Having trouble viewing this email? Click here   14 May 2015 IN THIS ISSUE Honoring a Major Artist and Villager: Martha Graham Plaque Installation Upcoming GVSHP Programs Latest Landmark Applications Available  Honoring a Major Artist and Villager: Martha Graham Plaque Installation Co-Sponsored by The New School and Two Boots Pizza Thursday, June 18th  6:00 -7:00 P.M. 66 Fifth Avenue Free; reservations required [This venue is wheelchair accessible.]  The revolutionary artistic vision of dancer and choreographer Martha Graham (1894-1991) largely created the modern dance we know today. Graham, an essential part of the early- to mid-century Village arts scene, will be honored as part of GVSHP's Historic Plaque Program done in partnershipwith Two Boots highlighting the incredible people, movements and history connected to sites all around us. Join us outside 66 Fifth Avenue (at 13th Street) for festivities at the building where Graham’s company rehearsed and created groundbreaking new works in the 1930s and 40s. This event is free, but RSVPs are required by emailing or calling (212) 475-9585 ext. 35. Take a look at our past celebrations, including the former Fillmore East concert hall (blog, photos and video), the home of poet Frank O’Hara (blog, photos and video), and the site of radical saloonkeeper Justus Schwab (blog and photos). Upcoming GVSHP Programs To see videos of recent GVSHP programs, click here; to see photos of recent programs, click here. Please note that space is often limited. Reservations are not confirmed until you receive a response from GVSHP regarding your reservation. If space becomes an issue, all reservations will be honored up until the start of the program, at which point your seat may be given away to those on the wait list. Little Spain: The Spanish Community on West 14th Street A history and slideshow with Robert Sanfiz Wednesday, May 20 6:30 - 8:00 P.M. Free; reservations required Spanish Benevolent Society - La Nacional, 239 West 14th Street, between 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue  [This venue is not wheelchair accessible.] Compared to other European groups, the Village’s immigrant community from Spain was rather small in numbers.  The enclave known as "Little Spain," on 14th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, was once home to over 50 Spanish-owned businesses and social clubs.   The Spanish Benevolent Society - La Nacional, founded in 1868, was always at the heart of the neighborhood, serving as an essential support system for Spaniards and acting as their home away from home in New York. It has served as a meeting ground for political dissidents and revolutionaries, and avant-garde poets and artists. It is even said that Salvador Dali stopped in for a taste of home. Today the Society remains committed to the preservation of both the Spanish and surrounding community, and still offers a variety of events, classes, a top-rated restaurant and meeting place for the entire community. Robert Sanfiz is Executive Director of the Spanish Benevolent Society - La Nacional. To register, please call (212) 475-9585 ext. 35 or email. Preserving the Fabric of Our Neighborhoods The second Saving Place public program at the Museum of the City of New York Co-Sponsored by GVSHP Tuesday, May 26 Starting at 6:30  TICKETS Free for Museum members; $12 for students/seniors; $16 for general public [GVSHP members use code SAVE26 to get $10 tickets]  Museum of the City of New York, 5th Avenue at 103rd Street  [This venue is wheelchair accessible.]  Mayor Bill de Blasio has chosen to make affordable housing one of his administration’s chief policy initiatives. “As we invest in more affordable housing,” he said, “we will also work with communities to preserve the fabric of our neighborhoods and invest in things that great neighborhoods need.” Join a group of leading experts as they explore the intersections between historic preservation and affordable housing, portraying how preservation encourages sustainable development and helps to stabilize communities facing financial distress. This program accompanies the City Museum’s exhibition Saving Place: 50 years of New York City Landmarks, on view from April 21 through September 13, 2015. Gale Brewer, Borough President of Manhattan Ingrid Gould Ellen, Paulette Goddard Professor of Urban Policy and Planning, Director of the Urban Planning Program at NYU Wagner Ellen Baxter, Executive Director of Broadway Housing Communities Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director of Fifth Avenue Committee  Simeon Bankoff (moderator), Executive Director, Historic Districts Council  Distilling the American Flavor:  Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Juliana Force and the Making of the Whitney Museum A lecture by art historian Avis Berman Thursday, May 28 6:30 – 8:00 P.M. Free; reservations required Hudson Park Library, 66 Leroy Street  between 7th Avenue South and Hudson Street [This venue is not wheelchair accessible.]  Now that the Whitney has opened downtown, revisit its original incarnation in the heart of the Village, and the lives and careers of two extraordinary women -- Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875-1942) and Juliana Rieser Force (1876-1948) -- who created the museum and transformed the history of American art.  Their partnership not only brought about the formation of a great museum;: they were also responsible for the support of hundreds of artists who had nowhere else to turn.  Among those indebted to Juliana Force and Gertrude Whitney were Village artists John Sloan, Stuart Davis, Edward Hopper, Thomas Hart Benton, and Isamu Noguchi.   In particular, Ms. Berman will detail the hitherto hidden personality of Juliana Force, who rose from poverty and obscurity to reinvent herself as a flamboyant Village bohemian, and became the Whitney's first director and a standout in her profession. Avis Berman is the author of Rebels on Eighth Street: Juliana Force and the Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as many other books, catalogues, reviews and essays on early twentieth-century American art. To register, please call (212) 475-9585 ext. 35 or email. GVSHP members-only program: The Artist's World in Pictures A guided gallery tour by co-author Gloria S. McDarrah Thursday, June 4 6:00 – 7:00 P.M. Free; reservations required Steven Kasher Gallery, 515 West 26th Street, 2nd floor  [This venue is not wheelchair accessible.]  [American artist Norman Bluhm works on one of his action paintings in his downtown studio, February 22, 1961. Photo by Fred W. McDarrah.] Editor and writer Gloria S. McDarrah and her husband, Village Voice photographer Fred W. McDarrah, were on the scene when Abstract Expressionism and The New York School blossomed in the late 1950s. Their seminal 1961 book, The Artist's World in Pictures documents that unique time and place. Nearly every image in the exhibition was taken below 14th Street. The McDarrahs were regulars at The Club, an artist membership association that began in the late 1940s, with informal discussions at the old Waldorf Cafeteria, at 6th Avenue and 8th Street.  The Club hosted seminars, panels, parties, talks, readings and other events where artists of the day would share and exchange ideas and opinions, including Willem deKooning, Franz Kline, Ad Reinhardt, James Brooks, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, Robert Rauschenberg, Jack Tworkov, Alfred Leslie, Milton Resnick, Lee Krasner, Philip Guston, William Baziotes, Robert Motherwell, Nicholas Krushenick and Adolph Gottlieb.     Gloria S. McDarrah will lead a tour of the exhibition and answer questions. In addition to The Artist's World, the McDarrahs collaborated on several books including Beat Generation: Glory Days in Greenwich Village; Greenwich Village Guide and The Photography Encyclopedia. To register, please call (212) 475-9585 ext. 35 or email. Building History Detectives: Greenwich Village An introduction to building research with historian Susan De Vries  Monday, June 8 6:30 – 8:00 P.M. Free; reservations required Washington Square Institute 41 East 11th Street, between Broadway and University Place [This venue is not wheelchair accessible.] Are you curious about a building in the neighborhood? Have you ever wondered what the history of that building might be? Perhaps it is the one you live in or one you pass every day.   Researcher Susan De Vries will guide you through the process of finding out the secrets that our wonderful structures can reveal. The presentation will look at the online resources available to dig out details of architectural history such as construction date and architect as well as fascinating tidbits about the social history of your building. Neighborhood Preservation Center staff will distribute a resource sheet that includes a number of helpful sources, from the Municipal Archives to online resources like the New York Public Library’s Digital Collections. Ms. De Vries has previously lectured for GVSHP and will be sharing many of the resources she uses while delving into New York City history and Greenwich Village in particular. This program is presented by the Neighborhood Preservation Center, the Village Alliance, and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. *Those unable to attend the “Building History Detectives: Greenwich Village” lecture are encouraged to stop by our table at the Positively 8th Street Festival on Sunday, June 14th to meet with our research volunteers and pick up a resource sheet with tips on researching building history. To register, please call (212) 475-9585 ext. 35 or email. The 35th GVSHP Annual Meeting and 25th Village Awards Co-sponsored by The New School  Wednesday, June 17 6:30 – 8:00 P.M. Free; reservations required The Auditorium at The New School, 66 West 12th Street  [This venue is wheelchair accessible.]  GVSHP will present its 25th Annual Village Awards this year at our Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 17th, 2015 in recognition of those people, places, and organizations which make a significant contribution to the quality of life in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. GVSHP members will vote on a new slate of trustees for the organization, and all will be invited to review GVSHP’s growth and accomplishments over the past year. The Village Awards were established 25 years ago to honor the people, businesses, and organizations that help to make our neighborhoods so special. All are welcome to join the awards ceremony at the Auditorium at The New School, a beautiful interior New York City landmark.               This year’s honorees will be selected by a committee of GVSHP Trustees, past honorees, and community leaders, and announced in late May. Come join us to see who will receive our Village Awards this year! To register, please call (212) 475-9585 ext. 35 or email. Gay Liberation in Photos A talk and slideshow with photographer Ellen Shumsky  Tuesday, June 23 6:30 – 8:00 P.M. Free; reservations required Jefferson Market Library, 6th Avenue at 10th Street  [This venue is wheelchair accessible.]  In June of 1969, a not uncommon police raid of the gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, was met with a spontaneous resistance that launched the modern Gay Liberation Movement here in Greenwich Village. Ellen Shumsky, a young photographer, joined the movement as an activist and documentarian. As an insider, she captured images of the people, the meetings, the marches, demonstrations, celebrations and the emerging community.   These images appear in the book, "Portrait of a Decade 1968-1978," edited by Flavia Rando, Ph.D., with poetry by Fran Winant, both of who joined the Movement in the Stonewall Summer. Ellen, Fran, and Flavia will present a slide show and talk about these exciting years. To register, please call (212) 475-9585 ext. 35 or email. Latest Landmark Applications Available GVSHP provides an ongoing record of all applications for changes to landmarked properties in our neighborhoods (Greenwich Village, NoHo, Gansevoort Market, the South Village, and the East Village) that require a public hearing before they can be approved. These proposals range from minor alterations to large additions, demolition, and new construction on landmarked sites. Find out about the application, when the Community Board and NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission public hearings will take place, and how you can weigh in before decisions are made. You can also sign up for alerts to be notified of changes in the status of the application.     The new applications below are scheduled to be heard in the near future at the Community Board, the LPC, or both. Click on each for more information.   289 Bleecker Street  CB2 hearing: 05/18/2015 LPC hearing: TBD 30 Jane Street CB2 hearing: 05/18/2015 LPC hearing: TBD   355 Bleecker Street CB2 hearing: 05/18/2015 LPC hearing: 05/19/2015 475 6th Avenue  CB2 hearing: 05/18/2015 LPC hearing: TBD       To sign up for notifications of new landmarks applications, please click HERE.   Find out more:           You help make it happen!