1796 – Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, discovers the construction of the heptadecagon 1842 – Ether used as an anesthetic for the first time by Dr. Crawford Long of Georgia 1858 – Pencil with attached eraser patent granted to Hyman L. Lipman of Philadelphia 1867 – The United States buys Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000, […]
Archives for March 2015
When Apportunity Knocks
Are you curious about Battery Park City? When did it start? How big is it? How many people live there? Want to know about its public art? Who designed the buildings? Well, there’s an app for that and surprisingly, The Battery Park City Authority didn’t design it. Last September, the Kozyarchuk family was looking for […]
The New Amsterdam Market was founded in 2005 by Robert LaValva, in the vaulted, open-air arcade beneath the Municipal Building. But his creation soon moved to the site of the old Fulton Fish Market, within the South Street Seaport neighborhood. There, Mr. LaValva soon gained prominence as a leader in the fight to preserve the […]
Busting the Bus Trust
A company that had a de facto monopoly on tour bus service in Manhattan has agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine, and give up permits for 50 of its stops, including eight in Lower Manhattan. The company, Twin America, is largely unknown to Manhattan residents, because it is a partnership formed in 2009 by […]
Today in History – March 23rd
1066 – Eighteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet. Halley’s Comet is the only naked-eye comet that may appear twice in a human’s lifetime. It last appeared in the inner Solar System and is expected to return in the year 2061. 1490 – Earliest dated edition of Maimonides “Mishneh Torah” is published 1836 – Coin […]
Rare Design Element for a Lower Manhattan Skyscraper
Trinity Church continued its ongoing experiment with radically inclusive dialog about the structure it plans to build at 74 Trinity Place, with a community meeting last Saturday. Held at St. Paul’s Chapel, the four-hour session drew more than 70 area residents, who contributed ideas about how the new building can serve the Lower Manhattan community. […]
Today in History – March 19th
1279 – A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China 1524 – Giovanni da Verrazzano sailing for King Francis of France sights land around area of Carolinas. In the upcoming days and weeks he sailed north stopping in New York Harbor, which he described as a lake and mentioned […]
Old Seaport Alliance Gets New Leadership
The Old Seaport Alliance, an association that represents businesses within the historic South Street Seaport neighborhood has named Sara Williams (owner of Fresh Salt at 146 Beekman Street) and Enrico Ciotti (owner of the soon-to-debut VBar Seaport, on Front Street) as co-chairs of its board of directors. Ms. Williams and Mr. Ciotti are succeeding the […]
Today in History – March 16th
597 BC – Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king. 1621 – Native American chief visits colony of Plymouth Mass 1830 – New York Stock Exchange slowest day ever (31 shares traded) 1850 – Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Scarlet Letter” published 1861 – Arizona Territory votes to leave the Union (US Civil War) 1881 – […]
Parting The Waters
A coordinated push by Community Board 1 (CB1), elected officials representing Lower Manhattan, and the Downtown Alliance has resulted in the allocation of a total of $14.75 million in new funds to help Lower Manhattan plan for and prepare for future extreme weather events, particularly floods. This allocation includes $6.75 million from the City and […]
Help Recreate Lower Manhattan's Streetscape
Tomorrow (Saturday, March 14), Trinity Church will continue the groundbreaking process of inviting the Lower Manhattan community to help determine the form and use of the new skyscraper it will soon erect in the Financial District. This dialog began two weeks ago, on February 28, when dozens of area residents gathered at St. Paul’s Chapel […]
Help Recreate Lower Manhattan’s Streetscape
Tomorrow (Saturday, March 14), Trinity Church will continue the groundbreaking process of inviting the Lower Manhattan community to help determine the form and use of the new skyscraper it will soon erect in the Financial District. This dialog began two weeks ago, on February 28, when dozens of area residents gathered at St. Paul’s Chapel […]
BPCA Approves Field Time for Little Leagues
Community leaders, directors of youth athletic leagues, and elected officials are voicing criticism about the process under which the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) is allocating time on the community’s ball fields. In a March 2 letter to BPCA chair Dennis Mehiel, U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Assembly member Sheldon […]
Today in History – March 9th
On 20 April 1861, when Virginia authorities took over the Norfolk Navy Yard after its evacuation by Federal forces, they found, among other valuable items, the hulk of the steam frigate USS Merrimack. Though burned to the waterline and sunk, the big ship’s lower hull and machinery were salvageable. During the remainder of 1861 and […]
Fewer Transients, More Residents
Two Lower Manhattan Hotels are facing headwinds. At the March 3 meeting of the Battery Park City Committee of Community Board 1, committee member Tammy Meltzer said, “I’ve heard from one of the people on the board at the Ritz-Carlton that they are actively seeking votes to boot the hotel, and to turn the entire […]
Church Street School for Music and Art Celebrates 25 Years
It was a trek to get there. And the weather was not cooperating. We were headed to The Event, Church Street School for Music and Art’s 25th anniversary fundraiser at the Tribeca Rooftop event space and didn’t want to be late. But the afternoon snow had turned to freezing rain and cabs were scarce. We […]
Narcs Need to Park, Too
Battery Park City’s already notoriously difficult parking situation may be on the verge of much getting worse. A specialized law enforcement unit, HIDTA (which stands for High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) recently moved into a 56,000 square foot space in the Brookfield Place office complex, occupying the entire 19th floor of 250 Vesey Street. The […]
Today in History – March 4th
51 – Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title princeps iuventutis (head of the youth). 1152 – Frederick I Barbarossa elected Holy Roman Emperor 1215 – King John of England makes an oath to the Pope as a crusader to gain the support of Innocent III. 1628 – England’s King Charles I […]
Troubles on Wall Street
To the editor: How might locals fight the introduction of this venue? 55 Wall already congests the narrow, one-way streets terribly. Warm regards, Roark Dunn Editor’s reply: Residents are welcome to attend meetings of Community Board 1’s Financial District Committee (usually on the first Wednesday of each month), as well as that of Community Board […]
Paper Prophets
The Art on Paper fair, an exhibition featuring work by artists who look to paper as a major influence in their sculpture, drawing, painting, and photography, kicks off tomorrow (Thursday, March 5) at Pier 36, located on the East River waterfront, between Montgomery and Clinton Streets. The fair runs through Monday (March 8) and will […]