Village Preservation has unveiled an impressive new interactive map celebrating the many examples of Greek Revival architecture in Greenwich Village, the East Village, NoHo and beyond (look for guest appearances from Staten Island, Brooklyn Heights and Chelsea).
The launch coincides this week with the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the Greek War of Independence, which helped inspire Greek Revival architecture in America, where the young democracy looked to the world's first democracy and its struggle for independence as a template for architectural expression.
Local entries that showcase the Greek Revival style include Colonnade Row on Lafayette Street, St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery and what's now the East Village's Sixth Street Community Synagogue (originally the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Matthew, pictured above).
"You'll find many other familiar landmarks, as well as some obscure ones and surprises, as well as great Greek Revival buildings of these neighborhoods which have been lost over the years, and some of the original Ancient Greek models that inspired them," said Village Preservation Executive Director Andrew Berman in an email. "It's a great way to mark the anniversary of an event that took place over 5,000 miles away which nevertheless had such a profound effect right here at home and can still see today."
You can access the map and more history at this link.
