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Westbeth Landmarked!
…Click HERE to see more about the first-of-its-kind artists loft tour of Westbeth which GVSHP and the Westbeth Artists Residents Council held in 2010, marking Westbeth’s 40th anniversary and GVSHP’s…
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Westbeth – Adaptive Reuse Trailblazer, Home, Studio, and Community for Over 50 Years
…and other precious possessions in Westbeth Park after Hurricane Sandy If you’re interested in finding out more about the incredible history, architecture, and sights of Westbeth, visit our Westbeth page….
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Westbeth Announced: August 7th, 1967
…into it. Westbeth’s transformation was the first significant commission by the then-largely unknown architect Richard Meier. Mayor John Lindsay at the August 1967 Westbeth announcement. Documenting the significance of Westbeth…
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Westbeth Turns 50!
…of Westbeth’s Bell Telephone History From the 2010 Village Preservation/Wesbeth artists loft tour, photo by Bob Estremera. Village Presevation Westbeth Oral Histories Village Preservation Westbeth News Village Preservation Westbeth Blog…
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In Memoriam: African American Artists of Westbeth
…landmark designation report Village Preservation’s Westbeth Historic Plaque Unveiling National Register of Historic Places listing of Westbeth’s Bell Telephone History Village Presevation Westbeth Oral Histories Village Preservation Westbeth News Village…
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Westbeth Photographer Shelley Seccombe Documents the Greenwich Village Waterfront Since 1970
…Westbeth’s Bell Telephone History Village Presevation Westbeth Oral Histories Village Preservation Westbeth News Village Preservation Westbeth Blog Posts Recap of, information about , and pictures of Village Preservation and Westbeth’s Artist Loft Tour…
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Westbeth, Punk, and the Golden Age of Hip-Hop: SD50
Westbeth Artist Housing opened in 1970. It is located in the Far West Village, and spans an entire city block bounded by Washington, Bank, West and Bethune Streets. Westbeth was…
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The Art of Community: a #Westbeth50 Oral History Conversation with Ralph Lee, George Cominskie, and Christina Maile
…the Westbeth Playwrights Feminist Collective, and a member of the original 1970 cohort of Westbeth. This conversation will no doubt be lively, full of memories, art, anecdotes, and reflections on…
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A Landmark Anniversary for Westbeth
…behind Westbeth’s founding HERE. Click HERE to see more about the first-of-its-kind artists loft tour of Westbeth which GVSHP and the Westbeth Artists Residents Council held in 2010, marking Westbeth’s…
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Village Preservation at Westbeth Gallery’s Winter Show
…rsvp@gvshp.org to be placed on the waitlist. Please note: Those on the waitlist will recieve an email confirmation if space becomes available. Belatedly celebrating Westbeth Artists Housing’s 50th anniversary, Westbeth…
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Westbeth – A Community of Artists: A Conversation with Cultural Anthropologist Dr. Miriam S. Chaiken
…College, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology Emerita, New Mexico State University. Dr. Chaiken will share insights and history about Westbeth Artists Housing from her research and interviews with resident artists. The…
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GO WEST! Westbeth Studio Open House Fundraiser
GO WEST! Westbeth Studio Open House Fundraiser Co-sponsored by the Westbeth Artists Residents Council Join us in celebrating 30 years of Village Preservation and 40 years of Westbeth! Get an…
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Westbeth—Home of the Arts: A Film Screening
Westbeth—Home of the Arts: A Film Screening Join filmmaker George Cominskie at a screening of Westbeth—Home to the Arts, a documentary selected for the 2011 Manhattan Film Festival. The film…
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Westbeth—Home of the Arts: A Film Screening
…a screening of Westbeth—Home to the Arts, a documentary selected for the 2011 Manhattan Film Festival. The film explores the unique history of the recently landmarked Westbeth Artists Residence in…
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Westbeth Artist’s Housing Historic Plaque Dedication
Westbeth Artist’s Housing Historic Plaque Dedication Join VP to unveil an historic plaque marking the Westbeth Artist’s Housing complex in Greenwich Village. This unique complex of buildings served as the…
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Westbeth Turns 50!
…have partnered on many projects and programs over the years. This includes successfully nominating Westbeth for the State and National Register of Historic Places in 2010, our Westbeth Oral History…
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Memories of an Artist Community: A Panel Conversation on the History of Westbeth Artists’ Residence
Memories of an Artist Community: A Panel Conversation on the History of Westbeth Artists’ Residence Program Canceled Westbeth Artists Housing is the world’s largest artists’ community. The complex, erected between…
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New Oral History Celebrating Westbeth’s 50th Anniversary — Puppeteer Ralph Lee, “Father” of the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade
…histories with great artists, preservationists, activists, and business owners in our community, and part of our Westbeth Oral History collection. Find out more about Westbeth’s amazing history and legacy here….
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Oppose a 5G Tower at 445 West Street (Westbeth)
…to Westbeth and urge it be rejected. Westbeth is a recognized New York City and State as well as a national landmark of extraordinary significance in both 19th- and 20th-century…
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New Oral History: Westbeth Artist Christina Maile
We’re honored to share our latest oral history with printmaker, painter, landscape architect and author Christina Maile. Christina has lived at Westbeth for over half a century, and co-founded the…
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Bell Labs on West Street: Seven Decades of Innovation that Changed our WorldA history before Westbeth
Bell Labs on West Street: Seven Decades of Innovation that Changed our World: A history before Westbeth Before the collection of buildings we know today as Westbeth became a sanctuary…
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Zoom and Draw the Earth to the Sky: Westbeth and the Far West Village
In this delightful, interactive event, artist Nick Golebiewski will explore Westbeth and its Far West Village environs. We’ll start at the Abingdon Square farmer’s market, and sketch everything from flowers…
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5G Tower Victory at Westbeth, but Next Tower Proposed Just Two Blocks Away
(l. to r.) Westbeth (photo by Barry Munger); 5G Tower; 99 Bank Street We’ve got some good news, and some bad news. The good news: Following our submission opposing the…
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Westbeth Plaque Unveiled
Photo by Barry Munger On Tuesday, Village Preservation unveiled our thirteenth historic plaque at Westbeth – watch the video here and see pictures here. The Westbeth complex, located between West, Bethune, Washington and…
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Remembering photojournalist and Westbeth resident Bettye Lane
Bella Abzug launches her New York mayoral campaign in this 1977 photograph by Bettye Lane. Bettye Lane, a photojournalist who lived at Westbeth, died last Wednesday at the age of…
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The Social Geography of Village Housing in the Sixties: Westbeth, Private Developers and Public Housing for Artists: A Lecture with Jeffrey Trask
The Social Geography of Village Housing in the Sixties: Westbeth, Private Developers and Public Housing for Artists: A lecture with Jeffrey Trask Jeffrey Trask, Assistant Professor of History, Georgia State…
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Westbeth: A Revolution in Artists’ Housing and Adaptive Re-Use A Celebratory Lecture with Andrew Dolkart
Westbeth: A Revolution in Artists’ Housing and Adaptive Re-Use A Celebratory Lecture with Andrew Dolkart…
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In Memoriam: African American Artists of Westbeth
It was a project like no other before. The first subsidized housing for artists in the United States, offering affordable housing and work space in New York City, Westbeth is…
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December Programs Focus on Photography, Westbeth, and Holiday Celebrations
…the architecture of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo; on Thursday, December 15 for Westbeth — A Community of Artists: A Conversation with Cultural Anthropologist Dr. Miriam S. Chaiken;…
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Victory! Westbeth 5G Tower Dumped, But New Proposal Emerges on Horatio Street
Good news!: As we predicted, plans are being withdrawn for a 32-ft.-tall metallic 5G tower at 445 West Street adjacent to Westbeth following our advocacy campaign to have it rejected…
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Empire Brewery, 295 West Street (l.) and looking north up Washington Street to Bell Telephone Labs (now Westbeth)
7/12/2016 LPC hearing. For more information about this application, click here….
Posted June 2, 2020
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Former Bell Telephone Labs (now Westbeth) including demolished segment of the High Line
11/1/2016 LPC hearing. For more information about this application, click here….
Posted June 2, 2020
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Oral History Subject and Artistic Inspiration: Christina Maile
…By reading this blog on the Westbeth Chronicles entitled “Founding of Westbeth Playwrights Feminist Collective, Part 1” one begins to see the impact Christina in turn had on Westbeth. 2022…
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2020 Village Awardee: George Cominskie
…been a tireless advocate for the residents and artists of Westbeth, and for keeping Westbeth a an affordable and well-functioning community. Especially as Westbeth, which opened on May 19, 1970,…
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Happy Birthday, Richard Meier
…Bell Laboratories into the publicly funded artist housing complex Westbeth in the West Village. As part of GVSHP’s Oral History Collection on Westbeth, Meier was interviewed about this project in…
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Village Awards – Recognizing the Places That Make Our Neighborhoods Special
…history with a number of past blog posts that share how richly this place contributes to our neighborhoods. https://www.villagepreservation.org/2011/10/25/westbeth-landmarked/ https://www.villagepreservation.org/2020/05/17/westbeth-turns-50/ https://www.villagepreservation.org/2015/10/23/a-landmark-anniversary-for-westbeth/ Throughout March we’ll be highlighting past award winners to…
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Village Preservation Oral History: Merce Cunningham
…was located at Westbeth from 1971 until 2012 when the dance company dissolved. In his oral history with GVSHP, Merce provides an insightful account of his experience at Westbeth. (click…
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Fingers Crossed for Another: Individual Landmark Designations We’ve Won
…landmark Westbeth on October 25, 2011, following through on a promise made seven years earlier to GVSHP and other community groups working to extend landmark protections in the Far West Village. Westbeth is a…
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On This Day: Bell Labs Invents the “Talkie”
…and in part upon the trailblazing conversion and adaptive re-use of the complex into Westbeth artists housing in the late 20th century. We’ve written about Westbeth several times on Off…
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Open House New York in Greenwich Village: The history of three unique sites
…Westbeth via Wiki Commons No less important to the history of preservation and adaptive reuse is the full-block, 13-building complex now known as Westbeth, which from the late-19th- through the mid-20th-century served…
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Merce Cunningham: Dance-Maker, Innovator, Teacher, and Villager
…by projecting digital artwork derived from dancers’ motion-captured figures onto the stage, creating yet another dimension of movement. Westbeth Artists’ Housing, the former Bell Labs building Westbeth played a major…
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The Annual Village Awards: Spotlight on the Regina Kellerman Award for Preservation
…popular and critically acclaimed photographs, published in 2023. Watch the recording of this program here. 2010: Westbeth Artists’ Housing Westbeth Courtyard from the top of the ramp, photograph by Ezra…
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Christina Maile
Photo by Joseph Holmes Christina Maile is a Greenwich Village-based artist who has lived at Westbeth since it’s opening more than a half century ago. Raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn by…
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Rare photos of the High Line being demolished in the 1960s tell the story of a changing West Village
…The same view of Westbeth today, via Village Preservation Just a few years earlier, the Bell Telephone Labs had been converted to first-of-its-kind publicly-subsidized artists housing and studios now known…
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2010 Annual Meeting
…and hundreds of children. Many of Westbeth’s original tenants still live there today. The Westbeth Corporation runs the facility and the nonprofit Westbeth Artists Residents Council, created in 1980, represents…
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Few Republicans, And One Big Political Paradox, in the Village
…Westbeth is for the most part home to long-time residents, many of whom have been in the complex for thirty years or more. Westbeth is also neither pricey nor market-rate;…
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Peter Ruta, Acclaimed Artist & Villager, 1918-2016
…the doors to his home and studio in Westbeth as part of a 2010 Westbeth Artist Loft Tour which benefited GVSHP and the Westbeth Artists Residents Council. Peter in his…
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A Five Year Milestone for Far West Village Landmarking
…anniversary of Westbeth’s founding — but still has not done so). If you’d like to urge the LPC to keep its promise and landmark Westbeth and other remaining sites in…
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Remembering Hurricane Sandy
…Actor Vin Deisel, who grew up in Westbeth, donated two weeks of hot lunches for Westbeth’s seniors following Sandy. Westbeth is now undergoing a $40 million retrofit of the building….
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Oral History: Ralph Lee’s Halloween
…the “father” of Greenwich Village’s annual Halloween Parade. Ralph Lee in his Westbeth studio in the Far West Village, via 6sqft.com Born in 1935, Lee describes his journey in an…
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The Life and Lithographs of Laurie Ourlicht
…1970s through the 1990s, and she moved into the Westbeth Artist Housing after it opened in 1970 in the former Bell Laboratories at 55 Bethune Street. While that’s pretty much…
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Merce Cunningham’s Centennial: Leaping into 100
…arts that have defined Greenwich Village, and more specifically the Westbeth Center for the Arts, which was also home to dancer/choreographer Martha Graham. Merce Cunningham with Carolyn Brown at Westbeth,…
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Remembering Two Giants of Historic Preservation: Joan Kaplan Davidson and Beverly Moss Spatt
…Village Preservation’s successful efforts have the complex landmarked and listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, establishment of our Westbeth oral history project, and our Westbeth Open…
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Happy Birthday, David Vaughan!
…project. In it, Vaughan and Cunningham talk about the beginnings of the company, how it came to Westbeth, and the community of Westbeth and surrounding neighborhood from the 1970’s until…
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Old Buildings, New Forms: Creative adaptive re-use in the built environment
…resident and good friend to Village Preservation George Cominskie produced the documentary film Westbeth: Home of the Arts. You can read more about the history of Westbeth, and the role…
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Stories of the Village
Westbeth. Photo courtesy of Shelley Seccombe This week, our friends at the Jefferson Market Branch Library will host workshops for a new project they are undertaking called Your Village, Your…
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Village Halloween Parade Origins
Crones gather at Westbeth for one of the first Halloween parades Earlier this week, we were thrilled to announce that Westbeth – the country’s first subsidized housing complex for artists…
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Accomplishments
…to the Neighborhood, and Small Business/Big History Programs. In addition, we released three new oral histories, with West Village writer and humorist Calvin Trillin, Westbeth artist Christina Maile, and East…
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2020 Village Preservation Public Programs Roundup
…Christina Maile Three long-time Westbeth residents reflected on the history, art, community, culture, and future of the unparalleled Westbeth, which turned 50 this year! (video) (event description) Women and Women’s…
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Ada Louise Huxtable: Democratizing Architectural Discourse in Greenwich Village and Beyond
…York Times May 10, 1970 Westbeth Artists’ Housing Interior View. Westbeth Artists’ Housing is a triumph of adaptive reuse and shining example of the good historic preservation can do in…
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Photographer Shelley Seccombe and the Decline and Rebirth of the Hudson River Waterfront
…her beautiful, evocative photos, and reflect on the role Westbeth and her surroundings played in her work as part of our celebration of the 50th anniversary of Westbeth. Shelley Seccombe is…
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Happy Birthday Martha Graham
…11th floor of Westbeth, on West Street and the corner of Bethune Street. I spoke to artistic director Janet Eilber, who told me that the light and space of this…
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Fighting Westway
In 2014 Village Preservation presented a program at the Community Room at Westbeth with author Prof. William W. Buzbee and his book, “Fighting Westway: Environmental Law, Citizen Activism, and the…
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What’s in a Name: Bank Street
…and its early industrial history in the National Register report on Westbeth, a nomination sponsored by GVSHP. Westbeth is currently under consideration, or calendared, for New York City landmark status….
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Landmark Designation Reports
…Laboratories), 55 Bethune Street & 463 West Street Westbeth NYC LPC Designation Report Westbeth State and National Register Report Westbeth State and National Register Report (463 West Street only) Greenwich…
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Decades of Spooky Splendor: Celebrating the Village Halloween Parade
…quite humble compared to todays internationally renowned affair, starting as an informal gathering of friends and family brought together by Westbeth Artists Community resident and puppeteer Ralph Lee (learn more…
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Book Talk: Kate Walter’s “Behind the Mask: Living Alone in the Epicenter”
…from the pandemic. The normally lively community of Westbeth Artists Housing was gearing up to celebrate its 50th anniversary when New York went into lockdown. Westbeth turned into a ghost…
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2020 Annual Meeting
…and the local community. Read Blog Post George Cominskie George served on the Westbeth Artists Residents Council for twenty-one years, seventeen of them as its president. An active volunteer and…
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2020 Annual Meeting & Village Awards
…relationship between the police and the local community. George Cominskie — George served on the Westbeth Artists Residents Council for twenty-one years, seventeen of them as its president. An active volunteer and…
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Joan Davidson
Daughter of J.M. Kaplan and President of the J.M. Kaplan Fund, Joan Davidson (1927-2023) coordinated the founding of the Westbeth Project, an artist’s residence in the West Village. Joan was…
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Community Cornerstones: Penny Jones & Co. Puppets
…artists’ residence Westbeth, as well as mining the depths of the artistic talent located in the venerable housing complex. So we thought we’d spend some time looking at one of…
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The Preservation and Future of Affordable Housing in the Village
…income housing. In 1970, the Westbeth complex opened as the largest in the world of its type of community housing, with a waiting list so long that it closed applications…
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GVSHP Oral History: Otis Kidwell Burger
…and ferries changed both the aural and transportation experiences within the far West Village. “It was still the telephone company [Westbeth]. And the train that went screeching through Westbeth, it’s…
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Op-Ed: Preservation Can Help Affordability
…warehouses were replaced with luxury high-rises, not affordable housing. REBNY should tell that to the residents of Westbeth and 505 LaGuardia Place, Greenwich Village’s two largest affordable housing complexes. Westbeth…
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LPC Spotlights Women in the Arts
…Charles with entry door to the carriage house at 131 1/2; Bottom-left: 120 East 10th Street (both Google Maps Street Views). Right: Westbeth Artists Housing (photo by Barry Munger, 2009)…
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Following Sandy: Our Neighbors in Need
Many residents in and near our area are still without power, heat, or water. Some are elderly or infirmed, and some have small children. Two complexes in need are Westbeth…
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Testimonials
…– George Cominskie, over-30-year Westbeth resident and former President, Westbeth Artists Residents Council “Since 1980 the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has been a stalwart advocate for the people…
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Beyond the Village and Back: Assyrian Revival on West 30th Street
…home where folks could be deeply Jewish and proudly gay. In 1976, CBST moved to a loft in the Westbeth Complex on Bethune Street in the Far West Village, overlooking…
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Image Archive Collection: The High Line in 1979 — Noah Greenberg’s “Manhattan Promenade” Proposal
…ran through the middle of the streets, affording unique views of the Hudson River and the streets of Manhattan. The first section of the line south of Westbeth (Bethune Street)…
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Village Halloween: No Tricks, Just Treats
…for the whole family. The Village Halloween Parade The early years of the Village Halloween parade at Westbeth. Photo courtesy of Shelley Seccombe. The Village Halloween Parade will take place…
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The Puppets of the Village Parade:a studio tour with Halloween Parade founder Ralph Lee
…first Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, which began in the courtyard of the Westbeth Artists Community before snaking through the neighborhood to Washington Square Park. During Lee’s tenure the parade grew…
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George Cominskie
Since 1983, Cominskie has lived in Westbeth, a nonprofit housing and commercial complex dedicated to providing affordable living and working space for artists and arts organizations, located in the old…
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Peter Ruta
A renowned painter who focused on views of Lower Manhattan, Ruta (1918-2016) painted for nearly seventy years and lived in Westbeth since its opening in 1970. Born in Germany, he…
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Thank You To Our Members — Making 40 Years of Village Preservation Possible
…in 2016, both of which we proposed for designation and fought to get landmarked. In 2011, Westbeth was landmarked, capping a seven-year advocacy campaign by Village Preservation. Westbeth We also…
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In Memory of Ralph Lee (1936-2023), Village Wizard
…warlock in our neighborhood, Ralph Lee (July 9, 1935 – May 12, 2023). Working out of Westbeth, this master puppeteer and mask-maker enriched our lives by infusing the world with…
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Bringing Graham’s 19 Poses to Village Voices’ “Monument to Choice”
…York Times review) Premiere: 1934. Photographer: Barbara Morgan. Photo from Martha Graham Company’s Website. A participant posing on “A Monument to Choice.” Photo by Kimberlee Hewitt. In residence at Westbeth,…
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Puppets and the Village Halloween Parade
…known for its robust attendance and participation, colorful costumes, and puppetry, was founded by Westbeth resident Ralph Lee in 1974. In 2019 we released our oral history with the celebrated…
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Nam June Paik: Father of Video Art, and Villager
…“Father of Video Art,” played a vital role in our neighborhoods’ rich artistic history. Working out of his studio in Westbeth along with his partner and fellow avant-garde artist Shigeko…
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Memorializing Our Neighborhoods’ Remarkable Past One Plaque At A Time!
…public’s mind. Westbeth Artists Housing Throughout their history, our neighborhoods have attracted more than their share of artists, visionaries, intellectuals, and trouble-makers. This general assortment of square pegs in conventional…
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Finding George Spaventa #SouthOfUnionSquare
…New York in 1951, he lived on East 11th Street, and kept his studio at 84 East 10th (until he was evicted in 1970, spurring his move into Westbeth Artists…
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Pushing Back on Locations for 32-ft.-tall 5G Towers in the East and West Villages
(l. to r.) Proposed 5G towers; Westbeth (photo by Barry Munger); details on 184 East 7th Street (last two photos) Village Preservation continues to fight plans to site oversized and…
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Ralph Lee, 2018 Village Awardee
…courtyard of Westbeth Artist Housing, where Ralph still lives. It traveled through the narrow streets of Greenwich Village from West Street to Washington Square. It halted occasionally for a band…
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