New York, NY (September 17, 2004) - The Museums of Lower Manhattan, a recently-formed collective of 15 museums and historic sites located in Lower Manhattan, announced today a significant rise in the number of visitors to the museums this summer, pointing to the continued resurgence of downtown as a cultural destination.

"We are encouraged by the increased popularity this summer of New York's downtown cultural gems: The Museums of Lower Manhattan," said LMDC President Kevin M. Rampe. "The significant gains in attendance at many of our downtown museums shows that people are increasingly rediscovering the amazing cultural vitality of the area."

"Following 9/11, visitors from New York, America and beyond are coming downtown in search of an authentic take on a broad range of uniquely American experiences," said Rampe.

Among the Museums that have reported the most significant gains are the Police Museum, which had a 27% increase in visitors in June of this year as compared to June of 2003, and the neighboring South Street Seaport Museum, which showed an increase of 43% this summer over last. The Museum of Chinese in the Americas saw a whopping 44% increase in June and July of this year, with the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial seeing a jump of 36% for the same period. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum was sold out most of the summer and continues to show gains for the year. In addition, St. Paul's Chapel was up 25% in attendance this July.

All located South of Houston Street, the Museums of Lower Manhattan capture the essence of New York's first neighborhood by chronicling a wide range of cultural aspects of American life. Visitors can tailor an itinerary to their interests and comfortably walk between any of the museums. The Museums of Lower Manhattan draw comparisons to the Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue for the density, diversity and authenticity of exhibits, programming and activities.

The Museums of Lower Manhattan is the name of a new campaign to increase awareness of the area's incredibly rich and diverse cultural offerings. The collective, which was made possible through a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and administered by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), is launching an extensive advertising, marketing and public relations campaign aimed at increasing awareness of and visits to the 15 museums.

The Museums of Lower Manhattan are: the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust; the Skyscraper Museum; Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island Immigration Museum; Castle Clinton National Monument; National Museum of the American Indian Smithsonian Institution; Museum of American Financial History, Fraunces Tavern® Museum; the New York City Police Museum; Federal Hall National Memorial; South Street Seaport Museum; Museum of Chinese in the Americas; Eldridge Street Project; Lower East Side Tenement Museum; the New York City Fire Museum; and St. Paul's Chapel.

For complete information on all of the museums, including their hours of operation, location, exhibits and directions via subway, bus or car please visit our website, www.nystartshere.org.