The Village has played an oversized role in our collective imagination — from Carrie’s apartment in “Sex and the City” to Monica and Rachel’s on “Friends,” and beyond.
For our purposes, The Village is an open-ended designation that includes not only Greenwich Village, but also the West Village — the present-day haven for New York’s thriving queer culture and scene of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a landmark event in the struggle for LGTBQ+ rights; the East Village — a destination for some of the borough’s best theater, food, and music; as well as SoHo, NoHo, the Lower East Side, and many other small neighborhoods that make up the area between 14th and Canal Streets.
Though it would take only about an hour to walk the three miles between the East River and the Hudson, it would take a lifetime to hear all of the stories that weave together to create what might be the most famous neighborhood in the most famous city in the world.
Over the 20th and 21st centuries, residents of the Village have included Louisa May Alcott, Edgar Allen Poe, Emma Goldman, James Baldwin, Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Cary Grant, and too many more to name. A directory of past tenants would read like a who’s who of the most iconic names in theater, art, literature, music, and film.
But while the Village has certainly played a part in New York history, today, we are here to honor those who are helping to shape its future.
While some of the names on this list may be new to you, others you may find familiar: Nancy Bass Wyden, proprietor of the world-famous Strand bookstore; Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of the Public Theater; as well as Borough President Mark Levine, Senators Brad Holyman-Sigal and Brian Kavanagh, and U.S. Representative Dan Goldman.
Some of our honorees have contributed to running the neighborhood itself – working tirelessly as members of the local Business Improvement Districts to ensure that the Village has everything it needs – while others have participated in the organizations, corporations, and establishments that keep the Village as a go-to destination for tourists and New Yorkers alike.
Thanks to our Block Stars’ tremendous efforts, we know that the Village will continue to play a starring role in both fiction and nonfiction for years to come. We are proud to introduce you to our 40 Village Block Stars, all of whom deserve recognition for their accomplishments.
