Lost History of 9/11 Neighborhood Revealed

posted on: May 1, 2013

The hidden history of New York City continues to reveal itself, as evidenced by last week’s discovery of potentially 9/11-related airplane landing gear wedged between buildings in the area surrounding the former World Trade Center, more than 11 years after the tragedy.

Such findings are painful reminders to New Yorkers, who will forever link that part of the city with 9/11, overshadowing other parts of its history. A deeper look uncovers an older, gentler incarnation, a vibrant community of hard-working immigrants contributing to the growth of the city as they forged new lives in the United States.

At noon Thursday, May 2, 2013, media representatives are invited to preview the new exhibition Little Syria, NY: An Immigrant Community’s Life & Legacy at 3LD Art & Technology Center, 80 Greenwich St., New York. It tells the story of the Arab immigrant enclave that thrived along Washington Street from 1880-1940, when it made way for the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and later, the WTC. The exhibition runs May 3-27, 2013 at 3LD.

Interview opportunities include:

Dr. Anan Ameri, the founding director of the Arab American National Museum (AANM) in Dearborn, Michigan, which produced the exhibition.

Elizabeth Barrett Sullivan, curator of exhibits, AANM

Documentary filmmaker Bob Madey of the New York Friends of the AANM and his father, Dr. Robert Madey, whose family history is rooted in Little Syria, NY. Dr. Robert Madey’s father was the renowned poet Elia Abu Madi, a close friend of another Little Syria, NY, writer, Kahlil Gibran (The Prophet).

Inea Bushnaq, the Arab folklorist, longtime AANM advisor and member of the New York Friends of AANM who, with other dedicated New Yorkers, contributed significant time and resources to the exhibition’s development.

Representatives of preservation groups Friends of the Lower West Side and Save Washington Street.

Cameras are welcome; schedule advance or on-site interviews or ask questions by replying to this email or calling Kim Silarski at 313.624.0206 or 313.598.7917 cell.