West Village

For the West Village development in Dallas, Texas, see West Village, Dallas, Texas

The West Village is the western portion of the Greenwich Village neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The area is usually defined as bounded by the Hudson River on the west and either Sixth Avenue or Seventh Avenue on the east, extending from 14th Street down to Houston Street. Bordering neighborhoods include Chelsea to the north, the South Village, and the newly invented (2009) area called Hudson Square to the south, and Central Village to the east. The neighborhood is primarily residential, with a multitude of small restaurants, shops and services. The area is part of Manhattan Community Board 2.

Christopher Park in the West Village.

History

Some 18th century streets do not meet modern standards of width.

Known as "Little Bohemia" starting in 1916, West Village is the center of the bohemian lifestyle on the West Side, with classic artist's lofts (Westbeth Artists Community), Julian Schnabel's Palazzo Chupi, and new residential towers designed by American architect Richard Meier facing the Hudson River at 173/176 Perry Street.

The High Line connects the historic district to the art galleries in Chelsea and points north. The elevated train tracks running parallel to Tenth Avenue have been converted to an open greenway. The tracks once served the businesses in the area, but have been long abandoned. Instead of demolishing the structure, the unique features have been used to benefit the entire city.

Geography

Stark modern architecture facing the river at the foot of Charles and Perry Streets.

The neighborhood is distinguished by streets that are "off the grid" — set at an angle to the other streets in Manhattan — sometimes confusing both tourists and city residents alike. These roads were laid out in an 18th century grid plan, approximately parallel or vertical to the Hudson, long before the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 which created the main street grid plan for later parts of the city. Even streets that were given numbers in the 19th century to make them nominally part of the grid can be idiosyncratic, at best. West 4th Street, formerly Asylum Street, crosses West 10th, 11th and 12th Streets, ending at an intersection with West 13th Street. Heading north on Greenwich Street, West 12th Street is separated by three blocks from Little West 12th Street, which in turn is one block south of West 13th Street.

The Meatpacking District at the north end of this neighborhood, also known as the "Gansevoort Historic District" and MEPA, is filled with trendy boutiques and night clubs.

Beginning in the early 1980s, residential development spread in the Far West Village, between the Hudson River and Hudson Street from West Houston to West 14th Streets.

Sites and attractions

West Village Post Office

• Jefferson Market Branch, New York Public Library
• High Line
• Hudson River Park
• Meatpacking District
• St. Luke in the Fields Church
• Stonewall Inn
• Village Vanguard
• Westbeth Artists Community

Subway service

• 14th Street – Eighth Avenue at Eighth Avenue; serving the A C E L trains
• West Fourth Street – Washington Square at Sixth Avenue; serving the A B C D E F M trains
• 14th Street at Seventh Avenue; serving the 1 2 3 trains
• Christopher Street – Sheridan Square at Seventh Avenue; serving the 1 2 trains
• Houston Street at Varick Street; serving the 1 2 trains

External links

• Gansevoort Historic District
• Wikipages West Village, a wiki-based business directory for the West Village