Freedom Tower Groundbreaking On July 4th
May 5, 2004

At a speech in Lower Manhattan, Governor Pataki announced that the groundbreaking for the Freedom tower will take place on July 4th. Pataki's comments included...

"On July 4th, as we celebrate the birth of our democracy, we will also celebrate the rebirth of our city," the governor said. "We will begin to reclaim our skyline with a permanent symbol of our freedom. On July 4th, 2004, we will break ground on the Freedom Tower," he said.

Silverstein Suffers Defeat In Insurance Case
May 4, 2004

After a long ordeal, Larry Silverstein suffered defeat in his insurance case where he sought to get double the insurance payment claiming the 9/11 attacks were two separate attacks as opposed to one. The jury's latest decision reduces the maximum possible payout to $4.5 billion, if Mr. Silverstein wins every remaining legal battle, including a second trial that could start in August. Silverstein maintains that he will proceed with the plans for the WTC site despite this outcome.

WTC Site Won't Grow To Full Height Right Away
March 11, 2004

The latest plans for the near future are calling for three small buildings which would serve as retail use being built temporarily to serve as structural bases for high-rise towers rising above these "podiums." This place holding approach endorsed by the City Planning Commission is being called feasible, logical and pedestrian friendly. World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein is said to have endorsed the broad concept of this approach.

The plan is not going without criticism however. Some question if high-end retailers would want to move into such "podiums" knowing construction on a tower will go ahead above. Other concerns include the lack of activity in customers these retail buildings would contain and the limitations in design these place holders would create.

WTC Design Guidelines Eased
March 5, 2004

Officials overseeing the WTC redevelopment have eased the design guidelines that will be implemented towards the buildings in the new complex. The guidelines have been revised from their previous version and it's being said that they will aide the world class architects of Foster, Maki and Nouvel in creating innovative buildings for the site.

The new guidelines state that "each roof should be inflected toward the memorial" and that their slopes should increase from the shortest building on Liberty street to the tallest, the Freedom tower.

WTC Transit Hub Designs Unveiled
January 14, 2004

The plans for the transit hub at the World Trade Center site have been unveiled. Santiago Calatrava, the architect who design the plans was chosen to design the future Grand Central Terminal of Lower Manhattan; connecting the World Financial Center, the PATH trains, ferries, a link to JFK, and fourteen subway lines. Calatrava is an experienced architect having designed over 50 buildings and bridges. Looking at the design one quickly notices its resemblance to a bird; he explained that one of the inspirations for the transit hub was the idea of a child releasing a bird.
Calatrava explained that the transit hub will include lots of light and open space. Even the floor will be lucid allowing sunlight to reach down to the platforms 60 feet below ground level. The hub includes a retractable roof which will open each year on September 11 to let sunlight pour in at the times of the attacks.

The project will cost 1.75 billion dollars which will be paid for by federal funding. Construction is scheduled to begin late this year or early next year and is scheduled to be completed between 2007 and 2009.

Modified WTC Memorial Released
January 14, 2004

The revised version of the “Reflecting Absence” design has undergone a great deal of changes. Some changes included an underground museum that will hold relics recovered after the attacks as well as some special recognition for rescue workers. Rescue workers still will not be given their own special section but they will receive some extra recognition by having the insignia of their respective agency listed alongside their names. Another more obvious change is the amount of green place on the site; the original design had called for a meager amount of trees to be planted while the revised design seems to have given the site a park-like appearance. This was an attempt to escape from the former bare plaza feel.

Visitors will be able to journey down through ramps that surround the voids or the footprints of the towers. Each void will hold waterfalls that will wash down the sides of the footprint into reflecting pools, then down through a smaller hole placed in the center of the footprint.
One of the issues that caused a great deal of debate was what to be done with the unidentified remains of victims, victims' family members had argued for the remains to return to the site while residents, politicians, and many others did not agree. The remains of the victims will be placed in a sanctuary at the bottom of one of the voids. Victims’ family members will be allowed to go down to the bedrock, which is something they've been fighting for.

"Reflecting Absence" To Memorialize WTC
January 6, 2004

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation declared "Reflecting Absence" as the memorial for the World Trade Center site. This memorial is composed of two pools on the footprints of the towers. It is said that it took the 13 member jury 12 hours to come to this decision. The current design will not be the final version; this design had been selected under the stipulation that certain changes will be made. Ever since the announcement there has been much criticism from victims' family members and the general public.