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Landmarking 101: The Case of 121 Charles Street
121 Charles is up for sale and press about the house as a potential development site has generated a lot of landmark misconceptions. The freestanding house at 121 Charles Street…
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Upper East Side Farmhouse to Village Treasure- 121 Charles Street
…Click here to read a full history of 121 Charles Street. Read more about the home in Off the Grid here. 121 Charles Street in 1967. Source: Landmarks Preservation Commission….
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Map It! A Day in the Life of 121 Charles Street
…potential sale of 121 Charles Street in the Greenwich Village Historic District. This summer, members of the Glass family (owners of the house for nearly a century when it was…
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121 Charles Street, from Yorkville to the Village
121 Charles Street in 1967. Source: Landmarks Preservation Commission. By now, many of you have heard about the controversy over the little house at 121 Charles Street, at the corner…
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One Small Step for Man…One Giant Leap for 121 Charles Street!
…at 121 Charles Street. 121 Charles Street 121 Charles Street dates from the late 18th/early 19th century, with some sources dating its construction to 1810. Saw marks found on the…
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121 Charles Street: A Chat with Ingrid Bernhard
Photo by GVSHP. January 2015. Long-time Off the Grid readers will remember the stir that was caused last summer when an ill-informed real estate listing described the property at 121…
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Charles Fitzgerald: The Accidental Force Behind St. Mark’s Place
Charles and Kathy Fitzgerald In the beginning, Manhattan real estate was cheap. Dirt cheap. And this gave anyone the opportunity to shape its future. Charles Fitzgerald seized that opportunity and…
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159 Charles Street: A Greek Revival Gem in the Far West Village
159 Charles Street Today Designated on November 14, 2007, 159 Charles Street is significant as a relatively rare surviving residential building of the early period of development of the Far…
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The Antique Business District South of Union Square: Charles Cheriff Galleries, 84 University Place
…Charles Cheriff Galleries, 84 University Place (between 11th and 12th Streets) can. Charles Cheriff Wachman founded his gallery in 1924. He had immigrated from a town along the Russian-German border…
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Charles Lockwood, 1948-2012
Many of us awoke to the sad news today of the passing of Charles Lockwood. Charles was an architectural historian whose book, “Bricks and Brownstones, The New York Rowhouse 1783-1929”…
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Celebrating Lower East Side History Month and Honoring Charles and Kathy Fitzgerald at the Village Awards
…our Annual Meeting/Village Awards celebration will be especially poignant as we honor Charles Fitzgerald and his wife, Kathy Cerick Fitzgerald, who will be recipients of the prestigious Regina Kellerman Award…
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Birthday Blog with Charles Busch!
…fan of Charles and so on this, his ??? birthday, I caught up with him amidst his busy schedule to ask him for his thoughts on his favorite neighborhood. Charles…
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31 Literary Icons of Greenwich Village
…121 Charles Street The Goodnight Moon author never actually lived at 121 Charles Street, but she lived in the house which has been located there for the last 52 years. Also known as Cobble…
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31 Literary Icons of the Greenwich Village Historic District
…his window: ‘Are you still alive, Djuna?’ She died in 1982, the last surviving English-language modernist. 3. Margaret Wise Brown, 121 Charles Street The Goodnight Moon author never actually lived at 121 Charles…
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Charles Snyder’s Historic Schools in the East Village
…his best work is located right here in our own community. In 1891, New York City’s Board of Education named Charles B.J. Snyder the superintendent of buildings. At first in…
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Charles Lindbergh & The Village
Charles August Lindbergh was born on February 4, 1902, in Detroit, Michigan to a Swedish immigrant and U.S. Congressman of the same name and chemistry teacher Evangeline Lodge Land Lindbergh….
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Charles Mingus: A Life of Jazz and Social Justice in Our Midst
Charles Mingus (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) has earned a well-deserved fame and notoriety over a lifetime of performance, composition, and controversy. The ‘bad boy’ of jazz was…
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A Complete Guide to the Charles B.J. Snyder Schools in Our Neighborhoods
C.B.J. Snyder, Superintendent of New York City Schools 1891-1922 For those unfamiliar, Charles B.J. Synder (November 4, 1860 – November 14, 1945) was the New York City Department of Education’s…
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The Origins of Greenwich Village Historic District Street Names: Part II
…Christopher Park were all named for Charles Christopher Amos. Local Favorite 121 Charles Street The land under much of Greenwich Village was developed as a tobacco farm by Wouter Van…
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GVSHP Oral History: Ingrid Bernhard
…help them move the house, and he found the lot on Charles Street. So, on March 3rd, 1967, Ingrid and Sven bought the lot at 121 Charles Street, and two…
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On this day in history…
…to help them move the house, and he found the lot on Charles Street. So, on March 3rd, 1967, Ingrid and Sven bought the lot at 121 Charles Street, and…
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The Oldest Building in the Village?
…quite. 121 Charles Street Moving slightly north, we come to the anomaly that is No. 121 Charles Street. Who hasn’t wondered about this house? It’s as if a farmhouse, in…
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The Oldest Building in the Village?
…double-hung windows. 1822 makes it old, indeed. But the oldest? Not quite. 121 Charles Street Moving slightly north, we come to the anomaly that is No. 121 Charles Street. Who…
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The Oldest Building in the Village?
…But the oldest? Not quite. 121 Charles Street Moving slightly north, we come to the anomaly that is No. 121 Charles Street. Who hasn’t wondered about this house? It’s as…
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Many Layers of History at 7th Street and 2nd Avenue
East Village Gas Explosion Site, 2nd Ave. & 7th St. As we enter July, it’s not hard to notice that some of the dates align with some neighborhood intersections. In…
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50 Years of Historic Preservation
…a program on the history of 121 Charles Street, known as the little wooden farmhouse in the Village, or as we like to call it, “the little house that could.”…
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A Look Back at Our January Programs
…On Thursday, January 15, our very own Amanda Davis, GVSHP’s Director of Preservation and Research, presented a program on the little wooden farmhouse at 121 Charles Street. Everybody just loves…
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Great Writers and the Greenwich Village Historic District
…Lorraine Hansberry. Village Preservation’s celebratory map of the Greenwich Village Historic District, created especially for our celebration by the artist Barbara Macfarlane, represented by the Rebecca Hossack Gallery 121 Charles…
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A Look at Past and Upcoming Programs
121 Charles Street We have been busy here at GVSHP! We started the year with a program by art historian Avis Berman about artist William Glackens, a painter who lived…
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The oldest house in the Village? It’s not what you think
…it a relative youngster compared to some of the houses found in these parts, in spite of its charmingly anachronistic look. Google Street View of 121 Charles Street Perhaps even…
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O Pioneers! Two Remarkable Women of Bank Street: Willa Cather and Lucy Sprague Mitchell
…Brown, author of Goodnight Moon, whose cottage at 121 Charles Street remains one of the most eccentric, curious, and delightful structures in the Village. 121 Charles Street, the little cottage…
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The 10 most charming spots in the Greenwich Village Historic District
…7. Cobble Court/The “Goodnight Moon House,” 121 Charles Street Speaking of not looking like it belongs, the tiny white clapboard house behind the gate and large yard at the northeast corner of…
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Bertram Goodman’s Views of the Village
…window, 1940. MCNY Similar view of 72 Charles Street today. 55 Charles Street Bertram Goodman (1904-1988) was an American artist born in New York. He studied at the School of…
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Gone But Not Forgotten: Van Nest Place
Residence of Abraham Van Nest Esqr., Bleeker Street between Charles and Perry Streets. Courtesy of the New York Public Library. Walking west along Charles Street, it is hard to imagine…
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Business of the Month: Exit9 Gift Emporium, 51 Avenue A
…bags or hats, or a Trump coloring book? At Exit9 Gift Emporium, 51 Avenue A– our August Business of the Month. Exit9 founder Charles rocking a hat available in the…
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Jewish History of the Greenwich Village Historic District
…Charles Street Synagogue, 53 Charles Street Charles Street was created in the early 1800s, though oddly, for some years, the north side of the block between West 4th Street and…
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Great Modernist Thinker and Critic Kenneth Burke Calls Ten Village Addresses Home
…Abbott, painter Charles Ellis, and writer Djuna Barnes – all of whom took part in the Players’ productions – lived here as well. According to Selzer, by the time Burke…
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A Few Favorite Federal Houses
…preserve it, here. 131 Charles Street 131 Charles Street, 1996. From the “Susan De Vries – Architecture Collection” in Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive. Constructed in 1834, No. 131 Charles…
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Buildings Sliced by Seventh Avenue South
…152-154 Seventh Avenue South, would have both originally had facades that fully faced Charles Street. Seventh Avenue and Charles Street today, image from Apartments.com At 25-27 Charles Street, the construction…
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A Sign That Tells More Than Just Street Names
…at 128 Charles Street saying ‘Greenwich Street’ and ‘Charles Street’? It’s so high up you can barely see it — what good would it have possibly done?” Good (and timely)…
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LPC Spotlights Women in the Arts
…belonging to the Federal house at 131 Charles, you can’t see her one-time residence from the street. However, the red marker in the top-left corner photo of 130 Charles points…
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Annual House Tour a window into Village History
…Charles Street to West 21st Street. He and his wife Susannah De Lancey lived in a mansion on what is now the block bound by West 4th, Bleecker, Charles, and…
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The Ridiculous Theatrical Company
A significant chapter in the Village’s extensive theater history belongs to The Ridiculous Theatrical Company. Founded in 1967 by dramatist, actor and agent provocateur Charles Ludlam, the Ridiculous Theatrical Company…
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Remembering Landmarking Success in the Far West Village
On March 6, 2007, three historic structures GVSHP fought to have preserved were designated as New York City landmarks: 159 Charles Street, 354 West 11th Street and 150 Barrow Street,…
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Richard Wright in Greenwich Village
…and was produced by John Houseman and staged by Orson Welles. 13 Charles Street c. 1940. Photo via Municipal Archives. When Wright’s daughter was born in 1942, he and his…
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Winding Origins: How Greenwich Village Streets Got Their Names
…win custody of the family powers with their magical abilities. Christopher Park Image: 45-59 Christopher Street Charles Street, Christopher Street, and Christopher Park were all named for Charles Christopher Amos. The…
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Frances Perkins: From Greenwich House to the White House
…secure a minimum wage. 121 Washington Place, where Perkins lived, is the building on the right. The following year Perkins married the economist Paul Caldwell Wilson, who worked as a…
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Exploring Virtual Village Voices, Part 2: Basquiat, Blackwell, and Brown
…and moved from the Upper East Side to 121 Charles Street (between Greenwich and Hudson Streets). Margaret Wise Brown shadowbox designed by Penny Hardy, PS New York Click here to…
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Exploring the Many Row Houses of the Village Preservation Historic Image Archive
…and the “blind” windows found on either side of the secondary facade. 123, 121, and 119 Waverly Place (l. to r.), 1940s Tax Photo. From the Historic Images from Landmarks…
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Map It! Looking Back at Lewis Street
Source: Museum of the City of New York online collection. Charles von Urban, 1932. Today on Map It! we’re unearthing some old maps and photos of Lewis Street, which once…
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Remembering Jackson Pollock
…School, from which he was expelled, after having been expelled from another high school in 1928. In 1930, following his brother Charles Pollock, he moved to New York City. Jackson…
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Happy Birthday Woody Guthrie!
74 Charles Street (Image Via Google) Singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie was born on this day 104 years ago. Although he passed away in 1967, he remains a strong influence on many…
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More is More: Greenwich Village Historic District Extension
…of construction in the area; in looking at them, it’s hard to believe they were not included in the original Greenwich Village Historic District designated in 1969. 132 Charles Street,…
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Architect George Frederick Pelham and the Greenwich Village Historic District
…In 1910, his son, George F. Pelham Jr. would join his father’s firm, continuing the family tradition. 12-14 Charles Street The Alpha apartments at 12-14 Charles Street This six-story apartment…
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How the Elevated Train and the Streetcar Both Began In Greenwich Village
…evidence of the line at 128 Charles Street, a tenement built in 1881 at the corner of Greenwich Street. Between the third and fourth floors is a stone marker with “Charles Street”…
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The Pathfinder Mural: Public Political Art in the Far West Village
…These are the opening lines of a short documentary called “Pathfinder Mural.” Located at 410 West Street, between Charles Lane and Charles Street, this mural graced the West Side Highway…
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Politicians, Playwrights, and Parades: The Irish legacy of the East Village and Greenwich Village
…ending a long history of papal control. In the 1980s, the church also hosted the first meeting of the Gay Officer’s Action League (GOAL), founded by Sgt. Charles Cochrane, the…
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When Four “Els” Ran Overhead On Our Streets
…was the birthplace of the Ninth Avenue Elevated Railway, the first truly elevated rail line. The “El” was conceived by Charles T. Harvey (June 26, 1829 – March 11, 1912)…
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Small Businesses Meeting the Challenges of Today
…Greenwich Village at 102 Charles Street. Local resident Olga Vidoz opened her first salon on nearby Hudson Street in 1983, and now operates on Charles Street with her daughter and…
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Jackson Pollock’s Greenwich Village
…artists. Photographer Hans Namuth extensively documented Pollock’s unique painting techniques. In 1930, following his brother Charles, Jackson moved to New York City. He soon began studying with Charles’ art teacher, representational regionalist…
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Webster Hall’s First Ball (of many)
…was originally constructed for Charles Goldstein in 1886-87 and designed by the architect Charles Rentz, Jr. (in an amusing side note, the famous Rentz was said to have been not…
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Fourteenth Street and Fifth Avenue: A Window into the Development of the City
…after. Charles Spingler, (1747-1814) Charles Spingler was a German immigrant who held many jobs as shopkeeper, butcher, and farmhand, which gave him access to the money needed to purchase the…
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Christopher Park: A Small Space with a Long History
…as Christopher Street, making that one of the community’s oldest streets; Christopher Park, Charles Street, and Charles Lane are also named after him. Another road, Amos Street, was named for…
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Memorializing Our Neighborhoods’ Remarkable Past One Plaque At A Time!
…the public about the remarkable history of neighborhoods, memorializing individuals, movements, and venues that played a major role in changing our world. Our 22nd plaque will honor jazz great Charles…
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The New York City Work Horse
…more about the Washington Mews and its reputation for being the home of artists and writers through the 20th century. Horsewalks 131 Charles Street (see horsewalk at left). Image via…
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Politicians, Playwrights, and Parades: The Irish legacy of the East Village and Greenwich Village
…ending a long history of papal control. In the 1980s, the church also hosted the first meeting of the Gay Officer’s Action League (GOAL), founded by Sgt. Charles Cochrane, the…
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C.B.J. Snyder and the East Village
…were constructed 1945-50. PS 63, 121 East 3rd Street PS 63, 121 East 3rd Street; 150-160 East 4th Street (1903): A number of tenements were demolished to make way for…
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Co-Named Streets Commemorate Local Heroes
…fire engulfed three buildings (119, 121, and 123 Second Avenue) that eventually collapsed. Two people were killed in the incident: 23-year-old Nicholas Figueroa, who was on a lunch date with…
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Theaters of the Greenwich Village Historic District
…track record of fostering new artists and creating diverse audiences. We’re looking forward to partnering with them on new initiatives for theater lovers of all ages.” Lucille Lortel Theatre 121…
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Memorial Day in the Village
…a chance to reflect on the sacrifices and stories of two individual Villagers. Abingdon Square Doughboy McCarthy Square, a triangle of land where 7th Avenue South, Charles Street and Waverly…
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Happy Presidents’ Day
…Station House on Charles Street in the Far West Village was constructed in 1896-97. From the LPC Greenwich Village Historic District Extension I Designation Report (2005) …
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Horsing Around the Village
…a horse auction mart that catered to New York’s elite families, the building has had an interesting post-horse history, which you can read about here. 129 Charles Street. This four-story…
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They Lived on West 9th Street: Dashiell Hammett
…There he began work on The Thin Man, this author’s favorite of Hammett’s books and movies, which was modeled after his relationship with Lillian Hellman. Nick Charles, the protagonist, is…
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Woody Guthrie’s New York Comes Alive
…Street to celebrate. Woody at McSorley’s Woody lived all over the city, but spent most of his time in the Village, living on Sixth Avenue, Charles Street, and at 130…
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GVHD50 and Stonewall50 – LGBTQ Sites of the Greenwich Village Historic District
…or other “street stars.” Charles Ludlam, the RTC’s resident playwright, director and lead actor, would refine the Ridiculous genre over the next 20 years. Ludlam died of AIDS in 1987….
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A New Archive for GVHD50: Retaking the 1969 Designation Photos
…on Charles Street and Gay Street were individually photographed, while the buildings of West 8th Street were photographed in multiple sections. 43 Charles Street 3-5 West 8th Street Walking through…
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A Poet, A Bookseller, and the Father of Social of Social Security: New Additions to the Greenwich Village Historic District 1969-2019 Photos and Tours Map
…at 133 MacDougal Street, according to the Federal Census. 69-87 Charles Street (R-L; 69 Charles Street, the home of Harry Kemp in 1912, is the first building on the right)….
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Eight Abandoned East Village Buildings’ Second Acts As Beacons of Culture
…150 First Avenue was originally built as Public School 122 in 1885 by the prolific architect and superintendent Charles B.J. Snyder. The school was abandoned in 1976, at which point…
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Five Spot: Once The Hippest Place on Earth
American jazz musician and composer Charles Mingus (1922 – 1979) (in white shirt) and his band perform at the Five Spot Cafe (2 St. Marks Place), New York, New York,…
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Archive Update: Photographing the Federal-era Houses of Lower Manhattan
…maintaining the cultural heritage of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. 131 Charles Street One of our city’s first individually designated landmarks, the designation report from 1966 describes 131 Charles…
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Booker T. Ervin: The Jazz Musician’s Favorite
…played the tenor saxophone alongside another Jazz great, Ernie Fields. Moving to New York City in May of 1958, Ervin would quickly befriend Charles Mingus and join the well-respected Mingus…
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Growing up Alongside the West Village Waterfront of the 1990s
…looking north from Charles Street with Westbeth in background. All images in this post are from the new John T. Krawchuk Collection in Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive. West Street…
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Acts of Art: A Groundbreaking Gallery for Black Artists in Greenwich Village
…Acts of Art Gallery (which eventually moved to 54 Charles Street in January 1971) became a vital hub for the Black Arts Movement, hosting numerous exhibitions that highlighted the talents…
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Exploring Local LGBTQ+ History Through Historic Images
…Can’t Stop the Music Film Set, corner of Charles & West 4th Streets, 1979. Images also with the tag include those taken behind the scenes of the musical Can’t Stop…
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The Sophomore Class of Local Landmarks
…“special character” and aesthetic value, emphasizing the importance of preserving not just grand monuments but also more intimate, dignified examples of mid‑19th century urban houses. 131 Charles Street The townhouse…
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Annual Report Highlights Village Preservation’s Growth and Successes, and Pays Tribute to Our Past
…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….
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Exploring the Firehouses of the Greenwich Village Historic District
…1865 as the Metropolitan Fire Department (MFD). Columbia Hook and Ladder Co., 102 Charles Street 102 Charles Street, ca. 1965 Landmarks Designation Photo The Columbia Hook and Ladder Company is…
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Fred W. McDarrah and the Village That Refused to Be Quiet
…that collision. Charles Mingus at the Five Spot Cafe American jazz musician and composer Charles Mingus (1922 – 1979) (in white shirt) and his band perform at the Five Spot…
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From Rear Tenement to Off-Broadway House
…was a bit of a real estate mogul. 121 Christopher Street in the 1940s Shortly before his death in 1896, Dimick was shamed in the New York Times with other…
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Remembering Two Disasters: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the East Village Gas Explosion
…119, 121, and 123 Second Avenue in the East Village. Tragically, two lives were lost, more than a dozen people were injured, and many people lost their homes, businesses, and…
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The Iconic Women of One Greenwich Village Block
…121 Washington Place (Frances Perkins) Frances Perkins, the first female U.S. Cabinet member and Secretary of Labor, lived at 121 Washington Place in the 1910s. Perkins was born in Boston,…
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More Trailblazing Women Honored by Village Preservation’s Historic Plaques
…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…
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Looking Up: West 3rd Street
…3rd Street “in the 1890s was known as the Golden Rule Pleasure Club, a male brothel that was investigated by the crusading clergyman Charles Parkhurst.” Other sites mentioned include a…
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15 things you didn’t know about the East Village
…the Five Spot Café at 200 East 5th Street, considered one of the great venues for jazz in the mid-20th century, where John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman,…
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In Memory of Mimi Sheraton (1926-2023), Quintessential Villager
…at the Aegean (8th St.) and Charles French Restaurant (452 Sixth Avenue). By the time she embarked on her career, which began in advertising and proceeded to editorial work at…
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Prohibition Revisits the East Village
…organized crime web, were all real men who were actually known to have patronized John’s Restaurant in the East Village. In fact, Charles “Lucky” Luciano grew up at 265 East…
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Blurring the Lines with Blind Windows
In response to our recent post “A Sign That Tells More Than Just Street Names,” about the oddly ‘elevated’ street sign embedded above the third floor of 128 Charles Street,…
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