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The Oculus and 1 WTC |
When the World
Trade Center opened in New York City, in 1973, it was a massive office
complex. It contained seven buildings, including the “Twin Towers,” and over
13.4 million square feet of office space. Underneath was a shopping mall and a transit
hub that brought together six subway lines and the PATH trains to New
Jersey. The attack on September 11, 2001 brought all of that crashing down.
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Mariordo (Mario Roberto DurĂ¡n Ortiz), from Wikimedia Commons |
Now, seventeen years later, most of the area has been
rebuilt. There is a memorial
and museum dedicated to those who lost their lives in 2001. Four new office
buildings have been completed, including the new One World Trade
Center, which at 1776 feet in height, is the tallest building in the
western hemisphere. The new underground shopping mall has opened, and it will
expand to occupy the bottom 3-4 floors of three of the buildings in the new
World Trade Center complex. And the new transportation hub has finally been
completed, so one afternoon this fall, I traveled down to explore this new
building.
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1 World Trade Center |
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9/11 museum |
In the 1960’s and 70’s, office space was often given priority
to making transportation hubs beautiful, or even thoughtful. Pennsylvania
Station was torn down and covered with a behemoth of commercial and office space
along with the new Madison Square Garden. The ticket offices, waiting areas and
other amenities were buried underground in one of the ugliest and most
uncomfortable major train stations I have seen anywhere. So, it is not a
surprise that when the original World Trade Center was built, its transit hub
was almost and afterthought. Commuters had to walk through long, crowded
tunnels. It felt like a rat’s maze, with hundreds of people rushing in one
direction or another. It certainly wasn’t a pleasant place to visit, and
definitely not a destination.
Rebuilding the World
Trade Center Transportation Hub gave planners a chance to put more thought
into the experience of commuters. The hub was greatly expanded. Today is
connects the PATH trains with sixteen subway lines. It also provides access to
the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal, which offers service to eight
destinations on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.
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Transit Center Hall |
The jewel of the hub is The Oculus. Designed by Santiago Calatrava,
it is a beautiful and inspiring structure. Above ground, its many support beams
cross, curve and fan out, as a bird’s wings. The Oculus also includes windows
along the length of its spine and along the sides of the building. This allows the
interior space of the hub to be filled with natural light, making the massive
open space feel warm and inviting. This hall sits about 15 m below ground
level, and forms the northern end of the new underground mall. It is surrounded
by a balcony which provides a second path for commuter transferring from one
train system to another, while also giving a wonderful perch for people
watching. At each end of the hall there are observation platforms. Here
visitors will find a sweeping view of the entire space. These areas are filled
with photographers and selfie takers, but people move through fairly quickly,
so with a little patience everyone gets a chance to take their pic.
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Looking Out, Looking In |
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Observation Platform |
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Oculus |
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PATH station |
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I have to say, for sixteen-and-a-half years, I have had no
particular desire to return to the World Trade Center site. The memorial is
really a place where families come to remember those they lost, and tourists
come to commemorate the events of 9/11. Truthfully, most New Yorkers don’t
visit the museum. But the architectural splendor of the Oculus is something I
will return to time and again.
Getting there:
The following subway stops offer direct access to the Oculus:
#1 - Cortland Street
#2,3,4,5,A,C,J,Z –
Fulton Street
# E – World Trade Center
# N,R,W Cortlandt Street
Thank you for this tour and historical lesson on the Oculus. As a New Yorker, I too avoid the area where the original towers stood. But this structure is amazing and even more impressive up close, I am sure. But you've done an excellent job of capturing some of its majesty with your lens. It's amazing how even a huge city like NYC continues to grow and change(hopefully, as in this case, for the better.) AMD
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