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DOWNTOWN
POST NYC
News and Events
in Lower Manhattan
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Volume 3, No. 36 July 30, 2016
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"The outreach to the community has been flawed."
- Tammy Meltzer, a Battery Park City resident and member of Community Board 1, commenting on a survey commissioned by the Battery Park City Authority to determine what changes, if any, should be made to South End Avenue and to the arcaded buildings that flank it.
WEATHER INFORMATION: For current weather information, click here.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS IN BATTERY PARK CITY:
To reach AlliedBarton "safety ambassadors," call (212) 945-SAFE (7233). The Battery Park City Command Center is now located at the Verdesian at 211 North End Ave. In case of emergencies, call 911.
IF YOU LIKE DOWNTOWN POST NYC - Downtown Post NYC is emailed free to subscribers, but if you like DPNYC and want to support it, you can do that in three ways. 1) Support Downtown Post's advertisers by clicking on their ads, and if you use their services, tell them that you read about them in DPNYC. 2) Consider advertising in DPNYC if you have a business, service or event that you want to promote. 3) Tell people about DPNYC and suggest that they subscribe. They can sign up at www.DowntownPostNYC.com.
All ads in Downtown Post NYC have clickable links. Click on an ad for more information. MASTHEAD PHOTO: A sculpture by Jean Dubuffet is a centerpiece of 28 Liberty Plaza, formerly known as One Chase Manhattan Plaza. July 28, 2016 (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
 AT TWO OPEN HOUSES, BATTERY PARK CITY AUTHORITY UNVEILS STANTEC'S PROPOSALS FOR SOUTH END AVE. TRAFFIC AND ARCADES
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| | Stantec, an urban design company hired by the Battery Park City Authority, has proposed enlarging sidewalks on South End Avenue and narrowing the street to curb speeding traffic. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
On July 20 at its Town Hall meeting for the Battery Park City community, the Battery Park City Authority revealed what its consultant, Stantec, had discovered about South End Avenue after surveying some residents and business owners, workers and visitors. However, no one in the audience stepped up to the microphone afterward to say that they were impressed. On the contrary. Battery Park City's South End Avenue between Liberty Street and South Cove is just four (short!) blocks long but the amount of angst and furor over what might become of this snippet of Manhattan belies its size. In the fall of 2013, Community Board 1's Battery Park City Committee had begun a conversation about pedestrian safety on South End Avenue and West Thames Street, which intersects it. CB1 worked with the City Department of Transportation to come up with a traffic calming plan that would have revolved around placing planters in the medians of the wide streets in order to protect pedestrians and slow speeding vehicles. But someone would have had to be willing to maintain these planters and CB1 asked the Battery Park City Authority to do that. From this modest request, a gargantuan project evolved. In the spring of 2015, the Battery Park City Authority, a state agency that has administrative jurisdiction over 92-acre Battery Park City, awarded a $272,000 contract to Stantec, a firm with urban design credentials, to create a South End Avenue survey and to come up with some proposals based on the information that it had unearthed. The survey questions plumbed traffic issues, pedestrian safety and (a hot button for many people) satisfaction or lack thereof with the arcades - a distinctive architectural feature of several South End Avenue blocks. The Stantec survey was emailed to the resident managers of 14 buildings on or bordering South End Avenue with instructions to make it available to residents. Some of the business owners were visited by the survey team. Some workers and visitors were polled as they walked down the street. Between Dec. 15, 2015 and Jan. 21, 2016, responses were logged in. A total of 568 people replied. Of these, 260 were workers or visitors, some of whom might never set foot in Battery Park City again. From this rather small sample of the people who would be directly affected by any changes to
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Gary Sorge, Stantec vice president
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South End Avenue, Stantec began to assemble statistics and draw some preliminary conclusions. Gary Sorge, a Stantec vice president, presented some of this information at the July 20 Town Hall meeting. Residents complained about inadequate cross walks, he said. They groused about vehicles not adhering to traffic rules. They didn't like trucks loading and unloading on South End Avenue. They objected to double parking, obstructed sidewalks and tour bus traffic. "Just over half are satisfied with the pedestrian experience on South End Avenue," said Sorge. As for the arcades, he said that 58 percent of the residents said they liked them, but only one-third were satisfied with the retail offerings in the neighborhood. Workers, 44 percent of whom (according to the survey) dine on South End Avenue during the work week, want the shopping strip to offer restaurants, grocery and clothing stores. Slightly more than half of the visitors opined that they found the neighborhood's food and beverage offerings "appealing." There are fewer than three dozen stores or places of business on South End Avenue, but not all
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Denise Cordivano, Battery Park City business owner
and resident
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of them were surveyed. "I received a [survey] email that was addressed to me as a resident of Rector Place and not as a retailer," said Denise Cordivano at the July 20 meeting. She has been in business for 30 years as the proprietor of the Battery Park City Day Nursery at 215 South End Ave. "No one came and talked to me," she said. Stantec reported that the retailers it surveyed had issues with double parking and bus stop locations as well as with street vendors and competition from the retailers at Brookfield Place. "The retailers have had limited success in attracting visitors and tourists," said Sorge. While they acknowledged that the arcades were good for customers, they said that they diminished storefront visibility and encouraged dog waste, according to Stantec. "Every resident I've heard from is opposed to filling in the arcades," said Judy Passer, owner of Le Pet Spa, a business at 300 Rector Place. "The number of respondents to the survey is relatively low," she added. "The outreach to the community has been flawed," said Tammy Meltzer, a Gateway Plaza resident and member of Community Board 1. |
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Shari Hyman, president and COO of the Battery Park City Authority, flanked by Gwen Dawson, vice president of real property and Martha Gallo, a member of the BPCA
board of directors
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Shari Hyman, president and chief operating officer of the Battery Park City Authority, hastened to assure the worried residents that "there are no plans right now." The July 20 Town Hall meeting was followed by an open house on July 25 at which Stantec's preliminary proposals for traffic calming on South End Avenue and for changes to the arcades were presented. A violent thunderstorm that night affected attendance. Fewer than 25 people showed up to hear from some representatives of the survey team and from Battery Park City Authority executives. However, the presentation will be repeated on Monday, Aug. 1. In addition, the graphics explaining what Stantec views as the options have been posted on the Battery Park City Authority website. Stantec showed three options for traffic and sidewalk modifications and three options for renovation of the arcades. "Clearly this is about retail space and all that funny stuff," said BPC resident Don Lee at the July 20 Town Hall meeting. "Let's just call it what it is. You really want to fix traffic? It would probably cost you less for a traffic light and a speed bump than this survey alone." The people in the room applauded. - Terese Loeb Kreuzer
The Stantec proposals have been uploaded to the Battery Park City Authority website. To see them, click here. The Aug. 1 open house where there will be an opportunity to ask questions and leave written comments on the proposals will be held at 6 River Terrace between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. BPC residents are invited to come at any time during those hours. Hyman said that, after the open houses, we "will take what the community says and work with Stantec to come up with what will be viable options and discuss them with the [BPCA] board and then discuss them with the community." |
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Some proposals from Stantec for redoing the arcades on the western side
of South End Avenue.
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THE CENTENNIAL OF THE 'BLACK TOM' EXPLOSION REMEMBERED
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| Black Tom pier in Jersey City as it looked on July 30, 1916, shortly after the explosion that rocked New York harbor and was felt as far away as Philadelphia.
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Saturday, July 30, 2016 is sunny and peaceful but July 30, 1916 was anything but. At 2:08 a.m., an explosion rocked New York harbor with the strength of a magnitude 5.5 earthquake on the Richter scale. Centered in Jersey City, it was felt as far away as Philadelphia. Windows were broken throughout Lower Manhattan and even in midtown. The walls of Jersey City's City Hall were cracked and the Brooklyn Bridge shook. The clock in the tower of a newspaper, The Jersey Journal, more than a mile away from the explosion, stopped at 2:12 a.m. Shrapnel lodged in the robes of the Statue of Liberty.
Seven people died including a 10-week-old baby who was thrown from its crib. Hundreds of people were injured.
The explosion was caused by German saboteurs who set fire to a munitions depot. Since then, Lower Manhattan has been scarred and scarred again, and terrorism is an ever-present reality. How ironic, then, that what is believed to have been the first act of foreign sabotage in the United States is barely remembered by most people, even those who live within sight of where it took place.
This is what happened. World War I had already started but U.S. president, Woodrow Wilson, was trying to keep the United States from being actively engaged. Nevertheless, the United States was selling munitions and other supplies to the Allies (England, France, Italy and Russia) who were battling Germany and the Austro-Hungarian empire.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad Company had established a huge munitions depot in Jersey City on a mile-long pier situated on landfill in the Hudson River, incorporating what once had been a small island called "Black Tom" island after a "dark-skinned fisherman" who formerly lived there.
On the night of the attack, barges and freight cars containing more than two million tons of ammunition were on or near the pier, awaiting shipment overseas. Despite the presence of shrapnel shells, black powder, TNT and dynamite, the pier was not securely guarded.
Shortly after midnight, the few guards who were there discovered some small fires on the pier and fled after sending an alarm to the Jersey City Fire Department. A series of small explosions were followed by an explosion that set the entire pier and all of its contents on fire. Munition shells rocketed across the harbor, making it difficult for the firefighters to even attempt to extinguish the flames.
When the sun came up on July 30, 1916, people looked out on a scene of devastation and horror. Today's residents of Lower Manhattan, Jersey City and other communities that border New York harbor can certainly imagine how they felt - and what they smelled.
It wasn't long after the smoke cleared that the authorities sought to apportion blame. Fingers were pointed at a 23-year-old immigrant from Slovakia, Michael Kristoff. He lived with distant relatives in Bayonne, N.J. and admitted to having transported suitcases for German agents in the months prior to the explosion. He said that some of the guards on the pier were German agents. However, there was apparently not enough evidence to convict him of a crime.
What was clear was that the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company had been negligent in storing so much ammunition at that pier for more than the 24 hours legally allowed.
Despite millions of dollars in damage, no reparations were ordered until 1939 when the German-American Mixed Claims Commission said that Germany was responsible for the sabotage. But then World War II started. Finally, in 1979, Germany paid $50 million to settle outstanding war claims. Some of that money was for damage caused by the Black Tom Island explosion, 63 years before.
- Terese Loeb Kreuzer
Black Tom Island is now part of Liberty State Park in Jersey City. It is directly across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan. On the morning of July 30, 2016, a commemorative ceremony took place in the park and new interpretive signs relating to the Black Tom Island disaster were unveiled. For more information about Liberty State Park and how to get there, click here.
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Bits & Bytes
HOTEL INDIGO ON WATER ST.; MACKLOWE SEEKING $1B LOAN FOR
1 WALL ST.; EATALY AND APPLE COMING TO WORLD TRADE CENTER
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| Paul Hovitz, vice chairman of Community Board 1, and Anthony Notaro, chairman, listening to a presentation about elevators proposed for Broad Street in exchange for 70,000 extra square feet of development rights at 45 Broad St. CB1 voted against the proposal, however the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved it.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
"Carmel wants $52M for excess Fulton Street air rights," therealdeal.com, 7/21/16. "San Francisco-based Carmel Partners is looking to shed 130,000 square feet of excess air rights at 118 Fulton Street, the site of its under-construction 49-story residential tower in the Financial District," says The Real Deal. "Ron Zeff's firm is seeking $400 per square foot for the inclusionary air rights, a figure that adds up to $52 million. In all, the developer obtained a total of 180,000 square feet of inclusionary air rights at the site in a deal with the city, which would fetch $72 million if sold at the per-foot asking price; 50,000 square feet of the 180,000 sum is already in contract for an unknown amount. Carmel bought the site for $171 million in 2014 from David Lichtenstein's Lightstone Group TRData LogoTINY." For the complete article, click here.
"High-end spa blames victim over pervy rubdown," New York Post, 7/25/16. The New York Post reports that, "A woman was molested by a man posing as a masseur at a luxury Tribeca spa whose clients include Justin Bieber, but the facility is blaming the victim - even though her attacker pleaded guilty in the incident, court papers show." The Post says that the woman has "filed a $5 million suit against Aire Ancient Baths in Manhattan Supreme Court, claiming that during a March 2014 visit, unlicensed masseur Edgeman Seker 'touched her offensively and inappropriately on the intimate parts of her body, including her buttocks, breasts, inner thighs, pelvic region and vagina.'" For the complete article, click here.
"Reveal for 24-Story, 122-Key Hotel Indigo at 120 Water Street, Financial District,"
New York YIMBY, 7/25/16. "A rendering has been revealed of the 24-story, 122-key Hotel Indigo planned at 120 Water Street, in the Financial District," says New York YIMBY. "The new building will encompass 51,600 square feet and guest amenities will include a fitness center, a restaurant and bar on the ground floor, a rooftop bar and lounge on the top floor, and bike storage space in the cellar. The hotel rooms should average 360 square feet apiece." For the complete article, click here.
"45 Broad Street Supertall Coming with New Subway Elevators, Financial District,"
New York YIMBY, 7/28/16. "The supertall mixed-use tower planned at 45 Broad Street will shimmer at its apex, over 1,100 feet above the streets of Lower Manhattan," says New York YIMBY. "But at ground level, the Financial District project will bring new services to those who won't even enter the building. On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve new subway elevators planned on Broad Street. The location is along a somewhat unusual individual landmark - the Street Plan of New Amsterdam and Colonial New York, designated in 1983. Broad Street was actually once a canal, and that is why it is much wider than your average Financial District street. After 9/11, it was closed to vehicular traffic in order to protect the New York Stock Exchange from possible attack. That created a de facto pedestrian plaza." For the complete article, click here. (Note from the editor: At its full-board meeting on July 26, Community Board 1 voted against these subway elevators for a variety of reasons. CB1 stated that they were only being proposed in order to provide the developer with an additional 70,000 square feet of development rights and that they would destroy view corridors and narrow the sidewalk "in the heart of the second most visited tourist destination in New York City." In addition, CB1 stated that no environmental impact study had been conducted. However, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the elevators.)
"Macklowe seeking $1B loan for 1 Wall Street conversion," therealdeal.com, 7/28/16. "Harry Macklowe's Macklowe Properties is in the market for a $1 billion senior construction loan for its residential conversion of the office skyscraper at One Wall Street," according to The Real Deal. "The loan would comprise roughly two-thirds of the total construction cost, which has been pegged at $1.5 billion. The conversion of the 50-story tower is expected to hold roughly 500 apartments, the majority of which will be condominium units." For the complete article, click here.
"Eataly Expands in Manhattan to World Trade Center," New York Times, 7/25/16. "Eataly will open a second store in Manhattan in the next week or two, this one in the Westfield World Trade Center complex," says The New York Times. "A juice bar will open at 7 a.m. at the top of the escalators to the third floor of the nearly completed 4 World Trade Center tower, as will a casual restaurant called Orto e Mare (Garden and Sea), with a counter where granola, smoked salmon, pancakes, frittatas and other egg dishes will be served. Later in the day, it will shift to vegetable and fish dishes. Breakfast sandwiches will be available at the panini bar. Other firsts at this Eataly include a salad bar, a gastronomia for prepared food, and La Piadina, where traditional flatbread sandwiches will be made to order." For the complete article, click here.
"Apple will open a store near New York's World Trade Center," cnet.com, 7/28/16. "Apple will soon make its mark in New York's famed World Trade Center area," says cnet.com. "The tech titan plans to open an Apple Store in the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, according to Jason Barlia, market director for Apple's New York stores." For the complete article, click here.
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Downtown bulletin board
BATTERY PARK CITY BLOCK PARTY PLANS; TUNNEL TO TOWERS RUN; BPCA'S SOUTH END AVENUE OPEN HOUSE; RESTAURANT DISCOUNTS
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| | Washington Street on the Lower West Side of Manhattan with two of three surviving buildings from the time around a hundred and thirty years ago when the area was the heart of an immigrant community known as "Little Syria." On July 30, there was a block party on Washington Street honoring the immigrant past and raising awareness about efforts to preserve it. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
Friends of the Lower West Side: Two local historic preservation groups - Friends of the Lower West Side and the Washington Street Historical Society - hosted a community block party to celebrate the "Lower West Side" on Saturday July 30 on Washington Street between Rector and Carlisle Streets. The block party celebrated the neighborhood's architecture and the diversity of ethnic communities that once thrived in the area west of Broadway from Liberty Street to the southernmost tip of Lower Manhattan as well as the cultural bonds that survive today. For more information about the Lower West Side and efforts to preserve what is left of its history, contact Esther Regelson: (917) 705-3886.
Battery Park City Authority South End Avenue open house: As mentioned at the Battery Par City Authority's Community Meeting on July 20, there will be an open houses on Monday, Aug. 1 at 6 River Terrace to see presentations and plans relating to South End Avenue and West Thames Street development. There will be no formal presentation. The BPCA invites people who are interested in the proposals to stop by between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. to share their thoughts, view preliminary concepts and talk to the designers who developed them based upon community input. The presentations on both dates will be identical. Tunnel to Towers Run: In recognition of the special role that Battery Park City, the Financial District, the South Street Seaport and Tribeca have played in the remarkable success of the Tunnel to Towers 5K Run/Walk, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has issued an invitation to the area's residents to join the five-kilometer walk on Sunday, Sept. 25 as a group called "the Neighbors." The Tunnel to Towers Run/Walk commemorates the heroism of firefighter Stephen Siller who, on Sept. 11, 2001, strapped 60 pounds of gear to his back and ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, already closed to traffic, to the Twin Towers, where died while saving others. The Neighbors team is invited to participate in the run/walk and in the after-party. Registration is necessary and children are free. Click here to register. Battery Park City Block Party: The 15th annual Battery Park City Block Party will be held on Sunday, Sept. 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Esplanade Plaza next to North Cove Marina. Once again, the BPC Chamber will be hosting. If you would like a table at the block party for your business, contact Rosalie ( rosaliebpc@gmail.com) as soon as possible. Volunteers are needed for the day of the event to help set up and break down, check in vendors and other tasks. Email info@bpcchamber.com if you can help. Battery Park City Parks seeks volunteers: The Battery Park City Parks Conservancy has three volunteer programs: Horticultural volunteers, Master Anglers and corporate volunteers. Horticulture volunteers work alongside BPC Parks' staff horticulturists, who teach volunteers basic horticulture skills as well as basic knowledge of plants, soil and proper maintenance. Volunteers must be available on Wednesday mornings from 7:30 a.m. to noon. The program runs through Oct. 31. Master Anglers program: BPC Parks runs an extensive marine education program for the benefit of New York City's school children and the general public. Master Angler volunteers are avid fisherfolk who want to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with students who come to Wagner Park in Battery Park City with their teachers to learn about the ecology of the Hudson River, and with the public at Go Fish! events. Corporate volunteers: Battery Park City Parks works with corporate groups interested in giving back to this community. Help with clean up and gardening are needed but the size of the group and the time of year will determine potential projects. BPCPC charges a fee if there are materials or equipment required to accommodate the group. If your company is interested in supporting the parks of Battery Park City through volunteerism email info@bpcparks.org. Include the size of your group, the time of year your group would like to work, and the day of the week/time of day. For more information about these volunteer programs, call (212) 267-9700.
Battery Park City Lost and Found: Plenty of things are lost in Battery Park City, according to Patrick Murphy, AlliedBarton's BPC manager for operations. AlliedBarton is responsible for patrolling 92-acre Battery Park City and dealing with safety and quality-of-life issues. Murphy told Community Board 1's Battery Park City Committee that he could "open a shop" with the number and variety of skateboards that had been left behind by their owners. But many other things turn up as well. To contact AlliedBarton's lost and found, call (212) 945-7233 or email bpcallied@bpca.ny.gov.
Museum of American Finance Launches audio tour: The Museum of American Finance at 48 Wall St. has launched a 12-stop audio tour of its permanent exhibits. The tour was developed in partnership with Antenna - a leading innovative multi-media story-telling company - and is narrated by a variety of experts including the Museum's president and curators, as well as CNN founding financial editor Myron Kandel and architectural historian Damien Cregeau. The tour features the backstories of several of the Museum's most popular collections and exhibitions, including objects from the Crash of '29; a stock certificate issued to Ponzi scheme artist Bernie Madoff; rare high-denomination currency; and the solid gold and jewel encrusted Monopoly Set by artist Sidney Mobell, on loan from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. The most in-depth stop on the audio tour is the 1880 plaster study of the Alexander Hamilton statue by Carl Conrads, which was commissioned by Hamilton's son as a gift to the city of New York. The study stands just outside the Alexander Hamilton Room - the Museum's permanent tribute to the nation's first Secretary of the Treasury. Also on July 12, in honor of the 212th anniversary of Hamilton's death, the Museum has unveiled several new additions to this exhibit, such as an original copy of Hamilton's obituary and a rare 1804 collection of documents pertaining to his death in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr. This includes correspondence leading up to the duel, Hamilton's last will and testament, the eulogies of his friends and colleagues and detailed information on his funeral ceremony. The audio guides are available to visitors on a first come, first served basis for $2 per person. MoAF members and visitors with visual or other impairments will be granted free usage of the guides. For more information about the museum, click here.
Get Low 2016: The Alliance for Downtown New York's popular summer program, Get Low, is back for the third year with restaurant discounts on Tuesdays through Aug. 30. The program brings special deals to Downtown diners with discounts at 34 restaurants every Tuesday night after 4 p.m. Photograph your meal and post the picture to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #DownIsWhatsUp for a chance to win one of the weekly prizes for the most interesting posts. All participants who tag @ICECulinary will be entered to win the grand prize - a cooking course for two at the Institute for Culinary Education's new Brookfield Place location. The Institute will also offer all participants a 20 percent discount on their Tuesday night classes. For more information on the program, click here.
Sunset Yoga at Wagner Park: Come to Wagner Park at the southern end of Battery Park City for free yoga instruction. The class is suitable for people of all levels. Wednesdays through Sept. 28. Time: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Free (but bring your own mat). Click here for more information.
BPC Running Club: After warming up at the Community Center at Stuyvesant High School, 345 Chambers St., members of Battery Park City's Running Club jog along the BPC waterfront followed by cool-down exercises. Thursdays through Aug. 25. Time: 7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Free. For more information, click here.
Sunset Jam on the Hudson: Join a drumming circle in Battery Park City, led by master drummers. Instruments are provided or bring your own. Place: Wagner Park (at the southern end of Battery Park City.) Fridays, through Aug. 26. Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Free. For more information, click here.
River Project Anniversary Harbor Cruise: For the last 30 years, The River Project has been connecting the people of New York and visitors from around the world with the marvels and mysteries of the Hudson River. On Aug. 1, The River Project will celebrate with a fundraising dinner cruise aboard the Hornblower Hybrid. The event will feature the creatures of the Hudson River, live from underwater at Pier 42. Laurie Anderson will add special music. In addition, the gala will honor three special friends of the Harbor's wildlife: U.S. Congressman Jerry Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and author Paul Greenberg. Place: Leaving from Pier 40. Time: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets start at $250. For more information, email cathy@riverprojectnyc.org. To buy tickets, click here.
Battery Park City Parks Summer Events Calendar: For a complete list of events and classes taking place this summer in Battery Park City under the auspices of Battery Park City Parks, click here.
Seafarers Camp 2016: The South Street Seaport Museum 's 1893 fishing schooner, Lettie G. Howard, will serve as a camp for teens this summer. The week-long Seafarers Camp is for middle and high school students, who will acquire sailing and science skills, make friends and have fun aboard this historic, Coast-Guard certified tall ship. It will depart each week from Manhattan and sail into Long Island Sound where the teens will raise and handle sail, stand lookout, navigate and plot a course, steer the ship and sail through the night, taking their watch on deck. In the morning, they will anchor in a quiet harbor for a morning swim. The six-day voyages will depart every Sunday from July 3 through Aug. 26. Campers can sign up for one or more weeks. Cost: $1,250 per participant (covers all trip expenses). Group rates are available. Scholarships may be available based on financial need. For more information, email lettieghoward@seany.org or click here.
Minority and women-owned businesses get boost from New York City: Mayor Bill de Blasio has committed to awarding Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) $16 billion in contracts over the next 10 years. During FY 2015, the City awarded M/WBEs $1.6 billion and is on track to reach the $16 billion goal. There are now 4,454 M/WBEs in the City, a 21 percent increase since the start of De Blasio's administration. Free services are available to help strengthen certified M/WBE's including access to technical assistance, bonding, financing, teaming and mentorship. Firms interested in starting the M/WBE certification process or participating in M/WBE programming can learn more by calling 311, meeting with a client manager at one of the City's seven NYC Business Solution Centers (the Lower Manhattan center is at 79 John St., second floor) or by clicking here.
Manhattan Youth's Outdoor Adventure Summer Program: From Aug. 15 to Aug. 19, Manhattan Youth is offering a week-long sleepaway program for young people in grades 4 to 9 at the Appalachian Mountain Club's Outdoor Mohican Center in Blairstown, N.J. The program will include swimming, canoeing and kayaking, camping, day and night hikes, fishing, outdoor sports, evening campfires and more. Private transportation to and from the Mohican Outdoor Center will be provided. The center is a 90-minute drive from New York City located on 70,000 acres in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The program costs $945, however any child previously or currently enrolled in Manhattan Youth's Downtown Day Camp or After School Outdoor Adventure Program will receive a discount of $100. There is an additional $100 discount for siblings. For more information, email Yessenia Chimelis at yessenia@manhattanyouth.org or call (212) 766-1104, ext. 303.
Downtown Boathouse season: This year's season of free kayaking at the Downtown Boathouse on Pier 26 (in Hudson River Park near North Moore Street) is in full swing. Weekends and holidays, the Downtown Boathouse is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 10. It is also open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings between June 15 and Sept. 15 from 5 p.m to 7:30 p.m. with the last boat going out a half hour before closing time. Kayaking classes take place every Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., weather permitting. In addition to Pier 26, the Downtown Boathouse runs a free public kayaking program on Governors Island, with details about the plans for this season yet to be announced. For more information about the Downtown Boathouse, click here. Reduced fees at Stuyvesant High School Community Center: All-access memberships in the Community Center at Stuyvesant High School (CCSHS) at 345 Chambers St. will now cost $199 for adults (ages 18-61), down from $525. For Battery Park City residents, the price will be $179. For seniors, youth (17 and under) and for members of the military, all-access annual membership is now $79, down from $150 for seniors and $100 for youth. Military membership pricing is being offered for the first time. Battery Park City residents in these categories will pay $59 annually for an all-access membership. Day passes will continue to cost $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and youth, with a first-time $10 day pass option now available for military members. Annual membership and day pass purchases include free access to many classes and programs at the community center. Upcoming classes and programs include group swim lessons for children and adults, tennis clinics, yoga, badminton, total body boxing, the BPC Running Club, and more. The Community Center at Stuyvesant High School is operated by the Parks Programming department of the Battery Park City Authority. The community center is open seven days a week when classes at the high school are not in session. For full membership options or to join CCSHS email ccshs@bpcparks.org or call (212) 267-9700. For more information, click here.
Unclaimed funds in New York: The New York State Comptroller's Office reports that it is holding nearly $14 billion in unclaimed money for New York residents who may have been charged superfluous fees or overpaid a bill, among other reasons for the money to end up in that office. Manhattan has the largest number of unclaimed funds in the New York area with just over 1.5 million potential cases. To search the comptroller's database and verify if you have unclaimed funds, click here or call (800) 221-9311 for more information.
Disposing of electronic waste: New York State and City laws require the safe disposal of electronic waste (such as cellphones, computers and television sets) so that it doesn't end up in landfill. Most electronics can't be discarded through regular curb-side pick ups. The Lower East Side Ecology Center has a warehouse in Gowanus where electronic waste can be dropped off. In addition, the Lower East Side Ecology Center has rotating monthly recycling events in various city neighborhoods. For a calendar of its April recycling events, click here. The New York City Department of Sanitation offers a free recycling service for apartment buildings with more than 10 units. For information on how to enroll, call (212) 437-4647. Finally, many manufacturers offer drop off or mail-back options. For a list of manufacturers registered in New York State, go to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation website by clicking here. If a manufacturer on the list refuses to accept your electronics, notify the Department of Environmental Conservation by calling (800) 847-7332.
Gracie Mansion: Artifacts and Tours: Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City's mayors at 88th Street and East End Avenue, was built in 1799 as a country retreat for financier Archibald Gracie and his family. At the time, the gracious, Federal-style house was five miles outside the city limits - and at that time, the city limits would have meant what we now call "Lower Manhattan." A recently installed exhibit of paintings, sculptures and documents called "Windows on the City: Looking Out at Gracie's New York" sheds light on what our neighborhood was like at the turn of the 19th century. Slavery was still legal, and there was a slave market at the foot of Wall Street. Clipper ships plied the harbor, taking cargo in some cases to and from Asia - a recently opened market. The streets were noisy with the raucous calls of vendors selling oysters, ice, charcoal, milk and many other goods and services. Immigrants began to arrive in greater numbers, many of them living in crowded tenements and working at monotonous, low-paying jobs. The city, already diverse from the time of the Dutch settlers in the early 17th century, became even more so. For more about Gracie Mansion and to see photographs, click here. Free tours are available on Aug. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. To register for a tour, click here. SeaGlass Carousel: Following 10 years of design and fundraising and a setback named "Sandy," the SeaGlass Carousel in The Battery opened on Aug. 19, 2015 to universal critical acclaim and rapturous crowds. Downtown Post NYC was there for the opening. Read about the carousel and see photos by clicking here. SeaGlass Carousel is open daily, weather permitting. For updates on changes to operating hours, follow The Battery Conservancy on Facebook. Admission to SeaGlass Carousel is $5 per ride. Access to The Battery is free and open to the public. Downtown Post NYC photos for sale: If would like to buy prints of a photograph that has appeared in Downtown Post NYC, email editor@downtownpostnyc.com with your request for more information about sizes and prices.
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COMMUNITY BOARD 1 MEETING: Week of Aug. 1
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Duane Street in Tribeca. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
Most Community Board 1 committees don't meet during the month of August except in case of an emergency. However, the Landmarks Committee will be meeting on Aug. 4. |
Aug. 4: Landmarks Committee - 6 p.m.
Location: Community Board 1 - Conference Room
1 Centre Street, Room 2202A North
* 166 Duane St., applications for rooftop pergola and cable railing - Resolution
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Before the construction of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the World Trade Center, Manhattan's Lower West Side was home to one of the largest and earliest communities of Arab Americans in the United States. Little Syria, NY: An Immigrant Community's Life and Legacy tells the story of this neighborhood from its beginnings in the late 1800s to its legacy in Brooklyn and beyond.
May 25 to Sept. 16: The NYC Department of Records and Information Services, 31 Chambers St. Visitors Center. This exhibition was created by the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Mich. For more information, click here. |
CALENDAR: Weeks of July 25 and Aug. 1
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| | "Air Pressure" is a kinetic sculptural installation by Studio F Minus in the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place. It consists of more than 175 animated fabric birds made by the Toronto-based artist collective. It will be there through Sept. 12. For more information, click here. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
July 31: This summer, Poets House will have an outpost on Governors Island - "New York
City Poetry Picnic" - with an exhibition of art and poetry by Lower Manhattan students. There will also be a pop-up library of books on loan from Poets House's 70,000-volume poetry library. Activities will include a portrait-on-a-plate workshop and an ode station where visitors can create short poems that Poets House will share via social media. Saturdays and Sundays through Aug. 14. Place: Nolan Park, Building 4B on Governors Island. Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free. For more information, click here.
July 31: "The Golden Bride," a Yiddish operetta that premiered in February 1923 and ran for 18 weeks in a 2,000-seat theater on the Lower East Side, has returned to the Museum of Jewish Heritage in an enthralling production staged by the National Yiddish Theatre
Folksbiene. It is sung in Yiddish with supertitles in English and Russian that make the words accessible for everyone. The charming and touching story revolves around love and money, the seduction of American dreams for residents of an impoverished Russian shtetl and the pangs and triumphs of immigrants trying to find their footing in a new land. A brilliant production, not to be missed. Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through Aug. 28, 2016. Place: 36 Battery Place. Tickets: $50 (premium seats); $40 (regular seats); $30 (Museum of Jewish Heritage and National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene members). Group rates available. For tickets and for more information, call (866) 811-4111 or click here.
Aug. 3: Join a New York City Audubon Society Eco-cruise aboard New York Water Taxi for a thrilling glimpse of New York Harbor's wildlife. The tour on Aug. 3 goes to the Brother Islands ( Also, Aug. 10) in the East River where herons, egrets, and cormorants nest. North Brother Island was a prison for Typhoid Mary (Mary Mallon), an asymptomatic carrier of the pathogen that causes typhoid fever. She was incarcerated there for years because she had infected (and killed) many people by working as a cook. On Aug. 10 the Audubon Society Ecocruise goes to Jamaica Bay, a stunning 25,000 acre nature preserve entirely within New York City. It is home to terns, peregrine falcons, glossy ibis, ospreys, gulls and numerous wading birds. Place: All eco-cruises leave from Pier 16 in the South Street Seaport. For the Hoffman/Swinburne cruise, time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets: $35 (adults); $25 (children, 3 to 12). For more information, click here.
Aug. 4: See a screening of "Spaceballs" as part of a Thursday evening "movie night" in Lower Manhattan. Free popcorn and food for purchase. Every Thursday through Aug. 25. Presented by Fosun in partnership with the Downtown Alliance. Place: 28 Liberty Plaza. Time: 8 p.m. Free. For more information, click here.
Ongoing: The 24th Annual Poets House Poetry Publication Showcase at Poets House features all of the new poetry books and poetry-related texts published in the United States in a single year from over 650 commercial, university, and independent presses. It is accompanied by the Showcase Reading Series during which established and emerging poets read from their books in the exhibition. The reading series takes place on Thursdays, through Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. The exhibition continues through Aug. 20, Tuesdays through Saturdays, during Poets House's normal hours. Place: 10 River Terrace. For more information, click here. Ongoing: An exhibition at the World Trade Gallery called "Breezy" is about summer fun and
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Paintings by Eric Inkala and Joohee 'Stickymonger' Park at the World Trade Gallery.
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features the colorful work of seven artists. Through Aug. 31. Place: 120 Broadway (at Cedar Street). Phone: (212) 619-2030. For more information including gallery hours, click here.
Ongoing: An exhibition called "Dunsmore: Illustrating the American Revolutionary War" opened on June 17 at the Fraunces Tavern Museum. John Ward Dunsmore (1856-1945) was a realistic and accurate genre painter who focused on the American Revolution and Early Republic. Through a chronological display of the Revolutionary War, this exhibition returns 47 recently conserved paintings to their rightful place in the iconography of American culture. Place: 54 Pearl St. Open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Admission: $7; $4 (seniors, students and children 6 to 18); free (children under 5 and active military). For more information, click here.
Ongoing: "Stitching History from the Holocaust," an exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, re-creates the dress designs of Hedy Strnad. In 1939, she and her husband, Paul, wrote to his American cousin seeking help to escape Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. Nearly 60 years later, the Strnad family discovered the letter in their basement, along with a packet of Hedy's dress designs. While Hedy and Paul did not survive, their story is brought to life through the contemporary creation of Hedy's designs and the piecing together of this couple's history. Through Aug. 14, 2016. Place: 36 Battery Place. The museum is open Sunday to Friday. Tickets: $12; $10 (seniors, 65 and up); $7 (students); free (children, 12 and under and museum members). For hours and more information, click here. Ongoing: Aboard the historic lighthouse tender Lilac, a photography exhibition by Richard W. Golden entitled "Defending New York Harbor: The City's Waterfront Forts" documents the fortifications that protectively ring New York Harbor. Through July 31. Place: Pier 25 in Hudson River Park. Time: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Thursdays) and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Saturdays and Sundays). Free. For more information, click here.
Ongoing: "Street of Ships: The Port and Its People" in the South Street Seaport Museum's 12 Fulton St. lobby. The exhibition showcases works of art and artifacts from the museum's permanent collections related to the 19th century history of the Port of New York. The objects on display illuminate the Seaport's decisive role in securing New York City's place as America's largest city and the world's busiest port by the start of the 20th century. On view through 2016. Place: 12 Fulton St. Time: Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets: $12; $8 (seniors 65+, Merchant Mariners, Active Duty Military and students (with valid ID); $6 (kids, ages 6-17); free (children ages 5 and under). For more information or to reserve tickets, click here. Ongoing: "Rethinking Cities for the Age of Global Warming" is the title of the newest exhibition at the Skyscraper Museum. Of the world's 20 largest megacities - metropolitan areas with a population of 10 million or more - seven are located in the tropical countries and islands of Southeast Asia. WOHA - the practice begun in 1994 by architects Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell - has built extensively in the tiny city-state of Singapore, as well as in Bangkok, Mumbai, and other megacities in the region. WOHA proposes - and has built - tropical skyscrapers enveloped by nature and vertical villages with sky gardens, breezeways, and elevated parks. At a time when global warming threatens the future, the enlightened work of WOHA rethinks the urban environment, offering prototypes that use vertical density to create highly social, sustainable, and garden-filled cities. Through Sept. 4, 2016. Place: Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery Place. Museum open, Wednesday-Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Admission: $5; $2.50 (students and seniors). For more information, click here.
Ongoing: "Unbound: Narrative Art of the Plains" at the National Museum of the American Indian traces the evolution of the narrative art form from historic hides, muslins and ledger books to a selection of contemporary works by Native artists, the majority commissioned for this exhibition. Warrior-artists from the Native nations of North America's plains have long used pictures to depict visionary experiences and successes in battle and horse raiding. When the U.S. government enacted policies from 1870 to 1920 that forced Plains people to give up their traditions, drawings became a crucial means of addressing cultural upheaval. Since the 1960s, narrative artists have blended traditional and modern materials to depict everything from ceremonies and family histories to humor and contemporary life. Through Dec. 4, 2016. Place: 1 Bowling Green. The museum is open daily. Free. For more information, click here.
Ongoing: The exhibition, "New York's Yiddish Theater: From the Bowery to Broadway," is playing at the Museum of the City of New York (definitely uptown - the museum is at 1220 Fifth Ave., at 103rd Street - but the subject matter recalls the downtown heyday of the Yiddish theater in New York City). New York's first Yiddish production was staged in 1882. In the ensuing decades, so many Yiddish theaters opened on Second Avenue between Houston Street and East 14th Street that the area was known as the "Yiddish Rialto." The exhibition features more than 250 artifacts, including photographs, costumes, playbills, sets, drawings, sculptures and film clips. Some of them came from the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City, now affiliated with Folksbiene, the National Yiddish Theatre - one of the co-presenters of the exhibition along with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the National Yiddish Book Center. Place: Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Chalsty's Caf� in the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets: Suggested admission, $14; $10 (seniors and students with ID); free (under age 20 and members). For more information, click here.
Ongoing: In Atlanta, in 1915, Leo Frank became the only Jew ever lynched in the United States. He was accused of murdering a 13-year-old girl who worked at the pencil factory that he managed. His trial, murder and the aftermath are the subject of an exhibition, "Seeking Justice: The Leo Frank Case Revisited." Through Aug. 28, 2016. Place: Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place. Open Sunday to Friday (closed Saturdays). For more information, click here. Ongoing: "Cer�mica de los Ancestros: Central America's Past Revealed" displays 155 ancient objects from the National Museum of the American Indian's rarely seen collections of Central American ceramics. The exhibition examines seven regions representing distinct Central American cultural areas that are today part of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, where Central America's first inhabitants lived. Dating back to 1000 B.C., the ceramics help tell the story of the innumerable achievements of these ancient civilizations, each with unique, sophisticated ways of life, value systems and arts. Through December 2017. Place: 1 Bowling Green. The National Museum of the American Indian is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Thursdays, until 8 p.m. Free. For more information, click here. For a video related to the exhibition, click here.
Ongoing: "America in Circulation: A History of US Currency Featuring the Collection of Mark R. Shenkman," an exhibition at the Museum of American Finance, showcases around 250 rare examples of American paper money accompanied by large, interactive touch screen displays. From Colonial times, American money has told a fascinating story of the country's struggles and successes. Often local and national currencies competed and coexisted with each other, while economic depression, war and counterfeiting drove constant advances in design. The exhibition spans the period from the Colonial era to the present day. Highlights include rare examples of currency bearing the signatures of signers of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence; a complete set of notes from the Educational Series of 1896, renowned for being the most beautiful paper money in American history; and rare examples of high denomination notes including $5,000 and $10,000 bills. Through March 2018. To see an online version of the exhibition, click here. Place: 48 Wall St. Museum is open Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission: $8; $5 (students and seniors); free (museum members and kids 6 and under). For more information, click here.
Ongoing: The Woolworth Building was designed by Cass Gilbert to house the offices of the F. W. Woolworth Company and was the tallest building in the world from 1913 until 1930. With its ornamental gothic-style exterior, it dominated the New York City skyline and served as an icon of American ingenuity with state of the art steel construction, fireproofing and high-speed elevators and it was dubbed "the Cathedral of Commerce." The building is still privately owned and operated, and has long been closed to the public. Tours of its magnificent landmarked lobby featuring marble, mosaics, and murals have only recently been made available and can be taken for 30-minutes, 60-minutes or 90-minutes. Custom and Private tours for groups of 10 - 35 can also be arranged. Place: 233 Broadway. Various times. Tickets: $20, $30 and $45, depending on the length of the tour. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.
Ongoing: The National Museum of the American Indian is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free admission. It offers free films, docent-led tours of its exhibitions and tours of its premises, the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, designed by Cass Gilbert. The building, which was completed in 1907, is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One Bowling Green. Phone: (212) 514-3700. For the museum's calendar, click here.
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Downtown Post NYC is emailed to subscribers twice a week.
Editor: Terese Loeb Kreuzer
All articles and photographs in Downtown Post NYC are copyrighted and
may not be reprinted or republished without written permission.
� 2016
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