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American Morning

Harlem Rolls Out Red Carpet for Bill Clinton

Aired July 30, 2001 - 09:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Harlem rolls out the red carpet to welcome a former president. Bill Clinton officially opens his new office there today.

And CNN's Maria Hinojosa joins us from the scene of the celebration -- Maria, hello.

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Donna.

Well, yes, today at 11:00 A.M. the party officially begins to help welcome the former president to his new neighborhood, or should I say to his new 'hood. 125th Street off of Fifth Avenue is where the former president will now be setting up his offices. They will officially open today and the offices that he chose will be here on 125th Street in Harlem. The former president said he chose them because he wanted to be part of the federal empowerment zone that he helped to create.

It also came on the heels of a controversy of the plans that he originally had chosen to have a very expensive office in midtown and then he moved uptown here to Harlem.

Now, the exact layout of the offices will be really prime real estate. He will have a full floor with a southern view of Manhattan. He will see everything from the entire Central Park to the Empire State Building, a linear view, a linear design with his office on one side and the staff offices on the other, divided up by a conference room.

And according to the architect who helped design the offices, the president will have wonderful views of Manhattan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAVID MAQUAMI, OFFICE DESIGNER: I mean, you know, the wonderful views of Central Park and midtown Manhattan will obviously impress the visitor who comes in the first time. And then the whole procession going through the president's office and what you go through step by step, that will be very important to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HINOJOSA: So today they're just turning on the music right now to welcome for the party this afternoon. Cicely Tyson will host. The Harlem Boys Choir is expected to perform and from the movie "Music From the Heart," the violin troupe of that movie will also be here to officially welcome the former president, who is expected to arrive here around noon -- back to you, Donna.

KELLEY: Yes, it sounds like they're cranking up in the back of you right now. Maria Hinojosa, thanks very much.

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