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Author: Harry Bubbins

Business of the Month: East Village Vintage Collective, 545 East 12th Street

Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next.  Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village or NoHo: click here to nominate your favorite.  Want to help support small businesses?  Share this post with friends. A little shop on East 12th Street […]

Historic Broadway Gems Saved from Demolition

On October 17, 2017 the Landmarks Preservation Commissions (LPC) held a hearing to consider landmarking 827-831 Broadway, the threatened 1866 lofts once home to Willem de Kooning. Just two weeks later, the LPC voted to landmark them, culminating a year and a half campaign by GVSHP and our allies to save them from the wrecking […]

    A Landmark Library Lives On

    It might be temporarily closed for renovations, but when the Ottendorfer Branch of the New York Public Library opened in 1884 it was New York City’s first free public library, and was designated a New York City landmark on September 20, 1977.  

      When NYC’s Last Surviving Horse Auction Mart, and Frank Stella’s Former Studio, Were Almost Demolished

      Did you know that 128 East 13th Street is believed to be the last surviving horse and carriage auction mart building in New York City? It was threatened with demolition until GVSHP got the Landmark Preservation Commission to hold an emergency hearing on landmarking the building on September 7, 2006, which started the long path toward […]

      Street Grid Changes Revealed in New Tool

      The Department of City Planning (DCP) recently launched an online tool that has compiled more than 8,000 historic maps of New York City and laid it on the current street grid. The fun and interesting tool is called NYC Street Map, and it allows you to see alterations made to the City Map since 1938. The brown and […]

      Alex Haley and the Village

      The renowned writer Alex Haley was born on August 11 in 1921. In the 1960’s, the Haley rented a writing studio in the back of the Greenwich Village building at 92 Grove Street. It was here that Haley conducted over 50 interviews with Malcolm X over a 2-year period, beginning in 1963. Malcolm X, the […]

      Business of the Month: Thompson Alchemists, 132 Thompson Street

      Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next.  Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village or NoHo: click here to nominate your favorite.  Want to help support small businesses?  Share this post with friends. There is something especially welcoming when you […]

      A Cast Iron Gem That’s Worn Many Different Hats

      The roof of the former McCreery’s Dry Goods Store at the corner of Broadway and 11th Street is obviously an addition. But few know that two different fires in the course of a century destroyed two different roofs. On July 3rd, 1909, the original mansard roof was lost to flames. The one story addition which […]

      Part 2- REBNY Report Falsely Blames Landmarking for Empty Storefront Syndrome

      Recently, I responded to a portion of a recent “report” by the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) that (incredibly, but predictably for REBNY) blamed the retail vacancy crisis impacting our city on landmarking and historic districts. In that case, they misrepresented and inflated the number of days until storefront permit is issued by the […]

      REBNY Report Falsely Blames Landmarking for Empty Storefront Syndrome

      A recent “report” by the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) was released that (incredibly, but predictably for REBNY) blamed the retail vacancy crisis impacting our city on landmarking and historic districts. Although it was uncritically parroted by some media outlets, some simple digging found multiple misrepresentations and inaccuracies.  Here’s just one:

      Taking on REBNY and Winning

      Are you one of the many people who has had to take on the seemingly all-powerful Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) in a real estate/preservation fight?  Sometimes it may seem like REBNY and the other forces of Big Real Estate control everything in New York City.  But we’ve actually tangled with the well-funded […]

      Watercolor Magic in the Village, thanks to Kazuya Morimoto

      Street artists lend a special charm to a city. The dedication to walk about with an easel, large or small, to paint a scene can imbue any street corner with a greater sense of importance.  We are fortunate to have in our neighborhood an exquisite artist of the highest caliber painting love letters to the Village […]

      (the former) Trump SoHo, and Years of Non-Compliance

      The building formerly known as the Trump Soho has made the national and international news. But GVSHP was protesting it over ten years ago when its construction was first announced on “The Apprentice.”  We fought the City hard to prevent its construction, which we contended violated zoning laws.  But then-Mayor Bloomberg and elected officials like then-Borough […]

      Marlis Momber, an East Village Icon

      NYC has designated the week of April 17 as Immigrant Heritage Week, because on April 17, 1907, more immigrants entered the U.S. through Ellis Island than any other day in history. April 19th happens to be the birthday of one of our neighborhood’s many incredible immigrants, noted East Village photographer Marlis Momber.  In 2015, GVSHP […]

      The Who, live at the Fillmore East

      On April 6th, 1968, The Who rocked the Fillmore East as part of a two-night residency.  On April 20th, they will release a double CD and triple LP of that seminal two-night stint, in honor of its fiftieth anniversary.  The Who have played around the world for decades, but among their many performances they chose to […]

      (Re-)Remembering Diane Arbus

      Diane Arbus was born on March 14, 1923, and died by her own hand a mere forty-eight years later on July 26, 1971.  The acclaimed and celebrated photographer’s body of mid-20th century work focused largely on people marginalized by “mainstream” society.   Arbus’s first Greenwich Village address was a rear carriage house at 131 1/2 Charles Street where […]

      A New Chapter for Local Bookstores

      Some good news for small businesses and the written word in our neighborhoods.  Bucking the prevailing trend of disappearing bookstores, we actually have two new ones in our neighborhood, and more may be on the way!  This is a welcome development, and one worthy of celebration. First we welcome Codex Books to the neighborhood.  Located […]

      Philip Glass: A Life in Music, and in the East Village

      World-renowned composer and East Village denizen Philip Glass was born on January 31, 1937  in Baltimore.  The child of Jewish emigrants from Lithuania, his mother aided Holocaust survivors and recent arrivals to America by allowing them to stay at their home until they could find a job and a place to live. In 1964, Glass […]

      Angela Davis: Her Greenwich Village Connections

      This is an updated reposting of a blog by staffer, Matthew Morowitz, January 26th, 2016. Activist, leftist, and radical feminist — these are just some of the words used to describe Angela Davis, a scholar and civil rights leader and fighter who came to prominence in the countercultural era of the 1960’s.  Davis was born on January […]

      Business of the Month — Eva’s Kitchen, 11 West 8th Street

      Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village or NoHo: click here to nominate your favorite.  Want to help support small businesses?  Share this post with friends. What’s the West 8th Street stop for […]

      The Melodious Sounds Which Emanated from 108 Waverly Place

      I manage GVSHP’s historic plaque program, through which we place two markers on buildings in our neighborhoods each year, highlighting their cultural or social significance. So I am always interested to see when a building has a similar such commemoration on it.  One such plaque on Waverly Place has always caught my eye: “Prior Home […]

      Pier 40/St. John’s Deal — A Win-Win with Lessons to Learn

      On December 15, 2016, the City Council approved a zoning change for the St. John’s Terminal site at West and Houston Streets that included a series of neighborhood protections and mitigations that GVSHP demanded. These included an agreement with the City for landmarking the final phase of GVSHP’s proposed South Village Historic District, restrictions on […]

      Business of the Month — Theatre 80, 80 St. Marks Place

      Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village or NoHo:  click here to nominate your favorite.  Want to help support small businesses?  Share this post with friends. Where can you see a play or […]

      Remembering James Baldwin

      Through his writing, televised debates, and public speaking across the globe, author and activist James Baldwin (August 2, 1924 — December 1, 1987) was a vital voice for the civil rights movement. He was part of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, as well as the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march.  From 1958 to 1961 […]

      Business of the Month – Village Music World, 197 Bleecker Street

      Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village or NoHo:  click here to nominate your favorite.  Want to help support small businesses?  Share this post with friends. Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village has always […]

      Shop Local; Small Business Saturday

      November 25th is Small Business Saturday to supporting shopping local small shops. We recently hosted an architectural walking tour of Bleecker Street to draw attention to the array of shops on that classic strip and are attending the small business forum tomorrow being convened by Senator Holyman. Today we are doing a round up of […]

      The East Village’s Club 57 Gets A Show at MoMa

      Who would have thought that the basement of a Catholic church would serve as a crucible of creativity in the East Village in the early Reagan era?  One did, however, and it is the subject of an upcoming exhibition at the Museum of Modern art called “Club 57: Film, Performance, and Art in the East Village, […]

        Business of the Month – Blaustein Paint & Hardware – 51 Greenwich Avenue

        Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village or NoHo:  click here to nominate your favorite.  Want to help support small businesses?  Share this post with friends. Sometimes you  just have to attend to […]

        When New York really became New York

        On this day in 1664, then-Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant surrendered what was known as New Amsterdam, the capital of New Netherland, to English naval Colonel Richard Nicolls. The European settlement on Lenape indigenous lands extended as far as Wall Street at the time and was the cause of a protracted war, despite the lore of […]

        Happy Birthday, Charlie Parker

        On August 29, 1920, Charles Parker Jr. was born in Kansas City, Kansas.  A towering figure in American jazz, he spent his final years in New York, and lived at 151 Avenue B, in a now-landmarked building often referred to as the “Charlie Parker House,” from 1950 to 1954, one year before his untimely demise. Parker […]

        The Skidmore House becomes a landmark

        On this day in 1970, the Landmarks Preservation Commission granted landmark status to the dignified Greek Revival house at 37 East 4th Street. This three and a half story house was built in 1844-45 by Samuel Tredwell Skidmore, a relative of Seabury Tredwell, who lived with his family only a few doors away at 29 East 4thStreet, […]

        Happy Birthday to the Strand Bookstore!

        Today we celebrate 90 years of the Strand Bookstore. This beloved neighborhood institution was founded in 1927 by Benjamin Bass as a used bookstore on the famous Book Row, which consisted of 48 book stores along Fourth Avenue from Astor Place to Union Square. Strand remains among the last of these bookstores.  Today is actually owner Fred Bass’s 89th […]

          PFLAG Plaque Unveiled

          On Sunday, June 23, 2013 outside the Church of the Village at the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 13th Street, GVSHP helped to unveil a plaque to commemorate the first meeting of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). The organization, which now has 350 chapters in all 50 states, had its humble […]

          Remembering Mary Help of Christians

          Note this is an update of a post previously posted by Matthew Morowitz. A Roman Catholic Church formerly located at 440 E. 12th St., Mary Help of Christians was demolished in the summer of 2013 to make way for new development.  To try and preserve the site, there was an outpouring from the community in an […]

          Local Landmark: Tompkins Square Library

          Note: This is an updated version of a post originally written by Drew Durniak  Since it opened on December 1, 1904, the Tompkins Square Branch of the New York Public Library has served as an important community resource.  Situated on East 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B, the building itself was designated an […]

            Happy Birthday Martha Graham!

            On this day in 1894 the revolutionary dancer and choreographer Martha Graham was born.  She is largely responsible for modern dance as the art form we know today. Graham was an essential part of the early- to mid-century Village arts scene. In 2015 we unveiled one of our historic plaques in honor of her, with The New School, at 66 […]

              Black History Month in the East Village: Black Arts Movement

              February is Black History Month.  We here at GVSHP are celebrating it by highlighting different sites of significance to the African-American community within our neighborhoods, including those on our new Civil Rights & Social Justice Map. In early 1962, writer Amiri Baraka (then known as LeRoi Jones) and then-wife Hettie Jones moved into the house at 27 Cooper […]

              Business of the Month Year In Review

              By now the challenges facing small independent local shops are well known.  The good news is there are some solutions.  GVSHP has gone to the New York City Council in support of some of them.  What can you do every day in some way? Visit a local independent shop in your neighborhood! Every month we select a Business […]

                East Village CreateNYC event tonight

                In 2015, the City Council passed legislation requiring the City to produce its first-ever comprehensive cultural plan: CreateNYC. CreateNYC is supposed to become a roadmap to guide the future of arts and culture in NYC. The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) and Hester Street Collaborative (HSC) are working together with artists, cultural organizations, New York City agencies, arts […]

                Quiz: Do you really #shoplocal?

                Quiz time. How well do you know the great shops selected as part of our Business of the Month initiative? Let’s see if you really #shoplocalnnyc Two people with the top score will be selected at random to win a copy of Greenwich Village Stories: A Collection of Memories Greenwich Village Stories is a love letter to […]

                Business of the Month: The Hat Shop, 120 Thompson Street (now at 148 Sullivan Street)

                Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village or NoHo:  click here to nominate your favorite.  Want to help support small businesses?  Share this post with friends. Strolling the neighborhood of […]

                Unveiling & Dedication for the Mosaic Trail Light Poles

                The final pieces of the renovation of Astor Place will be unveiled and dedicated tomorrow. Thanks to the creative verve of Jim Power, aka the Mosaic Man, and the support of the Village Alliance Business Improvement District and City Lore, and many more, GVSHP is excited to participate in the unveiling of the Astor Place […]

                Remember The Alamo? The Cube is Back

                One of the most beloved public works of art was reinstalled in our community yesterday, after a two year hiatus. According to the NYC Department of Design and Construction, The Alamo Sculpture was originally installed in 1967 as part of  “Sculpture and the Environment”.  The Cube by Bernard “Tony” Rosenthal was one of 25 temporary art […]

                  Plaque Unveiling for Sculptor Chaim Gross

                  Yesterday we were honored to unveil the latest in our Historic Plaque Program at 526 LaGuardia Place, where  sculptor Chaim Gross lived and worked.  You may have passed by it many times and not be aware of the magic inside. Working predominantly in wood, stone, and eventually bronze, the work of Chaim Gross conveyed a […]

                  Support Small Businesses, Today at City Hall

                  Ever walk by those many empty storefronts, or past the multitude of metastizing chainstores, and wonder what can be done to preserve and protect our small businesses? Today there is a hearing at City Hall by New York City Council Committee on Small Business jointly with the Subcommittee on Zoning & Franchises regarding promoting retail […]

                  A Tale of Four Schools — Program Thursday

                  School has started and we are eagerly anticipating our fascinating program this Thursday evening organized with The Loisaida Center Inc. at their 710 East 9th Street location near Avenue C.  The program is about one of the foremost architects of school buildings from the turn of the last century, and will include presentations about how his work featured in their […]

                  A year ago today, the horrible Intro. 775 was heard, later passed

                  With a raft of demolition permits in the air, it reminds us that a year ago today one of the most anti-preservation pieces of legislation was first heard at the NYC Council Land Use committee. Intro 775 had a purported goal of protecting landmarks, but that notion was downright Orwellian to anyone familiar with the bill. Unfortunately, Intro. 775 became law in June of […]