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Construction crews may be getting ready to blast bedrock to make way for the Freedom Tower, but yesterday yet another potential wrench was announced. The chairman of the Port Authority, Anthony Coscia, said the tower will have be to scaled back if government groups don't lease space in the 1,776 foot building. More specifically, government groups need to agree to take on 1 million of the 2.8 million square foot building by September in order for the project to be "financially viable." The Port Authority is in charge of building Freedom Tower (after getting control from leaseholder Larry Silverstein), but only agreed to if the project would be "financially feasible." Interestingly enough, it's unclear whether or not the Port Authority's headquarters, formerly at the WTC, will lease space. Still, Coscia is "optimistic" about getting tenants (Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff explained that Coscia was trying to remind the government that they need to lease). Well, this will certainly be what Governor Pataki needs to work - calling in more favors with the feds - on if he wants his Freedom Tower built
According to the NY Times, Coscia also said the Port Authority could build the WTC memorial if there is a financial plan. We think we'll be waiting a whlie for that one. And in other what-the-hell-is-going -on-at-Ground-Zero news, the Deutsche Bank demolition won't happen this month because of the lingering environmental questions (thanks, EPA, for getting in gear).
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If they fail to build this tower as tall as designed it is a loss for New York. The twin towers certainly didn't have 1 Million sf leased before they were built and they were, eventually, a huge success financially. NY needs the office space too.
New York's decline is solidified with the lessening of this tower.
Actually, according to Wiki Page Towers 1 and 2 had over 8 million square feet of floor space combined.
Not sure if there is a shortage of office space ot not. NY's Office space is considered too expensive which is why a lot of companies are moving to Jersey City. (So much for supporting Manhattan!)
Even though I'm not a fan of the design, I Hope it get Built as specified.
The empire state building has a vacancy rate of 20%
Imagine how high that rate will be with this building, even 20 years into the future.
Historically supertall buildings have always been completed right when the market for tenants starts to go down. It’s very difficult to build and finish a building such as the freedom tower right when the market is at its peak. It’s a long term investments that will take years to see if it will be a success or not.
In the long run, it probably will be a success.
the WTC site (un)development has been a huge embarassment for NYC ever since 9/11/2001.
Kojak, the ESB is a poor comparison. It is antiquated space that is represented by a notoriously poor management team (infighting).
They really need to design a better building or replace what was lost. Enough with the garbitecture!
Most likely if and when the orridly ugly pos gets built there will have to be incentives for tennants - your tax dollars at work.
I hear you realist. Didnt know management was that bad. Some of the offices companies have in there are impressive, though it does seem a bit old.
And yeah, the design is uninspired and pathetic. What about something akin to the Bank of China building in Hong Kong? Now that is impressive.
Toby: please show us an example of how you would design a better tower than the freedom tower, otherwise stfu.
Er, Toby: my apologies for the 'stfu'. I was reverting to my high school persona. Have a very nice day.
But really, stfu.
To anonymous:
Since you seem not to have the balls to be other than anonymous perhaps you should stfu. Give me a ream of paper and I can come up with 500 Frank Ghery style "designs" for you.
Now this seems to be a much better alternative and one that will fix what is broken.
So they can't find tenants? Well, duh. Obviously, even the name screams "Target". And while statistically someone's chances of getting caught in a new terrorist attack on this building are probably minimal, emotionally every single person going into this building is going to know it's a symbolic target. Hell, I wouldn't want to work there.
That was the beauty of the Think team's design of the two latticework towers -- almost no one would have to work there, and possibly (I don't know) the very design would make them less vulnerable to a plane-type attack. Plus, they were way, way cooler than this big boring building going up.
Toby: the twin towers have no chance of being rebuilt (while I also wish they had), so the only thing you can do is get behind something that does have a chance and is the best compromise, the freedom tower.
Dan: very defeatist and unrealistic attitude. Most people, thankfully, have more courage and shorter memories than you give them credit for.
i really wish they never came up with the name freedom tower... should have left it wtc1 or something. it just seems like a hollow name nowadays.
btw, i too wish they just rebuilt a better version of the old twins, but design by committee combined with bad architects was never known to produce great things.
Maybe they offer the spaces as coops or rentals at affordable prices for the families of the victims.
Personally, I wouldn't want to live or work in a place that's at once a new target and a virtual cemetary so fraught with other people's memories and grief.
then i guess the whole world is basically off limits. Someone or something has died everywhere. I'm surprised 99% of europe has been rebuilt or japan. this is new york city, we dust ourselves off and move on. life goes on.
Yeah, yer right, but at least nobody thinks my apartment building is on sacred ground. I have a big problem with sanctifying things because of tragic deaths. It's like saying other deaths that weren't associated with historical moments are less significant, or that one person's grief is more acute than another's.
Wouldn't I be just as aggrieved if my husband got killed by a car than if he got blown up? Or if someone stabbed him to death, or if he just died of a heart attack at my dinner table?
I'm just saying people can't make that space both a business venture as well as a shrine. You can't have it both ways.
Or.... can... you?