The Lower Manhattan of the Future Comes to Midtown in Exhibit at The New York Public Library

Lower Manhattan 2010: It’s Happening Now Opens at the Science, Industry and Business Library on January 23, 2006

Webcams of the Construction-in-Progress and Panoramic Images Among Highlights

World Trade Center Memorial illustration.
Architect Michael Arad; landscape architect Peter
Walker. Image courtesy of Lower Manhattan
Construction Command Center.

There are 59 construction projects occurring simultaneously in just one square mile of Lower Manhattan! These projects will transform the area over the next few years. To provide the public with a view of the neighborhood’s future, The New York Public Library’s Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) and the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center (LMCCC) are presenting a free exhibition at SIBL’s midtown location at 188 Madison (at 34th Street). Lower Manhattan 2010: It’s Happening Now opens January 23 and runs through September 15, 2007.

Lower Manhattan 2010 shows an overview of current construction and the plan for Lower Manhattan from Houston Street to the Battery. A webcam of the World Trade Center memorial site allows the exhibition viewer to watch the construction in real time. New projects are detailed in animation videos.

Panoramic images depict various projects, including world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava’s $2 billion Transportation Hub. Nuggets of information cover the wall with large letters. “400,000 is the number of concrete and steel delivery trucks that will be needed,” reads one. Another states, “There are over 30 residential projects ongoing in Lower Manhattan, by 2001, nearly 70,000 people will live downtown.”

Other topics highlighted include the Freedom Tower, the Traffic Management Program, and Environmental Monitoring. The Lower Manhattan Transportation Projects are also featured, including Route 9A (West Street); South Ferry Terminal; Fulton Street Transit Center; and the WTC Transportation Hub.

“The Science, Industry and Business Library is pleased to work with the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center in bringing lower Manhattan to midtown,” said Kristin McDonough, the Robert and Joyce Menschel Director, Science, Industry and Business Library. Although downtown and midtown are separate geographically, both areas are vital to New York City’s economy and history. While visiting the Library, users may also choose to explore construction and engineering issues in further detail using SIBL’s print and online resources.”

These resources include maps of Lower Manhattan, pictorial works, and materials specifically about the World Trade Center and the City’s economy after September 11, 2001. A resource list created by John Ganly, Assistant Director for SIBL Collections, is available at the Library’s website at http://www.nypl.org/research/calendar/imagesexhib/lowermanhattan.pdf and includes materials available throughout the New York Public Library system in addition to resources available for home use with a New York Public Library card.

“Lower Manhattan is in the midst of an exciting period of transformation and revitalization and is experiencing one of the biggest construction booms in our City’s history,” said Charles Maikish, Executive Director of the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center. “The visualization of the plan is already taking shape and the redevelopment is providing the great people of this City and State a world class place to work, live, and play.”

Lower Manhattan 2010: It’s Happening Now  is on view January 23 through September 15, 2007, at The New York Public Library’s Science, Industry and Business Library, 188 Madison Avenue (at 34th Street). Exhibition hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; closed Sundays and Mondays. Admission is free. For more information about exhibitions at The New York Public Library, the public may call 212.869.8089 or visit the Library’s website at www.nypl.org.

About the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center
The Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center (LMCCC) was established by Governor George E. Pataki and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg via joint executive order on November 22, 2004, and extended by Governor Eliot Spitzer in January 2007. The LMCCC is charged with coordination and oversight of all Lower Manhattan construction projects south of Canal Street, river to river. The LMCCC is taking steps to minimize the impact of ongoing construction on residents, businesses, and workers in Lower Manhattan and brings together private developers, public agencies, utilities, businesses, and residents. In addition to its oversight and coordination responsibilities, the LMCCC provides a forum for expeditious and consistent decision-making on issues among agencies. The Executive Director reports directly to the Governor and the Mayor. The LMCCC can be found online at www.LowerManhattan.Info.

About The New York Public Library
The New York Public Library was created in 1895 with the consolidation of the private libraries of John Jacob Astor and James Lenox with the Samuel Jones Tilden Trust. The Library provides free and open access to its physical and electronic collections and information, as well as to its services. It comprises four research centers – The Humanities and Social Sciences Library; The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; and the Science, Industry and Business Library – and 86 Branch Libraries in Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx. Research and circulating collections combined total more than 50 million items. In addition, each year the Library presents thousands of exhibitions and public programs, which include classes in technology, literacy, and English as a second language. The New York Public Library serves over 15 million patrons who come through its doors annually and another 21 million users internationally, who access collections and services through its website, www.nypl.org.

Upcoming and Current Exhibitions
The four research libraries of The New York Public Library (the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Science, Industry and Business Library) offer a broad range of exhibitions including the following:

Ehon: The Artist and the Book in Japan, on view through February 4, 2007 in the D. Samuel and Jeane H. Gottesman Exhibition Hall and the Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III Gallery at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

"Where Do We Go From Here?" The Photo League and Its Legacy (1936-2006), on view through February 18, 2007 in the Print and Stokes Galleries at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

A Rakish History of Men's Wear, on view through April 7, 2007 in the Edna Barnes Solomon Room at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

Stars and Treasures: 75 Years of Collecting Theatre, on view through May 5, 2007 in the Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery at the Library for the Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza.

Arturo Toscanini: Homage to the Maestro, on view from February 21, 2007 through May 25, 2007 in the Vincent Astor Gallery at the Library for the Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza.

From Revolution to Republic in Prints and Drawings: Dawn of the American Revolution, 1768 – 1776 and Selections from the C.W. McAlpin Collection, on view from March 9, 2007 through June 23, 2007 in the Print and Stokes Galleries at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

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Contact:              Gayle Snible           212.592.7700          |           gsnible@nypl.org
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