City Hall Guide

Just east of TriBeCa, lies the Civic Center neighborhood, the swath of downtown Manhattan that encompasses City Hall, police headquarters and the courts. Adorned with classical columns and a recently restored, copper-sheathed cupola crowned by a statue of Justice, City Hall – the oldest functioning government building in the United States – represents the central power of New York, housing the chambers of the New York City Council and the office of the Mayor of New York. Just south of the building, a pedestrian walkway leads to the Brooklyn Bridge and its impressive view of the East River, downtown Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan, depending on the direction walked.

Once the hunger for fantastic architecture is fed, Dim Sum, the official food of Civic Center, waits on practically every corner. The terror threat since Sept. 11, 2001, is largely gone, as the city prepares for the opening of One World Trade Center, but a significant number of police remain in the civic center area due largely to safeguard the area for other potential threats and escort high profile people in and out of certain government buildings. The Civic Center has about 20,000 full-time residents — double the number of a decade ago, and a number of buildings for office space, especially Class-A, bust suited for law firms, government offices and security organizations. Filled with so many nonresidential institutions, as well as plazas and parks, it’s a good time to buy in. Prices have dropped about 20 percent here since the market’s peak.