Kate Akerly's (akerlyre) Blog

West Village landmark, Fedora, opened as an unnamed speakeasy in 1917 and was later called Charlie’s Garden.  It was taken over by the original owner’s son and his wife, Fedora, in 1952.  It was one of the few restaurants in the neighborhood at the time that was patronized by heterosexuals even ...

The Greenwich Village Society for Historical preservation launched the Landmarks Applications Webpagewhich, according to the website, maintains “A running record of applications to theNYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) for work on landmarked properties in Greenwich Village, NoHo, Gansev...

As NYU proceeds with its efforts to bring to fruition its massive expansion plans in Greenwich Village, preservationists are promoting alternative ideas.  With commercial vacancy rates in the nearby Financial District at less than desirable levels and the anticipated completion of millions of ad...

For a variety of reasons, traditional wood burning fireplaces are becoming less popular or simply aren’t available to everyone living in Manhattan.  However, there are certainly alternatives that can satisfy the primal lust for fire and warm your apartment on those cold winter nights.   Most of ...

    Paul Purcell is a co-founder of Rutenberg Realty, a top ten boutique residential real estate firm based in Manhattan.  A respected industry voice, Purcell is often quoted in such prestigious publications as The New York Times, and has appeared frequently on New York 1 News as well as CNN, CNB...

  Last week in review - (January 17 – 21, 2011) The US dollar is starting 2011 with its value dropping relative to other currencies. Let’s take a look at why and what this could mean for home loan rates. Some of the dollar’s drop is attributed to the recent strength in the euro, which has gotten ...

We thought we would take a look at two anticipated arrivals to the Village dining scene today.  First, we haveAlex Stupak’s new venture, Empellon.  We’ve heard rumblings of this project for a while now.  Last Fall, Community Board 2 asked the owners to garner more community support before return...

  Jane Street’s long history in Greenwich Village as evolved over time.  Historians believe that its name was derived from a cow path that at one time lead to the Jayne Farm which grew tobacco in the area.  Today, at the most western point of Jane Street lays a storied building with a somewhat so...