Map of old Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village was originally a Native American fishing village that transformed into a tobacco plantation by the Dutch(Stewart). In the 1930s, Greenwich Village has become more culturally diverse: “In the 1930s any self-respecting Villager could proudly claim that almost every cultural amenity a person might want was to be found within the confines of an area bounded by Bleecker and 14th Street, Second Avenue and Greenwich Street. No other residential section of New York could hold a candle to the cultural vibrancy of Greenwich Village” (Stewart). Additionally, in the early nineteenth century, “new institutions served the spiritual, educational, and cultural needs of the growing community” (Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation). It is with these new institutions when large immigrant community exponentially increased. With the “religious denominations commissioned buildings with elaborate decorative schemes, New York University grew on the east side of Washington Square beginning in 1836 . . . the neighborhood soon became the site of art clubs, private picture galleries, learned societies, literary salons, and libraries” (Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation). Thus, there has been an increase in the varying shops within the Village. Furthermore, “the character of the neighborhood changed markedly at the close of the century when German, Irish, and Italian immigrants found work in the breweries, warehouses, and coal and lumber yards near the Hudson River and in the manufacturing lofts in the southeast corner of the neighborhood” (Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation). With the huge increase in immigrants, many of the old hosung lodges had to either be renovated or demolished: “Older residences were subdivided into cheap lodging hotels and multiple-family dwellings, or demolished for higher-density tenements” (Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation).
At the start of the twentieth century, Greenwich Village changed with respect to its racial and ethnic demographics. Greenwich Village became a haven for free spirits and artists: “By the start of World War I it was widely known as a bohemian enclave with secluded side streets, low rents, and a tolerance for radicalism and nonconformity. Attention increasingly focused on artists and writers noted for their boldly innovative work” (Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation). With the increase of these artists and free spirits, the amount of tourists also increased: “A growing awareness of its idiosyncrasies helped to make Greenwich Village an attraction for tourists” (Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation). Taking advantage of the increase in tourists, “entrepreneurs provided amusements ranging from evenings in artists’ studios to bacchanalian costume balls” (Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation). During the 1960s, the Village became a ground for anti war protests and the beginning of the movement for gay and lesbian rights: “During the 1960s a homosexual community formed around Christopher Street. . . [and] became a rallying place for antiwar protesters” (Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation). “The historic preservation movement in Greenwich Village was begun over fifty years ago” (Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation). During the 1940s, many historical structures in Greenwich Village were being torn down; however, preservationists helped to defeat one of these plans by Robert Moses: “Urban renewal efforts on Washington Square South had altered the physical character of the neighborhood by demolishing many 19th century structures. Local resentment of these development initiatives inspired a preservation movement and helped to defeat a plan by Robert Moses to carve a roadway through Washington Square” (Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation).
Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park, which is apart of our tour of Greenwich Village, has also changed significantly from its original establishment. According to Emily Kies Folpe , It Happened on Washington Square, before this was a park, “Indians of the Lenape tribe knew the site as a marshy ground with abundant waterfowl.” Eventually, this land was used as a cemetery where many Native Americans and African slaves lay. However, on July 4, 1826 the former potter’s field was officially declared the Washington Parade Ground (Folpe). Shortly after, the park became a prime residential neighborhood (Folpe). In 1870, what was by then a parade ground transformed into a beautifully landscaped park (Folpe).The Square’s redesign was entrusted to Ignaz Pilate, assisted by Montgomery Kellogg (Folpe).
NYU Logo
New York University composes a large amount of Greenwich Village, as compared to that of its first establishment: “‘Twenty-five years ago, there was a fairly discreet portion of Greenwich Village which you walked about and was N.Y.U.,’ said Andrew Berman, executive director at the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. ‘Now there are blocks and blocks of it. We are located in the middle of N.Y.U. as opposed to N.Y.U. being located in the middle of the Village’”(Schuerman). Additionally, “the value of N.Y.U.’s property has almost tripled since 1992. It is now worth half a billion dollars, according to a study to be released April 26 by City Project, a nonprofit budget-watchdog group” (Schuerman). NYU was established in 1831 and migrated to the Washington Square Park area in the late 1970’s (Communications). Since then it has continued to expand and along with the Catholic Church and Columbia University, NYU is one of the top three landowners in New York City (Communications). Additionally, residents of Greenwich Village and New York University receive discounted memberships at various establishments located within Greenwich Village.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Building
On March 25, a fire started in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory, killing a total of 145 workers who died as a result of neglected safety features in the building (Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire). Many of the workers were trapped behind locked doors and with a lack of escape routes, that prevented many of the workers from escaping. In response, many panicked and decided to jump out of the windows, fall down several stories and land on the sidewalk to escape (Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire). Today, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire is one of the most infamous incidents in American industrial history as it has brought attention to the dangerous conditions in factories and created the movement to develop a series of laws and regulations that protect the safety of workers.
NYU gained the building in 1929 from the generous donation of Frederick Brown (Januzzi) and has renovated the building for the study of science. This allowed NYU to build over history and goes directly into our topic of education vs. preservation. The architecture of the Brown Building have not changed ever since it was donated in 1929; however, gentrification can be seen at the old Triangle Shirtwaist Factory as the history of the building have been shrunk into two little plaques.
The Plaque located at NYU’s School of Law
Edgar Allen Poe’s home is now the building of NYU’s School of Law. This building was where Edgar Allan Poe wrote his famous piece, “The Raven”. Shown on the plaques on the NYU School of Law building, “In 1845-46, Edgar Allan Poe resided near this site in a house built in 1835 for Judah Hammond. It was here that Poe wrote ‘The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar’, ‘The Sphinx’, and began ‘The Cask of Amontillado’, as well as the ‘Literati of New York City’. The current facade is an interpretive reconstruction”. Poe only lived here for a year, but this was a common occurrence in his life. He actually moved around quite frequently due to tragedy in his life, such as his wife’s early death caused by tuberculosis and his increasing financial instability (“Edgar Allen Poe”). Despite only living here a year, this was also where he drew a lot of influence for his work. However, the reason why this reconstruction created a large debate is because it was one of the last houses the author lived in. Preservationists fought to designate the building as a historical landmark, but sadly, their petition and movements did not work.
Fire Patrol House #2
The Fire Patrol House #2 was owned by the private company, the New York Board of Fire Underwriters, the Fire Patrol was the organic evolution of the Salvage Corps, a private entity that originally focused on salvaging properties from fire and water damage established in 1803 (Miller). The New York Board of Fire Underwriters was formed in 1840, was funded entirely by insurance companies, and added firefighting to its repertoire of protecting and salvaging property(Miller). This firefighting service actually predates the Fire Department of New York, which was created in 1865 and fulfilled many of the same functions, just on a privatized basis.This specific patrol house was built in 1906, and was actively in use until the company disbanded in 2006(Miller).The last fire patrolmen to die in the line of duty was Keith M. Roma, who, responding to the events of September 11, was credited with evacuating at least 200 civilians and found near the bodies of nine other people he was trying to save (Miller). Since the Fire Patrol disbanded in 2006, it was put on the market by the New York Board of Fire Underwriters, while the Greenwich Village Historic Society fought to try and make it into a landmark to protect it from being torn down, with only the briefest thoughts being put into protecting it for its historic importance (Miller). The Fire Patrol House #2 was bought by CNN news anchor and journalist Anderson Cooper in 2010 for $4.3 million, who hired architect Cary Tamarkin to both renovate it into a private residence and restore the worn, original facade (Miller). However, since it is owned privately by Anderson Cooper, the building is not open to the public, as it is a private residence. Greenwich Village Historic Society scrambled to have the Fire Patrol House #2 be given landmark status by the Landmark Preservation Committee (Ted). The LPC did not even bother giving the patrol house a hearing, but the Historic Society persevered, petitioning the State and National Register of Historic Places for a determination of eligibility. The State and National Register actually determined in favor of the Greenwich Village Historic Society, giving the Fire Patrol House #2 a positive determination of eligibility in 2010 (Ted). It also, of course, had already been bought by Anderson Cooper, who helped in the restoration of the exterior of the structure. Had it been bought by anyone else in the four years prior to Cooper’s purchase or the State and National Register’s decision, the building that it is today may have never come.
