westbeth - Village Preservation

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Nile Rodgers: Musical Innovator, Child of the Village

…block looking right was the Bell Telephone Laboratory (now Westbeth), with an elevated railroad track that ran right through the middle of the building … back then, to my eyes,…

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Oral Histories on the Founding of An Artists’ Colony, A Prison Reform Organization, and So Much More

…and on April 27, 2016, we recorded our oral history with David Rothenberg. Dixon Bain Dixon Bain served as the project manager for planning and construction of Westbeth Artist’s Residence…

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The Real Obstacles to Affordable Housing Construction

…cross their minds: Landmarking. Landmarks like Westbeth are not the problem; in fact, Westbeth is a landmarked, preserved affordable housing development. That’s ironic, given that the Real Estate Board of…

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(Re-)Remembering Diane Arbus

…since-landmarked Westbeth Artists Community, where she committed suicide. Arbus’ photography received great accolades as well as significant criticism, including charges of exploitation of her subjects. Although she did not want…

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It Happened Here: 80’s Music Videos

…At that time the High Line continued through that building all the way down to Westbeth (the Westbeth-to-West Coast section of the High Line was torn down a few years…

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Labor Demonstrations Nothing New for Village

…the rich labor history in the East Village and Village — what’s your favorite labor history site? westbeth, the former Bell Telephone Labs — still awaiting promised landmark designation by…

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Adaptive Reuse in Chelsea

…adaptive reuse in the Village including the Westbeth artists’ residence, the Archive’s Building, the Jefferson Market Library, and GVSHP’s very own office building. Examples of adaptive reuse in the Village-…

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Happy Birthday, John Lennon!

…West 10th Street. The famous pictures of Lennon wearing his “New York” t-shirt and flashing a peace sign in front of the Statue of Liberty were shot by Westbeth artist…

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Keith Haring in the Village

…first solo show in New York was at the Westbeth Painter’s Space in 1981. Original posters for Haring’s first NY solo show at Westbeth, as seen at the Brooklyn Museum…

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The Red Herring at 570 Lex

…slows down gentrification.” In Greenwich Village, two examples of landmarked affordable housing complexes are Westbeth and 505 LaGuardia Place, noted GVSHP Executive Director Andrew Berman. Landmarking a rent-stabilized building puts…

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Halloween Happenings in the Village

…The early years of the village halloween parade at Westbeth. Photo courtesy of Shelley Seccombe. The Village Halloween Parade, which had its origins at Westbeth, celebrates its 40th anniversary tonight….

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Ten Years Ago: Far West Village Protests, and Progress

…years, culminating in the 2011 landmark designation of the full-block Westbeth Artists Residence complex. But the City broke their promise and a handful of sites which they promised to landmark…

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Looking Back and Looking Ahead

…and the South Village Historic District (2013). Next Andrew spoke of individual landmarks, which include such notable structures as Westbeth, LaMaMa (a 2014 Village Award winner), the Horse Auction Mart…

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High Line, Part 3

…of the meat and sugar industries in this neighborhood. A few years ago, filmmaker George Cominskie gave us a screening of his documentary Westbeth—Home of the Arts. Westbeth still has…

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Oh How Our Houses Have Changed

…designated a NYC landmark in 1974. You can access the designation report for First Houses here. Westbeth fountain at Bank Street entrance, photo courtesy of Shelley Seccombe In addition to…

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Mourning the Loss of Superior Inks, and Taking Stock of Its Replacement

…building. In response to protests from GVSHP and neighbors, the height of the new tower was kept lower than that of neighboring Westbeth, the (now-landmarked) former Bell Telephone Labs. In…

Oral History

Tod Williams

Architect Tod Williams (b. May 11, 1943) worked with Richard Meier during the conversion of Westbeth from an industrial building to artist’s housing in the late 1960s and early 70s….

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#SouthofUnionSquare — Dance Tour

…American dance company. Long after Graham’s death in 1991 it has continued on, now located at 55 Bethune Street in Westbeth. 78 Fifth Avenue 78 Fifth Avenue, 2009. The Erick…

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New York School Painter Janice Biala’s “Pendulating Spirit”

…Westbeth Artist Housing community) recalls that Biala had to maintain a hard exterior in order to break into, and thrive within, the male-dominated New York School art world. Asked by…

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Reflecting on 40 Years of Village Preservation: an Evening with Executive Director Andrew Berman

…and Westbeth Artist Housing. We’ve secured contextual rezonings protecting nearly one hundred blocks of our neighborhoods, and stopped more out of scale towers, demolitions of historic buildings, and adulterations of…

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The Pathfinder Mural: Public Political Art in the Far West Village

…built along West Street between West 11th and Charles Street. This transformed the Greenwich Village waterfront from warehouses, factories, garages, and modest residences occupied largely by artists (Westbeth) and civil…

Oral History

Ralph Lee

Puppeteer Ralph Lee (b. 1935, d. 2023) lived at Westbeth beginning in 1970 and was known as the “Father” of the famous Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. Full Transcript…

Campaign Update

“Preservationists Call REBNY’s Bluff On Landmarking and Affordability”

…affordable housing developments – Westbeth and 505 LaGuardia Place – actually clamored for and got landmark designation. New Yorkers want landmark protections because it preserves the character of their neighborhoods. …

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Jane Jacobs’ Far West Village – Life and Preservation #JanesWalkNYC

…Village including the Gansevoort Market Historic District, Westbeth, West Village Houses, and more. This area was slated for demolition, but was saved by the activism of Jane Jacobs and her…

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Why Isn’t This Landmarked? 64-66 5th Avenue

…on, now located at 55 Bethune Street in Westbeth. The plaque at 66 Fifth Avenue. In 2015 we unveiled one of our historic plaques on 66 5th Avenue in honor…

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Preservation History Archive

…Manhattan. The first section of the line south of Westbeth (Bethune Street) had already been demolished, and Noah felt that this was an important historic structure that should be saved…

Oral History

Richard Meier

Architect Richard Meier (b. October 12, 1934) was commissioned in 1967 to renovate the former Bell Laboratories in Greenwich Village into the affordable artist’s housing Westbeth. Full Transcript…

Oral History

Merce Cunningham

Merce Cunningham (1919-2009) was an American dancer, choreographer and leader of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, located since 1971 at Westbeth in the West Village. Full Transcript…

Oral History

Peter Cott

Peter Cott (1924-2014) served as the Executive Director of the artist’s community Westbeth from 1970 to 1973. Full Transcript…

Oral History

Ana Steele Clark

…the Arts for over 30 years, serving the organization from soon after its 1965 founding. Her oral history focuses on the NEA’s role in the creation of Westbeth. Full Transcript…

Oral History

Dixon Bain

Dixon Bain served as the project manager for planning and construction of Westbeth Artist’s Residence in the West Village from 1967 to 1971. Full Transcript…

LPC Application

137 Bank Street

APPROVED 11/01/2016 CB2 hearing: 10/13/2016 LPC hearing: 11/01/2016 NYC Individual Landmark – Westbeth Between Washington Street and West Street —- APPLICATION INFORMATION —- 1) From the CB2 agenda: Application is…

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Reshaping our Landscapes: Adaptive Reuse in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo — Friday, Jan. 29 at 2:00pm

…will illuminate many examples of adaptive reuse in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and Noho: the Westbeth artists’ residence; the Jefferson Market Library; and the 1900 St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery Rectory, designed by…

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Village Preservation & The New School Present: Artists and Greenwich Village Series – Keith Haring and the Streets of the Village

…drawings and video art at the famous little Club 57. Soon his work was being exhibited at the Westbeth Gallery, PS 122, and the Hal Bromm Gallery, and he rocketed…

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Old IS New: Creative Approaches to Adaptive Reuse

…of creative adaptive reuse in the West Village: from early, massive projects like the Federal Archives building and Westbeth, to more recent, formally inventive interventions in the Meatpacking/Gansevoort Market District,…

Campaign Update

Historic Victory: Far West Village landmark districts unanimously approved!

…Westbeth Artists Residents Council, the Historic Districts Council, the NY Landmarks Conservancy, and the Municipal Art Society, who were strong supporters of the effort. We would also like to extend…

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Hugh Hurd: Artist and Civil Rights Hero for the Village and Beyond

…labor, and civil rights movements to affect major improvements in how African Americans are treated in America. He was an artist who lived at Westbeth in the West Village, and…

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Village Preservation Historic Plaques Honor Trailblazing Women in our Neighborhoods

…at 55 Bethune Street in Westbeth. In 2015 we unveiled one of our historic plaques in honor of her, with The New School, at 66 Fifth Avenue where her company rehearsed and forged…

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Martha Graham: Dancer of the Century

…the past decade, the company, along with the Graham School, has been based out of Westbeth, at 55 Bethune Street. Earlier in its history, it was located at 66 Fifth…

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Exploring Virtual Village Voices, Part 4: Bob Dylan, Martha Graham, and Lorraine Hansberry

…in Westbeth. Martha Graham shadowbox designed by Penny Hardy, PS New York Narrating the audio is Leslie Mason, Leslie Mason is a curator and creator of VILLAGE VOICES, long-time trustee…

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Exploring Virtual Village Voices, Part 3: cummings, Cunningham, and Draper

…forever changed the landscape of dance, music, and contemporary art. He lived at 107 Bank Street with his partner John Cage, and for many years his studio was located at Westbeth Artists Housing…

Campaign Update

Great News Regarding Proposed 32-ft.-Tall 5G Towers in the West Village, Saving Charas/Former P.S. 64 at 605 East 9th Street, and Bleecker Street Morton Williams Supermarket

…state agency has called a site inappropriate in this manner, it has ultimately been rejected, as happened with the one planned for 445 West Street (at Westbeth). We are optimistic…

Campaign Update

Another 32-ft.-Tall 5G Tower Proposed for West 12th and Washington Streets — Help Us Stop It

…771 Greenwich/99 Bank Street, 100 Horatio Street, 184 East 7th Street (Tompkins Square Park), and 445 West Street/Westbeth (which has been withdrawn as a result). TO HELP: Submit comments opposing…

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VILLAGE VOICES: Martha Graham

…that she founded in 1926 has recently returned to the Village and is now located at 55 Bethune Street in Westbeth. Narrated by Leslie Mason Music by Aaron Copland Village…

Campaign Update

October 2023 Programs: Native New Yorkers Walking Tour, Book Talks, and More

…Required. Spaces are limited. Location: Westbeth Community Room, 55 Bethune Street Join us for a concise history of the development of what has become Washington Square, from the time of Dutch…

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VILLAGE VOICES: Merce Cunningham

…The Merce Cunningham Dance Studio was based at Westbeth, 55 Bethune Street at Washington Street, from 1971 to 2010. Narrated by Mark Morris Music by John Cage Village Preservation ·…

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Village Preservation in the Press

…longer controls old P.S. 64 / CHARAS as ‘angel investor’ buys building loan, Village Sun, December 26 LinkNYC Operator Withdraws Westbeth 5G Tower Plans, Our Town, December 12 ‘Catastrophic damage’:…

Campaign Update

Happy Holidays from Village Preservation — You Make Our Work Possible

…small businesses throughout our neighborhoods Released three new oral histories, with West Village writer and humorist Calvin Trillin, Westbeth artist Christina Maile, and East Village photographer Alex Harsley Honored seven…

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Civil Rights History and Diversity

…Labor Tour – South of Union Square Greenwich Village Historic District: Then & Now Photos and Tours African American History In Memoriam: African American Artists of Westbeth African American…

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Women Crush Wednesday: The Power of Martha Graham

…VILLAGE VOICES’ Martha Graham exhibit at Westbeth Artists’ Housing As a young dancer, Graham considered the style of her teacher, Ruth St. Denis, cliche, and she thought the form of…

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Walk Through LGBTQ+ History with Our Civil Rights and Social Justice Map

…of the Holy Apostles at 300 Ninth Avenue. In 1976, they began renting space in the Westbeth Artists Community at 55-57 Bethune Street, overlooking that building’s iconic courtyard. It would…

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Past Village Award Winners, 1991-2021

…Committee Newsletter West Village Dog Owner’s Group West Village Nursery School Westbeth Artists’ Housing The White Horse Tavern Wisteria Award Women’s Prison Association Bon Yagi Your Neighborhood Office Zito’s Bakery…

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The Origin of Love Tour: Spreading a Love that Started in the Village

…from our neighborhoods, including the Westbeth Theatre Center, helped make the original show happen. John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s glam/punk musical would eventually become a movie directed by Mitchell….

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Advocacy Reports

…of the 10 Minute Walk Disappearing Before Our Eyes The Impacts of NYU’s Proposed Expansion The Truth About Open Space Westbeth The Italians of the South Village The History of…

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Five More Reasons to Support Historic Preservation

…latest green technologies, while also utilizing durable materials that last longer and therefore minimize their carbon footprint. Affordability Westbeth: landmarked affordable housing complex. Photo by Barry Munger. Historic preservation can…

Image Collection

View northeast from High Line between 13th and Little West 12th Street looking towards the Empire State Building.jpg

The High Line in 1979 — Noah Greenberg’s “Manhattan Promenade” Proposal

…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) had already been demolished,…

Posted October 13, 2021

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Truman Capote and Philip Seymour Hoffman: Greenwich Village Artists Entwined

…which until 2020 operated in the beautiful black-box space in the Westbeth Arts Complex facing Bank Street. There, he directed, produced, and appeared in numerous stage productions. It’s impossible to…

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Martha Graham

…Long after Graham’s death in 1991 it has continued on, now located at 55 Bethune Street in Westbeth. Graham is one of many women, and one of many dancers, who made…

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The History of the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade: a lecture by Ralph Lee

…with the Theater for a New City. It was conceived as a mile-long theatre event, from Westbeth in the West Village to Washington Square, consisting of masked and costumed performers,…

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Theater for The New City: 2018 Village Awardee

…as one of our Village Awardees. Crystal Field, George Bartenieff, Theo Barnes, and Lawrence Kornfeld formed TNC at Westbeth. It was named “Theater for the New City” after a speech in…

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Penny Arcade’s Village Preservation Oral History – Chronicles of the Queen of Downtown

…among others; a Westbeth collection that includes oral histories with Richard Meier and Merce Cunningham, among others; a South Village collection including oral histories with musician David Amram, Matt Umanov…

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Happy (Almost) Birthday Off the Grid!

…core of what we do at GVSHP we shared our joy about hard won preservation victories including the landmarking of Westbeth in the Far West Village and the bittersweet designation…

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End of Summer Reading: Greenwich Village Stories

…became a potter.” — Jonathan Adler From the book — the High Line, before it was dismantled, running through the old Bells Telephone Labs, now Westbeth (ca. 1936). “Today, the…

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That Hudson River Waterfront

…markets) and the Bell Telephone laboratories, known to us today as Westbeth. The waterfront is still a busy place today, mostly for residential development, and is defined in a large…

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Collecting the history of the Village one interview at a time

…current collection of oral histories, accessible on the GVSHP website, including Preservation Pioneers and Westbeth Oral Histories Collection. While we were beginning our newest collection last fall, another oral history…

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My mind was really wandering today…

…Archives building, to some private homes, to Westbeth, and to the Diane von Furstenberg headquarters. And let’s not forget the High Line Park. Which reminded me of gardens, and another…

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Happy Anniversary, Gansevoort Market Historic District!

…two frozen individual buildings, including the multi-building Westbeth and Silver Towers complexes, and successfully supported individual landmark designation of another twenty buildings. GVSHP was also able to help secure four…

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In Memoriam: Howard R. Moody

…late 1960s, Moody served on the advisory committee for the development of Westbeth, affordable housing for artists of all disciplines. The People’s Flag Show is censored by the city. Image…

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Villagers Feted at GVSHP’s Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony

…including 128 East 13th Street, Westbeth, and the East 10th Street Historic District, the first new historic district in the East Village since 1969. He also applauded the success of…

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First Avenue Retail Market: Then & Now

…thus, Theater for the New City was born. For its first year, TNC resided at a space in Westbeth. After this first year, Kornfeld and Barnes resigned and the theater…

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We Miss You, Keith Haring

…also exhibited at Performance Space 122 in the East Village, and at Westbeth, recently landmarked after many years of advocacy by GVSHP. Club 57 also attracted a number of other…

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Astor Place Art Update

…and artworks, Haring is deeply connected to our neighborhoods. Over the years, GVSHP has looked at Haring’s ties to places within the neighborhoods we cover – at places like Westbeth…

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The Ghost of Preservation Battles Past: The House of Genius

…and work, the developer was able to secure eviction rights and demolition permits. The idea of a live-work space would later come to fruition in the landmarked Westbeth Artists Residence…

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West Village Colossus

…conversion in to residences in the city. The conversion of Westbeth (which was just landmarked) to the north is another, but it did not have the same overtly commercial character….

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Spending Veterans Day with the Doughboy

Abingdon Square Doughboy Ever since Ralph Lee staged the first annual Halloween parade in the courtyard of Westbeth in 1973, October 31st has been a day of heavy reveling in…

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Fourth Arts Block tour redux

…a stranger to historic Village properties. The firm completed a façade and roof restoration of Westbeth and is currently working on the façade of the Jefferson Market Branch Library. …

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Adapting “Adaptive Re-Use”

…began its life as the Astor Library, or Westbeth, the artists’ residence on Bank and Bethune Streets and former home to a complex of thirteen buildings making up Bell Labs…

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Historic Preservation 101: What is a Landmark?

…of Westbeth Artist Housing for its significance as pioneering affordable housing for artists. Are there financial incentives for owners of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places? Yes!…

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Seen and Heard Around the Village: 5.2.11 – 5.6.11

…Kiev (Jeremiah’s Vanishing NY) Westbeth Worries About Transition to Rent Regulation (The Villager) Best coffee in the East Village (Serious Eats) Mars Bar Prepares to Sober Up After 20 Years…

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Far West Village

…are faithfully enforced. Information on Individual Far West Village Initiatives: Hudson River Park Pier Air Rights Westbeth Superior Inks Building C6-1 Rezoning West 11th Street Condo/Julian Schnabel 85-89 Jane Street…

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Halloween in Greenwich Village – A Salute to Ralph Lee

…at Westbeth and followed an indirect route (is there any other way in the West Village?) to Abingdon Square, and finally Washington Square. Each year the parade grew both in…

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2014 Year In Review: GVSHP Programs

…City A book talk with author William W. Buzbee Tuesday, June 24 6:30 – 8:00 P.M. Free; reservations required Westbeth Community Room 55 Bethune Street or enter on Bank Street…

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A Rebuilt Corner, a Carpenter House, and an Art Deco Beauty: New Additions to Our Greenwich Village Historic District Map

…famed Westbeth Arts building, which also has a past as a factory, as it now is a residence, like 39 Bethune Street with its dramatic and varied history. Max Siegel’s…

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Village Remains Tops for Artists in NYC

…most part no longer the proverbial starving artists — that is unless they are lucky enough to live at Westbeth (subsidized housing for artists), in rent stabilized housing (of which…

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Eight Abandoned East Village Buildings’ Second Acts As Beacons of Culture

…Crystal Field, George Bartenieff, Theo Barnes, and Lawrence Kornfeld at Westbeth in 1970, moved here and gave the building a new purpose at last. This organization transformed the space into…

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“Our Village is Star in an Uptown Exhibit” — September 26, 1990

…World War II, artists, writers, musicians, and actors moved to the riverside Village from other parts of the district. By 1970, the Bell Telephone Laboratories building became Westbeth, a federally-subsidized…

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Remembering Margot Gayle, In Her Own Words

…our oral history collection. It includes a ‘preservation pioneers’ collection consisting of oral histories with Jane Jacobs among others; a Westbeth collection that includes oral histories with Richard Meier and…

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Welcome to March! Celebrate Irish Heritage and Women’s History with Village Preservation Programs

…the audience. Later on, Diana Goetsch read two poems by Muriel Rukeyser, a 20th century New York-based poet who lived for a time at Westbeth. At once playful and immensely…

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Strange Bedfellows: Stanford White and Diane Arbus

…Arbus lived here until 1970, when she was one of the original residents to move into the newly-opened Westbeth Artists Housing. She took her own life while living there in…

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Historic Preservation 101: What is a Landmark?

…Listings secured by GVSHP include the 2009 designation of Westbeth Artist Housing for its significance as pioneering affordable housing for artists. Are there financial incentives for owners of properties listed on the…

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The High Line is Dismantled and the West Side is Transformed

…rowhouses and small apartment buildings. Demolition of the High Line north of Bank Street and what is now Westbeth, all the way to Gansevoort Street where the High Line now…

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Business of the Month – The Ink Pad, 37 7th Avenue

…community space at Westbeth. While some visitors may say they are not creative in any way, Anna says “yes you are!” She has a wide selection of items and tools…

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Cool Down With Keith Haring!

…the East Village, and at Westbeth, landmarked after many years of advocacy by GVSHP. Fellow artists included Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, Tseng Kwong Chi, actress Debi Mazar, and hip hop pioneer Fab Five Freddy. …

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March 14th — A Big Day for Village Birthdays

…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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The Church of the Village: Remembering Injustice Against Gay Clergy Event

…Abels served as the director of Westbeth from 1972-73. Abels was very involved not only in the artistic life of the neighborhood, but also helped spearhead and oversaw the restoration…

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Happy Birthday Martha Graham!

…company. Long after Graham’s death in 1991 it has continued on, now located at 55 Bethune Street in Westbeth. The plaque at 66 Fifth Avenue. Our Historic Plaque Program highlights the incredible people,…

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Happy Anniversary to Far West Village Landmark Victories!

…group of individual landmarks which were voted upon on March 6, 2007. Following those designations, the LPC also landmarked Westbeth and the former Devoe Paint Factory at 110 Horatio Street. The…

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Remembering Landmarking Success in the Far West Village

…the LPC also landmarked Westbeth and the former Devoe Paint Factory at 110 Horatio Street. As part of our continued efforts in the Far West Village, earlier this year, we…

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A year ago today, the horrible Intro. 775 was heard, later passed

…Historic District, SoHo, and Westbeth, as well as districts as diverse as Bedford-Stuyvesant and the Grand Concourse, Jackson Heights and Park Slope. Without landmark designation, many of these sites and…

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Landmarks of New York: First Houses

…designation for two other affordable housing developments in our neighborhood, Westbeth and Silver Towers/University Village which included 505 LaGuardia, an affordable housing complex. For more information on the history of…

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