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Author: Sarah Eccles

Birth Control as Health Care: The Legacy of the International Workers Order #SouthOfUnionSquare

Though forms of birth control existed long before the introduction of “the pill” in 1960, most women often did not have easy access to it. In the early 20th century, public views of birth control were often negative, discussion of it was usually stifled, and in general women did not have a great deal of […]

A Woman Can Keep a Home and Build It

According to the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, only 14% of engineers in the United States are women. In 2022, though the number of women in S.T.E.M (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields is ever increasing, it’s shocking to hear that women still make up such a low percentage of engineers. Perhaps this is a result […]

Socialists, Communists, and Revolutionaries on Fifth Avenue #SouthOfUnionSquare

New York’s Fifth Avenue rarely conjures up images of radicals or revolutionaries; it’s more commonly associated with high-end shopping, well-heeled cultural institutions, and corporate headquarters. But cross 14th Street, and all that changes, especially if you step back into the 20th and 19th centuries, when Fifth Avenue south of that great dividing line (and South […]

The Oldest Building South of Union Square

Village Preservation’s proposed South of Union Square Historic District was named one of the “Seven to Save” by the Preservation League of NY State for 2022-2023. The area is full of striking late 19th and early 20th century loft buildings, late 19th century hotels, early 20th century apartment buildings, and mid-19th century institutional buildings. Some […]

The Long Road To Our Landmarks Law

On April 19, 1965, New York City passed its landmarks law. While credit for passage of this law is often attributed to the demolition of Penn Station, the tragic loss of that beautiful Beaux Arts monument was just another straw on the proverbial camel’s back. The ability to protect our important built history which came […]

The Gilded Village: Where Two Thirds of the Population Lived

Our Gilded Age blog posts have previously looked into some of the major stores and influential people of the era in our neighborhoods South of Union Square. This period, from the end of the Civil War until around 1900, is renowned for its excess, luxury, and wealth enjoyed across American cities. Rapid economic growth bolstered […]

    ‘In America, They Don’t Let You Burn’: The Legacy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

    Anna Gullo, a survivor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, believed, “In America, they don’t let you burn.” But the tragic events of March 25, 1911 proved her wrong. So did the failure to prosecute Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, the factory owners who locked the factory doors to protect their profits rather than their […]

    Catholic Churches: Anchor of New York’s 19th Century Irish Community

    Irish Catholic immigrants to New York were one of the earliest and largest major immigrant groups to our city, outside of the Protestant immigrants from the United Kingdom who were much more readily accepted as “Americans.” They came here in ever-increasing numbers from the 18th century, seeking food security, jobs, religious and political freedom. Upon […]

    Preserving the Past is Female!

    Historic Preservation is a field where we seek to preserve communities and history through the built environment. The field requires knowledge of architecture, planning, law, and culture, among other areas. With such a multitude of skills required, no wonder it attracted so many prominent women like First Ladies Jackie Onassis and Lady Bird Johnson. In […]

      “Hidden Figures” #SouthOfUnionSquare: The Unsung Female Engineers Who Built Some of NYC’s Greatest Landmarks

      The unprotected area South of Union Square for which we are seeking landmark status has no shortage of trailblazers in the arts and architecture, in commerce, and those who fought in the arena for equality and advancement. Some were very prominent figures like W.E.B. DuBois, Jackson Pollock, Billie Holliday, and Martha Graham. Others, however, made […]

      “Beyond the Village and Back” Takes Us #SouthOfUnionSquare

      Village Preservation recently unveiled our interactive Beyond the Village and Back Maps, the latest in our series of maps that tell the story of our neighborhood. With so many entries, we’ve had to divide it into two storymaps: one covering Manhattan below 72nd Street, the other for the rest of the city.  The storymaps highlight […]

        Andrew Carnegie’s Legacy at Seventh Ave So. and Leroy Street

        The Hudson Park Library, which opened on January 24, 1906, is one of Manhattan’s twenty remaining Carnegie libraries. This red brick structure was designed by the renowned architectural firm of Carrere & Hastings (who just a few years later would design and build the main branch of the New York Public Library at 42nd Street), […]

        19th Century Irish Immigrant Community Building #SouthOfUnionSquare

        As we continue to research the historically and architecturally significant area South of Union Square, we uncover more important history that unfolded in the area every day. Recently, we discovered the presence of philanthropist, businessman, and Irish immigrant Andrew Carrigan, who helped transform the lives of Irish immigrants in New York in the 19th century, […]

        Fourteenth Street and Fifth Avenue: A Window into the Development of the City

        We have previously researched the Dutch ownership of the lands within the area south of Union Square, land that was originally home to the native Lenape people. The Dutch took over the Lenape’s land and began allocating different parcels to wealthy Dutchmen, leaders, and new settlers in the area. The prominent Elias Brevoort, a wealthy […]

          Washington Square Park, Once the Land of the Lenape

          Today we’re highlighting the rich Indigenous history of our neighborhood. This is crucial both to understand and respect the full history of the land we live on, and to recognize the story and experience of consistently marginalized groups. Washington Square Park, once a farming land and gathering place for the Lenape, tranformed over two centuries […]

          #SouthofUnionSquare: Pre-Civil War Buildings

          Our research on the area south of Union Square has revealed treasure troves of rich architecture and history connected to the film, the labor movement, and the arts, among many other subject areas. Yet the neighborhood remains without landmarks protections. This is especially vexing given its concentration of buildings from the earliest stages of our […]

          Architecture #SouthOfUnionSquare: the German-American Legacy

          October, which is German-American Heritage Month, celebrates the contributions Germans and German-Americans have made to American history and culture. In the late 19th century, the largest German-speaking community in the world outside of Berlin and Vienna was centered in the blocks east of Fifth Avenue between 14th and Houston Street, including in the area South […]

          9/11: The Days After — Marjorie Zien Collection

          In honor of the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, Village Preservation has assembled nearly 1,000 donated images documenting the World Trade Center, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and the days and weeks following September 11, 2001. We have released the collections in our historic image archive. One of the many special collections we received was from […]

          St. Mark’s Place: How Cows Changed its Reputation

          St. Mark’s Place, named after the Church of St. Mark’s in the Bowery, is typically known for its other religious calling — rock n’ roll. The street was at the center of the countercultural movements of the second half of the last century, serving as home to a groundbreaking nightclub run by Andy Warhol in […]

          Fifth Avenue’s Streetscape Still Standing Since 1911

          The traditional tale of New York City’s zoning code tells us that the 40-story Equitable Building, constructed in 1915 with no setbacks, was responsible for the 1916 Zoning resolution. However, this building was simply the final provocation New Yorkers needed to get behind the controversial concept of more closely regulating the city’s development — in […]

          The Female Trailblazer Who Helped Build New York’s Landmarks #SouthOfUnionSquare

          The unprotected area South of Union Square has no shortage of trailblazers in the arts and architecture, in commerce, and in the arena of equality or advancement for women. But all those strains of the neighborhood’s pioneering and history-making spirit come together at one building where a largely forgotten figure in our city’s history toiled […]

          What’s In a Name?: The Petersfield, 113-119 Fourth Avenue

          Our “What’s In A Name?” series looks at the names behind buildings, streets, parks, or other locations in our neighborhoods which hold more meaning than we may realize.  113-119 Fourth Avenue was completed in 1906. This building has had two names over its lifetime: The Fish Building and The Petersfield. The eight-story Arts & Crafts […]

            #SouthofUnionSquare — Irish History Tour

            Our South of Union Square map offers an interactive look into this area of Greenwich Village and the East Village which is so rich in history but also so lacking in needed landmark protections. The platform has information on the 200 buildings within the area as well as over forty themed tours that focus on […]

            The Empress of Blues, South of Union Square

            Nicknamed “The Empress of Blues,” Bessie Smith was one of the most popular female blues singers of the 1920s and 30s. She influenced many vocalists who followed her, from Janis Joplin to Anita Baker. Her songs spoke to and about working people, African Americans, liberated women, and their (and anyone else’s) everyday troubles. Her “spoken […]

            Fighting for Civil Rights at 80 Fifth Avenue

            For its entire existence over twenty years, the International Worker’s Order’s (IWO) New York City headquarters was located at 80 Fifth Avenue. 80 Fifth Avenue, at 14th Street, is located in the historically rich but endangered area south of Union Square for which Village Preservation is seeking landmark protections. Our ongoing research about the area has […]