15 years after the September 11th terror attacks, the site of the World Trade Center and Downtown Manhattan have revitalized into a hub for business, towering architecture, and greenery within the concrete jungle.
The World Trade Center's newest, $2.5 billion skyscraper topped off at its full 80 stories this past June and is currently under construction, scheduled for completion in 2018.
The newest building, 3 World Trade Center, located at 175 Greenwich Street bounded by Cortlandt Way, Church, Dey and Greenwich Streets, is the third addition to the high-rises within the center, with one more to go.
The building of the fourth planned skyscraper, 2 World Trade Center, which the foundation has been built to street level several years ago, has been halted due to a cease in financial support from the lack of an anchor tenant. Developer Larry Silverstein, however, told The Associated Press he is sure he will find an anchor tenant in order to complete the project, including that "failure was not an option" (WTC).
A series of construction security fences are adorned with facts about site, intriguing previews, and welcome signs. According to these advertisements, 3 World Trade Center will offer "direct access to virtually every city subway" along with "some of the best new shops and dining in New York." The new and improved World Trade Center is said to be "a sanctuary in the heart of downtown."
Directly neighboring 3 World Trade Center is the Oculus, the World Trade Center's Transportation Hub that serves as a connection between New Jersey's PATH trains and New York City's subways. The concourse is an all-white marble structure with huge, white "wings" that Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava says represent "the souls of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the 9/11 attack" (WTC). Opened to the public this past August, the $3.9 billion structure crosses the entire trade center and further serves as a retail mall, including over 100 stores such as the Apple Store, M.A.C. Cosmetics, and Victoria's Secret, as well as restaurants such as Shake Shack and Eataly.
According to the Alliance for Downtown New York, the area’s population has doubled since 2001, with nearly 60,000 residents, 300,000 employees who work in the area daily and 17 million visitors annually.
Due to this increase, Downtown Manhattan is experiencing a commercial revival. From new mom-and-pops to corporate retail within the Oculus, the upscale Brookfield Place, and Westfield Word Trade Center mall - also neighboring 3 World Trade Center - Downtown Manhattan is once again becoming a hotspot for tourists and locals alike.
The hustle-n-bustle and steel construction of the 16-acre site, though, is "softened by the grass and trees surrounding the two memorial pools built in the footprints of the twin towers - steps from 3 World Trade Center" (WTC).
The preview images of the finished product outlines a skyline including two towering buildings side by side - one being the Freedom Tower - close in altitude, strikingly and heartwarmingly resembling the skyline outlined by the twin towers prior to the attacks.
The new, revolutionized World Trade Center is a concrete, monumental reminder to not only never forget, but also move forward.
