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City officials cut ribbon for new heritage kiosk
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Despite blistering heat that offered nary a refreshing breeze, nearly 200 people gathered just before noon this past Thursday at the southwestern corner of City Hall Park to join in the celebration marking the official opening of the NYC Heritage Tourism Center. The center is representative of a unique and groundbreaking partnership between the public and private sectors, between the City of New York and The History Channel USA. A festive-looking kiosk, with candy-apple-red trim emblazoned with gold lettering, it is the embodiment of this joint-effort-come-to-fruition, officially announced and launched in December 2004.
While waiting for the official ceremony to begin, visitors enjoyed popcorn courtesy of The History Channel and entertainment provided by the delightful crooning of a barber-shop-style quartet, outfitted in matching red vests and bow ties. Occasionally, there were glimpses of period-costumed "colonials," most notably George and Martha Washington -- he, resplendent in a royal blue waistcoat with gold epaulettes and she, in a cream-colored floral-print dress with lace trim.
As Mayor Michael Bloomberg opened the official ceremonies, he first thanked Con Ed for keeping the city on track despite the heat wave and then observed that this was the ideal spot to make history, in the heart of downtown, the hub of the city's rich past. He noted that a record-breaking 12 million visitors are expected to come to New York City this summer between Memorial and Labor Days, and that this past June was a record breaker for the city, with hotel occupancy the highest it has ever been for any June. All of these things, he continued, make this a perfect time to be cutting the ribbon on the new center.
The mayor went on to thank The History Channel for its significant financial contribution, stating, "Through this creative alliance the city has found a corporate partner who is committed to promoting New York City. This innovative partnership will make New York City's history itself a destination." He continued, "I'm proud that we have constructed a state-of-the-art visitors' center focused on New York City history and created a powerful media vehicle which gives us a way to advertise New York City and compete for tourism dollars in the global marketplace."
Joining the mayor at the ceremonial ribbon-cutting were History Channel USA President Dan Davids; New York City Chief Marketing Officer Joseph Perello; History Channel Marketing Senior Vice President Michael Mohamad; and NYC & Company President and CEO Cristyne L. Nicholas.
Dedicated to promoting heritage tourism, the partnership can leverage The History Channel's assets, such as media, programming, and history expertise to help make New York City a premier heritage tourism destination. In addition to the unveiling of the new tourism center, three new television spots promoting heritage tourism in New York City were announced as well, and they are slated to start airing nationally on The History Channel this week. The advertising, marketing, and direct revenue of the partnership is valued at $19.5 million over three-and-a-half years.
"We entered into this partnership with the City of New York to help make New York City's history a destination," commented History Channel USA President Dan Davids. "Today, we launch this extraordinary NYC Heritage Tourism Center with Mayor Bloomberg and the city. It will provide New Yorkers and visitors alike with valuable information on all our city has to offer, and for us at The History Channel, it fulfills our goal of bringing history to life in a tangible manner. We will use our network's programming, educational, and promotional resources to help preserve New York's rich history for future generations."
Located at the tip of City Hall Park, between Vesey and Barclay Streets, the new cutting-edge kiosk replaces the old center, which was established in June 2002 in response to a burgeoning spurt in tourism downtown post-9/11. It is expected that 1,000 tourists a day -- and 350,000 a year -- will seek information at the kiosk. Although the kiosk's construction was financially supported by The History Channel, it is owned and operated by the city. The design and construction of the 8' x 13' structure itself was executed through a facilities contract with Bovis Lend Lease and overseen by the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Constructed of glass and steel, the booth's design is contemporary, with crimson-red accents, and topped off by a large canopy that shields visitors from the elements.
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| Glass and steel kiosk will feature heat and AC |
Mini-exhibits featuring artifacts from some of the cultural institutions of Lower Manhattan will be mounted in the kiosk, and two 61" plasma screens will provide continuous programming of historic information and events relating to the city. Two specially trained tourism experts will staff the center, and, unlike the previous booth that was at this location, the kiosk will be heated in the winter and air conditioned in the summer. It will serve as a source for securing detailed information on history-themed tours, activities, and events taking place at historical sites throughout the city. It will be open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 10:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.
Historic Walking Tours of Downtown New York, in partnership with the Alliance for Downtown New York and J & R Music and Computer World and led by the Big Onion, will offer a newly designed, 90-minute tour of Lower Manhattan, guiding visitors and New Yorkers alike around the environs, helping them discover significant buildings and historic sites, including the African Burial Ground, St. Paul's Chapel, and Newspaper Row. The tours are free and leave every Tuesday at noon from the NYC Heritage Tourism Center. The History Channel is also sponsoring a unique, 90-minute heritage trolley tour, operated by the Gray Line, featuring an old-fashioned, lacquer-red trolley, which will be guided by a history expert (dressed in period costume) who will provide "first-hand" commentary from the perspective of a renowned historical figure of a particular era.
The "History Channel New York CityPass," a booklet that offers discounted admission vouchers to six major attractions and more than a dozen significant historical points of interest in all five New York City boroughs, was also unveiled at Thursday's opening ceremony, and Mayor Bloomberg was presented with the very first copy off the presses. In addition to admission vouchers, the booklet also includes special offers to visit historic House Trust homes in New York City parks, Harlem Home Tours, coupons for shopping discounts, and helpful visitor information.
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| George and Martha Washington field visitor queries |
The History Channel and New York City also have combined efforts to provide history buffs across the country with the opportunity to win a prize in the "Passport to NYC History" sweepstakes, another part of this newly designed promotion for heritage tourism. There will be five grand-prize winners who will each win three days in the city to experience heritage tourism, including a private heritage trolley tour, a behind-the-scenes tour and private lunch at Fraunces Tavern, passes to historic sites throughout the city, and even tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular show.
"Partners like The History Channel are helping us tell the true and compelling stories that make New York City a wonderful place to explore," observed New York City Chief Marketing Officer Joseph Perello. "Our new visitor center makes City Hall Park the gateway to New York City's history."
Adds Christyne L. Nicholas, president and CEO of NYC & Company, "This innovative partnership between the city and The History Channel allows us to market New York City as a heritage destination to millions of potential visitors."
Indeed, with so many opportunities to learn about New York City's history, it will not be a surprise to those staffing the booth if even natives stop by to learn about New York City's history. Those present at the opening day festivities peppered George and Martha Washington with plenty of questions as they strolled around City Hall Park, and after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, visitors enjoyed hot dogs, soft drinks, more popcorn, and -- finally -- a cool breeze in the park.
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