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Tag: Jefferson Market Library

Library Week, the Landmarks Law, and Our Local Branches

“The only thing that you absolutely have to know,” Albert Einstein once said, “is the location of the library.” So it’s a good thing that four outstanding, historic branches are located in our neighborhoods. This month, we have even more reason to celebrate these institutions during National Library Week, which highlights the ever-growing importance libraries […]

    The Women’s House of Detention: A Turning Point in Greenwich Village

    The Women’s House of Detention, which once stood where we can now enjoy the beautiful Jefferson Market Garden, was more than just a prison. Opened in 1932, the Art Deco-style building was a prominent, though controversial, landmark in the area for nearly four decades. It was the only women’s prison in Manhattan, housing inmates ranging […]

      The Firsts of Greenwich Village

      Greenwich Village has always been a cutting edge neighborhood, but who were the true trendsetters? Who dared to dream up something truly novel and break barriers we didn’t even know existed? Greenwich Village boasts an abundance of history, but it’s rare to find historical figures who can truly claim to be the first. In the […]

      Village Awards: Your Nominations Help Celebrate Our Neighborhoods

      As we approach the deadline for the 2023 Village Awards, we want to share some past awardees to inspire your nominations for this year! We will celebrate the award winners at our 33rd Annual Village Awards & 43rd Annual Members Meeting 2023 on Tuesday, June 13th at The Cooper Union’s Great Hall!

      Why would you want to take the time to nominate your favorite for a Village Award? Here are some great reasons!

      How the New York Public Library got its start in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo

      With 53 million items and 92 locations across Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island, the New York Public Library (MYPL) is the largest municipal library in the world. It’s also the steward of some of New York’s greatest landmarks, reflecting a century and a quarter of Gotham’s history, and in some cases even more. The roots […]

      The Most Picturesque Sites in The Village

      Every year millions of tourists make their way to New York City. While many of them may bypass the Village to flock to Times Square or the Statue of Liberty for a photo, there are many spots here that have gained popularity as a top spot to Instagram. Many of the popular spots draw tourists […]

      Remembering Margot Gayle, In Her Own Words

      Village Preservation shares our oral history collection with the public, highlighting some of the people and stories that make Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo such unique and vibrant neighborhoods. Each includes the experiences and insights of leaders or long-time participants in the arts, culture, preservation, business, or civic life. Born May 14, 1908, […]

      Refresh Your Village Memory with Our YouTube Channel

      Looking through our past programs, it’s amazing to remember the vast array of topics we’ve explored with our lecturers and guests. Presenters have educated us about the amazing architecture, colorful characters, and transformative social movements central to our neighborhoods. And, thankfully, we’ve filmed the majority of them, to enjoy again and again! Today we’re looking […]

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

      Good news, all Off the Grid-ers: we’ve made it to March! In addition to marking the near-end of winter, March is the month for two important celebrations – Irish Heritage Month and Women’s History Month. So central to the history of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, these subjects are near and dear to […]

      Calvert Vaux and the Village

      Calvert Vaux, one of the most prolific and influential architects in the United States during the second half of the 19th century, was born on December 20, 1824, in London, England. Best known in New York City as the co-designer of Central Park along with Frederick Law Olmsted, Vaux’s talents went beyond landscape architecture and […]

        Open House New York in Greenwich Village: The history of three unique sites

        Among the many delights included in this weekend’s Open House New York will be three iconic Greenwich Village buildings–a Gothic Revival church with many architectural firsts, a library that was originally a courthouse which heard the “Trial of the Century,” and a groundbreaking artists’ housing complex that was formerly home to Bell Telephone Labs and the site […]

        They Lived on West 9th Street : Maurice Sendak

        They Lived on West 9th Street: Maurice Sendak is the 2nd in a series. Did you know that in the early 1960s, American illustrator and writer Maurice Sendak (June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) lived at No. 29 West 9th Street? While living there, he wrote and illustrated one of America’s most beloved children’s […]

          The Women’s House of Detention

          To walk by the verdant, lush garden behind the graceful Jefferson Market Library today, one can scarcely imagine that it was once the site of an eleven-story prison, the notorious Women’s House of Detention. Found on our Civil Rights and Social Justice map, this former imposing edifice served as a prison from its opening on […]

          Saved From the Wrecking Ball: Today, and Fifty Years Ago

          Victory snatched from the jaws of defeat! We have seen it on many occasions here at GVSHP. Most recently, in case you haven’t heard, we were victorious in persuading the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the New York City agency charged with administering the city’s Landmarks Preservation law, to begin the formal process of considering 827-831 Broadway […]

          2017 Village Award Winner: The Public Theater

            The arts are the soul and life of our civilization.  They are the link which we use to identify individual and shared expressions. It is widely recognized that The Public Theater is one of our nation’s greatest institutions for theater and a cultural leading light. We in the Village are incredibly fortunate that their […]

          2017 Village Award Winner: Frank Collerius

          Off the Grid is highlighting the 2017 Village Awards winners in the lead up to the June 6th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Click here for more information about the event and to RSVP. Read about other awardees here. Frank Collerius has been the branch manager of the Jefferson Market Library (JML) since 1999.  Frank has truly succeeded in […]

          Announcing the 2017 Village Awardees!

          Join us on Tuesday, June 6th at 6:30 pm for the 37th GVSHP Annual Meeting and 27th Village Awards — RSVP required; click here. Co-hosted by The New School The Village Awards recognize the people, places, and organizations which make a significant contribution to the quality of life in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and […]

          Jefferson Market Garden Party

          GVSHP holds events with the Jefferson Market Library and the Jefferson Market Garden several times per year, most recently a members only tour, our program marking the 50th Anniversary of the Sip-In at Julius’ (See photos here and video here), and Contemporary Writers on a Lost Greenwich Village: A discussion with authors Vivian Gornick and Sarah Schulman (see photos […]

          Celebrating & Remembering Margot Gayle

          The New York City Landmarks Law turns 50 years old this month! In the spirit of this important anniversary, we have decided to revisit our 1996 Oral History Interview with NYC Landmarks Law activist and historic preservationist Margot Gayle. Born in 1908, Gayle became involved in preservation efforts by her mid-forties while working at the New York City […]

          Collecting the history of the Village one interview at a time

          This past fall, GVSHP launched a new oral history project. This ongoing project was developed in order to add to our understanding of the South and East Villages, areas in which we are advocating for new protections such as landmarking and rezonings. While we have spent considerable time documenting the architectural history of these neighborhoods, […]

          The Libraries of Greenwich Village and the East Village

          In this day and age, information about nearly any topic is at our fingertips. A quick internet search can reveal any number of facts we might need. This wasn’t always the case, however. For decades, it was libraries and their books that provided such knowledge. In Greenwich Village, several fantastic libraries provided neighborhood residents the […]

          Old Buildings, New Forms: Creative adaptive re-use in the built environment

          On Tuesday evening, Village Preservation presented a program with architect, preservationist, and author Françoise Bollack about her new book, Old Buildings, New Forms: New Directions in Architectural Transformations, published by the Monicelli Press. It was a wonderful presentation, with images from her book of places all over the world where old buildings were saved instead […]

          The Doors to Jefferson Market

          Recently, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express announced 40 preservation projects in the running for grants through their annual Partners in Preservation program.  This program seeks to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of historic preservation, and this year it’s focusing on preservation in New York City. From April 26 through […]

            Partners in Preservation Sites Announced

            Last week, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express revealed 40 preservation projects up for grants through their annual Partners in Preservation program. This program seeks to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of historic preservation. This year, the program is focusing on preservation in New York City. From April 26 through […]

            A Preservation Pioneer at 100

            Marking the 100th anniversary of his birth on August 11, 1911, Tablet printed a thoughtful piece on pioneering preservation architect Giorgio Cavaglieri, written by Allan M. Jalon. Jalon’s article takes a look back at man behind the adaptive re-use of two of the Village’s most iconic buildings, the Jefferson Market Library (formerly the Jefferson Market […]