The Asian-American and Pacific Islander community has a more than 150-year-long history in the United States, dating back to the first wave of Chinese and Japanese immigrants settling on the West Coast. And while nearby neighborhoods like Chinatown or the Lower East Side may have been much more prominent hubs for Asian-Americans, Greenwich Village and the East Village nevertheless can boast a long and impressive roster of individuals, organizations, institutions, and events located here that played an important role in the story of Asian-Americans in our city and country — especially (and unsurprisingly) in relation to civil rights and the arts. It is here that rights were won; discrimination was given a human face; innovations in painting, writing, and sculpture took place; and people gathered to confront the challenges and opportunities presented by the world around them. Here are just a few of those inspiring individuals, places, and associations:

197 Second Avenue Building Date : 1878 Original Use : Residential Original Owner : Jacob Schmitt Original Architect : William Jose Description & Building Alterations A pair of twin five story buildings, 199 and 197 Second Avenue were built in 1878 as French Flats designed by William Jose. The buildings each had one flat per floor, for a total of four families in each building. This class of buildings were some of the earliest types of middle-class apartment housing seen in New York City and unlike tenements, they were marketed to and attracted a wealthier clientele. Little now remains of the original detailing of this building other than the metal cornice. The brownstone facade, which has been stuccoed and painted, would have once had projecting window lintels and sills and a projecting entry surround atop a raised-stoop. The stoop was removed in 1915 and commercial space was put into the new first floor. From 1941 until 2008 the first floor was home to Jade Mountain, a Chinese restaurant that was a hallmark of the East Village. It was here that singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist Pete Seeger held his first gig, at a lunch for refugees of the Spanish Civil War, in 1941.