Mind being more specific about where in Lower Manhattan you are referring? Lower Manhattan is quite a large space in regards to differing cultures, that further clarification would be helpful.
I'm not sure what exactly your question is, sorry. Can you clarify? My only point was that lower Manhattan 30-40 years ago was a vastly more affordable and artistically-inclined place. Just read the Greenwich Village Wikipedia page for an example:
In the 20th century, Greenwich Village was known as an artists' haven, the Bohemian capital, the cradle of the modern LGBT movement, and the East Coast birthplace of both the Beat and '60s counterculture movements.
Greenwich Village has undergone extensive gentrification and commercialization;[9] the four ZIP codes that constitute the Village – 10011, 10012, 10003, and 10014 – were all ranked among the ten most expensive in the United States by median housing price in 2014, according to Forbes.
While there still may be a lot of arts and culture going on in Lower Manhattan, it is unquestionably a pale shadow of its former self. Don't take my word for it:
In the 20th century, Greenwich Village was known as an artists' haven, the Bohemian capital, the cradle of the modern LGBT movement, and the East Coast birthplace of both the Beat and '60s counterculture movements.
Greenwich Village has undergone extensive gentrification and commercialization;[9] the four ZIP codes that constitute the Village – 10011, 10012, 10003, and 10014 – were all ranked among the ten most expensive in the United States by median housing price in 2014, according to Forbes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich_Village
While there still may be a lot of arts and culture going on in Lower Manhattan, it is unquestionably a pale shadow of its former self. Don't take my word for it:
David Byrne (of Talking Heads): https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/07/new-yo...
Moby: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/03/leave-...