what was that part of lower manhattan like before the wtc was built?
It was called "Radio Row"-- a bunch of electronics parts shops. I researched it years ago. Some accounts describe the area as slummy and others say it was perfectly fine till the Rockefellers decided to bulldoze it.
thanks. if you dont mind my asking, when you say you researched it what exactly for? would that be first hand accounts or via books, libraries, etc? just curious.
I thought it was mostly landfill.
Many years ago I was working as a paralegal for a midtown law firm, and one of the attorneys wanted information on how the Lincoln Center and WTC properties were cleared. I dug through old NY Times accounts and the like, on microfilm at the library. I was amazed how factually inconsistent the articles were about the histories of the respective areas. My conclusion was that the scale of both projects resulted from having Rockefellers behind them (David and/or Lawrence), and while Lincoln Center was definitely a large slum clearance project, the WTC may or may not have had residential teardowns. I've seen recent accounts that describe the WTC area as "thriving" in the mid' 60s. I'd say "commercially viable," maybe, but I don't think there were that many people living down there.
link
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- dave 9-26-2001 1:01 am
It was called "Radio Row"-- a bunch of electronics parts shops. I researched it years ago. Some accounts describe the area as slummy and others say it was perfectly fine till the Rockefellers decided to bulldoze it.
- tom moody 9-26-2001 1:24 am [add a comment]
thanks. if you dont mind my asking, when you say you researched it what exactly for? would that be first hand accounts or via books, libraries, etc? just curious.
- dave 9-26-2001 1:41 am [add a comment]
I thought it was mostly landfill.
- bill 9-26-2001 1:57 am [add a comment]
Many years ago I was working as a paralegal for a midtown law firm, and one of the attorneys wanted information on how the Lincoln Center and WTC properties were cleared. I dug through old NY Times accounts and the like, on microfilm at the library. I was amazed how factually inconsistent the articles were about the histories of the respective areas. My conclusion was that the scale of both projects resulted from having Rockefellers behind them (David and/or Lawrence), and while Lincoln Center was definitely a large slum clearance project, the WTC may or may not have had residential teardowns. I've seen recent accounts that describe the WTC area as "thriving" in the mid' 60s. I'd say "commercially viable," maybe, but I don't think there were that many people living down there.
- tom moody 9-26-2001 2:08 am [add a comment]
Abbott on the lower west side
radio row memory
- bill 9-26-2001 2:14 am [add a comment]
nice. double thanks.
- dave 9-26-2001 2:24 am [add a comment]
link
- link- (guest) 8-09-2004 11:22 am [add a comment] [edit]