Lower Manhattan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York. It is generally defined as the area delineated on the north by Chambers Street, on the west by the North River (Hudson River), on the east by the East River, and on the south by Battery Park and New York Harbor (also known as Upper New York Bay). Lower Manhattan includes City Hall, the Municipal Building, the Financial District and the site of the World Trade Center. It is the fourth largest central business district in the United States, after Midtown Manhattan, Chicago's Loop, and Washington D.C. The neighborhood was previously the third largest CBD[1]. Lower Manhattan's fall to fourth place can be attributed by the district's loss of the World Trade Center, which contributed over 16 million square feet of office space to the area. The square footage lost in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was equivalent to the office space in the entire city of Cincinnati in 2001. It is expected that Downtown will regain its third place ranking after the reconstruction of the World Trade Center, which is expected to yield close to the original center's square footage of rentable commercial space, and the construction of financial firm Goldman Sachs' new headquarters.
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[edit] History
The Dutch established the first European settlements in Manhattan, which were located at the lower end of the island.[2] The first fort was built at the Battery to protect New Netherland.
In 1771, Bear Market was established along the Hudson shore on land donated by Trinity Church, and replaced by Washington Market in 1813.[3] Washington Market was located between Barclay and Hubert Streets, and from Greenwich to West Street.[4]
Through much of its history, the downtown area was mainly a commercial district, with a small population of residents. In 1960, there were approximately 4,000 residents living downtown.[5]
At the end of the 1950s, Lower Manhattan had become economically depressed, in comparison with Midtown Manhattan which was booming. In the 1950s, a few new buildings were constructed in Lower Manhattan, including an 11-story building at 156 William Street in 1955.[6] A 27-story office building at 20 Broad Street, a 12-story building at 80 Pine Street for the Coffee and Sugar Exchange, a 26-story building at 123 William Street, and a few others were built in 1957.[6] David Rockefeller spearheaded widespread urban renewal efforts in Lower Manhattan, beginning with construction One Chase Manhattan Plaza, the new headquarters for his bank. He established the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association (DLMA) which drew up plans for broader revitalization of Lower Manhattan, with the development of a world trade center at the heart of these plans. The original DLMA plans called for the "world trade center" to be built along the East River, between Old Slip and Fulton Street. After negotiations with New Jersey Governor Richard J. Hughes, the Port Authority ended up deciding to build the World Trade Center on a site along the Hudson River and the West Side Highway, rather than the East River site.
[edit] Historic sites
The area contains many old and historic building and sites, including Castle Garden, originally the fort Castle Clinton, Bowling Green, the old United States Customs House, now the National Museum of the American Indian, Federal Hall, where George Washington was inaugurated as the first U.S. President, Fraunces Tavern, New York City Hall, the New York Stock Exchange, renovated original mercantile buildings of the South Street Seaport (and a modern tourist building), the Fulton Fish Market, the Brooklyn Bridge, South Ferry, embarkation point for the Staten Island Ferry and ferries to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, Trinity Church, and the Woolworth Building, once the tallest in the world.
[edit] Cardinal directions in Manhattan
"Downtown Manhattan" has different meanings to different people, especially depending on what part of New York City they live in. Generally speaking, it refers, like "Lower Manhattan," to the area of Manhattan south of Canal Street.[5] With this definition, it would refer to the neighborhoods of the Financial District, Battery Park City, TriBeCa, and most of Chinatown. Sometimes areas north of Canal Street, including SoHo and Greenwich Village, up to 14th Street are also considered part of "Downtown". Many people (especially when talking about business matters) would use the term "Downtown Manhattan" to refer only to the Financial District and the businesses located there. This area is also the earliest settled (by Europeans) area of New York City, and is one of the few areas of Manhattan that does not have its streets arranged in a strict grid pattern. The area of the World Trade Center is also within Downtown Manhattan.
The terms downtown and uptown can also refer to cardinal directions. If somebody says, "We're going to take the subway downtown," the term refers to traveling in the geographic direction of south. If one is standing on 121st Street and walks ten blocks south, they have walked ten blocks downtown. Conversely, the term uptown is used to refer to the cardinal direction north.
This concept applies in Manhattan, which is an elongated island facing roughly north/south, and is never more than 2 miles wide. As such, most of the train service and major thoroughfares on the island travel in the uptown/downtown directions. The other boroughs are all much larger geographically.
[edit] Education
[edit] Higher education
- Berkeley College (Lower Manhattan Extension Center)
- CUNY-Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC)
- Globe Institute of Technology
- Pace University
- School of Visual Arts
- St. John's University (School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science)
[edit] Elementary/secondary education
The New York City Department of Education operates New York City's public schools. Manhattan residents living south of Chambers Street are zoned to either P.S. 234 Independence School or P.S. 89. All of the residents are zoned to M.S. 104 Simon Baruch.
There is no high school zoning. Nearby high schools include: (South of Chambers)
- Stuyvesant High School
- Murry Bergtraum High School
- High School of Economics and Finance
- High School for Leadership and Public Service
- Millennium High School
(North or East of Chambers)
- Pace University High School
- Seward Park High School
- Unity High School
- University Neighborhood High School
[edit] References
- ^ http://hsc.house.gov/files/TestimonyPryor.pdf
- ^ Rankin, Rebecca B., Cleveland Rodgers (1948). New York: the World's Capital City, Its Development and Contributions to Progress. Harper.
- ^ A Public Market for Lower Manhattan. New York City Council.
- ^ Millstein, Gilbert. "Restlest Ports for the City's Food", The New York Times, April 24, 1960.
- ^ a b Brown, Charles H.. "'Downtown' Enters a New Era", The New York Times, January 31, 1960.
- ^ a b Bartnett, Edmond J.. "Buildling Activity Soars Downtown", The New York Times, December 25, 1960.
