Remembering Honi Klein: Our Founding Executive Director
Honi Klein, Village Alliance Founding Executive Director and Lifelong Villager
It is with deep sadness that the Village Alliance shares the news that our founding Executive Director, Honi Klein, passed away on Sunday, November 30, 2025. We were informed by her step-daughter’s family, and we extend our condolences to all who knew and loved her.
Honi shaped the Village Alliance — and the neighborhood we serve — in ways that continue to resonate more than thirty years later. A longtime Greenwich Village resident, she was the driving force behind the creation of the Village Alliance BID in 1993, organizing merchants, property owners, and residents to address growing challenges on Eighth Street and St. Marks Place.
Those who worked alongside her described her as “a force of nature” — a passionate advocate who always had the next idea ready. Under her leadership, the Village Alliance:
Shepherded the BID’s formation, establishing a lasting model for neighborhood stewardship.
Led the $2,100,000 Eighth Street streetscape renovation, widening sidewalks, installing historic lampposts, and creating a more welcoming and functional corridor.
Expanded the BID’s boundaries in 2006, bringing University Place and additional blocks of Sixth Avenue, Eighth Street, and St. Marks into the district.
Launched Taste of the Village, supporting Washington Square Park and raising more than $350,000 for its improvement.
Built partnerships with organizations like the Bowery Mission to address graffiti, maintenance, and quality-of-life issues.
Before her leadership at the Village Alliance, Honi worked as a fashion consultant and journalist, later serving on Community Board 2 beginning in 1985. But it was here, in the neighborhood she loved and never wanted to leave, that she found her true calling. As she once said, “I came to the Village right out of college. It’s the only place I ever wanted to live.”
Honi’s influence is felt in every part of our district — from Eighth Street to University Place — and in the Village Alliance’s enduring commitment to strengthening the community fabric of Greenwich Village. The organization we are today exists because of the groundwork she laid, and we continue to build on the foundation she created.
We are grateful for Honi’s leadership, her tenacity, and her enduring love for this neighborhood.