Hello Neighbors and Warm Wishes for 2026
Holiday Decorating. We hope you enjoyed our holiday decorations again this year. It was a mild day on December 3 when we festooned the block with 33 wreaths and trimmed an 8’-9’ Balsam Fir tree with red and green lights. Neighboring townhouses were also handsome and festive for the holidays with seasonal lights, bows and greens. Holiday adornments were removed January 12 as has been our tradition.
Van Rensselaer Hotel. The photograph in this issue with the beautiful stone arch and modest inscription V.R. is part of what is now 15 East 11th Street. Number 15 East 11th Street, is now comprised of what was historically the Alabama Hotel built in 1902 (then 13-15 E. 11th Street) and the Van Rensselaer Hotel built in 1901 (previously 17-19 East 11th Street). Fun fact: In 1909 an ad in the New York Times advertised apartments to let “furnished: Alabama & Van Rensselaer Hotels $1 a day, including meals, 12.50 weekly…”
Attention Neighbors…We Need Your Engagement
We can accomplish much more when many of us participate. This certainly applies to funding and personal efforts we need to sustain the 11th Street Block Association. The Block Association has fixed expenses which include:
Replanting our tree wells with the changing seasons — 26 tree wells!
Professional pruning, trimming and feeding of our beautiful trees in a tough City environment;
Watering trees and plants as necessary over the dry summers
Sidewalk cleaning and trash pickup every weekday
Graffiti monitoring and removal
Holiday season decorating and removal
Interface with municipal agencies when issues arise
Rodent control — and more.
We have handled the expenses of these many efforts through the generous donations of time and funding from loyal residents devoted to our mission. We applaud and appreciate their help and funding. However, we are calling on neighbors to help expand our base of donors and volunteers.
If you can donate time, let us know your skillset, and we will put you to work. Contact and chat with Tom Brown (President) at tbrown@reduxgroup.com or 917-929-2228.
If you wish to donate, please give here.
We are a registered 501(c) (3) organization, and your donations are tax deductible.
~~~
Neighbors Making a Difference.
Remembering Honi Klein, Founding Director of the Village Alliance BID (Business Improvement District). We would be remiss if we didn’t report the loss of Honi Klein who passed away November 30, 2025. Long time Village residents will remember Honi as a force of nature.
From the Village Alliance’s recent newsletter “Honi shaped the Village Alliance — and the neighborhood we serve — in ways that continue to resonate more than thirty years later. A longtime Greenwich Village resident, she was the driving force behind the creation of the Village Alliance BID in 1993, organizing merchants, property owners, and residents to address growing challenges on Eighth Street and St. Marks Place. Under her leadership, the Village Alliance:
Shepherded the BID’s formation; establishing a lasting model for neighborhood stewardship.
Led the $2,100,000 Eighth Street Streetscape renovation…
Expanded the BID’s boundaries in 2006, bringing University Place and additional blocks of Sixth Avenue, Eighth Street and St. Marks into the district.
Launched Taste of the Village, supporting Washington Square Park…
Built partnerships with organizations …to address graffiti, maintenance, and quality of life issues.”
Honi was so much fun to work with — full of ideas and energy — always smiling and always “out there” in our streets. She could have invented “management by wandering around”. But personally knowing neighbors and issues of each block enabled her to know and understand our needs. If she sounds like Wonder Woman, that’s how some of us thought of her. We are grateful for Honi’s tireless work and leadership and extend condolences to those who knew and loved her.
Northwell Greenwich Village Hospital Upgrades — Inpatient Unit & Cath Lab. Previously only an emergency department, recent upgrades to Northwell Greenwich Village Hospital that include a newly expanded inpatient unit mean that patients can now remain in the hospital for short-term overnight care. The addition of a cardiac catheterization lab with advanced cardiac services will provide essential life saving care during the critical period after a cardiac emergency. Other Lab services include colonoscopy and EKG.
America250 and Village Preservation. As we celebrate America’s Semiquincentennial (or Sestercentennial — or, simply, Quarter Millenium), we should be mindful of our history and heritage — human, and historic properties. In this vein, we applaud Village Preservation (previously operating as Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation: GVSHP). They are on the front lines monitoring and working everyday to landmark and preserve buildings and places of importance to the history of Greenwich Village — our neighborhood! Village Preservation questions plans for megatowers of luxury apartments that are out of character in Village neighborhoods and only add to the problem of the scarcity of affordable housing for those who work in our City. Just to name a few, current projects on the agenda of Village Preservation Executive Director, Andrew Berman, include challenging the zoning related to a planned 538 foot tall tower at 5 West 13th Street; fighting to save the East Village’s Most Holy Redeemer Church; working for restoration and not demolition of the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center (Carmine & 7th Avenue). We should all give our support to Village Preservation! No one works harder to preserve our neighborhood than this organization.
~~~
One Year Ago. This time last year Con Ed was nearing completion replacement of century old gas lines. This year the city is working on water mains. Even with a bit of inconvenience, we are grateful tor the work and upkeep of the city’s infrastructure. With the near completion of the Greek Revival townhouses near University Place, noise has abated. Another bonus of fewer trucks, dumpsters and machinery…neighbors are looking forward to reclaiming street parking places.
Reminder — the 311 Call Center is there to help citizens. The 311 service is there to assist us with concerns about our neighborhoods and the quality of life. Multiple calls are needed to initiate action to fix a problem. We encourage neighbors to use the 311 call center to call attention to the need for city services. Additional calls might be helpful to get the Bishop’s Crook Light near University Place (near #27 & #29) fixed! The light has been be out for more than a year.
Spring Bulbs were planted in November/December. We cab soon look forward to a spring awakening and colorful blooms.