East Village Update: Happy Name Day E. Village!!

It turns out that today is the 52nd anniversary of the use of the name “East Village” which was apparently monikered by real estate agents in the 1960’s.  The New York Times first mentioned “East Village” in its article entitled “Village Spills Across 3D Ave.”  The article indicates that the destruction of the Third Avenue El (an elevated train in the Bronx and Manhattan) in 1956 “helped stir up a minor social and realty revolution on the Lower East Side.”  Interestingly enough, real estate agents were responsible for the name: “Rental agents-some of them advertising rooms for ‘$40 and down’-are increasingly referring to the area as Village East or East Village.”  Don’t ask what $40 gets you these days in Manhattan.  Of course, the more “luxuries” the apartment had such as “bathrooms, new kitchens and air-conditioning”, the pricier the pad.

 

Anyway, Happy Name Day East Village and many more…