By George Capsis “Croman’s going to court tomorrow. Want to come?” offered Nelly Godfrey of the now City Marshall-padlocked Christopher Street restaurant, Lima’s Taste, victim of the worst slum lord in recent City history, Steve Croman. According to Attorney General (AG) Eric Schneiderman, he is facing 25 years in prison. At the entrance of the
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How to be a Billionaire: Luck and Diversification
Young John Catsimatidis had just graduated from Brooklyn Polytechnic and was contemplating a summer of TV watching on the couch before he started NYU engineering school when his mother bustled him out of the apartment to take a summer supermarket job with her friend Tony on Broadway and 137th Street. John proudly offers that they
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Remembering Ann Harris
By Walter Michael Harris Ann Marie McCanless Harris, 90, a prolific songwriter, actress, dancer, playwright, and mother of six, passed away peacefully in Kingston, NY on September 10, 2016. Born in New York City on January 31, 1926, Ann graduated from high school in Bronxville, NY and attended Sarah Lawrence College. In June 1948, she
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Bernard Pollock Passes
Bernard Pollock, actor/stage manager, died on September 14th 2016, aged 96 years, after a long illness. Bernie spent his life in the theatre, starting as a child actor in his hometown of Philadelphia, on The Horn & Hardart Children’s Hour radio show. When he moved to New York City, he attended the American Academy of
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Cry Me A River
I was certainly astounded by your story in the May 2016 edition about the real budget of a real individual. This poor senior is so poor that he is getting Medicaid and Food Stamps (which my very high taxes pay for), can’t afford Con Edison or dental care (not paid for by Medicaid), can’t do
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Comments on Jane Jacobs
To humanize Jane and her accomplishments would it not be helpful to mention that her rise to prominence was in large part based on her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities? And before she did that book, a strong career at Time Inc. and Iron Age. And, if you want to humanize
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Jane Jacobs Turns One Hundred
By Andrew Berman On May 4th, Jane Jacobs would have turned one hundred years old. We at the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) marked the occasion with a panel discussion by Jane Jacobs scholars and experts in the field examining her legacy. But perhaps more importantly, we took the opportunity to re-dedicate
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Death Be Not Proud
By Arthur Z. Schwartz I was touched by death too many times this past month. On April 29, Reverend Daniel Berrigan died at age 95; his life as our nation’s conscience had affected me as a young man looking to make sense of the War in Vietnam, and as an adult who saw him
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Trump from Afar, of Mangoes and the Media
By Krishnan Sethu Mumbai is 8,000 miles from New York, but, now, only a day away when it comes to the latest episode of Game of Thrones, Season Six. And closer still when it comes to the great political game for the grandest prize of them all—the U.S. Presidency. Every other hour, the internet
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Neighbors Helping Neighbors Silent Auction/Benefit
By Rima Blair About a year after Hurricane Sandy, a group of older adults formed West Village Houses’s (WVH) Neighbors Helping Neighbors to figure out who might need help in the event of a future flood/prolonged power outage. Soon, our mission expanded to making our community of 420 low-rise, walk-up apartments a good place to
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A Complex Industry
By Steven Monroe Smith Long before I heard the term “West Village,” I was hired as the chef of a restaurant at West 12th and Washington Streets in Manhattan. “We really don’t need a chef,” said the interviewing partner, “but, you’re from Texas and you have experience in high volume. That’s key.” Approaching the 30th
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West Village Original: SuZen
By Michael D. Minichiello This month’s West Village Original is photographer SuZen, born in Beth Israel Hospital and raised in Brooklyn. Her artwork has grown from traditional black-and-white print images shown in galleries, to large-scale performances in public spaces. Retired from teaching photography, on May 1st, her 50th anniversary retrospective will open at the Westbeth
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Doris Diether: The Lady Who Wouldn’t Let the Music Stop
By Brian Pape If you’ve lived in Greenwich Village as long as Doris Diether has, you’ve seen a lot of strange things. But Doris is not one to just watch the passing parade, she’s in the parade! Married at the Judson Church at Washington Square Park south in 1958, she is still a regular
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Unlocking the Potential of a Notorious Women’s Prison: Jail to Become Hub for Social Justice
By Leslie Adatto In a rare twist of poetic justice in NYC real estate, a women’s prison that, as recently as five years ago, earned the dubious honor of having the highest rate of reported staff sexual misconduct in the country, is being redeveloped into a hub of organizations that support women and girls’ rights.
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Meet Mia
WestView’s Mascot Playful, exuberant Mia still acts like a puppy at the age of thirteen. She probably has more Poodle in her than anything else but when her owner surrendered this charming girl to Maltese Rescue, Mia immediately became an honorary Maltese. Mia is truly WestView’s mascot, attending all the monthly Contributor & Production Meetings.
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William B. Dunham, Storied Greenwich Village Band Leader, Dead at 88
William B. Dunham, founder and leader of the Grove Street Stompers, arguably the world’s longest continuously running jazz gig—same band, same club, same night, for over 50 years—died on January 11, 2016. Led by pianist Dunham, the Stompers, considered one of New York’s top traditional jazz bands, played every Monday night from 1962 at Arthur’s Tavern, 57
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West Village Original: Jack Dowling
By Michael D. Minichiello This month’s West Village Original is painter and writer John (Jack) Dowling, born in Woodbridge, New Jersey in 1931. After attending Cooper Union and teaching in Italy for a few years, he settled in New York to be a painter before eventually turning to writing. His stories have been published in
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NASA Memories
By Retired US Navy Medical Corps Commander, Jay Phelan February 1, 2003 9AM EST: It’s a beautiful morning at the Kennedy Space Center, and I’m standing next to an Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopter listening for the sonic booms associated with the landing of Space Shuttle Columbia. Seconds pass, then a full minute, but no
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Madly for Adlai
By Barbara Riddle In 1956, the most coveted political campaign pin was a bit of sterling silver shaped like the sole of a shoe. In the center was an etched whorl—a hole worn in the sole. It was a kind of large private joke: A news photographer had captured a picture of Adlai Stevenson working
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West Village Original: Dina Paisner
By Michael D. Minichiello This month’s West Village Original is Dina Paisner, a resident of Bank Street since the 1940s. Working for decades as a professional actor and model, until recently Paisner has kept a busy schedule. As a model, she has appeared in various magazines and periodicals including New York Magazine and The New
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Remembering Myra Carter — October 27, 1929-January 9, 2016
By Robert Heide “I like Albee when he gets into death,” she said. “Death is big enough to get into, or out of, a few times in the theater.” —Myra Carter I first met Myra Carter through Edward Albee when she appeared Off Broadway in 1994 as the dying mother in his autobiographical play Three
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How I Consume New York
By Diana Hottell We moved into our Village apartment on December 1st. I didn’t want to just see New York, but to somehow consume it. Back in Twisp, Washington (Population 900), I’d often look out at the West 40 toward the mountains, hear a fly buzz, and wonder what was going on in New York
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Tales from Twisp
By Diana Hottell Nibbling at Life “We keep prying apart the folds of this place. Let’s see, in the past week we’ve been splattered with holy water at a Ukrainian church, eaten lunch at the exclusive Yale club, sat by the welcome coal stove at McSorley’s, had a hot dog in the basement of Our
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Sophia at Sixteen
By Doric Capsis On January 8, 2016, a sweet sixteen party was held for Sophia Capsis at the Du Pont Mansion in Old Westbury, Long Island. This mansion was originally built by the Du Pont family in 1916 and serves as a gorgeous example of Neoclassical/ Georgian architecture. Sophia’s 150 plus mix of friends and family
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The Gods of Chance
By Jacqueline Blandi I recently left my job on Wall Street to take care of a 99 year old relative, Henry, who was told he had seven months to live. While staying at his home, I stumbled across a treasure trove of WWII letters he wrote to his future wife, my cousin Evelyn, from 1943-1945. The
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Bayard Rustin Tour Series “Uptown and Downtown”
By Laurence Frommer Most people have heard of Martin Luther King, Jr. and all that he did to end institutionalized racism in our nation. However, few seem to know about the man behind the scenes, the chief architect of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs & Freedom, Bayard Rustin. Our nation owes Rustin, a
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West Village Original: Frederic Block
By Michael D. Minichiello This month’s West Village Original is Frederic Block, senior judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Born in Brooklyn in 1934 and raised in Manhattan, he has presided over high-profile cases involving the Crown Heights riots, Kitty Genovese, and mob boss Peter Gotti. Block
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My Life So Far
I’m 15 years old, and I live a reality very few kids will experience. Every day feels undetermined and a constant battle. It’s my family against the world. I was born in St. Vincent’s Hospital, which was converted to upper class real estate. I was raised in a restaurant that my mother manages to keep
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A Judge Speaks A Federal Trial Judge reveals the “in chambers” drama
By George Capsis For most of us being appointed a Federal Trial Judge would be enough, but not for Frederic Block—he wants to talk about it and has published a behind-the-scenes look at trials like the one he presided over against Peter Gotti. “Come and meet the Judge” Nelly Godfrey pleaded. “I gave him
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West Village Original: Israel Horovitz
By Michael D. Minichiello This month’s West Village Original is playwright and screenwriter Israel Horovitz, born in Massachusetts in 1939. His plays include “The Indian Wants the Bronx,” “Park Your Car in Harvard Yard,” “The Primary English Class,” and “Line,” now in its 40th year of continuous performances at the 13th Street Rep. The
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Photography from the Depression to the Digital Age
By Bruce Poli The evolution of photography in the 20th century cannot be told without the great influence of publications, galleries and museums. Critics, curators and educators played a major role as well. Among the most important voices was John Szarkowski, Director of Photography at MOMA. In his book Mirrors and Windows: American Photography
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Fame and Friendship in The Village
By Richard Eric Weigle How I would have loved to have lived in the Village in the 1950s when Marlon Brando and James Dean were racing their motorcycles through the narrow tree-lined streets of Greenwich Village and Eva Marie Saint and Kim Hunter—both residents of the Village—were winning their Oscars for starring opposite Marlon
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Westviews: “Enclosed is $10 To Tell My Story”
George Capsis: This is Pete Campione, a 92-year-old fan of all your good work putting out the West Village news. I was a high school teacher for four and a half years in the Village teaching Science & Math at three schools after coming out of the service in WWII. Then I got a
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Westviews: WVN Reader on the West Coast
Catherine, My father was a research engineer at the Bell Labs on West St. during the 30s to 60s. I am writing my memoirs and am seeking comments related to the West St. Bell Labs during those years. I discovered your interesting article about the West St. Labs during the War years published in the
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Councilman Appreciation
CORY EARNS A HUG: At a street sign ceremony honoring handicapped fund raiser Larry Selman, Nelida Godfrey, owner of the restaurant Lima’s Taste, hugs councilman Corey Johnson in appreciation. Johnson initiated a letter to the Attorney General Eric Schneiderman last month, volunteering to join in any action against Steve Croman, the greediest landlord in New York, who has for five years
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Kenneth Joseph Poli, 94
Editor of Popular Photography and Leica Photography Introduced the Value of Photographic Images to the Public and Popular Imagination By Bruce Poli Ken Poli, who championed 20th Century photojournalism and art photography in the pages of two leading magazines from 1954 to 1983, and was friends with such figures as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andre
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Warm Words from Tel-Aviv
Dear Edward, I received your letter today and was amazed by the story of your meeting with my father at the Eichmann trial. I hope all is well with you and that you continue to draw as beautiful as you always did. All the very best, Ada Karmi-Melamede Tel-Aviv
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The Name is Capsis, George Capsis.
Dad, I enjoyed the Iran article. I thought I was reading Ian Fleming. How did it go with the 2 blondes? —Doric Capsis
