The Uncommons
230 Thompson Street | Greenwich Village | built 1903
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The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.
Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.
- 1903
Sass & Smallheiser, a six-year partnership of tenement architects, design the building at 230 Thompson Street
The architects Samuel Sass and Max Smallheiser planned this 1903 building and its twin at 234 Thompson Street. Sass, born in Russia, came to the United States as a child in 1872 and formed the partnership in 1899; he went back to practicing alone in 1905. Of the firm's output, three tenements with stores in the South Village stood on Bleecker and Thompson Streets, and this is one of them.
“In the South Village the firm was responsible for three tenements with stores on Bleecker and Thompson Streets.”
- 1995
A former partner of the Village Chess Shop opens a rival shop across Thompson Street
The Village Chess Shop was a long-term tenant of a storefront at 230 Thompson Street, from 1972 until 2012. In 1995 a former partner in that business opened the Chess Forum across the street at no. 217, which put two competing chess stores within a block of each other. The stretch of Thompson Street between West 3rd and Bleecker Streets came to be nicknamed the Chess District.
- 2013
The Uncommons, a board game cafe, opens in the former chess shop's space
Greg May, Jeff Cassin and Henry Chang opened The Uncommons here, taking over the space where the Village Chess Shop had been. Part of the money came from a Kickstarter campaign, and the idea was borrowed from a Canadian chain of game cafes. At first visitors paid $5 an hour to play; by August 2014 the library held more than 475 games.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2023
Workers at The Uncommons unionize with Tabletop Workers United
The cafe's employees voted to organize in November 2023, joining Tabletop Workers United, part of Workers United NY/NJ within the SEIU. The Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee gave organizing support. By 2022 the business already charged a $10 cover for three hours in its game library.
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- The UncommonsWikipedia
Nearby
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- 70 West 3rd Street1 entry
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- 226 Thompson Street1 entry
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- 222 Thompson Street1 entry