Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Vote For George!

So you never thought you'd have the opportunity to vote for George Washington?  Just a mere 223 years too late?  Now is your chance!



Thanks to 2012 Partners in Preservation Initiative in New York City, you can vote to restore the life-size  statue of George Washington and the entrance to Federal Hall.  Washington was inaugurated in the original Federal Hall building which stood on the site, now 26 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan.  The current structure serves as a memorial and museum to our country's first president.


Washington is taking this campaign seriously.  He is not to be outdone by the thirty-nine other contenders for the Preservation funds. Last weekend when I rounded the corner to Federal Hall, I was met by his personal fife and drum corps (click for video), stirring up support from the crowd assembled at the base of his statue.  National Park rangers were handing out flyers, "VOTE FOR GEORGE!"


Even John and Abigail Adams were meeting and greeting curious onlookers.  As Abigail handed me a flyer, she said, "I've been trying to convince John to support the vote for women."

President Washington is up against stiff competition, all deserving of the Partners in Preservation's three million dollars. The four projects which receive the most public votes between April 26- May 21, 2012 will have their grants fully funded.  The remainder of the money will be allocated to other sites after a review by American Express, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and an advisory committee from New York City.

Perhaps you have your own personal favorite. . . . The New York Botanical Garden, Apollo Theater, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Coney Island B & B Carousel or one of the other historic sites, all available for you to peruse at The Partners in Preservation website.  

You don't even have to live in New York City.  You can vote from any part of the United States or overseas, once a day until May 21st.  Directions on the website are listed in four easy steps.

Which historic site will gather the most votes? As of today, the Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library is leading.  A worthy institution to be sure!  So many choices and only a week left to let your votes count.  Undecided?


My latest Downtown Magazine article, "The Anne Frank Center Opens in Lower Manhattan: 'Building a World Based on Mutual Respect'"  is now online.  I invite you to check it out.










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