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Remembering Jane Jacobs

New York Times Obituary

1997 Oral History



After the death of Jane Jacobs in April of 2006, GVSHP has undertaken many projects to memoralize the contributions she made to the preservation of Greenwich Village.

In June of 2006 GVSHP co-sponsored, with the Center for the Living City, a public memorial to Jane in Washington Square Park, with speakers from a wide array of fields that were influenced by her teachings.

GVSHP also put forward a proposal to co-name the section of Hudson Street where Jane lived (and which she wrote about in Death and Life of Great American Cities) “Jane Jacobs Way,” and to rename adjacent Bleecker Park “Jane Jacobs Park.” The Community Board recommended approval of the renamings, and the City Council authorized the street renaming in November 2006. The implementation of the new “Jane Jacobs Way” street sign then sat in limbo for 2 1/2 years.

In July 2009 a ceremony was finally held to unveil the new sign for the co-named street, which honors this great woman’s contributions to the Village and to the world. For coverage, see: New York Magazine, The Architect’s Newspaper, and MetBlogs.

In October or 2006, Keith McNally generously hosted a gala fundraiser for GVSHP at Balthazar Restaurant honoring Jane’s legacy, with Paul Goldberger and Calvin Trillin as featured speakers. GVSHP has joined fellow community groups in calling for the new middle school at 75 Morton Street to be named for Jane Jacobs (read Community Board #2 resolution). We are committed to continuing to remember the remarkable contributions of this pioneering preservationist.

GVSHP offers an array of historic preservation and research resources.

Home : Resources : In Memoriam : Remembering Jane Jacobs