Map of Greenwich Village Historic District Extension II. Image Courtesy: LPC.
Greenwich Village Historic District’s second extension includes 235 properties. On June 22, 2010, Landmarks voted unanimously to designate the Greenwich Village Historic District Extension II, also referred to as the South Village Historic District by some preservationists. The extension comprises two sections and brings an additional 235 properties under Landmarks’ protection. The larger of the two sections covers eleven blocks generally bounded by West 4th and Bedford Streets, and Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue South, and the smaller section includes the west side of Seventh Avenue South between Leroy and Clarkson Streets.
The district contains a variety of architecture, including Federal-style rowhouses dating to the early 19th century, and a variety of tenements built before and after the Civil War. Significant structures in the extension include the flatiron-shaped Varitype Building and Our Lady of Pompeii Church. At an October 2009 public hearing, elected officials, residents, and preservationists all spoke in support. 6 CityLand 162 (Nov. 15, 2009).
At the June 22 meeting, Landmarks Chair Robert B. Tierney said that Greenwich Village is a symbol of the City. Tierney noted that the “justifiably enormous” historic district would now protect a total of 2,320 buildings in Greenwich Village. Commissioner Roberta Brandes Gratz remarked that the original 1969 district designation had been “too modest.” She pointed out that the area’s architectural significance stemmed from the variety of periods and styles that reflected the evolution of the City. Commissioner Fred Bland found the extension emblematic of changed notions of preservation since the initial designation and argued that it “presages other districts that will expand in time.”
LPC: Greenwich Village Historic District Extension II, Manhattan (LP-2366) (June 22, 2010).