Monday 28 December 2015

Little Syria: New York preservationists fight for remains of historic cultural hub

Blocks from the World Trade Center, there’s an unassuming street just like so many in New York. Nestled between a Holiday Inn and a vacant lot that will soon house another skyscraper, three buildings weathered with age are dwarfed by their surroundings. These are the sole remnants of Little Syria, an early immigrant community in New York.
Todd Fine stands across the way, giving a tour and talking without pause for close to an hour. As president of the Washington Street Historical Society, a group determined to preserve the community’s history, he’s used to showing people around the area, his passion for the neighborhood apparent.
He strolls into an empty restaurant oblivious to the hostess who asks if he would like to take a seat, intently focused on relaying its history as a Syrian church.

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