The East Village is a neighborhood on the East Side of Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is roughly defined as the area east of the Bowery and Third Avenue, between 14th Street on the north and Houston Street on the south. The East Village contains three subsections: Alphabet City, about the single-letter-named avenues located to the east of First Avenue; Little Ukraine, near Second Avenue and 6th and 7th Streets; and the Bowery, located around the street of the same name.
Initially, what is now the East Village was occupied by the Lenape Native Americans and was then divided into plantations by Dutch settlers. During the early 19th century, the East Village contained many of the city’s most opulent estates. By the middle of the century, it grew to include a large immigrant population—including what was once referred to as Manhattan‘s Little Germany—and was considered part of the nearby Lower East Side. By the late 1960s, many artists, musicians, students, and hippies began to move into the area, and the East Village was given its own identity. Since at least the 2000s, gentrification has changed the neighborhood’s character.
Upscale Neighborhood
The Commissioners’ Plan and the resulting street grid were the catalysts for the city’s northward expansion. For a short period, the portion of the Lower East Side that is now the East Village was one of the wealthiest residential neighborhoods in the city. Bond Street between the Bowery and Broadway, just west of the East Side within present-day NoHo, was considered the most upscale street address in the city by the 1830s, with structures such as the Greek Revival-style Colonnade Row and Federal-style rowhouses. The neighborhood’s prestigious nature could be attributed to several factors, including a rise in commerce and population following the Erie Canal’s opening in the 1820s. EZ Bed Bug Exterminator NYC
Gas Explosion
On March 26, 2015, a gas explosion occurred on Second Avenue after tapping a gas line. The explosion and fire destroyed three buildings at 119, 121, and 123 Second Avenue, between East 7th Street and St. Marks Place. Two people were killed, and at least twenty-two people were injured, four critically. Three restaurants were also destroyed in the explosion. Landlord Maria Hrynenko and an unlicensed plumber, and another employee were sentenced to prison time for their part in causing the explosion in New York State Supreme Court. Ms. Hrynenko allowed an illegal gas line to be constructed on her property.
Restaurants Nearby
- Remedy Diner is located at 245 E Houston St, New York, Manhattan, NY
- Westville is located at 173 Avenue A, New York, NY
- Root & Bone is located at 200 E 3rd St, New York, NY
Check out other neighborhoods like Greenwich Village