St. John's Place and You

This blog is about the St. John's Place Block Association. The Block Association, also named the St. John's Place Association, was founded in 1968.

The spirit of the Block Association is encapsulated in it’s past president’s letter written in our organization’s newsletter titled “The St. John’s News” Volume 1, No. 1 – February, 1969.

St. John’s Place and You

You, who read this, are either an oldtimer on St. John’s Place, someone who has lived here for a few years or a brand-new arrival. You may rent a floor, or so, in a brownstone, live in a furnished room, have an apartment, or own a house.

You may be black, brown, yellow, or pinkish-grey in complexion, and speak English, French, Polish, Spanish, Chinese or Korean. You may be young, old or somewhere inbetween; have a large family or a small one, or be going it alone. You may be liberal, conservative, radical, militant, reactionary, or non-political.

Whatever you are, you have in common the fact that you are neighbors of three blocks of St. John’s Place – between Fifth and Eight Avenues – and you are members of the St. John’s Place Association.

Your residence here constitutes your admission to the Association and your right to be heard. The formal purpose of the Association, as stated in its bylaws, is “the improvement of our street.” To do this, the neighbors on these block,s, must know one another and understand each other’s ideas and problems.

An important way for us to know what we all want, and then to get it, is for everyone to attend Association meetings. In essence, the purpose of the Association is to find out your purpose to see that it comes about. – Robert Anthony, president, St. John’s Place Association