On May 1, 1931, the Empire State Building opened on 34th Street and 5th Avenue. At 102 stories and 1,250 feet, it was the world’s tallest building from 1931 until 1973. While it is no longer the tallest building in the world or even New York, it nevertheless remains a symbol of the city and one of the world’s most iconic structures.
The Department of City Planning (DCP) recently launched an online tool that has compiled more than 8,000 historic maps of New York City and laid it on the current street grid. The fun and interesting tool is called NYC Street Map, and it allows you to see alterations made to the City Map since 1938. The brown and […]
A year ago today, Bert Waggott passed away, surrounded by loved ones. Bert was a long-time Greenwich Village resident, graphic designer and professor of graphic design at Pratt Institute. Bert accepted our Village Award in June of 2013 for his work in the Winston Churchill Square garden. Anyone who has walked by the small but […]
Eight years ago today, on October 8, 2007, GVSHP published the report, “The Italians of the South Village” as part of the Historic South Village Preservation Project — you can see and read about the Columbus Day celebration GVSHP held to announce the release of the report here. The purpose of this project was to […]
No, it’s not the name of a law firm. It’s the names of 3 of my favorite streets in the recently-designated South Village Historic District. For many years I lived in the South Village, and often when I gave people directions, I would find myself saying, “Stay on Bleecker, cross 6th Avenue, then you’ll cross […]
On Tuesday we celebrated the Landmarks Preservation Commission vote to designate the South Village as an Historic District. I hope you will see for yourself why we fought so hard for 10 years to accomplish this. Circle a day on your calendar now, and set aside some time to stroll the streets between Washington Square […]
Here in Greenwich Village, we are surrounded by history. So sometimes when I walk the streets, I try to imagine what life was like at different times in the past. When I see modest Federal style houses, I imagine a time in the early 1800’s when fresh water didn’t come from a faucet, but was […]
If you have ever spent time in the area where Bleecker Street meets Sixth Avenue, then you know it’s a busy place with lots of people, cars, buses, bicycles, strollers, pianos, and more. When the weather is nice, a lot of people like to get a slice or a bagel and sit on a bench […]
