DOWNTOWN THIRD THURSDAYS” LECTURE SERIES FEATURES PROMINENT AUTHORS, ARCHITECTS, CIVIC LEADERS EXPLORING LOWER MANHATTAN THEMES

The Alliance for Downtown New York is proud to announce the schedule for its fifth annual Downtown Third Thursdays lecture series. The series celebrates Lower Manhattan’s architectural treasures and history by presenting discussions with best-selling authors and world-renowned experts in thematically connected settings.
Downtown Third Thursdays will kick off on Jan. 15 with a panel discussion, “Why America Begins in New York: How the Dutch Distinguished the Nation’s Greatest City,” featuring New York Times Urban Affairs correspondent and author Sam Roberts. The discussion will be held at Federal Hall National Memorial, a magnificent Greek Revival building that stands on the site where George Washington was sworn in as the country’s first president in 1789.

“Downtown Third Thursdays invites prominent authors, architects and historians to help impart a greater understanding of Lower Manhattan’s architectural and historical significance,” said Liz Berger, president of the Downtown Alliance. “The lecture series offers the public a rare opportunity to discuss fascinating history and important issues impacting Downtown, and is particularly relevant as the world celebrates the 400th anniversary of Dutch explorer Henry Hudson’s voyage to New York harbor.”

Downtown Third Thursdays’ topics will range from Dutch history and influence in New York City to Downtown New York during the Second World War to planning a memorial museum and memorial at Ground Zero.

The lectures, presented in partnership with the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy and the Henry Hudson 400 Foundation, take place at: Federal Hall National Memorial, which recently re-opened after a 16-month, $16 million restoration project; 7 World Trade Center, with state-of-the-art security, energy and sanitation systems that make it one of the most technologically advanced buildings in the world; the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust ; St. Paul’s Chapel, the city’s only public building in continuous use that dates from the pre-Revolutionary period; and 60 Pine Street, home to the Downtown
Association, the oldest private club in Lower Manhattan.

All lectures are free and begin at 7:00 PM. (Doors open at 6:00 PM)
The full schedule is as follows:
Jan. 15, 2009
Moderator: Sam Roberts, New York Times Urban Affairs Correspondent; author
Panelists: Charles T. Gehring, Director, New Netherland Project; Kenneth T. Jackson, Barzun
Professor of History, Columbia University; editor, The Encyclopedia of New York City; Russell Shorto, Author
Topic: Why America Begins in New York: How the Dutch Distinguished the Nation’s Greatest City
Location: Federal Hall National Memorial (26 Wall Street)
February 19, 2009
Speaker: Daniel Libeskind, Architect
Topic: Counterpoint
Location: 7 World Trade Center, 45th Floor
March 19, 2009
Speaker: Mike Wallace, Author; Pulitzer Prize-winning historian
Topic: Downtown New York in the Second World War
Location: Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust (36 Battery Place)
April 16, 2009
Speaker: Alice Greenwald, Director, National September 11 Memorial & Museum
Topic: Passion on all Sides: Planning a Memorial Museum at Ground Zero
Location: St. Paul’s Chapel (Broadway and Vesey Street)
May 21, 2009
Speaker: Kate Johnson, Author; curator
Topic: The Hudson-Fulton Celebration: New York’s 1909 River Festival and the Making of a Metropolis
Location: Downtown Association (60 Pine Street)

Space is limited and registration is required in advance for each lecture. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information or reservations, please visit www.downtownny.com/thirdthursdays.