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Tag: Image Archive

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 […]

January Favorites from the Archive

The Village Preservation Historic Image Archive highlights the history of the people and built environment of Greenwich Village, the East Village, NoHo, and New York City in general. All the images provide a unique perspective reflecting on the time and location of when and where the photo was taken. Looking at just a few images […]

    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 […]

      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. […]

        Downtown Drag + Performance in the 1990s — the Jillian Jonas Collection

        The Village Preservation Image Archive highlights the history of the people and built environment of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, as well as New York City in general. It has been assembled over the years through generous donations, and consists of thousands of photos in several dozen different collections. Our most recent addition […]

        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 […]

        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 […]

          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, remembering some of those once-common activities, and just exploring the history of […]

          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 […]

          Historic Photo Mystery Solved!

          As we add images to our Historic Image Archive, we try to provide as much identifying information as possible on each one.  Sometimes the images come to us with the exact location of the image, date, etc.  Sometimes they come with no information whatsoever, and we have to comb our files, mental and otherwise, to try to […]

          Stories from GVSHP’s Historic Image Archive- “Is That My Mother?”

          Since its online release in August, 2017, GVSHP’s Historic Image Archive has been the source of several amazing stories. The recently released Carole Teller’s Changing New York Collection particularly so, perhaps because these images from the 1960s to 1990s cover relatively recent history, and thus many people connected to people and places in the images are […]