South Street Seaport Museum to receive funding help in NYC 2017/18 budget

NYC Council Member Margaret Chin and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer have announced two new grants for ship maintenance and educational programming for the South Street Seaport Museum.

$500,000 has been set aside in the City’s Capital Budget to begin what is rumored to be as much as $4 MM in repairs to the Lightship Ambrose, a 110 year old National Historic Landmark. LV 87, her proper name, once served as a floating lighthouse marking Ambrose Channel, guiding ships into New York Harbor. In 2012 workers repaired the Ambrose’s steel-plated hull and applied a protective sealant, then added the recognizable coat of gleaming red paint.

It is expected that the new Expense grant funding will be used to make necessary deck repairs. An additional $20,000 has been set aside for a Cultural After-School Adventure program (CASA) available to downtown youth.

We thank our Elected Officials for their efforts to secure needed short-term funding, but we continue to ask why the Howard Hughes Corporation (HHC) has not stepped up to contribute significant monies to assure the future stability of the South Street Seaport Museum, its collection of historic vessels, and the landmark historic district, These together are what makes the South Street Seaport a gem in downtown Manhattan, for New Yorkers and visitors alike.

We are tired of hearing the developer (HHC) boast about selling off Seaport air-rights for a profit of $141 MM while we see no revenue dedicated to saving our historic Seaport