Annual Report Highlights Village Preservation’s Growth and Successes, and Pays Tribute to Our Past
Contained within 24 colorful and informative pages, Village Preservation’s 2024–2025 Annual Report paints a vivid picture of an organization deeply committed to protecting the architectural and cultural legacy of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, while pushing forward with innovative community educational programs.
Advocacy remained central to Village Preservation’s mission over the last year, with strong campaigns to safeguard historic structures and fight inappropriate development. Among the highlights was the landmark designation of 50 West 13th Street, a property tied to 19th-century abolitionist leaders Jacob Day and Sarah Smith Tompkins Garnet, and to the groundbreaking 13th Street Repertory Theatre. The organization also battled the proposed construction of “Gansevoort Square,” a 600-ft.-tall tower of mostly super-luxury housing in the Meatpacking District; pressed for the repair and reopening of the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center; called for the preservation of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and the Most Holy Redeemer Church; and challenged citywide rezoning initiatives that threatened neighborhood character and affordability. Citizen advocates from near and far sent hundreds of thousands of letters to elected leaders and city officials in support of these campaigns and many more.
Our programming flourished with 82 events, nearly all free and open to the public, covering everything from candidate forums on preservation to lectures on LGBTQ+ history, waterfront development, and women artists. Partnerships with institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, Hunter College, the Merchant’s House Museum, and the New York Public Library expanded both reach and impact. Two historic plaques were unveiled this year: one honoring Frances Perkins, the first female U.S. cabinet secretary, and another celebrating artist and Whitney Museum founder Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney.
Village Preservation also saw robust growth in our digital presence. The website drew 1.7 million views over the 12 months covered in the report, a 9% increase from the prior year, while our YouTube channel surpassed 200,000 views and grew its subscriber base by 20%. New interactive online maps highlighted the bicentennial of Fifth Avenue and Art Deco’s centennial, and explored French flats and 60 years of local landmark designations. Our Historic Image Archive and Oral History Project, meanwhile, expanded with new collections and voices. These digital resources help keep local history accessible to an ever-wider audience.
The year was also defined by our annual celebration of community creativity and resilience. Honorees at the 2025 Village Awards, held in Cooper Union’s Great Hall, were Danspace Project, Forbidden Planet, La Lanterna, Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens, the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, and Regina Kellerman Award winners Charles Fitzgerald and Kathy Cerick for their transformative work in the East Village. These awards spotlight the individuals and organizations that help sustain the spirit and diversity of these neighborhoods.
Membership and fundraising continued to be vital to the organization’s success. The Spring House Tour Benefit raised more than $200,000, while our Greenwich Village Building Set made with genuine LEGO bricks offered a fun and educational way to engage supporters, and garnered more than $35,000 for our work. Support from our members, foundations, and government sources brought in more than $1.37 million, a clear sign of strong community commitment to Village Preservation’s mission.
The report also highlighted Village Preservation’s educational outreach to students and professionals. Our Children’s Education Program served over 2,100 students across 20 schools, most from high-needs communities at low or no cost, while our Continuing Education Program provided in-depth architectural and preservation training for adults. Programs supporting small businesses, such as Business of the Month, uplifted independent shops that are central to the neighborhoods’ cultural identity.
While we focused on the progress we made in 2024 and 2025, we also remembered our past with a tribute to longtime trustee and past president Judith Stonehill, whose passing this year underscored the enduring influence of her vision. The House Tour, Village Awards, oral histories, and historic image archive were among the cornerstone initiatives seeded by her leadership. “Judith was an exemplar of what our neighborhoods are about,” wrote Trevor Stewart, current Village Preservation president, “fiercely independent and yet deeply connected to her neighbors; passionately committed to history with one eye always on the future; appreciative of the wisdom in traditions, and yet preternaturally attuned to innovation.”
All together, these efforts demonstrate how Village Preservation continues to blend advocacy, education, and community engagement to both honor the past and shape a more vibrant, equitable future.
Read this year’s annual report here, and all of our past annual reports here.