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Tag: west village

The Famous Four-Legged Celebrities of the West Village

The West Village is home to more than just gorgeous historic architecture, charming cobblestone streets, delicious restaurants, and delightful cafes. It’s also the stomping grounds for some seriously famous dogs. From the playful pups who bring smiles to their neighbors’ faces, to the four-legged stars making waves on the national stage, the dogs of the […]

    Bank Street: The Living Legacy of Jane Jacobs’ Vision

    A half block north Perry Street, on Hudson Street in the heart of Greenwich Village, sits a rather plain, mid-19th century brick townhouse with large white-paned windows. This perhaps otherwise unremarkable looking building offered Jane Jacobs a front-row seat to a perpetual performance of what she called the New York City street ballet, her observations […]

      Hendrix’s Village: The Places that Inspired a Star

      This blog post was originally published November 27, 2024, and is one of our favorites among the more than 200 we’ve published over the last year. To stay current on all our posts, follow us on X or Facebook, or subscribe to our blog feed via email here. A rock star, a legend, a genius, Jimi Hendrix was one of […]

        Hendrix’s Village: The Places that Inspired a Star

        A rock star, a legend, a genius, Jimi Hendrix was one of a kind. He carried a generation and pushed music to never-before-seen, electric limits. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame cites Hendrix as “…the most gifted instrumentalist of all time.” Born November 27, 1942, to Al Hendrix and Lucille Jeter, hardship and struggle […]

          A Sweet Guide to Summer’s Coolest Treats

          When the sweltering summer heat calls for a sweet and refreshing treat, nothing beats a scoop (or two) of ice cream. Our neighborhoods are a haven for ice cream lovers, with each neighborhood offering its own unique flavors and experiences. Today we’re exploring some of the best spots to satisfy your ice cream cravings in […]

            Celebrating National Independent Retailers Week in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo

            Every year, National Independent Retailers Week brings communities together to celebrate the unique and vibrant independent businesses that form the backbone of our neighborhoods. One of the most cherished aspects of independent retailers is the sense of community they foster. Unlike impersonal chain stores, local businesses often become gathering places where neighbors meet, friendships are […]

              The Village in Bloom

              Early spring is a magical time in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. As we recently discussed, the season has long been a source of inspiration for poets, artists, and musicians associated with the neighborhood. Among the clearest, and most joyous, markers of warmer weather to come are the trees as they begin to […]

                Westbeth, Punk, and the Golden Age of Hip-Hop: SD50

                Westbeth Artist Housing opened in 1970. It is located in the Far West Village, and spans an entire city block bounded by Washington, Bank, West and Bethune Streets. Westbeth was not only the country’s first project to provide subsidized housing for artists, but is also one of the first examples of the large-scale adaptive reuse […]

                Little Tiles, Big Words: The Hess Triangle

                Mosaics may conjure up images of the ancient world, or closer to home, of several beautiful artworks in stations across our subway system. But if you zoom in even more closely, there is a strange little triangular plot of land in our midst with a mosaic on it that is legendary in its own right […]

                  Celebrating the Long Life of our Business of the Month Initiative

                  We launched our Business of the Month program on November 13, 2014. Thanks to all of you who have nominated businesses through the years, we have surpassed 100 honorees. Help us to select the next one! Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village, or NoHo: click here to nominate your favorite. […]

                  Decades of Spooky Splendor: Celebrating the Village Halloween Parade

                  Since 1973, New York City has hosted one of the most extravagant and enchanting Halloween celebrations in the world: the Village Halloween Parade. Its beginnings in the early 1970s were quite humble compared to todays internationally renowned affair, starting as an informal gathering of friends and family brought together by Westbeth Artists Community resident and […]

                  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, […]

                  The Strange Case of Seventh Avenue South

                  One of the best things about walking around our neighborhoods is the delight in looking up and discovering a beautiful or unique feature of a building. You can traverse the same street a thousand times, and on the thousand-and-first pass, a stone detail or a colorful window sill that you’ve never noticed before might catch […]

                  Remembering A Village Icon: Otis Kidwell Burger

                  There were many facets to the extraordinary life of Otis Kidwell Burger. A West Village native, her experiences in the early preservation battles of our neighborhood were a part of the story of keeping the Village the Village. As the great-granddaughter of abolitionist and National Anti-Slavery Standard editor Sydney Howard Gay, and the granddaughter of […]

                  Documenting New York ca. 1940 via ‘Tax Photos’

                  From 1939 until 1941, the New York City Department of Taxation collaborated with the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) to take photographs of each building in the five boroughs. Known then as the “Real Property Tax Card Record System for the City of New York,” the initiative started in 1938 when the Department of Taxation […]

                    Ada Louise Huxtable: Democratizing Architectural Discourse in Greenwich Village and Beyond

                    Ada Louise Huxtable (March 14, 1921 – January 7, 2013) was arguably the most formidable critical voice regarding architecture of the second half of the 20th century. Huxtable, who became the New York Times’ first full-time architecture critic in 1963, had the uncanny ability and excellent foresight to analyze architecture in a manner that highlighted the […]

                    Nam June Paik: Father of Video Art, and Villager

                    Nam June Paik (July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006), Korean artist and avant-garde visionary, is well-known for his pioneering video artistry. Less known, however, is that Paik, dubbed the “Father of Video Art,” played a vital role in our neighborhoods’ rich artistic history. Working out of his studio in Westbeth along with his partner […]

                    Seeing Wright in the Village 

                    Frank Lloyd Wright’s (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) contributions to American architecture are wide and varied; his low slung Prairie style homes that irrevocably changed American residential design and his smooth seashell spiral of the Guggenheim Museum overlooking Central Park are among the most significant architectural works of the 20th century. While neither would […]

                    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) […]

                    Celebrating Our Neighborhoods’ Immigrant Heritage

                    New York is a city of immigrants and, moreover, we are a nation largely of immigrants (Native Americans and the descendants of those brought here as slaves being the main and notable exceptions). This is especially true of our neighborhoods, which have attracted immigrants of all stripes for centuries. Immigration and the diversity of our […]

                    Civil Rights History at 92 Grove Street

                    There are many sites throughout Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo that have played an important role in Black history and the struggle for civil rights in the United States. One of those sites, located in the West Village across from Sheridan Square, did so twice, in two separate centuries, in two very different […]

                      John Brown and Edmonia Lewis: Civil Rights Crusaders Who Intersected in Greenwich Village

                      Greenwich Village has long been a mecca and incubator for radical social justice advocates. With Village Preservation’s interactive map of the Greenwich Village Historic District as well as our Civil Rights and Social Justice Map, we can take a virtual walk through the neighborhood to visit significant sites related to many of these remarkable activists. […]

                      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 […]

                      Business of the Month: Stevdan Stationers, 473 Sixth Avenue

                      Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village, or NoHo: click here to nominate your favorite. Want to help support small businesses? Share this post with friends. As any writer or reader of love letters […]

                        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, […]

                        Past Village Awardees Inspire New Nominations

                        Each year, Village Preservation honors neighborhood institutions, leaders, business, places and organizations at its Annual Meeting and Village Awards. This fun event highlights and celebrates the invaluable people, places, and organizations that make our neighborhoods some of the most interesting and exceptional in the city. Nominate your favorites by March 15

                        Greenwich Village Rooftop Cottages in the Roaring ’20s

                        The announcement of rooftop additions in our beloved historic districts frequently – and rightfully so in most cases – causes a surge of anxiety for preservationists. We do everything we can to make sure that the addition does not disrupt the historic streetscape from the public right of way, is aesthetically appropriate to the design […]

                        Thaddeus Hyatt: Trailblazing Greenwich Village Abolitionist and Inventor

                        Greenwich Village has long been the home of many of New York City’s most radical social justice advocates. With Village Preservation’s interactive map of the Greenwich Village Historic District we can take a virtual walk through the neighborhood to visit the homes of many of these remarkable activists. One recent addition to that map is […]

                        Oral History: Calvin Trillin’s ‘West Village’

                        “My name is Calvin Trillin and I’ve lived in the Village off and on for more than 50 years, I guess. What I do for a living is I’m a writer, mostly The New Yorker and some The Nation, and books and a variety of things.” Thus starts Village Preservation’s latest entry in our collection of oral history, which explores the journey this humble award-winning journalist, humorist, food writer, poet, memoirist and novelist took from his Midwest origins to his being a regular presence in the West Village for decades.

                        The Eclectic Streetscapes #SouthOfUnionSquare

                        Beautifully detailed 1899 “Mail & Express” Broadway Streetscape Illustrations demonstrate the urgency of Village Preservation’s campaign to landmark the area #SouthOfUnionSquare. The neighborhood #SouthOfUnionSquare can be characterized as a true crossroads — where art, politics, industry, commerce, the New York elite, and the working class collided to create an eclectic built environment and cultural ferment emblematic of […]

                        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 […]

                        Business of the Month: Berber Street Food, 35 Carmine Street

                        Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village, or NoHo: click here to nominate your favorite. Want to help support small businesses? Share this post with friends. In these turbulent and divisive times, we could […]

                          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!” […]

                          Romare Bearden and the Formation of An African American Artistic Identity Downtown

                          Groundbreaking artist, intellectual, and activist Romare Bearden (September 2, 1911 – March 12, 1988) was born in Mecklenberg County, North Carolina. When Bearden was about 3 years old, his parents Bessye Johnson Banks Bearden and Richard Howard Bearden moved the family to Harlem in search of a better life as so many other southern African Americans […]

                          Perry Street and the Battle of Lake Erie

                          Quiet, reserved Perry Street has been home to some very not-quiet and reserved types over the years, including Frank Serpico, Margaret Mead, James Agee, Margaret Sanger, and Dawn Powell. Appropriately enough, the street’s namesake was also someone who was not afraid to make a little noise and shake things up either. And he did a […]

                          The Birth of The Committee to Save the West Village, Led By Jane Jacobs

                          The battle between Village preservation icon Jane Jacobs and Robert “put a highway through every park” Moses is quite storied and well-documented.  But for us, understanding it and preserving its memory — including how decisions were made, tactics used, plans that were formulated and scrapped — has special meaning, and important lessons that should not […]

                          Romany Marie’s, Feeding and Defining Village Bohemianism

                          That village, the labyrinth of streets and lanes… into which those restless individuals seeking political or social or cultural change began settling after 1910 consisted mostly of buildings grown dingy since prosperous New Yorkers had begun moving northward…Marie was one of those newcomers. — Robert Schulman from Romany Marie, Queen of Greenwich Village Born and […]

                          Amelia Earhart: Aviatrix, Feminist Fashionista, Villager

                          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. Aviatrix Amelia Earhart is a household name for shattering a record-breaking 18,415-foot glass ceiling in her airplane.  Almost as famous is her mysterious disappearance […]

                          Good News on Chain Stores for the New Year

                          The eleventh annual ranking of national retailers in New York City by the Center for an Urban Future (CUF) just came out, and it reveals a 0.3 percent decline in the number of chain stores over the past year, marking the first year-over-year citywide drop in national retail locations since they began the annual analysis of […]

                          If Beale Street Could Talk’s West Village Scenes

                          If Beale Street Could Talk is the newest release from award-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins. The film is Jenkins’s adaptation of a novella by James Baldwin of the same name. The story, based in 1970s New York City, is about mother-and-wife-to-be Tish, who vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust that have connected her and her […]

                          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 […]

                            POPS goes the Village!

                            Privately owned public spaces, or POPS, are public areas adjoining or adjacent to buildings created through incentivized zoning.  What this zoning means is that by providing a public space, developers are given a floor area bonus, allowing them to build a larger building with a greater Floor Area Ratio (FAR) than they would have been […]

                            The Cemeteries of the Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue Shearith Israel

                            On March 31, 1492, Spain ordered that all Jews living within the kingdom either convert to Christianity or be expelled. Portugal did the same less than five years later. Some of those Spanish Jews converted and remained in Spain, either secretly practicing their faith or genuinely converting (even some of those, however, continued to face […]

                            “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 […]

                              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 […]

                              My Favorite Things: Ice Cream Edition!

                              It’s August in New York.  It’s hot.  Need I say more? And conversations tend to revolve around the temperatures at this time of year.  How hot is it?  How humid is it?  When will the heat let up?  Is autumn around the corner yet?  We here at GVSHP decided that it was high time to […]

                              Celebrating Willa Cather

                              The Village is a very far cry from the Nebraska prairie where Willa Cather spent much of her childhood.  But her most productive writing period was indeed while she lived in various apartments in the Village, where she lovingly and vividly wrote about the people and places she knew and cherished from her childhood in […]

                              Part 2- REBNY Report Falsely Blames Landmarking for Empty Storefront Syndrome

                              Recently, I responded to a portion of a recent “report” by the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) that (incredibly, but predictably for REBNY) blamed the retail vacancy crisis impacting our city on landmarking and historic districts. In that case, they misrepresented and inflated the number of days until storefront permit is issued by the […]

                              Pride Month in All Corners of the Village

                              June is Pride Month, which makes it especially exciting time to be in the Village.  LGBT history is closely tied with the Village and environs, and throughout the course of this month we’re focusing on four areas of our neighborhood — the West Village, East Village, South Village, and NoHo — to highlight important locations, […]

                              Jane Jacobs’ NYC: The sites that inspired her work and preservation legacy

                              Jane Jacobs’ birthday on May 4 is marked throughout the world as an occasion to celebrate one’s own city — its history, diversity, and continued vitality. “Jane’s Walks” are conducted across the country to encourage average citizens to appreciate and engage the complex and dazzling ecosystems which make up our cityscapes (Here in NYC, MAS is […]

                              Carole Teller’s ‘Changing New York’ captures the city’s 20th-century transformation

                              Change in New York is an expected norm, sometimes so constant it almost goes unnoticed. It’s such an ingrained part of the New Yorker’s experience, we often forget just how much our city has transformed, and what we have left behind. To help us remember, we have Carole Teller. A Brooklyn-born artist who’s lived in the […]

                              Hats Off to John Guare

                              I’ll take Manhattan! If you had to draw a picture of a New York playwright, you would probably draw someone like John Guare.  Guare was born on February 5, 1938. A New Yorker’s New Yorker, he has lived in Greenwich Village with his wife, Adele Chatfield-Taylor, for 43 years.  In his delightful piece in our […]

                              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, […]

                              Remembering Jimi Hendrix

                              Who doesn’t know the opening notes? Who can’t recognize the wild, seething energy behind them? Who hasn’t seen his face, wavering with smoke and mystery? We heard him at concerts and celebrations all over the world. We watched and heard those first stark notes at Woodstock. We see him in his bright, colorful outfits. We […]

                              African Free School, First in America for Black Students, Found a Home in Greenwich Village

                              The African Free School was founded on November 2, 1787 in Lower Manhattan by the New-York Manumission Society and founding fathers Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. It was the very first school for blacks in America.  Ultimately consisting of seven schools, the system’s third school was located in Greenwich Village, at 120 west 3rd Street, then known […]

                              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 Art of the Artist’s Studio

                              This piece was originally posted in 2014 These beautiful late summer days have got us thinking about sun and sky. Which has us thinking about that most iconic of Village architectural features, the artist’s studio.  So we thought we’d use the occasion of these warm August days to conduct a brief survey of some of […]

                                Happy Birthday Marcel Duchamp!

                                This is an updated reposting of a blog by former staffer, Lauren Snetiker, July 28th, 2015 Today marks what would have been Marcel Duchamp’s 130th Birthday. Duchamp was born in France on July 28, 1887, trained as a painter in Paris until 1905, and spent much of his adult life living in Paris and New […]

                                  It’s the Butter that binds us! 2017 Village Award Winner Patisserie Claude delights and defines.

                                  Off the Grid is highlighting our 2017 Village Awards winners in our upcoming June 6th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Click here for more information about the event and to RSVP. Read about other awardees here. Patisserie Claude is a business that makes us all proud to live in the Village. Not only is it one of the most civilized of […]

                                  14th Annual Taste of the Village!

                                  Where can you enjoy the best of Greenwich Village bars, restaurants, and shops, all in one handy (and beautiful) location? At Washington Square Park on September 14th,  where thirty of the neighborhood’s best food and drink purveyors will be in one place for the 14th annual Taste of the Village! The event has been very popular since […]

                                    Birthday Blog with Charles Busch!

                                    Charles Busch is the quintessential Villager. A prolific playwright and actor, he has lived in the West Village for most of his adult life. This reporter has been a life-long fan of Charles and so on this, his ??? birthday, I caught up with him amidst his busy schedule to ask him for his thoughts […]

                                    Who Was Jacob M. Felson?

                                    Recently, GVSHP has been reporting on and testifying against the plans for a building to replace the 2 story parking garage at 11-19 Jane Street.  Built in 1921, the structure is an early work by architect Jacob M. Felson.  While not a household name, some of Felson’s later buildings are among the most distinctive and characteristic structures of […]

                                    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 summer programs

                                    Although the summer months mean vacation time for some people, here at GVSHP, we don’t slow down! Our free public programs are still in full swing. This Wednesday evening we’ll present a program with our co-sponsors at The New School about the history of this Village institution. Julia Foulkes, Associate Professor of History, has entitled […]

                                    Where Did Ross on “Friends” Live?

                                    It seems like there are countless mentions on the Internet of the apartment building in which Monica, Rachel, Chandler, and Joey lived on “Friends,” the hit show that ran from 1994-2004. Even we here on Off the Grid wrote about it and several other locations. In that post we also mentioned that, in addition to […]

                                      Happy Birthday Lou Reed

                                      Famed Rock n Roll legend and Greenwich Village icon, Lou Reed, was born on March 2, 1942.Reed grew up on Long Island and moved to New York City at the early age of twenty and co-founded the groundbreaking band the Velvet Underground with fellow musician John Cale. From a previous Off the Grid post on […]

                                        A Look Back at Our January Programs

                                        Yesterday, Off the Grid provided a sneak preview into our upcoming February programs to celebrate African-American History Month. Today we want to take a look back at our January programs. This has been a tough winter, with one snowstorm after another and some pretty cold temperatures too. Sometimes this means having to re-schedule a program, […]

                                        Village Videos: Fashion Faux Pas

                                        For decades, various industries have used Greenwich Village (or the romanticized idea of Greenwich Village) as both a backdrop for advertisements and a way to give products cachet. The neighborhood has long been a particular favorite of the fashion industry. We’ve looked at the Village as a backdrop for fashion in the past, but submitted […]

                                          The Art of Frederick Brosen

                                          As part of GVSHP’s ongoing programming, native New Yorker and world renowned artist Frederick Brosen will give a free talk and slideshow at Theater 80 on Tuesday, December 9th at 6:30pm. Brosen’s presentation will feature his selected watercolor works of locations in New York City, including paintings featured in GVSHP’s book Greenwich Village Stories. For his […]

                                          That Hudson River Waterfront

                                          I think I’m infatuated with Greenwich Village’s Hudson River waterfront. I can’t seem to get enough of it. Last month our good friend Dr. Robin Nagle spoke about the history of the Hudson River waterfront and its historic and current role in New York City sanitation. In June, one of our Village Award winners was […]

                                          It’s baseball season….exclusively!

                                          OK World Cup is over, so now the spotlight is on baseball. It always bothers me that basketball and hockey are still being played in the month of June. But that’s just me. And this year, the once-every-four-years World Cup seemed to be more popular than ever. So I’m happy that the focus is on […]