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Tag: Historic image archive

Behind the Historic Image Archive: Women Who’ve Captured History, Part III

Countless women have made important contributions to the arts in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. Many have made direct contributions of their art to Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive, documenting decades of architectural and cultural history. These women were not just artists or photographers, but often advocates or architects, and served in many […]

    Behind the Historic Image Archive: Women Who’ve Captured History, Part II

    Countless women have made important contributions to the arts in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. Many have made direct contributions of their art to Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive, documenting decades of architectural and cultural history. These women were not just artists or photographers, but often advocates or architects, and served in many […]

      Behind the Historic Image Archive: Women Who’ve Captured History

      Countless women have made important contributions to the arts in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. Many have made direct contributions of their art to Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive, documenting decades of architectural and cultural history. Today we explore some of the earliest contributions to our archive. These women were not just artists […]

        Exploring Lost Greenwich Village Through Historic Images

        Our Historic Images from Landmarks Applications collection is one of the most extensive in our historic image archive. It is regularly updated with additional historic images that are included in local Certificate of Appropriateness applications to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. These provide invaluable documentation of our neighborhoods, and the newest batch includes several images of […]

        Observing History through the Lens of Women Photographers: Part 3

        This is the third in a multi-part series. Women photographers have played a pivotal role in shaping the visual narrative of our neighborhoods, as evident in Village Preservation’s historic image archive. The majority of the collections in our historic image archive were taken and/or donated by women. Their unique perspectives and contributions have captured the essence of […]

        Bleecker Street Highlights from the Susan De Vries Collections

        In 1995, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) asked Village Preservation (then known as the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation) to conduct a photo survey of Federal-era buildings of Lower Manhattan based on a list they provided. The survey ended up being a sprawling project that extended well beyond the original scope of what the LPC […]

          Shorelines of History: Preserving Greenwich Village’s Waterfront

          From New Amsterdam to New York City, the shores of Manhattan and the surrounding harbor — one of the best natural harbors in the world — connected a fledgling colonial port to a global economy. As our great cosmopolitan metropolis grew through the nineteenth century, it remained a maritime city, becoming the world’s busiest port […]

          Public Art in Our Historic Image Archive

          Our Historic Image Archive includes thousands of photos documenting New York City neighborhoods, people, and buildings. Public art is important part of our streetscapes, and can be found throughout our Historic Image Archive. One of NYC’s most well-known and beloved sculptures is “the Alamo” on Astor Place. Installed as a temporary exhibit in 1967, the […]

            Exploring the Many Row Houses of the Village Preservation Historic Image Archive

            If we had to pick just one type of building to represent our neighborhoods, the top contender would almost undoubtedly be the row house. A ubiquitous feature of 19th-century urban streetscapes, many of these homes are happily still present throughout New York City (particularly in Manhattan and Brooklyn), and are plentiful in number in our […]

            Exploring the Agnes Balcer Image Collection

            The Agnes Balcer Collection of our 4,700 piece (and growing!) historic image archive is one of our smallest collections, but the photos it contains have an outsize story to tell relating to the family that donated them and Greenwich Village history. Agnes Balcer was from Bemidji, Minnesota, and worked as an executive secretary in Washington, D.C. […]

              The Village as Film Set

              Historic neighborhoods are great settings that make for striking film locations. Such is the case for our neighborhoods, which have long been the stage for television and movie productions. So much so, that several images of movie productions within our neighborhoods have made their way into our Historic Image Archive. In order to facilitate the […]

                LGBTQ+ History in the Image Archive: Utilizing the New Tag Feature

                A new and exciting feature of Village Preservation’s sizable Historic Image Archive is the ability to filter images by category, or “tag.” We have painstakingly tagged every single one of our nearly 5,000 historic photographs (an ever growing number), so that users can easily view images organized by their interests. As an example, the “LGBTQ+” […]

                The New York City Work Horse

                New York City was powered by horses for almost three hundred years. At its peak, well over 150,000 horses and by some estimates up to 200,000 lived in the city. Related businesses such as blacksmiths, carriage manufacturers, feed suppliers, stables, auction houses, and more were a huge part of the local economy. There are many […]

                  Remembering the boy bar

                  In the late 19th century the term “boy bar” referred to what we would now call a “gay bar”. This is not to be confused with the boy bar, which was a bar located at 15 1/2 St. Marks place from the early 1980s to mid 1990s. It was well known for its regular drag […]

                    A History of Protest and the Marjorie Zien Collection

                    Greenwich Village resident and photographer Marjorie Zien has spent the last several decades chronicling life in her neighborhood and city. In 2021 she donated a collection of photos to Village Preservation taken throughout our neighborhoods in the aftermath of 9/11. In 2023 she donated to us a new collection of photos, which you can view […]

                      Tribute in Light

                      Since September 11, 2003, twin pillars of light have pierced the Lower Manhattan sky from dusk to dawn each year, briefly reverting our skyline to an impression of its previous self. First implemented as a months-long temporary art installation in early 2002 to commemorate the September 11th attacks, Tribute in Light was reinstalled on the […]

                      Ghost Signs Abound in Our Historic Image Archive

                      A year or two into my career as a historic preservationist, I was accused (in good humor) of being a warden of “the ephemera of New York.” I tended toward a particular interest in protecting the seemingly minor and often transient aspects of our built environment: attributes such as vault lights, sidewalk grates, and paving, […]

                      Small Businesses in the Historic Image Archive

                      Linda Yowell, architect and preservationist, recently donated a wide assortment of photos to Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive, covering the 1970s through the late 1990s. Among them are images of small businesses that Yowell, who has also been a Village Preservation trustee since 1998, captured during that period. Some of the stores have long since […]

                      The Linda Yowell Image Collection: Capturing the West Village’s Charm and Evolution Over the Decades

                      Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive is a treasure trove of photographs that display the visual history of our changing neighborhoods and notable New York City landmarks and sites. We are fortunate to have recently added to that a collection of images from Linda Yowell, a longtime Village Preservation Trustee, valued chair of our Preservation Committee, […]

                      SoHo’s Cast Iron Landmarks: 1969 and Today

                      Edward LaGrassa was an architecture student in 1969 when he photographed hundreds of cast iron buildings and structures, largely in SoHo and Tribeca, but also in Harlem and Upper Manhattan. He took the pictures for a school project, and luckily, the negatives were scanned and donated to Village Preservation, becoming the stunning “Edward LaGrassa’s Cast […]

                        Mystery Photos — 90s Drag Scene Edition

                        Many of the donated images in our Historic Image Archive were received with little identifying information. We often think, who are these people? Where is this location? When was this picture taken? Sometimes we figure it out all on our own, like this one. Other times, it’s a bit more difficult, as in this case where […]

                          Time for Summer!

                          There’s no better place to enjoy summer than the East Village, Greenwich Village, and NoHo! There is something for everyone, including amazing local ice cream, live music, community gardens and even bird watching — all captured for posterity in our historic image archive. Volunteers at the Jefferson Market Garden in the mid 1980s, from the […]

                            Riccardo Spina Image Collection — A Window Back to Greenwich Village a Half Century Ago

                            One of the delights of working in the field of historic preservation is getting to regularly dig into old image archives, where unique, wonderful, and fleeting glimpses into the past await, captured from the perspectives of individuals who lived and worked in these neighborhoods. Riccardo Spina, whose family first arrived in Greenwich Village from Italy […]

                            April in the Archives

                            April is a wonderful time in New York City, as we transition into spring with flowers blooming and people filling the streets once again. Today we explore April through our Historic Image Archive — a carefully curated collection of nearly 4,000 images of our neighborhoods and New York City from the late 18th through the […]

                              Redefining Downtown: One Chase Manhattan Plaza

                              Our Historic Image Archive includes thousands of images from the late 18th through the early 21st centuries. While most of our images show Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, we have a wide range of images from across the five boroughs, particularly of historic landmarks around the city. Today we focus on one of […]

                                Julys Past From Our Historic Image Archive

                                Our Historic Image Archive provides a snapshot of our neighborhood’s past. From summers on the piers to drag shows at the Pyramid Club and an important archeological dig, you can almost feel the summer heat emanating from some of these photos. Sheridan Square Dig In July and August of 1982, Regina Kellerman, Executive Director of […]

                                  Hot Dog History in the Village Preservation Historic Image Archive

                                  July is National Hot Dog Month (as designated by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council) and we have a few savory slices of NYC hot dog history in our Historic Image Archive. Nathan’s Famous was founded by Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker in 1916. The original still stands in Coney Island on the corner of […]

                                    LGBTQ+ Pride Through The Decades

                                    Our Historic Image Archive includes thousands of photos documenting the people and architecture of the Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, as well as New York City, from the late 18th to the early 21st century. In honor of Pride, today we explore some of our LGBTQ+ digital photo archives. In 2021, longtime Greenwich […]

                                      Picturing the World Trade Center

                                      The twin towers of the World Trade Center dominated the New York City skyline for almost thirty years, from their grand opening on April 4, 1973, until their destruction on September 11, 2001. They were visible from almost all corners of the city, and on a clear day, one could see them from up to […]

                                        Image Archive Collection: The High Line in 1979 — Noah Greenberg’s “Manhattan Promenade” Proposal

                                        We recently added a new collection to our historic image archive, Noah Greenberg’s “Manhattan Promenade” Proposal. This collection dates from 1979, and includes shots of what we now know as the High Line, at a unique moment in its history. Scroll down to see a sample of the collection, or click here to see all […]

                                        ‘Manhattan Promenade’: The Plan for Adaptive Reuse of the High Line ca. 1979, and Other New Historic Images

                                        We’re proud to share with the public new historic images and materials from a 1979 proposal by Greenwich Village architect Noah Greenberg to turn the abandoned West Side Elevated Rail Line that ran through his neighborhood into a “park in the sky” called “Manhattan Promenade.” While the proposal was well received at the time, it of course never came […]

                                          Village Preservation Releases Nearly 1,000 Crowdsourced Images of the World Trade Center, 9/11, and Aftermath, with Moving Personal Stories

                                          We are proud to release nearly 1,000 images donated by the public to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks on the World Trade Center. Earlier this year we asked the public to share their images connected to the World Trade Center, the attacks, and the aftermath, and received hundreds of images […]

                                            9/11 In Memoriam — Point Thank You

                                            In honor of the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, Village Preservation has assembled over 500 donated images documenting the World Trade Center, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and the days and weeks following September 11, 2001. See all the images here. One of the many incredible collections we have received was donated by Villager Lenore Mills. […]

                                              NYU vs. the East Village

                                              On East 12th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues, the entrance to a 26-story dorm, designed to house 700 NYU students, sits “discreetly” behind a disembodied 1847 church tower. Neither historic preservation nor adaptive reuse, the AIA Guide to New York City refers to it as a “folly behind which lurks yet another dorm for […]

                                              Share Your Photos For Upcoming September 11th 20th Anniversary

                                              This September will mark 20 years since the deadly attacks on the World Trade Center. Few New Yorkers were left untouched by this devastating assault, which shattered our city, our sense of safety, and our sense of selves. Residents of our neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan were particularly hard hit — from losing loved ones and […]

                                              New Historic Image Collection Explores Downtown Drag + Performance Scene of the 1990s

                                              As we approach LGBTQ+ Pride Weekend, Village Preservation is proud to share with you a wonderful new collection in our historic image archive of donated images from Jillian Jonas chronicling the fiery and flamboyant downtown drag performance scene of the 1990s. Jonas, who was the house photographer at the legendary Boy Bar on St. Mark’s Place, also captured […]

                                              Historic Photo Mysteries from a Newly Donated Collection (and a reminder of what’s at stake with the SoHo/NoHo upzoning proposal)

                                              Village Preservation recently shared an incredible new addition to our historic image archive of donated photos of cast-iron New York City landmarks, some destroyed during the late 60s, others threatened but saved, the last time that SoHo and Tribeca faced a threat of widespread demolition. At the time, historic cast-iron buildings were being razed to […]

                                                More Historic Images: The Pryor Dodge Collection

                                                It just never stops growing…Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive, that is. The latest addition is the Pryor Dodge Collection, a collection taken between 1966 and 1967. They provide a wonderful snapshot (pardon the pun) into Greenwich Village and the East Village from this time. Featured are children playing, musicians collaborating, and life on the Bowery. […]

                                                Archive Exploration Made Easy On Our New Website

                                                Archiving is one of the many ways that Village Preservation ensures the preservation of our neighborhoods. By keeping records and files of images, stories, and the processes of preservation since neighborhood residents first came together to advocate for their neighborhoods, we keep Village histories alive. We have always made these archives accessible for anyone who […]

                                                New Addition to Our Historic Image Archive Gives Intimate View of Greenwich Village and NYC in the 1940s and 50s

                                                We recently added a new collection, the Jean Polacheck Collection, to our historic image archive. This collection dates largely from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, and includes scenes of Washington Square Park, Midtown Manhattan, the interior of clubs and restaurants, and other Greenwich Village and NYC street scenes. Scroll down to see a sample of […]

                                                  Exploring our New Image Archive

                                                  We are very excited to share our new and improved Historic Image Archive with you! Whether you are an historic researcher or photography buff, our new archive offers endless layers of history to explore. From our original collections to our most recent additions, our new Historic Image Archive now offers new tools such as an […]

                                                  Things We’re Looking Forward To Doing Again, Part 4

                                                  We’re continuing to spend a lot of time thinking about things we used to do before the coronavirus outbreak, that we’re looking forward to hopefully doing again once things return to ‘normal.’  We’ve also been spending a lot of time going through our historic image archive at www.archive.gvshp.org, remembering some of those once-common activities, and just exploring the […]

                                                  Things We’re Looking Forward To Doing Again, Part 3

                                                  We’re continuing to spend a lot of time thinking about things we used to do before the coronavirus outbreak, that we’re looking forward to hopefully doing again once things return to ‘normal.’  We’ve also been spending a lot of time going through our historic image archive at www.archive.gvshp.org, remembering some of those once-common activities, and […]

                                                  Things We’re Looking Forward To Doing Again

                                                  We’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about things we used to do before the coronavirus outbreak, that we’re looking forward to hopefully doing again once things return to ‘normal.’  We’ve also been spending a lot of time going through our historic image archive at www.archive.gvshp.org, remembering some of those once-common activities, and just […]

                                                  Willem de Kooning at Home

                                                  On March 23, 1962, Village Voice photographer Fred McDarrah took a group of photos of Abstract Expressionist artist Willem de Kooning in his studio and home at 831 Broadway. De Kooning lived and worked here from 1958 to 1964, and McDarrah’s photos offer an intimate glimpse into this brilliant artist’s world when he was at […]

                                                  Changing Fashion of New York

                                                  Artists and photographer Carole Teller donated hundreds of photographs to Village Preservation that she took from the 1960s through the 1990s. An East Village resident for over fifty years, Carole so beautifully and thoroughly documented her neighborhood’s architecture, daily life, and many quirks, we have had to dole it out in multiple parts in our Historic Image […]

                                                  Demolitions in Our Historic Image Archive: Gone, But Not Forgotten

                                                  Village Preservation is always working hard to document, celebrate, and protect the historic character of our neighborhoods, including the great buildings that make Greenwich Village, NoHo and East Village such wonderful places to live, work and shop.  Of course, we’re not always able to save every historic building from demolition, and some disappeared long before […]

                                                  Big New Step for the Village Preservation/Urban Archive Partnership

                                                  Urban Archive is a location-based mobile app that empowers New Yorkers to learn about history where it happened. The site brings together the digital collections of New York City’s museums, archives, and libraries in an easy-to-use resource built for discovery. Since 2017, Village Preservation has partnered with Urban Archive to increase access to our image […]

                                                  More Historic Images Show Us What’s Changed and What’s Remained the Same

                                                  One of our most recently landmarked buildings, the Roosevelt Building at 841 Broadway, has an exciting application for alterations which includes the restoration of its piers at the storefront level. Included in this application are some beautiful images of not just the building but Broadway, Union Square, and East 13th Street which we have just […]

                                                  The Changing Face of Astor Place and Cooper Square

                                                  As we do every month, we just added some new historic images to the Village Preservation historic image archive from the latest Landmarks Permit Applications which we have reviewed. This round had an intriguing one of Astor Place/Cooper Square from 1925 which shows how many of the striking historic buildings remain from that time (largely […]

                                                  Small Business Snapshot, ca. 1998

                                                  Artists and photographer Carole Teller donated hundreds of photographs to Village Preservation that she took from the 1960s-1990s. An East Village resident for over fifty years, Carole so beautifully and thoroughly documented her neighborhood’s architecture, daily life, and many quirks, we have had to dole it out in multiple parts in our Historic Image Archive […]

                                                  More Historic Photo Mysteries Solved — Brownstone Revival and New York Apocalypse Edition

                                                  Village Preservation has a collection of over 2,000 images in our Historic Image Archive, ranging from the 18th to the early 21st century, most of Lower Manhattan, but with some images across the five boroughs.  The majority were donated, and some come with absolutely no information about date or location. We’ve managed to figure out […]

                                                  New Historic Images- Astor Place, 10th Street, Village Community School, and more.

                                                  GVSHP just added 29 new historic images to our archive taken from current public applications to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) for significant changes to landmarked buildings in our neighborhoods. Historic photos are typically included in applications to provide explanation or context for proposed changes in historic districts or to individually landmarked structures, and GVSHP […]

                                                  Wanamaker’s, A Shoppers Paradise

                                                  In a recent application to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to make some changes to the building at 770 Broadway (8th/9th Streets), there is a great picture of this impressive building being constructed; the photos from this application are now part of our historic image archive. This photo really showcases the construction technology of a steel […]

                                                  A ‘Riveting’ Historic Photo Mystery Solved!

                                                  GVSHP’s historic image archive reflects an amazing cross-section of NYC history. Many of the images arrived to us unidentified in terms of location. We have solved many historic photo mysteries including identifying the location of this one at 15 Carmine Street, this one on St. Marks Place and 2nd Avenue, and these South Street Seaport images. However, a few mysteries […]

                                                    How well do you know the Village?

                                                    GVSHP partnered with the Village Alliance and Urban Archive to host a scavenger hunt in the Village on September 15, 2018. One team got all 30 questions right – can you match their knowledge of the Village? We’ll give you the first one free- it’s the meeting spot of the Scavenger Hunt at Washington Mews. Now you […]

                                                    Historic Photo Mysteries Solved

                                                    Last week we put out a call for help to solve mysteries regarding the locations of some images from our Historic Image Archive‘s most recent addition, Carole Teller’s Changing New York, Part 4. Some were solved this week by readers, and some by staff. Some still remain unsolved… if you think you know the location of any of […]

                                                    A Bevy of New Historic Images from Landmarks Applications

                                                    Every month, GVSHP posts the upcoming applications for changes to landmarked properties in our neighborhoods that are significant enough to warrant a public hearing, known as certificates of appropriateness. Typically included in these applications are old photos of the properties which can serve to provide explanation or justification for proposed changes to landmarked structures. GVSHP […]

                                                    Putting Historic Images On The Map

                                                    Our ever-expanding historic image archive has a number of fascinating collections which offer glimpses into our neighborhood and beyond throughout past decades.  Carol Teller’s Changing New York (Parts I, II & III), Jack Dowling Collection: Decay and Rebirth Along the Greenwich Village Waterfront in the 1970s, and Ruth E. Cushman Collection: NY Undergoing Change in the […]

                                                    Help us Solve Some Historic Photo Mysteries

                                                    Over 80 new historic photos taken by Carole Teller were recently added to the GVSHP Image Archive. Every time we add photos to our collection, we uncover some great stories, like when a woman emailed us that her mother was the subject of this photo, a man let us know this is the only existing photo of his grandfather, […]

                                                    Our 2018 Resolutions

                                                    Happy New Year! We here at GVSHP hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and look forward to 2018! Like many people everywhere, GVSHP has also made some resolutions for the New Year.  Some of our biggest goals for this year center on our advocacy efforts, our Historic Image Archive, and our public programming.  In 2018 […]

                                                    A Great Tool for Seeing History Wherever You Are

                                                    My colleague, Director of Research and Preservation Sarah Bean Apmann (she tells me that “Exalted Majesty Tour Guide” also works as a title), led the first GVSHP walking tour that I attended – our Bleecker Street walking tour  – and I was so lucky to have been there. I have walked up and down Bleecker Street countless times, […]

                                                    Remember ‘The Alamo’: A history of the Astor Place cube

                                                    On November 1, 1967, an enigmatic 20-foot-tall cube first appeared on a lonely traffic island where Astor Place and 8th Street meet. Though several months before the release of “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the one-ton Cor-Ten steel sculpture shared many qualities with the sci-fi classic’s inscrutable “black monolith,” at once both opaque and impenetrable and […]

                                                    The Alamo Turns 50!

                                                    On November 1, 1967, an 8′ x 8′ x 8′ 1,800-pound giant black cube was installed in Astor Place as one of 25 temporary public artworks by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. However, it was so popular that local residents petitioned the City to keep it, and except for its absences for restorations over the past few years, it […]

                                                    Rare photos of the High Line being demolished in the 1960s tell the story of a changing West Village

                                                    Few structures have had a more far-reaching impact upon the West Village and Chelsea than the High Line. Its construction in 1934, then partial demolition in the early ’60s, and final preservation and conversion into a park a decade ago have profoundly shaped the way these neighborhoods have changed over the last 85 years. And while […]

                                                    The High Line is Dismantled and the West Side is Transformed

                                                    There’s no overstating it – we at Village Preservation love our members and friends sharing old mementos and images of our neighborhood. Personal or family pictures taken of one’s surroundings or familiar spots often now become, years later, important historical documents. Case in point:  we’ve just added to our ever-growing Historic Image Archive a mini-collection of […]

                                                    Solving Mysteries in Historic Photos

                                                    One of many wonderful things GVSHP does is accept donations of old photos for our historic image archive, so we can share them with the world.  Old photos of course can be wonderful to view, and provide valuable information about historic sites, events, or people, as well as charting how things have changed over time. […]

                                                    Oral History: Gloria McDarrah and Last Chance to Purchase an Iconic Piece of History

                                                    Three years ago today, Village Preservation conducted an oral history with Gloria McDarrah, a Village resident for over 60 years and a longtime member of GVSHP.  She worked in publishing, education, and for a while in the 1990’s, at the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Gloria has lived in a variety of locations throughout the Village and […]