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Tag: 12 St Marks Place

Charles Fitzgerald: The Accidental Force Behind St. Mark’s Place

In the beginning, Manhattan real estate was cheap. Dirt cheap. And this gave anyone the opportunity to shape its future. Charles Fitzgerald seized that opportunity and helped turn St Mark’s Place into the corridor we know today. The following account is based on Charles’ recollections of his life and work on this block.  He came to […]

A Building-by-Building Tour of the East Village’s Kleindeutschland

From the mid-19th through the early 20th century, the East Village was the center of what came to be known as Kleindeutschland, or “Little Germany” – the largest German-speaking community in the world outside of Berlin and Vienna. It contained countless houses of worship, social halls, labor and community organizations, charitable institutions, and eating and drinking […]

Many Layers of History between 3rd and 2nd Avenues

Scratch the sidewalk anywhere in the Village or East Village and you’ll always find interesting layers of history.  Last month, we went out on a limb and talked about 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street in honor of February 2nd (2/2), but today, March 2nd (3/2) we’re expanding our focus.  Both 3rd and 2nd Avenues run through the […]

    A Look Back at the General Slocum Disaster

    On the morning of June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamship set sail carrying over 1,300 passengers, most of whom were women and children and members of the East Village’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Mark at 325 East 6th Street. Passengers were headed for a pleasant Sunday jaunt to the Locust Grove Picnic […]