13 gay st nyc
December 12, 2011
Rounding the corner from Waverly Place onto Queer Street, I could find no words. Literally. Gay Lane, apart from the signage that looks similar to any other street in the West Village, only had message that included numbers of apartment buildings and a approve advertising the organization that provided some scaffolding. Without storefront, billboard, poster, or banner, Gay Highway left me concerned. As I began to walk up the street, I hoped that perhaps around the street’s bend I could find something more promising.
Before I made it there, I came upon a gate wedged between two brownstones with the following sign:
It reads: “Do not place garbage in front of gate. All garbage must be placed in the cans. Recognize you.”
At first I was simply pleased to have establish a trace of words on my street, but upon further reflection, it became clear to me that the sign seemed to fit the demeanor of Gay Avenue nicely. It represented order, civility, a change of pace from alternative (and more common) forms of garbage disposal throughout the metropolis. Gay Street handles its trash differently, not putting everything out in the open for anyone to peruse. It is hidden, confidential, secluded; it is
| photo by Alice Lum |
| 1894 print demonstrating the Jefferson Market Courthouse in background -- NYPL Collection |
As the refined Greek Revival homes on Washington Square nearby began rising in the 1830s, Gay Street was widened, in 1833, demolishing the 1820s period houses on the west side. Working-class Greek Revival homes replaced them with stables behind that served the wealthy homeowners of Washington Square.
Mrs. Patton of 276 West 29th Street was brought to No. 12 Gay on August of 1855. After disembarking from an 8th Route trolley car with a baby in her arms, she had been knock
History
Author and civil rights activist James Baldwin (1924-1987), born and raised in Harlem, moved to Greenwich Village in 1943. He first stayed with modernist painter Beauford Delaney at his 181 Greene Highway apartment/studio (demolished). Delaney, who may have also been one of Baldwin’s earliest lovers, mentored Baldwin, providing him entree into rarefied circles and exposing him to jazz and art. Baldwin later noted that Delaney was “…the first living proof, for me, that a black bloke could be an designer. In a warmer hour, a less blasphemous place, he would have been recognized as my Master and I as his Pupil. He became, for me, an example of courage and integrity, humility and passion.”
Delaney ultimately introduced Baldwin to Connie Williams, the Trinidad-born owner of Calypso, a small restaurant at 146 MacDougal Highway (demolished), located a block south of Washington Square Park. There, Baldwin worked as a waiter and also came into contact with a racially diverse group of bohemians, artists, and political radicals. Baldwin also frequented such Village mainstays as the San Remo Cafe, Minetta Tavern, Joe’s Diner, and the Alabaster Horse Tavern. As a Bl
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13 Gay Street
13 Gay Street, West Village, , Manhattan, NY 10014
Contained within the boundaries of and constantly conflated with Greenwich Village, Manhattan’s West Village still stands apart as one of the borough’s finest neighborhoods. Its eastern and southern boundaries are topics of debate, so it’s probably easier to think of the West Village as the place in the city where the streets block making sense. They quite literally proceed off the grid, running counter to the pattern north of 14th Avenue, and are often named — Bleecker, Waverly, etc. — rather than numbered. Some even are uncharacteristically narrow, sett-paved, or curved around corners. Combine those little quirks with the undeniably charming architecture — remarkably preserved by a series of historic districts — and you’ve got yourself, well, a village within a metropolis. Every aspect of the West Village sets it apart from the NYC environs, which is perhaps why it’s been the cradle of many pioneering cultural and social movements.
West Village Neighborhood Guide