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The Gates An Economic Hit
For New York and the Environment For New York City, the Gates
was a bonanza. For the environment and NNYN, to which Christo
and Jeanne-Claude gave a royalty-free license to sell Gates-related
work, even more so.
Between February 12 and 27, an estimated four million people
visited Central Park, the site of the Gates. That, according
to the Central Park Conservancy, is more than five times the
number that visit the Park during the same two-week period in
a typical February. Of these 1.5 million were from outside the
city, including 300,000 international visitors. Usually 13%
of tourists are from outside the country but during The Gates,
the international share increased to almost 20%.
The Mayor's office estimates that Gates visitors generated over
$250 million in economic activity during a time that is traditionally
slow and lackluster, Midtown hotels, for example, reported unusually
high rates of occupancy. This year, through February 23, those
hotels reported occupancy rates of 86.9% with room rates at
$223.81. Last year, the same hotels reported occupancy rates
of 73.6% with room rates at $194.25. During weekends of The
Gates, the occupancy rates were well over 90%. The increase
translates into a revenue increase of more than 18%.
Restaurants, large and small, and not just those adjacent to
Central Park, reported an increase in patrons during The Gates.
Business at Mickey Mantle's rose almost 110% on weekdays and
200% on weekends. Rosa Mexicana at Lincoln Center reported that
lunch business increased 200% and sales are up 30% over last
year. Nectar Coffee Shop, which has two locations on Madison
Avenue (at 79th and 82nd), reported long lines for tables and
a 20-25% increase in sales. Times Square restaurants Blue Fin
and Ruby Foo's and other restaurants in the area such as the
Brooklyn Diner, Cafe Fiorello, Trattoria Del Arte, Shelly's
NY, and Redeye Grill all saw a significant increases in sales
over the 16 days of The Gates compared to the same time period
one year ago.
Culture also got a boost. The Cooper-Hewitt National Design
Museum, located at 91st Street and Fifth Avenue, reported a
298% increase in attendance over the same period last year,
as well as increases in gift shop and café revenue. El Museo
del Barrio, on Fifth Avenue and 104th Street, said that weekend
attendance doubled over previous years. The Metropolitan Museum
of Art had a 90% jump in attendance. It said that attendance
was 35% more than projected and revenue from gift shop and food
sales 16% more than projected. The Museum of the City of New
York reported a 78% increase in attendance and an increase in
gift shop sales over their January figures. The Museum also
sold out of Gates merchandise within days of the beginning of
The Gates. In addition, the Whitney Museum of American Art reported
a 17% increase in total attendance for the first week of The
Gates, and an increase of 150% in the second week compared to
the same period last year.
Visitors to www.NNYN.org ordered more than $500,000 prints on
line and also purchased over 100 copies of The Metropolitan
Museum of Art catalogue On the Way to the Gates. A month after
the closing of the Gates, the interest continues, although not
at the same frenetic pace. The Central Park Conservancy, which
provided a number of services during The Gates, says it has
sold approximately $4 million in Gates merchandise and $70,000
in other merchandise that it offers. During a typical February,
the Conservancy sells approximately $15,000 in merchandise.
The Conservancy also raised $158,760 through trolley tours of
the Park for over 10,000 people and walking tours throughout.
The 16 days of the Gates display - and the weeks before and
after -- - emphatically underscored the relationship between
The Gates Project and Nurture New York's Nature. In February,
the month in which The Gates enjoyed the greatest interest and
visibility, the Nurture New York's Nature website, www.NNYN.org,
recorded over 700,000 hits, more than four times the number
recorded in January and more than twice the number recorded
in March.
The interest in the Gates project and the desire to explore
the Gates history further brought more than 37,000 visitors
to the site - nearly 2,000 per day. And once at the sight they
examined more than the prints for sale. They visited the various
sections of the site, looking at the various NNYN programs as
well as the news items and events. The continuing interest in
the Gates in March brought in over 10,000 new visitors.
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