Village Preservation - Greenwich Village Society For Historic Preservation

Sixty years ago today, on June 7, 1966, the Church of the Immaculate Conception and Clergy House at 406-12 East 14th Street, just east of 1st Avenue, are landmarked, making them among the cities very first
landmarked structures. Built in 1894-96 in an eclectic French Gothic style as a free chapel of Grace Church with a small attached hospital. The church was taken over by the Roman Catholic Archodiocese and the Church of the Immaculate Conception after its own historic building across the street was demolished to make way for Stuyvesant Town.

Learn more about the fascinating history and architecture of this mini cathedral on East 14th Street:  https://www.villagepreservation.org/2023/06/07/local-landmark-church-of-the-immaculate-conception-and-clergy-house-406-412-east-14th-street/

On this day in 1981, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published its first national notice about cases of what would come to be known as AIDS. In its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (a national publication of public health information and recommendations) published that day, the CDC noted that five previously healthy gay men in Los Angeles, ranging in age from 29 to 36, were being treated for a type of pneumonia usually associated with patients with compromised immune systems – two of the men had already died. You can read the laconic 1981 memo and editorial note here.

AIDS (which did not have a name at this early point) would become a pandemic affecting the nation and the world. In these earliest of years, it would ravage several population centers like our city, and particularly our neighborhoods, with acute dreadfulness. And though it disastrously affected this community, it also helped unite and galvanize it.

Read more: https://www.villagepreservation.org/2013/06/04/the-beginning-of-aids-in-new-york/

On this day in 1975, the Talking Heads have their very first gig, at CBGB, opening for the Ramones. We take a look back at the band and the bar, and how each helped turn the other into legends:  https://www.villagepreservation.org/2025/06/05/the-talking-heads-and-cbgb-a-story-of-collaboration/

For more than three decades, Jane’s Exchange has been a cornerstone of the East Village, helping generations of families buy, sell, and exchange children's clothing, books, toys, and equipment while building a stronger, more sustainable community. Founded in 1993, the beloved shop at 191 East 3rd Street has grown from a store to a neighborhood gathering place and a lifeline for local families — and now a 2026 Village Awardee from Village Preservation. Read about the history of this East Village institution and why it continues to mean so much to so many, and join us next Wednesday at 6pm at Copper Union’s Great Hall to celebrate them: https://www.villagepreservation.org/2026/06/05/village-awardee-janes-exchange-191-east-3rd-street/

Phoebe Legere was a key figure in the East Village’s 1980s creative renaissance — a musician, performer, and visual artist whose work blurred boundaries between disciplines and helped define downtown New York’s experimental art scene. She performed at venues like the Pyramid Club and moved within a generation of artists who made the East Village a global center of cultural innovation.
Beyond her role as a participant, Legere has also become one of the neighborhood’s chroniclers, returning in her work to the people and places of that transformative era.

As we celebrate Pride Month, her story also highlights the vital role LGBTQ+ artists played in shaping the East Village’s cultural identity and creative legacy.

Explore her life and legacy: https://www.villagepreservation.org/2026/06/04/phoebe-legere-and-the-creative-renaissance-of-the-east-village/

On this day in 1888, the statue memorializing Giuseppe Garibaldi, the father of modern Italy, is unveiled in Washington Square Park. It was an early manifestation of the growing Italian immigrant community in Greenwich Village and New York at the time, which came to be the largest ethnic group in both by the 20th century.

We take a look back at the statue’s history and the history of Italian Americans in Greenwich Village: https://www.villagepreservation.org/2025/06/04/the-spirit-of-giuseppe-garibaldi-in-the-heart-of-the-south-village/

It’s next Wednesday — the most joyous community celebration on the Greenwich Village, East Village, and NoHo calendar! Join us at this free public event, June 10 at 6pm at Cooper Union’s Great Hall, to look back on a year of hard work and accomplishment, and to honor six amazing community leaders, small businesses, and local non-profits that inspire us every day, at the Village Awards and Village Preservation Annual Meeting!

This year’s awardees are:

Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition— Regina Kellerman Award

11th Street Bar — 510 East 11th Street

Tavern on Jane — 31 Eighth Avenue

Carlos “Chino” Garcia — Co-founder, CHARAS/El Bohio

Jane’s Exchange — 191 East 3rd Street

St. Joe’s Soup Kitchen — 12 West 12th Street

All are welcome to attend and celebrate, and bring friends, family, and neighbors.

Learn more and register to attend at https://www.villagepreservation.org/events/annual-meeting-and-village-awards-2/.

See you next Wednesday!

On this day in 1926, Allen Ginsberg was born. To mark what would have been his 100th birthday, we’re exploring the East Village homes of the poet, Beat icon, and activist, and the neighborhood that helped shape his life and work.

Read more here: https://www.villagepreservation.org/2026/06/03/100-years-of-allen-ginsberg-his-homes-in-the-east-village/

Few buildings better captured the East Village’s transformation than 19–25 St. Marks Place. Originally built as four grand single family houses, they evolved to accommodate waves of German, Jewish, Italian, and Polish immigration to the neighborhood, and then for a brief period in the heyday of the psychedelic era, they were home to the Electric Circus, one of the most transformative nightclubs in New York City’s history. Boasting trippy projections, fantastic circus acts, and boundary-breaking musicians, the space redefined what nightlife could be. Learn more: https://www.villagepreservation.org/2026/06/02/remembering-the-electric-circus/

Really nice piece on CBS New York about our effort to recognize and preserve LGBTQ+ history: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/push-for-new-nyc-historic-district/

The City is still resisting (see final quote), but we’re pressing ahead with our campaign to get them to finally do the right thing. You can help — send a message to Mayor Mamdani and the new Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair: https://villagepreservation.quorum.us/campaign/149052/

More info at https://www.villagepreservation.org/campaign-update/lgbtq-pride-month-join-the-fight-to-preserve-history/