Many groups interested in being part of cultural center at WTC

NEW YORK -- More than 75 cultural institutions, ranging from established city museums to newcomers like the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, want to be part of the arts center being planned for the new World Trade Center site.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. is not asking for formal proposals yet, but it invited responses from groups around the world to see what types of institutions are interested, said LMDC spokeswoman Joanna Rose.

"We're really looking for a broad mix of cultural institutions," Rose said.

Several well-known cultural groups in the city have expressed interest, including the New-York Historical Society, founded in 1804 when the name of the city was sometimes hyphenated.

The historical society began collecting artifacts from the World Trade Center just days after the Sept. 11 attack, said spokesman Travis Stewart. Six weeks later, it opened one of the first exhibits dedicated to the people who died there and the rescue workers.

"From the beginning, we expressed a desire to be part of the cultural component there," Stewart said.

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, which just opened in April, also seeks to participate in the rebirth of downtown, said its president and chairman Lawrence Klein.

"Being there is to be part of the city, to be part of rebuilding an area that was devastated," Klein said.

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On the Net:

New-York Historical Society: http://www.nyhistory.org/

Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art: http://www.moccany.org/

LMDC: http://www.renewnyc.com/