Before Washington Square Park was built in 1826, the area was used as a burial ground. The north side was a German cemetery, while the south side was a potter's field (a nameless burial ground). The area was later used as a public gallows and execution grounds. Between 1829 and 1833, a row of houses was built along the north side of the square. These Greek Revival style houses, built of red brick in a Flemish bond, became known as 'The Row'. The entrances are flanked by Ionic and Doric columns and have marble balustrades.
Edgar Allan Poe lived at 85 West Third Street in Greenwich Village from 1844 to the early months of 18461 before moving to a cottage in Fordham with his wife and mother-in-law when his wife's health began to deteriorate.Poe wrote "The Cask of Amontillado2
1. Nadine Brozan. “Furman Hall, Nine Stories on Sullivan Street; New Law Building Opens at N.Y.U.,” New York Times, Jan. 18, 2004.
2. Denny Lee. “The Poe House, and its Mask of Red Bricks,” New York Times, October 19, 2003.
The organization's name closely reflects its mission, which was to save the architectural character of the Village. Save the Village's key strategies included fighting evictions, seeking rent protection, and pursuing zoning and planning tools to keep the Village intact.
Sometimes listed as Village Neighborhood Committee for the Clock on Jefferson Market Courthouse.
Description
The Committee of Neighbors to Get the Clock on Jefferson Market Courthouse Started was founded to do exactly what its name indicates. The Committee was also founded with the intention of sparking interest in preserving the Jefferson Market Courthouse structure as a whole.
Verna Small was born in Washington, D.C., in 19161. As a young girl, her parents fostered an aesthetic affinity for historic houses and "older objects"2. Her mother was particularly passionate about houses and a believer in "bricks and mortar"3.
1. Ed Gold "Verna Small, 92, leading Village preservationist" The Villager Volume 78/Number 12, August 20-26, 2008.
2. Weiner, Vicki. Interview with Verna Small. May 19, 1996.
