Tribeca, sometimes written as TriBeCa is an area of New York’s lower Manhattan. The name is a conglomerate of the words Triangle below Canal Street. Tribeca refers to the area of Canal Street to the south and between Broadway and West Street extending to Chambers Street. During colonial times this was the first residential area developed beyond the then boundaries of New York City. The area had become a busy commercial centre by the middle of the nineteenth century and lots of store and loft buildings were erected between 1850 and 1860.
Tribeca had a broad industrial base that was heavily into the textiles and cotton industry. By the nineteen sixties most of this had died out and in the following decade, the vast number of empty commercial buildings attracted a large number of artists to the area. Large scale conversion in the nineteen eighties and nineties has turner Tribeca into a respectable, up market residential area. In 1996 the Tribeca Open Artist Studio Tour was set up both to provide an educational experience for the general public and to give the work of emerging artists greater exposure. After the events of 9/11 and the attack on the World Trade Centre, Tribeca suffered financially but was able to bounce back with the help of government grants and incentives. Modern Tribeca is one of New York City’s most fashionable neighbourhoods and is inhabited by numbers of very famous people.
More than ten thousand people live in and around Tribeca according to the census of 2000. What were formerly industrial buildings have now been renovated and turned into residential developments and lofts. There are some noteworthy buildings in the area, not least the neo-Renaissance Textile Building that was built in 1901. On Hudson Street, another dedicated landmark is the Powell Building built in 1892. There is a row of tenement buildings on Worth Street that were built at the end of the American Civil War.
Tribeca is home to the New York Law School and the Washington Market Park. The Law School is a private and independent school that was first set up in 1891 but has since been housed in several buildings in the area, currently between Church Street and West Broadway. The Washington Market Park contains large children’s playground and community gardens where a lot of community events are hosted. The Manhattan Campus of St. John’s University is also located in Tribeca.
Like some other areas of New York City is well served by public transport and has great schools and a very low level of crime and is rapidly taking over from the East Side as the city’s richest district. After the disasters of 9/11 the Tribeca Film Festival was set up to help people and to contribute to the district’s recovery in the event’s aftermath. The set up of the Film Festival has turned the area into a popular location for films and for televisions shows. The festival is a celebration of New York City as a major player in the film and entertainment industry.