Like many of you, we were shocked to hear about the closure of longtime iconic neighborhood business Village Cigars, which has been located at 110 Seventh Avenue South (at Christopher Street) for nearly a hundred years. The Sheridan Square mainstay is connected to the history of the development of Greenwich Village streets, as well as linked to the beloved Hess Triangle located in front of the store.

Fortunately, the building housing Village Cigars as well as Hess Triangle are located within the Greenwich Village Historic District, and thus enjoy the landmark protections that go along with the designation. This does not, however, typically mean that the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), which regulates and oversees these sites, will necessarily require that signage from a no-longer extant business is maintained. More typically, when such signage is considered significant in some way, the LPC may require that if a new store wants to replace the signage to reflect the new name, the sign must emulate the style of the old sign.

We have, however, been encouraged to hear from the owner of the property that he intends to maintain all or most of the iconic signage, and seek a tenant for the space who will want to do so, viewing it as an asset. The owner has also stated that he will not rent to a cannabis shop, but has been in discussion with potential coffee shop tenants. Read more here, here, and here.

Read more about Village Preservation’s efforts to support local small businesses here.