The Original West Village Walking Tour
Architecture -- History -- Interesting Pictures and Stories
A Walking Tour of the Past and the Present
This tour features the writers, poets, artist and famous people of the West Village with
information about it's history and architecture
along with interesting pictures
and stories that help join us with the neighborhood's past.
The West Village was an unofficial name for a part of Greenwich Village that roughly speaking falls between:
West 14th Street and Christopher St. and west of Greenwich Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas. In the past decades The West Village name has been extended, to include part of a working class neighborhood once known as the South Village (south of Christopher St. to St. Lukes Place
between 6th Ave. and West St.) - this is not part of the Original West Village or included in this tour.
This walking tour of the West Village's past and present features:
A 2 ½ hour version or the 3 ½ hour version
A walk through part of the landmark Greenwich Village Historic District known as "The West Village" including:
Abingdon Square, Bank Street, Christopher Street, Charles St., W. 11 St., W. 10 St., West St.,
Perry St. Horatio St., Jane St., Hudson Street and the historic district of Weehawken St.
For the 2 ½ hour tour each participant is given an itinerary with 22 stops that include 5 New York City and 2 national landmarks
For the 3 ½ hour tour each participant is given an itinerary with 37 stops that include 6 New York City and 3 national landmarks
Each stop is fully discussed.
Some Highlights of the 2 ½ hour version are:
- St. Veronica's Church and Gene Tunney
- Find out about "the American Ward" - William "The Butcher" Poole
- Richard Meier's skyscrapers and Charles Lane
- Find out about the 9th Ave. El in the West Village
- The Weehawkin Historic District
- The White Horse Tavern - Norman Mailer - Dylan Thomas
- H B Studio (many famous stars studied acting here)
- Westbeth - the site of the development of television, radio, sound recording, sound movies, telephonics and public address systems.
- Newgate Prison NY State Prison
- Alexander Hamilton and the site where he died
- Abington Square and the Abington Square Memorial
- Admiral Peter Warren, his estate & Greenwich Village
- Jane Jacobs, where she lived and wrote "The Death and Life of Great American Cities"
- Fing out where Serpico actually lived when he was a cop here in the city
- 'Bleecker Gardens' and Mark & Charles Van Doren
- 'Auntie Mane' in real life where she died and where she lived
- "The Family" by Chain Gross
- Transplanted 'Cobble Court' from the early 19th century
- Find out about the "Death Ave. Cowboy" - Gansevoort Market / Pier and the White Fort
- A excellent, landmark example of a Greek Revival House from 1842
- The landmark, American Seamen's Friend Society Home & Institute Bldg.
- The site where Herman Melville worked for 19 years
- The street and buildings where Clifford Odets and James Baldwin lived
- The street and buildings where Carson McCullers and Jack Kerouac lived
- Palazzp Chupi
- The house Roy Lichtenstein lived and worked in the last decade of his life
Highlights Included in the 3 ½ hour version are:
- Find out about The Masses where the publication was located & Max Eastman & John Reed,
- Where Sinclaire Lewis lived
- Where Hart Crane lived
- Laren Bacall "Miss Greenwich Village"
- Where Fiorello LaGuardia lived
- A Greek Revival Townhouse from 1837
- Where Edward Albee got his inspiration for "Who's Afraid of Viginia Wolf" ( Ninth Circle)
- Where Almanac House was and where Woodie Guthrie lived
- Wila Cather, Allen Tate, Katharine Anthony, and Ye Waverly Inn and more
- Optional (for the 3 ½ hour version) 2 stops outside West Village neighborhood:
- The Jefferson Market Courthouse - its history, architecture / the infamous trial of the century, Harry Thaw / Stephen Crane
- Patchin Place, 1845
Meet at: southeast corner of Christopher St. & Greenwich St.
Guided by Alfred Pommer an informative native New Yorker, a college graduate and a Licensed New York City Guide, who has spent over 20 years researching, creating and leading walking tours in Manhattan's many diverse neighborhoods.
Interested in a private walking tour" ?
Call: (212) 979-2388 for details www.nycwalk.com
Scroll down further for "The Lower West Village Walking Tour"
The Lower West Village Walking Tour
Architecture -- History -- Interesting Pictures and Stories
A Walking Tour of the Past and the Present
This tour features the writers, poets, artist and famous people of a part of the West Village
that was once a working class neighborhood known as the South Village.
Information about it's history and architecture along with interesting pictures and stories will help join us with the neighborhood's past.
The West Village is an unofficial name for a part of Greenwich Village Historic District and we will explore the neighborhood between
Christopher St. and St. Lukes Place west of Avenue of the Amercas (6th Ave.) - the lower/south section of the West Village
This walking tour of the West Village's past and present features:
A walk through part of the landmark Greenwich Village Historic District known as "The West Village" including:
Hudson Street, Grove St. and Grove Court, Bedford St., Barrow St. Commerce St., Morton St. and St. Lukes Place.
For the 2 hour tour each participant is given an itinerary with 16 stops that includes 4 New York City and 2 national landmarks.
For the 2 ½ hour tour each participant is given an itinerary with 18 stops that includes 4 New York City and 2 national landmarks
Each stop is fully discussed.
Some Highlights of the two hour tour are:
- the narrowest house in New York & Edna St. Vincent Millay
- Jefferson Market Courthouse, Stephen Crane, Harry Thaw
- Gay Street (Gentleman Jimmy Walker - "My Sister Eileen - William Kunstler)
- Sheridan Square & Christopher Park
- The Stonewall Inn (riot) - the Northern Dispensary
- The Federal Archive Building
- Grove Court and "The Last Leaf"
- Landmark examples of Federal row houses built between 1825 and 1833
- Landmark examples of Greek Revival row houses built in the 1840"s
- St. Luke's in the Fields & Clement Clark Moore & Bret Hart
- Isaacs - Hendrick's House from 1799 the oldest surviving house in the Village
- originally: The Federal Archives Bldg.
- Lee Chumley and Chumleys was here
- Isaacs - Hendrick's House from 1799 the oldest surviving house in the Village
- Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman had an apartment here just before they were deported
- The Whittmore Mansion from 1830, John Wilkes Booth, Hart Crane, "Lincoln Home"
The two and a half hour tour includes:
- Mayor Jimmy Walker's home
- Poet, Marion Moore lived here
- the site of St. John's Cemetery which became Hudson Park and then James J. Walker Park
- If there is a typical Village block this is the one
About two hours or two and a half hours long
Meet at: the Northeast corner of W. 10 St. and Ave. of the Americas (6th Ave.)
Guided by Alfred
Pommer an informative native New Yorker, a college graduate and a Licensed New York City Guide, who has spent over 20 years researching, creating and leading walking tours in Manhattan's many diverse neighborhoods.
Interested in a private walking tour" ?
Call: (212) 979-2388 for details www.nycwalk.com
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