East 10th Street

The City's Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) unanimously approved the East 10th Street Historic District on January 17th. This is only the second historic district in our community and the first since the St. Mark's Historic District passed in 1969.

We would like to thank City Councilmember Rosie Mendez for her help in establishing this district and her ongoing work to protect our neighborhood's architectural integrity. We would also like to thank Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh, and Borough President Scott M. Stringer for testifying in support of this district, and Community Board 3 for passing a resolution in support. Finally, we would like to thank our neighbors and neighborhood preservation organizations for their help.

Our work is not done. The LPC has yet to schedule a hearing for the proposed Lower East Side/East Village Historic District. This district will protect nearly 300 buildings from inappropriate alteration and/or demolition. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it !

IMPORTANT: Mark your calendar for Tuesday, January 17th (time: 1:30pm) for a hearing for the proposed 10th Street Historic District on the north side of Tompkins Square Park.

This expedited hearing was prompted when, along with a coalition of preservation groups, EVCC submitted a letter to the City's Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) last month asking them stop the inappropriate alteration of an 1847 townhouse on the north side of Tompkins Square Park.

315 E 10th Street - Courtesy EV Grieve

The townhouse is part of the proposed East 10th Street Historic District and is one of nearly 300 buildings, along with the proposed East Village/Lower East Side Historic District, that will be protected only when the LPC holds a public hearing on the proposed districts and votes to grant landmark status to these deserving buildings.

This hearing is set for January 17th at 1:30 pm at the LPC public hearing room at 1 Centre Street, 9th Floor.

Our neighborhood boasts resident-serving retail outlets and unique offerings from creative merchants. The East Village is NOT a strip mall - thankfully the monotonous chain stores found in town after town are in short supply here. In an attempt to keep our neighborhood independent and unique, we publish our free Get Local! Guide to East Village Shops each year. The updated 5th Edition is available now!

5th Edition - Pick It Up Today!

Spending your money locally helps small businesses thrive in the East Village. Local shopping also:

-Keeps more money in our community

-Creates local jobs with fair wages

-Sustains small business owners who defend our neighborhood's identity

-Chooses creativity and personality over uniformity

The newly available 5th Edition lists 400+ local merchants and is available in shops and cafes in the neighborhood. You can download the online version here.

We are working to preserve small businesses as an integral part of maintaining our diverse, livable community. In addition to the Get Local! Guide, the EVCC is researching ways to maintain retail diversity in our community.

St. Mark's Bookshop has been a Lower East Side institution since 1977 and is one of the few independent bookstores in Manhattan. But, they are struggling to pay their rent in a market-rate Cooper Union-owned storefront at 31 3rd Avenue. Neighbors and members of the Cooper Square Committee have called on Cooper Union to reduce the rent so our community can retain its independent bookstore. Please buy a book and sign the online petition today! Click here and here for updated media coverage of St. Mark's fight.

St. Mark's Bookshop - Not a Chain

We have long been advocates of supporting local merchants and encourage you to choose small, independent businesses over chains and franchises. Shopping locally keeps more money in our neighborhood and helps retain the unique character of the Lower East Side. Download the Get Local Shopping Guide. It lists hundreds of local merchants and the updated 5th Edition will be available in October!

The EVCC has advocated for years for landmarks protection of the LES/East Village. In July, Community Board 3 voted to support the two proposed historic districts in our neighborhood. Historic Districts preserve architectural character and protect neighborhoods from inappropriate alteration, demolition, and out-of-scale development. The next step is a hearing at the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). We will alert you when LPC sets a date for the hearing.

Serving as a celebration of the improved East Side greenway and sustainable transportation, the fourth annual Lower East Side Kids' Art Bike Parade was held in East River Park on April 30. The Parade was held in conjunction with the NYC Dept. of Transportation and Partnership For Parks 'Bicycle Bonanza', a day-long celebration of safe bicycling. Neighbors enjoyed bicycle decorating, DOT bicycle helmet fittings and giveaways, a free Learn-to-Ride class from Bike New York, bicycle tune-ups from Recycle-a-Bicycle, face painting and the Bike Parade in the park.