202 BC – Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty. 1784 – John Wesley charters the Methodist Church. 1827 – The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight. 1849 – Regular […]
Archives for February 2018
In Search of Stability
The Housing Subcommittee of Community Board 1 (CB1) has updated its list (see below) of rent-stabilized apartments in Lower Manhattan, and documented that there are currently 5,213 such units within the district, which is a collection of neighborhoods encompassing 1.5 square miles, bounded roughly by Canal, Baxter, and Pearl Streets and the Brooklyn Bridge. This […]
February 27
1594 – Henry IV is crowned King of France. 1812 – Poet Lord Byron gives his first address as a member of the House of Lords, in defense of Luddite violence against Industrialism in his home county of Nottinghamshire. 1860 – Abraham Lincoln makes a speech at Cooper Union in the city of New York […]
Piering Into the Future
A pair of proposals to remake the Hudson River waterfront with large new projects envisions transforming the Battery and the site currently occupied by Pier 40 with futuristic innovations like drone landing pads and open plazas designed to be flooded. Although neither plan is likely to be built anytime soon (if ever), they both emphasize […]
Neighbors
Neighbors Elisa de la Roche Occupation: Actress Elisa de la Roche has lived in Lower Manhattan for over 30 years. She has been acting, singing and dancing since she was a teenager. Now though March 18 she is appearing in a new play downtown “Three on a Match” at IATI Theater at 64 East 4th Street. […]
February 26
1616 – Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun. 1815 – Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from Elba. 1876 – Japan and Korea sign a treaty granting Japanese citizens extraterritoriality rights, opening three ports to Japanese trade, and ending Korea’s status as […]
“Manifestipi”
The National Museum of the American Indian, at Bowling Green in the Alexander Hamilton Custom House, is undergoing a transformation. For many years, exhibitions centered on the vast amount of Native American artifacts that were collected more than a century ago by George Gustav Heye who, like many others, saw a complex civilization disappearing as […]
11TH ANNUAL TRIBUTE TEACHER AWARDS AND REMEMBRANCE OF FEBRUARY 26, 1993
The 9/11 Tribute Museum will mark the 25th anniversary of the first attack on the World Trade Center by honoring teachers who create inspiring lessons to educate students. For the past 11 years, the 9/11 Tribute Museum has honored teachers from across the United States for the innovative lessons they have created to introduce students of all ages to the […]
Something Scott’ll Give
On a Sunday radio talk show, City Comptroller Scott Stringer renewed his 2014 call to dedicate a portion of excess revenue generated by the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) to New York’s crumbling low-income housing infrastructure. The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), “is in crisis,” he said. “People who live in NYHCA have weathered […]
February 23
532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I orders the building of a new Orthodox Christian basilica in Constantinople – the Hagia Sophia. 1455 – Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type. 1861 – President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after the thwarting of an […]
Preserving the Priceless Legacy of History
Dear editor, On Tuesday evening I attended a meeting of Community Board 1 at Southbridge Towers. The subject of the meeting was to allow Howard Hughes Company to present a comprehensive plan for the final use by Hughes and the public of the reconstructed glass cube Pier 7 including its large roof space […]
Live in FiDi, with Rents That Aren’t Sky-Hi
The City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is accepting applications for 30 new apartments now under construction (including studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units) in a luxury building at 60 Fulton Street (between Cliff and Gold Streets), which have been set aside at less-than-market rents for low- and moderate-income tenants. Half of these 30 […]
Search for Eagles
A long time ago, in the extremely cold winter of 1976, I had the opportunity to go birding in the Delaware River Valley in and around Dingman’s Ferry, Pennsylvania. Jack Padalino, president emeritus of PEEC (Pocono Environmental Education Center) and the Brandwein Institute, a partner with the National Park Service, led the search. There were a handful […]
February 22
705 – Empress Wu Zetian abdicates the throne, restoring the Tang dynasty. 1371 – Robert II becomes King of Scotland, beginning the Stuart dynasty. 1632 – Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems is published. It was a 1632 book by Galileo Galilei comparing the Copernican system with the traditional Ptolemaic system. The […]
Helping Wee-Tail Do Retail on Par with E-Tail
The Downtown Alliance is offering a “Downtown Digital Innovation Grant” that will award one storefront business in Lower Manhattan up to $10,000 in services to improve its online presence and digital tool kit. This grant is intended to give businesses the capacity to invest in everything from digital advertising and social media strategy to outfitting […]
February 21
1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery. 1613 – Mikhail I is unanimously elected Tsar by a national assembly,beginning the Romanov dynasty of Imperial Russia. 1804 – The first self-propelling steam locomotive makes its outing at the Pen-y-Darren Ironworks in Wales. 1848 – Karl […]
Tribeca Meet & Greet
Everyone is invited to visit Fred Astaire Dance Studio on Thursday February 22, 6:30 – 9 PM. They aren’t a storefront business; they’re up on the 9th floor at 291 Broadway (between Duane and Reade) Suite 900 This is a great opportunity to mingle with other Tribeca businesses on a chilly winter evening. Fred Astaire Dance Studio Downtown […]
Howard Hughes’ Plan for the Seaport
Dear editor, On Tuesday evening I attended a meeting of Community Board 1 at Southbridge Towers. The subject of the meeting was to allow Howard Hughes Company to present a comprehensive plan for the final use by Hughes and the public of the reconstructed glass cube Pier 7 including its large roof […]
Is Congestion Pricing Plan Stalled?
In the face of political opposition and lukewarm public support, Governor Andrew Cuomo may be de-prioritizing his congestion pricing plan, which could have a significant impact on residents of Lower Manhattan. The proposal calls for imposing a series of electronic tolls on vehicles entering the area of Manhattan south of 60th Street, between 6:00 am […]
February 20
1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland in lieu of a dowry for Margaret of Denmark. 1547 – Edward VI of England is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey. 1792 – The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, is signed by United States President George Washington. […]