Vintage views of the Village
A fire watcher on the city’s second iron fire tower at Varick and Spring Sts. scanning the horizon for trouble. He would ring a large bell to alert volunteer firefighters to the general whereabouts of blazes.
Vintage views of the Village
By Lincoln Anderson
Local author Anita Dickhuth is kicking off a tour for her new book, “Greenwich Village,” part of the “Images of America” series by Arcadia Publishing.
Through more than 200 painstakingly assembled archival photos and accompanying informative captions, Dickhuth traces the area’s evolution from a Lenape Indian settlement into today’s world-renowned Greenwich Village. There’s also a two-page introduction in which Dickhuth describes the preservation battles of the 1960s and, specifically, activist Doris Diether’s role in them.
Photos were obtained from the Library of Congress, the New-York Historical Society and local merchants and residents, among other sources.
The book includes maps showing how the West Village’s streets follow original Native American footpaths and Colonial-era roads. There are capsule histories of noteworthy buildings, including more than a few that no longer exist. Diether helped the author in the chapter on Greenwich Village’s houses.
Even experts on Greenwich Village are sure to find something new and interesting here.
A Greenwich Village resident for more than four decades, Dickhuth is a visual researcher and photograph editor, as well as a member of the Greenwich Village Society of Historic Preservation.
She will be signing her book at the Barnes and Noble at Eighth St. and Sixth Ave. on Thurs., Nov. 10, at 7 p.m.; at Porto Rico Importing Company at 201 Bleecker St. on Sat., Nov. 12, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; and at Garber Hardware, 710 Greenwich St., on Sat., Nov. 26, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“Greenwich Village,” by Anita Dickhuth, $21.99, 128 pages, softcover, Arcadia Publishing.
