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DOWNTOWN
POST NYC
News and Events
in Lower Manhattan
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Volume 6,
No. 6
April 2, 2019
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
""We - the members of the Judiciary Committee, the House of Representatives and the entire American public - are still waiting to see that report. We will not wait much longer. We have an obligation to read the full report, and the Department of Justice has an obligation to provide it, in its entirely, without delay."
- U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, writing in The New York Times about the need to have the unredacted Mueller report released immediately
WEATHER INFORMATION: For current weather information,
click here.
Go to
www.DowntownPostNYC.com for breaking news and for updated Downtown Post NYC bulletin board and calendar information.
MASTHEAD PHOTO:
Squill (Scilla mischtschenkoana) blooming in Rockefeller Park.
March 22, 2019 (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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Women's History Month is officially over for another year, having given us the opportunity to listen to the work of female composers, to look at the work of female artists and to read the obituaries of accomplished women who had somehow previously escaped the attention of the press. I'm sure this recognition is much appreciated by all who consider themselves female.
Previously, I had had the impression that Women's History Month was sort of like Mother's Day - a Hallmark holiday designed to sell something such as flowers or dinner for the whole family in a restaurant. However, I was wrong. In fact, Women's History Month has a long bloodline. Its antecedents include Women's Day, first observed in New York City on February 28, 1909 and organized by the Socialist Party of America. At the International Socialist Woman's Conference in 1910, a German activist named Clara Zetkin proposed that March 8 be designated as an annual day on which to honor working women. They wanted the right to work without discrimination.
From these antecedents, Women's Day turned into Women's History Week and then into Women's History Month. In the United States, President Jimmy Carter got the ball rolling in February 1980 when he issued a presidential proclamation designating the week of March 8, 1980 as National Women's History Week. For the rest of the 1980's, Congress passed a resolution every year authorizing the U.S. President to proclaim a week in March as Women's History Week.
Women's History Month first cropped up in 1987 after the National Women's History Project petitioned Congress to designate the month of March 1987 as Women's History Month. Congress graciously complied. Since 1988, U.S. Presidents have issued proclamations every year designating March as Women's History Month.
However despite all this applause, things are not going quite as well for women as might be desired. This year, Business Insider honored March 8 by publishing a story entitled "6 charts that show the glaring gap between men and women's salaries." The article stated that the median full-time female worker makes just 80.7 cents for every dollar that her male counterpart makes." The gap between male and female pay varies depending on race, age and geographical location. Among the 25 largest U.S. cities, New York falls roughly in the middle with an annual $9,493 overall pay gap between men and women.
This is not just a circumstantial occurrence due, say, to dropping out of the workforce for awhile to have children only to catch up later. One chart in this article shows that women's earnings are lower than men's over the course of their respective lifetimes with women over the age of 75 "almost twice as likely [as men] to live in poverty."
In addition to the pay gap, there is the problem that women are less likely than men to be promoted into senior positions in their companies. A study done by McKinsey & Co. and Lean In cited in the Business Insider article looked at 132 companies employing more than 4.6 million people and found that only one in five senior executives were women.
"For every 100 women promoted to the manager level, another study found 130 men are promoted," the article states, "even though women consistently ask for promotions and raises more. One of the reasons the McKinsey study found for this was because when women negotiate, people like them less for it." They are more likely than men "to receive feedback that they are 'intimidating,' 'too aggressive,' or 'bossy.'"
On Jan. 23 of this year, City Councilmembers Margaret Chin and Helen Rosenthal held an oversight hearing on the growing number of older women in New York City living in poverty. Older adults are the fastest growing segment of New York City's population, with women significantly outnumbering men in this age group.
"As New York City's population steadily ages, local government must begin to plan now for their needs, especially women and other groups who are already more socially and economically vulnerable," Chin and Rosenthal stated in a press release announcing the hearing.
Look for more about this in a future issue of Downtown Post NYC.
Terese Loeb Kreuzer
Editor
The emailed Downtown Post NYC newsletter is appearing less frequently than formerly, however,
Downtown Post NYC's website (www.DowntownPostNYC.com) is updated daily. That's the place to check for urgent messages, breaking news and reminders of interesting events in and around Lower Manhattan. So be sure to look at the website every day, especially if you want to know about breaking news.
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 AS PART OF AN UPCOMING EXHIBITION ON AUSCHWITZ, A GERMAN FREIGHT CAR IS INSTALLED AT THE MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE
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On March 31, a German National Railroad freight car was installed on the plaza in front of the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City, as part of the museum's upcoming exhibition, "Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away." This freight car, which would have been packed with 80 to 100 people, was one of many that the Nazis employed to transport people - most of them, Jews - to Auschwitz to be killed. The exhibition will open to the public on May 8. (Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
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Downtown Post Politics
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN JERROLD NADLER CONFRONTS U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL BARR OVER MUELLER REPORT
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Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) stood outside the Battery Park City public library for two hours on Aug. 9, 2018 to meet and talk with constituents. In November 2018, Nadler was re-elected to his 13th full term in the U.S. House of Representatives and is now chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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The voters of the 10th Congressional District (which includes Battery Park City, Tribeca and the Financial District) first elected Jerrold Nadler to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992. During the intervening years, he has served on important committees, sponsored legislation and fought vigorously for bills that directly affect his constituents such as the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which finally passed Congress on Dec. 22, 2010 after years of effort and which is once again in jeopardy.
In the election of November 2018, when the Democrats became the majority party in the House of Representatives, committee chairmanships shifted to the Democrats and Nadler became chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee. It is responsible for overseeing the administration of justice within the federal court system, administrative agencies and federal law enforcement. It is also responsible, when necessary, for originating presidential impeachment proceedings that then go to the full House of Representatives for further discussion and a vote.
Nothing in Nadler's long career has been as high profile or with as much at stake as the political and legal battle that he is now waging against U.S. Attorney General William Barr to get him to release the full, unredacted report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and into "obstruction of justice" on the part of President Donald Trump and others associated with his campaign and with the executive branch of the U.S. government.
On March 25, Nadler along with five other House of Representatives committee chairmen wrote to Attorney General Barr "demanding" that he provide them with the full Mueller report along with all of its underlying documents by April 2.
Barr demurred. He said he needed until "mid-April" to pull all of this together. Nadler responded that April 2 was a firm deadline.
Today is April 2. It seems likely that Barr will not comply with Nadler's demand for the full, unredacted Mueller report. Nadler, who is usually even-tempered, has a fiery Op-Ed in today's New York Times declaring that this means war.
"For nearly two years, the country has waited to read the report," he writes. "Over those many months, President Trump has raged against the institutions that make our democracy possible - among them, the free press, the courts and his own Department of Justice. When the special counsel indicted members of the president's inner circle, his attacks got louder.
"Before the formal investigation began, Mr. Trump fired his F.B.I. director. He later fired his attorney general. He reportedly attempted to fire the special counsel himself. Despite this profoundly unacceptable behavior, the special counsel persevered and wrote his report.
"We - the members of the Judiciary Committee, the House of Representatives and the entire American public - are still waiting to see that report. We will not wait much longer. We have an obligation to read the full report, and the Department of Justice has an obligation to provide it, in its entirely, without delay. If the department is unwilling to produce the full report voluntarily, then we will do everything in our power to secure it for ourselves."
This will probably mean that the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee will subpoena the Mueller report. The Judiciary Committee will vote on Wednesday, April 3 as to whether to authorize subpoenas.
In his New York Times Op-Ed, Nadler reminded its readers that "Congress, not the attorney general, has a duty under the Constitution to determine whether wrongdoing has occurred. ...The attorney general's recent proposal to redact the special counsel's report before we receive it is unprecedented. We require the evidence, not whatever remains after the report has been filtered by the president's political appointee."
- Terese Loeb Kreuzer
For "America Is Done Waiting for the Mueller Report," Rep. Jerrold Nadler's Op-Ed in The New York Times, click here.
For an article from Bloomberg.com entitled "Democrats Begin Subpoena Process for Mueller Report, Trump Aides," click here.
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Bits & Bytes
CITY WINERY MOVING TO PIER 57; PRESERVATIONISTS LOSE CLOCK FIGHT; CONTAMINATED SEAPORT LOT SPARKS STATE REVIEW
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This picture, taken on June 29, 2014 was captioned "Artists with grants for working space from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, sometimes open their Governors Island studios to the public." Now the building where this picture was taken - a former munitions warehouse dating from the 1870s - is being transformed into a permanent cultural center with galleries, studio space for artists and a café. (Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
"City Winery to move to Pier 57,"
Crain's New York Business, 4/1/19. "Popular music venue, vintner and eatery City Winery is moving from its longtime home in Hudson Square to Pier 57," Crain's New York Business reports. "City Winery is taking space in what is known as the pier's headhouse, the portion of the expansive waterfront building that borders 11th Avenue across the West Side Highway from West 15th Street. The venue is the first of what is expected to be several food tenants at the pier, which is undergoing a $350 million transformation into creative offices for Google, shopping and eating spaces, and a rooftop park. The project's developers, RXR Realty and Youngwoo & Associates, had previously planned to install a cavernous food hall at the pier curated by late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. In addition to City Winery, the developers are planning a smaller food hall as well as a rooftop restaurant." For the complete article,
click here.
"In South Street Seaport, a contaminated lot becomes a flashpoint for a neighborhood,"
Curbed.com, 3/28/19. "After a swell of concern over plans to clean up a contaminated block-sized lot in South Street Seaport, officials are in the midst of responding to hundreds of comments before releasing a decision on whether the land is eligible for remediation through a state program," says Curbed.com. "The Howard Hughes Corporation has applied for inclusion in the state's Brownfield Cleanup Program after discovering a stew of contaminates on 250 Water Street, including mercury, petroleum, and material used to level land that contains semi-volatile organic compounds. But the site is adjacent to the Peck Slip School, and a cobblestone street that students use as a play area separates the properties, setting off alarm bells for parents who are concerned about their children's safety. Since plans to clean the lot were revealed, concerns have poured into elected officials' offices; the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which operates the Brownfield program, has received some 250 comments on Howard Hughes' application. The mass of comments has spurred state officials to compile what is called a responsiveness summary of all the input it has received, along with feedback from the state, that the agency will release to the public concurrent with DEC's decision on Howard Hughes' application." The agency expects to release the summary and its decision this spring. For the complete article,
click here.
"Time's up for Tribeca's landmarked clock tower, court rules,"
Curbed.com, 4/1/19. "The state's highest court reversed a decision that would have blocked a developer from turning a landmarked clock tower into a private penthouse," Curbed.com reports. "A majority of judges in the New York State Court of Appeals ruled against advocates who sued the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), arguing that the agency did not act appropriately when it approved plans to convert the landmarked clock tower at 346 Broadway (the development is known as 108 Leonard) into a luxury apartment. In a significant blow to preservationists, the appellate court ruled Thursday that the city is within its rights to greenlight a project that prevents access to the timepiece and allows the developer to replace the clock's historic mechanisms with an electronic system. 'We're exceptionally disappointed especially after having prevailed in the lower courts,' said Simeon Bankoff, the executive director of the Historic Districts Council, which helped bring the lawsuit forward in 2015. 'In a very real way, this is kind of a de facto de-designation of an interior landmark. It's a troubling decision.'" For the complete article,
click here.
"Will a $20 Million Penthouse Damage New York's 'Big Ben?',"
New York Times, 3/17/19. "The developers had big plans for the space at the top of an old office building in Lower Manhattan that they were turning into condominiums: a penthouse with a tower valued at nearly $21 million," says The New York Times. "But there was one problem: The tower held a historic clock sometimes described as New York's Big Ben. The clock has to be 'wound' by hand - heavy weights that keep it ticking have to be reset - every week. It would be accessible only by passing through that very expensive apartment at 108 Leonard Street. The developers dealt with the complication by persuading the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to allow them to cut off access to the clock tower, even though it is a landmark. The tower is an interior landmark, one of only 120 in New York City. The massive building itself holds the more common exterior landmark designation. Now the penthouse plan is delayed and the clock is at the center of a court fight, just as a wave of anger is rising against the rich, and the privileges they claim." For the complete article,
click here.
"Smorgasburg Officially Expands to FiDi Next Month,"
eater.com, 3/27/19. "Outdoor food market Smorgasburg is setting up shop in the Financial District next month for the season," says eater.com. "Starting April 12 and every Friday thereafter until October, the market will bring 25 food stalls to Fulton Street between Church and Greenwich streets, adjacent to the Oculus at the World Trade Center. Vendors like Bolivian Llama Party (a Bolivian hit with items like salteñas), Big Mozz (mozzarella sticks), and the Choripan (Argentinian sausages) will be on site." The hours will be from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. For the complete article,
click here.
"Crown Shy Opens With Fine Dining From a Former Eleven Madison Park Chef,"
GrubStreet.com, 3/18/19. "If you were to, say, hatch your dream plan to build New York's next great restaurant group, you might fantasize about making your entrance at a place like 70 Pine Street," comments GrubStreet.com. "The 925-foot-tall, 87-year-old building is a landmarked Art Deco statement of a building, standing out even among the huddled towers of the Financial District. Originally the headquarters of Citgo (then Cities Service) and later AIG, the building was purchased in 2012 by developer Rose Associates and converted to luxury apartments. And it's also where the former chef de cuisine of Eleven Madison Park and executive chef of the Nomad James Kent and his partner Jeff Katz will have their first and second restaurant - as well as bar - starting with Crown Shy, which officially opens tonight." For the complete article,
click here.
"Governors Island will turn 1870s military building into permanent arts space," Curbed.com, 3/25/19. "When Governors Island opens for its 2019 season in just over a month, a building that's very familiar to visitors - a huge munitions warehouse just off of the Manhattan Ferry Landing, perhaps best known at this point for having public restrooms - will be in the midst of a major transformation," says Curbed.com. "The Trust for Governors Island and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council announced...that by the end of summer, the building will be transformed into a massive new cultural center-the island's first permanent, dedicated hub of its kind. The 40,000-square-foot space, due to open in September, will have galleries, studio space for artists, and a cafe. The structure, known currently as Building 110, dates back to the 1870s and is part of the island's historic district, meaning its exterior will stay largely intact. The interiors will be revamped by PEI Cobb Freed & Partners and Adamson Associates Architects, which will be carried out to the tune of $12 million, according to the Wall Street Journal." For the complete article, click here.
"Accused 'granny-kicker's' co-workers set him up for arrest," New York Post, 3/25/19. "Staffers at the highly acclaimed restaurant Frenchette knew they had the accused subway kicker in their midst - they just had to figure out how to keep him 'til cops arrived," the New York Post reported. "Suspect Marc Gomez - who was caught on shocking video stomping an elderly female straphanger in the head on a Bronx train March 10 - worked as a dishwasher at the posh Tribeca eatery. So after Gomez's coworkers recognized him in the video footage released by cops Friday, someone at the restaurant 'called the police immediately and gave them his name and address,' a Frenchette source told The Post." For the complete article, click here.
"City Councilmembers Propose $100,000 Fine For 'Hideous' LED Billboard Boats," Gothamist.com, 3/25/19. "The allegedly illegal, unquestionably irritating LED billboard seen floating through NYC's waterways in recent months could soon incur a much steeper fine from the city - assuming, that is, authorities ever get around to enforcing the law the advertising company is believed to be violating," says Gothamist.com. "The controversial barge was first spotted in the city's rivers in October, and has since attracted plenty of scorn from New Yorkers partial to a waterfront view that does not include an aggressively bright, 60-foot screen blaring ads for beer and private helicopter rides. After the Mayor's Office deemed it 'hideous' earlier this year, the Law Department sent a letter to the company behind the boat, Ballyhoo Media, giving them a two-week deadline to demonstrate compliance with a local zoning resolution that prohibits advertising on local waterways. But more than two months later, the ad-boat is still making frequent voyages around Manhattan, and it's unclear whether any official enforcement action has been taken." For the complete article, click here.
"Clocking in: Justworks eyeing large relocation Downtown,"
therealdeal.com, 3/25/19. "HR tech firm Justworks is moving downtown," says The Real Deal. "The startup, which provides administrative- and benefits-services to employers, is in talks to take about 275,000 square feet at 55 Water Street, Crain's reported. The firm will be relocating from RXR Realty and the Blackstone Group's Starrett-Lehigh Building in Chelsea, where it subleases 60,000 square feet from Tommy Hilfiger. The move is set to give Justworks more than four times as much office space as it currently occupies." For the complete article,
click here.
"Brunch While Your Kids Learn How to Make Pasta,"
New York Times, 3/25/19. "Call it babysitting, if you will, but while adults enjoy brunch-time plates of mortadella and tortellini at Nonna Beppa [at 290 Hudson St.], the children are kept busy making fresh pasta, maybe ravioli or tagliatelle," says The New York Times. The free classes for children 6 and older start at noon on alternate Sundays. For the complete article,
click here.
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Downtown bulletin board
RIVER PROJECT'S WETLAB OPENS FOR THE 2019 SEASON; NYC AUDUBON SEEKS VOLUNTEERS; NEW NYC FERRY SCHEDULES POSTED
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Last June, a diamondback terrapin - a species of turtle native to the brackish coastal tidal marshes of the eastern and southern United States and Bermuda - was on display in The River Project's Wetlab on Pier 40 in Hudson River Park. The Wetlab opens to the public for the 2019 season on April 2 and the word is that the turtles will be back.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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The River Project Wetlab opening soon: The River Project's first Wetlab Look-In of the 2019 season will take place on Tuesday,
April 2 on Pier 40 in Hudson River Park.
Founded in 1986, The River Project helps protect and restore the ecosystem of the Hudson River Estuary through scientific research and education programs. During Wetlab Look-Ins, the public can visit The River Project to see dozens of species of native fish and invertebrates. Visitors can take part in a 20- to 30 minute tour of the aquarium facility and can also participate in a hands-on activity. Place: the south side of Pier 40. Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Free. For more information about The River Project,
click here.
Firehouse Chili Party to benefit the John J. Harvey: Fireboat John J. Harvey, launched in 1931, served the City of New York and New York Harbor until she retired in 1994. She would have been scrapped had not a dedicated group of volunteers purchased her in 1999 and refurbished her for public use as an operational museum and education center. Marking the 20th anniversary of John J. Harvey's second career, a Firehouse Chili Party will take place on Thursday,
April 25, at the New York City Fire Museum on Spring Street. The party will raise funds to keep the John J. Harvey going for another 20 years. There will be a chance to tour the museum, refreshments and appetizers, dinner, music and raffles. Place: 278 Spring St. Time: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets: $125. For more information and to buy tickets,
click here.
Sen. Brian Kavanagh's office seeks interns: The office of New York State Senator Brian Kavanagh is seeking interns for the district office. Interns will work closely with members of the staff, depending on their specific interests. The work may include constituent casework, advocacy, legislative research, scheduling, communications and event planning. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in various aspects of the office's operations by attending hearings and meetings, joining staff and community groups in planning and strategy conversations and providing support on a range of projects.
To apply, email a resume, cover letter and writing sample to the attention of Shana Mosher, chief of staff, at
[email protected].
NYC Audubon seeks volunteers for Governors Island Nature Center: NYC Audubon will be running a nature center on Governors Island in June, July and August and needs volunteers to greet visitors. The hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday through Sunday in June and from Wednesday through Sunday in July and August. The greatest need is on weekends, but weekday shifts are available as well. For more information, email Danielle Sherman at
[email protected].
Ferry schedules: On
Monday, April 1, the spring schedules for NYC Ferry routes go into effect. These routes serve the Lower East Side, South Brooklyn, Rockaway, the East River, Astoria and Soundview, with connecting buses in the Rockaways and midtown Manhattan. For more information,
click here.
Pen Parentis Literary Salons: For the last 10 years, Pen Parentis has been staging monthly literary salons that feature interviews with writers who are also parents. This year, the salons take place on the second Tuesday of the month at the Killarney Rose Hideout, 80 Beaver St. (up a flight of stairs) starting at 7 p.m. There is no admission charge although a voluntary $10 donation to Pen Parentis is appreciated. Killarney Rose offers a full bar menu and happy hour pricing on drinks. The next salon takes place on
April 9 with authors Hilary Reyl, Tim Fitts and Wendy Chin-Tanner. RSVP by
clicking here. For more information,
click here.
Battery Conservancy seeks gardening volunteers: The Battery, a 25-acre park at the southern end of Manhattan, has perennial gardens designed by the renowned Dutch horticulturalist Piet Oudolf. With spring about to begin, it's time to cut back the plantings to allow for new growth. The Battery Conservancy is seeking volunteers to work alongside the Conservancy's experienced gardeners on this and other gardening projects. Volunteers must attend an orientation session offered on Tuesdays and on the first Saturdays of the month from March through September. For more information about volunteering and to fill out an application form,
click here.
At the Whitney: "Spilling Over: Painting Color in the 1960s," an exhibition of paintings from the Whitney Museum's collection that use bold, saturated, and even hallucinatory color to activate perception opened on March 29. The 2019 Whitney Biennial will open on May 17. The museum is at 99 Gansevoort St. For more information about the Whitney,
click here.
Manhattan Youth 2019 Community Awards: On
April 11, Manhattan Youth will honor Community Board 1's Youth & Education Chair, Tricia Joyce, for her steadfast advocacy; Save PS150's parent leaders, Jonah Benton, Buxton and Lisa Midyette and Anshal Purohit; Manhattan Youth's own Mona Lombard for her years of service, and the Manhattan Youth Teen volunteers for their outstanding community service. Come have a bite to eat and share a moment with neighbors. Place: 120 Warren St. Time: 6:30 p.m. Tickets: $10 to $100. For more information and to buy tickets,
click here.
Most of the Downtown Post NYC bulletin board listings are now on the Downtown Post NYC website. To see the bulletin board listings,
click here.
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CALENDAR: April 2019
Spotlight: Lower Manhattan History
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Artist Brian Tolle created a 40-foot-tall sculpture of a 17th century Dutch canal house as it would have looked reflected in the water of a canal. In the summer of 2018, it was on exhibit in the rotunda of Federal Hall National Memorial, which is at the intersection of Wall, Nassau and Broad Streets. Under the Dutch, who founded what is now New York City and who governed it from 1624 to 1664, Broad Street was, in fact, a canal and would have been lined with gabled houses like this one. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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One of the oldest parts of the European settlement that later turned into New York City happens to be right here in Lower Manhattan. For those with an interest in history, there's a lot here to explore.
April 2: Continuing its "Tuesday Talks" series, the Battery Park City Authority offers "European Ages of Exploration" led by BPC resident and historian, Fred J. Bivetto. He will cover a 1,000-year period of European exploration leading to the discovery and colonization of the Americas, with special attention to Lower Manhattan as it existed up until the Revolutionary War. Place: 6 River Terrace. Time: 1 p.m. Free.
April 8: In 1730, a synagogue opened in Lower Manhattan at what today is approximately the corner of South William Street and Mill Lane. It was founded by Sephardic Jews who had fled from persecution in Brazil and was the first synagogue in North America. It was from this synagogue that Gershom Mendes Seixas, known as the "patriot rabbi," led the Jewish community of New York in support of the American Revolution. On April 8 at 12:30 p.m., South William Street will be co-named "Mill Street Synagogue/Seixas Way" with presentations by City Councilmember Margaret Chin and by various sponsoring and religious organizations. The ceremony at South William and Broad Street will be followed by a reception in the Flag Room of the Fraunces Tavern Museum at 54 Pearl St. For more information,
click here.
April 9: "Tuesday Talks" with Fred J. Bivetto will continue with "From the Birth of Our Nation to the New Downtown." Bivetto will focus on the role that New York City played as the first capital of the United States and the struggles of the country's early years, taking the narrative up to the present with the development of what's now being called the "New Downtown." Place: 6 River Terrace. Time: 1 p.m. Free.
April 9: The Fraunces Tavern Museum's book club will meet to discuss "Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates" by Eric Jay Dolin. As a coastal city with a world-class harbor, New York had its share of pirates. Set against the backdrop of the Age of Exploration, "Black Flags, Blue Waters" reveals the dramatic history of American piracy's "Golden Age," spanning the late 1600s through the early 1700s when pirates plied the coastal waters of North America and beyond. American colonists at first supported the pirates in a display of colonial solidarity against the Crown, and then violently opposed them. Dolin provides an engrossing account of the seafaring outlaws whose raids reflected the precarious nature of American colonial life. The Fraunces Tavern Museum Book Club is hosted by Mary Tsaltas and meets quarterly. Annual club membership is $15. Place: 54 Pearl St. Time: 6 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.) For more information,
click here.
April 13: Under the auspices of the Fraunces Tavern Museum, Fred Cookinham, a licensed New York City tour guide, leads a walking tour that he calls "A Rebellious Brew: New York's Tea Party of 1774." Boston, as it turns out, was not the only Colonial city to have its own 'tea party' in Revolutionary times. Many seaport cities, including New York, had their own rebellions. Cookinham will describe New York's 1774 waterfront and suggest why the city was so late in the game to revel in patriotic spirit. Ticket purchase for this walking tour includes complimentary Museum admission where visitors can explore the museum's new "Fear and Force: New York City's Sons of Liberty exhibition" to learn more about the New York Tea Party and get an up-close look at artifacts associated with the New York Sons of Liberty.
Also, April 14. Time: On April 13, 11 a.m. On April 14, 1 p.m. Tickets: $20; $15 (Fraunces Tavern Museum members). Tickets must be purchased in advance. Once your tickets have been purchased, you will be emailed a confirmation receipt and the starting location of the tour. For more information,
click here.
For more calendar listings, go to the Downtown Post NYC website.
Click here.
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George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States on April 30, 1789 in New York City. The ceremony took place on the balcony of the city's town hall at Nassau and Wall Streets, on the site where Federal Hall National Memorial now stands. The town hall was torn down. Only the stone remains on which Washington stood that day and the Bible on which he placed his hand. Both are on exhibit in Federal Hall.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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