Interesting info from FYI section via The New York Times - 1) Is there a French Quarter in NYC?, 2) history of Hebrew Technical Institute and 3) Ground Zero surveying.
F. Y. I.
Q. We hear a lot about different ethnic neighborhoods, like Little Italy, Chinatown, Greek Astoria and Dominican Washington Heights. But I've always wondered: Does New York have a French quarter?
A. None to speak of, anymore, although there are French-accented pockets in places like the Upper East Side. In the 19th century, however, a very pronounced Quartier Français was located in the part of Greenwich Village that lies south of Washington Square, north of Grand Street and west of Broadway. Seekers of good French restaurants used to go there, especially to establishments along Bleecker Street, among them a "Taverne Alsacienne." In addition, two French-language newspapers were published in the neighborhood. Another Gallic institution was the French Benevolent Society, which supported the French Hospital in Chelsea.
Exiles from 19th-century revolutionary strife and the Paris Commune filled the streets, and one could buy the wooden shoes known as sabots des paysans. Bleecker Street was also home to the Restaurant du Grand Vatel, named after the famous cook during the reign of Louis XIV who, when a supply of fish did not arrive on time for the king's dinner, killed himself.
A Hebrew Institution
Q. New York University runs an art department in the so-called Barney Building, at Stuyvesant Place and East Ninth Street. I know it was once the Hebrew Technical Institute, and I've always been curious as to how long the institute lasted, and when N.Y.U. acquired the building.
A. The Hebrew Technical Institute was established in 1883, for boys 14 to 17, as one of the country's first vocational schools. It offered workshop and laboratory courses along with academic subjects. One founder was the poet Emma Lazarus.
The school closed as a separate entity in 1939, when municipalities like New York were providing their own vocational training. By then, it had educated nearly 4,000 students. Its three six-story buildings were acquired that year by New York University, initially for its Education School in expanding its vocational arts program. An institute building was renamed for Edgar S. Barney, the institute's principal for 46 years.
Under the takeover agreement, N.Y.U. gave the institute the right to award several of its students full-tuition scholarships to N.Y.U.
Ground Zero Surveying
Q. I was standing at the southwest corner of Barclay Street and Broadway, near City Hall, and in the sidewalk I saw a small bronze marker inscribed "The Port Authority of NY and NJ BRB 2 Downtown Restoration Program." Translation, please?
A. As it turns out, the translation is not so complicated.
The World Trade Center Downtown Restoration Program, a Port Authority project, involves a lot of surveying work. What you saw is one of its reference markers, located off the Port Authority's property at ground zero but used to determine the property's exact location.
The markers help surveyors determine not just the geographical location of ground zero projects but also their elevation, especially for the memorial and other facilities that will be underground.
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