August 9th - August 13th, 2010

The Drawing Center is not moving to Lower Manhattan

August 9 - The Drawing Center is not moving to Lower Manhattan. Blaming the recession, the Drawing Center announced it is scraping plans to build a $60 million facility in the South Street Seaport, according to a report in Crains. The story says the 33 year old art institution, once considered a top candidate for the Performing Arts Center, recently reduced its operating budget from $2 million to $1.7 million

A facelift will close the Statue of Liberty

August 9 - A facelift will close the Statue of Liberty. The towering symbol of freedom will undergo a $26 million security upgrade. According to Metro, the statue will be closed for about a year, starting after October 12, 2011. The work includes fire-proofing the staircases as well as adding elevators and exits. Because of the work, visitors will be barred from the crown, base and pedestal, but the park surround in the statue will remain open.

Pieces of the 9-11 Memorial and museum begin to emerge

August 10 - Pieces of the 9-11 Memorial and museum begin to emerge. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum conducted a tour for the media to show the progress being made. The Survivors Staircase is in place, so are bases of several steel columns that support the towers and a 19-foot section of the TV antenna that sat atop the North Tower. The Memorial plaza is slated to open for the 10^th anniversary; the Museum is scheduled to open September 2012.

Two WTC columns are being readied for a return to Ground Zero

August 12 - Two WTC columns are being readied for a return to Ground Zero. Next month, two 70-foot-tall, 90-ton columns which once supported the south tower, will travel from JFK to the 9-11 Memorial. The Daily News says the pillars have been stored at the airport for the past nine years and are being welded so they can be transported back to the WTC site and reassembled. The two columns were among the few left standing after the building collapsed.

The city begins to mobilize for the Chambers Street construction project

August 12 - The city begins to mobilize for the Chambers Street construction project. Signs are going up, detailing street closures and contractors are also installing a fence along the south side of Chambers -- two indications that the massive three year water main project is imminent. DNAinfo.com reports Chambers Street will go down to one lane in about three weeks.

This fall, a new Wellness and Prevention Center opens

August 12 - This fall, a new Wellness and Prevention Center opens. Construction is expected to wrap up at the end of this month on a new 10,000 square foot facility. The Downtown Express says the wellness center was built with funds from the LMDC and the NYS Department of Health. Located at 83 Gold Street, it consists of 15 exam rooms and has the capacity to serve 2,500 patients a year.

Sponsors of the proposed mosque say no to the Governors offer

August 12 - Sponsors of the proposed mosque say no to the Governors offer. Developers of the Cordoba Initiatives Park51 community center said, thanks, but no thanks, to the Governors offer to move the mosque to a different site, perhaps on state land. According to The Daily News, a spokesperson said the organizers will talk to the Governor, but this has always been about serving lower Manhattan.

CaVaLa Park is renamed to honor Community leader Albert Capsouto

August 12 - CaVaLa Park is renamed to honor Community leader Albert Capsouto. It took months of lobbying by the community to convince the NYC Parks Department to name the park after Capsouto. The Downtown Express says Capsouto played a major role in the revitalization of Tribeca and small businesses post 9-11. A naming ceremony is planned for the fall at the park at the intersection of Canal, Varick and Laight Streets.

The vacancy rate in FiDi continues to move higher

August 12 - The vacancy rate in FiDi continues to move higher. Theres a lot of empty Class A office space in Lower Manhattan, according to Crains. Quoting reports from Cassidy Turley and Newmark Knight Frank, the paper says the vacancy rate in July hit 12.4%, the highest figure since the 12.7% recorded in March 2005. Two blocks of space hit the market in the same month -- 552,000 square feet at One New York Plaza and 513,000 square feet at 70 Pine Street.