South of Union Square History IS Women’s History

This International Women’s Day, help convince the city to landmark the endangered and unprotected area of Greenwich Village and the East Village South of Union Square, which is especially rich in women’s history and historic sites.

Explore our Women’s History Tour for South of Union Square here.

These 200 buildings on roughly 20 blocks south of Union Square contain a remarkable array of historic architectural styles, as well as civil rights, social justice, and artistic history. Two dozen of those sites are connected to critical moments, figures, or organizations in women’s history. These range from the headquarters of the NYC Woman Suffrage League and the home and office of the first woman doctor in America, to the place where The Feminine Mystique was published and Billie Holiday made her first recordings, and so much more. None of these are currently recognized by the city or have any protections from demolition or compromise.

South of Union Square was also where unsung female heroes worked, including Marion S. Parker, who helped build the Flatiron Building and other treasured New York landmarks. Read more about her in our recent blog post.

This International Women’s Day, help us change that.

Village Preservation is calling on the city to move ahead with landmark designation of our proposed South of Union Square Historic District, to recognize and protect this long overlooked and ignored history.

You can make this possible. Please send a letter today to Mayor Adams, Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Sarah Carroll, and City Councilmember Carlina Rivera (who represents most of the area and is yet to support the proposed landmark district), urging them to support landmark designation today. Our neighborhood, and our history — both vulnerable and unprotected — can’t wait any longer.

TO HELP:

Call on the Mayor, Councilmember Rivera, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission to Recognize and Protect Women’s History Landmarks HERE
March 8, 2022