Above: The Fearless Girl statue faces down the New York Stock Exchange on Broad Street.. Below: State Senate candidate Vittoria Fariello: “This beautiful statue symbolizes women’s empowerment, gender diversity, and equal opportunity for all. And it belongs here, in New York City.”
On Tuesday morning, Vittoria Fariello, an elected Democratic Party District Leader representing Lower Manhattan (and a candidate for the New York State Senate) organized a rally to support keeping the Fearless Girl statue—artist Kristen Visbal’s bronze likeness of a young female striking a jaunty, audacious pose—at its current location, near the intersections of Broad and Wall Streets.
“This beautiful statue symbolizes the resilience and perseverance of women across the world,” Ms. Fariello said. “It symbolizes women’s empowerment, gender diversity, and equal opportunity for all. And it belongs here, in New York City.”
City Council member-elect Christopher Marte said, “what Fearless Girl represents to so many young girls is equivalent to what the Statue of Liberty represented to immigrants to our country—hope, dedication, and perseverance, and saying, ‘nothing is going to get in my way.’ At a time when women’s rights are being threatened, we need to amplify this symbolism. This is New York, this is us.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) considered a proposal to allow the iconic statue to remain on Broad Street, after the expiration of the initial permit from that agency, which authorized the sculpture’s placement in the legally protected space in 2018, but lapsed at the end of November. (Popularly known as the Wall Street Historic District, and officially designated as the Street Plan of New Amsterdam and Colonial New York, the area surrounding the New York Stock Exchange is one of the few areas in New York where the streets themselves are designated as a landmark.)
During this hearing, Todd Fine, president of the local preservation organization, Washington Street Advocacy Group, said, “like many people, I was a cynic about this piece until I started looking into it. The statue deserves to stay, but not because it’s a corporate advertising campaign about diversity. Instead, it’s part of a general message about women’s equality that caught traction after the election of Donald Trump.”
City Council member-elect Christopher Marte: “At a time when women’s rights are being threatened, we need to amplify this symbolism. This is New York, this is us.”
This was a reference to the origins of Fearless Girl, which appeared at the foot of Broadway in March 2017 in a bid by financial firm State Street Global Advisors to make a statement for International Women’s Day. Although City officials had quietly okayed the surprise placement of the sculpture, they initially signed off on a permit that would allow it to remain only for one week, which was later extended several times—first for several weeks and months, and then through December 2018. When large crowds began to congregate around Ms. Visbal’s sculpture, it was moved to its current perch, facing the New York Stock Exchange—in part as a safety measure. (Bowling Green is heavily trafficked, while Broad Street is closed to most vehicles.)
At Tuesday’s hearing, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer voiced support for keeping Fearless Girl on Broad Street, calling the piece, “one of our City’s most important symbolic contemporary works of art—it does encourage young girls to follow their dreams.”
Sculptor Kristen Visbal said, “the placement on the street surface was intended to make the work particularly accessible to children, and to serve as an inspiration for them. It stands for supporting women in leadership positions, equality, equal pay, the education of women, for the prevention of prejudice, and the general well-being of women.”
Michael Devonshire, one of the LPC Commissioners, said, “it has become relatively clear that State Street Global uses this as advertising. Shame on them for the way they treat women.” This was a reference to a 2017 legal action, in which more than 300 female and 15 African-American staff members alleged that State Street Global compensated them less than white, male colleagues. The firm paid $5 million to settle these claims, without admitting any wrongdoing.
Mark Silberman, the LPC’s deputy counsel, replied, “we start from the premise that this is art. Almost everyone who puts out art in the world uses it in some way to talk about themselves. The issue for us is about configuration of the streets—do we think this statue detracts from that or changes that? The larger questions—is this art? what kind of art is it? is it good art?—these are questions we need to leave for the Public Design Commission.” This was a reference to another City agency, which has jurisdiction over permanent works of architecture, landscape architecture, and art on city-owned property.
At the conclusion of the discussion, the LPC’s eleven commissioners voted unanimously to extend for three years the permit that allows Fearless Girl to occupy space on Broad Street.
Matthew Fenton
Price of Progress
Battery Conservancy Chief Floats Plan for Pier A
Warrie Price, the president and founder of the Battery Conservancy (the nonprofit that designs, builds, and maintains, the 25 acres of historic public parkland at the southern tip of Manhattan) is proposing to adapt the abandoned restaurant space within Pier A as an embarkation point for ferry passengers bound for Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
At a meeting of the Waterfront, Parks, and Cultural Committee of Community Board 1 (CB1) earlier this year, Ms. Price recalled that, “at one point, a visitor center was going to be housed at Pier A, when the Fire Department left and it was at Parks.”
While Battery Park City is one of the newer neighborhoods of New York City, it happens to be in the oldest part of Manhattan, home to traditions such as Evacuation Day (commemorating the day in late November when we escorted the British off the island), ticker tape parades in our Canyon of Heroes, and 9/11 remembrances over the last 20 years.
Sometimes traditions are linked to holidays, some to sports events. In Battery Park City, one early tradition was the annual children’s Halloween parade. In the spring, the rest of Lower Manhattan struts to the Battery Park City ballfields in the Downtown Little League opening day parade.
On December 2, Gateway Plaza management hosted what’s become their annual tradition celebrating the holiday season with special lights, music, cookies, cocoa and gifts. A train ride around the ring road completed the evening, and Santa arrived, to the children’s delight.
Gateway Plaza staff members Chelsea Akneida, Chanel Mowatt, Luke Konig Sr.,Vanessa Laucella and Andrew Chu staff members take a ride on the Polar Express.
On that very same night, the Battery Park City Authority (Can Santa be in two places at once? That’s a bit quarky, but it’s said to happen once a year) hosted a neighborhood gathering to celebrate the holidays. As the BPCA tree was lighted for the season at the South Cove, neighbors sipped hot chocolate and ate cookies while being serenaded with holiday music.
Letter
Dear Editor,
Being back semi-permanently in this beloved neighborhood drives home that The Broadsheet is key to getting acclimated.
There is such a breadth of information in each issue that it boggles the mind. I feel I could read every word. That is often true for The New York Times, but with The Broadsheet, it is actually conceivable and the relevance-to-me quotient is SO MUCH HIGHER. It truly is a feat that you perform.
It is exciting to see that Matthew Fenton continues to be a mainstay of explaining things clearly. In composing this letter, I’ve scanned through again—more and more important stories and notices. I hope you get lots of accolades and know what a powerful service you have.
Webinar. Lunchtime program with Robin Wigglesworth, the Financial Times’s global finance correspondent and author of Trillions, as he discusses the incredible true story of the iconoclastic geeks who defied conventional wisdom and endured Wall Street’s scorn to launch the index fund revolution, democratizing investing and saving hundreds of billions of dollars in fees.. Fifty years ago, the Manhattan Project of money management was quietly assembled in the financial industry’s backwaters, unified by the heretical idea that even many of the world’s finest investors couldn’t beat the market in the long run. The motley crew—including Gene Fama, Jack Bogle, John McQuown and Nate Most—succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Passive investing now accounts for more than $20 trillion, equal to the entire gross domestic product of the US, and is today a force reshaping markets, finance and even capitalism itself in myriad subtle but pivotal ways. Free.
Meeting of the Board’s Investment Committee (12:30 p.m.)
Meeting of the Members of the Authority (2:00 p.m.)
The meetings will be livestreamed at: bpca.divacommunications.com/bpca-live/ and video recordings made available for post-meeting access via the Battery Park City Authority website. Anyone wishing to participate in the public comment period should submit their comments via email to boardcomment@bpca.ny.gov by no later than 5:30 p.m. on the day prior to the meeting. Comments should be no longer than two minutes in length, and may be read into the record during the livestream broadcast. For more information please visit: bpca.ny.gov/about/board-committees/
Meet Jeff Mangold, one of the Yankees past conditioning coaches. Mr. Mangold will be signing and selling his new book, “Power and Pinstripes: My Years Training the New York Yankeess.”
Launched during the height of the pandemic and hosted by James Beard Award-winning chef and New York Times bestselling author Rocco DiSpirito, this web series features chefs from Lower Manhattan restaurants cooking up signature recipes and sharing tips. All donations go directly to a food-security charity of the restaurant’s choice. Today, cook with Malibu Farm executive pastry chef Abby Swain, from the Bar Room at The Beekman. Free.
In-person screening of Suzhou River, followed by a talkback with film expert Richard Peña. Lou Ye is one of the most influential and important directors in China today. Through his films, Lou brings to light his interpretation of social issues of the marginalized in the Chinese society. One of his most important works, Suzhou River, is a tragic love story set in modern Shanghai. But rather than show off China’s glamorous “pearl of the orient,” writer-director Lou sets the film amid the chaotic factories and abandoned warehouses along the Suzhou River, which runs through the city. The film, which was never shown in China, gives us an up-close look into contemporary China’s gritty urban underbelly. $10.
6PM
Community Board 1 Quality of Life & Service Delivery Committee
1. Support for the WTC 5 Coalition – Discussion & Resolution
2. Creating Public Access to Bathrooms in Government Facilities – Discussion
3. DDC Project Updates
4. Public Safety Update
5. Changing the of the Meeting Day – Discussion
7PM
Snowbirds: A Cultural Phenomenon
Museum of Jewish Heritage
South Miami Beach is a tiny gem of Art Deco architecture, warm sun, and cool breezes. It was also the winter destination of choice for Jewish seniors during the 1970s and 80s, including many Holocaust survivors. Visual artist Naomi Harris moved to South Miami Beach to photograph the last remaining snowbirds. Her rich, colorful images from the multi-year pilgrimage are featured in her new book The Haddon Hall, which profiles bubbehs and zaidehs lounging by the pool, doing exercises, playing bingo, at the beauty parlor, and kibitzing on the veranda in the community that she made her own. Join the Museum for a program with Harris celebrating The Haddon Hall and exploring the lost world she captured with her camera. Free; suggested $10 donation.
7PM-9PM
Robby Ameen Live at the Poster Museum
52 Warren Street
Drummer Robby Ameen and bandmates present jazz at Philip Williams Posters. $20 ($10 students). Reservations 212-513-0313.
Neither Starved Nor Cold is a movement piece about identity and self-acceptance as it follows Canadian amputee dancer Lawrence Shapiro’s journey through dance. With two non-disabled performers of Heidi Latsky Dance, Carmen Schoenster and Judith Garfinkel, as his “Greek chorus”, Lawrence boldly exposes both his vulnerability and fierceness in this work. The piece challenges preconceptions of the non-normative body and creates a rich dynamic of integrated performance art. A short post performance talkback with the artists will follow the performance. $15-$20.
In-person event. Experience the Chinese literati salon inspired by ancient tradition, with an evening of classical music, poetry, calligraphy—and wine! As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to celebrate the joy of reunion in China Institute’s newly expanded space! Artists, musicians, and literature experts will perform and invite attendees to participate in an evening promoting solidarity, friendship, and culture. $10.
CLASSIFIEDS & PERSONALS
Swaps & Trades, Respectable Employment, Lost and Found
We can help you easily declutter and organize your overstuffed closets, jammed bookcases, bursting cabinets and drawers, and enormous stacks of paper to put your home in “company is coming” condition.
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78 year old refined intellectual gentleman having a passion for cruises and travel seeking a male or female caregiver/companion in exchange for all expense paid venture on the ocean. Only requirement is relationship comfort between us and ability to help with physical care regarding the limitations and restrictions of COPD.
Nadler Pushes for Federal Grant to Subsidize September 11 Museum
Congressman Jerry Nadler is pushing for a one-time cash infusion from the federal government to benefit the cash-strapped National September 11 Memorial & Museum, located within the World Trade Center complex.
During December 7 testimony before the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives, Mr. Nadler voiced his support for the proposed September 11 Memorial and Museum Act (of which he is a co-sponsor), noting that, “since its dedication in 2011, the September 11 Memorial has welcomed more than 51 million visitors, including September 11th victim family members, first responders, veterans, and the public from all 50 states and 190 countries.” To read more…
Pentacle on the Plaza
Abstract Actinoid Enlivens Plaza in World Trade Center Complex
Lower Manhattan has a new piece of grand public art.. In November, Silverstein Properties (the operator of the World Trade Center complex) installed “Jasper’s Split Star,” an abstract piece by legendary artist and sculptor Frank Stella on the plaza in front of Seven World Trade Center (located between West Broadway and Greenwich Street, south of Vesey Street).
The metal-clad starburst sculpture is a reprise, of sorts, to Mr. Stella’s 1962 painting, “Jasper’s Dilemma,” which was meant as a tribute to his friend and fellow artist Jasper Johns. Six of the structure’s sides are solid aluminum, and six remain open to reveal shades of blue, purple, and gray. The star motif refers to Mr. Johns’s paintings of flags, and “Jasper’s Dilemma” contained a spectrum of closely related colors.
Lenders Who Fronted Millions to Operators of Pier A Allege Fraud
Investors who lent more than $16 million to the operators behind the shuttered restaurant at Pier A, on Battery Park City’s southern border allege that the borrowers, “used a fraudulent scheme to squeeze out of the Project all the fees and distributions for themselves that they could before shutting the doors.”
In a development first reported by property industry newsletter the Real Deal, the lenders (Tribeca-based New York City Waterfront Development Fund II) filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court in November, seeking the return of $16.5 million (the original amount of the 2011 loan, none of which has been repaid), along with $2.63 million in accrued interest, plus attorney’s fees and court costs.
The defendants in this action are a partnership between the Poulakakos restaurant family (who operate numerous Lower Manhattan eateries) and the Dermot Company (a developer of garden apartment complexes around the United States that more recently branched out to New York projects, such as the conversion of Brooklyn’s landmarked Williamsburgh Savings Bank tower into condominium residences). To read more…
Lower Manhattan Greenmarkets
Tribeca Greenmarket
Greenwich Street & Chambers Street
Every Wednesday & Saturday, 8am-3pm
Food Scrap Collection: Saturdays, 8am-1pm
Open Saturdays and Wednesdays year round
Schedule Changes: Market closed 12/25 for Christmas Day and 1/1 for New Year’s Day.
The loyal community of neighborhood residents who shop at the Tribeca Greenmarket show up each Wednesday and Saturday year-round to get their fix of locally grown produce, sustainably raised meat, seafood, sheep’s milk cheese and yogurt, orchard fruit and berries, herbs, live plants and cut flowers. Cooking demonstrations, raffles, and educational activities make the market a hands-on experience for shoppers of all ages.
Bowling Green Greenmarket
Green Greenmarket at Bowling Green
Broadway & Whitehall St
Open Tuesday and Thursdays, year-round
Market Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Compost Program: 8 a.m. – 11 a.m.
The Bowling Green Greenmarket brings fresh offerings from local farms to Lower Manhattan’s historic Bowling Green plaza. Twice a week year-round stop by to load up on the season’s freshest fruit, crisp vegetables, beautiful plants, and freshly baked loaves of bread, quiches, and pot pies.
Fulton Street cobblestones between South and Front Sts. across from McNally Jackson Bookstore.
Locally grown produce from Rogowski Farm, Breezy Hill Orchard, and other farmers and small-batch specialty food products, sold directly by their producers. Producers vary from week to week.
INDOOR FARMERS MARKET STORE:
91 South St., bet. Fulton & John Sts. Open Monday – Saturdays 11:30 AM – 5 PM
Indoor Market Hours: Monday – Saturday
11:30 AM to 5:00 PM, year round
SNAP/EBT/P-EBT, Debit/Credit, and Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks accepted at all farmers markets.
Setting Up House
The Church Street School for Music and Art (41 White Street) is continuing a 25-year tradition by offering Gingerbread Family Workshops on Saturdays and Sundays (11 and 12; and 18 and 19), priced at $85 for early registration or $100 on the day of the event.
To-go kits are also available to assemble at home, complete with a gingerbread house, candy, and freshly made icing. In addition to offering great holiday fun, this program is one of the most important fundraisers for the highly regarded non-profit institution that has brought enrichment to the lives of generations of Lower Manhattan kids.
1025 – Constantine VIII becomes sole emperor of the Byzantine Empire, 63 years after being crowned co-emperor.
1791 – The United States Bill of Rights becomes law when ratified by the Virginia General Assembly.
1890 – Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull is killed on Standing Rock Indian Reservation, leading to the Wounded Knee Massacre.
1933 – The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution officially becomes effective, repealing the Eighteenth Amendment that prohibited the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol.
1945 – Occupation of Japan/Shinto Directive: General Douglas MacArthur orders that Shinto be abolished as the state religion of Japan.
1961 – Adolf Eichmann is sentenced to death after being found guilty by an Israeli court of 15 criminal charges, including charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people, and membership of an outlawed organization.
1965 – Project Gemini: Gemini 6A, crewed by Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford, is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida. Four orbits later, it achieves the first space rendezvous, with Gemini 7.
1970 – Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 successfully lands on Venus. It is the first successful soft landing on another planet.
1973 – John Paul Getty III, grandson of American billionaire J. Paul Getty, is found alive near Naples, Italy, after being kidnapped by an Italian gang on July 10.
1978 – President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will recognize the People’s Republic of China and sever diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan).
2000 – The third reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is shut down.
2001 – The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 spent to stabilize it, without fixing its famous lean.
Gustave Eiffel designed the interior structure of the Statue of Liberty.
Births
AD 37 – Nero, Roman emperor (d. 68)
1832 – Gustave Eiffel, French architect and engineer, co-designed the Eiffel Tower (d. 1923)
1861 – Charles Duryea, engineer and businessman, co-founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company (d. 1938)
1892 – J. Paul Getty, American-English businessman and art collector, founded Getty Oil (d. 1976)
1919 – Max Yasgur, American dairy farmer and host of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair (d. 1973)
Deaths
1072 – Alp Arslan, Turkish sultan (b. 1029)
1673 – Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, English noblewoman (b. 1623)
1675 – Johannes Vermeer, Dutch painter and educator (b. 1632)
1943 – Fats Waller, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1904)
1944 – Glenn Miller, American bandleader and composer (b. 1904)
1966 – Walt Disney, American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (b. 1901)
2011 – Christopher Hitchens, English-American essayist, literary critic, and journalist (b. 1949)
Credit: Wikipedia and other internet and non-internet sources
