The New York World Trade Center was converted into ruins following the terrible attacks on September 11, 2001. Since then, a lot of people were skeptical about its rebuilding. However, after 19 years of the attack, the heritage building is up on its feet. Unfortunately, the building is now under the threat of spreading coronavirus.
Vishal Garg, CEO of Better.com, a mortgage refinancing startup, says that the public is more worried about the virus than another terrorist attack. The headquarters of Better.com is located that the 3 World Trade Center. The exact location is called Ground Zero. Following al Qaeda’s attack on the New York World Trade Center, including the Twin Towers, killing almost 3,000 people. Moreover, the entire business condition of Manhattan was in the face of massive devastation.
After the incident, there was almost no chance that the same masterpiece can be back in that place. However, a new plan was born by the experts of the country. It was a long metamorphosis that converted the attack zone. Later, it became a construction site surrounded by high walls. Finally, after spending almost $25 billion, there stands a business center and a tourist attraction. The complex consists of three modern-looking skyscrapers, a memorial, a transportation center, and a museum.
Construction of the New York World Trade Center temporarily suspended
The remaining structure is currently on a halt with the fourth skyscraper and a performance hub yet to be made. The USA is under the threat of the coronavirus for over six months now. Therefore, the once noisy financial district and the New York World Trade Center is now completely devoid of the crowd. A retail stockbroker of the area, James Busse, describes the present situation of the site as gloomy and melancholy.
The World Trade Center was the tallest building in America at 541 meters (1,776 feet). It had an in-build bomb-resistant base. The reason for such a modification was that the demolition of the old Center was due to a truck bombing attack in 1993. When Daniel Libeskind revealed the new master plan in 2003, it was influential enough to add diversity to the local economy. The same was earlier reliant entirely on finance.
According to the Port Authority of New Jersey and New York that owns the construction land, the budget to date is $25 billion. The total funding credit goes to the private and public sectors of the states. Libeskind proudly says that that the Ground Zero is now one of the most popular tourist attractions of New York. People visiting from over the world consider it as a must-visit public place.
The new model of the New York World Trade Center
There are twin pools at the heart of the present New York World Trade Center or Ground Zero. It marks the footprints of the destroyed Twin Towers that graced the area earlier, surrounded by a beautiful waterfall ending into an abyss. The engravings of the names of all the victims of the 9/11 attacks are there on the waterfall’s bronze borders. The excellent design credit of this area goes to Michael Arad. Before COVID-19, hundreds of visitors would flock to this place daily.
There is so much nostalgia surrounding the Twin Towers that collapsed, taking several innocent lives. The towers were built along with the Trade Center in 1970, replacing the Radio Row neighborhood. During its initial days, the Twin Towers were popularly called the “windswept plaza.” According to WTC redevelopment officer Carl Weisbrod, the complex was never good enough.
Weisbrod says that the modern and renovated structure has a more robust construction using advanced technology. The previous building was a mere 20th-century historical artifact. During the beginning of the new construction project, so many people became emotional recalling the horrific attack memories. The fear, devastation, deaths will always remain in the tragic corners of everyone’s heart.
Unpredictability due to COVID-19
The real estate and the other financial sectors face massive losses due to the expanding effects of COVID-19. The pandemic affects Manhattan’s financial industry in a way that resembles the phase following the 9/11 attacks. Rent and lease value of properties are racing down drastically, and the entire situation is highly unpredictable. On the other hand, Larry Silverstein, the developer who got a 99-year lease on the WTC land, had spent $3.2 billion on the deal. After the agreement, Silverstein has spent 19 years rebuilding the property.
In 2015, developer Silverstein assured that the project would be complete by 2020. Unfortunately, the withdrawal of the decided anchor tenant for 2 WTC changed the schedule. On the contrary, both Libeskind and Silverstein are still very positive. They believe that the pandemic is a temporary issue, and they will bounce back stronger once again!
