← View All

Tag: LGBT

Celebrating the Power of Storytellers: The Importance of Oral Histories in Preserving a Neighborhood’s Spirit

Every neighborhood has its own unique story, a tapestry woven from the experiences, struggles, and triumphs of its residents. These stories are often passed down from one generation to the next, shaping the very identity of the place. In a world where rapid urbanization, technological advancements, and cultural shifts often leave little room for reflection, […]

A Look at the History of Female Nightlife Activists in the Village

Our neighborhoods have long thrived on an electric, eclectic energy that fuels creativity, rebellion, and cultural ferment. Amid the many powerful forces shaping the area’s nightlife history, women are among the pivotal yet often overlooked figures — transforming not only the local scene but the wider social and political landscape. These women were not just […]

Celebrate Black History with Village Preservation’s Public Programs, Past and Present

Greenwich Village has long been a hub of creativity, activism, and cultural exchange, and its Black history is deeply woven into the neighborhood’s identity. From the early days of New York City’s African American communities to the Civil Rights Movement and beyond, Black residents have shaped the social, artistic, and political fabric of the Village. […]

The Gay Liberation Front’s Impact on LGBTQ+ History

In June 1969, a police raid on the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village was met with a resistance that launched the modern Gay Liberation Movement. Following decades of mostly discreet and targeted gay rights activism led by the Mattachine Society, the events set forth at Stonewall launched the movement into the popular consciousness. There was no […]

    The Wit and Verse of the American Byron: Fitz-Greene Halleck

    Fitz-Greene Halleck, a 19th-century American poet, is best known for his witty and satirical verse. His connection to Greenwich Village is an intriguing aspect of his life, highlighting the cultural vibrancy of the area during his time. However, while he was once known widely as the American Byron in his lifetime, today he is a […]

      Stonewall National Monument: Marking Nearly 60 Years of Pride and Resilience

      It is the first National Monument designated to mark LGBTQIA+ history. President Obama designated the Stonewall National Monument on June 24, 2016, becoming official on June 27, 2016. The road to designation was a long one. In the 1990s Village Preservation, then known as Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), along with the now-defunct […]

      Greenwich Village Immortalized, in LEGO!

      Have you heard the exciting news? Village Preservation has released a special edition Greenwich Village building set made of genuine LEGO bricks! Composed of 449 pieces, the incredible miniature display depicts some of the most emblematic landmarks of the Village, from the Jefferson Market Library, to Stonewall, to the Washington Square Arch and Fountain, plus […]

      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+” […]

      Whitman in the Village: The Poet’s Third Space

      Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo sit at the heart of New York’s LGBTQ+ history and culture, which as some might be surprised to hear, stretches back to the earliest days of New York. Perhaps most prominently, well over a century before the Stonewall Inn, Julius’ Bar, The Pyramid Club, and many other important […]

      A Vibrant Tapestry: African American History in Our Neighborhoods

      Our neighborhoods are renowned for their rich cultural history and storied past. While often associated with artistic bohemia and progressive movements, our streets hold a lesser-known narrative that significantly shaped the African American experience in America. From the Harlem Renaissance to the Civil Rights Movement, Greenwich Village, the East Village, NoHo, and the area South […]

      What’s So Special About the South Village?

      Village Preservation kicked off its campaign to honor, document, and seek landmark designation for the South Village and its remarkable immigrant and artistic histories in December 2006, and completed the effort in December 2016 with designation of the third and final phase of our proposed South Village Historic District, the largest expansion of landmark protections in the neighborhood since 1969. […]

        Pier 40’s Murals Illustrate Local History

        Pier 40 was built between 1958 and 1962 for the Holland America Cruise Line, and became the largest passenger and freight terminal in the Port of New York at the time of construction. Jutting into the Hudson River and effectively extending Leroy, Clarkson, Houston, King, and Charlton Streets west into the water, the pier was […]

        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 […]

          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 […]

            2023 Village Awardee: Monster Bar, 80 Grove Street

            Village Preservation is very proud to honor the Monster Bar at 80 Grove Street as a Village Awardee in 2023. Join us in recognizing them and these five other worthy awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Tuesday, June 13 at 6pm at Cooper Union’s Historic Great Hall. Registration is free and open to all! […]

              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 […]

                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 […]

                  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 […]

                    Go West! – The Leather & Denim Scene in the Weehawken Street Historic District

                    The Weehawken Street Historic District (designated May 2, 2006) consists of a small area on three blocks around West, Christopher, and 10th Streets. Although primarily known for its relation to New York City’s maritime industry from the 1830s to 1920s, the tiny district was also the center of New York’s Queer Leather and Denim (L&D) […]

                    The Documents of History: Mattachine Society of New York’s Archival Papers of 1951-1976 at the New York Public Library

                    As Village Preservation prepares to unveil a plaque commemorating the “Sip-In” at Julius’ Bar on April 21, 1966, one might wonder about the Mattachine Society of New York, which organized this historic event as part of their broader participation in the 1945-1969 Homophile Movement in New York City and beyond. We know the leaders of […]

                    Stormé DeLarverie: Village Guardian

                    A self-proclaimed “gay superhero,” Stormé Delarverie (≅ December 24, 1920 – May 24, 2014, Pronouns: she/her in public, he/him in performance) was a drag king, bouncer, and neighborhood activist who outspokenly protected LGBTQ+ communities in our neighborhoods and Lower Manhattan. Pronounced “Stormy De-Lah-vee-yay,” she made a name for herself as the (alleged) spark that started […]

                    Local Lesbian Bookstores: Founders of a Feminist Future

                    Historically, our neighborhoods have hosted many independent and unconventional bookstores. These small institutions have helped define the character of our neighborhoods as a literary capital of the Western world. With apartments as small as ours, these bookstores took on the role of collective public living rooms, acting as places of community gathering and organization. But, […]

                    2021 Village Preservation Public Programs Round-Up

                    As we close the chapter on yet another wild and successful of year of public programs at Village Preservation, we wanted to take the time to reflect and highlight some of 2021’s best moments. Despite the twists and turns of this year’s ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, we’ve hosted 80 different educational lectures, book talks, and walking […]

                    Greer Lankton: An Artist’s Life in the Village of the Dolls

                    Greer Lankton (she/her, April 21, 1958 – November 18, 1996) was an East Village-based multidisciplinary artist who worked in illustration, photography, and sculpture. She’s mostly known for creating lifelike paper-mache dolls of celebrities, and she explored themes around celebrity iconography, beauty standards, and the white feminine ideal. While not all of her dolls were of […]

                    Candy Darling: A Superstar in Her Own Right

                    Candy Darling (She/Her, November 24, 1944 — March 21, 1974) was a transgender icon and muse for well-known artists and musicians like Andy Warhol and The Velvet Underground. Darling was an influential Downtown character throughout the 1960s, often interacting with its creative scene through Seymour Levy’s “Salon” on Bleecker Street. She was one of Andy […]

                    Sylvia Rivera: A Controversial But Powerful and Enduring Activist for LGBTQ+ Rights

                    Sylvia Rivera (July 2, 1951 – February 19, 2002, She/Her) was a trailblazing advocate for the rights of transgender individuals and LGBTQ+ communities. A vocal opponent of racism and transphobia within the 1970-80s Gay Liberation Movement, Rivera was controversial (to say the least) during her time. While delivering her infamous speech, “Y’all Better Quiet Down!” […]

                    Welcome Aboard, Hew Evans

                    Today Hew Evans (pronouns: they / them) joins Village Preservation as our Administrative and Programs Assistant. Hew has been interning for us since May of this year, during which time they’ve helped to plan and promote our immensely successful Village Voices benefit and public exhibition. Additionally, Hew has performed research for our South of Union […]

                      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 […]

                      Village Pride & LGBT Establishments

                      June is Pride Month, a time when LGBT communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves. The Stonewall uprising in June 1969 is the original inspiration behind the annual June festivities.  The global coronavirus pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives, including how pride festivities take place this year, as the annual NYC Pride parade has […]

                      Beauford Delaney: Harlem Renaissance & Abstract Painter

                      Harlem Renaissance painter Beauford Delaney was known for his colorful modernist compositions and unique approach to figuration. One of the most important African-American artists of the early 20th century, he often painted portraits of prominent black figures, street scenes, and abstract paintings. Delaney spent a good portion of his career in Greenwich Village, with many […]

                      The Fight to Recognize LGBT Civil Rights History in Our Neighborhoods

                      On January 16th, 2013, Village Preservation sent a letter to the  New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) requesting that it landmark key sites of significance to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) history we had identified. At this time, no buildings in the city were explicitly recognized or protected by the LPC primarily for […]

                      Penny Arcade’s Village Preservation Oral History – Chronicles of the Queen of Downtown

                      GVSHP 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. “Hi, my name is Susana […]

                      The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center — Finally a Landmark

                      This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District. Click here to check out our year-long activities and celebrations. We’ve recently had ten new buildings in our area designated landmarks, which also means ten new designation reports rich in history available to pour […]

                      Stonewall Inn: State and National Register Pioneer

                      Six sites were recently designated landmarks by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission based on their LGBT history and association, two of which were part of a five-year campaign by Village Preservation: the LGBT Community Center and the former Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse. This comes four years after the first and until recently only NYC individual landmark […]

                      New York State WorldPride Welcome Center Opens in Greenwich Village

                      This June is LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) Pride month as well as the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, and among the many events and announcements was the grand opening of the New York State WorldPride Welcome Center. Where? Greenwich Village, of course.  Located at 112 Christopher Street,  the new […]

                        St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery’s Pride Ribbon Project

                        To honor and recognize LGBT Pride Month, each year the St. Marks Church-In-The-Bowery produces an art installation along 2nd Avenue between 10th and 11th Street, the Pride Ribbon Project. The installation will be up through the end of June, and we highly encourage you to come to see this in person and read through and […]

                        East Village Building Blocks Tour: the LGBTQ East Village

                        While the neighboring West Village may have the more well-known sites, the East Village contains a rich assortment of places connected to LGBTQ history, including the homes of noted artists, writers, musicians, and activists. It also holds a vast array of performance venues and gathering spaces that attracted and helped launch the careers of many […]

                          Viewers Choice: Top 5 Village Preservation Program Videos of 2018

                          Each year, Village Preservation hosts more than sixty public programs. They cover our neighborhoods from the western edge of Greenwich Village to the easternmost reaches of the East Village.  Topics cover a diverse range of areas including rock and roll, restoring artists’ studios, terracotta mosaics in the subways, street photography, women’s poetry, and so much […]

                          A Tale of Two Crises: Thomas Paine and Marie Du Mont

                          On December 19, 1776, Thomas Paine published The American Crisis, a series of pamphlets that helped fan the flames of American patriotism to inspire the American troops and public during the long, arduous years of the Revolutionary War.  In a previous blog post, we discussed Paine, his legacy, and how he spent his final years […]

                            “An Intimate and Unconventional Space:” Caffe Cino

                            Caffe Cino at 31 Cornelia Street was a community, a haven, the birthplace of countless theatrical careers and movements, and the origin of off-off-Broadway theater. In November 2017, Caffe Cino was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which is a great symbolic honor for the Caffe, which opened in 1958 and closed its […]

                              Beyond the Village and Back: “Becoming Visible” and The Legacy of Stonewall at the NYPL

                              Our Beyond the Village and Back series takes a look at great landmarks in New York City outside of our neighborhoods, finding the sometimes hidden connection to the Village.  Today we take a slightly unorthodox approach of looking back at a groundbreaking exhibit which took place on June 18th, 1994 at one of our city’s most […]

                              Announcing the 2018 Village Awardees

                              Over the past 28 years, GVSHP has honored the unique and outstanding people, organizations, places, and business that make the Village what it is with our Village Awards. You can RSVP to this year’s June 6th Awards Ceremony here. This year we will be honoring an amazing group of awardees, each with an incredible story:

                              Mapping Civil Rights and Social Justice — A Year Later

                              On January 3, 2017, GVSHP launched our Civil Rights and Social Justice Map.  Something in the air told us there might be a hunger and need for this kind of information.  But even we would not have guessed that the map would receive over 70,000 views in that time, with its praises sung in BrickUnderground, […]

                              The Church of the Village: Remembering Injustice Against Gay Clergy Event

                              On Wednesday, June 21st, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation attended a plaque unveiling at the Church of the Village to honor former gay clergymen.  Reverends Clarence Edward Egan and Paul Abels were both pastors in the Village, very active in the neighborhood, and firmly rooted in fighting for civil rights and social justice.  […]

                              LGBT History in All Corners: NoHo

                              June is Pride Month, an especially exciting time in our neighborhoods.  LGBT history is closely tied with the Village and environs, and this month we’re highlighting the LGBT history of the West Village, East Village, South Village, and NoHo.  Many of these sites can be found on our GVSHP Civil Rights and Social Justice Map, and we […]

                              Historic Court Decision Had Roots in Village House

                              The historic 2017 federal court decision that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people are protected from employment discrimination under the civil rights act has deep roots in a house in the South Village at 186 Spring Street — a hotbed of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) civil rights activity in the post-Stonewall era.  In fact, […]

                              Black History Month in the Village: African-American & LGBT Historic Sites

                              February is Black History Month.  We here at GVSHP are celebrating it by highlighting different sites of significance to the African-American community within our neighborhoods.  We’re focusing on sites found on our new Civil Rights & Social Justice Map, discussing their connections to African-American History and the Civil Rights Movement.

                              Dog Day Anniversary

                                The wedding of John Wojtowicz and Ernest Aron (later Elizabeth Eden). On August 22, 1972, what may be the most legendary bank robbery in New York City history took place.  And it had some interesting Village connections. On that sweltering August day, John Wojtowicz, Salvatore Naturile, and Robert Westenberg entered a bank on the […]

                              GVSHPride: Roundup of LGBTQ Resources and Information

                              Happy Pride Week! Each June during the week leading up to the Gay Pride March, NYC celebrates Pride Week.  Throughout the week, different groups and organizations will host events, throw parties, and do general outreach and advocacy to promote the history and visibility of the LGBTQ community.  Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has always worked […]

                              GVSHP Keeping up the Fight

                              During the holiday season we reflect back on the past year.  Here at GVSHP we’ve certainly had some big accomplishments.  We have also had a lot of wonderful support from our members and neighbors, but we need your help to continue the fight.  Please consider GVSHP in your year-end giving! Alice Carey and Geoffrey Knox, […]

                              Diana Davies Collection of Historic LGBT Images

                              Following on some groundbreaking events last week – the LPC designation of the Stonewall Inn as the city’s first LGBT individual landmark and then the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality – we thought we’d feature some historic images taken by photographer Diana Davies. Yesterday, we also celebrated the 46th anniversary of the June 28, […]

                              2015 Village Award Winner David Rothenberg

                              Off the Grid is highlighting the winners of the 2015 Village Awards in the lead up to the June 17th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Previous entries include Barbara Shaum and Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks. Today we will look at the many notable accomplishments of Villager and Fortune Society founder David Rothenberg.

                              A Brief History of “Rent”

                              On April 29, 1996, playwright Jonathan Larson’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning musical “Rent” made its Broadway debut at The Nederlander Theatre. As many Broadway show-goers and longtime East Village residents already know, “Rent” takes place in the heart of the East Village during the AIDS epidemic in the mid-to-late 1980s.  This legendary rock […]

                              Village People: Murray Hall

                              (This post is the first of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) 453 6th Avenue is an apparently unremarkable building, now home to a noodle shop. Before being renumbered in the 1920s, this was 145 Sixth Avenue. Murray […]

                              Village People: Djuna Barnes

                              (This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Djuna Barnes was born in 1892, to a polygamist family at Storm King Mountain, New York. Her father made little effort to support his children, and Djuna’s grandmother […]