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THE BATTERY / 3 Proposals For Archaeological Exhibit The Landmarks Preservation Commission presented a written proposal last week on the dimension and location of an archaeological exhibit to be built by a New York developer to compensate for the destruction of 17th Century artifacts that were lost during construction at a Lower Manhattan site.
Officials from the commission said that artifacts from Jewish colonial life were lost at the site at 17 State St. when construction began before archaeologists could conduct an excavation. As a result, the commission demanded that an archaeological exhibition be built.
"The basis on which we are looking at this is that the mitigation must be substantial enough to compensate the public for the loss of the archaeological site," said Jeremy Woodoff, environmental review coordinator for the commission.
The commission's proposal lists three options: a 3,000-square-foot indoor exhibit above the ground floor, a 1,000-square-foot indoor exhibit on the plaza level, or a combination of indoor plaza and basement space for a total of 1,500 square feet.
In addition, the developer would enter into a five-year agreement with a cultural institution or museum that would maintain the exhibit,...