Ground Zero

It is difficult to look at the massive 16-acre construction site that is Ground Zero and think about what once stood there -- the majestic Twin Towers of the World Trade Center rising proudly above the cityscape of Lower Manhattan... and then suddenly, on Sept. 11, 2001, gone.

So instead, we choose to think about what will be there soon. You see, in 2003, Daniel Libeskind won the competition to be the master plan architect for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site, which is bounded by Vesey Street to the north, the West Side Highway to the west, Liberty Street to the south,
and Church Street to the east. Libeskind's firm, Studio Daniel Libeskind, is currently working with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Silverstein Properties and Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to oversee the rebuilding of the area.

Under Libeskind's plan, five new buildings will join the already rebuilt 7 World Trade Center, which was completed in 2006. The centerpiece of Libeskind's design, the Freedom Tower (aka 1 World Trade Center), is tentatively scheduled to be completed in 2013. The new construction also includes the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which features two square pools where the Twin Towers once stood. The memorial is scheduled to open on Sept. 11, 2011.

By Tom