More Than 13 Years After The 9/11 Attacks, World Trade Center Reopens Under Its New Name
A symbolic and historic milestone, the reopening of WTC is victory of good over evil.
By Sadho Ram — 03 Nov 2014, 08:51 PM — Updated about 10 years ago
It's been 13 years since the original World Trade Center was destroyed in the 9/11 devastating terror attacks of 2001. Now, after 13 long years, it's up and running again, reopening for business under its new name called One World Trade Center.
When viewed from street level in proximity to the tower, One World Trade Center (Freedom Tower) appears to ascend to a pyramid point as seen in this view of the West Street side of the building, 8 June 2014.
Image via wikimedia.orgIt's the centerpiece of the 16-acre site where the decimated twin towers once stood and where more than 2,700 people died on Sept. 11, 2001, buried under smoking mounds of fiery debris.
usatoday.com
"The New York City skyline is whole again, as One World Trade Center takes its place in Lower Manhattan," said Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that owns both the building and the World Trade Center site.
westmanjournal.com
He said One World Trade Center “sets new standards of design, construction, prestige and sustainability; the opening of this iconic building is a major milestone in the transformation of Lower Manhattan into a thriving 24/7 neighborhood.”
According to The New York Times, publishing giant Condé Nast has begen moving into the 104-story, USD3.9 billion One World Trade Center, the tallest skyscraper in the western hemisphere
Construction workers near One World Trade Center on 1 November 2014
Image via Eduardo Munoz / ReutersOnly about 170 of his company’s 3,400 employees are moving in now, filling five floors of the tower, said Patricia Rockenwagner, a Conde Nast vice president and spokeswoman. About 3,000 more will arrive by early 2015.
buzzfeed.com
“Condé Nast’s arrival puts a stiletto in the heart of the outdated notion that Lower Manhattan is stuffy and gray,” said Jessica Lappin, president of the Downtown Alliance, a local business organization. “They will accelerate the transformation that’s well underway and create additional demand-side pressure for more cool restaurants, art galleries and bars.”
nytimes.com
Many of the construction fences and scaffolds that obscured the views and darkened the streets after the attacks, have come down, revealing glassy new towers, the 9/11 memorial, etc.
For many years, it was unclear who, if anyone, would move into the trade center buildings given the history of the site. Lehman Brothers fled to Midtown, before disappearing during the financial crisis.
nytimes.com
The building is 60-per cent leased, with another 80,000 square feet (7,400 sqare meters) going to the advertising firm Kids Creative, the stadium operator Legends Hospitality, the BMB Group investment adviser, and Servcorp, a provider of executive offices.
westmanjournal.com
The government's General Services Administration signed up for 275,000 square feet (25,000 square meters), and the China Center, a trade and cultural facility, will cover 191,000 square feet (18,000 square meters). From the northeast corner of the site, the tower overlooks the National September 11 Memorial & Museum built in the footprints of the twin towers. Its stated aim is to honour those who perished on that sunny September morning.
For years, the grisly pit where workers found mostly body parts was dubbed the "ground zero" of the aerial terror attack
Now, the illuminated spire of One World Trade Center serves as a beacon to planes that fly over the city, seemingly at eye level with the high rise's open rooftop. The view stretches from Manhattan to the Statue of Liberty into New Jersey and Connecticut and all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
wallstreetotc.com
At night, the incandescent steel-and-glass behemoth can be seen from vessels in New York Harbor approaching Manhattan. An observation deck eventually will be open to the public.
westmanjournal.com
