<p data-block-key="xvmcg">On Friday, Mr. Sandler’s NYC History class explored Greenwich Village and the West Village, tracing the neighborhood’s transformation across centuries. In Washington Square Park, students examined its evolution from land owned by free and semi-free Black residents under Dutch rule, to a potter’s field for yellow fever victims, and finally to an elegant public park by the 1820s.</p><p data-block-key="apuh1">The class then turned to 20th-century change, analyzing Fiorello LaGuardia’s urban vision through the “tower in the park” design at Silver Towers and its striking Picasso sculpture. Stops at the Church of the Ascension and the Salmagundi Club highlighted the Village’s artistic and architectural legacy. The students loved exploring the watercolor exhibit! </p><p data-block-key="bntop">Students also confronted the neighborhood’s darker history, from the 1960s Weathermen townhouse explosion to notorious crimes of the 1980s. On MacDougal Street, they explored the cultural revolution sparked by Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, then continued to Bleecker Street for a taste of Little Italy.</p><p data-block-key="ctdp7">The day ended at the Stonewall Inn, where students discussed the fight for LGBTQ rights and the impact of the AIDS epidemic, before walking through the quieter West Village, including St. Luke’s Church and the former Chumley’s speakeasy. The students had an amazing time! </p><p data-block-key="85h8j"><a href="https://canva.link/7hrp3pm3q75183p">See a full size photo collage here.</a></p>
