2007
Music, ballet and a shared purpose
The Gramercy Park Block Association’s December 3 holiday gathering at The Players brought neighbors together around music, a short Nutcracker performance by New York Theatre Ballet and stories of Christmas traditions from the Block Association’s historian Dr. Eugene E. Weise. Arlene Harrison and Tara Rockefeller chaired the event.
A portion of the proceeds was designated for the Block Association’s annual cleanup, connecting an evening together with the work of maintaining the neighborhood. The published account did not give a final amount raised.
2008
The tradition continues
The following year’s early-December benefit returned to The Players. Harrison and Rockefeller again chaired the gathering, with young members of the children’s committee helping welcome families. New York Theatre Ballet and the band Subanda contributed performances.
The report again identified the annual cleanup as a beneficiary of a portion of the proceeds. Chris Pereira’s photographs preserve the dancers and neighbors who took part, adding a visual record to the Block Association’s long relationship with the ballet company.
2009
A restaurant opening supports the block
On November 4, neighbors gathered at Maialino in the Gramercy Park Hotel for a preview of Danny Meyer’s new restaurant. The cocktail fundraiser brought hundreds of neighbors into the space before its opening.
The November 12 Town & Village account connected the proceeds to the Block Association’s annual cleanup: planting, painting, graffiti removal and power-washing. The evening was an early example of a local business opening its doors in support of the work around them.
