Editing Lower Manhattan (section)

==History==
{{See also|History of New York City|History of Manhattan}}

===Lenape and New Netherland===
{{Main|History of New York City (prehistory–1664)}}
[[File:GezichtOpNieuwAmsterdam.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|[[New Amsterdam]], centered in what eventually became Lower Manhattan, in 1664, the year [[British colonization of the Americas|England]] took control and renamed it New York]]
[[File:Petrus (Peter Pieter) Stuyvesant portrait c1660.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.25|[[Peter Stuyvesant]]]]
The area that would eventually encompass modern-day New York City was inhabited by the [[Lenape]] people. These groups of culturally and linguistically identical [[indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] who spoke an [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]] language now referred to as ''[[Unami language|Unami]]''.

European settlement began with the founding of a [[Dutch Republic|Dutch]] [[fur trade|fur trading]] post in Lower Manhattan, later called [[New Amsterdam]] ({{langx|nl|Nieuw-Amsterdam}}) in 1626.<ref name=LowerManhattanHistory>{{cite web |url=http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2122.html |title=United States History – History of New York City, New York |publisher=Online Highways LLC |via=www.u-s-history.com |access-date=July 20, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=New York: the World's Capital City, Its Development and Contributions to Progress |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.226262 |last1=Rankin |first1=Rebecca B. |first2=Cleveland |last2=Rodgers |publisher=[[Harper (publisher)|Harper]] |year=1948 }}</ref> The first fort was built at [[The Battery (Manhattan)|The Battery]] to protect [[New Netherland]].<ref name=NYCPR>{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/battery-park/history |title=The Battery Highlights : NYC Parks |publisher=[[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]] |access-date=March 2, 2019 }}</ref>

In approximately 1626, construction of [[Fort Amsterdam]] began.<ref name=NYCPR/> The [[Dutch West Indies Company]] subsequently [[history of slavery in New York|imported African slaves]] to serve as laborers; they helped to build [[Wall Street|the wall]] that defended the town against English and native attacks. Early directors included [[Willem Verhulst]] and [[Peter Minuit]]. [[Willem Kieft]] became a [[Director of New Netherland|director]] in 1638 but five years later was embroiled in [[Kieft's War]] against the Native Americans. The [[Pavonia Massacre]], across the Hudson River in present-day [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]], New Jersey resulted in the death of 80 natives in February 1643. Following the massacre, [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian]] tribes joined forces and nearly defeated the Dutch. The [[Dutch Republic]] sent additional forces to the aid of Kieft, leading to the overwhelming defeat of the Native Americans and a peace treaty on August 29, 1645.<ref name="EllisEpic1966">{{cite book |title=The Epic of New York City |last=Ellis |first=Edward Robb |publisher=Old Town Books |year=1966 }}</ref>{{rp|37–40}}

On May 27, 1647, [[Peter Stuyvesant]] was inaugurated as [[Director-General of New Netherland|director general]] upon his arrival. The colony was granted self-government in 1652, and New Amsterdam was formally incorporated as a city on February 2, 1653.<ref name="EllisEpic1966" />{{rp|57}} The first mayors (''[[burgemeesters]]'') of New Amsterdam, [[Arent van Hattem]] and [[Martin Cregier]], were appointed in that year.<ref>Scheltema, Gajus and Westerhuijs, Heleen (eds.),''Exploring Historic Dutch New York''. [[Museum of the City of New York]]/[[Dover Publications]], New York 2011.</ref>

===17th and 18th centuries===
{{Main|History of New York City (1665–1783)}}
[[File:New York Harbor Waterfront 1727 panorama map.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|[[New York Harbor]], 1727]]
In 1664, the English [[Second Anglo-Dutch War|conquered the area]] and [[geographical renaming|renamed]] it "[[Province of New York|New York]]" after the [[James II of England|Duke of York]] and the city of [[York]] in Yorkshire.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[English Historical Review]] |volume=22 |issue=88 |pages=674–693 |jstor=550138 |title=The Capture of New Amsterdam |last1=Schoolcraft |first1=Henry L. |year=1907 |doi=10.1093/ehr/XXII.LXXXVIII.674 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1431702 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Historical Atlas of New York City: A Visual Celebration of 400 Years of New York City's History |last=Homberger |first=Eric |year=2005 |page=34 |publisher=[[Owl Books]] |isbn=0-8050-7842-8 }}</ref>

At that time, people of African descent made up 20% of the population of the city, with European settlers numbering approximately 1,500,<ref name="HarrisSlavery2003">{{cite book |title=In the Shadow of Slavery: African Americans in New York City, 1626–1863 |last=Harris |first=Leslie M. |year=2003 |publisher=[[The University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0226317731 }}</ref>{{rp|14}} and people of African descent numbering 375 (with 300 of that 375 enslaved and 75 free).<ref name="HarrisSlavery2003" />{{rp|22}} While it has been claimed that African slaves comprised 40% of the small population of the city at that time,<ref name="Spencer">[http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/afrburial/ Spencer P.M. Harrington, "Bones and Bureaucrats"], ''Archeology'', March/April 1993, accessed February 11, 2012.</ref> this claim has not been substantiated. During the mid-1600s, farms of free blacks covered {{convert|130|acres}} where [[Washington Square Park]] later developed.<ref name="Rothstein">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/arts/design/26burial.html |title=A Burial Ground and Its Dead Are Given Life |access-date=March 1, 2010 |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Edward |last=Rothstein |date=February 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302214226/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/arts/design/26burial.html |archive-date=March 2, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Dutch [[Third Anglo-Dutch War|briefly regained the city in 1673]], renaming the city "[[New Orange]]", before permanently ceding the colony of [[New Netherland]] to the English for what is now [[Suriname]] in November 1674.

The new English rulers of the formerly Dutch New Amsterdam and New Netherland renamed the settlement back to New York. As the colony grew and prospered, sentiment also grew for greater autonomy. In the context of the [[Glorious Revolution]] in England, [[Jacob Leisler]] led [[Leisler's Rebellion]] and effectively controlled the city and surrounding areas from 1689 to 1691, before being arrested and executed.

By 1700, the Lenape population of New York had diminished to 200.<ref name="gothamcenter.org">[http://www.gothamcenter.org/features/timeline/ "Gotham Center for New York City History"] {{webarchive |url=https://swap.stanford.edu/20081229214923/http://www.gothamcenter.org/features/timeline/ |date=December 29, 2008 }} Timeline 1700–1800.</ref> By 1703, 42% of households in New York had slaves, a higher percentage than in [[Philadelphia]] or [[Boston]].<ref name="hh_slavery">{{cite web |title=The Hidden History of Slavery in New York |url=http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051107/slavery_in_new_york |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060530212901/http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051107/slavery_in_new_york |archive-date=May 30, 2006 |access-date=February 11, 2008 |work=[[The Nation]] }}</ref>

The 1735 [[libel]] trial of [[John Peter Zenger]] in the city was a seminal influence on [[freedom of the press]] in North America. It would be a standard for the basic articles of freedom in the [[United States Declaration of Independence]].

By the 1740s, with expansion of settlers, 20% of the population of New York were slaves, totaling about 2,500 people.<ref name="Rothstein"/> After a series of fires in 1741, the city became panicked that blacks [[New York Conspiracy of 1741|planned to burn the city]] in a conspiracy with some poor whites. Historians believe their alarm was mostly fabrication and fear, but officials rounded up 31 blacks and 4 whites, all of whom were convicted of arson and executed. City officials executed 13 blacks by burning them alive and hanged 4 whites and 18 blacks.<ref>{{cite book |last=Morison |first=Samuel Eliot |author-link=Samuel Eliot Morison |title=The Oxford History of the American People |publisher=Mentor Books |year=1972 |location=New York City |page=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordhistoryoft02samu/page/207 207] |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordhistoryoft02samu |url-access=registration |isbn=0-451-62600-1 }}</ref>

In 1754, [[Columbia University]] was founded under [[charter]] by [[George II of Great Britain]] as King's College in Lower Manhattan.<ref>{{cite book |title=An Historical Sketch of Columbia College, in the City of New York, 1754–1876 |last=Moore |first=Nathaniel Fish |year=1876 |page=8 |publisher=[[Columbia College, Columbia University|Columbia College]] }}</ref>

The [[Stamp Act]] and other British measures fomented dissent, particularly among the [[Sons of Liberty]], who maintained a long-running skirmish with locally stationed British troops over [[Liberty Pole]]s from 1766 to 1776. The [[Stamp Act Congress]] met in New York City in 1765 in the first organized resistance to British authority across the colonies. After the major defeat of the [[Continental Army]] in the [[Battle of Long Island]], General [[George Washington]] withdrew to [[Manhattan Island]], but with the subsequent defeat at the [[Battle of Fort Washington]] the island was effectively left to the British. The city became a haven for [[loyalist (American Revolution)|loyalist]] refugees, becoming a British stronghold for the entire war. Consequently, the area also became the focal point for Washington's [[intelligence in the American Revolutionary War|espionage and intelligence-gathering]] throughout the war.

In 1771, [[Bear Market (Manhattan)|Bear Market]] was established along the Hudson River shoreline on land donated by [[Trinity Church (Manhattan)|Trinity Church]], and replaced by [[Washington Market]] in 1813.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Public Market for Lower Manhattan |url=http://www.nyccouncil.info/pdf_files/reports/publicmarket.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070126000539/http://www.nyccouncil.info/pdf_files/reports/publicmarket.pdf |archive-date=January 26, 2007 |publisher=[[New York City Council]] }}</ref>

New York City was greatly damaged twice by [[Great Fire of New York (1776)|fires]] of suspicious origin during British military rule. The city became the political and military center of operations for the British in North America for the remainder of the war and a haven for Loyalist refugees. [[Continental Army]] officer [[Nathan Hale]] was hanged in Manhattan for espionage. In addition, the British began to hold the majority of captured American [[prisoners of war]] aboard [[Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument|prison ships]] in [[Wallabout Bay]], across the [[East River]] in [[Brooklyn]]. More Americans died from neglect aboard these ships than died in all the battles of the war. British occupation lasted until November 25, 1783. George Washington triumphantly returned to the city that day, as [[Evacuation Day (New York)|the last British forces left the city]].

Starting in 1785, the [[Congress of the Confederation|Congress]] met in New York City under the [[Articles of Confederation]]. In 1789, New York City became the first [[list of capitals in the United States#United States|national capital of the United States]] under the new [[United States Constitution]]. The Constitution also created the current [[Congress of the United States]], and its first sitting was at [[Federal Hall]] on Wall Street. The first [[United States Supreme Court]] sat there. The [[United States Bill of Rights]] was drafted and ratified there. George Washington was inaugurated at Federal Hall.<ref>{{cite web |title=The People's Vote: President George Washington's First Inaugural Speech (1789) |publisher=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/documents/docpages/document_page11.htm |access-date=May 28, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925045133/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/documents/docpages/document_page11.htm |archive-date=September 25, 2008 }}</ref> New York City remained the capital of the U.S. until 1790, when the role was transferred to Philadelphia.

===19th century===
{{Main|History of New York City (1784–1854)|History of New York City (1855–1897)}}
[[File:Twelve Miles Around New York (City) Map 1849 by James Charles Sidney.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|''Sidney's Map Twelve Miles Around New York'', 1849 lithograph by James Charles Sidney]]
[[File:The_Cooper_Union's_Foundation_Building_-_North_Side_(48072759802).jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|[[Cooper Union]] at [[Astor Place]], one of Lower Manhattan's most storied buildings, where [[Abraham Lincoln]] gave his famed [[Cooper Union speech]] on February 27, 1860]]
New York grew as an economic center, first as a result of [[Alexander Hamilton]]'s policies and practices as the first [[Secretary of the Treasury]] and, later, with the opening of the [[Erie Canal]] in 1825, which connected the [[Port of New York and New Jersey|Atlantic port]] to the vast agricultural markets of the North American interior.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bridges |first=William |title=Map of the City of New York and Island of Manhattan with Explanatory Remarks and References |year=1811 }}</ref><ref name="lankevich-p67">Lankevich (1998), pp. 67–68.</ref> [[History of immigration to the United States|Immigration]] resumed after being slowed by wars in Europe, and a new [[street grid]] system, the [[Commissioners' Plan of 1811]], expanded to encompass all of Manhattan. Early in the 19th century, the [[landfill]] was used to expand Lower Manhattan from the natural Hudson shoreline at [[Greenwich Street]] to [[West Street (Manhattan)|West Street]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Over and Back: The History of Ferryboats in New York Harbor |last=Cudahy |first=Brian J. |publisher=[[Fordham University Press]] |year=1990 |page=25 |isbn=0-8232-1245-9 }}</ref>

In 1898, the modern [[City of Greater New York|City of New York]] was formed with the consolidation of [[History of Brooklyn|Brooklyn]] (until then an independent city), Manhattan and outlying areas.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120526195410/http://www.nyc.gov/html/nyc100/html/classroom/hist_info/100aniv.html The 100 Year Anniversary of the Consolidation of the 5 Boroughs into New York City], New York City. Retrieved June 29, 2007.</ref> The borough of [[Brooklyn]] incorporated the independent City of Brooklyn, recently joined to Manhattan by the [[Brooklyn Bridge]] in Lower Manhattan. Municipal governments contained within the boroughs were abolished, and the county governmental functions, housed in Lower Manhattan after unification, were absorbed by the city or each borough.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jackson |first=Kenneth |title=Encyclopedia of New York City |year=1995 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven |page=206}} "[B]orough presidents ... responsible for local administration and public works."</ref>

===20th century===
{{Main|History of New York City (1898–1945)|History of New York City (1946–1977)|History of New York City (1978–present)}}
[[File:View from Woolworth Building 1913 New York City.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|View from the [[Woolworth Building]] in 1913]]
[[File:Manhattan 1931.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Lower Manhattan in 1931]]
[[File:NYC Manhattan 1938 Franz Grasser.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Lower Manhattan photographed in 1938 using [[Agfacolor]]]]

Washington Market was located between [[Barclay Street station|Barclay]] and Hubert Streets, and from [[Greenwich Street]] to [[West Street (Manhattan)|West Street]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Restless Ports for the City's Food |author=Millstein, Gilbert |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 24, 1960 }}</ref> It was demolished in the 1960s and replaced by a new Independence Plaza, [[Washington Market Park]], and other developments.

====Construction boom====
Lower Manhattan retains the most irregular street [[grid plan]]s in the borough. Throughout the early decades of the 1900s, the area experienced a construction boom, with major towers such as [[40 Wall Street]], the [[American International Building]], [[Woolworth Building]], and [[20 Exchange Place]] being erected. Many new water crossings into Lower Manhattan were built at this time, including the [[Williamsburg Bridge]] in 1903<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 20, 1903 |title=New Bridge in a Glory of Fire; Wind-Up of Opening Ceremonies a Brilliant Scene |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1903/12/20/archives/new-bridge-in-a-glory-of-fire-windup-of-opening-ceremonies-a.html |access-date=January 10, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 }}</ref> and the [[Manhattan Bridge]] in 1909.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 1, 1910 |title=Manhattan Bridge Opened to Traffic – Mayor McClellan's Last Act in Public Was to Lead a Procession on Wheels Across – Brooklyn Men Celebrate – New Structure Has the Largest Carrying Capacity of Any Crossing the River – The Span Is 1,470 Feet |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/01/01/104915453.pdf |access-date=December 24, 2017 }}</ref> The [[Holland Tunnel]] to New Jersey opened in 1927,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/13/archives/great-crowd-treks-into-holland-tubes-after-gala-opening-thousands.html |title=Great Crowd Treks Into Holland Tubes After Gala Opening |date=November 13, 1927 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=May 9, 2018 }}</ref> while the [[Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel]] to [[Brooklyn]] opened in 1950 and was the last major fixed crossing to be built to Lower Manhattan.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/05/26/archives/brooklyn-tunnel-costing-80000000-opened-by-mayor-marking-opening-of.html |title=Brooklyn Tunnel Costing $80,000,000 Opened By Mayor |last=Ingraham |first=Joseph C. |date=May 26, 1950 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 6, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902153332/http://www.nytimes.com/1950/05/26/archives/brooklyn-tunnel-costing-80000000-opened-by-mayor-marking-opening-of.html |archive-date=September 2, 2017 }}</ref>

Despite these road connections opening, the economic center of New York City began to shift from Lower Manhattan to [[Midtown Manhattan|Midtown]] with the opening of many commuter rail terminals at the turn of the 20th century. The original [[Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963)|Penn Station]] opened in 1910,<ref>{{Cite news |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1910/11/27/archives/pennsylvania-opens-its-great-station-first-regular-train-sent.html |title=Pennsylvania Opens Its Great Station; First Regular Train Sent Through the Hudson River Tunnel at Midnight |date=November 27, 1910 |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180411111506/https://www.nytimes.com/1910/11/27/archives/pennsylvania-opens-its-great-station-first-regular-train-sent.html |archive-date=April 11, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[Hudson and Manhattan Railroad]] (now PATH) extension to [[33rd Street station (PATH)|33rd Street]] was completed in 1910,<ref>{{cite news |date=November 3, 1910 |title=M'Adoo Tubes Now Reach 33rd Street; First Through Train from the Downtown Terminal to New One in the Shopping Belt |language=en-US |page=11 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=950CEFDF1339E433A25750C0A9679D946196D6CF |access-date=August 16, 2009 |issn=0362-4331 }}</ref> and [[Grand Central Terminal]] opened in 1913.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Railway Age |page=78 |title=Grand Central Terminal opens |date=September 2006 |issn=0033-8826 }}</ref>

On March 25, 1911, the [[Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire]] in [[Greenwich Village]] took the lives of 146 garment workers, which would eventually lead to great advancements in the city's fire department, building codes, and workplace regulations.

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, New York became a world center for industry, commerce, and [[Media in New York City|communication]]. [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company|Interborough Rapid Transit]], the first [[New York City Subway]] company, began operating in 1904. The area's demographics stabilized, labor unionization brought new protections and affluence to the working class, the city's government and infrastructure underwent a dramatic overhaul under [[Fiorello La Guardia]], and his controversial parks commissioner, [[Robert Moses]], ended the 'blight' of many tenement areas, by demolishing slums, factories, and working-class neighborhoods through public works such as the [[High Line#History|High line]], the [[West Side Elevated Highway|West Side Highway]] and [[FDR Drive]], built housing projects, expanded new parks, rebuilt streets, and [[Zoning in the United States|zoning controls]], especially in Lower Manhattan. The zoning changes were intended to displace the industrial workforce by removing zoning protection for industrial space and incentivizing upscale residential and clerical redevelopment. The port of New York, despite its physical suitability for berthing and its close proximity to Europe, began to deteriorate due to the city's unwillingness to invest or modernise the port and the deindustrialization zoning policy. However a large number of small scale, dynamic, and highly specialized industries persisted despite the city's efforts such as the garment industry which was closely tied to the fashion industry in Midtown, or the printing industry; linked with the publishing industry.

In the 1950s, a few new buildings were constructed in Lower Manhattan, including an 11-story building at 156 William Street in 1955.<ref name="nyt-12251960">{{cite news |title=Building Activity Soars Downtown |last=Bartnett |first=Edmond J. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 25, 1960 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="nyt-12251960"/> By the end of the decade, Lower Manhattan had become economically depressed, in comparison with [[Midtown Manhattan]], which was booming with the continued [[march uptown]]. [[David Rockefeller]] spearheaded widespread [[urban renewal]] efforts in Lower Manhattan, beginning with constructing [[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 [[worldwide world trade center|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 (Manhattan)|Fulton Street]]. After negotiations with [[New Jersey]] Governor [[Richard J. Hughes]], the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|Port Authority]] decided to build the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] on a site along the [[Hudson River]] and the [[West Side Highway]], rather than the East River site.{{citation needed|date=November 2009}}
[[File:Aerial view of East River, Lower Manhattan, New York Harbor, 1981.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.25|View from an airplane in 1981 prior to the [[September 11 attacks]] when the Lower Manhattan skyline was dominated by the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|Twin Towers of the former World Trade Center]]]]
When [[Building of the World Trade Center|building]] the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]], 1.2&nbsp;million cubic yards (917,000&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>) of material was excavated from the site.<ref name="gillespie-p71">{{cite book |last=Gillespie |first=Angus K. |year=1999 |title=Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center |url=https://archive.org/details/twintowerslifeof00gill |url-access=registration |publisher=[[Rutgers University Press]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/twintowerslifeof00gill/page/71 71] |isbn=0-7838-9785-5 }}</ref> Rather than dumping the spoil at sea or in landfills, the fill material was used to expand the Manhattan shoreline across West Street, creating [[Battery Park City, Manhattan|Battery Park City]].<ref name="iglauer">{{cite magazine |title=The Biggest Foundation |last=Iglauer |first=Edith |date=November 4, 1972 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] }}</ref> The result was a 700-foot (210-m) extension into the river, running six blocks or {{convert|1,484|ft|m}}, covering {{convert|92|acre|ha}}, providing a {{convert|1.2|mi|km|adj=on}} riverfront esplanade and over {{convert|30|acre|ha}} of parks.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120720031543/http://www.asla.org/awards/2003/battery_park_city.htm ASLA 2003 The Landmark Award], [[American Society of Landscape Architects]]. Accessed May 17, 2007.</ref>

Through much of its history, the area south of Chambers Street was mainly a commercial district, with a small population of residents—in 1960, it was home to about 4,000.<ref name="nyt-01311960">{{cite news |title='Downtown' Enters a New Era |last=Brown |first=Charles H. |date=January 31, 1960 |work=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> Construction of [[Battery Park City]], on landfill from construction of the World Trade Center, brought many new residents to the area. Gateway Plaza, the first Battery Park City development, was finished in 1983. The project's centerpiece, the [[Brookfield Place (New York City)|World Financial Center]], consists of four luxury highrise towers. By the turn of the century, Battery Park City was mostly completed, with the exception of some ongoing construction on West Street. Around this time, Lower Manhattan reached its highest population of business tenants and full-time residents.{{citation needed|date=November 2009}} These developments struggled to become fully occupied at desirable rents, with relatively high vacancy rates.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/31/realestate/city-s-office-market-stabilizes-after-post-recession-surge.html |title=City's Office Market Stabilizes After Post-Recession Surge |work=The New York Times |date=January 31, 1982 |last1=Henry |first1=Diane }}</ref>

In 1993, the Downtown Lower Manhattan Association contributed to a city plan calling for the revitalization of Lower Manhattan. The plan included recommended zoning changes, tax incentives to encourage new tenants, and the conversion of commercial buildings into apartments. It also called for the creation of a business improvement district, called The Alliance for Downtown New York, to help spur the area's renewal. Between 1995 and 2014, 15.8 million square feet of office space was converted to residential or hotel use. As a result, Lower Manhattan's residential population rose from 14,000 to 60,000.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Downtown Alliance |title=Lower Manhattan Real Estate Year In Review 2014 |url=http://www.downtownny.com/reports/lower-manhattan-real-estate-year-in-review-2014 |year=2014 |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825191307/http://www.downtownny.com/reports/lower-manhattan-real-estate-year-in-review-2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===21st century===
{{main|History of New York City (1978–present)}}
[[File:UA Flight 175 hits WTC south tower 9-11 edit.jpeg|thumb|upright=1.25|[[United Airlines Flight 175]] hits the [[2 World Trade Center|South Tower]] of the original [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] on [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]]]]
[[File:Lower Manhattan from Governors Island with a fishing boat (46294p).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|The Lower Manhattan skyline viewed from [[Governors Island]]]]
In the early 21st century, the [[Meatpacking District, Manhattan|Meatpacking District]], once the sparsely populated province of after-hours [[BDSM]] clubs and transgender prostitutes, gained a reputation as New York City's trendiest neighborhood.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://nymag.com/visitorsguide/neighborhoods/meatpacking.htm |last=Steinberg |first=Jon |title=Meatpacking District Walking Tour |date=August 18, 2004 |journal=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |access-date=March 7, 2008 }}</ref>

====September 11 attacks====
During the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001, two of four hijacked planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the original [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]], and the towers collapsed. The [[7 World Trade Center (1987–2001)|7 World Trade Center]] was not struck by a plane but uncontrolled fires that were caused by falling debris resulted in the building's collapse; a first in the history of steel framed skyscrapers.<ref>[https://www.nist.gov/pao/questions-and-answers-about-nist-wtc-7-investigation Questions and Answers about the NIST WTC 7 Investigation] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114141638/https://www.nist.gov/pao/questions-and-answers-about-nist-wtc-7-investigation |date=January 14, 2024 }}, [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]], created May 24, 2010, updated September 21, 2016. Accessed August 31, 2023. "Debris from the collapse of WTC 1, which was 370 feet to the south, ignited fires on at least 10 floors in the building at its south and west faces.... The heat from the uncontrolled fires caused steel floor beams and girders to thermally expand, leading to a chain of events that caused a key structural column to fail. The failure of this structural column then initiated a fire-induced progressive collapse of the entire building.... The collapse of WTC 7 is the first known instance of a tall building brought down primarily by uncontrolled fires."</ref> The 3, 4, 5, and 6 World Trade Center buildings were damaged beyond repair or destroyed, and soon after demolished. The collapse of the Twin Towers also caused extensive damage to surrounding buildings and skyscrapers in Lower Manhattan. A total of 2,753 people, including those on the planes, were killed in New York.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/27/us/september-11-anniversary-fast-facts/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=September 18, 2020 |title=September 11 Terror Attacks Fast Facts }}</ref> About 400,000 people, including rescue workers and residents of the area were exposed to toxic dust and debris; many developed [[Health effects arising from the September 11 attacks|serious respiratory illnesses, cancers, and other harms]] arising from the attack, and 3,496 died.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://6abc.com/911-illness-deaths-after-new-york-firefighter/6418931/ |date=September 11, 2020 |title=Sept. 11 attacks are still killing first responders 19 years later |publisher=KTRK-TV }}</ref>

====Post-9/11 rebuilding====
Following September 11, Lower Manhattan lost much of its economy and office space but has since rebounded significantly. Private sector employment reached 233,000 at the end of 2016, the highest levels since the end of 2001. This was largely due to growth and diversification in the local workforce with gains in employment sectors like Technology, Advertising, Media and Information, as well as Hotel, Restaurants, Retailing, and Health care.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.downtownny.com/press-releases/retail-leads-lower-manhattan-real-estate-activity-in-2016 |title=Retail Leads Lower Manhattan Real Estate Activity in 2016 |publisher=Downtown Alliance |access-date=August 16, 2017 |date=February 7, 2017 }}</ref> As of 2016, Lower Manhattan's business district is home to approximately 700 retail stores and 500 bars and restaurants.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 2016 |title=2017 Retail Market Guide |url=http://www.downtownny.com/reports/2017-retail-market-guide |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608020722/http://www.downtownny.com/reports/2017-retail-market-guide |archive-date=June 8, 2017 |access-date=August 16, 2017 |publisher=Downtown Alliance }}</ref>

The [[Lower Manhattan Development Corporation]] has consummated plans to rebuild downtown Manhattan by adding new streets, buildings, and office space. The [[National September 11 Memorial & Museum|National September 11 Memorial]] at the site was opened to the public on September 11, 2011, while the National September 11 Museum was officially inaugurated by President [[Barack Obama]] on May 15, 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unitedstatesnews.net/index.php/sid/222031767 |title=Long delayed Sept 11 Memorial Museum inaugurated by Obama |publisher=Mainstream Media EC |date=May 15, 2014 |access-date=December 7, 2014 }}</ref> As of the time of its opening in November 2014, the new [[One World Trade Center]], formerly known as the ''Freedom Tower'', is the tallest skyscraper in the [[Western Hemisphere]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nypost.com/2014/11/03/1-world-trade-center-is-open-for-business/ |title=1 World Trade Center is open for business |last=DeGregory |first=Priscilla |work=[[New York Post]] |date=November 3, 2014 |access-date=November 24, 2014 }}</ref> and the [[list of tallest buildings in the world#Tallest buildings in the world|sixth-tallest in the world]], at {{convert|1,776|ft|m}};<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/12/travel/one-world-trade-center-tallest-us-building/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 |title=It's official: One World Trade Center to be tallest U.S. skyscraper |author=Katia Hetter |publisher=CNN |date=November 12, 2013 |access-date=November 12, 2013 }}</ref> while other skyscrapers are under construction at the site.

The [[Occupy Wall Street]] protests in [[Zuccotti Park]], formerly known as Liberty Plaza Park, began in the [[Financial District (Manhattan)|Financial District]] on September 17, 2011, receiving global attention and spawning the [[Occupy movement]] against [[social inequality|social]] and [[economic inequality]] worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://occupywallst.org/about/ |title=OccupyWallStreet – About |publisher=[[Occupy Wall Street]] |access-date=July 20, 2014 }}</ref>

On October 29 and 30, 2012, [[Hurricane Sandy]] ravaged portions of Lower Manhattan with record-high [[storm surge]] from New York Harbor, severe flooding, and high winds, causing [[power outage]]s for hundreds of thousands of Manhattanites and leading to gasoline shortages and disruption of [[mass transit]] systems. The storm and [[Effects of Hurricane Sandy in New York|its effects]] have prompted the discussion of constructing [[seawall]]s and other [[coastal management|coastal barriers]] around the shorelines of Manhattan and the New York City metropolitan region to minimize the risk of destructive consequences from another such event in the future.<ref>{{cite web |last=Eshelman |first=Robert S. |date=November 15, 2012 |title=Adaptation: Political support for a sea wall in New York Harbor begins to form |url=http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/11/15/1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130140525/http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/11/15/1 |archive-date=November 30, 2012 |access-date=December 2, 2012 |publisher=[[E&E Publishing]] }}</ref>

Lower Manhattan has been experiencing a [[baby boom]], well above the overall birth rate in Manhattan, with the area south of [[Canal Street (Manhattan)|Canal Street]] witnessing 1,086 births in 2010, 12% greater than 2009 and over twice the number born in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120111/downtown/downtown-baby-boom-sees-12-percent-increase-births |title=Downtown Baby Boom Sees 12 Percent Increase in Births |first=Julie |last=Shapiro |publisher=[[DNAinfo]] New York |date=January 11, 2012 |access-date=August 4, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020080917/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120111/downtown/downtown-baby-boom-sees-12-percent-increase-births |archive-date=October 20, 2014 }}</ref> The Financial District alone has witnessed growth in its population to approximately 43,000 as of 2014, nearly double the 23,000 recorded at the 2000 Census.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/realestate/the-financial-district-gains-momentum.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSectionSumSmallMedia&module=real-estate-left-region&region=real-estate-left-region&WT.nav=real-estate-left-region |title=The Financial District Gains Momentum |author=C. J. Hughes |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 8, 2014 |access-date=August 14, 2014 }}</ref>

There are currently 61,000 residents in the [[Financial District, Manhattan|Financial District of Lower Manhattan]] south of [[Chambers Street (Manhattan)|Chambers Street]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Residential Pipeline 2Q 2017 |publisher=Downtown Alliance |url=http://www.downtownny.com/reports/residential-pipeline-2q-2017 |url-status=dead |access-date=August 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818012600/http://www.downtownny.com/reports/residential-pipeline-2q-2017 |archive-date=August 18, 2017 }}</ref> and more than 62 percent of the population is between 18 and 44. Lower Manhattan is home to more young professionals than [[Greenpoint, Brooklyn|Greenpoint]], the [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]], and [[Downtown Brooklyn]] and on par with [[Downtown Jersey City]] and [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn|Williamsburg]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20161013/financial-district/downtown-manhattan-demographics-night-scene |title=Downtown Is Home to as Many Young Professionals as Williamsburg: Report |publisher=[[DNAinfo]] |date=October 13, 2016 |access-date=August 17, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818011902/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20161013/financial-district/downtown-manhattan-demographics-night-scene |archive-date=August 18, 2017 }}</ref>

In June 2015, ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that Lower Manhattan's dining scene was experiencing a renaissance.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/dining/manhattan-restaurants-downtown-renaissance.html?hpw&rref=food&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0 |title=Manhattan's Dining Center of Gravity Shifts Downtown |first=Jeff |last=Gordinier |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 23, 2015 |access-date=June 24, 2015 }}</ref> There are over 400 casual dining and more than 100 full-service dining restaurants in the area.<ref>{{cite news |title=Map of Lower Manhattan |publisher=Downtown Alliance |url=http://www.downtownny.com/map?category=Dining-Casual%20Eating |url-status=dead |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022132706/http://www.downtownny.com/map?category=Dining-Casual%20Eating |archive-date=October 22, 2015 }}</ref> ''[[The Village Voice]]'', based at 80 [[Maiden Lane (Manhattan)|Maiden Lane]] in the Financial District and historically the largest [[alternative newspaper]] in the United States, announced in 2017 that it would cease publication of its print edition and convert to a fully [[digital media|digital venture]].<ref name=VillageVoiceDigital>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/22/nyregion/village-voice-to-end-print-publication.html?mcubz=1 |title=After 62 Years and Many Battles, Village Voice Will End Print Publication |first1=John |last1=Leland |author-link=John Leland (journalist) |first2=Sarah |last2=Maslin Nir |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 22, 2017 |access-date=September 2, 2017 }}</ref>

Since 2010, a Lower Manhattan community known as [[Little Australia]] has emerged and is growing in the [[Nolita, Manhattan|Nolita]] neighborhood.<ref name=LittleAustraliaNYC>{{cite web |url=https://karryon.com.au/lifestyle/travel-inspiration/crikey-welcome-to-little-australia-in-new-york-city/ |title=G-day! Welcome to Little Australia in New York City |author=Shaun Busuttil |publisher=KarryOn |date=November 3, 2016 |access-date=May 24, 2019 |quote=In Little Australia, Australian-owned cafes are popping up all over the place (such as Two Hands), joining other Australian-owned businesses (such as nightclubs and art galleries) as part of a growing green and gold contingent in NYC. Indeed, walking in this neighbourhood, the odds of your hearing a fellow Aussie ordering a coffee or just kicking back and chatting are high – very high – so much so that if you're keen to meet other Aussies whilst taking your own bite out of the Big Apple, then this is the place to throw that Australian accent around like it's going out of fashion! }}</ref>

===Historical sites===
Before the [[September 11 attacks]], the Twin Towers were iconic of Lower Manhattan's global significance as a [[financial center]]. The new office towers built since the attack (including [[One World Trade Center]]) have transformed the skyline of Lower Manhattan. The [[National September 11 Memorial & Museum|9/11 Memorial & Museum]] at the former [[World Trade Center site]] has become a popular draw for visitors. New York City has been described as the [[LGBT culture in New York City|gay capital]] of the world, and the epicenter of [[LGBT culture]] and its catalyst as a continuing cultural force in modern society has been the [[Stonewall Inn]] in [[Greenwich Village]].<ref name=NYCGayCapitalOfTheWorld1>{{cite web |url=https://gayexpress.co.nz/2018/04/new-york-worlds-gay-capital/ |title=New York – The World's Gay Capital |author=Peter Minkoff |publisher=Your LGBTQ+ Voice |date=April 5, 2018 |access-date=January 4, 2023 }}</ref> Similarly, [[Chinatown, Manhattan|Chinatown]], which was spawned just east of the original [[Five Points, Manhattan|Five Points]] neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, was born in the 1850s and continues to be the epicenter of culture for the [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese diaspora]].

Lower Manhattan contains many more historical buildings and sites, including [[Castle Clinton]], [[Bowling Green (New York City)|Bowling Green]], the old [[Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House|United States Customs House]] (now the [[National Museum of the American Indian]]), [[Federal Hall National Memorial]] commemorating the site where [[George Washington]] was [[List of United States presidential inaugurations|inaugurated]] as the first U.S. President, [[Fraunces Tavern]], [[New York City Hall]], the [[Museum of American Finance]], the [[New York Stock Exchange Building]], [[South Street Seaport]], the [[Brooklyn Bridge]], [[South Ferry, Manhattan|South Ferry]] (the embarkation point for the [[Staten Island Ferry]]), and [[Trinity Church (Manhattan)|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), [[26 Wall Street]] (also known as the [[Standard Oil]] Building), and [[70 Pine Street]] (also known as the [[American International Group|American International Building]]).

In 1966, the commercial district of [[Radio Row]] on [[Cortlandt Street (Manhattan)|Cortlandt Street]] was demolished to make way for construction of the former World Trade Center.