As we approach the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we begin to think ahead—what is to become of the site where the World Trade Center stood? Clearly, the future is already here, as this year’s commemorative ceremony will have to largely be held off site as construction crews are fast at work rebuilding on the ground where the horrific tragedy that took place six years ago changed thousands of lives and the course of our entire nation.
Evaluating the Needs of the Future
Perhaps one of the most difficult tasks in rebuilding the World Trade Center is in having to look at the potential the site holds as a piece of New York real estate—not sacred ground upon which thousands died. Fortunately, there has been a general consensus on how to show respect to the sacredness of the ground without having to sacrifice the rebuilding of office space—avoid rebuilding on the footprint of the twin towers. The World Trade Center site encompassed far more than the two twin skyscrapers that stood proudly above the skyline for some thirty years. In fact, most of the World Trade Center complex acreage was home to five other buildings that, with the twin towers, made up the whole of the World Trade Center complex.
To keep office construction off the actual footprint of the original twin towers means having to avoid construction on just two acres of land—out of 16 acres that made up the entire complex. While the New York real estate market has seen its ups and downs, there is clearly a need to replace most of the office space that was lost in the terrorist attacks. In fact, approximately 10 million square feet of office/retail space was destroyed in the 9/11attacks. While there have been many vacancies in Lower Manhattan over the past few years, there will clearly is a need to redevelop the office space for future positive markets and, as well, to help symbolically and physically rebuild the Lower Manhattan’s economy.
Office Space Will Return
Rebuilding the World Trade Center has already seen vast steps forward. Perhaps the most significant of all rebuilding projects to be completed thus far is 7 World Trade Center, the 47-story building that collapsed late in the afternoon on September 11, 2001 when fires in the tower caused its collapse. It remains the tallest steel building ever to collapse solely because of fire (excepting the twin towers which, before collapsing, had already suffered substantial structural damage because of two hijacked planes which were plowed into the buildings). The new 7 World Trade Center offers 1.7 million square feet and, for the tie being, is among one of the taller buildings that in all of Lower Manhattan.
200 Greenwich (Tower 2) will add 2.4 million square feet and also contribute 130,000 square feet of retail floor space. 175 Greenwich (Tower 3) will boast 2 million square feet. 150 Greenwich is going to add 1.8 million square feet. Tower 5, which has features still yet to be announced, is going to be built on the site now occupied by the remains of the Deutsche Bank, the Lower Manhattan skyscraper that was heavily damaged during the 9/11 attacks and the location at which a major, fatal fire recently made national news headlines. Finally, the much anticipated Freedom Tower is going to include 2.6 million square feet of office space. As the schedule is going now, the new World Trade Center complex should be completed during the early 2010s.
The World Trade Center Will Again Reach for the Sky
One of the questions asked in the wake of 9/11 was if the rebuilt World Trade Center should ever rise high above the rest of the New York skyline again. Fears about tall buildings included concerns over attracting terrorists’ interest and overall safety issues. In retrospect, we have come to learn that the world still loves tall buildings and there will always be nations looking to hold the coveted “tallest building” title. It looks like America wants to hold the “tallest building” trophy once again. Though most of the new developments at the World Trade Center site will stand well above many of their neighboring structures, there is one that will stand out in particular—the Freedom Tower.
The Freedom Tower is going to strikingly restore the World Trade Center to its skyline prominence. The building structure itself will rise to a height of 1,368 feet—the height of the North Tower (Tower 1) of the original World Trade Center complex; above that will be an antenna that will top out at 1,776 feet—a number which should symbolically resonate with most anybody who knows something about America, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Remembering The Lost
With all the discussion about what the new World Trade Center is going to add to commercial square footage in Lower Manhattan, it is time to consider something else that the new World Trade Center complex is going to contribute to Lower Manhattan—and the rest of the world. Directly upon the footprint of the original twin towers will reside a reflecting pool, one for each of the two towers that stood at the site. These reflecting pools will be accompanied by a memorial building as well as a “contemplation room,” in which the remains of all the unidentified victims will rest. With its lush landscape, reflective pools, and sacred location, the World Trade Center Memorial will be certainly prove to be perhaps among the most beautiful, and certainly most moving, locations in all of Manhattan—if not the world.
A Continuation of the Healing Process
As we have come to learn, the 9/11 attacks have left in this world a wound which has yet to fully heal. Six years seems not to have been enough time for many of us to escape the stinging pain we feel when thinking about the tragic losses suffered that September day. However, it is with the greatest hope that, while individuals may go a lifetime never having fully recovered from the events of 9/11, perhaps the World Trade Center site reconstruction can certainly help the collective soul of the world to move along in the healing that continues. While there have been so many differing opinions as to what should—or should not—be built at the World Trade Center site, the fact remains that the World Trade Center site plans that are now being used for redevelopment could not have been done with much—if any—more sensitivity, practicality, and class.
The World Trade Center will once again rise in the New York skyline with vibrato, all the while restoring to Lower Manhattan a commercial hub that has been sorely missed. Yet, for all the commercial redevelopment, the sacred ground upon which the twin towers stood will essentially be left untouched, save for a remarkable memorial that will prove to be a fitting, poignant, and lasting tribute to the thousands of souls lost on that blue, cloudless September day.
Resources:
Great Buildings Online. “World Trade Center.” 4 September 2007. http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/World_Trade_Center.html
World Trade Center. 4 September 2007. http://www.wtc.com/index.aspx.
