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Category: Greenwich Village Historic District Extension I

The Beautiful History of Café Wha?

Café Wha? sits half-underground at 115 MacDougal, a basement once used to stable horses. In 1959 actor Manny Roth hauled in broken marble for the floor, sprayed the walls black, and lit candles on cast-off tables. Capacity: 325 souls and one restless dream of fame. Greenwich Village already pulsed with poetry, but Roth’s “swingingest coffee […]

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The ‘Architect of the Century’ and the Salvation Army

In 1957, Ralph Walker was honored as “the architect of the century” by the American Institute of Architects. Walker (November 28, 1889–January 17, 1973) hit his peak in the profession during the height of the Art Deco period, bringing to life such New York City landmarks as the Barclay-Vesey Building at 140 West Street (completed […]

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