It started when the Third Avenue Elevated Train line — which ran from Chatham Square to The Bronx up Bowery and 3rd Avenue — was demolished in the late 1950s. By 1960, savvy real estate companies and building owners began promoting the district as the “Village East” or “East Village,” capitalizing on its proximity to the more fashionable Greenwich Village.Though traditionally part of the greater Lower East Side, the term “East Village” stuck, and is today, considered by many, to be a separate neighborhood.
Eric is a 4th generation Lower East Sider, professional NYC history author, movie & TV consultant, and founder of Lower East Side History Project.