- Events
- Lecture
This program is part of Village Preservation’s Semiquincentennial series of programs celebrating our Revolutionary Village. Revolutionary Village not only celebrates the founding of our country, but the exceptional role our neighborhoods played in its development and the realization of its ideals over the last 250 years and beyond.
Co-sponsored by Save Harlem Now! and Merchant’s House Museum
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Greenwich Village, especially in the South Village, was home to a significant free Black population. In the latter half of the 19th century, one of the most notable early settlements was “Little Africa,” centered around present-day Minetta Street and Minetta Lane. This vibrant community included Black-owned businesses, churches, and social institutions. Between the 1880s and early 20th century, this was the most important center of Black life in Manhattan before moving uptown. Join Village Preservation educator Amanda Adams-Louis on this fascinating exploration of one of Manhattan’s most important, but nearly unknown, historic neighborhoods.
This program is part of the Save Harlem Now! series, The Road to Harlem. Long before Harlem, Black New Yorkers were shaping the city’s history, neighborhoods, culture, and institutions. This multi-part series explores that extraordinary story, beginning in 17th-century New Amsterdam and continuing through centuries of resilience, community-building, creativity, and struggle. We’ll explore the remarkable free Black settlement known as the “Land of the Blacks,” the vibrant communities of Little Africa in Greenwich Village and the Tenderloin in Midtown, and the storied neighborhood of San Juan Hill, lost to urban renewal and the building of Lincoln Center. Along the way, we’ll uncover how these communities laid the groundwork for what would become Harlem. This series is about rediscovering erased histories, honoring the lives and neighborhoods that came before us, and understanding Harlem not just as a destination — but as part of a much longer road.
Amanda Adams-Louis is a Brooklyn-based photographer, teaching artist, and cultural producer creating images, education programs and events that move with the rhythm of culture. She holds a BFA in Photography, with minors Graphic Design & Art History from Pratt Institute; and is an alumna of the Whitney Independent Study Program & TASIS. Her recent exhibition, Shelltoe Systems: Litefeet Culture 2010–2025, is the first photography show to highlight the vibrant, Harlem-born and Uptown-cultivated street dance form known as Litefeet. Amanda is also an educator with Village Preservation and has presented several Village Preservation public programs on Black history and culture.
Save Harlem Now! advocates for the designation of individual landmarks and historic districts in Harlem, for contextual zoning in Harlem, and educates the public about Harlem’s built heritage, history, and culture.
The Merchant’s House Museum was originally built in 1832 by abolitionist and social reformer Joseph Brewster, and then the home to the Tredwells, a prosperous merchant-class family, and their Irish servants for almost 100 years. Complete with the family’s original furnishings and personal possessions, the house offers an authentic and intimate look at domestic life in New York City in the mid-19th century. The 1832 Late-Federal and Greek Revival building is a city, state, and federal landmark, and one of only 124 sites in New York City designated both as an exterior and interior landmark. Since 2012, the Merchant’s House has been under grave threat of damage from proposed development next door.
- Date
- Thursday, February 12, 2026
- Time
- 6:00 pm
- Details
Zoom Webinar
Pre-registration required
Free