Village Preservation in the 90s: Exploring the Anthemion Newsletter
Nostalgia and preservation are distinct but sometimes intersecting impulses, both of which of course manifest in Village Preservation’s work. The 1990s were Village Preservation’s second decade, and an important time for growth and evolution for the organization. Then as now, twice a year we released a newsletter detailing our work, and maintain an archive of all of them on our website. Of course back then we were still known as the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, and our newsletter was called “The Anthemion.” That was named for the architectural element symbolizing welcome first found in Ancient Egypt and later popularized in Greek architecture, and later Greek Revival architecture, that characterizes so much of the historic architecture in our neighborhoods.
1991
The Winter/Spring 1991 Newsletter saw the announcement of the first Village Awards, an event that has remained a beloved annual tradition ever since.
This newsletter also advertised a New Elementary Education Program, stating “the Society and the Old Merchant’s House… have worked together to design a program to teach elementary school children about Greenwich Village history and importance of preservation and restoration.” Village Preservation’s Children’s Education program still exists today, now working with schools across the city, the program served nearly 3,000 students in 2025.
The 1991 Newsletter included a piece of student work, a drawing of No. 8 Grove Street by a fourth grader at P.S. 3 named Julia Stiles. This appears to be an early work of actress Julia Stiles, who would rise rose to prominence for her role as a difficult teenager in the film 10 Things I Hate About You, a modern retailing of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Born in New York City in 1981, Ms. Stiles attended P.S. 3, and would have been in the fourth grade around 1991.
Later that year, the Fall 1991 Issue included highlights from the first Village Awards. Held that June at Casa Italiana, the awardees were Paul Egita, a superintendent on West 12th Street; the First Presbyterian Church for their restoration; Florent Morellet and Restaurant Florent; the Jefferson Market Garden; the Mercer Houston Dog Run Association; and Three Lives & Company Bookstore.
This year’s Village Awards will take place on June 10th, you can learn more about the event and past awardees here.
1994
The Fall 1994 issue of the Anthemion celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Greenwich Village Historic District. Designated in 1969, the district protects over 2,000 buildings.
Article in 1994 Issue of Anthemion about the historic district. View entire article here.
Village Preservation was founded in 1980 in part to act as a steward to this historic district. This remains at the core of our mission, and to celebrate the districts 50th Anniversary in 2019, we released an interactive map to explore the many pieces and facets of history within the neighborhood, a recently revamped version of this map can be explored here.
The Fall 1994 Newsletter also advertised the Preservation Cafe, a series of monthly gatherings on local preservation issues. These programs brought speakers on preservation issues together with the community to educate the public, something Village Preservation continues to do each month with our many public programs.
1998
The Winter 1998 Issue announced our move into our current home in the rectory of St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery. This move was in conjunction with the Historic Districts Council and the St. Mark’s Historic Landmark Fund, joining together to create the Neighborhood Preservation Center. This move allowed VP to expand our programmatic offerings, and launch our East Village advocacy work.
Some things have definitely changed for Village Preservation since the 1990s — our name, the size and scope of the organization, our means of communication, and so much more. But of course, some things haven’t changed — our core mission to document, celebrate, and help preserve the special architectural and cultural heritage of our neighborhoods; our use of educational programs to reach children and the general public to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the history found in our neighborhoods; and our celebrating the many people, organizations, small businesses, and places that contribute to making our communities so wonderful with our annual awards program.
You can learn more about what has changed and what’s stayed the same with Village Preservation since the 1990sby exploring all current and past issues of the Village Preservation’s newsletter here.