Join Village Preservation’s research team on an illuminating journey as they uncover 200 years of architectural history.

On November 1, 1824, Fifth Avenue was born. At the time, the first portion of the avenue, extending from Washington Square North (then “Art Street”) to 13th Street, was nothing more than a country road, surrounded by farmland. But a mere quarter century later, Fifth Avenue was already transforming into one of New York City’s grandest thoroughfares, lined by opulent mansions for some of the city’s wealthiest inhabitants. While most of those original homes have since been demolished in favor of towering 20th-century hotels and apartment buildings, a select few remain in place to this day.

Join Village Preseration’s research team, Dena Tasse-Winter and Chloe Gregoire, in discussion as they explore how they uncovered the history of every single building to ever be constructed along lower Fifth Avenue. They’ll reveal just how many of the avenue’s current buildings have been in place since the beginning, and which others are only the second generation of structures to be constructed there (almost all of them!).

Dena and Chloe will take us on a virtual tour through the history and evolution of the avenue, its people, and its architecture, showing how it became the centerpiece of Greenwich Village, and of New York City. You can preview some of this compelling history via Village Preservation’s Fifth Avenue Storymap.

Dena Tasse-Winter is a historic preservationist, writer, and Village Preservation’s own Director of Research and Preservation. A native New Yorker and Greenwich Village resident, she holds an MA in Historic Preservation and Cultural Heritage Management from the University of York, U.K., and a BA in Music History from the University of Rochester.

Chloe Gregoire is Village Preservation’s Research and Preservation Associate. Born and raised in New York City, she has spent her life captivated by the city’s buildings and their history. She holds a BA in Urban Studies and Classics from Hunter College.