Tribeca is a neighborhood located in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Its name is an acronym of “Triangle below Canal Street”; the triangle is bound by Canal Street, West Street, Broadway, and Vesey Street. This charming community is comprised of cobblestoned streets, world-famous restaurants, and historic warehouse buildings converted into multi-million dollar lofts. This charming community is considered one of Manhattan’s hottest and priciest neighborhoods. It was recently ranked by Forbes as one of America’s most expensive zip codes 10013.
Architecture
The neighborhood is mostly dominated by former industrial buildings that have been converted into residential buildings and lofts, similar to those of the neighboring SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the community was a center of the textile/cotton trade.
Notable buildings include the historic neo-Renaissance Textile Building built in 1901 and designed by Henry J. Hardenbergh and the Powell Building, a designated Landmark on Hudson Street, built in 1892 and designed by Carrère and Hastings. At 73 Worth Street, there is a an attractive row of neo-Renaissance White Buildings built in 1865 at the end of the Civil War. Other notable buildings include the New York Telephone Company building on 140 West Street with its Mayan Art Deco motif, and the former New York Mercantile Exchange on 6 Harrison Street.
During the 1960s and ’70s, abandoned and inexpensive Tribeca lofts became a popular place to live for young artists and their families because of the seclusion of lower Manhattan and the vast amount of living space. Jim Stratton, a Tribeca resident during that time, wrote the 1977 nonfiction book entitled “Pioneering in the Urban Wilderness,” which details his experiences renovating lower Manhattan warehouses into residences.
Historic Districts
The Tribeca Historic Districts include a combination of four different historic zones within the Tribeca section of the borough of Manhattan. These districts are: Tribeca South & Extension, designated in 1992 and 2002; Tribeca East, designated in 1992; Tribeca West, designated in 1991; and Tribeca North, designated in 1992.
Sites and Attractions
- 32 Avenue of the Americas, an art deco building that is the former site of the AT&T Long Lines division.
- Holland Tunnel connecting New York to New Jersey has its entrances and exits in the northwest corner of Tribeca, centered around the intersection of Canal Street and Varick Street.
- Washington Market Park, bound by Greenwich, Chambers, and West Streets, is a 1.61-acre park in Tribeca that is popular with children for its large playground. The park also has community gardens and hosts a number of events.
- Metropolitan College of New York, a private, independent educational institution, located on Canal Street.
- Hook & Ladder Company No.8, this still in-use firehouse was the site of the filming of the Ghostbusters movies. Memorabilia from the movies is still displayed inside the building. Another film, Hitch, with Will Smith, also filmed a short but notable scene at the firehouse.
- New York Law School, a private, independent law school that was founded in 1891, has been located in several buildings in Tribeca since 1962, principally along Worth Street between Church Street and West Broadway.
- Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), part of the City University of New York. The college campus is located between Chambers Street and N. Moore Street, spanning four blocks. BMCC’s Fiterman Hall, severely damaged in the September 11, 2001 attacks, was demolished and has since been rebuilt.
- 388 Greenwich Street, an office building near the northwestern corner of Tribeca that is the headquarters of the corporate and investment banking arm of financial services corporation Citigroup.
