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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Late-Summer Speakeasy

Celebrate the last days of Summer and the approaching fall season with this special members’ event for Contributor members ($100 and above). Village Preservation and the Salmagundi Club will be hosting Georgette Moger-Petraske, author of the New York Times best-selling drinks memoir, Regarding Cocktails.

Enjoy a “spirited” discussion about drinking in the Gilded Age, NYC speakeasies, the cocktail revival and Georgette’s personal account of life with her husband, Sasha, who ran the world renowned Village drinks den, Milk and Honey.

There will be samples (such as the first sweet martini called the Gin and Italian, “gin and it”) and, especially for this event, Georgette will create brand new cocktails for both the Salmagundi Club and Village Preservation! Attendees will have a chance to speak with the author and purchase a personalized copy of Regarding Cocktails that evening.

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Up in Smoke: The Historic Connection between Tobacco Farming in Greenwich Village, Central Park and Harlem

To mark the 400th anniversary of the settlement New Amsterdam, we welcome Sara Cedar Miller, historian emerita of the Central Park Conservancy, for an online discussion of the connection between tobacco and what is today Greenwich Village, Central Park, Harlem, and the famed Village residents, the DeForest family. Once known as “Sapokanikan,” today’s Village was New Amsterdam’s first downtown tobacco bouwerie (“farm” in Dutch), soon followed by Hendrick and Isaac DeForest and their brother-in-law Johannes de la Montagne, who established the first uptown bouwerie in what is today Central Park and Harlem. The famed DeForests of Greenwich Village all descend from the Park’s first farming family.

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Leeches! Arsenic! Water Therapy! Blistering! Unusual Medical Cures from the 19th Century

Before Pasteur and the advent of germ theory in 1859, medicine was nothing short of the wild wild west. And with antibiotics almost a century away, doctors could only treat the symptoms of the sickness, not the sickness itself. The cures were often strange, indeed — and could be worse than the illness. Join Merchant’s House Museum volunteers Matilda Garrido and Ashley Semrick for a lively discussion of medical cures used in the 19th century, such as leeches, hydropathy (water therapy), patent medicines (which frequently made patients sicker), and more. Matilda will also present the concept of the “wandering uterus,” believed for centuries to be the cause of all female illness.

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Members Walking Tour: Historic Diversity in the East Village — Dutch Farm, Irish Ale House, and the Yiddish King Lear

Village Preservation members at the Individual ($50) level and above are invited to this special members-only walking tour with Joyce Gold.

Peter Stuyvesant, a Director General of the New Netherlands, was the first owner of the farmland now known as the East Village. Later, Irish laborers moved into the area to build ships along the East River waterfront. Germans also thrived here, until a tragedy resulted in the death of over 1,000 of their people. As Germans left the neighborhood, Italian, Jewish, Polish, and Ukrainian immigrants moved in, bringing new life, food, and traditions.

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How Our Garden Grows: Members-Only Tour and Reception

Village Preservation members at the “Sustainer” level and above are invited to join Merchant’s House Museum Head Gardener John Rommel for an exclusive tour of their beautiful 19th-century garden in bloom. Light refreshments will be provided.

Please note: Registration is NOT confirmed until you receive a personalized email from our Programming Team. We will check your membership status prior to sending your personalized registration confirmation.

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“Historic Preservation: Past and Future”: Andrew Berman,
Executive Director of Village Preservation in conversation with Carl Raymond

Andrew Berman, Executive Director of Village Preservation, will be joined in conversation by Carl Raymond, host of The Gilded Gentleman history podcast. Andrew will discuss his career in historic preservation over the past 22 years. He will share several case studies of projects that have met with success as well as challenges in the preservation of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. In addition, Andrew will discuss some of the issues facing historic preservation in the current environment, as well as some simple yet deeply powerful actions passionate local preservationists can do to make a difference.

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I Never Did Like Politics: How Fiorello La Guardia Became America’s Mayor, and Why He Still Matters

Fiorello La Guardia, born in the South Village in 1882, was one of the 20th century’s most colorful politicians — on the New York and national stage. He was also quintessentially American: a son of Italian immigrants who rose in society through sheer will and chutzpah. Almost 100 years later, America is once again grappling with issues that would have been familiar to the Little Flower, as he was affectionately known. It’s time to bring back La Guardia, argues historian and journalist Terry Golway, to remind us all what an effective municipal officer (as he preferred to call himself) can achieve.

In this immensely readable book, as entertaining as the man himself, Golway captures the enduring appeal of one of America’s greatest leaders.

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Neighborhood Walking Tour: Rediscovering 19th-Century Women of NoHo

Created and led by Merchant House Museum docent Michelle Barshay

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century NoHo, then known as the Bond Street Area, where women from all walks of life made their mark on history. On a captivating 90-minute walking tour through this historic neighborhood, we’ll uncover the fascinating stories of the diverse women who helped shape its character.

Our tour will showcase the rich tapestry of female experiences that once graced these iconic streets: resilient servants, savvy boarding-house managers, visionary artists, pioneering publishers, bustling shopkeepers, and society women seeking education. Along the way, we’ll see some important buildings of the period, including the first lending library and the first animal hospital, both founded by visionary women.

Get ready for a journey filled with inspiring tales of the Bond Street Area’s remarkable women!

General Admission: $20, FREE for MHM and VP Members. Reservations required.

Walking tours are 90 minutes and meet outside the Merchant’s House.