Business of the Month: Love Child, 9 Patchin 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 … Continued
La Vie en Rose: Meet Villager Rose Hartman
Villager and photographer Rose Hartman has, since the 1970s, been known for her candid portraits of the world’s celebrities and non-celebrities as they pass through New York City. Ms. Hartman, who’s … Continued
Nico Captured by Fred McDarrah
On January 7, 1967, German-born singer Nico performed with The Velvet Underground at Steve Paul’s nightclub, the Scene, and this moment was captured stunningly in a photograph by Fred W. … Continued
If Beale Street Could Talk’s West Village Scenes
If Beale Street Could Talk is the newest release from award-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins. The film is Jenkins’s adaptation of a novella by James Baldwin of the same name. The … Continued
Many Layers of History at 1st Avenue and 3rd Street
New Year, new entries! As the calendar year resets, so to the dates that correspond to Village intersections. We begin our 2019 series back where it all started: the East … Continued
Napoleon LeBrun — Firehouse Architect and So Much More
Napoleon Eugene Charles Henry LeBrun, a prominent and prolific American architect of the late 19th century, was born on January 2, 1821. He began his career in Philadelphia and designed … Continued
Hair-of-the-Dog Blog Posts from 2018
Happy New Year and welcome to 2019! Perhaps you welcomed in the new year a bit ‘robustly’ last night. In that spirit, we thought we’d look at a few posts … Continued
2018 Favorites, and Looking to 2019….
Last week we looked at readers’ top five choices of 2018. Today, check out some of our favorites : Who Doesn’t Love Carole Teller? A resident of the East Village for over … Continued
Viewers Choice: Top 5 Village Preservation Program Videos of 2018
Each year, Village Preservation hosts more than sixty public programs. They cover our neighborhoods from the western edge of Greenwich Village to the easternmost reaches of the East Village. Topics … Continued
Many Layers of History Throughout 2018
As the calendar year comes to a close, GVSHP is looking back at some of our 2018 blog posts. Our neighborhoods are so rich in history on every street and … Continued
When Mother Teresa Opened An AIDS Hospice in Greenwich Village
Mother Teresa, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work among the poor in Calcutta, India, opened an AIDS Hospice in Greenwich Village on Christmas Eve in … Continued
Welcome to the ‘Hood, Ars Nova!
The Village has always been, and remains, a hotbed of artistic creativity. Theater artists and companies continue to thrive here, as more and more emerge or find new homes in … Continued
Calvert Vaux and the Village
Calvert Vaux, one of the most prolific and influential architects in the United States during the second half of the 19th century, was born on December 20, 1824, in London, … Continued
A Tale of Two Crises: Thomas Paine and Marie Du Mont
On December 19, 1776, Thomas Paine published The American Crisis, a series of pamphlets that helped fan the flames of American patriotism to inspire the American troops and public during … Continued
Tompkins Square Park Landmarks QUIZ!
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Readers Choice: Top 5 Off the Grid Blog Posts of 2018
Each year GVSHP writes almost 250 blog posts, with our staff (the authors) competing to write the best, most popular posts. Today, we look back on our five most popular … Continued
“London Calling:” The Clash and the Village
If you were to ask me to name a truly perfect album, it would take a very quick punk-rock-beat to say “London Calling!” Released on December 14, 1979, this iconic … Continued
Henry Highland Garnet and the Village
On December 23, 1815, African-American abolitionist, minister, educator, and orator Henry Highland Garnet was born into slavery. Garnet escaped his bondage and worked hard to fight for himself and the … Continued
Business of the Month: M & D Shapiro Hardware, 7 Great Jones 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 … Continued
I Love the 80s…Map!
We recently wrote about the online release of the 1940s tax photos of every building in New York City by the New York City Municipal Archives. As we mentioned, the … Continued
Dylan and the Village on Film
The Village in the 1960s was a hotbed of creativity. In one of the most defining moments of that decade, in January 1961, a twenty-year-old Bob Dylan moved here to … Continued
From Mark Twain and the Lovin’ Spoonful to Tech Hub: The overlooked history of Union Square South
Straddling Greenwich Village and the East Village, the neighborhood south of Union Square between Fifth and Third Avenues was once a center of groundbreaking commercial innovations, radical leftist politics, and … Continued
Kirk Douglas – Actor, Producer and Villager
“I am Spartacus!” That is what many people think of when they think of Kirk Douglas, in his role in the 1960 film Spartacus as the leader of a slave … Continued
That Time (One of Many) When Trump Was Caught
On December 6, 2006, the Trump SoHo ‘Condo-Hotel’ was caught advertising its planned units to prospective buyers as a “Primary Residence” or “Secondary Residence.” GVSHP found the advertisements and immediately … 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
Happy Chanukah from the Village – Celebrating Through History!
I was holiday shopping at my local bookstore and was delighted to encounter Emily Jenkins’ “All of a Kind Family Hanukkah.” In the book, a Jewish immigrant family prepares for … Continued
Interior Artwork of Our Lady of Pompeii Church
The Center For Migration Studies has provided GVSHP with historic images in the past, and recently sent us several images of the interior artwork of Our Lady of Pompeii church. … Continued
Only Seven Landmarks in One of New York’s Most Historically Rich Areas? What about 37 East 12th Street?
Recently we looked at seven late 19th and early 20th century buildings now under consideration for landmarking by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (read about them here,) They are … Continued
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a Visual Ode to the Village
My favorite series in the past MANY years is The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel written by the amazing Amy Sherman-Palladino. Not only is her rapid-fire dialogue and direction a joy to … Continued
POPS goes the Village!
Privately owned public spaces, or POPS, are public areas adjoining or adjacent to buildings created through incentivized zoning. What this zoning means is that by providing a public space, developers … Continued
Public Art to #LightTheFight for World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day takes place on the 1st December each year. It’s an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living … Continued
New Historic Images- Astor Place, 10th Street, Village Community School, and more.
GVSHP just added 29 new historic images to our archive taken from current public applications to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) for significant changes to landmarked buildings in our neighborhoods. … Continued
The backstory on backhouses: How NYC’s hidden rear residences came to be
New York City is full of hidden surprises that even the most dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker may not know about. One such example is the elusive “backhouse” or rear house. There … Continued
The Cemeteries of the Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue Shearith Israel
On March 31, 1492, Spain ordered that all Jews living within the kingdom either convert to Christianity or be expelled. Portugal did the same less than five years later. Some … Continued
Remembering the Ramrod Massacre
“For all of us who were worried that the conservative backlash in this country would bring about unnamed terrible things, the future is now.” These words date to November 1980, … Continued
Buy a Book Locally on Small Business Saturday
“Small Business Saturday” is this coming Saturday, a day to promote the independent retailers and other businesses that enrich our neighborhoods. To help you help our local small businesses, we’ve … Continued
New York City’s 1940 Tax Photos — Now Online!
New York history buffs have been waiting a long time for this — the New York City Municipal Archives has digitized all 720,000 of its tax photos of every building in … Continued
Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive: Interior Motives
With the colder air, the shorter days, and the mania of holiday planning that come with late November, it seems right to start spending more time in the warm, comfortable … Continued
The Birth of Mass Transit in NYC
Mass transit emerged in New York City in 1827 with the omnibus, a large stagecoach pulled by horses that could accommodate about a dozen riders at a time. While horse-drawn carriages had … Continued
One Street, Many Great Local Businesses: Bleecker Street
Four years ago today, GVSHP launched our Business of the Month program, in which each month a local independent business is featured on GVSHP’s website and blog Off the Grid, … Continued
Ernest Flagg Roundup!
On November 12th, 1968, Firehouse Engine Co. 33 at 44 Great Jones Street was designated a New York City landmark. The design of the firehouse, a “distinguished example of French … Continued
James Renwick, Jr., 19th Century Architect Extraordinaire!
James Renwick, Jr. was born on November 11, 1818, in New York City. He would become one of the most successful American architects of the 19th century, designing such high … Continued
World War I Centennial and the Village
November 11, 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the Armistice which ended World War I, a war that engulfed most of Europe since 1914. United States troops tipped the balance … Continued
Many Layers of History at 7th Avenue and 11th Street
This post is part of a series about Village intersections that correspond to the date. In July, we took a look at 7th Avenue and 12th Street and discussed the former … Continued
Business of the Month: Village Tannery, 173 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 … Continued
My Favorite Things: Andrew Berman Edition
This post is part of a series about our favorite things in and about the Village. Andrew Berman, GVSHP’s Executive Director since 2002, has a plethora of favorite things … Continued
Spiral Group: From Greenwich Village to the Brooklyn Museum
A recent visit to the powerful exhibit Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power at the Brooklyn Museum surprised me with its deep Greenwich Village roots. The … Continued
Stephen Crane: A Greenwich Village “Genius”
On November 1, 1871, one of America’s most influential writers, Stephen Crane, was born in Newark, New Jersey. He is probably best know for his Civil War novel The Red … Continued
Halloween Has Gone to the Dogs!
The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade has been a much-loved event in the East Village since the 1990s. This year’s parade was initially canceled, but then moved to the East … Continued
My Favorite Things: Tom Birchard Edition
We decided it was high time for some of our most ardent and vocal supporters to have a say here on Off the Grid. To that end, we have invited … Continued
Remembering Hurricane Sandy
On Monday, October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy a.k.a. “Superstorm Sandy” made landfall in New York. It was one of the most devastating natural disasters to ever hit New York. It inflicted $19 … Continued
Map Every Street Tree — Which is Your Favorite?
Fall is the time to notice the sublime changing colors of the leaves on the trees. Or smell the fallen nuts of a gingko tree that some harvest in parks … Continued
Basque & Bank
October 25 is the Day of the Basque Country, the national holiday of the Basque Autonomous Community. But did you know that 82 Bank Street was once a major hub for … Continued
“An Intimate and Unconventional Space:” Caffe Cino
Caffe Cino at 31 Cornelia Street was a community, a haven, the birthplace of countless theatrical careers and movements, and the origin of off-off-Broadway theater. In November 2017, Caffe Cino … Continued
Contest: Recreate A Historic Photo!
GVSHP has partnered with the free Urban Archive App over the past year to share our historic image archive via this location-based tool. As part of this partnership, we conducted … Continued
John Reed: Journalist, Revolutionary and Villager
John “Jack” Silas Reed was an American journalist, poet and communist activist at the beginning of the 20th century whose writing about revolutionary events and radical causes made him a … Continued
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 … Continued
Woody Guthrie’s New York Comes Alive
Folk music icon Woody Guthrie was a little man with beady eyes – as described by his second wife Marjorie, though she had imagined him to be taller, strapping, and … Continued
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 … Continued
Wanamaker’s, A Shoppers Paradise
In a recent application to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to make some changes to the building at 770 Broadway (8th/9th Streets), there is a great picture of this impressive building … Continued
Gay Activist Alliance Headquarters Bombed
On October 15, 1974, the Gay Activist Alliance Firehouse, located in SoHo at 99 Wooster Street, was bombed.
Historic Spaces Open to the Public
Ever walk past a particular building or gate and wish you could go inside? Well this weekend, maybe you can, since it is Open House New York. More than 140 sites … Continued
Open House New York in Greenwich Village: The history of three unique sites
Among the many delights included in this weekend’s Open House New York will be three iconic Greenwich Village buildings–a Gothic Revival church with many architectural firsts, a library that was originally a … Continued
Coming Out, and Going Out, in the Village
October 11th is National Coming Out Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness and visibility of the LGBT community through the process of “coming out,” or identifying one’s LGBT identity … Continued
The Ninth Street Five
The now infamous Ninth Street Show, a ‘coming out’ of sorts for the post-war New York avant-garde art scene, began as a whimsical idea, but ended up literally overturning the hegemony … Continued
One Track Mind: Drawing the New York Subway
The New York City subway system is messy, crowded, unreliable, full of musicians, and generally teeming with folks who will bowl you over if you’re not careful. It’s also full of art. … Continued
No One Had Ever Heard a Howl Like That Before
The Beat poets, inextricably linked with the Village and East Village, materialized in the post-WWII American of white picket fences to celebrate all things messy, countercultural, drug-addled, disenfranchised, and unstoppably vital. … Continued
Lost Saints of the Village
The Village is hallowed ground, and much like any sacred space, its landscape is marked by holy figures. For our neighborhoods, these figures are the architecture, and we even have … Continued
Ithiel Town: It’s All Greek (and Gothic) to Him
Ithiel Town, born on October 3, 1784, transformed American architecture, as well as the landscape of our neighborhoods. A significant figure in beginning the Greek and Gothic Revivals in this … Continued
Trendy Nightspot is the Clue to this Historic Image Mystery, Hiding in Plain Sight
Last week we solved one of our longstanding historic photo mysteries, when Eric Robinson, the cousin of the photographer, Carole Teller, was able to identify the location of this elevated train which … Continued
Only Seven Landmarks in One of New York’s Most Historically Rich Areas?
Seven late 19th and early 20th century buildings are now under consideration for landmarking by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. They are all located along Broadway south of … Continued
What’s in a name? Gay Street
Gay Street is one of the most charming and picturesque streets in Greenwich Village, an icon of the historic neighborhood’s anachronistic character. But the origins of its name are hotly … Continued
A ‘Riveting’ Historic Photo Mystery Solved!
GVSHP’s historic image archive reflects an amazing cross-section of NYC history. Many of the images arrived to us unidentified in terms of location. We have solved many historic photo mysteries including … Continued
Important Rally this Saturday: 95% of Neighborhood Around Tech Hub Still Unprotected
Even though the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) just calendared, or began the formal process of consideration for, landmark designations of seven buildings in the area affected by the recent … Continued
John Barrymore’s Rooftop Lair at 132 West 4th Street
I love I Hate Hamlet. How could I not have known all these years that Paul Rudnick wrote the play while living at 132 West 4th Street, in the very … Continued
Remembering General Slocum, the man
On September 24, 1827, Union General Henry Slocum was born. Though the namesake of the steamship fire that became one of the largest losses of life in NYC history (second … Continued
Villagers, (Pumpkin) Spice Up Your Life!
The fall equinox is this weekend, ushering in the start of autumn. As we all know, autumn has a flavor, and that flavor is pumpkin spice. A mixture generally consisting … Continued
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, … Continued
Nile Rodgers: Musical Innovator, Child of the Village
The award-winning guitarist, composer, and producer Nile Rodgers was born on September 19, 1952. Rodgers co-founded the influential disco group Chic; produced music for artists as diverse as David Bowie, … Continued
Hispanic Heritage Month: Celebrating Nuyorican Poets Cafe
“For the poor New York Puerto Rican, there are three survival possibilities,” the poet Miguel Algarin wrote in 1975. “The first is to labor for money and exist in eternal … Continued
How well do you know the Village?
GVSHP partnered with the Village Alliance and Urban Archive to host a scavenger hunt in the Village on September 15, 2018. One team got all 30 questions right – can you … Continued
NYCityMap: The Right Tool, With the Wrong Dates
New York City publishes a very useful map-based website with one very big flaw. NYCityMap offers users a tremendous amount of information on all properties in New York City. Some of … Continued
The oldest house in the Village? It’s not what you think
The Village is known as one of the oldest parts of New York City, where historic architecture can be found everywhere, and charming houses from a bygone era still stand. … Continued
Business of the Month — Casa Magazines, 22 Eighth 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 … Continued
My Favorite Things: Village Icon Tom Fontana!
“Tom Fontana does not own or use a computer. He writes his scripts in longhand on yellow legal pads. Emails for Tom are sent to his office where a hard copy … Continued
Remembering the 344th Lost Firefighter, and Fire Patrol House #2
The number “343” is indelibly linked with September 11, 2001 — the official number of firefighters killed on 9/11. However, a 344th New York City firefighter was killed at the … Continued
Beyond the Village and Back: Assyrian Revival on West 30th Street
In 2001, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated 130 West 30th Street as a Landmark. Designed by the preeminent architect Cass Gilbert in 1927–28, the building was built to accommodate offices, showrooms and manufacturing space for the fur industry.
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 … Continued
A Tradition of Progressive Education
Our neighborhood is rife with educational institutions and schools which have blazed trails and tread new ground. Today we will look at two schools which have benefited the younger members … Continued
Many Layers of History at 9th Street and 5th Avenue
This post is part of a series about Village intersections that correspond to the date. September is here and a new month means a new corresponding Village intersection! Ninth Street … Continued
New York Biscuit Stables
In the early 2000’s GVSHP conducted research that led to the designation of the Gansevoort Market Historic District. That research included photo surveys of the area. We recently added one such … Continued
Many Layers of History, and Beyond the Village and Back: Penn Station
Today is a rare day on Off the Grid as we are able to combine two of our ongoing series: Many Layers of History and Beyond the Village and Back. Unlike … Continued
A Times Square Art Excursion with Carole Teller
There are limitless things to discover among the astounding collections of photographs by Carole Teller in GVSHP’s Historic Image Archive. A resident of the East Village for over 50 years, … Continued
Dorothy Day
“We need to change the system. We need to overthrow, not the government, as the authorities are always accusing the Communists [of conspiring to do], but this rotten, decadent, putrid … Continued
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. … Continued
Historic Photo Mysteries Solved
Last week we put out a call for help to solve mysteries regarding the locations of some images from our Historic Image Archive‘s most recent addition, Carole Teller’s Changing New York, Part … Continued
St. John’s vs. the Tech Hub — Promises Kept, and Promises Broken
On August 24, 2016, the New York City Planning Commission held a hearing to consider a zoning change and transfer of air rights for the development of the three-block long St. … Continued
Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground’s Last Show and Album at Max’s
The Village’s misfits, we know quite well, are very dedicated, special kinds of misfits. Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground certainly fall into this category. Everyone remembers when they were … Continued
