First Among Many: A Three Block History of The Lower East Side / East Village

From Emma Goldman to Dorothy Day, Basquiat to the Ramones, First Street has been a ‘petri dish’ of urban arts and activism since it was first mapped in 1820. Only three blocks long, First St has hosted one of the oldest synagogues, the famous Church of all Nations, the infamous Mars Bar, Little Rickies’ emporium, the first official NYC homesteading building, the first home of the Lower Eastside Girls Club and more. First Street still thrives as the current home of CityLore, two community arts and mural gardens, handball courts, hip bars and coffee shops, a hidden alleyway (names Extra Place), and ends at The Bowery Poetry Club.