downtown

DOWNTOWN | GREENWICH VILLAGE | FLATIRON DISTRICT | FIFTH AVE AND BEYOND | MIDTOWN | UPTOWN

Trinity Church (1697, 1790, 1846)

The first Anglican Church in the the city built in 1697 To ensure the church's success, the governor granted Trinity a six-year lease on a tract of land north of Trinity known as the King's Farm. In 1705, Queen Anne made this land grant permanent by giving 215 acres, which Trinity has used over the years to support the mission and ministry of Trinity and Anglican Church. The first Trinity Church building was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1776 during the Revolutionary War ​Following his inauguration as President of the United States in 1789, George Washington prayed in St. Paul’s Chapel. The next year, the second Trinity Church was completed. Notable parishioners from this time include John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. ​The present building is designed by Richard Upjohn With a 281-foot high steeple, Trinity was the tallest building in New York City until 1890. Alexander Hamilton and Robert Fulton are buried in the Trinity Churchyard

St. Paul’s Chapel (1766)

St. Paul’s Chapel is the Oldest Surviving Church Building in Manhattan Built in 1766, St. Paul’s Chapel was erected before the United States of America was in fact, the United States of America. When it first opened in 1766 as an outreach chapel of Trinity Church to better serve its expanding congregation, St. Paul’s was a “chapel-of-ease” for those who did not want to walk a few blocks south along unpaved streets to Trinity. ​​ A decade later, the Great Fire of 1776 destroyed the first Trinity Church, but St. Paul’s survived, thanks to a bucket brigade dousing the building with water. ​Until the second Trinity Church was rebuilt in 1790, many, including George Washington, made St. Paul’s their church home. On April 30, 1789, after Washington took the oath of office to become the first President of the United States, he made his way from Federal Hall on Wall Street to St. Paul’s Chapel, where he attended services.

The Federal Hall (1842)

Birthplace of American Government Here on Wall Street, George Washington took the oath of office as our first President, and this site was home to the first Congress, Supreme Court, and Executive Branch offices.  The site of government activity for more than 300 years The Stamp Act Congress met here to protest taxation without representation in October 1765.  The original, a Greek Revival structure completed in 1703, served as New York's first City Hall. It was the site where the colonial Stamp Act Congress met to draft its message to King George III claiming entitlement to the same rights as the residents of Britain and protesting "taxation without representation". After the American Revolution, in 1785, the building served as meeting place for the Congress of the Confederation, the nation's first central government under the Articles of Confederation. With the establishment of the United States federal government in 1789, it was renamed Federal Hall, as it hosted the 1st Congress and was the place where George Washington was sworn in as the nation’s first president. It was demolished in 1812. The current structure, completed in 1842 and one of the best surviving examples of neoclassical architecture in New York, was built as the U.S. Custom House for the Port of New York. Here on Wall Street, George Washington took the oath of office as our first President (1789) This site was home to the first Congress, Supreme Court, and Executive Branch offices The place where the Bill of Rights was officially passed (1791) Was built to be New York’s City Hall and later became the United States’ first capitol building ​ Architects: Alexander Jackson Davis, John Frazee The current structure, one of the best surviving examples of classical architecture in New York, was built as the first purpose-built U.S. Custom House for the Port of New York. In 1882, John Quincy Adams Ward's bronze George Washington statue was erected on its front steps, marking the approximate site where he was inaugurated as President in the former structure. In 1882, John Quincy Adams Ward's bronze George Washington statue was erected on its front steps, marking the approximate site where he was inaugurated as President in the former structure.

The Eldridge Street Synagogue (1887)

Opened in 1887 Offshoot of the first Russian-Polish congregation in New York (founded in 1848) Neo-Gothic/Moorish style Facade features lots of encode Jewish symbolism: 12 rosettes in the front window represent 12 tribes of Israel, 5 windows below - 5 books of Torah,  4 entrances - 4 matriarchs.

Ellis Island (1892)

Opened in 1892 12 million immigrants went through during 50 years  40 % of American population can trace at least 1 relative to Ellis Island Stay on the island was about a day and a half Less than 2% were turned back It closed in 1954

The New York Stock Exchange (1903)

Designed by George Post Neoclassical temple, typical for Beaux Arts architects 5 story trading floor, wall of  glass alloying natural light Pediment by J.Q.A. Ward - "Integrity Protecting the Works of Man" Integrity is 16 ft tall, wearing a cap of Mercury, the god of commerce On her right - mining and architecture, on her left - industry represented by young men with heavy equipment Originally carved from marble, the sculpture group used to weight 90 tons ​It was replaced with 10-ton replica made of cooper and lead The opening bell is rung on the trading floor to signify the start of the day's trading session. Since 1985, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has used the opening bell to start its trading session at 9:30 a.m. At 4:00 p.m., the closing bell is rung and trading stops for the day. There are bells located in each of the four main sections of the NYSE that all ring at the same time when a button is pressed. A common sight today is the highly publicized events in which a celebrity or corporate executive stands behind the NYSE podium and pushes the button to ring the bells. Many consider this act to be quite an honor and a symbol of a lifetime of achievement. One of the largest facilities in the world for trading stocks and financial securities. The NYSE began in 1792 when the Buttonwood Agreement was signed by 24 stock brokers outside on Wall Street. The first central location of the Exchange was a room rented for $200 a month located at 40 Wall Street. The building was destroyed in the Great Fire of New York (1835), after which the Exchange moved to a temporary headquarters. In 1863, it changed its name to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In 1865, it moved to 10-12 Broad Street. ​The New York Stock Exchange building opened on April 22, 1903, at a cost of $4 million. The trading floor was one of the largest volumes of space in the city at the time, measuring 109 feet (33 m) by 140 feet (43 m), with a skylight set into a 72-foot-high ceiling.

Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House (1907)

Designed by Cass Gilbert Up until 20th century the chief source of America's income was through shipping tariffs The Custom house is the grandest example of Beaux-Arts architecture The figures in front by Daniel Chester French are Asia, North America, Europe and Africa Asia: sits on human sculls and flanked by 3 slaves. She hols a lotus flower and a statue of Buddha.  North America carries a torch of Liberty, young man pushes a wheel of progress ​Europe is old and tired. Her hand rests on a book (knowledge) and a globe (discovery). A man behind her is time which is running out Africa is half naked (savagery) and asleep  Above the cornice are the statues representing a history of maritime trade from Athens to Great Britain

The Woolworth Building (1913)

Architect: Cass Gilbert Height: 792′ (241 meter) The best example of Beaux-Arts skyscraper  Woolworth invented the concept of the "dime store" (K-mart of the past) - low prices, high volume Cheap, merchandize on display, first in-store lunch counter The Woolworth built as company headquarters Gilded lobby designed like a church Medieval grotesque figures include himself holding the building and Woolworth counting money The cost was 13.5 million paid in cash One of the first to realize that such a structure is good publicity for the business There used to be an observation desk which closed during WWII

The Twin Towers (1972)

Architect: Minoru Yamasaki By the 1960s, the business district shifted to Midtown In order to revitalize downtown David Rockefeller created the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association to promote construction The idea of the World Trade Center was on the table since creation of the United Nation The World Trade Center was conceived in the early 1960s by the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Development Association to revitalize the seedy radio row dominated by electronic stores. Chase Manhattan Bank chairman David Rockefeller, founder of the development association, and his brother, New York governor Nelson Rockefeller, pushed hard for the project, insisting it would benefit the entire city  David Rockefeller approached Port Authority which agreed to the project which would also include revitalizing PATH train system Port Authority hired Minoru Yamasaki to design the center He decided on 2 tall towers and several smaller ones The original World Trade Center was a large complex of seven buildings The plan was to make them 110 stories each making them the world tallest The area where the twin towers were to be built was a landfill To insure that the water from the Hudson is kept away, gigantic "bathtubs" of 65-feet deep were dug up  Twin Towers weren't popular and were much criticized as boring and banal However, they quickly became a part of New York landscape appearing in movies, souvenirs, etc The observation desk opened in 1975 and became one of the major tourist attractions In 1974 Philippe Petit famously walked between the towers From the engineering stand point, they were unique: all the load was resting on exterior frame 50 thousand people worked in the towers They had more office space than some American cities On Sep 11, 2001 the Tower 1 (North) was hit at 8:46. It tore a hole above 93rd floor 18 minutes later second place hit the south tower between the 77th and 85th floors South tower was the first to collapse less than an hour after it was hit at 9:59 29 minutes later, the north tower also collapsed Both towers imploded The other five towers also collapsed

The World Financial Center (1988)

Designed by architect César Pelli It was   built  between 1982 and 1988 at a cost of $60 million on landfill that was  excavated during the building of the World Trade Center The most remarkable part of the complex was its' atrium- Winter Garden with palms The Winter Garden Atrium received major structural damage to its glass and steel frame on 9/11, but ceremonially reopened on September 11, 2002 The Atrium was severely damaged in the September 11, 2001 attacks as almost all the glass panes were blown out After the attacks, the World Financial Center underwent a $250 million renovation and expansion project Preliminary plans called for the demolition of the Grand Staircase, but the plans for demolition had outraged residents, who promptly appealed for its preservation The Winter Garden is a glass domed pavilion that sits between buildings 2 and 3 of the WFC New palm trees have been planted inside one of the city's most beautiful interior spaces, the public atrium in the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center. The old palm trees (that were planted during the 2002 rebuilding of the Winter Garden after the September 11 terrorist attacks,) had grown to 60 feet, too large to allow for further growth in the space

World Trade Center (now)

The first new building at the site was 7 WTC, which opened on May 23, 2006.The memorial section of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum opened on September 11, 2011, and the museum opened on May 21, 2014. 1 WTC opened on November 3, 2014; 4 WTC opened on November 13, 2013; and 3 WTC opened on June 11, 2018. ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER Opened October 2014 Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (David M. Childs) Tallest of new WTC Complex 104 Stories / 1776 feet high - a direct reference to the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. ( 541 meters ) 3 million rentable square feet of space It cost $4 billion and took eight years to build Magazine publisher Condé Nast as its anchor tenant One World Observatory is at the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The Observatory is located on the 100th, 101st and 102nd floors of One World Trade Center.  The building has a cubic base and its edges form eight isosceles triangles. Near its middle, the tower forms a perfect octagon.  One World Trade has 103 floors, 71 of which are office space.  Elevator ride takes 47 seconds, while traveling 23 miles (37 kilometers) per hour  2 WORLD TRADE CENTER Architect: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group is a New York and Copenhagen based group It was initially going to be designed by Norman Foster Second tallest of WTC Towers 80+ Stories / 1,270 feet tall 3 WORLD TRADE CENTER Architect: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Instantly recognizable by its iconic “K” brace, the building’s external steel framing The soaring lobby provides direct in-building access to 12 subways and adjacent retail. The expansive, 5,000-square-foot terrace on the 17th floor is one of the largest terraces in NYC 4 WORLD TRADE CENTER Opened November 2013 Architect: Maki and Associates (Fumihiko Maki) 72 stories / 977 feet tall 7 WORLD TRADE CENTER Opened May 2006 Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (David M. Childs) 52 stories / 741 feet tall Art installations by Jamie Carpenter, Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons OCULUS Architect: Santiago Calatrava The total cost for all of this ended up being north of $4 billion  WTC Transportation Hub and Westfield World Trade Center mall, which has 365,000 square feet of space for more than 100 retailers 9/11 MEMORIAL PLAZA Architect: Michael Arad A grove of nearly 400 white oak trees, and the largest manmade waterfalls in the United States Set within the footprints of the original Twin Towers, each pool is approximately 1-acre in size Two waterfalls known as “Reflecting Absence” are set in the footprints of the fallen Twin Towers The names of every person who perished in the terror attacks of February 26, 1993 & September 11, 2001 are honored in bronze around the twin Memorial pools A Callery pear tree became known as the "Survivor Tree" after enduring the September 11, 2001 terror attacks Center for the Performing Arts ​Opening 2021 ​ One World Observatory  SkyPod Elevators climb 102 stories in 47 seconds Opened in May 2015, is on the 102nd floor Tickets cost between $34 and $54​

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