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Author: Hew Evans

A Complete Guide to the Charles B.J. Snyder Schools in Our Neighborhoods

For those unfamiliar, Charles B.J. Synder (November 4, 1860 – November 14, 1945) was the New York City Department of Education’s Superintendent of Buildings from 1891 – 1922, and he is credited with designing over 400 public schools throughout our metropolis, representing one of the largest expansions of public education in American history. His revolutionary […]

The Life and Lithographs of Laurie Ourlicht

Artist and lithographer Laurie Ourlicht lived a fascinating yet mostly undiscovered life. Although her pieces live on in museum collections and private galleries, very little is known about the artist’s personal life. Born August 9th, 1953, in Upstate New York, she attended SUNY at Fredonia for undergrad and pursued an M.F.A. in Fine Arts from […]

Beyond the Village and Back: Hamilton Fish Park

In our blog series Beyond the Village and Back, we take a look at some great landmarks throughout New York City outside of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, celebrate their special histories, and reveal their (sometimes hidden) connections to our neighborhoods. Explore our Beyond the Village and Back maps too. Sometimes we only have to go a […]

A Novel Idea — “Gone with the Wind’s” Greenwich Village Roots

Margaret Mitchell’s classic but controversial novel, Gone with the Wind, remains one of our country’s most popular pieces of literature, with over 30 million copies printed worldwide. In a 2014 Harris poll, only the Bible fared more popular in the eyes of American readers. While many are familiar with the novel’s story depicting the misadventures […]

Alvin Baltrop: Photographs of a Dystopian Past

Greenwich Village’s Hudson River piers have always held a certain clandestine fascination for some segment of the public. After an automobile crash caused the elevated West Side Highway to collapse in December of 1973, Piers 18 – 52 fell into a derelict state, creating a dystopian yet incredibly private space for LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers to […]

Vasant Rai: Guru of Raga-Rock

Our neighborhoods have long been meccas for immigrant cultures from near and far, facilitating a multicultural mix that have made them among the most unique communities in America. In that vein, today we’d like to spotlight the life and legacy of Vasant Rai, one of the world’s most decorated and honored masters of Indian classical […]

The Redstockings: “Rapping” for Reproductive Rights in Greenwich Village

Founded in 1969 by activists Ellen Willis and Shulamith Firestone, the Redstockings were one of the first Women’s Liberation groups, known for their then-radical support of a woman’s right to an abortion. Based in New York City, their name is a portmanteau of “Bluestockings,” an 18th century women’s literacy group, and “Red,” then a color […]

Go West! – The Leather & Denim Scene in the Weehawken Street Historic District

The Weehawken Street Historic District (designated May 2, 2006) consists of a small area on three blocks around West, Christopher, and 10th Streets. Although primarily known for its relation to New York City’s maritime industry from the 1830s to 1920s, the tiny district was also the center of New York’s Queer Leather and Denim (L&D) […]

Szia, Nadia! – Immigrant History through the Lens of Netflix’s “Russian Doll”

Spoilers ahead for the first and second season of “Russian Doll” limited TV series Our neighborhoods have long been seen as a refuge and melting pot for immigrants of all nations and origins. Eastern and Southern Europeans and Chinese immigrants created communities within the heart of the Lower East Side, while Italians and African Americans […]

Making a Place for Play — WPA Era Neighborhood Playgrounds in our Neighborhoods

Approved as part or the New Deal on April 8th, 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) had a significant impact on our neighborhoods’ social resources and cultural capital. Considered to be one of 20th century America’s largest investments in social infrastructure, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) pursued over 26 different projects in the Greenwich Village, […]

Stormé DeLarverie: Village Guardian

A self-proclaimed “gay superhero,” Stormé Delarverie (≅ December 24, 1920 – May 24, 2014, Pronouns: she/her in public, he/him in performance) was a drag king, bouncer, and neighborhood activist who outspokenly protected LGBTQ+ communities in our neighborhoods and Lower Manhattan. Pronounced “Stormy De-Lah-vee-yay,” she made a name for herself as the (alleged) spark that started […]

Local Lesbian Bookstores: Founders of a Feminist Future

Historically, our neighborhoods have hosted many independent and unconventional bookstores. These small institutions have helped define the character of our neighborhoods as a literary capital of the Western world. With apartments as small as ours, these bookstores took on the role of collective public living rooms, acting as places of community gathering and organization. But, […]

Reading Between the Lines: The Life of Nella Larsen

East Villager and Harlemite Nellallitea “Nella” Larsen (neé Walker, 13 April 1891 – 30 March 1964) was an American novelist who contributed to the Harlem Renaissance and American Modernism literary movements. Born to a Danish mother and Afro-Caribbean father, Larsen identified as mixed race, and her two novels, Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929), explore race […]

The Civilian Warfare Gallery: Artists in Combat

Founded by artists and partners Alan Barrows and Dean Savard in 1982, Civilian Warfare is one of the most under-interpreted yet incredibly influential galleries in the East Village’s art scene. Barrows and Savard started the gallery during the height of the Regan Era and the HIV/AIDS Crisis, when the East Village was plagued by rampant […]

2021 Village Preservation Public Programs Round-Up

As we close the chapter on yet another wild and successful of year of public programs at Village Preservation, we wanted to take the time to reflect and highlight some of 2021’s best moments. Despite the twists and turns of this year’s ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, we’ve hosted 80 different educational lectures, book talks, and walking […]

Greer Lankton: An Artist’s Life in the Village of the Dolls

Greer Lankton (she/her, April 21, 1958 – November 18, 1996) was an East Village-based multidisciplinary artist who worked in illustration, photography, and sculpture. She’s mostly known for creating lifelike paper-mache dolls of celebrities, and she explored themes around celebrity iconography, beauty standards, and the white feminine ideal. While not all of her dolls were of […]

Candy Darling: A Superstar in Her Own Right

Candy Darling (She/Her, November 24, 1944 — March 21, 1974) was a transgender icon and muse for well-known artists and musicians like Andy Warhol and The Velvet Underground. Darling was an influential Downtown character throughout the 1960s, often interacting with its creative scene through Seymour Levy’s “Salon” on Bleecker Street. She was one of Andy […]

An East Village Raid On The ‘Wobblies’ Hobbles, But Doesn’t Destroy, the I.W.W.

In 1917, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation launched a series of raids on offices around the nation belonging to the Industrial Workers of the World (also known as the the IWW, or the “Wobblies”), an international labor union that was alleged to have had ties to socialist, syndicalist, and anarchist organizations. When the United […]

Little Free Libraries of Our Neighborhoods and Beyond

Have you ever seen these little boxes when you’re out on a stroll around the neighborhood? Noticed that they were full of fabulous books, magazines, and information? These birdhouse-shaped depositories are part of Little Free Libraries, a grassroots initiative to promote the free exchange of books between neighbors.  The Little Free Library is a 501(c)3 […]

Sharing the Literary Legacy of a Powerful Poet: Amiri Baraka

Amiri Baraka (October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), born Everett Leroy “LeRoi” Jones in Newark, was one of Greenwich Village’s most outspoken poets of the Black Arts Movement during the 1960s and ’70s. His political advocacy was both illuminating and confrontational, as he attempted to use his writing to document his experience of blackness […]

Sylvia Rivera: A Controversial But Powerful and Enduring Activist for LGBTQ+ Rights

Sylvia Rivera (July 2, 1951 – February 19, 2002, She/Her) was a trailblazing advocate for the rights of transgender individuals and LGBTQ+ communities. A vocal opponent of racism and transphobia within the 1970-80s Gay Liberation Movement, Rivera was controversial (to say the least) during her time. While delivering her infamous speech, “Y’all Better Quiet Down!” […]