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Lower Manhattan (or downtown Manhattan) is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York. Lower Manhattan or "downtown" is defined most commonly as the area delineated on the north by 14th Street, on the west by the Hudson River, on the east by the East River, and on the south by Battery Park and New York Harbor (also known as Upper New York Bay). When referring specifically to the lower Manhattan business district and its immediate environs, the northern border is commonly designated by thoroughfares approximately a mile-and-a-half south of 14th Street and a mile north of the island's southern tip: Chambers Street from near the Hudson east to the Brooklyn Bridge entrances and overpass. Two other major arteries are also sometimes identified as lower Manhattan's northern border: Canal Street, roughly half a mile north of Chambers Street, and 23rd Street, roughly half a mile north of 14th Street.

The lower Manhattan business district includes Wall Street, City Hall, the Municipal Building, the Financial District, and the site of the World Trade Center. The planned community of Battery Park City also lies to the south of Chambers Street, directly to the west of the business district. The neighborhood of TriBeCa straddles Chambers. North of Chambers and the Brooklyn Bridge and south of Canal Street lies most of New York's oldest Chinatown neighborhood. The Lower East Side neighborhood straddles Canal. North of Canal and south of 14th Street are the neighborhoods of SoHo, the Meatpacking District, Greenwich Village, Little Italy, Nolita, and the East Village. Between 14th and 23rd streets are lower Chelsea, the Flatiron District, Gramercy, and the large residential development Peter Cooper Village—Stuyvesant Town.

The lower Manhattan business district is the fourth largest central business district in the United States, after Midtown Manhattan, Chicago's Loop, and Washington, D.C. The area was previously the third largest CBD. Lower Manhattan's fall to fourth place can be attributed to the district's loss of the World Trade Center, which contributed over 16 million square feet of office space to the area. The square footage lost in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was equivalent to the office space then in the entire city of Cincinnati. It is expected that the district will regain its third place ranking after the construction of the Freedom Tower, which is planned to yield close to the original center's square footage of rentable commercial space, and the construction of new headquarters for financial firm Goldman Sachs.

History

The Dutch established the first European settlements in Manhattan, which were located at the lower end of the island. The first fort was built at the Battery to protect New Netherland. In 1771, Bear Market was established along the Hudson shore on land donated by Trinity Church, and replaced by Washington Market in 1813. Washington Market was located between Barclay and Hubert Streets, and from Greenwich to West Street. The area remains one of the few parts of Manhattan where the street grid system is largely irregular. Throughout the 1900's and 20's the area experienced a construction boom, towers such as 40 Wall Street, American International Building, Woolworth Building, and 20 Exchange Place were completed in the 1900's and 30's. At the end of the 1950s, Lower Manhattan had become economically depressed, in comparison with Midtown Manhattan which was booming.

In the 1950s, a few new buildings were constructed in Lower Manhattan, including an 11-story building at 156 William Street in 1955. A 27-story office building at 20 Broad Street, a 12-story building at 80 Pine Street, a 26-story building at 123 William Street, and a few others were built in 1957. David Rockefeller spearheaded widespread urban renewal efforts in Lower Manhattan, beginning with construction One Chase Manhattan Plaza, the new headquarters for his bank. He established the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association (DLMA) which drew up plans for broader revitalization of Lower Manhattan, with the development of a world trade center at the heart of these plans. The original DLMA plans called for the "world trade center" to be built along the East River, between Old Slip and Fulton Street. After negotiations with New Jersey Governor Richard J. Hughes, the Port Authority ended up deciding to build the World Trade Center on a site along the Hudson River and the West Side Highway, rather than the East River site.

Through much of its history, the downtown area was mainly a commercial district, with a small population of residents. In 1960, there were approximately 4,000 residents living downtown. Construction of Battery Park City brought in many new residents to Lower Manhattan. The Complex started construction in the 1980s from landfill from construction of the World Trade Center. The Gateway Plaza, the first complex to be completed in Battery Park City was completed in 1983. The World Financial Center was the main centerpiece of the project, consisting of four luxurious highrise towers. By the turn of the century, Battery Park City was mostly completed, with the exception of some ongoing construction on West Street. By the late 90's and early 2000s Lower Manhattan was fully developed and reached its highest population of business tenants and residents.

Historic sites

Probably the most famous landmark in Downtown, is the former World Trade Center site. Before the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Twin Towers were major New York icons.

The area contains many old and historic building and sites, including Castle Garden, originally the fort Castle Clinton, Bowling Green, the old United States Customs House, now the National Museum of the American Indian, Federal Hall, where George Washington was inaugurated as the first U.S. President, Fraunces Tavern, New York City Hall, the New York Stock Exchange, renovated original mercantile buildings of the South Street Seaport (and a modern tourist building), the Fulton Fish Market, the Brooklyn Bridge, South Ferry, embarkation point for the Staten Island Ferry and ferries to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, and Trinity Church. Lower Manhattan is home to some of New York City's most spectacular skyscrapers, including the Woolworth Building, 40 Wall Street(also known as the Trump Building), the Standard Oil Building, and the American International Building.

Defining downtown

Downtown in the context of Manhattan, and of New York City generally, has different meanings to different people, especially depending on where in the city they reside. Residents of the island generally speak of going "downtown" to refer to any southbound excursion to any Manhattan destination. A declaration that one is going to be "downtown" may indicate a plan to be anywhere south of 14th Street—the definition of downtown according to the city's official tourism marketing organization—or even 23rd Street. The full phrase downtown Manhattan may also refer more specifically to the area of Manhattan south of Canal Street. Especially when talking about business matters, many people would use the term downtown Manhattan to refer only to the Financial District and the businesses located there. The phrase lower Manhattan may apply to any of these definitions: the broader ones often if the speaker is discussing New York City from an external perspective; the most restrictive one, again, if the focus is on business matters or on the early colonial and postcolonial history of the island.

Education

Higher education

• Berkeley College (Lower Manhattan Extension Center)
• CUNY-Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC)
• Globe Institute of Technology
• Pace University
• School of Visual Arts
• St. John's University (School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science)

Elementary/secondary education

The New York City Department of Education operates New York City's public schools. Manhattan residents living south of Chambers Street are zoned to either P.S. 234 Independence School or P.S. 89. All of the residents are zoned to Simon Baruch Middle School 104.

• Claremont Preparatory School

There is no high school zoning. Nearby high schools include: (South of Chambers)

• Stuyvesant High School
• Murry Bergtraum High School
• High School of Economics and Finance
• High School for Leadership and Public Service
• Millennium High School

(North or East of Chambers)

• Pace University High School
• Seward Park High School
• Unity High School
• University Neighborhood High School

Recovery and future

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Lower Manhattan lost much of its economy and office space. Currently, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation is planning to re-build Downtown Manhattan, by adding new streets, buildings and office space.

References

1. http://hsc.house.gov/files/TestimonyPryor.pdf
2. Rankin, Rebecca B., Cleveland Rodgers (1948). New York: the World's Capital City, Its Development and Contributions to Progress. Harper.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. "A Public Market for Lower Manhattan" (PDF). New York City Council.
4. Millstein, Gilbert (April 24, 1960). "Restless Ports for the City's Food". The New York Times.
5. ^ Bartnett, Edmond J. (December 25, 1960). "Building Activity Soars Downtown". The New York Times.
6. ^ Brown, Charles H. (January 31, 1960). "'Downtown' Enters a New Era". The New York Times.
7. ^ NYC Basics, NYCvisit.com. Retrieved on December 2, 2007.
8. See, e.g., Hotels: Downtown below 23rd Street, Time Out New York; "Residents Angered By Bar Noise In Downtown Manhattan", NY 1 News, March 3, 2006. Both retrieved on December 3, 2007.

External links

• LowerManhattan information
• A neighborhood map of Lower Manhattan (PDF file)
• Lower Manhattan skylines as seen from Brooklyn and New Jersey
• Lower Manhattan Photo Gallery

• Central business districts
• Neighborhoods in Manhattan