Astor Library Building

The Astor Library was a free public library in the East Village, Manhattan, developed primarily through the collaboration of New York City merchant John Jacob Astor and New England educator and bibliographer Joseph Cogswell. It was primarily meant as a research library, and its books did not circulate. It opened to the public in 1854, and in 1895 consolidated with the Lenox Library and the Tilden Foundation to become the New York Public Library (NYPL). During this time, its building was expanded twice, in 1859, and 1881.

The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers. Led by JoAnne Akalaitis from 1991 to 1993 and by George C. Wolfe from 1993 to 2004, it is currently led by Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham. The venue opened in 1967, with the world-premiere production of the musical Hair as its first show.The Public is headquartered at 425 Lafayette Street in the former Astor Library in Lower Manhattan. The building holds five theater spaces and Joe's Pub, a cabaret-style venue used for new work, musical performances, spoken-word artists and soloists. The Public also operates the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, where it presents Shakespeare in the Park, one of New York City's most beloved summer traditions. New York natives and visitors alike have been enjoying free Shakespeare in Central Park since performances began in 1954.Notable productions in recent years include: The Merchant of Venice, featuring Al Pacino as Shylock (2010); Here Lies Love (2013), by David Byrne; Fun Home, adapted from Alison Bechdel's illustrated memoir of the same name (2013); Eclipsed, by Danai Gurira and featuring Lupita Nyong'o (2015); and Hamilton (2015), by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Joe's Pub, one of the six performance spaces within The Public Theater, is a music venue and restaurant that hosts live performances across genres and arts, ranging from cabaret to modern dance to world music. It is located at 425 Lafayette Street near Astor Place in Manhattan, New York City. It is named after Joseph Papp, the theatrical producer who established the New York Shakespeare Festival, The Public Theater and the free Shakespeare in the Park program in Central Park. The venue hosted Amy Winehouse and Adele made their U.S. headlining concert debuts. In 2013, its 15th anniversary year, it was declared one of Rolling Stone Magazine's 10 Best Clubs in America.

The Astor Place Theatre is an off-Broadway house located at 434 Lafayette Street in the NoHo section of Manhattan. The theater is located in the historic Colonnade Row, originally constructed in 1831 as a series of nine connected buildings, of which only four remain. Though it bears the same name, it was not the site of the Astor Place Riot of 1849. Designed in Greek Revival style and fronted by imposing marble columns, the buildings served as residences for the Astor and Vanderbilt families, and are among the oldest structures in the city. They were designated as New York City landmarks in 1963. Bruce Mailman bought the building in 1965. On January 17 1968, the theater opened with Israel Horovitz’s The Indian Wants the Bronx starring newcomer Al Pacino. Since then, it has gained a reputation for introducing works by aspiring and often experimental playwrights, including Tom Eyen (Women Behind Bars, The Dirtiest Show in Town) and John Ford Noonan (A Couple White Chicks Sitting Around Talking). Established writers like Terrence McNally (Bad Habits), A.R. Gurney (The Dining Room, The Perfect Party) and Larry Shue (The Foreigner) also have premiered plays here. The musical revue, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris enjoyed a successful run in 1974.Since 1991, the theater has served as home to the Blue Man Group, which purchased the theatre in 2001.

Playwrights Horizons Theater School is a studio in the Tisch School of the Arts Undergraduate Department of Drama. Its members are inspired by the synergy that comes in telling stories from every possible angle and diverse perspective. Playwrights champions the philosophy that every performer should write, every writer should direct, every director should design, every designer should perform and, of course, everyone should be on crew. Accordingly, the school invites established and emerging artists to collaborate and create contemporary work for, of, and by its students. Playwrights maintains that the investigation of many methods leads to innovations that invite an exciting and promising future for its students — and for the future of the American theater. Notable alumni include Raúl Esparza, Leslye Headland, Jessica Hecht, Camila Mendes, Rachel Chavkin, Mara Wilson and Sam Pinkleton.

Colonnade Row, also known as LaGrange Terrace, on present-day Lafayette Street in New York City's NoHo neighborhood, is a landmarked series of Greek revival buildings originally built in the early 1830s. They are believed to have been built by Seth Geer, although the project has been attributed to a number of other architects. The buildings' original name comes from the Marquis de Lafayette's estate in France, but the series of nine row houses, of which four remain, owe their existence to John Jacob Astor, who bought the property and whose grandson John Jacob Astor III later lived at No. 424. The buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places under the name LaGrange Terrace and the facades remain standing on Lafayette Street south of Astor Place.

Indochine is a French-Vietnamese restaurant founded in the 1980s in New York City by restaurateur Brian McNally (who had previously co-founded The Odeon with his brother Keith McNally) and music producer John Loeffler. Opened “among the auto body shops of gritty Lafayette Street” it sits in a historic row of buildings across from the Public Theater known as La Grange Terrace, which was, at times, the home of Vanderbilts, Astors, Julia Gardiner Tyler (wife of President Tyler), and Warren Delano Jr. (grandfather of FDR). Opening in 1984 with a dinner honoring artist Julian Schnabel, Indochine quickly became a popular gathering place for members of what is referred to as the East Village art scene, which included Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, and Andy Warhol. In 1992, McNally sold the business to Jean-Marc Houmard — who had started at the restaurant as a waiter in 1986 — along with partners Michael Callahan and chef Huy Chi Le. The restaurant retained much of its original design, including the signature palm leaf motif and low lighting, as well as its unique menu, considered by many as an early example of the fusion cuisine trend in the United States. Critical reception has varied over time. A 1984 review in The New York Times which described it as offering “some invigorating food from Southeast Asia.” In a follow-up piece, they remarked that the "still-trendy-after-all-these-years” restaurant served "vivid and authentic" spring rolls; another review by The Infatuation called the same signature rolls "entirely generic." However, in 2004 Times critic Frank Bruni remarked that “food was beside the point,” calling Indochine “the epitome of cool” and the living idea of a restaurant as a "badge of knowingness and belonging.” In 2009, marking its 25th anniversary, Rizzoli published Indochine: Stories, Shaken and Stirred, a photo book featuring archival images of high-profile guests in the restaurant over the years, such as Madonna, Kate Moss, Grace Jones, Marc Jacobs, Bruce Weber, and Valentino with many of the photos taken by Patrick McMullan, Roxanne Lowit, and Patrick Demarchelier, published alongside stories by writers such as Salman Rushdie, Anthony Haden-Guest, and Moby, and artworks by Francesco Clemente, Helmut Lang, Ruben Toledo, Tom Sachs, and more. Around this time, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour described Indochine as “virtually unique in New York – and pretty much everywhere else, for that matter.”

The Astor Place station, also called Astor Place–Cooper Union on signs, is a local station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Fourth Avenue, Cooper Square, and Astor Place between the East Village and NoHo, it is served by 6 trains at all times, <6> trains during weekdays in the peak direction, and 4 trains during late night hours. The Astor Place station was constructed for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) as part of the city's first subway line, which was approved in 1900. Construction of the line segment that includes the Astor Place station started on September 12 of the same year. The station opened on October 27, 1904, as one of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway. The station's platforms were lengthened in the late 1950s, and the station was renovated in the mid-1980s. The Astor Place station contains two side platforms and four tracks; express trains use the inner two tracks to bypass the station. The station was built with tile and mosaic decorations. The platforms contain exits to Astor Place and are not connected to each other within fare control. The original station interior is a New York City designated landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Columbia Hall, commonly known as Paresis Hall, was a brothel and gay bar located in the Bowery, in New York City, in the 1890s. Located on the Bowery near Cooper Union, the Hall was owned by the gangster James T. Ellison.

Astor Place Tower (also known as Sculpture for Living) is a 21-story residential building located on Astor Place in Manhattan. The building was developed by The Related Companies and designed by architect Charles Gwathmey. The building was panned by architectural critics as a symbol of gentrification, and sales of the building's condos were slow.

Village Voice Media or VVM is a newspaper company. It began in 1970 as a weekly alternative newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona. The company, founded by Michael Lacey (editor) and Jim Larkin (publisher), was then known as New Times Inc. (NTI) and the publication was named New Times. The company was later renamed New Times Media.By 2001, the company (NTI) had grown to 13 newspapers in major cities across the United States. Most of these publications were acquired via purchase from then current owner/publishers.In 2006, with the acquisition of The Village Voice, the company took the name Village Voice Media Holdings. The company is often referred to in this article as NTI/VVM after that date.

The Village Voice is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the Voice began as a platform for the creative community of New York City. It ceased publication in 2017, although its online archives remained accessible. After an ownership change, the Voice reappeared in print as a quarterly in April 2021.Over its 63 years of publication, The Village Voice received three Pulitzer Prizes, the National Press Foundation Award, and the George Polk Award. The Village Voice hosted a variety of writers and artists, including writer Ezra Pound, cartoonist Lynda Barry, and film critics Andrew Sarris, Jonas Mekas and J. Hoberman. In October 2015, The Village Voice changed ownership and severed all ties with former parent company Voice Media Group (VMG). The Voice announced on August 22, 2017, that it would cease publication of its print edition and convert to a fully digital venture, on a date to be announced. The final printed edition, featuring a 1965 photo of Bob Dylan on the cover, was distributed on September 21, 2017. After halting print publication in 2017, the Voice provided daily coverage through its website until August 31, 2018, when it announced it was ceasing production of new editorial content. The Voice continues to have an active website, which features archival material related to current events. On December 23, 2020, editor R.C. Baker announced that the paper would resume publishing new articles both online and in a quarterly print edition. In January 2021, new original stories began being published again on the website. A spring print edition was released in April 2021.