Search Results for: hess triangle

July 17, 2017

Hess Triangle is NYC’s smallest piece of private land

If you've ever walked by the busy intersection of 7th Avenue South and Christopher Street, you've likely seen people snapping photos of the iconic corner-facing Village Cigars, but what you probably didn't realize is that they were standing on top of New York City's smallest piece of private land. The Hess Triangle sits on the sidewalk at the southwest corner of this Greenwich Village crossing, a small concrete slab with an embedded mosaic that reads "Property of the Hess Estate Which Has Never Been Dedicated For Public Purposes."
Find out the story behind this cryptic message and one of the city's best historic remnants
February 12, 2024

Village Cigars in Greenwich Village closes amid rent dispute

Village Cigars, the iconic Greenwich Village smoke shop in front of Hess Triangle, New York City's smallest piece of private land, has closed after over a century in business. The shop, located at 110 Seventh Avenue and Christopher Street within a distinctive red triangle-shaped building, shut its doors amid an alleged rent dispute between owner Andy Singh and landlord Jon Posner, as reported by Curbed. Posner claims that he signed a separation agreement with Singh, which required him to vacate the store by February 7.
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February 3, 2021

Historic Village Cigars building will be sold

Not only is the building that houses Village Cigars iconic for its oft-photographed location the corner of 7th Avenue South and Christopher Street, but because on the sidewalk out front is Hess Triangle, once the smallest piece of private land in New York City. Real Estate Weekly spoke with current owner Jonathan Posner, who said, "The pandemic has detrimentally impacted the property’s retail income and the expense of operating the building continues unabated." Sources tell REW that it will be sold for around $5.5 million.
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July 30, 2019

Is this marker in Woodside, Queens really the center of NYC?

Located in the middle of a traffic median on Queens Boulevard and 58th Street in Woodside, a marker set in the pavement makes a bold claim: “The Geographic Center of NYC.” The math used to calculate geographical centers is fairly complicated and doesn’t quite account for other environmental factors. However, there seems to be a fair consensus as to the streetside marker in Woodside: It isn’t the geographical center at all.
What's the deal?
February 21, 2019

10 (more) of the most charming spots in the Greenwich Village Historic District

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District on April 29, 1969.  One of the city’s oldest and still largest historic districts, it’s a unique treasure trove of rich history, pioneering culture, and charming architecture. GVSHP will be spending 2019 marking this anniversary with events, lectures, and new interactive online resources, including a celebration and district-wide weekend-long “Open House” starting on Saturday, April 13th in Washington Square. This is part of a series of posts about the unique qualities of the Greenwich Village Historic District marking its golden anniversary. Trying to limit oneself to just 10 of the most charming spots in the Greenwich Village Historic District is truly a fool’s errand. And not one without controversy -- since the last column, more than a few disgruntled New Yorkers whose favorites didn’t make the list have reached out (in almost all cases these were places which actually originally made the list, but something had to be cut). So by popular demand (of sorts), here are 10 more of the most charming spots in the Greenwich Village Historic District, from the smallest piece of privately owned property in New York to a series of "squares" that are anything but.
See them all!
October 19, 2017

Off the grid: The little Flatiron Buildings of the Village

The Flatiron Building is one of the city’s most iconic and beloved landmarks. Since 1902 it’s been a symbol of New York, though ironically its acute angle formed by the intersection of Broadway and Fifth Avenue makes it an unusual sight in our otherwise orthogonal city on a grid. But while the Flatiron Building may be the most famous product of quirky street angles, it’s far from the only one. In fact, the "off-the-grid" streets of Greenwich Village and the East Village contain scores of them, most of which pre-date the 23rd Street landmark.
Take a tour of the little Flatirons
August 9, 2017

Soho and Tribeca’s windowed sidewalks provided light to basement factory workers before electricity

In many parts of Soho and Tribeca, the sidewalks are made from small circular glass bulbs instead of solid concrete. Known as "hollow sidewalks" or "vault lights," the unique street coverings are remnants from the neighborhood's industrial past when they provided light to the basement factories below before electricity was introduced. These skylight-like sidewalks first came about in the 1840s when these neighborhoods were transitioning from residential to commercial and when their signature cast iron buildings first started to rise.
Find out more about their history
December 21, 2015

Did Mast Brothers Fool Us Into Buying Crappy Chocolate?; ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ Monetized

How the Mast Brothers fooled the world into paying $10 a bar for crappy hipster chocolate. [Quartz] A 30,000-square-foot bowling and karaoke amusement complex is coming to Bushwick. [Gothamist] Hess Triangle, the city’s smallest piece of real estate, gets the cartoon treatment. [New Yorker] The ridiculous amount it would take to buy all the items in […]

December 18, 2014

Daily Link Fix: 3D-Printed Paws Let Dog Run for the First Time; Fashion Week Is House Hunting

Derby the dog was able to run for the first time thanks to 3D-printed paws. [Designboom] This Staten Island library recalls the neighborhood’s maritime and oystering history. [ArchDaily] Fashion Week needs a new home; it’s been evicted from Lincoln Center. [West Side Rag] NYC’s “awkwardly shaped” tax lots, like the Hess Triangle, equal over five million square […]