Second Avenue Station: The Hub that Never Was
When it first opened in 1936, the Second Avenue station was supposed to become a hub for the subway system. Today, the station, located at Houston street and Second Avenue, … Continued
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Tag: Lower East Side
The Village, through the lyrics of Taylor Swift
At the age of 24, after spending a decade building her music career in Nashville, Tennessee, Taylor Swift moved to New York City. Like so many artists before her, Swift … Continued
The East Village’s ‘Queen of Bohemia:” Zoe Anderson Norris
If you’re ever on the Upper East Side or just strolling through Central Park and looking to immerse yourself in some literary history, the Grolier Club is the perfect place for that. The Grolier Club’s exhibitions are free to all visitors, making it an accessible space for bibliophiles or anyone itching to check out how literary history has evolved over time.
Beyond the Village and Back: Hamilton Fish Park
In our blog series Beyond the Village and Back, we take a look at some great landmarks throughout New York City outside of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, celebrate … Continued
The Evolution of Tenement Typologies in the East Village
The East Village is one of New York City’s most historically dynamic neighborhoods, as evidenced by its rich and diverse built environment. The neighborhood displays excellent examples of so many … Continued
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 … Continued
Visual AIDS Day Without Art
Day Without Art was Visual AIDS’ first major event. It launched on December 1, 1989 as “a day of action and mourning.” Thousands of arts institutions and organizations around the world organized to illustrate the true loss of art and artists created by AIDS epidemic, and demonstrate the power of art to raise awareness of the ongoing AIDS pandemic.
Urban Queen Anne: Tenement Architects Explore Decorative Excess
On August 31, 1893, a trio of 5-story Queen Anne Old Law tenement buildings located at 52, 54, and 56 East 7th Street near the corner of 2nd Avenue were … Continued
Gustav Hartman’s Lower East Side Philanthropy, Remembered in a Park
Have you walked by the narrow triangle park where East 2nd Street, East Houston Street, and Avenue C all meet? This small, fenced-in sliver of green may seem unremarkable, but … Continued
Tompkins Square Park, the Summer of Love, the Dead, and a Riot
During the Summer of Love, on June 3, 1967, The New York Times reported “Hippies Heighten East Side Tensions” following a confrontation the day before in Tompkins Square Park between … Continued
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 … Continued
Old P.S. 64 on the L.E.S. — Immigrant School Innovator and Latinx Culture Leader
Village Preservation has partnered with Urban Archive to explore the history of the former P.S. 64/Charas-El Bohio Cultural Center in their Story of a Building campaign. The former P.S. 64 … Continued
2020 Village Awardee: Ray’s Candy Shop, 113 Avenue A
Each year, Village Preservation honors the invaluable people, businesses, and organizations that make a special contribution to our neighborhoods at our Annual Meeting and Village Awards. On June 17th, 2020 … Continued
Movie Theaters of the East Village: Loew’s Avenue B
“This is the most pretentious of the houses on our string, because my better judgment was over-balanced by my sentimentalism and my longing to do something better here than I … Continued
How Greenwich Village and the East Village Launched the 19th Century Hebrew Free School Movement
Nineteenth-century Jewish immigrant life in New York is well-documented, when massive waves of Jews, first from Germany and then from Eastern Europe, began to flood into the city. This made … Continued
Uncovering the stories behind downtown’s overlooked synagogues
On August 8, 2008, Village Preservation and the East Village Community Coalition (EVCC) submitted a request to the LPC to landmark a little-known but remarkable survivor– Congregation Mezritch Synagogue at 515 East 6th … Continued
Hettie Jones, 2019 Village Awardee
Hettie Jones is a talented writer, a loving mother and grandmother, a forceful activist, a nurturing teacher, and a friendly neighbor and preservationist. She is the stuff neighborhood dreams are … Continued
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 … Continued
Happy Chanukah from the Village – Celebrating Through History!
I was holiday shopping at my local bookstore and was delighted to encounter Emily Jenkins’ “All of a Kind Family Hanukkah.” In the book, a Jewish immigrant family prepares for … Continued
Lee Morgan, East Village Jazz Trumpet Prodigy
Lee Morgan, prodigy jazz trumpeter, born on July 10, 1938, in Philadelphia. One of his sisters bought him his first trumpet, and by the time he was a teenager he … Continued
Remembering the worst disaster in NYC maritime history: The sinking of the General Slocum ferry
On June 15, 1904, a disaster of unprecedented proportions took place in New York City, resulting in the loss of over 1,000 lives, mostly women and children. This largely forgotten … Continued
Penny Arcade: Downtown Iconoclast and “Queen of the Underground” to host GVSHP’s Village Awards
Penny Arcade has been living the bohemian life in New York City, and making art about it, on and off for more than four decades. She says she is “fundamentally … Continued
Many layers of history on 4th and 5th Streets
May the 4th be with you! While today is a special day for many Star Wars fans, for us in the Village today’s date is a reminder of that the … Continued
The “East Village” Is Born, In Print
On February 7, 1960 the New York Times wrote an article discussing changes in Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side. Four years beforehand the El (above ground subway) had … Continued
The Lower East Side People’s Federal Credit Union
The presence of banks in neighborhood retail spaces often elicit mixed feelings at best. Typically these tend to deaden the streetscape and are owned and operated by some faceless, distant … Continued
1890 Census Map: A Window Into our Incredibly Crowded and Diverse Immigrant Past
As a historian and researcher who frequently relies on census data for information, nothing frustrates me more than the fact that nearly all of the 1890 Federal Census records were … Continued
Congregation Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Anshe Ungarn
Tucked away on East 7th Street between Avenues C and D is the former Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Anshe Ungarn. This small synagogue, designed in the classical revival style, is set … Continued
Farewell to Al Orensanz, a Lower East Side Cultural Hero
Today GVSHP pays its respects to Al Orensanz, the Director of the Angel Orensanz Foundation for the past 30 years, who passed away on Saturday, July 23. Al, along with … Continued
Kleindeutschland Roundup
In the late 19th and early 20th Century, the East Village and Lower East Side were home to a substantial German immigrant community. As a result, this area became known as … Continued
Business of the Month: Casa Adela, 66 Avenue C
Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — and we need your help selecting the next. Tell us which independent store you love in … Continued
The “East Village” Is Born, In Print
On February 7, 1960 the New York Times wrote an article discussing changes in Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side. Four years beforehand the El (above ground subway) had … Continued
Landmarks of New York: First Houses
On December 3, 1935, First Houses were dedicated and opened, the first housing project undertaken by the then-recently established New York City Housing Authority and the first publicly-funded low-income housing … Continued
Village Preservation East Village Oral History: Marilyn Appleberg
Village Preservation is excited to share our oral history collection with the public, and hope they will shed more light on what makes Greenwich Village and the East Village such … Continued
Landmarks50: Children’s Aid Society, Elizabeth Home for Girls
We continue celebrating Landmarks50 with a look at individual landmarks in our neighborhood. Yesterday we learned about the Children’s Aid Society, Tompkins Square Lodging for Boys and Industrial School. Today … Continued
Ottendorfer Library Landmark Designation
The Ottendorfer Branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL) at 135 Second Avenue was designated an individual New York City landmark September 20, 1977. The library was built in 1883-4 … Continued
A Night With The Andy Statman Trio at the Historic Eldridge Street Synagogue
Renowned musician Andy Statman and the Andy Statman Trio will perform in the main sanctuary of the Eldridge Street Synagogue on Thursday, October 22, 2015. This special concert, presented by … Continued
New York City’s First Public Nurse: Lillian Wald
On September 1, 1940, Lillian Wald passed away. While not a household name, Wald’s influence on public social services in New York City is exemplary, as she is the founder … Continued
The HOWL! Festival
Historically, the Village and East Village have always been the place for artists, writers, performers, and a slew of other creatives in New York City, a fact that is widely … Continued
Welcome Aboard, Sam Moskowitz
We here at GVSHP are pleased to welcome Sam Moskowitz aboard, whose first day as GVSHP’s Director of Operations is today. Sam replaced longtime GVSHP Director of Operations Sheryl Woodruff, … Continued
Preservation Includes Community Gardens, and More
Not so long ago, there were 57 community gardens sprinkled along the streets of the East Village and Lower East Side – registered with the Parks Department’s GreenThumb program, that … Continued
Rose of the Ghetto
There are still a few seats available for our free public program this Thursday evening at the Jefferson Market Library. The subject is the life and times of Rose Pastor … Continued
Echoes of Eldridge Street Synagogue on East Eleventh Street
Nestled in the middle of a block of 11th Street between Avenues A & B are two tenements that share their history with one of the most well known and … Continued
Time & Space on the Lower East Side
If you’ve gotten our program email or flyer you know that Time and Space on the Lower East Side is the title of one of our upcoming events. But it’s … Continued
This Day in History: The Rosenberg Trial Begins
It was on this date in 1951 that the infamous espionage trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg began. The Jewish-American Communists, along with Soviet spy Morton Sobell, were accused of … Continued
Russ & Daughters: An Extraordinarily Ordinary Place
As GVSHP gears up for our benefit evening Much Ado About Noshing this evening with Village writer Calvin Trillin and two generations of the Russ & Daughters family, we decided … Continued
Pastrami or Lox?
Tough decision, I know. Luckily, in the East Village/Lower East Side, you don’t have to travel far to stock up on both of these Jewish treats. If you’ve ever stood … Continued