West 4th THEN Culture

The West 4th subway stop connects the A, B, C, D, E, F and M trains, and it is located in Greenwich Village in Manhattan. Historian George Chauncey describes the village in the 1920’s as bohemian and as an area that accepted all types of people, including artists, writers, and gays and lesbians. Chauncey says that “Gay people were initially drawn to the Village primarily as Bohemians rather than as homosexuals and had little apparent interest in developing distinctively gay institutions.”1

A theatre in Greenwich village which showed cultural events 2

This is a testament to how the Village was a place of culture and the way people were drawn to it because of its unusual environment.

The Village has a rich artistic history. Some of its past residents included authors Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain and the singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. 3

This is Bob Dylan sitting on a park bench in Greenwich village 4

The presence of colleges like New York University, Yeshiva University, Hebrew Union, and Cooper Union in Greenwich Village has enriched the Village as well.

From the Great Depression to the Great Recession, flocks of people have visited the area to hear bands playing at the many venues there. During the Depression,  Washington Square Park served as a veritable mecca for those looking to ply their trade and put their musical talents on display. Annual folk festivals took place at the park where city residents danced and sang. This tradition has thrived and is still in existence today, somewhat.5

To see how culture affected Greenwich Village and the surrounding area during the Recession please click here

To see how culture affected Broadway/Laffayette during the depression please click here

To see how culture affected Broadway/Laffayette during the recession please click here

  1. Chauncey, George. “Building Gay Neighborhood Enclaves: The Village and Harlem.” Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Makings of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940. New York: Basic, 1994. Print. ↩
  2. This picture is courtesy of The Greenwich Village Society For Historic Preservation – http://gvshp.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/1929-small.jpg ↩
  3. Fehrman, Craig. “The Fall of the House of Twain.” New York’s Essential Guide to Culture, Arts, Politics, News and More. 23 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. http://nypress.com/the-fall-of-the-house-of-twain. ↩
  4. Courtesy of Getty images – http://rwjones.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/dylan_park-bench.jpg ↩
  5. Federal Writers Project, Guide to New York City (Washington, D.C.: Works Progress Administration, 1939), 132. ↩