Preserving the culture of the East Village

The EVCC works alongside our coalition partners to expand Historic Districts and Individual Landmarks protections in our community. Each of our neighborhood’s historic buildings has a story to tell.

The East 10th Street Historic District

The East Village / LES Historic District

In a city of incessant reinvention, it is rare to find blocks that have remained relatively intact from the time they were built. Designation as an Historic District by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission offers these streetscapes and buildings the best protection from inappropriate alteration, demolition, and out of scale development. Read more from the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative.

The LPC designated the East 10th Street Historic District on January 17, 2012. Read the Designation Report. This was the first historic district designation in the neighborhood since the St. Mark’s Historic District in 1969! Designation Report.

full_july 2011 lpc proposed district 10th streetr

In October 2012, the LPC designated the East Village / Lower East Side Historic District, which runs along Second Avenue from 2nd Street to St. Mark’s Place, and on East 6th and 7th Streets from First Avenue to Avenue A. Designation Report.

full_july 2011 lpc proposed district 2nd aver

Congregation Meseritz Synagogue

In August of 2008, the EVCC joined with community groups to preserve this historic 1910 “tenement synagogue” at 415 East 6th Street. The Meseritz Synagogue is included in the LES / East Village Historic District.

A condominium deal allowed the building to survive, with the congregation on the ground floor and basement level. Two of the apartments on the upper floors feature the synagogue’s original stained glass windows, and one also has an original door as part of a living room wall.

 

St. Brigid’s Church

This historic church on Avenue B and East 8th Street was built by Irish shipwrights in 1848. A structural crack forced the main church to close in 2001. Demolition began in 2006, but the process was stopped and delayed by a series of court decisions. In May 2008, the Archdiocese of New York announced that it had received a $20 million donation to the St. Brigid’s Parish and School. The Archdiocese restored the building and reopened St. Brigid – St Emeric Church in January 2013.

St. Brigid’s Church is one of the oldest buildings in our neighborhood and is of great importance to our community. We thank the Archdiocese and the donor for ensuring the future of this treasure. 

Art by Dave McCutcheon. 

Individual Landmarks

Old P.S. 64 / CHARAS / El Bohio

The EVCC joined with neighbors, community groups and elected officials to save Old P.S. 64 from the wrecking ball and development as a high-rise tower. The EVCC initiated and led the effort to landmark this one-time public school at 605 E 9th Street. After three years of dedicated community effort, P.S. 64, the former CHARAS / El Bohio Community Center, was designated as an Individual Landmark on June 20, 2006 and confirmed by the City Council on September 15, 2006. Designation Report.

Latest News on Our Preservation Efforts

  • The Christodora Settlement House: Community, Relationships, and Social Change THU MAR 24 6:30 PM
    Join EVCC, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative (LESPI) and author Joyce Milambiling for a fascinating preview of her work-in-progress. Re-discovered letters from a settlement house client to her teacher led to research which puts the history of the movement, and the building itself, in context. Register here!
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  • TUE NOV 30 Behind the Curtain: 19th Century Theater in the Lower East Side 6:30 PM
    Join Ralph Lewis and our friends at LESPI (The Lower East Side Preservation Initiative) for this entertaining webinar on the history of the birth of Broadway! From the very first venue to the establishment of an entire Theater District, much of the action took place right here on the Lower East Side. Register today!
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  • SUN NOV 14 LESPI Rally to Restore East River Park’s Historic Track House and Tennis Center! 2 PM
    Restore, Don’t Demolish! The Lower East Side Preservation Initiative (LESPI) acknowledges the urgent need for the City to provide timely floodproofing for the park, but sees no reason that these historic buildings cannot be saved, restored and re-used! Meet at the Brian Watkins Tennis Center north entrance. Proposed restoration by Davies Toews Architecture
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  • MAS Jane’s Walk NYC: Yiddish Theater Culture
    Join Municipal Arts Society and the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative (LESPI) for a livestream virtual tour exploring the creativity and culture of early Yiddish Theater and its contribution to NYC culture. Led by licensed tour guide Barry Feldman and EVCC Executive Director Laura Sewell. Watch the replay of this wonderful program presented by the Lower ...
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  • WED MAR 10 311 Boot Camp 6:30 PM
    Learn how to access open data to see the status of the addresses that interest you. Takeaways include how to research 311 complaints, Department of Buildings violations and hearings. Block associations and individuals are welcome! Please register to receive a link to join us.
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  • Creating Collective Power: a phototalk with The 4th Street Photo Gallery
    Alex Harsley’s reportage style of photography started in 1958 as the first Black photographer for the New York City District Attorney. Mr. Harsley has curated The 4th Street Photo Gallery and The Minority Photographers non-profit since the early 1970s. Join us for a special photography talk about this neighborhood treasure and Alex Harsley’s own work. Watch the replay of ...
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  • Brigid: Goddess and Saint: a little Irish Women’s history with Susan McKeown
    Join Grammy award-winning vocalist, songwriter and producer Susan McKeown, to hear the tales behind the Irish wave of immigration, how it was different from other immigrant groups, and how the co-mingling of these groups on the Lower East Side influenced all of their cultures. Watch the replay of this wonderful program presented on FEB 2, 2021 and co-sponsored by the ...
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  • East Village: Lens on the Lower East Side Book Talk
    Join author Marilyn Appelberg and contributing photographers for a lively talk on the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative’s East Village: Lens on the Lower East Side. Watch the replay of this wonderful program presented on DEC 29, 2020 and co-sponsored by LESPI.
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  • Jane’s Walk From Home
    Join EVCC on our Jane’s Walk From Home! Saving History: Community Advocacy in the East Village Touring the streets surrounding Tompkins Square Park through historic photos from Urban Archives, we look at moments in time where the actions of neighbors, activists and local organizations helped change the course of history. Learn how constant advocacy through zoning, ...
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  • Please Comment On LPC Rules Changes, Update On Keep The Cap
    Please comment on LPC Rules Changes! There is still time to comment on LPC rules changes. Public notice and the opportunity to comment are essential to good government. Sign on to GVSHP’s letter today!  Neighbors, elected officials, Community Boards and preservationists turned out in force to voice concerns about the proposed set of changes to Landmarks Preservation Commission rules. With no public notice of applications ...
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Landmarks Preservation Commission Designation Reports

Individual Landmarks

Aschenbroedel Verein (Gesangverein Schillerbund) / La Mama Experimental Theatre Club – 2009

Bouwerie Lane Theater (Bond Street Savings Bank) – 1967

Charlie Parker Residence – 1999

Children’s Aid Society, Elizabeth Home for Girls – 2008

Children’s Aid Society, Tompkins Square Lodging House for Boys and Industrial School – 2000 

Daniel LeRoy House – 1969

Eleventh Street Methodist Episcopal Chapel – 2010 

First German Baptist Church (AKA Tifereth Israel) – 2014

First Houses – 1974

First Ukrainian Assembly of God – 1969

Foundation Building, Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & Art – 1966

Free Public Baths of the City of New York – 2008

German-American Shooting Society Clubhouse – 2001

Germania Fire Insurance Company Bowery Building – 2010

Hamilton-Holly House – 2004

Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater – 1993

New York City Marble Cemetery – 1969

New York Public Library, Ottendorfer Branch – 1977

New York Public Library, Tompkins Square Branch – 1999

Public National Bank of New York Building – 2008

(Former) Public School 64 – 2006

Ralph and Ann E. Van Wyck Mead House / Issac T. Hopper Home of the Women’s Prison Association – 2009

St. Marks-in-the-Bowery Church – 1966

Stuyvesant-Fish House – 1965

Webster Hall and Annex – 2008

Wheatsworth Bakery Building – 2008