April 29 of this week marks the anniversary in 1969 of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District — the city’s largest and one of its first landmarked districts, which protects much of our neighborhood. Village Preservation is releasing an updated and redesigned version of our report “New Buildings Approved for Construction in the Greenwich Village Historic District Since Designation in 1969” — access it here. The report shows every building approved for construction in the city’s largest historic district since designation. Some were never built. Some are now neighborhood classics. Some sparked enormous controversy, and still do. Some will make you wonder “what were they thinking?” 

In all cases, however, it’s valuable to see when, where, and how new buildings were approved in the landmark district over the last 53 years, especially since the city keeps no record of this information.

As we approach the anniversary of the landmark designation of this district at the heart of our neighborhood, you can explore the Greenwich Village Historic District’s incomparable history and architecture through various resources we provide. You can see “then and now” pictures of all 2,300 buildings in the Greenwich Village Historic District in the 1960s prior to designation and now, and take dozens of themed tours of the district’s history and architecture on our interactive Greenwich Village Historic District Map. You can also read dozens of entries on our blog about significant figures and places in the district. And there are many more ways to learn more about and explore the Greenwich Village Historic District on our website.