The lore of Greenwich Village New York
Greenwich is likely English for the Dutch Greenwijck, 'pine district'. It grew as New Yorkers fled yellow fever to this country village.
Tap a year to see where it happened, or press Play.
c. 1629
Dutch settlement begins as Wouter van Twiller, a director of the colony, gets a tobacco grant by Sapokanikan, a Native Lenape village.
1797
With yellow fever gripping the city, New York buys this land for a public burial ground. About 20,000 burials follow.
1811
The city's 1811 street grid skips the Village's west side. Its older streets survive, blocking through avenues and keeping the area low-rise.
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (SHPO)Historic Districts Council
1826
With burials ended, the city levels the old graveyard into the Washington Military Parade Ground, the start of Washington Square Park.
1835
New York University moves to Washington Square. Its founding leader, former Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin, wanted an education 'opened to all'.
1895
Architect Stanford White's 73-foot marble arch is dedicated. It replaces a temporary one marking 100 years since George Washington's inauguration.
NYC Department of Parks and RecreationNYC Department of Parks and Recreation
1911
Fire at the Triangle blouse factory kills 146 workers, many trapped behind locked doors. More than 30 state safety laws follow.
Kheel Center, Cornell University ILR SchoolEncyclopaedia Britannica
1917
Seven friends, artist Marcel Duchamp among them, climb the arch and declare the Village 'a free republic, independent of uptown'.
1959
Residents defeat parks chief Robert Moses's plan for a four-lane road through Washington Square. In August the park closes to traffic.
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (SHPO)NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
1969
The city names the Village a historic district, for the quality of its architecture and the nature of its artistic life.
Historic Districts CouncilNYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (NYC Government Publications Portal)New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (SHPO)
1969
Police raid the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street. Patrons fight back for six nights. It sparks the modern LGBTQ rights movement.
New York State ParksJSTOR DailyOpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
OUR PICK2026
On MacDougal Street, Caffe Reggio, said to have brought the cappuccino to America. Our pick for one after the park.
amNYNew York City Tourism + Conventions (official tourism organization)OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)Barista MagazineNYC Tourism + Conventions
Today
Today Greenwich Village is famous for Washington Square Park, its jazz clubs and its tree-lined streets.
SOURCES
- Greenwich Village (A Tour of New Netherland: Manhattan)New Netherland Institute
- Washington Square Park: HistoryNYC Department of Parks and Recreation
- Washington Square Arch (monument page)NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
- Washington Square Arch (historical sign)NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
- Greenwich Village Historic District, Additional Documentation (National Register of Historic Places)New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (SHPO)
- Greenwich VillageHistoric Districts Council
- Greenwich Village Historic District Designation Report, Vol. INYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (NYC Government Publications Portal)
- History of NYUNew York University
- The Fire (Remembering the Triangle Factory Fire)Kheel Center, Cornell University ILR School
- Triangle shirtwaist factory fireEncyclopaedia Britannica
- John Sloan, Arch Conspirators (1917)Bowdoin College Museum of Art
- Caffe Reggio finds a formula for survival (10 Jan 2019)amNY
- Nominatim search and lookup (OpenStreetMap)OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
- Caffe ReggioNew York City Tourism + Conventions (official tourism organization)
- Stonewall Inn State Historic SiteNew York State Parks
- Presidential Proclamation: Establishment of the Stonewall National Monument (annotated)JSTOR Daily
- Stonewall Inn, 53 Christopher StreetOpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
- One Of New York's Liveliest NeighborhoodsIslands
- Greenwich Village neighborhood guideTime Out New York
- Experience European Coffee Traditions At These 6 NYC CafésBarista Magazine
- Caffe ReggioNYC Tourism + Conventions
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. The print of Greenwich Village