The campaign at 38 Gramercy Park North

When a late-night wine bar was proposed for the basement of 38 Gramercy Park North, residents saw a question larger than one liquor license. They asked how a commercial use would affect a one-lane residential street, the surrounding buildings and the character established by the 1831 Gramercy Park Trust.

Over twelve months, the Gramercy Park Block Association helped residents understand the proposal, organize letters and petitions, retain counsel and testify at public hearings. The archive records a petition representing more than 700 people in 32 Gramercy Park Lot Owner buildings, as well as testimony from the local precinct about traffic and emergency response.

In January 2011, the New York State Liquor Authority denied the license. Its closing statement acknowledged the neighborhood’s special character and concluded that the proposal would not be in the public interest.