Jeremiah Moss of Vanishing New York hunted down the history of a 1961 map of Greenwich Village that he saw popping up all over town. The map, which took cartographer Lawrence Fahey three and a half years to make, has been resurrected by tour guide and historian Tom Bernardin, who found the gem in a late friend's apartment. It captures a Greenwich Village of another age, when it was populated by a mix of artsy haunts and "places to buy chickens." (And a distinct dearth of purple people eaters.) Fahey's stated goal was to document "every important place in the Village," which excluded the Hudson River waterfront and extended eastward to Astor Place and hence includes mainstays like McSorley's. And Bernardin wanted to spread the love, telling Moss: "A friend was unemployed and teaching himself Photoshop. So I had it scanned and he spent hours meticulously cleaning it up. Fold lines, etc. Quite a job. I had 800 printed. Quite a financial layout and my friends think I am nuts. But I knew it was just too wonderful not to have it out there."
Among the marked buildings and landmarks, can you spot what Fahey called "the zest of Bohemia"? With a capital B.
Reminisces Moss:
The slice of the city you'll find in this map is filled with the vanished. The people who lived in its world and roamed its streets cared about different things. They must have loved books, because there are lots of bookstores. They also must have loved going to the movies, listening to jazz, and drinking coffee in ramshackle cafes... This is the kind of artifact you'll want to gaze at for a long time, the kind that can transport you?and break your heart.
You get get a copy of your own for $20 by emailing Bernardin.
· 1961 Village Map [Jeremiah's Vanishing New York]
Loading comments...