Ten Years after Tragedy: Rebuilding World Trade Center

The sky was a brilliant blue on Sept. 11, 2001. When the sun rose that morning, no one ex­pected the tragedies that would change history forever.

Ten years later, the United States is still recovering from the attacks that rocked its worldview. For the past decade, workers and volunteers have removed debris from ground zero, the previous location of the World Trade Center (WTC). Various plans have been made to rebuild the area.

On Sept. 11, the 9/11 Me­morial in New York City will be open to the public. Anyone can visit and pay his or her respects to the victims of the al-Qaida attacks, as well as see the prog­ress made on the rebuilt WTC towers. It will be on the former location of the twin towers. The names of the almost 3,000 vic­tims will be listed on the memo­rial. In addition to the names, the memorial will include a sea of trees surrounding two square pools, where the towers once stood.
The museum will open in 2012. Built underground, it will include interactive displays explaining both the 2001 and 1993 terrorist attacks.

The memorial and museum are far from the only plans for the new area: six skyscrapers, a rail terminal and a performance center will also eventually exist on the 17-acre site.

The most relevant updates include:

One World Trade Cen­ter: This tower, formerly known as the Freedom Tower, will be America’s tall­est building with a planned height of 1,776 feet, remem­bering the date of the founding of the U.S. It will house offices, an observation deck, restaurants, and broad­cast facilities. Opening date is scheduled for 2013.

Seven World Trade Cen­ter – This building was opened in May 2006, and is two-thirds leased to various companies. It includes a park and central plaza.

The 1,000-seat performance arts center will hold the Joyce Theater, specializing in modern dance as well as multiple film festivals.

The transportation hub will include a state-of-the-art terminal, featuring 150-ft. “wings” made of glass and steel. This is scheduled to open in 2014.

For more informa­tion about the memorial and museum, please ex­plore the website.