The FiDi is the epicenter of Manhattan’s early history, but the renewal of this downtown neighborhood gives old New York a modern twist. In the Financial District the days rush by at lightning-speed, in the evening when the last business person locks up their office, it goes from finance to families.
FiDi has more outdoor artwork than any other city neighborhood and art plays a great role in the Financial District
becoming a destination. For 34 years, the World Trade Gallery has seen this same neighborhood change again and again. The rebuilding of the Financial District really began during the reconstruction of Lower Manhattan due to the attacks of 9/11. No longer just business, this is now the district of residency, work, art and play.
Owners Doug and Jane and their family have been continuously selling art and custom framing in the Financial District since 1981. With an ever growing neighborhood, the World Trade Gallery relocated from 74 Trinity Place to 120 Broadway, right in the center of all the new retail and restaurants. Their clients include large Wall Street financial firms to non-profit organizations, museums, Chelsea art galleries, countless residential homes and more in lower Manhattan. 2015 has marked the coldest February on record, and owner Doug says, “this has been the coldest February yet the busiest.” Have a walk through the Financial District and you’ll come across a new group of tastemakers.
We asked owner Doug about his experience in the Financial District and his thoughts on the restoration of the neighborhood that once was only all work and no play. Here’s what he had to say:
“How has the Financial District comeback been?”
This location has become the place to be, from retail to restaurants, in the past couple years this same neighborhood is changing again.
“The population in residency has doubled since 2000 from 23,000 residents to about 43,000, have you noticed this change?”
Way more families now live in this neighborhood and it has become phenomenal for business, while turning the Financial District in a different direction. This tight little neighborhood has gone from finance to families.
“How has this changed business for you, if at all?”
I’ve realized that it has become a destination. You can see surrounding companies bringing clients in to experience the neighborhood. We’ve had people contacting us to inquire event space for hosting art exhibitions, cocktail hours and more. It has become a hot spot, not only for tourists but also for New Yorkers.
The art covering the walls in the World Trade Gallery fits the scene. From photos of Lower Manhattan by Jay Fine to beautiful paintings of the Freedom Tower by Edwin Lopez and a unique piece by architect and artist, Daniel Libeskind, an engraving of iconic songs in American history.
The Financial District is where Manhattan began and now where it’s being reborn into a new experience.
