The Fourth Arts Block, spanning East 4th Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue, is an incredible microcosm of the East Village’s layered history, distinctive architecture, and cultural innovations. Over the past hundred years, its buildings have housed German music societies, Italian theaters, Yiddish publishers, Union halls, Puerto Rican and Ukrainian social clubs, and drag venues — all predecessors of the experimental theater and performance arts district that thrives there today. Village Preservation’s Sarah Bean Apmann and Louisa Winchell will illuminate forgotten histories and examples of adaptive reuse as they lead a virtual stroll down this iconic block. 

Sarah Bean Apmann is Village Preservation’s Director of Research and Preservation. She has worked as an architectural historian in historic preservation for the past twenty years. She received her BA in History from Lehigh University and her MS in Historic Preservation from Columbia University.

Louisa Winchell is the Research and Preservation Associate at Village Preservation. She received her BA in English and Environmental Studies from Wesleyan University in 2018.

This event is part of FAB NYC’s Open Arts LES week, celebrating the dynamic cultural life of the Lower East Side community!