonymous with the store itself, Trash & Vaudeville quickly became more than just a retail space — it was a sanctuary for those who lived and breathed rock ‘n’ roll. Prominent customers have included Bob Dylan, Debby Harry, the Ramones, Carlos Santana, The Clash, and Bruce Springsteen.
Physical Graffiti
Just down the block from the original Trash & Vaudeville and around the corner from its new location is a pair of Old Law tenements that will live on in the pop culture pantheon thanks to Led Zeppelin.
The two buildings, which were built to almost identical designs in 1890, were featured on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s album Physical Graffiti in 1975, and were also the site of the music video for the Rolling Stones’ hit, “Waiting on a Friend,” in 1981.
Register to join our continuing ed course and you’ll learn many more fascinating details about these buildings, plus additional stops steeped in architectural and music history along the way. Participants will also attend expert-led lectures such as “The Landmarks Law: What it Means for Brokers and Buyers” and “Principles of Fair Housing and Discrimination.” Click here to see the full schedule and all topics to be covered. We begin on Thursday, May 15th, and just a few spots remain!