Joe Svehlak Honored Downtown
Joe Svehlak is one of GANYC's older and more celebrated members (and our 2020 recipient of the Guiding Spirit Award!). Among his many amazing tours focusing on NYC history and preservation-- done for GANYC several times as a fam(iliarization) tour-- is his tour of the former Lower West Side/Little Syria neighborhood downtown. Numerous redevelopments (the building of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, the World Trade Center) replaced most of this neighborhood, but Joe's tours show what remains, and ensure the stories of those who lived there are never forgotten.
So we were excited to hear that the Friends of the Lower West Side organization adopted a plaque in his honor in Elizabeth H. Berger Plaza down there.
They created this nice video for Joe Svehlak, to coincide with this new plaque:
You can also watch this reaction video where Joe gets to see this beautiful tribute:
Congratulations to Joe, and thanks to all guides who work to mentor the next generation, and keep our city's rich history.