Via the New York Times: Art and the Deal in the West Village.

On the once-dilapidated and neglected far west fringe of the West Village, where many of the buildings date from before the Civil War, an almost philosophical dispute has been kindled about the ethical obligations of artists to art and history, over money and progress.

The Village, with its quaint houses and crooked streets, has almost always been a home to artists, but as it becomes more attractive to developers, some preservationists see the artists switching sides and championing money over art.

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