September 17, 2023
“Well, thank you, Mayor. I remember when it started. It started because of the Erie Canal that ended up in Buffalo. Okay, see the connection here? So, we have been long connected since 1820, bringing what was once a little village, a sleepy village, to becoming the preeminent center for global commerce as a result of the vision of a governor back in that time dealing with Clinton.
So, I digress a little bit, but I’ll always defend the entire state, but everybody loves New York City. We love New York City. And I’m so proud to represent this vibrant place. Those who don’t know, I was once a lieutenant governor. I literally spent eight years in hotel rooms throughout New York City. I know every corner. I know every bagel place. I know every place to go to hear music and life and enjoyment. So, this is my city too, Mayor, so thank you.
What New York City, what this place endured 22 years ago pushed us to its limits. This was a stress test like no other. Yes, we had had the crash of 29 when FDR was actually Governor of New York before he became President. We had seen the collapse of our economy during the ‘70s, ‘80s, raging crime, 9/11, pandemics, and now today’s challenges. But one consistent theme has always been that we are tested. We go through stress tests. But nobody comes back like we do here in New York. No place on earth has that resiliency built into our DNA the way we do here in New York. And that’s what I’m so proud of. And to realize, at a place 22 years ago, we could have devolved into a state of despair, desperation, and just hopelessness. It was so easy. As the Mayor talked about, Mayor Bloomberg talked about, that was – those are the headlines.
So, negative headlines aren’t new today to Mayor Adams and I. They’ve been around a long time. But, rather than despair, we found hope. Rather than destruction, we began construction. And instead of death and devastation, we were reborn in countless ways. Basically, New York at its essence, doesn’t just survive, we thrive. And that’s the difference. We always prevail. Always can, always will. I am more confident about the future of this city today than ever in my life. And the people in this room are part of what gives me that confidence.
Mayor Bloomberg, to you, thank you for writing the playbook during your time, inheriting a situation that no one could have envisioned. Brand new mayor, ready to take on making sure the garbage is picked up, all the basic services, taking care of the people, that’s what you run on. But all of a sudden, the world is watching you and this city. Are we going to stay down on our knees, or are we going to rise up? And you showed the world who we are. For that, we are forever grateful. Let’s give another round of applause to Mike Bloomberg.
To my partner here in New York City, it’s not an easy job to be Mayor, but I will continue to be his partner as we work through issues like crime and homelessness, and yes, the influx of thousands of people that want the same shot at the American dream that our immigrant grandparents wanted as well. We’ll work through this together. That’s what teamwork is and that’s what the people expect. When we were both elected, I said the era of fighting each other is over, we fight for the people going forward and that has not wavered one bit. So that’s a newsflash for everybody paying attention.
But also, to people like Ron Perelman, I hope your ankle recovers well. We were just chatting that my father had the exact same ankle surgery and was promised he’d be back on the golf course and is still waiting to get there. So, we appreciate you being here. But it’s your vision for this space that allowed us to breathe new life. What you and your family have done for the city is extraordinary, but what you have done here has left a forevermore legacy.
I could not be prouder to be associated with you on this day as we celebrate the opening of this magnificent, magical place. Magical place. If you’ve not had a tour, to see the vision that went into every single block of marble selected from the finest quarries in Portugal – because New York deserves the best. This place says we are the best and this place is a cathedral to the best. This is an extraordinary place.
You can go back and think about what this space was twenty-two years ago. My remarks say that’s what I should describe it, but I’m not going to do that because we heard it in Paula’s voice as she described the loss that brought her to this place, of showing people those thousands of families that we heard their voices still in pain, just 48 hours ago – come here every year to honor those we lost. Paula represents them. And the fact that we’ve waited for this opportunity to say we can begin life anew. Paula, you give us the courage to continue on, stories like yours. The loss of a husband, 22 years ago. The thought of that breaks my heart as someone who has had a husband for 39 years. I know that is a gift. And I wish I could share that with you, Paula. And all the other families and the children we heard who never even knew their parents. Their parents are a photograph. It’s still hard. It’s still hard.
But we need places like this to give us that sense of hope again. We’re going to be okay. Because this is a defining moment for New Yorkers. You heard Mayor Bloomberg talk about the life that has come back here, the businesses, the people want to be here. No one in a million years could have foreseen this two decades ago. Never. That’s why today is extraordinary. As we say, this is a place of life and arts.
Three days after John Kennedy was assassinated, our country was in a state of depression. Most of you are too young to remember. I was a little kid. He delivered these remarks at a memorial at the Lincoln Center. The world had grown dark and depressed. This was Camelot. This was new life. This was going to be a new America. And he was gone. The thought of having music again was almost inconsistent with what we were going through. It was almost insulting to think about bringing music at a time when we’re in mourning.
But Bernstein recognized we had no choice, and to think that surrendering to hate would almost be as great a crime as what had been perpetrated. So, what he said was quite amazing. He said, “We will continue to bring music and life because to do otherwise is to surrender.” He was right. He was absolutely right. We don’t surrender. We didn’t surrender then. We’ve never surrendered to any of the challenges. And we’re not about to surrender now.
This is a testament to our resiliency. This space. Honor this space. Bring people to this space. Talk about this space because this is the embodiment of the New York spirit that’ll endure forever. Thank you to all who made this happen. I will never forget this moment as a turning point in our history. A time to say we’ll always remember, always love. Love is forever in our hearts. We’re going to share this space with the world and bring the most fascinating people to stages, 60 stages.
And to the architects, this is sheer brilliance. And I believe that they’ll be replications of this space all over the world because what we do, the rest of the world wants to do. We’re New York. And we’ll always be that strong testament to the world. What strong people, a strong community, with a strong sense of community spirit, can always do together. Thank you very much.
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PERELMAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER OPENS SEPTEMBER 19
Five–Night Pay–What–You–Wish Global Concert Series Welcomes Audiences
to the New Performing Arts Center in Lower Manhattan Sept. 19–23
Free Lenape Center Exhibit Opens Sept. 21
Community Open Houses Sept. 27 and 30
Visiting PAC NYC
PAC NYC (251 Fulton Street) is free and open to the public seven days a week from 8 am to 11 pm.
Tickets to performances in the building’s theaters begin at $39 at PACNYC.org or by calling
212.266.3000. For more information, visit PACNYC.org.
PAC NYC Memberships start at $10 for the inaugural season and provide early access to
purchase tickets and other perks. For more information or to learn how to support PAC NYC,
visit PACNYC.org.
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Title photo: Perelman Performing Arts Center designed by REX. Image Iwan Baan.
View more PAC NYC photos here.