114-534: The Café Bohemia is a jazz club located at 15 Barrow Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City . Its original run lasted from 1955 to 1960, and has been revived at its original location as of October 2019. The club was opened in 1955 by Jimmy Garofolo. Garofolo had owned the room since 1949 and had operated it as a restaurant, bar, and stage at various times, each endeavor turning out unsuccessfully. In 1955, saxophonist Charlie Parker
228-515: A Historic District established by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission . The District's convoluted borders run no farther south than 4th Street or St. Luke's Place, and no farther east than Washington Square East or University Place. Redevelopment in that area is severely restricted, and developers must preserve the main façade and aesthetics of the buildings during renovation. Most of
342-775: A division of The New School, and the School's Graduate School expanded in the 2000s, with the renovated, award-winning design of the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at 66 Fifth Avenue on 13th Street. The Cooper Union is located in Greenwich Village, at Astor Place , near St. Mark's Place on the border of the East Village . Pratt Institute established its latest Manhattan campus in an adaptively reused Brunner & Tryon -designed loft building on 14th Street, east of Seventh Avenue. The university campus building expansion
456-677: A frame house capacious enough to hold sittings of the New York General Assembly when smallpox rendered the city dangerous in 1739 and subsequent years; on one occasion in 1746, the house of Mordecai Gomez was used. Warren's house, which survived until the Civil War era , overlooked the North River from a bluff; its site on the block bounded by Perry and Charles Streets, Bleecker and West 4th Streets, can still be recognized by its mid-19th century rowhouses inserted into
570-656: A group of 22 houses sharing a common back garden, built in the Greek Revival style and later renovated with Colonial Revival façades. In 1969, the LPC designated the Greenwich Village Historic District – which remained the city's largest for four decades – despite preservationists' advocacy for the entire neighborhood to be designated an historic district. Advocates continued to pursue their goal of additional designation, spurred in particular by
684-599: A leader. By October 1957 he was a member of the Miles Davis Sextet. 40°43′57″N 74°00′09″W / 40.7326°N 74.0026°W / 40.7326; -74.0026 Greenwich Village Greenwich Village , or simply the Village , is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to
798-536: A library in 1967, and it is now a city designated landmark . The Hudson Park branch is located at 66 Leroy Street. The branch is housed in Carnegie library that was built in 1906 and expanded in 1920. The area is served by the MTA Regional Bus Operations ' M8 , M11 , M12 , M14A , M20 , M55 routes and the following New York City Subway stations: The West Village is also served by
912-447: A more permanent home at 52 West 8th Street. The school remained active until 1958, when Hofmann retired from teaching. On January 8, 1947, stevedore Andy Hintz was fatally shot by hitmen John M. Dunn , Andrew Sheridan , and Danny Gentile in front of his apartment. Before he died on January 29, he told his wife that "Johnny Dunn shot me." The three gunmen were immediately arrested. Sheridan and Dunn were executed. The Village hosted
1026-532: A neighborhood still retaining many houses of the 1830–37 boom. From 1797 until 1829, the bucolic village of Greenwich was the location of New York State's first penitentiary , Newgate Prison, on the Hudson River at what is now West 10th Street , near the Christopher Street pier. The building was designed by Joseph-François Mangin , who would later co-design New York City Hall . Although
1140-633: A part of the Village ethos. Shortly after the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) was established in 1965, it acted to protect parts of Greenwich Village, designating the small Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District in 1966, which contains the city's largest concentration of row houses in the Federal style, as well as a significant concentration of Greek Revival houses, and the even smaller MacDougal-Sullivan Gardens Historic District in 1967,
1254-716: A plurality (42%) are between the ages of 25–44, while 24% are between 45 and 64, and 15% are 65 or older. The ratio of youth and college-aged residents was lower, at 9% and 10%, respectively. As of 2017, the median household income in Community Districts 1 and 2 (including the Financial District and Tribeca ) was $ 144,878, though the median income in Greenwich Village individually was $ 119,728. In 2018, an estimated 9% of Greenwich Village and SoHo residents lived in poverty, compared to 14% in all of Manhattan and 20% in all of New York City. Rent burden, or
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#17327797643351368-571: A saxophone case with him and told Rouse to ask this unknown man if he could borrow his horn. Instead, Rouse asked Cannonball if he would like to sit in with the group. Reluctantly, the leader complied and allowed Adderley to play. Overnight Adderley rose to prominence on the New York jazz scene. On June 21 he officially played his first night at the Bohemia; on June 28, 1955, he recorded with Kenny Clarke's group; on July 14 he recorded his first album as
1482-661: A trip for the former to work on his master's degree at New York University . That first night in the city the brothers went to the Café Bohemia to hear the Oscar Pettiford band, which was the club's house band at the time. Jerome Richardson , who was the group's regular saxophonist was unavailable that evening due to a recording session. Pettiford asked Charlie Rouse - who was in the audience - if he would sit in, but Rouse did not have his saxophone with him. Pettiford then noticed another audience member, Adderley, who had
1596-593: Is also the area's most concentrated site of grand larceny . (Grand larceny in New York is legally defined as stealing property worth $ 1,000 or more or property taken from the person of another without the threat of force.) In February 2013 the NYPD passed out 3,500 fliers to bars and clubs in the Sixth Precinct warning people to guard their valuables, especially at district's clubs, due to the rise in grand larceny rates. Police have said these crimes mostly happen in
1710-491: Is an art school formed in the mid-1960s in the Village. Officially opened September 23, 1964, the school is still active, at 8 W. 8th Street, the site of the original Whitney Museum of American Art . Greenwich Village was home to a safe house used by the radical anti-war movement known as the Weather Underground . On March 6, 1970, their safehouse was destroyed when an explosive device they were constructing
1824-429: Is another sub-neighborhood of Greenwich Village that is bordered on its west by the Hudson River and on its east by Hudson Street . Into the early 20th century, Greenwich Village was distinguished from the upper-class neighborhood of Washington Square—based on the major landmark of Washington Square Park or Empire Ward in the 19th century. Encyclopædia Britannica ' s 1956 article on "New York (City)" states (under
1938-564: Is more organic than the planned grid pattern of the 19th century grid plan (based on the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 ). Greenwich Village was allowed to keep the 18th century street pattern of what is now called the West Village: areas that were already built up when the plan was implemented, west of what is now Greenwich Avenue and Sixth Avenue , resulted in a neighborhood whose streets are dramatically different, in layout, from
2052-613: Is one block south of West 13th Street. Further, some of the smaller east–west residential streets are paved with setts (often confused with cobblestones ), particularly in Far West Village and the Meatpacking District . This grid is prevalent through the rest of Greenwich Village as well. Based on data from the 2010 United States Census , the population of the West Village neighborhood tabulation area
2166-558: Is patrolled by the 6th Precinct of the New York City Police Department . Greenwich Village has undergone extensive gentrification and commercialization; the four ZIP Codes that constitute the Village – 10011, 10012, 10003, and 10014 – were all ranked among the ten most expensive in the United States by median housing prices in 2014, according to Forbes , with residential property sale prices in
2280-409: Is severely restricted, and developers must preserve the main facade and aesthetics of the buildings, even during renovation. This district—which was for four decades the city's largest—was created in 1969 by the then-four-year-old New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. However, preservationists advocated for the entire neighborhood to be designated a historic district; although it covers most of
2394-654: Is the Isaacs-Hendricks House, at 77 Bedford Street (built 1799, much altered and enlarged 1836, third story 1928). When the Church of St. Luke in the Fields was founded in 1820, it stood in fields south of the road (now Christopher Street) that led from Greenwich Lane (now Greenwich Avenue ) down to a landing on the North River. In 1822, a yellow fever epidemic in New York encouraged residents to flee to
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#17327797643352508-635: The Village Vanguard and the Blue Note are still presenting some of the biggest names in jazz on a regular basis. Other music clubs include The Bitter End , and Lion's Den . The Village has its own orchestra aptly named the Greenwich Village Orchestra . Comedy clubs dot the Village as well, including Comedy Cellar , where many American stand-up comedians got their start. Several publications have offices in
2622-459: The Caffe Cino at 31 Cornelia Street, operated by the eccentric Joe Cino , who early on took a liking to actors and playwrights and agreed to let them stage plays there without bothering to read the plays first, or to even find out much about the content. Also integral to the rise of Off-Off-Broadway were Ellen Stewart at La MaMa , originally located at 321 E. 9th Street, and Al Carmines at
2736-574: The East Village to the east, SoHo and Hudson Square to the south, and Chelsea and Union Square to the north. The East Village was formerly considered part of the Lower East Side and has never been considered a part of Greenwich Village. The western part of Greenwich Village is known as the West Village ; the dividing line of its eastern border is debated but commonly cited as Seventh Avenue or Sixth Avenue . The Far West Village
2850-503: The East Village - Haight Ashbury hippie scene of the next decade. The Village (and surrounding New York City) would later play central roles in the writings of, among others, Maya Angelou , James Baldwin , William S. Burroughs , Truman Capote , Allen Ginsberg , Jack Kerouac , Rod McKuen , Marianne Moore , and Dylan Thomas , who collapsed at the Chelsea Hotel , and died at St. Vincents Hospital at 170 West 12th Street, in
2964-527: The Film Forum . The Salvation Army 's former American headquarters at 120–130 West 14th Street is in the northern portion of Greenwich Village. West Village The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan , New York City . The West Village is bounded by the Hudson River to the west and 14th Street to
3078-552: The Grey Art Gallery bordering Washington Square Park, at 100 Washington Square East. The Grey Art Gallery is notable for its museum-quality exhibitions of contemporary art. The Village has a bustling performing arts scene. It is home to many Off Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway theaters; for instance, Blue Man Group has taken up residence in the Astor Place Theater. The Village Gate (until 1992),
3192-784: The National LGBTQ Wall of Honor was inaugurated at the Stonewall Inn; and on June 28, 2024, the Stonewall National Monument Visitors Center opened, as the first official national visitors center dedicated to the LGBTQ+ experience to open anywhere in the world. Numerous politicians and celebrities participated in the inauguration ceremonies, and the New York City Subway 's Christopher Street–Sheridan Square station
3306-568: The New York City Council 's 3rd district. In the 16th century, Lenape referred to its farthest northwest corner, by the cove on the Hudson River at present-day Gansevoort Street, as Sapokanikan ("tobacco field"). The land was cleared and turned into pasture by the Dutch and their enslaved Africans, who named their settlement Noortwyck (also spelled Noortw ij ck , "North district", equivalent to 'North wich /Northwick'). In
3420-667: The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on the basis of its status in LGBTQ history, and on June 24, 2016, the Stonewall National Monument was named the first U.S. National Monument dedicated to the LGBTQ-rights movement. Greenwich Village contains the world's oldest gay and lesbian bookstore, Oscar Wilde Bookshop , founded in 1967, while The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center – best known as simply "The Center" – has occupied
3534-811: The PATH at Christopher Street and Ninth Street . The Citi Bike bike share program launched in the area in May 2013. In addition, the West Side Highway ( NY 9A ) runs along the western edge the Village. Costas Kondylis 's 1 Morton Square residential development (on Morton and West Street, completed in 2004) is the residence of actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and of actor Daniel Radcliffe . Richard Meier 's towers at 173 Perry Street, 176 Perry Street , and 165 Charles Street are home to actors Jim Carrey , Hugh Jackman , and Nicole Kidman . Other notable actors who formerly lived or currently reside in
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3648-729: The Provincetown Players converted the structure into a theatre they christened the Cherry Lane Playhouse, which opened on March 24, 1924, with the play The Man Who Ate the Popomack . During the 1940s The Living Theatre , Theatre of the Absurd , and the Downtown Theater movement all took root there, and it developed a reputation as a showcase for aspiring playwrights and emerging voices. In one of
3762-543: The Velvet Underground . The Greenwich Village of the 1950s and 1960s was at the center of Jane Jacobs 's book The Death and Life of Great American Cities , which defended it and similar communities, while criticizing common urban renewal policies of the time. Founded by New York-based artist Mercedes Matter and her students, the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture
3876-477: The Village Vanguard . The annual Greenwich Village Halloween Parade , initiated in 1974 by Greenwich Village puppeteer and mask maker Ralph Lee, is the world's largest Halloween parade and America's only major nighttime parade, attracting more than 60,000 costumed participants, 2 million in-person spectators, and a worldwide television audience of over 100 million. The traditional boundaries of
3990-516: The West Bronx (the current site of Bronx Community College ), to Greenwich Village with many buildings around Gould Plaza on West 4th Street. In 1976 Yeshiva University established the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in the northern part of Greenwich Village. In the 1980s Hebrew Union College was built in Greenwich Village. The New School , with its Parsons The New School for Design ,
4104-489: The 1630s, Governor Wouter van Twiller farmed tobacco on 200 acres (0.81 km ) here at his "Farm in the Woods". The English conquered the Dutch settlement of New Netherland in 1664, and Greenwich Village developed as a hamlet separate from the larger New York City to the south on land that would eventually become the Financial District . In 1644, the eleven Dutch African settlers in the area were granted half freedoms after
4218-417: The 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 80.6% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 1 murder, 20 rapes, 153 robberies, 121 felony assaults, 163 burglaries, 1,031 grand larcenies, and 28 grand larcenies auto in 2018. The Meatpacking District at the north end of this neighborhood, also known as the "Gansevoort Historic District", is filled with trendy boutiques and nightclubs. It
4332-476: The 19th century, the district of Washington Square was considered separate from Greenwich Village. In 1825, the Commercial Advertiser was writing that "Greenwich is no longer a country village. Such has been the growth of our city that the building of one block more will connect the two places" of Greenwich and New York. By 1850, the city had developed entirely around Greenwich Village such that
4446-558: The City of New York's right to transfer three plots of Department of Transportation-owned land to the university for constructing staging, which plaintiffs claimed required the consent of the state legislature. Ultimately, the Appellate Division of New York's Supreme Court ruled in the university's favor after a lower court blocked the expansion plan; however, so far, the university has only begun construction on 181 Mercer Street ,
4560-735: The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, including the former Bell Telephone Labs Complex (1861–1933), now Westbeth Artists' Housing , designated in 2011; the Silver Towers/University Village Complex (1967), designed by I.M. Pei and including the Picasso sculpture Portrait of Sylvette , designated in 2008; and three early 19th-century federal houses at 127, 129 and 131 MacDougal Street. Several contextual rezonings were enacted in Greenwich Village in recent years to limit
4674-621: The Judson Poets' Theater, located at Judson Memorial Church on the south side of Washington Square Park . The Village had a cutting-edge cabaret and music scene. The Village Gate , the Village Vanguard , and the Blue Note (since 1981) regularly hosted some of the biggest names in jazz . Greenwich Village also played a major role in the development of the folk music scene of the 1960s. Music clubs included Gerde's Folk City , The Bitter End , Cafe Au Go Go , Cafe Wha? , The Gaslight Cafe and The Bottom Line . Three of
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4788-562: The LPC. Those include: In addition, several contextual rezonings were enacted in Greenwich Village in recent years to limit the size and height of allowable new development in the neighborhood, and to encourage the preservation of existing buildings. The following were proposed by the GVSHP and passed by the City Planning Commission: The West Village historically was known as an important landmark on
4902-784: The Meatpacking District from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. The West Village is served by two New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire stations: The West Village includes two ZIP Codes . Most of the West Village, south of Greenwich Avenue and west of Sixth Avenue, is located in 10014, while the northern section north of Greenwich Avenue is in 10011. The United States Postal Service operates the West Village Station at 527 Hudson Street. There are two zoned elementary schools nearby: PS 3 Melser Charrette School, and PS 41 Greenwich Village School. Residents are zoned to Baruch Middle School 104. Greenwich Village High School
5016-467: The United States, typically exceeding US$ 2,100 per square foot ($ 23,000/m ) in 2017. The designation "West Village" emerged amidst successful preservation efforts in the 1950s–1960s. Residents and preservationists began using the designation "West Village" to distinguish this section of Greenwich Village from the portion of the Village east of Seventh Avenue surrounding Washington Square Park and New York University , where developers found more success in
5130-549: The Village after drinking at the White Horse Tavern on November 5, 1953. Off-Off-Broadway began in Greenwich Village in 1958 as a reaction to Off Broadway , and a "complete rejection of commercial theatre". Among the first venues for what would soon be called "Off-Off-Broadway" (a term supposedly coined by critic Jerry Tallmer of the Village Voice ) were coffeehouses in Greenwich Village, in particular,
5244-535: The Village and have fought to preserve its architectural and historic integrity. In the 1960s, Margot Gayle led a group of citizens to preserve the Jefferson Market Courthouse (later reused as Jefferson Market Library), while other citizen groups fought to keep traffic out of Washington Square Park, and Jane Jacobs , using the Village as an example of a vibrant urban community, advocated to keep it that way. Since then, preservation has been
5358-460: The Village and have fought to preserve the architectural and historic integrity of the neighborhood. More than 50 blocks, bordering 14th Street to the north, comprise a historic district established by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission . The historic district's convoluted borders run no farther south than 4th Street or St. Luke's Place, and no farther east than Washington Square East or University Place . Redevelopment in this area
5472-793: The Village's nightclub, theater, and coffeehouse scene during the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. Many artists garnered critical acclaim, some before and some after, performed in the Village. This list includes Eric Andersen , Joan Baez , Jackson Browne , the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem , Richie Havens , Jimi Hendrix , Janis Ian , the Kingston Trio , the Lovin' Spoonful , Bette Midler , Liza Minnelli , Joni Mitchell , Maria Muldaur , Laura Nyro , Phil Ochs , Tom Paxton , Peter, Paul, and Mary , Carly Simon , Simon & Garfunkel , Nina Simone , Barbra Streisand , James Taylor , and
5586-551: The Village, most notably the monthly magazines American Heritage and Fortune and formerly also the citywide newsweekly the Village Voice . The National Audubon Society , having relocated its national headquarters from a mansion in Carnegie Hill to a restored and very green , former industrial building in NoHo , relocated to smaller but even greener LEED certified building at 225 Varick Street, on Houston Street near
5700-399: The Village. As one press critic put it in 2013, "For decades, New York University has waged architectural war on Greenwich Village." In recent years, the university has clashed most prominently with community groups such as the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation over the construction of new NYU academic buildings and residence halls. During the design of Furman Hall in 2000,
5814-660: The Weavers , who also in Christmas 1949, played at the Village Vanguard . The annual Greenwich Village Halloween Parade , initiated in 1974 by Greenwich Village puppeteer and mask maker Ralph Lee , is the world's largest Halloween parade and America's only major Halloween nighttime parade, attracting more than 60,000 costumed participants, two million in-person spectators, and a worldwide television audience of over 100 million. The parade has its roots in New York's queer community. Greenwich Village again became important to
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#17327797643355928-560: The West Village are the Hudson River to the west, West 14th Street to the north, Greenwich Avenue to the east, and Christopher Street to the south. Other popular definitions have extended the southern boundary as far south as Houston Street , and some use Seventh Avenue or Avenue of the Americas as the eastern boundary. The Far West Village extends from the Hudson River to Hudson Street , between Gansevoort Street and Leroy Street. Neighboring communities include Chelsea to
6042-417: The West Village neighborhood typically exceeding US$ 2,100/sq ft ($ 23,000/m ) in 2017. The neighborhood is bordered by Broadway to the east, the North River (part of the Hudson River ) to the west, Houston Street to the south, and 14th Street to the north. It is roughly centered on Washington Square Park and New York University . Adjacent to Greenwich Village are the neighborhoods of NoHo and
6156-458: The West Village, the blocks closest to the Hudson River are excluded. Advocates continued to pursue their goal of additional designation, spurred in particular by the increased pace of development in the 1990s. The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the architectural and cultural character and heritage of the neighborhood, successfully proposed new districts and individual landmarks to
6270-491: The actual coloring but is cropped from the original. The red hue was due to a red fluorescent light above the bandstand. In October 2019, Café Bohemia was revived in its original location, in the basement of the Barrow Street Ale House (which was established in 1990). In May 2023, Café Bohemia announced that they were shutting down again. On June 19, 1955 Julian and Nat Adderley arrived in New York on
6384-519: The band's set closer "The Theme" is played at the end of each side of the record, and one piano trio number, "Ahmad's Blues", is featured. Oscar Pettiford penned the song "Bohemia After Dark" in spirit of the club. The cover photograph of the Miles Davis record 'Round About Midnight was one of several taken by Marvin Koner during the quintet's stay at the club in 1956. The photograph retains
6498-416: The bands that played the club were the first Miles Davis Quintet , Art Blakey 's original Jazz Messengers , and Kenny Dorham 's Jazz Prophets. At one point Herbie Nichols was the intermission pianist. Miles Davis's Prestige recordings Workin' , Relaxin' , Steamin' , and Cookin' were meant to convey the spirit of the group's performances at the Bohemia. This is most evident on Workin' where
6612-421: The bohemian scene during the 1950s, when the Beat Generation focused its energies there. Fleeing from what they saw as oppressive social conformity, a loose collection of writers, poets, artists, and students (later known as the Beats ) and the Beatniks , moved to Greenwich Village, and to North Beach in San Francisco , in many ways creating the U.S. East Coast and West Coast predecessors, respectively, to
6726-474: The building housed the first architectural school in the United States. Soon after its completion in 1857, the building helped to make Greenwich Village central to the arts in New York City, drawing artists from all over the country to work, exhibit, and sell their art. In its initial years Winslow Homer took a studio there, as did Edward Lamson Henry , and many of the artists of the Hudson River School , including Frederic Church and Albert Bierstadt . From
6840-403: The buildings of Greenwich Village are mid-rise apartments, 19th century row houses, and the occasional one-family walk-up, a sharp contrast to the high-rise landscape in Midtown and Downtown Manhattan . Politically, Greenwich Village is in New York's 10th congressional district . It is also in the New York State Senate 's 25th district, the New York State Assembly 's 66th district, and
6954-404: The city daily visit or stay in the West Village; an average of 11,000 people visit the High Line every day. The West Village is patrolled by the 6th Precinct of the NYPD , located at 233 West 10th Street. The 6th Precinct ranked 68th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. This is due to a high incidence of property crime. The 6th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in
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#17327797643357068-399: The early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn , 53 Christopher Street . Considered together, the demonstrations are widely considered to constitute the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBTQ rights in the United States . On June 23, 2015, the Stonewall Inn was the first landmark in New York City to be recognized by
7182-577: The fact that the bohemian days of Greenwich Village are long gone, because of the extraordinarily high housing costs in the neighborhood. The artists fled to other New York City neighborhoods including SoHo , Tribeca , Dumbo , Williamsburg , and Long Island City . Nevertheless, residents of Greenwich Village still possess a strong community identity and are proud of their neighborhood's unique history and fame, and its well-known liberal live-and-let-live attitudes. Historically, local residents and preservation groups have been concerned about development in
7296-432: The first Black legal protest in America. All received parcels of land in what is now Greenwich Village, in an area that became known as the Land of the Blacks . The earliest known reference to the village's name as "Greenwich" dates back to 1696, in the will of Yellis Mandeville of Greenwich; however, the village was not mentioned in the city records until 1713. Sir Peter Warren began accumulating land in 1731 and built
7410-442: The first building in the planned 1.5-million-square-foot (140,000 m ) expansion southwards. For census purposes, the New York City government classifies Greenwich Village as part of the West Village neighborhood tabulation area. According to the 2010 United States Census , the population of West Village was 66,880, a change of −1,603 (−2.4%) from the 68,483 counted in 2000 . Covering an area of 583.47 acres (236.12 ha),
7524-786: The first racially integrated night club in the United States, when Café Society was opened in 1938 at 1 Sheridan Square by Barney Josephson. Café Society showcased African American talent and was intended to be an American version of the political cabarets Josephson had seen in Europe before World War I . Notable performers there included among others: Pearl Bailey , Count Basie , Nat King Cole , John Coltrane , Miles Davis , Ella Fitzgerald , Coleman Hawkins , Billie Holiday , Lena Horne , Burl Ives , Lead Belly , Anita O'Day , Charlie Parker , Les Paul and Mary Ford , Paul Robeson , Kay Starr , Art Tatum , Sarah Vaughan , Dinah Washington , Josh White , Teddy Wilson , Lester Young , and The Weavers , who also in Christmas 1949, played at
7638-423: The former Food & Maritime Trades High School at 208 West 13th Street since 1984. In 2006, the Village was the scene of an assault involving seven lesbians and a straight man that sparked appreciable media attention, with strong statements defending both sides of the case. On June 20, 2023, the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Washington Square North was officially renamed Edie Windsor and Thea Speyer Way at
7752-446: The founding of "The Independent Republic of Greenwich Village" on January 24, 1917). In 1924, the Cherry Lane Theatre was established. Located at 38 Commerce Street, it is New York City's oldest continuously running Off-Broadway theater. A landmark in Greenwich Village's cultural landscape, it was built as a farm silo in 1817, and also served as a tobacco warehouse and box factory before Edna St. Vincent Millay and other members of
7866-472: The four members of the Mamas & the Papas met there. Guitarist and folk singer Dave Van Ronk lived there for many years. Village resident and cultural icon Bob Dylan by the mid-60s had become one of the world's foremost popular songwriters, and often developments in Greenwich Village would influence the simultaneously occurring folk rock movement in San Francisco and elsewhere, and vice versa. Dozens of other cultural and popular icons got their start in
7980-401: The frequent release of prisoners, sometimes as many as 50 a day. Since the prison was north of the New York City boundary at the time, being sentenced to Newgate became known as being "sent up the river". This term became popularized once prisoners started being sentenced to Sing Sing Prison , in the town of Ossining upstream of New York City. The oldest house remaining in Greenwich Village
8094-434: The golden age of bohemianism , Greenwich Village became famous for such eccentrics as Joe Gould (profiled at length by Joseph Mitchell ) and Maxwell Bodenheim , dancer Isadora Duncan , writer William Faulkner , and playwright Eugene O'Neill . Political rebellion also made its home here, whether serious ( John Reed ) or frivolous ( Marcel Duchamp and friends set off balloons from atop Washington Square Arch , proclaiming
8208-484: The groups to avoid future appeals, which included reducing the building to 9 stories and restoring the facades of two historic houses located on the site, the Judson House and a red-brick town house where Edgar Allan Poe once lived, which NYU reconstructed as they appeared in the 19th century. Another dispute arose during the construction of the 26-story Founders Hall, a residence hall planned to be constructed on
8322-419: The healthier air of Greenwich Village, and afterwards many stayed. The future site of Washington Square was a potter's field from 1797 to 1823 when up to 20,000 of New York's poor were buried here, and still remain. The handsome Greek revival rowhouses on the north side of Washington Square were built about 1832, establishing the fashion of Washington Square and lower Fifth Avenue for decades to come. Well into
8436-421: The increased pace of development in the 1990s. The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the architectural and cultural character and heritage of the neighborhood, successfully proposed new districts and individual landmarks to the LPC. Those include: The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated as landmarks several individual sites proposed by
8550-411: The intention of its first warden, Quaker prison reformer Thomas Eddy , was to provide a rational and humanitarian place for retribution and rehabilitation, the prison soon became an overcrowded and pestilent place, subject to frequent riots by the prisoners which damaged the buildings and killed some inmates. By 1821, the prison, designed for 432 inmates, held 817 instead, a number made possible only by
8664-592: The late 19th century until the present, the Hotel Albert has served as a cultural icon of Greenwich Village. Opened during the 1880s and originally located at 11th Street and University Place, called the Hotel St. Stephan and then, after 1902, called the Hotel Albert while under the ownership of William Ryder, it served as a meeting place, restaurant and dwelling for several important artists and writers from
8778-415: The late 19th century well into the 20th century. After 1902, the owner's brother Albert Pinkham Ryder lived and painted there. Some other noted guests who lived there include: Augustus St. Gaudens , Robert Louis Stevenson , Mark Twain , Hart Crane , Walt Whitman , Anaïs Nin , Thomas Wolfe , Robert Lowell , Horton Foote , Salvador Dalí , Philip Guston , Jackson Pollock , and Andy Warhol . During
8892-445: The main street grid plan for later parts of the city. Even streets that were given numbers in the 19th century to make them nominally part of the grid can be idiosyncratic, at best. West 4th Street , formerly Asylum Street, crosses West 10th, 11th and 12th Streets, ending at an intersection with West 13th Street . Heading north on Greenwich Street , West 12th Street is separated by three blocks from Little West 12th Street, which in turn
9006-554: The many Manhattan properties that Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and her husband owned, Gertrude Whitney established the Whitney Studio Club at 8 West 8th Street in 1914, as a facility where young artists could exhibit their works. By the 1930s it had evolved into her greatest legacy, the Whitney Museum of American Art , on the site of today's New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture . The Whitney
9120-425: The map of American bohemian culture in the early and mid-twentieth century. The neighborhood was known for its colorful, artistic residents and the alternative culture they propagated. Due in part to the progressive attitudes of many of its residents, the Village was a focal point of new movements and ideas, whether political, artistic, or cultural. This tradition as an enclave of avant-garde and alternative culture
9234-530: The modern LGBTQ movement , and the East Coast birthplace of both the Beat Generation and counterculture of the 1960s . Greenwich Village contains Washington Square Park , as well as two of New York City's private colleges, New York University (NYU) and The New School . In later years it has been associated with hipsters . Greenwich Village is part of Manhattan Community District 2 , and
9348-612: The most famous courts, is "The Cage", officially known as the West Fourth Street Courts . Sitting atop the West Fourth Street–Washington Square station at Sixth Avenue, the courts are used by basketball and American handball players from across the city. The Cage has become one of the most important tournament sites for the citywide " Streetball " amateur basketball tournament. Since 1975, New York University's art collection has been housed at
9462-767: The nation's first racially integrated nightclub , when Café Society was opened in 1938 at 1 Sheridan Square by Barney Josephson . Café Society showcased African American talent and was intended to be an American version of the political cabarets that Josephson had seen in Europe before World War I . Notable performers there included: Pearl Bailey , Count Basie , Nat King Cole , John Coltrane , Miles Davis , Ella Fitzgerald , Coleman Hawkins , Billie Holiday , Lena Horne , Burl Ives , Lead Belly , Anita O'Day , Charlie Parker , Les Paul and Mary Ford , Paul Robeson , Kay Starr , Art Tatum , Sarah Vaughan , Dinah Washington , Josh White , Teddy Wilson , Lester Young , and
9576-403: The neighborhood had a population density of 114.6/acre (73,300/sq mi; 28,300/km ). The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 80.9% (54,100) White , 2% (1,353) African American , 0.1% (50) Native American , 8.2% (5,453) Asian , 0% (20) Pacific Islander , 0.4% (236) from other races , and 2.4% (1,614) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 6.1% (4,054) of
9690-438: The neighborhood include Matthew Broderick , Scarlett Johansson , Ray Romano , Jason Biggs , Ryan Eggold , Andy Samberg , Claire Danes , Hugh Dancy , Will Ferrell , Jill Hennessy , Seth Meyers , Julianne Moore , Sarah Jessica Parker , Brooke Shields , Liv Tyler , Saoirse Ronan , Karlie Kloss , and musician/actor Richard Barone . Ramsey Clark , Attorney General under Lyndon B. Johnson , activist and founder of
9804-517: The north side of Houston Street and around Bleecker Street and Carmine Street. Many of them being immigrants from Naples and Sicily . Up until the late 2000s, the village was home to one of the largest Italian speaking communities in the United States. Greenwich Village includes several collegiate institutions. Since the 1830s, New York University (NYU) has had a campus there. In 1973 NYU moved from its campus in University Heights in
9918-682: The north, the South Village and Hudson Square to the south, and the Washington Square neighborhood of Greenwich Village to the east. The neighborhood is distinguished by streets that are "off the grid", being set at an angle to the other streets in Manhattan. These roads were laid out in an 18th-century grid plan , approximately parallel or perpendicular to the Hudson, long before the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 which created
10032-415: The north. The eastern boundary is variously cited as Greenwich Avenue , Seventh Avenue , or Sixth Avenue , while the southern boundary is either Houston Street or Christopher Street . The West Village is part of Manhattan Community District 2 , and is patrolled by the 6th Precinct of the New York City Police Department . Residential property sale prices in West Village are among the most expensive in
10146-472: The older street grid. When Sixth and Seventh Avenues were extended in the early 20th century, they were built diagonally to the existing street plan, and many older, smaller streets had to be demolished. Unlike the streets of most of Manhattan above Houston Street, streets in the Village are typically named, not numbered. While some of the formerly named streets (including Factory, Herring and Amity Streets) are now numbered, they still do not always conform to
10260-410: The ordered structure of the newer parts of Manhattan. Many of the neighborhood's streets are narrow and some curve at odd angles. This is generally regarded as adding to both the historic character and charm of the neighborhood. In addition, as the meandering Greenwich Street used to be on the Hudson River shoreline, much of the neighborhood west of Greenwich Street is on landfill, but still follows
10374-425: The percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 38% in Greenwich Village and SoHo, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 45% and 51%, respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018 , Greenwich Village and SoHo are considered high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying . Throughout the 1930s, many Italian-Americans starting leaving Little Italy and moved on
10488-616: The play The Man Who Ate the Popomack . During the 1940s The Living Theatre , Theatre of the Absurd , and the Downtown Theater movement all took root there, and it developed a reputation as a place where aspiring playwrights and emerging voices could showcase their work. On January 8, 1947, stevedore Andy Hintz was fatally shot by hitmen John M. Dunn , Andrew Sheridan and Danny Gentile in front of his apartment on Grove Street. Before he died on January 29, he told his wife that "Johnny Dunn shot me." The three gunmen were immediately arrested. Sheridan and Dunn were executed. The Village hosted
10602-462: The population. The approximate residential population in the West Village is 34,000 people based on seven 2010 Census Tracts for Manhattan Community District 2. Some population characteristics include: A study by NYU estimated that 8,000 workers commute to the West Village during the workweek. About 13,000 out-of-town visitors also visit the neighborhood daily. A portion of these approximately 139,452 domestic and international visitors that enter
10716-425: The population. Greenwich Village is home to a significant concentration of same-sex couples. The entirety of Community District 2, which comprises Greenwich Village and SoHo, had 91,638 inhabitants as of NYC Health 's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 85.8 years. This is higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are adults:
10830-481: The redevelopment and demolition of historic blocks. Other names have been given to portions of the area as changes have come to the neighborhood. For instance, beginning in the early 1980s, residential development spread in the Far West Village between West Street and Hudson Street, from West 14th Street to West Houston Street, resulting in the area being given its own name. Historically, local residents and preservation groups have been concerned about development in
10944-405: The site of St. Ann's Church at 120 East Twelfth Street. Amidst protests of the demolition of the church, the university decided to maintain and restore the facade and steeple of the building, parts of which were deteriorating or missing, and it now stands freely directly in front of the 12th Street entrance of the building. Further controversy also arose over the height of the building, as well as how
11058-552: The site of which is adjacent to the Judson Memorial Church , community groups sued the university, claiming the construction of a 13-story tower on the site would "loom behind the campanile of [the church]" and "mar the historic silhouette of Greenwich Village as viewed from Washington Square Park". Despite a justice in State Supreme Court dismissing the case, the university agreed to a settlement with
11172-499: The size and height of allowable new development in the neighborhood, and to encourage the preservation of existing buildings. The following were proposed by the GVSHP and passed by the City Planning Commission : New York University and Greenwich Village preservationists have frequently become embroiled in conflicts between the university's campus expansion efforts and the preservation of the scale and character of
11286-407: The south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village also contains several subsections, including the West Village west of Seventh Avenue and the Meatpacking District in the northwest corner of Greenwich Village. Its name comes from Groenwijck , Dutch for "Green District". In the 20th century, Greenwich Village was known as an artists' haven, the bohemian capital, the cradle of
11400-546: The state level by New York Governor Kathy Hochul , in honor of the Greenwich Village plaintiffs who prevailed at the United States Supreme Court in 2013, in finding the Defense of Marriage Act , which had limited the definition of marriage as being valid strictly between one man and one woman, to be unconstitutional . Since the end of the 20th century, many artists and local historians have mourned
11514-458: The subheading "Greenwich Village") that the southern border of the Village is Spring Street , reflecting an earlier understanding. Today, Spring Street overlaps with the modern, newer SoHo neighborhood designation, while the modern Encyclopædia Britannica cites the southern border as Houston Street. As Greenwich Village was once a rural, isolated hamlet to the north of the 17th century European settlement on Manhattan Island , its street layout
11628-535: The two were no longer considered separate. Greenwich Village historically was known as an important landmark on the map of American bohemian culture in the early and mid-20th century. The neighborhood was known for its colorful, artistic residents and the alternative culture they propagated. Due in part to the progressive attitudes of many of its residents, the Village was a focal point of new movements and ideas, whether political, artistic, or cultural. This tradition as an enclave of avant-garde and alternative culture
11742-457: The university would integrate the church's facade into the building's uses; however, in 2006, NYU began construction and the new dorm was completed in December 2008. In recent years, the most conflict has arisen over the proposed NYU 2031 plan, which the university released in 2010 as its plan for long-term growth, both within and outside of Greenwich Village. This included a court battle over
11856-405: The usual grid pattern when they enter the neighborhood. For example, West 4th Street runs east–west across most of Manhattan, but runs north–south in Greenwich Village, causing it to intersect with West 10th, 11th, and 12th Streets before ending at West 13th Street. A large section of Greenwich Village, made up of more than 50 northern and western blocks in the area up to 14th Street, is part of
11970-534: Was 66,880, a change of −1,603 (−2.4%) from the 68,483 counted in 2000 . Covering an area of 583.47 acres (236.12 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 114.6 inhabitants per acre (73,300/sq mi; 28,300/km ). The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 80.9% (54,100) White , 2% (1,353) African American , 0.1% (50) Native American , 8.2% (5,453) Asian , 0% (20) Pacific Islander , 0.4% (236) from other races , and 2.4% (1,614) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.1% (4,054) of
12084-399: Was a private high school formerly located in the area, but later moved to SoHo . In 2017, Middle School 297 opened at 75 Morton Street. The New York Public Library (NYPL) operates two branches near the West Village. The Jefferson Market Library is located at 425 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue). The building was a courthouse in the 19th and 20th centuries before being converted into
12198-420: Was accidentally detonated, killing three of their members ( Ted Gold , Terry Robbins , and Diana Oughton ). The Village has been a center for movements that challenged the wider American culture, most notably its seminal role in sparking the gay liberation movement. The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent protests by members of the gay community against a police raid that took place in
12312-458: Was established at 38 Commerce Street. It is New York City's oldest continuously running Off-Broadway theater. A landmark in Greenwich Village's cultural landscape, it was built as a farm silo in 1817, and also served as a tobacco warehouse and box factory before Edna St. Vincent Millay and other members of the Provincetown Players converted the structure into a theatre they christened the Cherry Lane Playhouse, which opened on March 24, 1924, with
12426-470: Was established during the 19th century and continued into the 20th century, when small presses, art galleries, and experimental theater thrived. In 1969, enraged members of the gay community, in search for equality, started the Stonewall riots . The Stonewall Inn was later recognized as a National Historic Landmark for having been the location where the gay rights movement originated. On June 27, 2019,
12540-627: Was established during the 19th century and into the 20th century, when small presses, art galleries, and experimental theater thrived. Known as "Little Bohemia" starting in 1916, West Village is in some ways the center of the bohemian lifestyle on the West Side, with classic artists' lofts in the form of the Westbeth Artists Community and Julian Schnabel 's Palazzo Chupi . In 1924, the Cherry Lane Theatre
12654-785: Was followed by a gentrification process in the 1980s. There are numerous historic buildings in the neighborhood including Emma Lazarus 's former residence on West 10th Street and Edward Hopper 's former studio (now the NYU Silver School of Social Work). The historic Washington Square Park is the center and heart of the neighborhood. Additionally, the Village has several other, smaller parks: Christopher, Father Fagan, Little Red Square, Minetta Triangle, Petrosino Square, and Time Landscape. There are also city playgrounds, including DeSalvio Playground , Minetta, Thompson Street , Bleecker Street, Downing Street, Mercer Street , Cpl. John A. Seravelli, and William Passannante Ballfield. One of
12768-686: Was founded in 1931, as an answer to the Museum of Modern Art , founded 1928, and its collection of mostly European modernism and its neglect of American Art . Gertrude Whitney decided to put the time and money into the museum after the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art turned down her offer to contribute her twenty-five-year collection of modern art works. In 1936, the renowned Abstract Expressionist artist and teacher Hans Hofmann moved his art school from East 57th Street to 52 West 9th Street. In 1938, Hofmann moved again to
12882-402: Was living across the street from the club with poet Ted Joans . Parker offered to play the club for Garofolo in order to get his drinks for free, which unofficially began the room's short-lived life as a jazz club. Parker died prior to the beginning of his engagement at the Bohemia, but the hype generated around his name being promoted was enough to garner further support for the new club. Among
12996-526: Was renamed the Christopher Street–Stonewall station on the same day. The Tenth Street Studio Building was situated at 51 West 10th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues . The building was commissioned by James Boorman Johnston and designed by Richard Morris Hunt . Its innovative design soon represented a national architectural prototype, and featured a domed central gallery, from which interconnected rooms radiated. Hunt's studio within
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