More Trailblazing Women Honored by Village Preservation’s Historic Plaques

Historic plaques can be a wonderful way to educate the public about the remarkable history of our neighborhoods, and the incredible events, people, and movements connected to sites all around us. Village Preservation has unveiled two plaques every year at buildings of historic significance in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo since we launched our plaque program in 2012.

Over the years we’ve installed a number of plaques commemorating some of the amazing women who have called our neighborhoods home, and several of our recent plaques have honored even more of the pioneering women who have lived, worked, and changed the course of history here.

Frances Perkins — 121 Washington Place

Plaque text: “Here lived Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve as a presidential cabinet secretary. A lifelong champion of workers’ rights, she served as secretary of labor in FDR’s administration for twelve years, playing an instrumental role in the formulation and implementation of New Deal programs. Her leadership helped lift the country from the depths of an economic crisis.”

Frances Perkins (1880-1965) began living in Greenwich Village in 1909 while pursuing her master’s degree in political science at Columbia University. In 1912, she moved to 121 Washington Place. It was here in Greenwich Village that she cultivated many of the relationships that would define her landmark career, culminating in her appointment as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Secretary of Labor. The first woman assigned to a cabinet position, Perkins spent her life fighting to enact social welfare laws under the New Deal, eliminate child labor, establish a minimum wage, and promote the Social Security and Fair Labor Standards Acts.

Anaïs Nin — 17 East 13th Street

“Renowned writer Anais Nïn operated her printing press here in the 1940s, where she personally helped produce some of her earliest publications, including their artwork and typeface, regarding these as an extension of her creative process. Her work here helped connect her to a larger publisher and wider audience, eventually inspiring generations of writers and thinkers.”

Anaïs Nin (1903-1977), the French-born, Cuban-American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica whose work has influenced countless artists and activists, operated her personal press out of the two-story brick building at 17 East 13th Street during a seminal period in her career. She self-published some of her first works here, personally directing all aspects of the printing process, including the selection of typeface, paper, and engravings, which she regarded as an extension of her creative process.

Village Preservation is pursuing landmark status for the building via our South of Union Square Historic District campaign — read more and learn how you can support our efforts here.

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney — 8 West 8th Street

“Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney founded the first museum dedicated to contemporary American art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, on this site in 1931. Next to it stood her own studio, where she and other major artists produced their work. She is remembered for her singular contributions to the arts as a sculptor, collector, and patron.”

Born into one of America’s wealthiest and most high-profile families, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875-1942) could have remained in her family’s gilded Fifth Avenue mansion, but chose to move to Greenwich Village, where she became both a patron of the arts and and artist herself. At a time when many museums favored European masters, she used her resources to support living American artists, ultimately founding an art gallery that was the first iteration of the Whitney Museum of American Art, at 8 West 8th Street. Today, this former museum and studio space is home to the New York Studio School.

Amelia Earhart — 27 Barrow Street

“Pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart lived and volunteered as a social worker at Greenwich House from 1927 to 1929. Her advocacy and accomplishments helped break down gender barriers in aviation. A record-setting solo trans-Atlantic flight and an attempt to circumnavigate the globe turned her into a cultural icon and inspired generations.”

Amelia Earhart (b. 1897, disappeared July 2, 1937) was offered a room and a staff position at Greenwich House in 1927. She had previously been a social worker at the Denison House in Boston, but as her aviation career began to take off, she was no longer able to work there full time. While in Greenwich Village, she became the “Aviation Editor” at Cosmopolitan; she also published a book and went on a cross-country book tour. It was during her time as a Village resident that Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, on June 17, 1928.

Click here to explore Village Preservation’s map of all the plaques we’ve installed in our neighborhoods to date, and learn more about the historic plaque program here.