Greenwich Village Historic District Extension

Greenwich Village Historic District Extension. New York Landmarks Preservation Commission. , The Greenwich Village Historic District Extension consists of approximately 45 buildings representing nearly two centuries of residential and commercial development along the Hudson River. The earliest structures were built starting in 1819 as single-family houses. After the Civil War, many of those houses were divided into apartments, and multiple dwellings were constructed to house the influx of people into the area. At the same time, notable public buildings such as Primary School No. 7 (1885-86, David I. Stagg), the Victorian Gothic Revival style St. Veronica’s Church (begun 1890), and the Renaissance Revival style 9th Police Precinct Station House (1896-97, John duFais), were erected., Beginning in the 1890s, several monumental storage warehouses were constructed to serve businesses involved in such industries as transportation, furniture manufacturing, and food production. Far western Greenwich Village became increasingly desirable as a residential community after World War I, resulting in the conversion of tenement buildings into middle-class apartments. The area attracted individuals involved in the arts, including noted photographer Diane Arbus. In 1961, local activist Jane Jacobs rallied neighborhood residents to successfully oppose urban renewal plans that would have razed these blocks, leading the way for the conversion of many of the area’s industrial and commercial buildings into apartments.