Sign of respect for immigrants
Local politicians and community and business groups unveiled a new street sign at Allen St. between Delancey and Broome Sts. co-naming Allen St. the Avenue of the Immigrants in honor of the Lower East Side’s rich history as a melting pot for new Americans and home to many cultures. Congressmember Nydia Velazquez, left, and Councilmember Alan Gerson, spoke at the ceremony.
Libeskind memoir
Daniel Libeskind, the World Trade Center site’s master plan architect, has a new book, “Breaking Ground,” and will be appearing at the Downtown Borders at 100 Broadway on Friday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m.
“Fifty percent of the book is not about architecture – it’s really his personal story,” said Matthew Venzon, a publicist at Riverhead Books, which published “Breaking Ground.” The politics behind Libeskind’s “forced marriage” with architect David Childs to create the Freedom Tower building design also surfaces in the book, said Venzon.
Libeskind adversarial relationship was widely reported and their “marriage” came at the urging of Governor George Pataki.
Libeskind co-wrote his memoir with Sarah Crichton. The book also expounds on his life as a Polish immigrant and how he climbed to the top of a list of thousands of architects coveting the W.T.C. project.
Born in Lodz, Poland, in 1946, Libeskind immigrated to New York at the age of 13. He draws inspiration, he says, from the example of his Jewish parents, who escaped the Nazi onslaught against Poland by fleeing to the Soviet Union, where they were captured by the Red Army and imprisoned in labor camps.
According to Riverhead Books, a portion of the proceeds from “Breaking Ground” will be donated to Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund, which provides aid, scholarships, and funds to the families of the 9/11 victims who worked at Windows on the World restaurant.
Flying banners
From Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, some pithy quotations, including those of Abraham Lincoln, will be flying through Lower Manhattan skies.
A squadron of five airplanes will glide along the Hudson River, pulling banners emblazoned with Jenny Holzer’s “Truisms,” such as “Abuse of power comes as no surprise,” and the words of Abraham Lincoln, “Whatever you are, be a good one.”
Holzer, who lives in Hoosick, New York, has been presenting her messages for more than 25 years in public places and international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale, Reichstag, and Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao. Message writing is her artistic medium, whether splashed on a t-shirt, a plaque, or as an LED sign, and the key to her work, she says, is drumming the words in public areas.
The planes will fly from the Verrazano Bridge, up the Hudson River, to the George Washington Bridge, looping around Battery Park City for a second round.
“Airplane Banners,” presented by Creative Time will circle Downtown on Saturday, Oct. 30; Sunday, Oct. 31; and Monday, Nov. 1 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dates and times are approximate and subject to change. Call 212.206.6674 ext. 2 or visit www.creativetime.org for up-to-the-minute information.
C.B. 1 meetings
The upcoming week’s schedule of Community Board 1 committee meetings is below. Unless otherwise noted, all committee meetings are held at the board office located at 49 Chambers St., Room 709.
On Wed., Nov. 3, the Battery Park City Committee will meet at 6 p.m. for a presentation about logistics and phasing for the new Goldman Sachs building at Site 26; and to discuss the proposed removal of the Liberty Community Gardens.
On Thurs., Nov. 4, the Tribeca Committee will meet at 6:00 p.m. to discuss proposed subway station booth closures at Canal St. and Chambers St. on the A line and Franklin St. on the 1 line; to propose a resolution regarding a partial residential conversion at 45 Lispenard St.; and to propose a resolution regarding 53-55 Beach St.
The board’s new Tribeca Licensing Task Force will convene at the conclusion of the Tribeca Committee meeting and propose resolutions regarding 130 West Broadway, 329 Greenwich St. and 83-85 Worth St.
On Thurs., Nov. 4, the Financial District Committee will meet at 6:00 p.m. in room 501 to propose a resolution regarding a 26 Cortlandt St. floor area variance; to discuss the Columbus Day Street Fair; and to discuss the following proposed subway station booth closures: Cortlandt, Rector and Whitehall Sts. on the R line; Fulton and Broad Sts. on the J line; Wall and Fulton Sts. on the 2 line; Bowling Green and Fulton St. on the 4 line; and WTC on the E line.
WWW Downtown Express
