The History of Greene Street

In 1840 Greene Street, with 14 brothels, was the center of New York City's sex industry. Since then the street has gone through many changes. with the brothels giving way to garment factories and then, later still, many of these vacated garment factories being occupied by artists as loft spaces.

You can learn more about the long and ever changing history of Greene Street on A Long History of a Short Block by the NYU Development Research Institute. This multi-media interactive uses vintage maps, historical photographs, videos and sound to recount the many changes that Greene Street has undergone in its varied history.

You can view many of the vintage maps featured in A Long History of a Short Block by jumping straight to the 'Maps' section from the main menu. However, if you proceed through the chapters chronologically, you can view the maps embedded within the street's historical narrative. These embedded maps also include map markers, featuring historical information about Greene Street and its wider neighborhood.