Did you know that Village Preservation members receive advance notice of many of our public programs? Our tours and other programs sometimes offer limited seating or spaces. By becoming a member, you can take advantage of that advanced notice and register before the general public. Find out how to become a member here.

For videos, details, and other media from our past programs, click here.

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James Baldwin: Living in Fire

Join Village Preservation to mark the centennial of James Baldwin’s birth with a presentation by Baldwin scholar Bill Mullen as he discusses the writer and activist’s time in Greenwich Village.

James Baldwin is an icon of liberation who created some of his time’s most important literary works, including the novels Go Tell It on the Mountain and If Beale Street Could Talk. Mullen celebrates the life of this great African-American writer and activist in his book James Baldwin: Living in Fire. As a lifelong anti-imperialist, Black queer advocate, and feminist, Baldwin was a passionate chronicler of the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, the U.S. war against Vietnam, the Palestinian liberation movement, and the rise of LGBTQ+ rights. Mullen pays homage to Baldwin’s radical approach to life, writing, and activism. Baldwin was constantly struggling for an anti-racist, emancipated world; his philosophy and politics were ahead of their time, anticipating and leading to many of today’s movements such as Black Lives Matter.

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When Women Ran Fifth Avenue

Join us as Julie Satow discusses her new book When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion and as we continue our year-long salute to Fifth Avenue on its 200th anniversary. 

Satow draws on her expert knowledge of New York City history and culture to whisk readers back to a bygone era of innovation and glitz. She chronicles the rise of the department store through dazzling portraits of three female powerhouses who broke barriers and created new and evolving possibilities for working women. 

In the golden age of the American department store, every wish could be met under a single roof: one could take afternoon tea, browse the latest fashions, and even plan a wedding or funeral. From bustling big cities to Main Street, USA, women — shopper and shopgirl alike — found newfound opportunities for independence. Men may have owned the buildings, but inside, women ruled. Though the names of these iconic stores, from Bendel’s to Lord & Taylor, are well known, the stories of the women who ran them have been largely lost to history — until now. 

Featuring vivid photos that illustrate the evolution of fashion over the course of a century and dotted with cameos from such legendary figures as Yoko Ono and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, When Women Ran Fifth Avenue will charm sartorialists, readers of history, and fans of Mad Men and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Satow captures the department store in all its promise, possibility, and delight as she revives the legacies of the remarkable women who made that beautifully curated world go round. 

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Greenwich Village Folk Tour

This tour explores the folk revival scene centered in Greenwich Village during the 1950s and 1960s. We’ll visit historic folk sites like Washington Square Park, where in 1961 folkies rioted, and MacDougal Street, which was once full of coffeehouses and music venues. Besides seeing the sites where folk greats like Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, Joan Baez, and Pete Seeger honed their craft, we’ll explore what all these “hootenannies” meant and how they shaped modern music and the Village.

Our guide is Andrew Silverstein, the founder of Streetwise New York, a company that specializes in in-depth customized tours of New York neighborhoods. In addition to giving tours of Greenwich Village, he has written about New York in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Forward, including articles about The Music Inn and Cafe Feenjon/Comedy Cellar.

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Floating Palaces of the Waterfront Walking Tour

What would the Titanic’s passengers have seen if the great ship had completed its maiden voyage to New York? Today it’s reborn as a beautiful site for recreation after decades of decay, but over a hundred years ago the Hudson River waterfront was the place where New York cemented its place as one of the world’s greatest cities. Cargo, commuters, and international passengers jostled with dock workers, freighters, ferries, railroads, and giant ocean liners. Join us for a walking tour along the waterfront to explore how this dynamic waterfront worked in the age of Titanic and her fellow floating palaces that once docked there. We’ll explore sites connected to the sinking of the Titanic from Pier 54 to the Jane Hotel, and discover remnants of when the Hudson was the lifeblood of New York’s economy. 

This tour is guided by William Roka, Director of Programs at Village Preservation. He is also an independent historian and writer whose research has focused on the history of travel and ocean liners in the early 20th century and has been presented at conferences in the United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, and across the United States.