New Research Uncovers More Incredible History to Power Our Push for Landmark Protections for Greenwich Village and the East Village South of Union Square
| Village Preservation continues our research efforts to demonstrate the incredible history of the area south of Union Square which lacks landmark protections, and to fight for its preservation. Our latest 27-page submission to the Landmarks Preservation Commission focuses on the unprotected Fifth Avenue corridor and uncovers the fascinating connections between the buildings here and historic figures including Andrew Carnegie, Sacco and Vanzetti, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Teddy Roosevelt, Upton Sinclair, Clarence Darrow, Crystal Eastman, and Jane Adams, among many others, as well as historically significant events including the Scopes Monkey Trial, the Panic of 1857, and efforts to stop the Armenian Genocide. These buildings were home to the publishers of some of the greatest works of literature of the 19th and 20th centuries, the first art movie house in America, the place where racial integration in recorded music began, one of the leading World War II “canteens,” the place where for decades which movies would or would not be shown in the United States was decided, and the studio of the “Picasso of dance.” |
| While most construction in New York is on pause right now, this area has suffered devastating losses to its rich history and architecture in recent years due to the lack of landmark protections and the City Council’s approval of the upzoning for the Mayor’s Tech Hub in 2018. Further destruction is likely in the future when construction begins again if we don’t secure the landmark protections this area needs and deserves. TO HELP: |
| For more information on the effort to protect this area, go to www.gvshp.org/savemyneighborhood To read more of the incredible history of this area, go to www.gvshp.org/research. |
April 8, 2020