“Bright Lights, Big City” will soon have new meaning in lower Manhattan.
The city’s Economic Development Corp. yesterday announced a $1 million plan to place eye-catching light installations in the Financial District to enliven a neighborhood that now shuts down at night.
The agency issued a request for proposals (RFP) seeking a company to devise a modern blueprint for illuminating a portion of the neighborhood. The Bloomberg administration’s goal is to attract tourists, residents and new businesses and stimulate night life.
“Lower Manhattan has long been a global hub of commerce and, in the past 10 years, thanks to key investments by the city and others, it has at last become a true 24/7 neighborhood,” EDC President Seth Pinsky said. “The RFP seeks to tap some of the world’s most creative minds to help us highlight the evolution of this great New York neighborhood.”
EDC officials left the RFP open-ended to attract a wide range of ideas, but pointed to the massive nightly light and laser display along the Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong as an example of the far-reaching exhibit they’re hoping for.
“A Symphony of Lights” begins at 8 p.m. every night with multicolored flashes of laser lights that shine on 44 participating buildings in Hong Kong. It lasts for 10 to 15 minutes, is accompanied by music, and has attracted an estimated 4 million tourists.
The RFP identifies two sections of the Financial District to be lit up: South Street between Fletcher and Whitehall streets and the pedestrian area flanked by Exchange Place and Broad and Wall streets.
Bidders can pick other spots east of Broadway and south of Anne and Fulton streets.
The EDC wants the winning bidder to turn on the lights by the end of 2012 and run them regularly for three years. The agency promised to contribute up to $1 million for the exhibit.
“These interactive lighting displays will add vibrancy to our neighborhood,” said Councilwoman Margaret Chin. “This project will further our vision for lower Manhattan as a dynamic and forward-looking place to live.”