Kerouac and Catholicism in Greenwich Village
“…really a story about two Catholic buddies roaming the country in search of God.” So said Jack Kerouac about his book, “On the Road,” soon after it was published in … Continued
Happy Birthday Jack Kerouac!
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, … Continued
Celebrating the Landmarks of Immigration in the Greenwich Village Historic District
April is both the time of year when immigrant heritage week is celebrated in New York (commemorating the day in 1907 when more immigrants passed through Ellis Island than any … Continued
Preserving the Past for the Future: A Journey Through the Greenwich Village Historic District
The Greenwich Village Historic District (GVHD) is a haven of history, culture, and artistic expression many have called the beating heart of New York City. The GVHD stands as a … Continued
Spring Inspires Poetry in Greenwich Village
“For two weeks or more the trees hesitated;the little leaves waited,carefully indicating their characteristics.” — Excerpt from the poem “A Cold Spring” by Elizabeth Bishop, who lived at 16 Charles … Continued
Politicians, Playwrights, and Parades: The Irish legacy of the East Village and Greenwich Village
For many, celebrating Irish American heritage in March brings one to Fifth Avenue for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, or perhaps a visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. But for … Continued
The Folk Music Revival Scene: A South Village Tour
December is South Village Month – join us in celebrating this vibrant neighborhood all month long! The South Village in the 50s and 60s was a hotbed of creativity and activism. Where … Continued
The Beats: A South Village Tour
December is South Village Month – join us in celebrating this vibrant neighborhood all month long! Postwar America in the 1950s through the early 1960s experienced the birth of a movement and … Continued
Cappuccino: Introduced to America in Greenwich Village, Still Going Strong
Cappuccinos are made from equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foam. While this recipe is not debatable, the origin story is. Various Italian, French, Turkish, Viennese/Austro-Hungarians lay claim to all … Continued
The Italian Cafés of the South Village
October is Italian American History and Heritage month, and it is impossible to deny the influence that Italian culture and immigration has had on our neighborhoods. This is especially true … Continued
Edwin Fancher, Co-Founder of The Village Voice
Edwin Fancher (August 29, 1923 – September 29, 2023) was a co-founder and part-owner of The Village Voice, along with partners Dan Wolf and Norman Mailer, from the 1950s until … Continued
Alfred Leslie: Abstraction, the Beats, & Eternal Transformation #SouthOfUnionSquare
“Working as an artist on the Lower East Side in the late Forties and early Fifties wasn’t always easy, as Alfred Leslie can tell you. He once received a visit … Continued
Riccardo Spina Image Collection — A Window Back to Greenwich Village a Half Century Ago
One of the delights of working in the field of historic preservation is getting to regularly dig into old image archives, where unique, wonderful, and fleeting glimpses into the past … Continued
The Importance of #GivingTuesday
In simple terms, #GivingTuesday is a celebration of generosity. Created in 2012, Giving Tuesday was born and incubated at the 92nd Street Y and its Belfer Center for Innovation and … Continued
Giving Tuesday — Give to Save!
Our neighborhoods are synonymous with creativity, history, charm, innovation, and openness. Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo have been incubators for some of the greatest artistic, social, architectural, and … Continued
October Programs: Building Community in our Neighborhoods
At Village Preserevation our tours, lectures, book talks, exhibitions, and other public programs explore and celebrate preservation, history and culture. Beyond sharing vital information from the past and present about Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, our programs bring together community members from various walks of life to connect and learn from one another. Whether it is participants sharing their favorite memories of concerts at Filmore East on our East Village Rock Tour or gathering at a local school to learn about historical figures who helped shape our community, like Sarah Curry who founded the Little Missionary Day School, our programs provide the vital service of connecting you with your community and its history.
Five Spot: Once The Hippest Place on Earth
Jack Kerouac‘s On The Road was the literary sensation of the season in New York in 1957. West Side Story made its Broadway debut in that year. The abstract expressionist painters were … Continued
The Humble “Nerve Center” of the City: Gem Spa
The East Village is a rich palimpsest of fascinating histories. If many of them seem to share as their geographic nucleus the corner of 2nd and St Mark’s Place, that’s … Continued
Village Preservation Plaques Highlight LGBTQ+ History Throughout Our Neighborhoods
On April 21, Village Preservation joined with the the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project to honor the city’s oldest gay bar and a pioneering event from the early days of … Continued
David Amram: Inspiring Musicians in the Village, and Throughout the World
While our blogs typically focus on the history of our neighborhoods and the incredible trailblazers who came before us, it is particularly satisfying to write about great artists who are … Continued
David Amram: Artist, Composer, and Beloved Villager
David Werner Amram III is an American composer, arranger, and conductor of orchestral, chamber, and choral works, many with jazz flavorings. He plays piano, French horn, Spanish guitar, and pennywhistle, sings, and is passionate about teaching music … Continued
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 … Continued
#SouthofUnionSquare — Grove Press Tour
Our South of Union Square map offers an interactive look into this area of Greenwich Village and the East Village that is so rich in history, but also so lacking … Continued
Ferlinghetti and Rosset: Censorship-Battling Superheroes
Our neighborhoods are not only places where great literature was written. It’s also where great literature was published, sometimes at great legal peril, and where tectonic-shifting battles against censorship were … Continued
Politicians, Playwrights, and Parades: The Irish legacy of the East Village and Greenwich Village
For many, celebrating Irish American heritage in March brings one to Fifth Avenue for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, or perhaps a visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. But for … Continued
Most Popular Posts of 2019
2019 has been a huge year for Village Preservation. We celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Greenwich Village Historic District, fought increasing pressure on Greenwich Village and the East Village … Continued
31 Literary Icons of Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, specifically the historic district at its core, has been described as many things, but “literary” may be among the most common. That’s not only because the neighborhood has an … Continued
Daytonian in Greenwich Village
This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District. Click here to check out our year-long activities and … Continued
Publishing giants, radical literature, and women’s suffrage: More secrets of Union Square South
The area south of Union Square, on the border between Greenwich Village and the East Village, is changing. The approval of the new 14th Street Tech Hub south of Union Square combined … Continued
Caffe Reggio: A Village Respite Since 1927
You will be hard pressed to find an establishment in New York City that has survived for as long as 92 years! Well my friends, Caffe Reggio has earned that … Continued
‘Catholic Boy’ Jim Carroll and The Downtown Scene
It’s rare to become a published poet by age 16, finding yourself praised by the some of the foremost Beatnik writers. It’s even rarer when no less than Patti Smith … Continued
Hettie Jones, 2019 Village Awardee
Hettie Jones is a talented writer, a loving mother and grandmother, a forceful activist, a nurturing teacher, and a friendly neighbor and preservationist. She is the stuff neighborhood dreams are … Continued
11 landmarks of immigration in Greenwich Village
Each year, immigrant history week is celebrated in late April, commemorating the day in 1907 when more immigrants came through Ellis Island than any other day in history. More than … Continued
12 social change champions of Greenwich Village
Few places on Earth have attracted more or a broader array of activists and agitators for social change than Greenwich Village. And much of that activity took place right in … Continued
Allen Ginsberg’s East Village Haunts
We recently came across a video on YouTube of what looks almost like silent home movies of beat writers Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and several others gathering at an East … Continued
Prohibition Hits The Village
There have been a handful of times in this country when the outcome of a political campaign was truly stunning. Such was the case in 1919 when several groups known … Continued
Women’s Work: Celebrating (More) Amazing Female Artists of the Village
Scrolling through Off the Grid or any other collection of New York history, we’ve all become familiar with the legendary characters of the Village – Dylan, Kerouac, Hendrix, Duchamp, and … Continued
Fred W. McDarrah’s Greenwich Village and the East Village of the 1950s and 60s
Perhaps no single photographer could be said to have captured the energy, the cultural ferment, the reverberating social change emanating from New York City in the second half of the 20th century … Continued
Touring Bleecker Street’s Diverse History
Last week I took a break from my normal duties as GVSHP’s Director of Research and Preservation and led about forty people on a tour of Bleecker Street as part … Continued
“On the Road” Published
This is an update of a post written by former GVSHP staffer Andito Lloyd. The seminal tome of the Beat generation, Jack Kerouac’s novel, “On the Road,” was published on September … Continued
3000 Beatniks and the Right to Free Speech
There is an absurdity in the photos and video which depict the event now known as “The Beatnik Riots” in Washington Square Park on April 9, 1961. At face value, … Continued
Other Celebrities Who Have “Haunted” The White Horse Tavern
On Wednesday, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation will be hosting a walking tour on Dylan Thomas that will culminate in a visit to the White Horse Tavern on Hudson … Continued
Old Village Matchbooks
A generous GVSHP supporter dropped off a fun treat to our offices a few weeks ago – old matchbooks from Greenwich Village bars and restaurants. They’re a philluminist’s dream! (Did … Continued
GVSHP Oral History: David Amram
GVSHP is excited to share our oral history collection with the public, and hope they will shed more light on what makes Greenwich Village and the East Village such unique and … Continued
The Historic South Village, home of the Beats and Bob Dylan
Twelve years ago tomorrow, GVSHP began an initiative to secure historic district designation for the South Village. It’s hard to believe that the original 1969 Greenwich Village Historic District did … Continued
Happy Birthday, Truman Capote
The writer we know as Truman Capote was born Truman Streckfus Persons on September 30, 1924 in New Orleans. Although he grew up in the South, he and his family … Continued
On this day in history…
GVSHP is marking March, Women’s History Month, with some great public programs. But today I am going to focus on two men who helped to shape the history, geography, and … Continued
Folk Music in Greenwich Village: 1953-1961
On Sunday 9 April 1961, Washington Square Park was full of folk musicians and their friends. The park had become a gathering place for them starting in the 1940s, when … Continued
Village People: Allen Ginsberg
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) We all … Continued
LGBTQ History: MacDougal Street
(This post is the first of a series on the history of the LGBTQ community in Greenwich Village.) It is easy to assume, in the aftermath of the Stonewall riots, … Continued
From the WNYC Archives: Change and Continuity in Greenwich Village
GVSHP is pleased to partner with WNYC on this post that spotlights their archival collection. WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820 are New York’s flagship public radio stations, broadcasting the … Continued
The San Remo Cafe: Archive Edition
Off the Grid often features images from GVSHP’s Preservation Archive and Oral History Project. The image archive includes approximately 300 images from ten different collections that document the architecture, cultural … Continued
All the World’s a Village on Shakespeare’s 450th Birthday
Today marks William Shakespeare’s 450th birthday, although some sources say his exact date of birth is unknown. He never set foot in the Village – he lived before it was … Continued
Upstairs/Downstairs: A Night Out on MacDougal Street
We’ve been focusing a lot lately here at Off the Grid on the newly designated South Village Historic District and the designation report that allows us to learn much about … Continued
James Baldwin, born August 2, 1924
This past Monday evening, many of us gathered on MacDougal Street near Bleecker for the unveiling of a bronze plaque honoring the San Remo Café. The San Remo Café operated … Continued
Another Summer in the City
On Monday, July 29th, GVSHP, along with our friends at Two Boots, unveils our latest historic plaque, this one commemorating the San Remo Café, which was a favorite Village hangout … Continued
Mad Men’s Village People
This Sunday, the Season 6 premiere of Mad Men will transport us back to late 1960s New York. Along with the characters’ backgrounds, props, and costumes, locations play a big … Continued
“On the Road” Published
The seminal tome of the Beat generation, Jack Kerouac’s novel, “On the Road,” was published on September 5, 1957. Though written in 1951 on a continuous 120 foot roll of … Continued
Gore Vidal (1925 -2012) and Greenwich Village
Earlier this week, the world noted the passing of Gore Vidal, one of the great novelists, commentators, and agitators of the 20th century. Like almost every other figure to whom … Continued
The East Village’s Own, Allen Ginsberg
Pigeons shake their wings on the copper church roof out my window across the street, a bird perched on the cross surveys the city’s blue-grey clouds. Larry Rivers ‘ll come … Continued
On Set in the Village
Last week we took a look at some of the many Village locations used on the television series Friends. Not content to stop there, however, today we are going to … Continued
Soon You Can Spend a Night on 8th Street
Last week our friends over at Curbed NY broke the news that the former Marlton House at 3 West 8th Street (between 5th & 6th Avenues) was going from New … Continued
A Bookstore for Every Villager
It’s no surprise that the Village has a wealth of bookshops. Quaint, independently-owned stores that could pull even the most technology-addicted teenager away from his or her iPad, are scattered … Continued
