It's been a big year in the push to preserve the Village, thanks largely to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. The group's vigilant director, Andrew Berman, has exhibited a knack for stopping "out of context" buildings from sprouting up on quaint, historic streets, despite the red-hot development pressures. He and his colleagues have become a thorn in the side of New York University, doing all they can to prevent the university from turning the Village into a dorm. Last spring, the GVSHP and its allies scored the biggest coup yet—the first expansion of the Greenwich Village Historic District since its creation in 1969. In May, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission extended the district to include much of the waterfront, covering a total of eight blocks and about 60 buildings. The designation ended a two-year GVSHP-led fight that included a dozen demonstrations and 10,000 letters, postcards, and e-mails to city officials. At least for the time being, Villagers have a powerful weapon in their fight against the onslaught of glassy, glittery towers.