Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation facts for kids
 |
|
| Formation | 1980 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New York, New York, U.S. |
Village Preservation is a group that works to protect old buildings and the unique culture of several neighborhoods in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It used to be called the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP). Founded in 1980, this group has helped many places get "landmark" status. This means they are officially recognized as important and protected from being torn down or changed too much.
The organization is known for being very active in New York City's building and city planning discussions. They have often worked to stop new, large housing projects in areas like Greenwich Village.
Contents
Protecting History in New York City
The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation started in 1980. It was first called the Greenwich Village Trust for Historic Preservation. In 1982, Regina Kellerman, a famous expert on old buildings, became its first leader. The group changed its name in 1984 to Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. In 2019, they started using the shorter name "Village Preservation." Since 1999, the group has been based in the Neighborhood Preservation Center. This move helped them focus more on protecting the East Village area too.
Working Against New Buildings
Village Preservation often works to stop new, large building projects. They want to keep neighborhoods looking the way they always have.
In the early 2000s, the group tried to stop owners from tearing down or changing 13 old rowhouses. They also asked for many buildings in Southeast Greenwich Village to become historical landmarks. This would protect them. The group also asked for "downzoning" in some areas. This means making rules that allow fewer or smaller new buildings to be built.
In the late 2000s, the group opposed a plan to make St. Vincent Catholic Medical Center hospital bigger. Andrew Berman, the group's leader, said the plan would hurt the special historic look of Greenwich Village. The hospital wanted to update its facilities and improve its finances. The plan involved tearing down nine buildings to build a new hospital and a tall apartment tower. The city's Landmarks Preservation Commissioners did not approve the hospital's expansion plans. Village Preservation celebrated this decision. In 2010, St. Vincent's hospital closed down. Village Preservation said they had tried to help the hospital with a different plan to rebuild.
In the 2010s, the group worked to stop new buildings on Gansevoort Street. This street has many low-rise meatpacking buildings. They also tried to stop housing projects near Hudson River Park. The group even went to court to stop NYU from expanding its campus. They also fought for landmark status for NYU-owned buildings. This would stop the university from redeveloping them. In 2011, Village Preservation was among those who criticized a Mexican restaurant. The restaurant had painted over an old sign that once marked the "... Theatre." This club hosted famous musicians like Bob Dylan and Mama Cass Elliot in the 1950s and 1960s.
More recently, in the 2020s, the group spoke out against changing zoning rules in SoHo and NoHo. These changes would allow thousands of new apartments, some of which would be affordable. Village Preservation argued that building new housing would make prices go up. They believed it would make the wealthy SoHo neighborhood less diverse. Andrew Berman said that building super luxury towers with only a few affordable units was "bad for New York City."
In 2021, the New York City Council voted to approve building 3,500 new homes in SoHo and NoHo. A quarter of these homes were for affordable housing. Village Preservation worked hard against this project.
In 2023, Village Preservation opposed a plan to build an affordable apartment building at 388 Hudson Street in Greenwich Village. Andrew Berman criticized the size of the building.
What Village Preservation Does
Village Preservation hosts many events. These include talks, walking tours, group discussions, and tours of historic homes. Their main yearly fundraiser is the Village House Tour, held every May. Their big event for members is the Village Awards and Annual Meeting in June.
Helping Buildings Become Landmarks
A large part of Greenwich Village became a historic district in 1969. But many buildings outside this area were not protected. Between 2003 and 2013, Village Preservation helped over 1,250 buildings become landmarks. They also helped create "contextual rezonings" for almost 100 blocks. This means new building rules were put in place to match the existing neighborhood style.
Some of their important achievements include:
- Helping the Stonewall Inn become a national historic place in 1999. It later became part of the Stonewall National Monument in 2016. This was the first national monument or city landmark based on LGBT history.
- Getting landmark status for the Meatpacking District and most of the South Village.
- Extending the Greenwich Village Historic District for the first time since 1969.
- Getting landmark status for unique places like Webster Hall, I.M. Pei's Silver Towers, and the former Bell Laboratories Building (now Westbeth Artist Housing).
- Saving homes and studios of artists like Frank Stella and Willem de Kooning from being torn down.
Here are some other key efforts:
- 2019 – Three more LGBT historic sites became landmarks: The LGBT Community Services Center, the Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse, and the former home of Caffe Cino.
- 2017 – 827-831 Broadway became an individual landmark.
- 2016 – The Sullivan-Thompson Historic District was created.
- 2016 – The group helped protect against future "air rights" transfers from Hudson River Park. This could have led to much more building in western Greenwich Village.
- 2015 – The Stonewall Inn became an individual landmark. It was the first landmark based on LGBT history.
- 2012 – The East Village/Lower East Side Historic District and East 10th Street Historic District were created. These were the first new historic districts in the East Village since 1969.
- 2011 – The Westbeth Building was declared an official City landmark.
- 2009 – New zoning rules for the East Village were passed.
- 2009 – Webster Hall became an individual landmark.
- 2008 – Silver Towers became an individual landmark.
- 1999, 2002, 2009 – The NoHo Historic District (Main, East, and Extension) was created.
- 2006 – The Weehawken Street Historic District was created.
- 2004 – The Hamilton-Holly House at 4 St. Marks Place and 127-131 MacDougal Street became individual landmarks.
- 2003 – The Gansevoort Market Historic District was created.
- 1999 – The Stonewall Inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Research and Learning Tools
Village Preservation also creates resources to help people learn about the area's history:
- In 2017, they launched a Civil Rights and Social Justice map. This map shows important places related to different social justice movements over the years.
- They created the East Village Building Blocks map. This interactive map shows building information for every building in the East Village. It took 10 years of research!
- In 2019, for the 50th anniversary of the Greenwich Village Historic District, they released an interactive map. It shows old pictures of buildings in Greenwich Village next to how they look today.
- Also in 2019, Village Preservation worked with Google Arts & Culture. Together, they made virtual reality walking tours. These tours explore themes like Latinx History, Social Justice, LGBTQ+, and Trailblazing Women.
Historic Neighborhoods They Protect
Village Preservation helps protect many historic districts. These are special areas with rules to keep their historic look. Here are some of them and when they were officially recognized:
- Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District (1966)
- MacDougal-Sullivan Gardens Historic District (1967)
- Greenwich Village Historic District (1969) and its extensions (2006, 2010)
- St. Mark's Historic District (1969) and its extension (1984)
- NoHo Historic District (1999) and its extensions (2003, 2008)
- Gansevoort Market Historic District (2003)
- Weehawken Street Historic District (2006)
- East 10th Street Historic District (2010)
- Soho Historic District Extension (2010)
- East Village/Lower East Side Historic District (2012)
- South Village Historic District (2013)
- Sullivan-Thompson Historic District (2016)
See also
