Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation
Encyclopedia
The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) is a non-profit organization that seeks to preserve the architectural heritage and cultural history of several neighborhoods of New York City
: Greenwich Village
, the East Village
, the Far West Village, the South Village
, Gansevoort Market
, and NoHo
. Since 1999, GVSHP has operated from the Neighborhood Preservation Center, the former rectory of St. Mark’s Church, on East 11th Street, and it is considered one of the premier advocacy groups in the city.
In recent years, GVSHP has received numerous honors and mentions in preservation and real estate circles, from the Preservation League of New York State's Excellence in Historic Preservation Award for organizational excellence in 2007, to Executive Director Andrew Berman's inclusion in the The New York Observer's "The 100 Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate" in 2008.
GVSHP's current roster of projects includes educational outreach in the form of public lectures, tours, exhibitions, and publications; a school program that teaches children about Greenwich Village history and architecture; preservation leadership on such issues as preservation of the South Village; preservation projects that promote an understanding of the Village’s historic importance, such as the Greenwich Village Preservation Archive and Oral History Project; consultation services on a wide variety of preservation issues, with GVSHP serving the community as historian, educator, archival resource, and technical consultant.
GVSHP also publishes "The Anthemion," a biannual newsletter detailing the status of its advocacy projects.
GVSHP was founded in 1980 as the Greenwich Village Trust for Historic Preservation (GVT). In 1982, Regina Kellerman, a prominent architectural historian and co-founder of GVT, was named as its first executive director, and GVT moved its operations to the Salmagundi Club
at 47 Fifth Avenue. In 1984, GVT changed its name to the current one, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
Throughout the 1980s, GVSHP initiated research on the history and architecture of Greenwich Village, including subjects like the Gansevoort Meat Market (a joint study with Columbia University
), Bleecker Street, Broadway, and maritime history of the Greenwich Village waterfront.
In 1991, GVSHP launched its first educational program, “Greenwich Village: History and Historic Preservation,” as a joint effort with the Merchant's House Museum
, and, in 1995, designed and published a 12-page children’s workbook, “Discovering Greenwich Village,” for distribution to children in the school program. The education program has since been expanded to include field-trip style walking tours of Greenwich Village, encouraging students to examine the architectural form of Greenwich Village as a manifestation of its social history and context.
In the mid-1990s, GVSHP initiated an oral history
project to document the experiences of Village preservationists of the twentieth century, many of whom were involved in defeating Robert Moses
's Lower Manhattan Expressway
. The participants in the oral history project include famous Village residents such as Jane Jacobs
, Edwin Fancher, and Doris Diether.
GVSHP’s Executive Director Andrew Berman was recognized by the Observer in 2008 for work in standing up to overdevelopment within Greenwich Village and its environs. Among the list of real estate developers, financiers, brokers, and government officials, Berman was the only neighborhood preservation advocate chosen to make the list of the “100 Most Powerful People in Real Estate.”
Of GVSHP, PLNYS said, “The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation’s efforts to build grassroots support, and to monitor and inform the decisions of New York City agencies should serve as an inspiration to other preservation organizations. GVSHP recently achieved a number of preservation goals that for decades had proved elusive. From the implementation of measures to protect the historic buildings and character of the Far West Village and Greenwich Village waterfront, to the designation of the Gansevoort Market Historic District, once-endangered buildings are now protected.”
The Village Voice writes that “It’s been a big year in the push to preserve the Village, thanks largely to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. The group’s vigilant director, Andrew Berman, has exhibited a knack for stopping 'out of context' buildings from sprouting up on quaint, historic streets, despite the red-hot development pressures."
New York Magazine says of Berman, "He persuaded the City Council to stop a spate of 'out of context' buildings in their tracks. Now he’s taking on NYU, determined not to let the university take over the neighborhood in its expansion.”
The NYLC established the Lucy G. Moses award to "recognize the property owners, builders, artisans, and designers who renew the beauty and utility of New York City’s distinctive architecture."
GVSHP lists the following areas and buildings among those for which it seeks to obtain landmarks status:
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
: Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, the East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
, the Far West Village, the South Village
South Village
The South Village is a largely residential area in Lower Manhattan in New York City, directly below Washington Square Park. Known for its immigrant heritage and Bohemian history, the South Village overlaps areas of Greenwich Village and SoHo...
, Gansevoort Market
Meatpacking District, Manhattan
The Meatpacking District is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan which runs roughly from West 14th Street south to Gansevoort Street, and from the Hudson River east to Hudson Street, although recently it is sometimes considered to have extended north to West 16th Street and east...
, and NoHo
NoHo
NoHo, for North of Houston Street is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, roughly bounded by Houston Street on the south, The Bowery on the east, Astor Place on the north, and Broadway on the west. NoHo is wedged between Greenwich Village, west of Broadway, and the East Village...
. Since 1999, GVSHP has operated from the Neighborhood Preservation Center, the former rectory of St. Mark’s Church, on East 11th Street, and it is considered one of the premier advocacy groups in the city.
In recent years, GVSHP has received numerous honors and mentions in preservation and real estate circles, from the Preservation League of New York State's Excellence in Historic Preservation Award for organizational excellence in 2007, to Executive Director Andrew Berman's inclusion in the The New York Observer's "The 100 Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate" in 2008.
GVSHP's current roster of projects includes educational outreach in the form of public lectures, tours, exhibitions, and publications; a school program that teaches children about Greenwich Village history and architecture; preservation leadership on such issues as preservation of the South Village; preservation projects that promote an understanding of the Village’s historic importance, such as the Greenwich Village Preservation Archive and Oral History Project; consultation services on a wide variety of preservation issues, with GVSHP serving the community as historian, educator, archival resource, and technical consultant.
GVSHP also publishes "The Anthemion," a biannual newsletter detailing the status of its advocacy projects.
History and Past Projects
Salmagundi Club
The Salmagundi Club, also known as the Salmagundi Art Club, was founded in 1871 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, in the United States. It currently is located at 47 Fifth Avenue...
at 47 Fifth Avenue. In 1984, GVT changed its name to the current one, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
Throughout the 1980s, GVSHP initiated research on the history and architecture of Greenwich Village, including subjects like the Gansevoort Meat Market (a joint study with Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
), Bleecker Street, Broadway, and maritime history of the Greenwich Village waterfront.
In 1991, GVSHP launched its first educational program, “Greenwich Village: History and Historic Preservation,” as a joint effort with the Merchant's House Museum
Merchant's House Museum
The Merchant's House Museum, known formerly as the Old Merchant's House and as the Seabury Tredwell House, is the only nineteenth-century family home in New York City preserved intact — both inside and out. Built "on spec" in 1832 by Joseph Brewster, a hatter by trade, it is located at 29 East...
, and, in 1995, designed and published a 12-page children’s workbook, “Discovering Greenwich Village,” for distribution to children in the school program. The education program has since been expanded to include field-trip style walking tours of Greenwich Village, encouraging students to examine the architectural form of Greenwich Village as a manifestation of its social history and context.
In the mid-1990s, GVSHP initiated an oral history
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
project to document the experiences of Village preservationists of the twentieth century, many of whom were involved in defeating Robert Moses
Robert Moses
Robert Moses was the "master builder" of mid-20th century New York City, Long Island, Rockland County, and Westchester County, New York. As the shaper of a modern city, he is sometimes compared to Baron Haussmann of Second Empire Paris, and is one of the most polarizing figures in the history of...
's Lower Manhattan Expressway
Lower Manhattan Expressway
The Lower Manhattan Expressway was a controversial plan for an expressway through lower Manhattan originally conceived by Robert Moses in 1941, but delayed until the early 1960s...
. The participants in the oral history project include famous Village residents such as Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs, was an American-Canadian writer and activist with primary interest in communities and urban planning and decay. She is best known for The Death and Life of Great American Cities , a powerful critique of the urban renewal policies of the 1950s in the United States...
, Edwin Fancher, and Doris Diether.
Landmarks Designation Efforts
Although a large portion of the Village was designated in 1969 as part of the Greenwich Village Historic District, many buildings outside of the district’s boundaries do not have landmark status conferred upon them. In the past few years, GVSHP has led successful campaigns to designate much of the area as landmarks or new historic districts.2008
- East Village rezoningEast village rezoningThe East Village rezoning in 2008 modified much of the zoning in New York City's East Village. The area affected by the rezoning roughly bounded by East 13th Street on the north, Third Avenue on the west, Delancey Street on the south, and Avenue D on the east...
- Silver TowersCampus of New York UniversityThe urban campus of New York University is located in Manhattan, New York, primarily situated around Washington Square Park.-Facilities and monuments:...
- Webster HallWebster HallWebster Hall is a nightclub located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1886, its current incarnation was opened by the Ballinger Brothers in 1992...
2006
- Greenwich Village Historic District Extension
- Weehawken Street Historic DistrictWeehawken Street (Manhattan)Weehawken Street is a short street located in New York City's West Village, in the borough of Manhattan, one block from and parallel to West Street and the Hudson River, running between Christopher Street and West 10th Street....
2005
- Far West Village rezoning
- 67 Greenwich Street
- NoHo Historic District ExtensionNoHoNoHo, for North of Houston Street is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, roughly bounded by Houston Street on the south, The Bowery on the east, Astor Place on the north, and Broadway on the west. NoHo is wedged between Greenwich Village, west of Broadway, and the East Village...
2004
- Hamilton-Holly HouseHamilton-Holly HouseThe Hamilton-Holly House located at 4 St. Mark’s Place in the East Village section of Manhattan is a Federal style townhouse constructed in 1831. The house is 26-foot wide and 3-1/2-storys in height plus a basement level...
, 4 St. Marks Place - 127 MacDougal Street
- 129 MacDougal Street
- 131 MacDougal Street
1999
- NoHo Historic DistrictNoHoNoHo, for North of Houston Street is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, roughly bounded by Houston Street on the south, The Bowery on the east, Astor Place on the north, and Broadway on the west. NoHo is wedged between Greenwich Village, west of Broadway, and the East Village...
- Stonewall InnStonewall InnThe Stonewall Inn, often shortened to Stonewall is an American bar in New York City and the site of the Stonewall riots of 1969, which are widely considered to be the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for gay and lesbian rights in the United...
added to National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(joint effort with Organization of Lesbian and Gay Architects and Designers)
2008
- The New York Observer's “100 Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate”
GVSHP’s Executive Director Andrew Berman was recognized by the Observer in 2008 for work in standing up to overdevelopment within Greenwich Village and its environs. Among the list of real estate developers, financiers, brokers, and government officials, Berman was the only neighborhood preservation advocate chosen to make the list of the “100 Most Powerful People in Real Estate.”
2007
- The Preservation League of New York State's Excellence in Historic Preservation Award
Of GVSHP, PLNYS said, “The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation’s efforts to build grassroots support, and to monitor and inform the decisions of New York City agencies should serve as an inspiration to other preservation organizations. GVSHP recently achieved a number of preservation goals that for decades had proved elusive. From the implementation of measures to protect the historic buildings and character of the Far West Village and Greenwich Village waterfront, to the designation of the Gansevoort Market Historic District, once-endangered buildings are now protected.”
2006
- The Village VoiceThe Village VoiceThe Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
's “Best Greenwich Village Defender” in “Best of NYC 2006”
The Village Voice writes that “It’s been a big year in the push to preserve the Village, thanks largely to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. The group’s vigilant director, Andrew Berman, has exhibited a knack for stopping 'out of context' buildings from sprouting up on quaint, historic streets, despite the red-hot development pressures."
- New York Magazine’s “Influentials 2006”
New York Magazine says of Berman, "He persuaded the City Council to stop a spate of 'out of context' buildings in their tracks. Now he’s taking on NYU, determined not to let the university take over the neighborhood in its expansion.”
- New York Landmarks ConservancyNew York Landmarks ConservancyThe New York Landmarks Conservancy is a non-profit organization "dedicated to preserving, revitalizing, and reusing New York’s architecturally significant buildings." It provides technical assistance, project management services, grants, and loans, to owners of historic properties in New York State...
's Lucy G. Moses Organizational Excellence Award
The NYLC established the Lucy G. Moses award to "recognize the property owners, builders, artisans, and designers who renew the beauty and utility of New York City’s distinctive architecture."
Current projects
- Adas Yisroel Anshe Mezritch SynagogueMeseritz SynagogueMeseritz Shul, AKA Edath Lei'Isroel Ansche Meseritz, is a 1910 Orthodox synagogue on New York city's Lower East Side. It was built by a congregation established in 1888 consisting of immigrants from Międzyrzec Podlaski . The synagogue is located at 415 East 6th Street...
, 415 East 6th Street - Federal RowhousesFederal architectureFederal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
- Frank StellaFrank StellaFrank Stella is an American painter and printmaker, significant within the art movements of minimalism and post-painterly abstraction.-Biography:...
Studios, 128 East 13th Street - 43 MacDougal Street
- 75 Morton Street
- New York Fire PatrolNew York Fire PatrolThis article is about the salvage corps in New York City. For the fire department, see New York City Fire Department.The New York Fire Patrol was a salvage corps created by the New York Board of Fire Underwriters which operated from 1839 until October 15, 2006. Their original mission was two-fold:...
#2, 84 West 3rd Street - Provincetown PlayhouseProvincetown PlayhouseThe Provincetown Playhouse is a theater in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. It is named for the Provincetown Players, who converted the former bottling plant into a theater in 1918. Much of the original building was torn down in 2009 as New York University School of Law planned a new building on the...
- Pyramid ClubPyramid Club__notoc__The Pyramid Club is a nightclub in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. After opening in 1979, the Pyramid helped define the East Village drag and gay scenes of the 1980s...
, 101 Avenue A - South Village Historic District
Historic Districts
These are the designated historic districts that fall within GVSHP's purview, followed by the year in which they were designated in parentheses:- Charlton-King-Vandam Historic DistrictCharlton-King-Vandam Historic DistrictThe Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District is a small historic district located in the South Village area of the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
(1966) - Gansevoort Market Historic District (2003)
- Greenwich Village Historic District (1969) and extension (2006) (includes Stonewall National Register DistrictStonewall InnThe Stonewall Inn, often shortened to Stonewall is an American bar in New York City and the site of the Stonewall riots of 1969, which are widely considered to be the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for gay and lesbian rights in the United...
) - MacDougal-Sullivan Gardens Historic DistrictMacDougal-Sullivan Gardens Historic DistrictThe MacDougal-Sullivan Gardens Historic District is a small historic district consisting of 22 houses located at 74-96 MacDougal Street and 170-188 Sullivan Street between Houston and Bleecker Streets in the South Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.The houses were built in 1844 and...
(1967) - NoHo Historic DistrictNoHoNoHo, for North of Houston Street is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, roughly bounded by Houston Street on the south, The Bowery on the east, Astor Place on the north, and Broadway on the west. NoHo is wedged between Greenwich Village, west of Broadway, and the East Village...
(1999) and extension (2008) - NoHo East Historic DistrictNoHoNoHo, for North of Houston Street is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, roughly bounded by Houston Street on the south, The Bowery on the east, Astor Place on the north, and Broadway on the west. NoHo is wedged between Greenwich Village, west of Broadway, and the East Village...
(2003) - St. Mark's Historic DistrictSt. Mark's Historic DistrictSt. Mark's Historic District is a historic district located in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The district was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1969, and it was extended in 1984 to include two more buildings on East...
(1969) and extension (1984) - Weehawken Street Historic DistrictWeehawken Street (Manhattan)Weehawken Street is a short street located in New York City's West Village, in the borough of Manhattan, one block from and parallel to West Street and the Hudson River, running between Christopher Street and West 10th Street....
(2006)
See also
- New York City Landmarks Preservation CommissionNew York City Landmarks Preservation CommissionThe New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The Commission was created in April 1965 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner following the destruction of Pennsylvania Station the previous year to make way for...
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan below 14th Street
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan below 14th StreetNational Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan below 14th StreetList of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan below 14th StreetThis is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan below 14th Street, which is a large portion of New York County, New York...