Lower Manhattan in Line with Borough, Ahead of City in Rates of COVID Vaccination
Lower Manhattan residents are being vaccinated against the pandemic coronavirus at a rapid rate.
Lower Manhattan’s local vaccination rate is roughly in line with that of Manhattan as a whole, and slightly ahead of the overall rate for the five boroughs.
In Manhattan, 26 percent of the adult population have been fully vaccinated, and another 14 percent have received partial vaccination. For the eight residential zip codes comprising Lower Manhattan, 18,219 adults (or 24 percent of the local population of 76,575 have taken both injections of the two-dose regimen, while another 8,042 residents (or 11 percent) have received only the first shot. (For New York City as a whole, 20 percent of the adult population have received the first jab, and 10 percent have been fully vaccinated.)
According to City Department of Health data released on Thursday, the local vaccination rates (outlined out by zip code) break down as follows:
• 10282/Battery Park City North (above Brookfield Place): Overall adult population of 4,396, with 980 partial vaccinations (22 percent) and 474 full vaccinations (11 percent)
• 10280/Battery Park City South (below Brookfield Place): Overall adult population of 7,517, with 1,713 partial vaccinations (23 percent) and 734 full vaccinations (ten percent)
• 10007/Southern Tribeca (West Street to Broadway, north of Vesey Street and south of Chambers Street): Overall adult population of 5,573, with 1,707 partial vaccinations (31 percent) and 721 full vaccinations (13 percent)
• 10013/Northern Tribeca (north of Chambers Street and south of Canal Street): Overall adult population of 24,656, with 6,482 partial vaccinations (26 percent) and 2,764 full vaccinations (11 percent)
• 10006/Greenwich South (Broadway to West Street, south of Vesey Street and north of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel): Overall adult population of 3,156, with 622 partial vaccinations (20 percent) and 263 full vaccinations (eight percent)
• 10004/Southern FiDi (West Street to the East River, south of Beaver Street): Overall adult population of 2,685, with 821 partial vaccinations (31 percent) and 364 full vaccinations (14 percent)
• 10005/Eastern FiDi (Broadway to the East River, south of Maiden Lane, north of Beaver Street): Overall adult population of 8,170, with 1,450 partial vaccinations (18 percent) and 621 full vaccinations (eight percent)
• 10038/the Civic Center and Seaport (Broadway to the East River, north of Maiden Lane and stretching a few blocks beyond the Brooklyn Bridge): Overall adult population of 20,422, with 4,444 partial vaccinations (22 percent) and 2,101 full vaccinations (10 percent)
Matthew Fenton
In Memoriam
Patricia Ann Brotman
Patricia Ann Brotman, a resident of Gateway Plaza since 1983, died March 3, 2021. She leaves her husband Rich Brotman, a sister and sister-in-law, and nieces and nephews.
Born in Egypt, PA, Patti graduated from Allentown High School in 1956. By 1957, she was in Philadelphia, working in the ad business. She rose through the advertising department at Fels Naptha Soap Company, and became the first woman to serve on the company’s Board of Directors. After Fels was acquired by Purex in 1964, Patti became the executive assistant to Dr. Thomas Boggs at Pennsylvania Hospital and stayed for 16 years.
During this time, she married and divorced three times. In April 1980, Patti met Rich Brotman, a graduate film student attending Temple University. They moved to Battery Park City in 1983 and married in 1984.
Patti was concerned about the number of stray cats in the area and she began a long involvement with the NYC community of animal rescuers. Patti and Rich volunteered with City Critters, and became known for their work trapping and adopting out feral cats from large colonies found at downtown construction sites. After 9/11, they joined the Battery Park City Community Emergency Response Team, trained with FEMA and were certified to assist in emergency disaster missions during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Hurricane Sandy in New York.
Contributions may be made in Patti’s memory to City Critters.
Letters
To the editor,
Re: letter from Paul Hovitz, published March 11, 2021
Paul Hovitz’s letter was quite critical of his Southbridge neighbors many of whom have opposed the oversized building proposed by the Howard Hughes Corp (HHC) at 250 Water Street. He failed to note that their proposal is also opposed by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), Community Board 1, local organizations including the Seaport Coalition, Save Our Seaport, and Children First and roughly 10,000 people who signed a petition in opposition and many well respected good government groups including the Municipal Arts Society, the City Club of NY, Landmarks Conservancy, Historic Districts Council and the list goes on. And no, these organizations do not stand to lose their view from an oversized building.
Mr. Hovitz also neglects to mention that 250 Water Street is within the South Street Seaport Historic District that has special low scale zoning limits and LPC oversight intended to preserve the historic low scale character of this special part of Lower Manhattan. Indeed, Lower Manhattan has many of the tallest buildings in New York City and there is no opposition to them since they are not subject to the historic district zoning and guidelines that all other owners do comply with.
Howard Hughes should be commended for supporting other local organizations but that does not give them the right to disregard the protections intended to keep the Seaport Historic District so special. And Mr. Hovitz fails to note that the 120’ height limit instituted in the Seaport in 2003 was overwhelmingly supported by this community including residents, every local elected official, the City Planning Commission, a unanimous City Council and groups such as the Downtown Alliance, the South Street Seaport Museum, and Community Board 1.
For Mr. Hovitz to question the motives of others with different positions than his, I would hope that he is truly speaking—at arms length—uninfluenced by benefits that HHC has bestowed on so many while in the process of trying to get a controversial development project approved.
Full disclosure, I am one of Mr. Hovitz’s referenced Southbridge neighbors. There are 1651 apts. in Southbridge Towers. Under the Seaport’s existing contextual zoning height limit of 120 ft, not even 200 apts. – likely less – would lose any sort of view that Mr. Hovitz suggests is behind resistance to an inappropriate development for the Seaport.
I don’t have a view from my apartment. My view comes from my daily walks through the Seaport, and I don’t want a looming skyscraper destroying this special place.
Respectfully,
Joanne Gorman
Co-founder- Friends of South Street Seaport,
Southbridge Resident
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Originally published March 3, 2021
Dear Neighbors,
I have a dream . . .
I dreamed of a Seaport Museum from Scotch and Soda to Sarah Jessica Parker as one renovated building structure housing the lynchpin of the Historic District with a brand new state of the art building next door across from the River and our ships.
I dreamed of this lynchpin with a $50M endowment; enough to bring our museum into the digital age. All this was foreseen by CB1 when we created the Save our Seaport Museum Taskforce.
I dreamed of our New Market Pier surviving its predicted collapse into the East River and being rebuilt ending in a much needed community center for downtown.
I continue to dream of charitable funding to so many institutions including the Rescue Mission, our downtown hospital, our Spruce Street School, our Peck Slip School, our Downtown Little League. All these and more funded thru Howard Hughes, member of our community.
I dream of the addition of 100 truly affordable housing in our community. This will not replace the 1650 affordable middle income housing that SBT residents voted to remove from the community in favor of greed. Many of these folks opposing the above in favor of their view corridor.
Now . . . unfortunately, all of the above have been traded for “I want to keep my view of the bridge” without concern for the overall picture our our Seaport. Indeed, SOS has translated to Sabotage our Seaport. We need to look past our personal needs and represent the South Street Seaport and our community.
A vibrant Seaport Historic District increases the land values, our property value. Before Pier 17 opened the Seaport was veritably a Ghost Town.
Please . . . we could lose all of the above and simply end up with a 120 feet +20-40 additional feet for the Flood Zone blockhouse. This is As Of Right!
Respectfully submitted,
Paul Hovitz, Retired Vice Chair of CB1
They Listened
City and Seaport Developer Revamp Pavilion Plans,
In Response to Community Input
Community Board 1 (CB1) is endorsing a proposal by Howard Hughes Corporation, the real estate firm that is redeveloping the South Street Seaport, and the City’s Parks Department, to create a new outdoor restaurant underneath the FDR Drive.
The plan calls for an oak-framed pavilion that will be 11 feet tall and 76 feet long, situated between FDR Drive, at South and Fulton Streets, in front of the historic and newly refurbished Tin Building. Open patios will extend from the north and south ends of pavilion, where food and drink will be served year-round. Removable panels will provide shelter from the elements during cold-weather months. To read more…
A Decade of Development
Lower Manhattan Quietly Becomes Home to Equivalent of a New Neighborhood – Almost None of It Affordable
In the ten-year period that ended in 2020, Lower Manhattan absorbed the equivalent of an additional Battery Park City, through the number of new households created by real estate development, according to an analysis from the Department of City Planning.
Community District 1—a collection of neighborhoods encompassing 1.5 square miles, bounded roughly by Canal, Baxter, and Pearl Streets and the Brooklyn Bridge — saw the creation of 6,477 new housing units in the decade that begin in 2010. To read more…
Quid Pro No?
Another FiDi Renter Seeks Recompense for Years of Rent Overcharges
The wave of Financial District tenants going to court to demand restitution from years of illegally high rent gathered further momentum on Tuesday, when another tenant at 50 Murray Street filed court papers arguing that she is entitled to rent stabilization protection along with reimbursement for six years worth of overcharges, and triple damages.
Heather Horn moved into 50 Murray Street in May, 2014, at an initial rent of $4,695 per month. Since then, according the documents filed with the new York State Supreme Court, she has renewed her lease six times, and her rent has increased by almost 26 percent, to $5,900.
They Plan to Unpave the Parking Lot, and Put Up a Paradise
The East Side Competes with the Hudson as Downtown’s Go-To Waterfront Destination
Although the Hudson River Park has emerged in recent years as a focus of Lower Manhattan community life, it may soon have a rival. Planning and development for an East River waterfront park are roughly a decade behind the political dialog and physical construction surrounding the West Side’s network of piers and esplanades, but are nonetheless gathering momentum. To read more…
Intimate, one-of-a-kind, live performance that is socially distant, within the indoor spaces of Brookfield Place. Up to six people who have traveled together can expect to be entertained for up to 15 minutes. Registration opens on the Monday before each show at 10AM. Free.
Intimate, one-of-a-kind, live performance that is socially distant, within the indoor spaces of Brookfield Place. Up to six people who have traveled together can expect to be entertained for up to 15 minutes. Registration opens on the Monday before each show at 10AM. Free.
Nobel Laureate Martin Karplus was eight years old when his family fled Nazi-occupied Austria, shortly after the arrival of German forces in 1938. They escaped via Switzerland and France to the United States, where he became a theoretical chemist. Karplus conducted groundbreaking work in the 1970s to develop multiscale models for complex chemical systems, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2013. He is the Theodore William Richards Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus at Harvard University and the Director of the Biophysical Chemistry Laboratory in France. He credits his life as a refugee as a decisive influence on his worldview and approach to science. Join Karplus for a Stories Survive program exploring his childhood and accomplished career in science. $10.00. Museum of Jewish Heritage
CLASSIFIEDS & PERSONALS
Swaps & Trades, Respectable Employment, Lost and Found
needed for filing, packaging/mailing items, and computer work including spreadsheets. Handyman skills helpful. $25/hour, approximately 12 hours/week. email cathy@riverprojectnyc.org.
TUTOR AVAILABLE FOR HOMEWORK SUPPORT
Stuyvesant HS student available for homework help. All grades especially math. References available upon request
A Guide To Lower Manhattan’s 2021 Light Installations
“Talking Heads,” designed by Hungarian artist Viktor Vicsek, is made up of two massive heads dotted with 4,000 LED lights that change to reveal different facial expressions in conversation.
The sculpture “C/C,” designed by Singapore-based artist Angela Chong, is a bench for seating that transforms into a colorful LED light show at night.
Winter is a little brighter in Lower Manhattan, where you can bask in a whole bunch of colorful light installations this season.
There are two Downtown Alliance-sponsored public art projects on loan from Amsterdam’s Light Art Collection at the public plaza adjacent to 85 Broad.
The sculpture “C/C,” designed by Singapore-based artist Angela Chong, is a bench for seating that transforms into a colorful LED light show at night.
“Talking Heads,” designed by Hungarian artist Viktor Vicsek, is made up of two massive heads dotted with 4,000 LED lights that change to reveal different facial expressions in conversation.
Another Alliance sponsored installation is Ziggy. At the public plaza at 200 Water Street, this interactive piece by design studio Hou de Sous uses cords tied to a steel structure illuminated by colorful lights to create exciting views of the surrounding landscape. You can enter the installation from all angles, and sit on the several “gateways” that serve as benches. At night, Ziggy’s lights add an inviting extra pop of brightness.
Head up Water Street to the Seaport and find “Electric Dandelions,” created by artist Abram Santa Cruz and LA-based art collective Liquid PXL and presented by The Howard Hughes Corporation. In daylight, the ten 28-foot steel-and-acrylic structures look like dandelion flowers; at night, LED lights turn the structures into colorful, rhythmic animations.
(sponsored content)
Downtown Depreciates
Reports Show That Lower Manhattan Properties Are Dwindling in Value
A range of reports indicates that the Downtown real estate market has imploded in the wake of the recession brought on by the pandemic coronavirus. The Downtown Alliance’s “2020 Lower Manhattan Real Estate Year in Review” documents that office leasing fell by almost 70 percent from 2019 levels, to deeper troughs than those that followed the 2008/2009 financial crisis, while local office vacancies spiked to 20-year highs.
Perhaps the most radical undoing, however, was on the residential front. “According to our research, an estimated 40 percent of the local population left amid the pandemic,” To read more…
9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Report
More Survivors than Responders Now are Submitting Claims
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) has released its annual report for 2020, which documents some significant developments.
Over the course of its ten years of operation thus far, the VCF has awarded $7.76 billion to more than 34,400 individuals who have suffered death or personal injury as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and their aftermath. The vast majority of these injuries take the form of illness caused by exposure to toxic materials that were released by the destruction of the World Trade Center.
538 – Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths, ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city t the victorious Roman general, Belisarius
1365 – University of Vienna founded
1609 – Bermuda becomes an English colony
1664 – New Jersey becomes a British colony
1755 – First steam engine in America installed, to pump water from a mine
1850 – First US $20 gold piece issued
1930 – Mohandas Gandhi begins 200m march protesting British salt tax
1933 – FDR conducts his first “fireside chat”
1945 – New York is first to prohibit discrimination by race and creed in employment
1945 – USSR returns Transylvania to Romania
1956 – Dow Jones closes above 500 for first time (500.24)
2011 – A reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant melts and explodes and releases radioactivity into the atmosphere a day after Japan’s earthquake.
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