BY GABE HERMAN | Village Preservation, formerly the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, has launched a comprehensive online map and tour of the Greenwich Village Historic District.
The launch is part of the group’s yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of the historic district’s landmarking. In fact, the online tour launched on the exact anniversary of the district’s designation, which was April 29, 1969.
The online tour, called “Then and Now,” shows photos of every building in the district, more than 2,200 in total, as they appeared both in 1969 and today.
Visitors can search the district by geographical section, including “University-6th,” “6th-7th,” “7th-Bleecker” and “Bleecker-Washington.”
There are also 14 other sections that people can search by, including “Immigration Landmarks,” “Transformative Women,” “Artists’ Homes,” “Theater,” “Great Writers” and “Social Change Champions.”
The Greenwich Village Historic District is the city’s largest landmark district, spanning more than 100 blocks. Village Preservation was founded in 1980 as a caretaker for the district.
“The Greenwich Village Historic District is one of the most historically, culturally and architecturally rich places on earth,” said Andrew Berman, executive director of Village Preservation, at the online tour’s launch. “We hope this new tool will allow native New Yorkers and people across the globe to engage with and appreciate the tremendous resource it provides.
“Few places in the world have been the home to so many great artists, writers, thinkers and advocates for social change, have witnessed so many trailblazing events in history, and contain so much charming and historic architecture,” the preservationist added. “We’re so proud that our forebears fought hard 50 years ago to secure landmark designation of this area and ensure that this wealth of history and architecture is protected and preserved for all to appreciate.”
