July 24 Tuesday

Requiem for an Empire Builder

Tycoon's Edifice Complex Restoration Nearing Completion on Lower Broadway

A tarnished gem on lower Broadway is being burnished to a sheen not seen for almost a century. The historic Corbin Building (located at 192 Broadway, on the corner of John Street) is being restored as part of the Fulton Street Transit Center project, and should be complete by the end of this year. According to an update given recently to Community Board 1 by Uday R. Durg, senior vice president for Lower Manhattan Projects at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the agency overseeing both the Fulton Street Transit Center construction and the Corbin restoration, the agency is spending $75 million on preserving and rehabilitating the structure, while also shoring it up to accommodate a new subway entrance on the first floor.

When fully restored, the Corbin will be a showcase for antique architectural details such as the 400-plus terra cotta panels that comprise its exterior molding. The finished project will interest architectural aficionados because the building dubbed New York's first skyscraper in 1889 also marked the debut of a new technology that made possible building a cut above the late-19th century standard of five stories: the Otis Elevators gearless-traction system. Engineering geeks will be intrigued by the system of arches that made it possible to build to a then-vertiginous eight stories without a steel frame. Interior design groupies will gape at the building's use of bronze-plated cast-iron, marble wainscoting, and a mahogany spiral staircase.

All of this magnificence was fitting for the headquarters of Austin Corbin, a railroad tycoon and Gilded Age robber baron. The first president of the Long Island Rail Road (which he cobbled together from a group of competing, bankrupt commuter lines), Mr. Corbin commissioned the building that still bears his name around the time he hatched a scheme to extend the Long Island Rail Road to Montauk, build a steamship port there, and shave a day off the trans-Atlantic voyage by speeding passengers who disembarked there to Manhattan on his trains. He managed to lay the tracks to Montauk, but the rest of his plan sank without a trace.

Designed by Frances Kimble, the Corbin Building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003, as part of a bid by preservationists to save it from demolition in connection with the Fulton Street Transit Center. Shortly afterward, the MTA agreed to preserve the structure, and incorporate it into designs for the new subway hub.

Jack Pickering

photo by Robert Simko

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North River Historic Ship Society

Honors Waterfront Leaders

On the eve of the North River Historic Ship Festival at Pier 25, the North River Historic Ship Society honored two champions of venerable vessels: author Lee Gruzen (below) and maritime historian Norman Brouwer (middle above) received a link from an anchor chain from David Sharps.

Lee Gruzen

Mary Habstritt, NRHSS president, presented the awards.

The event was held aboard the Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge No. 79 (also known as the Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge), owned by David Sharps.

photos by Robert Simko

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The Executive Committee of Community Board 1 is Meeting Tonight

The Brooklyn Bridge under wraps

At tonight's meeting, changes to Community Board 1 committees, task forces and meeting dates are up for discussion. The meeting will convene at 6pm at the Community Board 1 Office, 49-51 Chambers Street, Room 709.

The last meeting of the month is the full board monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 31 at 6pm at Dance New Amsterdam, 280 Broadway, 2nd Floor (entrance at 53 Chambers Street at Elk Street). Community Board 1 will not hold any meetings during the month of August.

photo by Robert Simko

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Calendar of Events

Tuesday, July 24

BPC Seniors Walking Group

Meet for a 1-hour walk in front of Merchants River House on the Esplanade. Rain or very hot weather cancels (if unsure call Ruth Ohman 212-912-0678). 10-11am. For more information about seniors events CLICK HERE.

Big City Fishing at Pier 25

Learn to fish! In a typical session, our staff offer a brief introduction to ecology and water quality, followed by an overview of the many fish species that live in Hudson River Park's Estuarine Sanctuary. Participants are also able to view plankton through microscopes; to examine live specimens - caught that morning, either in traps or on someone's line. Free. 12pm. Tuesdays through August 21. hudsonriverpark.org

Summer Dance at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian

Storytelling and interactive Native dance sessions Tuesdays through Fridays. free. 12pm. Also at 2pm. americanindian.si.edu

Teen Drumming Circle at Rockefeller Park

Drop in on a weekly drumming circle led by a master drummer from Senegal. Drums provided. 4-5:30pm. bpcparks.org

Les Chauds Lapins in the Arts World Financial Center

Les Chauds Lapins ("The Hot Rabbits"), led by New York's Kurt Hoffman and Meg Reichardt, specialize in a repertoire of French swing from the 1920s through 40s. Their whimsical, sophisticated, and poetic catalog includes numbers popularized by the likes of Mistinguett, Lucienne Boyer, Edith Piaf, and in particular features suave, swing-tinged gems from the enchanted catalog of songs by the great, late Charles Trenet. Kurt and Meg are backed by Karen Waltuch on viola; Garo Yellin on cello, and Andy Cotton on upright bass. Free. 5:30pm. artsbrookfield.com

Hidden Harbor Tour with the Working Harbor Committee

Go behind-the-scenes of the inner-workings of the bustling New York Harbor. This boat tour goes up the East River to the former Brooklyn Navy Yard, passing under the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. We then travel south along the Brooklyn waterfront, passing the new Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Red Hook Container Terminal, Atlantic Basin, and Erie Basin, home of Hughes Brothers Barges and Reinauer Tugs and eventually cross over to the Statue of Liberty for a moment before returning to Pier 16. $29, $22, $15. 6:15pm. workingharbor.org

LOLË & FITiST Fitness Meet-up on Pier 25

Fitness classes including yoga, boot camp, core training and boxing. Attendance is limited to 75 people. Participation requires RSVP. For scheduling and to RSVP visit FACEBOOK. Free. 6:30pm. Tuesdays through August 21. hudsonriverpark.org

photos by Robert Simko and Betsy Frawley Haggerty

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Eyes to the Sky, July 23 - 27, 2012

Season's Fullness and the Summer Triangle

We are surrounded by plants that mature and set fruit as the warmth of early summer becomes the heat of the height of the season. On farms and in gardens, leafy growth, flowering and fruiting takes the form of squash, beans, corn and tomatoes, to name a few. Many crops are already completing their life cycle under the high sun. Garlic leaves have begun to dry to a brown-gold, a sure sign that the bulb, hidden under the earth, is fully formed and ready to be dug. The first, robust onion greens have toppled over, their bulbs, round as the sun, are almost ready for pulling and curing. Our star, having reversed its direction a few weeks ago, is now perceptibly dropping toward the south.

In midsummer, the "Summer Triangle" appears higher above the horizon line

At night, the earth is bearing fruit under the stars of the Summer Triangle. It is found high in the east at nightfall and travels the sky until it sets in the west at sunrise.

A broad, robust star pattern, it is composed of the brightest stars of three prominent constellations. Vega, of Lyra the Lyre, is the second brightest star in the summer sky and tops the triangle. Draw a line, slightly north of east -- to the left at a downward angle -- to find Deneb of Cygnus the Swan. Trace to the right (south) and downward to locate Altair equidistant from Vega and Deneb. Altair is the head of Aquila the Eagle.

Today, look for the crescent moon low in the west before sundown and closer to the horizon until moonset at 10:31pm.

Judy Isacoff

photos by Robert Simko

diagram courtesy of EarthSky.org

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RiverWatch

Arrivals & Departures

Hoisting the sail on the Ventura

Wednesday, July 25

Carnival Miracle

Inbound 7:15am, outbound 4:30pm to Grand Turk

Saturday, July 28

Norwegian Gem

Inbound 7:15am, outbound 4:30pm to Nassau

Disney Magic

Invound 7:15am, outbound 4:30pm to Castaway Cay

Explorer of the Seas

Invound 8:00am (Bayonne), outbound 5:00pm to King's Wharf

Sunday, July 29

Veendam

Inbound 6:15am, outbound 5:15pm to Hamilton

Celebrity Summit

Inbound 7:00am (Bayonne), outbound 4:00pm to King's Wharf

Norwegian Star

Inbound 7:15am, outbound 4:30pm to King's Wharf

photo by Robert Simko

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Bulletin Board

Community Notices

Summer Homework

Adolescents and their parents who are enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry now have until August 31 to complete the Registry's current survey, which is seeking information from the 1,300 enrollees under the age of 18. The survey for adolescents contains only 24 questions and can be taken over the telephone by calling 866-692-9827.

Don't Let the Names Fool You

Dollar Rent-A-Car doesn't rent cars for a dollar, any more than Zipcar rents them for zip. But the latter (which operates out of a garage on Albany Street) now has some local competition from the former, because Dollar has opened an office in the Gateway Plaza space (alongside the Gateway garage) once occupied by Avis car rental. The office is still so new that it doesn't yet have a telephone number, explains regional manager Brian Crawley, who advises that anybody wanting a reservation call 800-800-4000 or browse Dollar.com. But he is hopeful that neighbors will nonetheless be enticed to stop in and say hello by a temporary discount of 15 percent for Gateway residents, as well as a fleet that includes Mustang convertibles that were just born to cruise over the Verrazano Bridge with the top down.

The Lady Stays Out Late

There is no better place to picnic and watch the sun go down than from an island in the middle of the Hudson, which is why locals will be delighted to hear that Liberty Island (which ordinarily shuts down before 7:00 pm) will be open late on Thursday evenings through July and August. After the island empties of day visitors, two special boats will depart Battery Park at 6:20 and 6:30 pm, returning at 7:30 and 8:30 pm. Ferry tickets are priced at $24.95 for adults and $19.95 for children, and concession stands will be open late. For more information, call 201-604-2800 or browse StatueCruises.com

Alley Alias

However tired you think you are of reading clumsy descriptive phrases like "the pedestrian arcade that runs between Vesey and Murray Streets, alongside the Goldman Sachs building and the Conrad Hotel," rest assured that we are far wearier of writing them. But there's good news for both of us: The thoroughfare once known unofficially as "Goldman Alley" has been formally christened North End Way by Goldman Sachs, the company the owns the buildings on either side of it. And thus it shall be in these pages forevermore.

Tribeca Meet and Greet

A monthly gathering organized by BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center which has been taking place for eight years at a variety of Tibeca restaurants or businesses, some of which provide food and drink. This month's networking meeting will take place at the Anne Frank Center USA, 44 Park Place, on Monday Aug. 6, 6pm - 9pm. For more information contact David Cleaver, BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center (212) 220-1450

photos by Robert Simko

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The Doorman's Guide to Lower Manhattan 2012

THE INDISPENSABLE COMPENDIUM OF LIFE DOWNTOWN

The Doorman's Guide to Lower Manhattan 2012

The all-new, 2012 edition of the Broadsheet's "Doorman's Guide

to Lower Manhattan" is in lobbies now. Consult this indispensable baedeker for the best that Downtown has to offer in restaurants, culture, shopping, health care, pet care, and just about any other pursuit or priority. Browse also for the story behind the story about some of Downtown's public art.

Recent praise for the "Doorman's Guide" HERE

You're invited to view the "Doorman's Guide to Lower Manhattan 2012" by clicking the image. Look for it in your lobby and other locations around Lower Manhattan.

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Downtown in the News

"Law firm's ship comes in on Broad Street," Crains NY Business, July 17. "McGivney and Kluger gets the two full, consecutive floors in the building it has called home in New York City for years with a bit of juggling by the landlord." Read more.

"Manhattan Apartment Rents Increase the Most Since 2007," Bloomberg News, July 12.

"Manhattan apartment rents rose the most in five years as would-be homeowners struggling to get mortgages lingered in the leasing market, competing for space with transplants and new college graduates." Read more.

"Penalty for Rule-Breaking Cyclists: A Remedial Class on How to Ride," The New York Times, July 24. The eight wrongdoers sat inside a windowless basement classroom, serving a court-ordered penance for their transgressions. For the next 90 minutes, they would learn about the proper rules of the road, how to use hand signals and when to change lanes safely - even if most did not believe they had done anything wrong." Read more.

photo by Robert Simko

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The BroadsheetDAILY

is Lower Manhattan's daily newspaper covering Downtown news, people, places

and events. It is published Monday through Friday and available by online subscription and

on our website ebroadsheet.com. The BroadsheetDAILY is an affiliate of The Broadsheet,

which is published every two weeks and distributed throughout Battery Park City,

the Financial District, the South Street Seaport and Tribeca.

Managing Editor: Caroline Press

News Editors: Matthew Fenton, Hannah Frederick

Contributors: Marti Ann Cohen-Wolf, Dianne Renzulli, Brian Rogers, Alison Simko

We welcome your comments, suggestions, kudos and criticisms.