Village Preservation - Greenwich Village Society For Historic Preservation

Village Preservation - Greenwich Village Society For Historic Preservation Preserving the Village, East Village and NoHo since 1980! Check out www.villagepreservation.org for m

Village Preservation was founded in 1980 to preserve the architectural heritage and cultural history of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. We are a leader in protecting the sense of place and human scale that define the Village’s unique community. Our programs include: Educational outreach in the form of public lectures, tours, exhibitions, and publications; a school program that teach

es children about Greenwich Village history and architecture; leadership on expanding landmark and zoning protections in our neighborhoods and fighting inappropriate development; preservation projects that promote an understanding of the Village's historic importance, such as the Village Preservation Archive, our Oral History Project, and our Historic Plaques Program; small business promotion, through our business of the month program; recognition of the community leaders, institutions, businesses, and additions to our streetscapes which add to the special quality of our neighborhoods through our Annual Village Awards; and our Continuing Education program, which teaches real estate professionals about the value of historic preservation. Village Preservation has successfully advocated for the landmark designation of more than 1,250 buildings in our neighborhoods, and has helped secure zoning protections for nearly 100 blocks. Each day we monitor more than 6,500 building lots in our neighborhood for demolition, alteration, or new construction permits, so the organization can notify the public and respond if necessary. And each day we also monitor the more than 3,000 landmarked properties in our neighborhood for applications for changes which must go through a public review and approval process, to also notify the public and respond as needed. We also report and advocate for appropriate resolution of landmarks and zoning violations in our neighborhood, to help protect the special built environment and character. Each year on the first Sunday in May, Village Preservation holds an Annual Village House Tour and reception, both to raise funds to support our work and to highlight and celebrate the incredible irreplaceable architecture of our neighborhoods.

09/04/2026

Rally to Save Most Holy Redeemer Church, 8/31/26 — Juan Rivero, Village Preservation East Village Director

Most Holy Redeemer Church at 173 East 3rd Street has stood in the East Village for more than 175 years.

Founded in 1844 by German-speaking Redemptorist missionaries and completed in 1851, the church became known as the “German Cathedral of the Lower East Side.” Once one of New York City’s tallest structures, it helped shape the neighborhood once called Kleindeutschland and influenced the use of Gregorian chant, electricity in religious buildings, and fire-safety practices across the city.

Now, with Masses halted, the church’s future remains uncertain. Village Preservation is joining fellow preservation organizations and parishioners to fight for its protection. Its history is already written. Its future is not.

Learn more and find out how you can get involved:
https://villagepreservation.org/mostholy

As students head back to the classroom, we’re taking a look at the history of Grace Church School, from its beginnings a...
09/03/2026

As students head back to the classroom, we’re taking a look at the history of Grace Church School, from its beginnings as a choir boarding school in the 19th century to the school it is today. Discover how Grace Church and its surrounding Gothic Revival buildings helped shape their neighborhood for well over a century: https://villagepreservation.org/2026/09/03/back-to-school-at-grace-church/

Village Preservation is fortunate to have within our Historic Image Archive one of the largest crowdsourced collections ...
09/03/2026

Village Preservation is fortunate to have within our Historic Image Archive one of the largest crowdsourced collections of photographs connected to the World Trade Center, the September 11th attacks, and the 9/11 aftermath and recovery, especially as experienced in and by residents of our neighborhoods. Initially developed in response to a call in 2021 to share images to mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks, our collection has grown to over 800 pictures from dozens of sources. It includes images of the original World Trade Center throughout the years, largely from the perspective of our neighborhoods; of the attacks and the destruction of the towers, as captured from our streets and rooftops; and finally, of the sadness, anger, memorials, and resilience and recovery on full display in our communities in the days, weeks, and years that followed.

As we approach 25 years since 9/11, we’ve created a new StoryMap that allows you to explore all these images, generously donated by members of the public, and to learn the stories behind them. Each shares a poignant perspective on our relationships to the original towers and complex; to the destruction as it unfolded a quarter century ago; and to the response and recovery rooted in our neighborhoods.

Explore and reflect: https://arcg.is/19rXzr1

Village Preservation is fortunate to have within our Historic Image Archive one of the largest crowdsourced collections ...
09/03/2026

Village Preservation is fortunate to have within our Historic Image Archive one of the largest crowdsourced collections of photographs connected to the World Trade Center, the September 11th attacks, and the 9/11 aftermath and recovery, especially as experienced in and by residents of our neighborhoods. Initially developed in response to a call in 2021 to share images to mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks, our collection has grown to over 800 pictures from dozens of sources. It includes images of the original World Trade Center throughout the years, largely from the perspective of our neighborhoods; of the attacks and the destruction of the towers, as captured from our streets and rooftops; and finally, of the sadness, anger, memorials, and resilience and recovery on full display in our communities in the days, weeks, and years that followed.

As we approach 25 years since 9/11, we’ve created a new StoryMap that allows you to explore all these images, generously donated by members of the public, and to learn the stories behind them. Each shares a poignant perspective on our relationships to the original towers and complex; to the destruction as it unfolded a quarter century ago; and to the response and recovery rooted in our neighborhoods.

Explore at https://arcg.is/19rXzr1.

On this day in 1783, the Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Revolutionary War, with Britain acknowledging American in...
09/03/2026

On this day in 1783, the Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Revolutionary War, with Britain acknowledging American independence.

But the revolution didn’t end there — certainly not in our neighborhoods. Over the centuries that followed, and even before, they were places of transformative and often radical change, that shaped who we are as a nation, and pushed the boundaries of who was considered a fully equal citizen.

To mark these events, Village Preservation released a wonderful interactive map: The Revolutionary War in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. It contains scores of sites in our neighborhood connected to Revolutionary War history — check it out at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ed2e6bbcbb144128b4d3252349f156f8

And throughout the year, we’ve been staging a series of programs and creating a series of public engagement resources that illuminate how our neighborhoods have been a key part of the revolutionary transformation of America for more than 250 years. Explore “The Revolutionary Village” at https://villagepreservation.org/events/the-revolutionary-village-2/.

09/03/2026

NYC said this landmark could be repaired. Now it wants to demolish it. 🤔

This isn’t just an old building.

Since 1908, the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center has been a public space for generations of New Yorkers—with public baths, pools, recreation and one of Keith Haring’s most extraordinary NYC murals.

More than $100 million had been allocated toward its repair and reconstruction. Now the City plans to demolish it and move indoor recreation to a new facility nearby.

Mayor Mamdani campaigned on preserving and reopening Dapolito.

Let’s make sure New York keeps that promise.

SEPT 9 · 6:30 PM · COMMUNITY BOARD 2
And
Tell the Mayor to Save Dapolito. Go to: villagepreservation.org/dapolito-hearing

REPAIR IT.
REOPEN IT.

As we expectantly wait for autumn's sweater weather, we're looking ahead to a packed month of programs exploring the his...
09/02/2026

As we expectantly wait for autumn's sweater weather, we're looking ahead to a packed month of programs exploring the history, architecture, culture, and preservation of Greenwich Village, the East Village, NoHo, and New York City.
This September, join us for:

- A screening of "9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero"
- Freedom's Edge: Greenwich Village and the American Revolution walking tour
- A members-only garden tour at Merchant's House Museum
- The Unseen Revelers, exploring women and New York nightlife
- Cracks in the YIMBY Consensus, Part 4: The Zoning Alibi
- A look at the architecture and nature of the Gilded Age through Calvert Vaux and Frederick Clarke Withers
- Richard Barone's Village Nights: The 1970s
- A behind-the-scenes tour of the Keith Haring Foundation
- Death Matters: From Your Parlor to Ours, exploring the growth of the neighborhood funeral home

We hope to see you at one, more, or all of these programs this month!

Remember, Village Preservation members get early access to register for programs.

Learn more here: https://villagepreservation.org/2026/09/02/september-programs-memory-music-and-architecture/

On this day in 1911, the great American artist Romare Bearden is born. While most strongly associated with Harlem, which...
09/02/2026

On this day in 1911, the great American artist Romare Bearden is born. While most strongly associated with Harlem, which he called home, Bearden’s life as an artist took root and flourished in our neighborhoods and nearby SoHo, where his works were often created and exhibited, and where he and his collaborators found spaces to explore and share their art.

Read more about Bearden and the role our neighborhoods played in his life and work: https://villagepreservation.org/2021/09/02/romare-bearden-and-the-formation-of-an-african-american-artistic-identity-downtown/

Momentum continues to grow for preserving the landmarked Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, which the Parks Department wan...
08/31/2026

Momentum continues to grow for preserving the landmarked Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, which the Parks Department wants to destroy in spite of Mayor Mamdani’s campaign promise to preserve it. A broad coalition of downtown community and political organizations have called on Mayor Mamdani and the Parks Department to reverse course and repair and reopen the Center. This follows calls from New York City and State preservation organizations, Councilmember Carl Wilson and Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and Village Preservation and the Coalition to Preserve the Public Recreation Center Downtown, which have been leading the charge to preserve and reopen the Center.

The Parks Department says that it plans to demolish the beloved and landmarked Center because it wants to move all its facilities to a new, as-yet unbuilt structure at 388 Hudson Street, rather than keeping facilities at the historic building and adding to them with the new one, as the public has long called for. The Parks Department is also saying demolition is necessary because they have diverted funding that was allocated for the repair and reopening of the Dapolito Center to the new facility, Dapolito’s demolition, and other work in the area. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!

Community Board 2’s Parks Committee will be holding a public hearing next Wednesday, September 9 at 6:30 pm (in-person and virtual) on the Parks Department’s plans for a new recreation center at 388 Hudson Street. It’s imperative that we show up to testify, demanding that the plans for 388 Hudson Street include keeping or locating recreational facilities at a repaired and reopened Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, and that money allocated for the repair of the Tony Dapolito Center continue to be used for that purpose ONLY.

To register to attend and speak, and for more info, go to https://villagepreservation.org/campaign-update/dapolito-update-speak-up-at-september-9-community-board-hearing-community-groups-demand-centers-preservation/

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232 E 11th Street
New York, NY
10003

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