Grove Street – Then And Now (Part 1)

By Richard Eric Weigle and Michael Anastasio

CANOPY OF TREES covering Grove Street. Photo credit: Michael Anastasio.

How is it possible that one tiny street in Greenwich Village could have such an impact on history, pop culture, film, literature and lifestyle?

Strolling along the tree-lined blocks of Grove Street in the West Village and admiring its many birdhouses lovingly hung in those trees, one could overlook the historical significance of its four short blocks and never consider the impact this special street has had and continues to have on New York City’s culture and history.

Hollywood On Grove
The corner of Grove and Bedford streets — the location of the establishing shot in virtually every episode of the TV show Friends, has been a tourist destination for over three decades. But long before Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey and Ross hung out at Central Perk (actually The Little Owl), Grove Street had already established itself as a player in the world of TV and film. The movies Reds, The April Fools, The World of Henry Orient, Author, Author, Hero at Large, and Legal Eagles, all used Grove Street as a location pre-Friends as have more recently, the films Duplicity and Isn’t It Romantic? The TV series Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Ryan Murphy’s The Politician, among others, have been shot here as well. Grove Street continues to be a preferred location for shooting commercials, short films, feature films and television shows because of its stately homes, colorful birdhouses, lush tree-lined blocks and a curve making it easier to film and photograph, especially for period pieces.

It’s a star-studded street where the acclaimed actress Kim Hunter lived (at 28 Grove) when she won her Oscar for 1951’s A Streetcar Named Desire. Over the years Grove Street has also been home to a wide variety of actors and entertainers such as Veronica Lake, Bette Midler, Fisher Stevens, Sloan Shelton, and Andy Samburg. Photos show Eva Marie Saint and Peter, Paul and Mary here as well as Bob Dylan strolling down Grove Street. It isn’t a stretch to imagine Marlon Brando or James Dean riding their motorcycles under its canopy of trees.

Ken Mattel, for whom the Barbie Doll’s boyfriend Ken was named, lived at 17 Grove. Later, Don Taffner, producer of the TV hit comedy Three’s Company lived at the same address. Following suit, mega-producer Ryan Murphy and his husband David currently call Grove Street ”home.” The street is also home to New York’s oldest jazz club, Arthur’s Tavern (since 1937) where Charlie Parker and others played regularly. Right next door at 55 Grove is the popular singalong bar, Marie’s Crisis where Darren Criss, Jonathan Groff, Matthew Broderick and many other celebrities can be found enthusiastically singing along to their favorite show tunes. The building’s owner, Marie Dumont who added her name to The Crisis Papers written by Thomas Paine (who lived there in the mid-1800s), named her new bar, “Marie’s Crisis.” On that same block were Five Oaks at 49 Grove where Marie Blake used to sing and play the piano, the Duplex and Roses Turn where Woody Allen, Joan Rivers and Rodney Dangerfield all performed.

Literary Greats On Grove
Though William Sydney Porter (better known as the writer O’Henry) never actually lived on Grove Street, his beloved short story The Last Leaf was inspired by his time spent in Grove Court, the unique enclosure of six houses with their lovely communal garden. Its charming gate where you can catch a glimpse of “The Court” (located between #10 and #12 Grove) is currently considered one of the most “Instagrammable” locations in The West Village.

92 Grove Street stands out, not only for its unique beauty but also as the former home (in the 1960s) of Alex Haley, author of Roots and The Autobiography Of Malcolm X. On the face of the building there is plaque honoring Haley who interviewed Malcolm X there over 90 times.

Other authors who have called Grove Street “home” are Patricia Highsmith (48 Grove) who wrote The Talented Mr. Ripley, poet Hart Crane (45 Grove) and currently, the beloved author and humorist Calvin Trillin. Though author James Baldwin lived on Horatio Street, he could be seen quite frequently strolling along Grove Street on the way to his agent’s home at 17 Grove.

During the years 1947-1962, #18 Grove Street housed the Grove Press which published Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett, Jack Kerouac’s The Beat Generation and works by other beat generation authors such as William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg.