110 Seventh Ave. This triangular 373-square-foot space housed Village Cigars for over a century, having occupied the space as Union Cigars in 1922. Its unusual shape and distinctive color and signage made it one of the most distinctive storefronts in the West Village.
It is also well-known for that little triangle seen in front of the front door. In 1910, the city condemned over 300 buildings to be demolished to build the Seventh Ave. subway line. But the city surveyors missed a tiny, triangular piece of the plot at the corner of 7th Ave and Christopher St., a plot holding a five-story building owned by David Hess. The Hess Family refused to relinquish the land, taking the city to court and prevailing. The 27.5" x 27.5" x 25.5" triangle was the smallest piece of private property in New York City history. In 1922, the Hesses installed a mosaic reading "PROPERTY OF THE HESS ESTATE WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN DEDICATED FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES."
Village Cigars was owned by Andy Singh for 26 years, but the business lost its tobacco license and could not settle on a new lease with the building owner. The owner says he plans to retain the look of the storefront, and the building has some protection as it is located within the Greenwich Village historic district, so it cannot be altered without approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
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