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Washington Street Plaza

Financial District, ManhattanParks in Manhattan
Washington Street Plaza 2
Washington Street Plaza 2

The Washington Street Plaza was a pedestrian plaza along Washington Street between Carlisle and Albany Streets on the west side of the Financial District in Lower Manhattan. It opened on May 23, 2013.With an epoxy gravel placed over the street, it contained granite blocks, red chairs, tables, and potted plants.Its construction was delayed for several years and debated within Manhattan Community Board 1, although it was ultimately approved by the executive committee. The Alliance for Downtown New York, the Business Improvement District led by Elizabeth H. Berger, argued that the plaza would, according to the Downtown Express, "improve pedestrian mobility" around the September 11 Memorial and allow the Alliance to install a tourist kiosk. Referring to the Alliance's report "Five Principles for Greenwich South," which advocated for the plaza, she said: “One of the things that we looked at was how to capitalize on the old-world geometry of the street plan to create a sense of destination and gathering places.... There’ll be an attractive space not only for visitors but for people who live and work in the area to congregate.” Some residents believed, however, that "it would disrupt traffic and complicate an already crowded area."The administration of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, through Jeffrey Mandel, an adviser to Deputy Mayor Robert K. Steel, also advanced that the plaza would benefit residents of the Downtown neighborhood while helping to mitigate foot traffic from tourists. He said, "[the plaza] pushes a couple of big dominos forward by creating a place that's not just attractive and desirable for the folks down here but that has beneficial impacts in the way of mitigation."The plaza's construction was delayed by Hurricane Sandy. Representing the exiting Bloomberg administration, Mandel said, "We think it's important to make our best efforts in our last hours in the neighborhood."Activists for the recognition of the history of the Lower West Side and the Little Syria neighborhood have argued that the plaza would be an ideal place for historical signage. In anticipation of its construction, they pursued a resolution in support of signage from Community Board 1.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Washington Street Plaza (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Washington Street Plaza
Washington Street, New York Manhattan

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 40.7093 ° E -74.014 °
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Washington Street 120
10006 New York, Manhattan
New York, United States
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Washington Street Plaza 2
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St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, officially the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, is a church and shrine under construction in the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City. It is administered by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and is being developed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, based on the design of Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The church is set to be completed in April 2022, coinciding with the Orthodox Holy Week, and will be consecrated July 4, 2022.St. Nicholas will replace the original church of the same name that was destroyed during the September 11 attacks in 2001—the only house of worship, and only building outside the original World Trade Center complex, to be completely destroyed. The new church is located in Liberty Park, overlooking the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Its architecture draws from Byzantine influences, namely the Church of the Savior and the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, as well as from the Parthenon in Athens. In addition to serving as a Greek Orthodox parish, St. Nicholas is officially planned as a "House of Prayer for all people" that will function as a national shrine and community center, incorporating a secular bereavement space, social hall, and various educational and interfaith programs.Initially scheduled to open in 2016, St. Nicholas' rebuilding effort was beset by delays, cost overruns, and claims of financial impropriety. In 2019, the nonprofit Friends of St. Nicholas was founded to help complete the project, which continued under the auspices of the newly elected Archbishop Elpidophoros. The church was partially opened for a memorial service commemorating the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

90 West Street
90 West Street

90 West Street (previously known as the West Street Building and the Brady Building) is a 23-story residential building in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Located on West Street just south of the World Trade Center, the building was designed by Cass Gilbert, with Gunvald Aus and Burt Harrison as structural engineers, and John Peirce as general contractor. It was erected for the West Street Improvement Corporation, led by transportation magnate Howard Carroll. The Gothic styling and ornamentation of 90 West Street served to emphasize its height. The design combined elements of the three-section "classical column" arrangement of 19th-century buildings with the "romantic tower" of Gilbert's later structures such as the Woolworth Building. Its waterfront site necessitated the installation of pilings deep into the ground. Other features included a terracotta facade with granite at the two-story base, as well as terracotta fireproofing inside the building. The building's design was widely praised when it was originally completed. The building is a New York City designated landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 90 West Street was built in 1905–1907 as an office building called the West Street Building. "The Garret Restaurant", on the structure's top floors, was marketed as the highest restaurant in the world. The building underwent numerous ownership changes in the 20th century, and was known after its long-term owner, Brady Security and Realty Corporation, during the middle of the century. Following the collapse of the adjacent World Trade Center in the September 11, 2001, attacks, the West Street Building was severely damaged. The building was subsequently extensively refurbished and it reopened as a residential building called 90 West in 2005.