MANHATTAN — A 13-block plot of Manhattan was designated as the South Village Historic District on Tuesday, when the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a request locals say they began over 10 years ago.
The 240-building area, which is roughly bound by Washington Square South, LaGuardia Place, West Houston Street and Sixth Avenue, is the second phase of a preservation campaign spearheaded by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, and the largest landmarks preservation to take place in Greenwich Village since 1969, according to the group.
“This is a long-overdue victory for this neighborhood and for anyone who loves New York’s rich immigrant history and long tradition of cultural innovation,” Andrew Berman, the society’s executive director, said in a statement.
Caffe Reggio, Café Wha?, the Village Gate theater and the Little Red School House fall within the landmarked district. The designation restricts demolitions and alterations of existing buildings.
A party celebrating the vote was scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Le Poisson Rouge, the music venue. It was open to the public.
Following the vote Tuesday, GVSHP sent a letter to Manhattan Community Board 2 asking for a hearing and a resolution to move ahead with the third phase of its campaign. Phase 3 would landmark an additional area roughly bound by West Houston Street, Sixth Avenue, Thompson Street and Watts Street.
“[The] vote was a great victory for everyone who fought so hard to make it happen, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Berman said.
"In the new year with the new administration, we will be pushing hard to landmark the remaining unprotected areas of the South Village."
