No Balls and Little Pride. I'm upset that those in power have changed the name of the Freedom Tower. Now it's simply One World Trade Center. I'm disgusted.
For anyone who just wants to know what is at the World Trade Center Site now and how best to see it just scroll down directly to "WHAT YOU CAN SEE at the WORLD TRADE CENTER".
Though this site is far from being complete, there is still much to see and feel. I give it five stars for its originality and spirit.
As of March 2009 I have downgraded my rate in regard to originality and spirit to Four Stars. When you get to the March 2009 update you will read my reason as to why.
REVIVAL
In the 1960's a plan was made to help revive what was becoming a slum area of downtown New York City. After much discussion and controversy about design and use of the area a full neighborhood was razed and the World Trade Center came into being with the 110 story Twin Towers as its centerpiece. It was a design of architect Minoro Yamasaki. The excavated dirt from the WTC site filled in part of the Hudson River banks in lower Manhattan and on it, Battery Park City was constructed. This area, part of which is the World Financial Center, was a beam of light in the glowing revival of New York City as the financial capital of the world. In the five acre Plaza between the Twin Towers was a huge sculptured sphere resting on black granite above a fountain that stood for World Peace through trade.
I had mixed feelings about the World Trade Center in the sixties and particularly about the design of the Twin Towers and the fact that they would be taller than the Empire State Building. By the early 70's it was completed. As time went on it became a place where my wife and I often went to purchase 1/2 price theatre tickets at a TKTS booth in the building. We would have lunch or dinner at Windows On the World and sometimes we went as tourists to sight see. The views from on top inside and outside observation decks were incredible. We also enjoyed free concerts in the open-air plaza at the foot of the two towers. Business often took me to the World Trade Center too. In time I became very fond of the buildings, what they offered and what they stood for.
I remember so well the daredevil feat of Phillippe Petit who dazzled the whole world when he, in a clandestine overnight action, made his way up to the top of the building and then stretched a cable between the towers. Phillippe then proceeded to spend nearly an hour walking back and forth between the buildings doing antics such as kneeling and laying down on his back. After he was locked up and served a sentence of entertaining inner-city children, he was given a lifetime pass to the observation deck of the towers. Little did any of us ever expect what might happen.
RESCUE
Like so many of you I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing on the morning of 9/11/01. On that day nearly 3,000 people were killed by maniacs who had no regard for life. The 16 acre site, known as the World Trade Center, was reduced to a ten story 1.6 million-ton pile of rubble. The Twin Towers were gone along with five other major buildings and serious damage to others of which one must still come down.
Though my wife and I were spared the personal loss of family or friends the attack still did hurt us deeply as Americans, New Yorkers and fellow human beings. My wife and I started our healing process a week later with a visit to The World Trade Center then becoming known as Ground Zero. We live on Long Island and decided to go into the city to witness the carnage, pay respects to the lost and help support our city. It was an unbelievably humbling experience seeing the expanse of debris, smelling death in the air, the plea of family members still trying to find their loved ones and watching from a distance as rescuers made their way through the wreckage. At that time they were in transition from a search and rescue mission that sadly became a recovery scene, a sign that hope of finding survivors had faded.
RECOVERY
We returned a number of times in the following months as thousands and then millions of others have. Special ramps and a ticket system were needed to accommodate all that needed to be there and see. I understood that need to be there. Recovery continued as workers labored around the clock trying to find the remains of loved ones. Many trips were made in solemn silence and respect as bodies were brought out of the rubble, one by one. So many were never found. One ramp was next to St. Paul's Chapel, just across the street from the WTC, that miraculously was left undamaged and served as a place for the rescue workers to find quiet-solitude, counseling, physical and medical needs, food and sleep. This is definitely a stop to make if this disaster has wounded your heart. It is a sacred place, beyond that of being a house of worship, that is open to the public with many displays and personal notes. It gives a real sense of what went on during the recovery months and the deep feelings so many had.
Another site that I believe is an integral part of the WTC is the temporary memorial that is now in Battery Park a ten minute walk from the WTC. A 45,000 lb. sphere is the center point. This sculpture, that I talked about earlier, was above a water fountain in the WTC open plaza. The sphere was buried by the Twin Tower debris but, aside from holes and minor dents, it held its basic shape. It now stands behind an eternal flame in Battery Park and one day it will have the Freedom Tower in front of it dominating the skyline. Not until the new Memorial Center areas are dedicated in the World Trade Center will the flame go out or the sculpture moved.
On May 31, just six months after that terrible September Day, recovery was completed. All that was left of the World Trade Center was a hole in the ground. The ceremony that day bore no speeches nor words from dignitaries. It was a solemn procession of firemen, police, EMT's, iron workers, laborers, and other rescue workers who witnessed the event of final recovery and then, in total silence, followed up to the streets. First up the ramp was a flatbed with a 36' black-draped steel girder that was known as "The last load". Soon after, a flag draped stretcher, signifying those who were never found, was carried out and placed in an ambulance. Families, firemen, police and other recovery workers continued the walk uptown following the two vehicles. From where we were we could not see the truck and stretcher come up the ramp, we did see the truck and ambulance later as they passed us on the street.
There were thousands of people at the site and lining the streets. No one spoke. It was absolutely silent. Twenty bells were rung signifying the death of a fireman. It was four successions of five bells. We were able to hear the sound of a bugler playing Taps in the distance. We could also hear the sound of bagpipes with their melancholy drones. The pipers finished with "America the Beautiful".
As the procession moved by us we saw and heard the roar of a police helicopter fly-by passing overhead.
I was with my wife, an art teacher, and a number of her students who designed and made a 6'x 8' 9/11 remembrance quilt. They had it with them. Each student prepared their own distinct 6" x 6" panel and my wife put them all together with some fill and a backing. Family members of those lost broke away from the procession in the middle of the street and came over to the side to see the quilt and talk to the students. They were thanking the 12-14 year olds for their "effort to show compassion and to remember". This was unexpected and I believe, in some special way, moved the the young adults with both a sense of pride and humility simultaneously.
That was the day when I tried to stop thinking of the area as ground zero, and a recovery area. This was both hallowed ground to the families of the lost but it is also the ground where some kind of structure will define what freedom loving people are made of and what they feel in their soul. This was to become a place of renewal.
RENEWAL
Some of the original sub-structure will be left in tact and viewable, memorials will be designed, other buildings will be constructed, a Cultural Center may be formed and a brand new building, the centerpiece of it all, showing the resiliency of the American people, will be built. This new structure, that will be the heart of the World Trade Center complex, is the Freedom Tower.
While the recovery was going on plans were being made to resurrect the area known as Ground Zero. A worldwide competition was set with some basic guidelines for the WTC; to have a significant attachment to the NY skyline, use the "foot prints" of the Twin Towers as a memorial ground, feature park and cultural areas, tie-in with existing NYC streets and subway systems and offer a certain amount of commercial, retail and residential space.
There were over 5,200 individual or group plans from 63 countries and just about every state in the union. Six final entries were presented and then the announcement came. The final winner was architect/designer Studio Daniel Libeskind whose original plans have been partly re-worked by David Childs to be a bit more commercially applicable. Childs was brought into the process by the property owner Larry Silverstein. I liked Libeskind's design of the Freedom Tower and surrounding buildings. The other structures will go up after the Freedom Tower is completed some time in 2008-2009. I feel it remarkable that the process has moved on so well with so many hands involved, also including the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the Port Authority, Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg.
Other people have also been brought into the full design planning of the World Trade Center too. There is a lot going on. The Port Authority has brought in Santiago Calatrava from Spain to help design the Transportation Hub that will be underneath the World Trade Center with a main entrance to the site. You may have seen some recent work of his at the Athens Olympics last month. He designed that awesome looking stadium that housed the opening and closing ceremonies and many events during the two week competition.
The FREEDOM TOWER
Update June 2005. The following information is no longer revelent but for the sake of history, I will keep these paragraphs on this post. More detailed info on the new design follows. End Update.
The Freedom Towers design by Mr. Libeskind had some unique features that set it apart from other contributors. Because another architect is involved, there still may be other changes, but the general plan is viable and should remain pretty much as is. The tower is to be 1776' high as a reminder of the year in which the original 13 colonies declared their freedom. It will also feature the building as a glass and steel trapezoid form twisting its way up to a 276' spire. The look is to evoke the Statue of Liberty. This seems to work for me in that I see the curve of the toga that Miss Liberty is wearing and her raised right hand reflected in the Freedom Towers design when looked at from a distance. I like it. I also see it as a tie-in to the spires of The Empire State Building and The Chrysler Building that also dominate the NYC skyline.
The entrance of the building will have a huge lobby that will have two concourse levels. There will be retail space and access to all the mass transit lines.
The tower, when completed, is slated to be the worlds tallest building. It certainly isn't memorable though when noting how many stories of actual office space will be built. It is planned to be 73 stories high with the lower 10 as retail space and top 60 floors as offices. The Port Authority of NY plans on using about 1/3 of the space and as of right now there are no particular planned tenants for the building. This was the same thing that happened to the original WTC buildings when it was first constructed. After a slow start, trying to find tenants, it became popular and had all its space constantly rented.
On the top three floors of the building will be an observation deck, restaurant and event area. I read that 500' above the first deck will be an additional observation deck. I have not been able to confirm this piece of information that would put the viewing area higher than the original WTC viewing decks that were both inside and outside.
Just to give some perspective, the original WTC observation deck was at 1355'. The lower deck on the Freedom tower, that will be the top floor of the building, will be at 1,100'. The second observation deck, up in the steel work, would make it 1,600' high. That gives me the sense that the new building will allow the highest view from any building ever in NY and at least for a time, in the world. I'm sure that one day another building will be made taller but no building will be 1776' high. I like that number and its meaning. It was an excellent choice.
Another bit of information I had picked up was that a reopening of the restaurant Windows on the World, that was so popular in the Twin Towers, could happen. Sadly, they lost 73 employees on September 11th. I always enjoyed that restaurant. My wife and I went to it a number of times, and would love to see it reopen. It would give me the greatest of pleasure to be able to some day review it here at Epinions.
Above the office space will be a network of steel cables and beams that will house a wind-turban generating plant and will provide for 20% of the buildings energy needs. That's a good environmental decision and could also help in other future plans of construction. One architect (unfortunately I have not been able to recover his name after reading it) wrote, in discussing the plans of the Freedom Tower, that, in my own words, "the cable system is much like that of the system on the Brooklyn Bridge in two ways. It gives a visual likeness of the two with the steel cables and also, as the bridge did something new in being able to bring two islands together over a great distance, this will be a new concept in utilizing the wind, a free and clean source of energy, for use in the very building that houses it." This is brand new technology for an urban setting.
Above the seventy stories and the cable work will be a 276'spire that will be off center on top of it all. The top of this point will be 1776', the official height of the building. Another section of antenna will be above the spire. This would make the total height over 2,000' high.
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS as the CORNERSTONE is LAID
It was thought that the placing of the cornerstone of this 1776' building should be accomplished on the 4th of July, the date America celebrates its independence and freedom. And it was. On that date of this year '04, a 20 ton slab of garnet flecked granite from the Adirondack Mountains was laid in position. Garnet happens to be the official NY state gem. Family and dignitaries were at the emotional ground breaking ceremonies.
On the stone are the words, "To Honor and Remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and as a tribute to the enduring Spirit of Freedom. July 4, 2004
The Freedom Tower is being constructed on the northwest part of the WTC site. The stone is part of the south eastern corner of the structure. The cornerstone, though visible now, will disappear as work proceeds and the building starts to emerge from the ground. More details on how to see it now is listed in the next few paragraphs.
WHAT YOU CAN SEE AT the WTC SITE
The 16 acre site is now completely encased in a fence. There are many places where you can easily see through to the large gaping hole in the ground. A viewing area where you can see much of the work being done is off Church Street. This is right in front of the Millenium Hotel that reopened after renovations of nearly two years from the damage of 9/11. Anyone can see quite clearly through very strong and neat looking steel mesh fence that keeps you out and any debris in. The ramp into the work area is now one of the most notable structures. The slurry wall, that holds back the Hudson River and where many of the lost were found can still be seen from street level. This wall will be kept viewable in the new plans of the World Trade Center. There are now many staircases for workers that lead down into the sub-floor areas that look like a small city with work vehicles, trailers, and storage yards. Tourists are not allowed in the construction areas.
At this viewing area on Church St., just steps away from the new train station, are some large plaques that are dedicated to the WTC, both past and future. One gives the history of the complex while another dictates the events of 9/11. Still others have the names of all those who died on that tragic day. This area does not give a feel of a memorial. It is a popular area for taking photos even though there really isn't much to be seen.
Just outside the WTC site are many street vendors making a few bucks off tourists who want to take home some kind of memories of the site. They sell pictures, paintings, and sculptures of the site depicting how it was in its early glory, as Ground Zero after 9/11, and how it will look in the future with the Freedom Tower reaching into the skies. I still get a sense of watching history enfold every time I go downtown to the WTC.
For any Christians and others interested, there is a notable site that can be seen from the Church St. viewing platform, and for that matter, most of the surrounding area. There is an easily recognizable huge steel cross that was found in that shape in the rubble. It has been erected above the street line and has stood in the one spot for years. Lights adorn it at night.
The CORNERSTONE of the FREEDOM TOWER
As of now you can still see the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower. The best view of it now is from the south-eastern end of the walking overpass that goes over West Street to Vessey Street. This is in the north-western part of the WTC grounds.
Looking out from the bridge you can see the cornerstone and its inscription from perhaps 75 yards away. I noticed a fellow down below, with a cloth in hand, cleaning the stone early in the morning. It's good to know that such care is being given to the cornerstone even though it is in the middle of one of the busiest and most ambitious building projects the world has ever known. The construction above that stone is now going through a demolition phase of an underground garage that still needed to be removed. Once that is all cleared, the footings will be completely set and the structure will start making its way into the NYC skyline.
This is very close to the #7 WTC building that is well on its way to being completed. If you remember, this is the building that collapsed the evening of September 11th. It was 47 stories high. The new structure's steel frame is nearly completed at 52 stories high. The workers have started installing the window panels. This will allow work to be accomplished on the inside through the winter months. It will be completed next year 2005.
SEE the FREEDOM TOWER RIGHT ACROSS the STREET
Many of you may remember the glassed dome atrium structure that was at the foot of the Twin Towers and received much damage on that horrible September day. This is the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center. It is a beautiful public area that houses sixteen tall palm trees from the Mojave Desert. Inside there are wonderful shops, great eateries and a magnificent view of the Hudson River. This building is important for two other reasons. One is that part of the design of the new World Trade Center grounds is to include an entranceway from Battery Park City, where the Winter Garden is, to the new WTC grounds and memorials. It is probable that the road that separates the two, West Street, will be moved under ground. This would make a significant difference in the walkways between the two and would make the World Financial Center and the World Trade Center one huge site.
The other reason the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center is important is because it is now home to the best model of what the new WTC complex design is and how the Freedom Tower will look among the nearby landscape.
This happens to be a wonderful way to really see the concept of the new buildings of the World Trade Center. Business brought me into the city and downtown again this week. I once again looked at the site and went into the Winter Garden to see the latest of the sites sculptured likeness. Seeing it in smaller scale, but in 3d, with all the surrounding buildings makes me feel that Freedom Tower is the perfect addition to the NYC skyline. I like the way it looks as it rises above all else that is downtown. The diorama also showed the reflection pool memorial area that will be known as "Reflecting Absence". This is designed by Michael Arad, New York and Peter Walker, Berkeley, CA and will include two pools, one on each of the footprints of the WTC. It seems to me that it blends nicely with the rest of the architecture around it. The displays show plans of how the memorials will look and interact with the surrounding area with its ramps, voids, fountains and inscriptions. I believe this will be a special place for thought, prayer, remembrance and reflection.
There are actually three of these dioramas. They show the progression the plans have gone through. The newest shows a performing arts center and cultural center. A 9/11 museum is also included in the WTC plans.
Looking at Santiago Calatrava's entrance to the Transportation Hub, you can see his influence in this winged structure that reminded me in some way of his Athens Olympic Stadium. It is very cool looking and sits well, in my opinion, as part of the complex as a whole.
Another aspect of the WTC overall design is the "Wedge of Light". The supporting new buildings near the Freedom Tower will be spaced in such a way that on every September 11th the light of the sun will come through on the public area without shadows between the time of 8:46 a.m., when the first tower was hit, until 10:28 a.m., when the second tower fell.
TOWERS of LIGHT
Every anniversary of 9/11 the city creates two beams of light that come up from the WTC grounds. These depict the Twin Towers reaching up into the heavens. I was fortunate to be coming home from Baltimore, Maryland that evening this year and received a glorious view of the lights starting from thirty miles away. I purposely went home via the BQE, a road in Brooklyn, that skirts the East River and allows a most perfect view of the lights. If you are in the New York area on that date, look for the lights. They are incredible too see and awe inspiring.
OPENING the PATH Station
At this time the new Path station with trains coming in from New Jersey has reopened under the WTC site. A new overhead structure on Liberty Street marks the entrance where you can go beneath street level. This is part of the underground system of the World Trade Center. The interesting thing is the way they have kept part of the underground open to natural light from the outside. You don't feel like you are underground as you are able to look at the grounds of the WTC from a different perspective. The huge panels of artwork at the entrance is also interesting to note.
Update June 2005
The following information comes from Newsday.com on June 29 when the unveiling of a new Freedom Tower was released.
Design Plan for Freedom Tower
Introduction
GOVERNOR PATAKI, MAYOR BLOOMBERG, LARRY SILVERSTEIN AND DAVID CHILDS RELEASE REVISED DESIGN FOR THE FREEDOM TOWER
1,776 Foot Tall Tower Will Emit Light from Spire as a New Beacon of Freedom
New Tower Will Evoke Classic New York Skyscrapers in Elegance and Symmetry
Bold, Sleek and Symbolic Design Speaks to Future While Solving Challenges of Modern Urban Environment
NEW YORK, June 29, 2005 – Governor George E. Pataki, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, World Trade Center developer Larry A. Silverstein and architect David Childs today released the revised design for the Freedom Tower, the first office tower to be rebuilt on the World Trade Center site. As with the original design, the Freedom Tower will soar to 1,776 feet in the sky and serve as an inspirational and enduring beacon in the New York City skyline. The Tower's design evokes classic New York skyscrapers in its elegance and symmetry while also referencing the torch of the Statue of Liberty.
The revised Freedom Tower builds upon the original’s extraordinary level of life safety features and will include other features that will make it unprecedented in terms of life safety and security. In addition, the Freedom Tower will further its distinction as a world-class model of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.
Still located on the northwest corner of the World Trade Center site, the revised Freedom Tower features a cubic base, rather than a parallelogram as originally conceived, and is set back further from West Street – to an average of 90 feet. As part of the new design, the tower’s footprint, measuring 200 feet by 200 feet, is the same size as the footprints of the original Twin Towers.
Governor Pataki said, “Together we faced the challenge of redesigning the Freedom Tower and today we see the result is a better, safer, and prouder symbol of freedom for our skyline. This new design reflects a soaring tribute to freedom and a bedrock commitment to safety and security. The Freedom Tower will not only be a tremendous icon, it will also be an economic engine generating thousands of jobs for New Yorkers. David Childs was charged with a seemingly impossible task – to design a building that serves as a soaring architectural tribute to liberty; that meets the world’s highest life safety standards; that is a pioneer in environmental quality; and that remains true to Daniel Libeskind’s visionary master plan for the World Trade Center site. David Childs has surpassed these expectations by designing a building that will be a proud new icon that references great American symbols of strength and freedom such as the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building.”
“The redesign of the Freedom Tower shows how our City is able to respond to the opportunities and challenges of our time,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “This spectacular addition to our skyline will be a commanding architectural symbol while addressing the security concerns we face in today’s world. It is also an important part of our vision to transform Lower Manhattan into a vibrant 24-hour residential and commercial neighborhood. For generations to come, the Freedom Tower will be a symbol of New Yorkers’ resolve and a powerful beacon of freedom to people around the world.”
As the tower itself rises from its cubic base, its square edges are chamfered back, transforming the square into eight tall isosceles triangles in elevation. At its middle, the tower forms a perfect octagon in plan and then culminates in an observation deck and glass parapet (elevation 1,362 feet and 1,368 feet – the heights of the original Twin Towers) whose plan is a square, rotated 45 degrees from the base. A mast containing an antenna for the Metropolitan Television Alliance (MTVA), designed by a collaboration of architects, artists, lighting designers and engineers, and secured by a system of cables, rises from a circular support ring, similar to Liberty’s torch, to a height of 1,776 feet. In keeping with the original design, the entire composition evokes the Statue of Liberty’s torch and will emit light, becoming its own Beacon of Freedom.
After seeing this new design and hearing the problems of the windmill design I can accept it. I am disappointed that the new design does not have the offset spire. I liked the way that reflected the raised hand of the Statue of Liberty. I suppose at some point I will have to see if the picture for this post will be changed to reflect the new design. End Update June 2005.
IN CLOSING
The World Trade Center used to get millions of visitors for business and from tourists using its observation decks, restaurants, and the largest shopping mall in lower Manhattan. After 9/11 Ground Zero continued to be a popular tourist site with an estimated 5-8 million visitors since that September day. Now that the recovery is over and the renewal has begun more and more people will continue to come to this site to see its new buildings and to pay respects at the memorials. It's then that they will see what I feel is a glorious new beginning in lower Manhattan at the World Trade Center. I look forward to updating this review continuously over the next several years. As the Freedom Tower starts to reach for the sky, my spirit soars too.
Update July 4 2004
From Infoplease On July 4, 2004, New York Governor Pataki, New Jersey Governor McGreevey, and New York City Mayor Bloomberg laid the cornerstone for Freedom Tower. The skyscraper, estimated to cost $1.5 billion, was expected to be ready for its first occupants by late 2008 last through 2015.
Just as construction was beginning, security concerns were raised, leading to a complete redesign of the tower. The new plans were released on June 29, 2005. The tower is to be moved further back from the street
UPDATE Oct/04
There was a topping off ceremony on the #7 WTC building in October. The sad news of a second worker dying due to an accident on the WTC construction site also came last month.
Update May 23 2006
#7 Tower of the WTC was dedicated today with fanfare though only 10% or so has been rented. They do expect the space to be occupied soon. We will see.
Update June 2005
What is happening? I was upbeat about the plans for the New World Trade Center and now it's all a mess. The design will be changed. It seems that politics has gotten in the way of progress. I will have to sit and wait to see what happens.
Two weeks later I have seen the new proposed Freedom Tower. I wonder if there has ever been a building of such immense proportions that actually had the cornerstone placed and then had its design significantly changed as this one has. More later.
Update June 2006. The footings for the Freedom tower that was put in place in 2004 was removed. It will return, but in a new place due to redesigning, repositioning and what I believe is a lot of politics. It's a shame this has become a sham.
Update April 2006
From Infoplease; Work on excavating the foundation finally got underway in late April 2006. Refined plans were announced in June 2006, calling for glass prisms around a concrete base, to liven up the area while meeting security requirements. The tower is now planned to cost $2 billion, and be ready for occupants in 2011
Update August 2006
From NY1 News
Heavy construction has begun at the site in Lower Manhattan with drilling and excavation work for the footings of the "Reflecting Absence" design, which will honor the victims of the 9/11 attacks, as well as the people killed in the 1993 terrorist bombing of the Twin Towers.
Update August 2006
The Film World Trade Center was brought to theaters to acclaim. I saw it agree. It's a film worth seeing.
Update September 2006
By David W. Dunlap The New York Times
Published: September 8, 2006
NEW YORK The developer of the new World Trade Center unveiled the designs Thursday for three gargantuan skyscrapers at ground zero that would serve as steppingstones to the Freedom Tower and, with it, remake the New York skyline.
Each building has a different famous architect - Norman Foster and Richard Rogers, both of London, and Fumihiko Maki of Tokyo - and a distinct design. Known simply as Towers 2, 3 and 4, they would occupy three parcels between Church and Greenwich Streets. Together with the PATH terminal by Santiago Calatrava, they would be the trade center's front door to the rest of downtown, with the signature Freedom Tower rising to the west.
Taken in a single sweep, the designs presented Thursday by the developer, Larry A. Silverstein, offered the most comprehensive picture to date of what the finished trade center might - just might - look like in 2011 or 2012, if development unfolds as planned.
That is something it has stubbornly refused to do so far. Silverstein still needs tenants and financing. And the Police Department, which will review the security, has only just received the plans. Its objections to the original Freedom Tower forced a redesign last summer. Foundation work finally started in March.
At the presentation, the architects and government officials said the three proposed towers were meant to respect and defer to the trade center memorial below, the true heart of the site. But only in contrast with the 1,368-foot Freedom Tower (1,776 feet if measured to the top of its mast) would these three skyscrapers seem deferential.
Lord Foster's Tower 2, across Church Street from the 18th-century St. Paul's Chapel, would be taller than the Empire State Building without its antenna. Topped by four enormous diamonds, illuminated at night and steeply inclined toward the memorial, it would reach 1,254 feet, with an 85-foot tripod-shaped antenna to complete the highest diamond.
Tower 3, by Lord Rogers, would rise 1,155 feet. Its bold exoskeletal framework of diagonal braces would create a diamond pattern echoing the rooftop of Tower 2. Even the smallest and subtlest building, Maki's 947-foot Tower 4, would be taller than the Citigroup Center.
The grouping has none of the original trade center's uniformity. The architects described the results of their collaboration as a fusion that adhered to the master site plan by Daniel Libeskind, but - except for Tower 2 - the designs bear little resemblance to Libeskind's early renderings, which showed buildings shaped like quartz crystals.
If these new designs form any kind of ensemble with the Freedom Tower - Tower 1, by David M. Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill - it is probably more of a jazz quartet.
like in 2011 or 2012, if development unfolds as planned .
Update September 11 2006
The day was filled with special memorial services including Presidet Bush laying wreaths in both temporary reflecting ponds at Ground Zero. Once again the reading of all the names of those killed that fateful day were read one by one. The night sky was filled with two beams of light shooting up into the sky. I live out in Long Island. I can clearly see them above the roof tops in front of my home.
Update October 2006
After over five years more bodies were found in areas previously not checked. That didn't go over well with families of those who died that Sept 11 morning. The search now continues. While the base of the WTC is being readied for its first concrete pour. Will that actually Happen?
Update November 18, 2006
The concrete base of the World Trade Center started being poured. At the same time Banker Steel of Lynchburg is fabricating the steel columns that should start being put in place next month. Finally Progress!!
Update May 2008
The structure is now at street level. The rest of the construction will be above ground. We now have only 1776 feet to go!
Update March 2009
In a move that didn't surprise me in todays lack of American Spirit the name of the tower will no longer be The Freedom Tower. It will be known as One World Trade Center. At about the same time the Chinese have signed a contract to lease a few floors. In a bit of sarcasm I say, We couldn't have the Chinese take up residence in the Freedom Tower, could we?
Update 2009
The construction continues. I am still quit upset that they changed the name of the structure. No balls and little pride.
Update 2010
The site is now framed at about fifteen or twenty stories above street level. No major problems. The good news is that an agrrement of funds has made the whole site a more viable venture and construction should begin on the other buildings that will ake up the New World Trade Center. I hope to vist soon and will update in reference to what I see.
For anyone who just wants to know what is at the World Trade Center Site now and how best to see it just scroll down directly to "WHAT YOU CAN SEE at the WORLD TRADE CENTER".
Though this site is far from being complete, there is still much to see and feel. I give it five stars for its originality and spirit.
As of March 2009 I have downgraded my rate in regard to originality and spirit to Four Stars. When you get to the March 2009 update you will read my reason as to why.
REVIVAL
In the 1960's a plan was made to help revive what was becoming a slum area of downtown New York City. After much discussion and controversy about design and use of the area a full neighborhood was razed and the World Trade Center came into being with the 110 story Twin Towers as its centerpiece. It was a design of architect Minoro Yamasaki. The excavated dirt from the WTC site filled in part of the Hudson River banks in lower Manhattan and on it, Battery Park City was constructed. This area, part of which is the World Financial Center, was a beam of light in the glowing revival of New York City as the financial capital of the world. In the five acre Plaza between the Twin Towers was a huge sculptured sphere resting on black granite above a fountain that stood for World Peace through trade.
I had mixed feelings about the World Trade Center in the sixties and particularly about the design of the Twin Towers and the fact that they would be taller than the Empire State Building. By the early 70's it was completed. As time went on it became a place where my wife and I often went to purchase 1/2 price theatre tickets at a TKTS booth in the building. We would have lunch or dinner at Windows On the World and sometimes we went as tourists to sight see. The views from on top inside and outside observation decks were incredible. We also enjoyed free concerts in the open-air plaza at the foot of the two towers. Business often took me to the World Trade Center too. In time I became very fond of the buildings, what they offered and what they stood for.
I remember so well the daredevil feat of Phillippe Petit who dazzled the whole world when he, in a clandestine overnight action, made his way up to the top of the building and then stretched a cable between the towers. Phillippe then proceeded to spend nearly an hour walking back and forth between the buildings doing antics such as kneeling and laying down on his back. After he was locked up and served a sentence of entertaining inner-city children, he was given a lifetime pass to the observation deck of the towers. Little did any of us ever expect what might happen.
RESCUE
Like so many of you I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing on the morning of 9/11/01. On that day nearly 3,000 people were killed by maniacs who had no regard for life. The 16 acre site, known as the World Trade Center, was reduced to a ten story 1.6 million-ton pile of rubble. The Twin Towers were gone along with five other major buildings and serious damage to others of which one must still come down.
Though my wife and I were spared the personal loss of family or friends the attack still did hurt us deeply as Americans, New Yorkers and fellow human beings. My wife and I started our healing process a week later with a visit to The World Trade Center then becoming known as Ground Zero. We live on Long Island and decided to go into the city to witness the carnage, pay respects to the lost and help support our city. It was an unbelievably humbling experience seeing the expanse of debris, smelling death in the air, the plea of family members still trying to find their loved ones and watching from a distance as rescuers made their way through the wreckage. At that time they were in transition from a search and rescue mission that sadly became a recovery scene, a sign that hope of finding survivors had faded.
RECOVERY
We returned a number of times in the following months as thousands and then millions of others have. Special ramps and a ticket system were needed to accommodate all that needed to be there and see. I understood that need to be there. Recovery continued as workers labored around the clock trying to find the remains of loved ones. Many trips were made in solemn silence and respect as bodies were brought out of the rubble, one by one. So many were never found. One ramp was next to St. Paul's Chapel, just across the street from the WTC, that miraculously was left undamaged and served as a place for the rescue workers to find quiet-solitude, counseling, physical and medical needs, food and sleep. This is definitely a stop to make if this disaster has wounded your heart. It is a sacred place, beyond that of being a house of worship, that is open to the public with many displays and personal notes. It gives a real sense of what went on during the recovery months and the deep feelings so many had.
Another site that I believe is an integral part of the WTC is the temporary memorial that is now in Battery Park a ten minute walk from the WTC. A 45,000 lb. sphere is the center point. This sculpture, that I talked about earlier, was above a water fountain in the WTC open plaza. The sphere was buried by the Twin Tower debris but, aside from holes and minor dents, it held its basic shape. It now stands behind an eternal flame in Battery Park and one day it will have the Freedom Tower in front of it dominating the skyline. Not until the new Memorial Center areas are dedicated in the World Trade Center will the flame go out or the sculpture moved.
On May 31, just six months after that terrible September Day, recovery was completed. All that was left of the World Trade Center was a hole in the ground. The ceremony that day bore no speeches nor words from dignitaries. It was a solemn procession of firemen, police, EMT's, iron workers, laborers, and other rescue workers who witnessed the event of final recovery and then, in total silence, followed up to the streets. First up the ramp was a flatbed with a 36' black-draped steel girder that was known as "The last load". Soon after, a flag draped stretcher, signifying those who were never found, was carried out and placed in an ambulance. Families, firemen, police and other recovery workers continued the walk uptown following the two vehicles. From where we were we could not see the truck and stretcher come up the ramp, we did see the truck and ambulance later as they passed us on the street.
There were thousands of people at the site and lining the streets. No one spoke. It was absolutely silent. Twenty bells were rung signifying the death of a fireman. It was four successions of five bells. We were able to hear the sound of a bugler playing Taps in the distance. We could also hear the sound of bagpipes with their melancholy drones. The pipers finished with "America the Beautiful".
As the procession moved by us we saw and heard the roar of a police helicopter fly-by passing overhead.
I was with my wife, an art teacher, and a number of her students who designed and made a 6'x 8' 9/11 remembrance quilt. They had it with them. Each student prepared their own distinct 6" x 6" panel and my wife put them all together with some fill and a backing. Family members of those lost broke away from the procession in the middle of the street and came over to the side to see the quilt and talk to the students. They were thanking the 12-14 year olds for their "effort to show compassion and to remember". This was unexpected and I believe, in some special way, moved the the young adults with both a sense of pride and humility simultaneously.
That was the day when I tried to stop thinking of the area as ground zero, and a recovery area. This was both hallowed ground to the families of the lost but it is also the ground where some kind of structure will define what freedom loving people are made of and what they feel in their soul. This was to become a place of renewal.
RENEWAL
Some of the original sub-structure will be left in tact and viewable, memorials will be designed, other buildings will be constructed, a Cultural Center may be formed and a brand new building, the centerpiece of it all, showing the resiliency of the American people, will be built. This new structure, that will be the heart of the World Trade Center complex, is the Freedom Tower.
While the recovery was going on plans were being made to resurrect the area known as Ground Zero. A worldwide competition was set with some basic guidelines for the WTC; to have a significant attachment to the NY skyline, use the "foot prints" of the Twin Towers as a memorial ground, feature park and cultural areas, tie-in with existing NYC streets and subway systems and offer a certain amount of commercial, retail and residential space.
There were over 5,200 individual or group plans from 63 countries and just about every state in the union. Six final entries were presented and then the announcement came. The final winner was architect/designer Studio Daniel Libeskind whose original plans have been partly re-worked by David Childs to be a bit more commercially applicable. Childs was brought into the process by the property owner Larry Silverstein. I liked Libeskind's design of the Freedom Tower and surrounding buildings. The other structures will go up after the Freedom Tower is completed some time in 2008-2009. I feel it remarkable that the process has moved on so well with so many hands involved, also including the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the Port Authority, Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg.
Other people have also been brought into the full design planning of the World Trade Center too. There is a lot going on. The Port Authority has brought in Santiago Calatrava from Spain to help design the Transportation Hub that will be underneath the World Trade Center with a main entrance to the site. You may have seen some recent work of his at the Athens Olympics last month. He designed that awesome looking stadium that housed the opening and closing ceremonies and many events during the two week competition.
The FREEDOM TOWER
Update June 2005. The following information is no longer revelent but for the sake of history, I will keep these paragraphs on this post. More detailed info on the new design follows. End Update.
The Freedom Towers design by Mr. Libeskind had some unique features that set it apart from other contributors. Because another architect is involved, there still may be other changes, but the general plan is viable and should remain pretty much as is. The tower is to be 1776' high as a reminder of the year in which the original 13 colonies declared their freedom. It will also feature the building as a glass and steel trapezoid form twisting its way up to a 276' spire. The look is to evoke the Statue of Liberty. This seems to work for me in that I see the curve of the toga that Miss Liberty is wearing and her raised right hand reflected in the Freedom Towers design when looked at from a distance. I like it. I also see it as a tie-in to the spires of The Empire State Building and The Chrysler Building that also dominate the NYC skyline.
The entrance of the building will have a huge lobby that will have two concourse levels. There will be retail space and access to all the mass transit lines.
The tower, when completed, is slated to be the worlds tallest building. It certainly isn't memorable though when noting how many stories of actual office space will be built. It is planned to be 73 stories high with the lower 10 as retail space and top 60 floors as offices. The Port Authority of NY plans on using about 1/3 of the space and as of right now there are no particular planned tenants for the building. This was the same thing that happened to the original WTC buildings when it was first constructed. After a slow start, trying to find tenants, it became popular and had all its space constantly rented.
On the top three floors of the building will be an observation deck, restaurant and event area. I read that 500' above the first deck will be an additional observation deck. I have not been able to confirm this piece of information that would put the viewing area higher than the original WTC viewing decks that were both inside and outside.
Just to give some perspective, the original WTC observation deck was at 1355'. The lower deck on the Freedom tower, that will be the top floor of the building, will be at 1,100'. The second observation deck, up in the steel work, would make it 1,600' high. That gives me the sense that the new building will allow the highest view from any building ever in NY and at least for a time, in the world. I'm sure that one day another building will be made taller but no building will be 1776' high. I like that number and its meaning. It was an excellent choice.
Another bit of information I had picked up was that a reopening of the restaurant Windows on the World, that was so popular in the Twin Towers, could happen. Sadly, they lost 73 employees on September 11th. I always enjoyed that restaurant. My wife and I went to it a number of times, and would love to see it reopen. It would give me the greatest of pleasure to be able to some day review it here at Epinions.
Above the office space will be a network of steel cables and beams that will house a wind-turban generating plant and will provide for 20% of the buildings energy needs. That's a good environmental decision and could also help in other future plans of construction. One architect (unfortunately I have not been able to recover his name after reading it) wrote, in discussing the plans of the Freedom Tower, that, in my own words, "the cable system is much like that of the system on the Brooklyn Bridge in two ways. It gives a visual likeness of the two with the steel cables and also, as the bridge did something new in being able to bring two islands together over a great distance, this will be a new concept in utilizing the wind, a free and clean source of energy, for use in the very building that houses it." This is brand new technology for an urban setting.
Above the seventy stories and the cable work will be a 276'spire that will be off center on top of it all. The top of this point will be 1776', the official height of the building. Another section of antenna will be above the spire. This would make the total height over 2,000' high.
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS as the CORNERSTONE is LAID
It was thought that the placing of the cornerstone of this 1776' building should be accomplished on the 4th of July, the date America celebrates its independence and freedom. And it was. On that date of this year '04, a 20 ton slab of garnet flecked granite from the Adirondack Mountains was laid in position. Garnet happens to be the official NY state gem. Family and dignitaries were at the emotional ground breaking ceremonies.
On the stone are the words, "To Honor and Remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and as a tribute to the enduring Spirit of Freedom. July 4, 2004
The Freedom Tower is being constructed on the northwest part of the WTC site. The stone is part of the south eastern corner of the structure. The cornerstone, though visible now, will disappear as work proceeds and the building starts to emerge from the ground. More details on how to see it now is listed in the next few paragraphs.
WHAT YOU CAN SEE AT the WTC SITE
The 16 acre site is now completely encased in a fence. There are many places where you can easily see through to the large gaping hole in the ground. A viewing area where you can see much of the work being done is off Church Street. This is right in front of the Millenium Hotel that reopened after renovations of nearly two years from the damage of 9/11. Anyone can see quite clearly through very strong and neat looking steel mesh fence that keeps you out and any debris in. The ramp into the work area is now one of the most notable structures. The slurry wall, that holds back the Hudson River and where many of the lost were found can still be seen from street level. This wall will be kept viewable in the new plans of the World Trade Center. There are now many staircases for workers that lead down into the sub-floor areas that look like a small city with work vehicles, trailers, and storage yards. Tourists are not allowed in the construction areas.
At this viewing area on Church St., just steps away from the new train station, are some large plaques that are dedicated to the WTC, both past and future. One gives the history of the complex while another dictates the events of 9/11. Still others have the names of all those who died on that tragic day. This area does not give a feel of a memorial. It is a popular area for taking photos even though there really isn't much to be seen.
Just outside the WTC site are many street vendors making a few bucks off tourists who want to take home some kind of memories of the site. They sell pictures, paintings, and sculptures of the site depicting how it was in its early glory, as Ground Zero after 9/11, and how it will look in the future with the Freedom Tower reaching into the skies. I still get a sense of watching history enfold every time I go downtown to the WTC.
For any Christians and others interested, there is a notable site that can be seen from the Church St. viewing platform, and for that matter, most of the surrounding area. There is an easily recognizable huge steel cross that was found in that shape in the rubble. It has been erected above the street line and has stood in the one spot for years. Lights adorn it at night.
The CORNERSTONE of the FREEDOM TOWER
As of now you can still see the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower. The best view of it now is from the south-eastern end of the walking overpass that goes over West Street to Vessey Street. This is in the north-western part of the WTC grounds.
Looking out from the bridge you can see the cornerstone and its inscription from perhaps 75 yards away. I noticed a fellow down below, with a cloth in hand, cleaning the stone early in the morning. It's good to know that such care is being given to the cornerstone even though it is in the middle of one of the busiest and most ambitious building projects the world has ever known. The construction above that stone is now going through a demolition phase of an underground garage that still needed to be removed. Once that is all cleared, the footings will be completely set and the structure will start making its way into the NYC skyline.
This is very close to the #7 WTC building that is well on its way to being completed. If you remember, this is the building that collapsed the evening of September 11th. It was 47 stories high. The new structure's steel frame is nearly completed at 52 stories high. The workers have started installing the window panels. This will allow work to be accomplished on the inside through the winter months. It will be completed next year 2005.
SEE the FREEDOM TOWER RIGHT ACROSS the STREET
Many of you may remember the glassed dome atrium structure that was at the foot of the Twin Towers and received much damage on that horrible September day. This is the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center. It is a beautiful public area that houses sixteen tall palm trees from the Mojave Desert. Inside there are wonderful shops, great eateries and a magnificent view of the Hudson River. This building is important for two other reasons. One is that part of the design of the new World Trade Center grounds is to include an entranceway from Battery Park City, where the Winter Garden is, to the new WTC grounds and memorials. It is probable that the road that separates the two, West Street, will be moved under ground. This would make a significant difference in the walkways between the two and would make the World Financial Center and the World Trade Center one huge site.
The other reason the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center is important is because it is now home to the best model of what the new WTC complex design is and how the Freedom Tower will look among the nearby landscape.
This happens to be a wonderful way to really see the concept of the new buildings of the World Trade Center. Business brought me into the city and downtown again this week. I once again looked at the site and went into the Winter Garden to see the latest of the sites sculptured likeness. Seeing it in smaller scale, but in 3d, with all the surrounding buildings makes me feel that Freedom Tower is the perfect addition to the NYC skyline. I like the way it looks as it rises above all else that is downtown. The diorama also showed the reflection pool memorial area that will be known as "Reflecting Absence". This is designed by Michael Arad, New York and Peter Walker, Berkeley, CA and will include two pools, one on each of the footprints of the WTC. It seems to me that it blends nicely with the rest of the architecture around it. The displays show plans of how the memorials will look and interact with the surrounding area with its ramps, voids, fountains and inscriptions. I believe this will be a special place for thought, prayer, remembrance and reflection.
There are actually three of these dioramas. They show the progression the plans have gone through. The newest shows a performing arts center and cultural center. A 9/11 museum is also included in the WTC plans.
Looking at Santiago Calatrava's entrance to the Transportation Hub, you can see his influence in this winged structure that reminded me in some way of his Athens Olympic Stadium. It is very cool looking and sits well, in my opinion, as part of the complex as a whole.
Another aspect of the WTC overall design is the "Wedge of Light". The supporting new buildings near the Freedom Tower will be spaced in such a way that on every September 11th the light of the sun will come through on the public area without shadows between the time of 8:46 a.m., when the first tower was hit, until 10:28 a.m., when the second tower fell.
TOWERS of LIGHT
Every anniversary of 9/11 the city creates two beams of light that come up from the WTC grounds. These depict the Twin Towers reaching up into the heavens. I was fortunate to be coming home from Baltimore, Maryland that evening this year and received a glorious view of the lights starting from thirty miles away. I purposely went home via the BQE, a road in Brooklyn, that skirts the East River and allows a most perfect view of the lights. If you are in the New York area on that date, look for the lights. They are incredible too see and awe inspiring.
OPENING the PATH Station
At this time the new Path station with trains coming in from New Jersey has reopened under the WTC site. A new overhead structure on Liberty Street marks the entrance where you can go beneath street level. This is part of the underground system of the World Trade Center. The interesting thing is the way they have kept part of the underground open to natural light from the outside. You don't feel like you are underground as you are able to look at the grounds of the WTC from a different perspective. The huge panels of artwork at the entrance is also interesting to note.
Update June 2005
The following information comes from Newsday.com on June 29 when the unveiling of a new Freedom Tower was released.
Design Plan for Freedom Tower
Introduction
GOVERNOR PATAKI, MAYOR BLOOMBERG, LARRY SILVERSTEIN AND DAVID CHILDS RELEASE REVISED DESIGN FOR THE FREEDOM TOWER
1,776 Foot Tall Tower Will Emit Light from Spire as a New Beacon of Freedom
New Tower Will Evoke Classic New York Skyscrapers in Elegance and Symmetry
Bold, Sleek and Symbolic Design Speaks to Future While Solving Challenges of Modern Urban Environment
NEW YORK, June 29, 2005 – Governor George E. Pataki, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, World Trade Center developer Larry A. Silverstein and architect David Childs today released the revised design for the Freedom Tower, the first office tower to be rebuilt on the World Trade Center site. As with the original design, the Freedom Tower will soar to 1,776 feet in the sky and serve as an inspirational and enduring beacon in the New York City skyline. The Tower's design evokes classic New York skyscrapers in its elegance and symmetry while also referencing the torch of the Statue of Liberty.
The revised Freedom Tower builds upon the original’s extraordinary level of life safety features and will include other features that will make it unprecedented in terms of life safety and security. In addition, the Freedom Tower will further its distinction as a world-class model of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.
Still located on the northwest corner of the World Trade Center site, the revised Freedom Tower features a cubic base, rather than a parallelogram as originally conceived, and is set back further from West Street – to an average of 90 feet. As part of the new design, the tower’s footprint, measuring 200 feet by 200 feet, is the same size as the footprints of the original Twin Towers.
Governor Pataki said, “Together we faced the challenge of redesigning the Freedom Tower and today we see the result is a better, safer, and prouder symbol of freedom for our skyline. This new design reflects a soaring tribute to freedom and a bedrock commitment to safety and security. The Freedom Tower will not only be a tremendous icon, it will also be an economic engine generating thousands of jobs for New Yorkers. David Childs was charged with a seemingly impossible task – to design a building that serves as a soaring architectural tribute to liberty; that meets the world’s highest life safety standards; that is a pioneer in environmental quality; and that remains true to Daniel Libeskind’s visionary master plan for the World Trade Center site. David Childs has surpassed these expectations by designing a building that will be a proud new icon that references great American symbols of strength and freedom such as the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building.”
“The redesign of the Freedom Tower shows how our City is able to respond to the opportunities and challenges of our time,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “This spectacular addition to our skyline will be a commanding architectural symbol while addressing the security concerns we face in today’s world. It is also an important part of our vision to transform Lower Manhattan into a vibrant 24-hour residential and commercial neighborhood. For generations to come, the Freedom Tower will be a symbol of New Yorkers’ resolve and a powerful beacon of freedom to people around the world.”
As the tower itself rises from its cubic base, its square edges are chamfered back, transforming the square into eight tall isosceles triangles in elevation. At its middle, the tower forms a perfect octagon in plan and then culminates in an observation deck and glass parapet (elevation 1,362 feet and 1,368 feet – the heights of the original Twin Towers) whose plan is a square, rotated 45 degrees from the base. A mast containing an antenna for the Metropolitan Television Alliance (MTVA), designed by a collaboration of architects, artists, lighting designers and engineers, and secured by a system of cables, rises from a circular support ring, similar to Liberty’s torch, to a height of 1,776 feet. In keeping with the original design, the entire composition evokes the Statue of Liberty’s torch and will emit light, becoming its own Beacon of Freedom.
After seeing this new design and hearing the problems of the windmill design I can accept it. I am disappointed that the new design does not have the offset spire. I liked the way that reflected the raised hand of the Statue of Liberty. I suppose at some point I will have to see if the picture for this post will be changed to reflect the new design. End Update June 2005.
IN CLOSING
The World Trade Center used to get millions of visitors for business and from tourists using its observation decks, restaurants, and the largest shopping mall in lower Manhattan. After 9/11 Ground Zero continued to be a popular tourist site with an estimated 5-8 million visitors since that September day. Now that the recovery is over and the renewal has begun more and more people will continue to come to this site to see its new buildings and to pay respects at the memorials. It's then that they will see what I feel is a glorious new beginning in lower Manhattan at the World Trade Center. I look forward to updating this review continuously over the next several years. As the Freedom Tower starts to reach for the sky, my spirit soars too.
Update July 4 2004
From Infoplease On July 4, 2004, New York Governor Pataki, New Jersey Governor McGreevey, and New York City Mayor Bloomberg laid the cornerstone for Freedom Tower. The skyscraper, estimated to cost $1.5 billion, was expected to be ready for its first occupants by late 2008 last through 2015.
Just as construction was beginning, security concerns were raised, leading to a complete redesign of the tower. The new plans were released on June 29, 2005. The tower is to be moved further back from the street
UPDATE Oct/04
There was a topping off ceremony on the #7 WTC building in October. The sad news of a second worker dying due to an accident on the WTC construction site also came last month.
Update May 23 2006
#7 Tower of the WTC was dedicated today with fanfare though only 10% or so has been rented. They do expect the space to be occupied soon. We will see.
Update June 2005
What is happening? I was upbeat about the plans for the New World Trade Center and now it's all a mess. The design will be changed. It seems that politics has gotten in the way of progress. I will have to sit and wait to see what happens.
Two weeks later I have seen the new proposed Freedom Tower. I wonder if there has ever been a building of such immense proportions that actually had the cornerstone placed and then had its design significantly changed as this one has. More later.
Update June 2006. The footings for the Freedom tower that was put in place in 2004 was removed. It will return, but in a new place due to redesigning, repositioning and what I believe is a lot of politics. It's a shame this has become a sham.
Update April 2006
From Infoplease; Work on excavating the foundation finally got underway in late April 2006. Refined plans were announced in June 2006, calling for glass prisms around a concrete base, to liven up the area while meeting security requirements. The tower is now planned to cost $2 billion, and be ready for occupants in 2011
Update August 2006
From NY1 News
Heavy construction has begun at the site in Lower Manhattan with drilling and excavation work for the footings of the "Reflecting Absence" design, which will honor the victims of the 9/11 attacks, as well as the people killed in the 1993 terrorist bombing of the Twin Towers.
Update August 2006
The Film World Trade Center was brought to theaters to acclaim. I saw it agree. It's a film worth seeing.
Update September 2006
By David W. Dunlap The New York Times
Published: September 8, 2006
NEW YORK The developer of the new World Trade Center unveiled the designs Thursday for three gargantuan skyscrapers at ground zero that would serve as steppingstones to the Freedom Tower and, with it, remake the New York skyline.
Each building has a different famous architect - Norman Foster and Richard Rogers, both of London, and Fumihiko Maki of Tokyo - and a distinct design. Known simply as Towers 2, 3 and 4, they would occupy three parcels between Church and Greenwich Streets. Together with the PATH terminal by Santiago Calatrava, they would be the trade center's front door to the rest of downtown, with the signature Freedom Tower rising to the west.
Taken in a single sweep, the designs presented Thursday by the developer, Larry A. Silverstein, offered the most comprehensive picture to date of what the finished trade center might - just might - look like in 2011 or 2012, if development unfolds as planned.
That is something it has stubbornly refused to do so far. Silverstein still needs tenants and financing. And the Police Department, which will review the security, has only just received the plans. Its objections to the original Freedom Tower forced a redesign last summer. Foundation work finally started in March.
At the presentation, the architects and government officials said the three proposed towers were meant to respect and defer to the trade center memorial below, the true heart of the site. But only in contrast with the 1,368-foot Freedom Tower (1,776 feet if measured to the top of its mast) would these three skyscrapers seem deferential.
Lord Foster's Tower 2, across Church Street from the 18th-century St. Paul's Chapel, would be taller than the Empire State Building without its antenna. Topped by four enormous diamonds, illuminated at night and steeply inclined toward the memorial, it would reach 1,254 feet, with an 85-foot tripod-shaped antenna to complete the highest diamond.
Tower 3, by Lord Rogers, would rise 1,155 feet. Its bold exoskeletal framework of diagonal braces would create a diamond pattern echoing the rooftop of Tower 2. Even the smallest and subtlest building, Maki's 947-foot Tower 4, would be taller than the Citigroup Center.
The grouping has none of the original trade center's uniformity. The architects described the results of their collaboration as a fusion that adhered to the master site plan by Daniel Libeskind, but - except for Tower 2 - the designs bear little resemblance to Libeskind's early renderings, which showed buildings shaped like quartz crystals.
If these new designs form any kind of ensemble with the Freedom Tower - Tower 1, by David M. Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill - it is probably more of a jazz quartet.
like in 2011 or 2012, if development unfolds as planned .
Update September 11 2006
The day was filled with special memorial services including Presidet Bush laying wreaths in both temporary reflecting ponds at Ground Zero. Once again the reading of all the names of those killed that fateful day were read one by one. The night sky was filled with two beams of light shooting up into the sky. I live out in Long Island. I can clearly see them above the roof tops in front of my home.
Update October 2006
After over five years more bodies were found in areas previously not checked. That didn't go over well with families of those who died that Sept 11 morning. The search now continues. While the base of the WTC is being readied for its first concrete pour. Will that actually Happen?
Update November 18, 2006
The concrete base of the World Trade Center started being poured. At the same time Banker Steel of Lynchburg is fabricating the steel columns that should start being put in place next month. Finally Progress!!
Update May 2008
The structure is now at street level. The rest of the construction will be above ground. We now have only 1776 feet to go!
Update March 2009
In a move that didn't surprise me in todays lack of American Spirit the name of the tower will no longer be The Freedom Tower. It will be known as One World Trade Center. At about the same time the Chinese have signed a contract to lease a few floors. In a bit of sarcasm I say, We couldn't have the Chinese take up residence in the Freedom Tower, could we?
Update 2009
The construction continues. I am still quit upset that they changed the name of the structure. No balls and little pride.
Update 2010
The site is now framed at about fifteen or twenty stories above street level. No major problems. The good news is that an agrrement of funds has made the whole site a more viable venture and construction should begin on the other buildings that will ake up the New World Trade Center. I hope to vist soon and will update in reference to what I see.
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