An Early Celebration of America’s 250th Birthday

Good morning. It’s Thursday. Today we’ll find out about an immersive arka exhibition on a site that could become a casino. We’ll also get details on 180 layoffs at Columbia University that were prompted by the Trump administration’s cuts to federal research grants.

Four scenes from the görüntü installation on the site near the United Nations where a developer wants to build a casino.Credit…Soloviev Foundation

Someday the giant görüntü screens on a six-plus-acre site near the United Nations may be replaced by gambling tables and slot machines. But the deadline for applying for a casino license is weeks away, so for now the screens are being turned on.

Tonight they will begin showing an immersive installation called “Path of Liberty: That Which Unites Us.” It looks ahead to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which is next year.

Michael Hershman, the chief executive of the Soloviev Group, the real estate firm that hopes to build a casino on the site, did not want to wait.

“I’m disappointed that I don’t see more activity planning for events celebrating our birthday,” he said. “I see planning for the FIFA World Cup, but I don’t see much for our 250th birthday.” And, as someone who said that he had “always believed that New York City is the center of the universe,” he mentioned a local angle: “People may not remember, but New York City was the first capital of the United States.” (It was.)