FROM CHARMING TO DINGY
Sana Karnawat
Integrative Seminar - Bridge 4 (Intro to Research): Urban Avatar Eric Dean Wilson November 26 , 2017 th
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Starting from the intersection of Chatham Square and Worth Street, I looked back towards the end of Chinatown and then forward, towards the beginning of a municipal and official area. No more dangling lights, Chinese lanterns and narrow streets. Just a long stretch down towards Hudson, mostly under construction. Humongous government buildings looming over pedestrians, orange and white striped cones sprawled over the street and cement-mixers at almost every intersection, this was our view of Worth Street. Walking down the street, with closed sidewalks blocking our views, I felt a certain darkness creep over me. A few scintillating lights from the many windows above weren’t enough to light up the entire place. We looked into the buildings on each side and noticed how formal and proper they appear. This street is home to a variety of the New York Government offices such as the Marriage Bureau, City Hall, Supreme Court and even the Sanitation Department. Most of these are clustered towards the Chatham Square side of the street. We cross the marble-columned Manhattan Marriage Bureau on our right. In an article written by Fernanda Santos, First Deputy Mayor Patricia E. Harris said, “We want to be the wedding destination of the world.”1 This marriage hall was originally an incommodious space with plastic chairs and old, cracked tiles. But with tight revenues and the desperation for tourism, the Bloomberg administration renovated it and created a 24,000-square-foot wedding palace to attract more couples. Involving the reconstruction of an old Department of Motor Vehicles office, this entire renovation was a $12 million project led by designer Jamie Drake. The construction of Madonna’s Los Angeles home and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s Upper East Side town house, contribute to his renown. The bureau consists of two separate wedding chapels
1 Fernanda Santos, “Eloping to Vegas? Why Not Lower Manhattan?,” The New York Times (New York, NY), Jan. 7, 2009.
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on either side of the central rotunda. The east chapel has a sofa and walls featuring apricot and peach colors, while the west chapel is cladded in lavender and purple. The bathrooms were turned into expansive dressing rooms, with full-length mirrors and long vanity counters lit by sunken concave wall fixtures. Carley Roney, founder of TheKnot.com, has indicated that Manhattan may be a threat to Las Vegas’ current title of “the wedding destination of the world.” We happened to be there on the day of a film shooting, preventing us from getting a good look of the Bureau. However, that proves how this building is rising to its fame. Right outside the Marriage Hall, on the street, is the site of Point 1 of The Five Points. Worth Street was a part of The Five Points – The First Slum in America. “The 19th-Century New York City Neighborhood That Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections, and Became the World's Most Notorious Slum,”2 wrote Kevin Baker. This area was ridden with violence and crime. The mixing of immigrants from different races, poor living conditions and immorality were blamed by various theorists for the existence of this slum. However, the residents grinded for money and saved up huge amounts to send back to their native homes. Looking around, I could only see the same, plain concrete buildings with no remnants of the aforementioned slum culture. It was known for its diversity including Irish, African, Chinese and other traditions. In light of this slum, diagonally across the aforementioned point, beyond Thomas Paine Park, lies the African Burial Ground Monument. It is aggrandized by a $5 million black granite memorial sculpted by Rodney Leon. In an article of the New York Times, Edward Rothstein touched on this - “Cemeteries are at least as much for the living as the dead.”3 During the
2 Kevin Baker, “The First Slum in America,” The New York Times, 30 September 2001, http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/30/books/the-first-slum-in-america.html. 3 Edward Rothstein, “A Burial Ground and Its Dead Are Given Life,” The New York Times, 25 February 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/arts/design/26burial.html. th
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construction of a General Services Administration building, like most of those on Worth Street, graves were discovered twenty-four feet below ground. With the discovery of additional bodies in that area, New York’s history on African-Americans took a new, unexpected turn. In all, four hundred and nineteen bodies were discovered. A visitor center was constructed over a portion of the excavation, which now stands inside the ultimately constructed federal building. This building also houses the Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Armed Forces Recruiting, US Citizenship and Immigration Services etc. No wonder this street looks so intimidating. The visitor center explains the site’s historical as well as personal significance. The uncovering of these graves developed a sense of connection and identification in the city’s African-American people. Isn’t it strange that life went on in this bustling city, without knowledge of this extremely significant historical event? It seems as if in the hurry to add to the concrete jungle, life interrupted and made the New Yorkers pause and think a while. Worth Street has so much history and information to offer at every nook and corner. Just a block ahead, and we happened to be standing atop the abandoned Worth Street subway station. A scholarly article – “Abandoned Stations” by Joseph Brennan gives a complete and informative view of what went down with the operation of this station. Worth St was a part of the first New York subway.4 It was lengthened twice to ultimately accommodate the full length of a ten-car train. The remnants of Worth St platforms can be seen from the 6 trains, running between Brooklyn Bridge and Canal St, especially if one looks outside the front door window. The extended platforms, now covered in graffiti and dirt, are also visible from the 4 and 5 trains, if no local train blocks the view. Worth St station lying very close to a busier hub – Brooklyn Bridge, 4 Joseph Brennan, “Abandoned Stations,” Columbia University in the City of New York, 20012002, http://www.columbia.edu/%7Ebrennan/abandoned/worth.html.
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did not seem as important once the Brooklyn Bridge station renovations were completed. With the new entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge station located almost at Worth St, Brooklyn Bridge essentially took over the functions of Worth St, ultimately causing it to shut down. Going on, as the sun went down, the street felt tenebrous. Such a contrast from the gleaming lights further uptown. More and more federal government buildings were to be seen on either side. A tremendously tall building on our left caught our attention. To me, it resembled some sort of machine gun sticking out of the ground. One of my peers guessed that it must be a prison. With only 6 window-like openings in the center of the front face, it really did look like a prison. We even cooked up a theory according to which, dead bodies are sent down these long, extended, hollow blocks of the structure. A disappointment to our wild imaginations, we found that it was only the AT&T Long Lines Building. Worth Street appears to be an unlively, gloomy street. Although its home to the New York Law School, several government departments and corporate buildings, it lacks the charm that exists in the rest of Downtown. About twenty-two months ago, Worth St witnessed a dreadful crane collapse killing a thirty-eight-year-old and injuring one elderly and a 45-year old. The 565-foot-long crane’s wind sensor had alarmed the company of incoming strong winds. As the crane was being lowered in response, the workers somehow lost control and it crashed to the ground covering about three blocks. David Wichs, the 38-year old victim, was a mathematician from Harvard. His widowed wife, Rebecca Guttman spoke very highly of him in his eulogy at a 5
synagogue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It’s disheartening to read such terrible news and to find that the late victim had so many dreams yet to accomplish. From her speech, it can be 5 Annie Correal, “At Funeral for Victim of Crane Collapse, Recounting a Life, and a Love Story,” The New York Times (New York, NY), Feb. 7, 2016.
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understood that the two of them were very much in love and happily married. Her description of him as the happiest and most enthusiastic man she had ever met, touches the listener or reader. David’s younger brother, Daniel, mentioned how Rebecca was the best thing that ever happened to David. He adored and deeply respected his elder brother. My timorousness towards this street seemed to increase once I found out about this unfortunate incident. This street, rich in history, was originally known as Anthony Street. Later, it was renamed Worth Street in the honor of Major-General William J. Worth. He was the hero of the 1848 Mexican war. He was temporarily interred at Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, before 6
being buried at the Worth Monument’s location on Fifth Avenue, Broadway and 25 Street. This th
small square is known as Worth Square, which consists of the grave and the monument. Worth monument is the second oldest monument in New York and the only monument other than Grant’s Tomb in Harlem that serves as a mausoleum. I wonder why this Square was not constructed on Worth Street itself. Maybe these were just separate ways of commemorating General William Worth. Similarly, quite a few other places in the country have been named in his honor. As we came closer to the end of the Street, towards its intersection with Hudson, all I could see were well-lit, spacious parking lots on both sides with a few dark buildings every now and then. At the corner of Worth and Hudson, is a parking lot with a fascinating story. Every week, in its tiny kiosk, up to half a dozen men all brought together by their status as monthly
6 New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, “Worth Square General William Jenkins Worth Monument,” Official Website of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, Accessed 15 November 2017, https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/worthsquare/monuments/1734. th
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parkers at the lot, gather to blow off some steam. Unofficially led by the lot’s manager, a Pakistani immigrant named Jeff Asghar, the members share their personal as well as professional problems over chips and drinks. Earlier, there was no heating or air conditioning and because of the lack of space they had to sit on each other’s laps. Even though the members are successful owners of luxurious homes, they settle for this small kiosk setting with a space heater, broken chair, mini-fridge, microwave and a counter piled with chips. In many ways, the group has become a support system for its members. They have even helped each other in their respective family situations. According to Jeff, the club was founded in 1988. It has since been graced by many celebrities like Robert De Niro, lawyers Johnnie Cochran and Barry Scheck, and even John Kennedy Jr, who handed in his Christmas tip in person. In this article of the New York Times, Leigh aptly describes the connection that these group members have developed and how it is such an important part of their lives. I felt a certain happiness seeing this particular parking lot at the end of our walk. It made me realize that however dingy and gloomy, a place can be loved no matter what. One just needs to have the right company. Despite my uneasiness in regard to this street, I’m glad to have uncovered so much information that I would’ve never expected to find out anytime soon. Worth Street is a strange yet captivating place with a plethora of stories to offer.
7 Leigh Newman, “Where Everybody Knows Your Parking Space,” New York Times (New York, NY), Mar. 11, 2007.