By John Banks | Real Estate Weekly
For all of us who remember the devastating attacks and the aftermath of September 11, 2001, last week’s opening of 3 World Trade Center is yet another sign of New York’s remarkable strength and resilience.
The grand opening is an important milestone and further evidence that Lower Manhattan is a stronger and far more vibrant place today than it was before the attacks of 9/11.
Developed by Silverstein Properties, 3 World Trade Center checks in as New York City’s fifth-tallest tower at 80-stories and 1,079 feet. The building will welcome more than 6,000 new employees before the end of the year across 2.5 million square feet of office space.
The offices sit on top of 216,000 s/f of retail space spanning five floors, an underground pedestrian concourse leading straight to 11 subway lines and the PATH, and this is without mentioning the floor-to-ceiling glass design and column-free floor plate structure that creates a truly open workspace environment.
Moreover, 3 WTC will be a LEED-certified tower. The innovative architectural design was led by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.
But the story of the World Trade Center is the story of New York, and the importance of the positive momentum generated by this building cannot be overstated.
With only two more remaining buildings to open at the WTC site, Lower Manhattan has been recreated as a truly 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-aaweek, mixed-use hub, with triple the population it had in 2001.
One of the newest residents of Lower Manhattan is none other than the chairman of Silverstein Properties, Larry Silverstein.
“This is a moment of enormous pride for me and for everyone in the Silverstein organization, and for the thousands of women and men who had a hand in creating this amazing building,” said Silverstein. “Starting with 7 WTC and the rest of the towers that followed, we sought to create modern, environmentally-conscious and technologically-advanced offices. Places that foster creativity where young people would want to work and collaborate. That meant great architecture and sustainable design, but also improved transportation, a more vibrant streetscape, new shops and restaurants, great public spaces, and exciting and fun public space art.”
Larry Silverstein and his team deserve our thankful admiration for overcoming every challenge, and the result is a building of which all New Yorkers can be proud. That pride can extend far beyond the World Trade Center site and beyond even Lower Manhattan.
Over the past 17 years, New York has contineud to thrive and grow. New York has proven itself again and again to be the world’s strongest, most resilient, and greatest city in the world.
As Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen put it last week, “New York City is more exciting, more thriving and more New York than ever before.”
The Real Estate Board of New York could not agree more – and we look forward to continuing to help New York grow into an even more vibrant global center than it already is.