This Monday, GVSHP unveiled our twelfth historic plaque, this one marking the former home of the New York Infirmary for Women and Children at 58 Bleecker Street at Crosby Street. This groundbreaking facility, opened in 1857, was the very first hospital run by and for women, and was operated by Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor in America. We were proud to be joined by Blackwell’s great grand niece and representatives of New York Presbyterian Hospital (the successor to the infirmary) and scholars and activists in the field of women’s health and education. View pictures of the ceremony here, video here, and coverage on WNYC, and in AMNY, MetroNY, and Vogue. Read a more detailed history by GVSHP of several sites in Greenwich Village and the East Village connected to Blackwell in 6sqft here.
Past GVSHP plaques have marked the homes of James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, Frank O’Hara, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as the former homes of the Martha Graham Dance Studio, the Fillmore East, and San Remo Café, among many other locations. Explore more about our historic plaques here, and learn about more transformative figures and events connected to Greenwich Village and the East Village on our Civil Rights and Social Justice Map.
