The Fun (and Facts) in Fire Insurance Maps
Finding windows into the past allows us to properly document the history of our neighborhoods here in New York City. The fire insurance maps of the late 19th and early … Continued
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Author: Sarah Eccles
Mannahatta: Exploring “Our Good Home”
We have previously looked at the Lenape legacy in our area, including the native trails the Dutch and English followed, and the myths of Minetta Creek. This is if course … Continued
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, … Continued
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 … Continued
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 … Continued
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 … Continued
Our Dutch Legacy, Four Hundred Years Later
On May 4th, 1626, Dutch Explorer Peter Minuit landed on the island known to its indigenous population as Manahatta, orchestrating what has often been referred to as the “purchase” of … Continued
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 … Continued
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 … Continued
The Designers Behind the Architecture South of Union Square
The Historic District South of Union proposed by Village Preservation has many amazing buildings designed by great architects of the 19th and 20th centuries. We have previously (and extensively) highlighted … Continued