Years and years ago, a number of city and state officials gathered together to figure out what kind of building should be the centerpiece of World Trade Center redevelopment. Freedom Tower, at 1776 feet (including spire and antennae), was unveiled in December 2003, only for the Daniel Libeskind-design to be scrapped for one by Skidmore Owings & Merrill's David Childs. But that revised design remained a patriotic 1776 feet, even if officials say the building should be called "One World Trade Center." Now, it looks like the tower will be actually even more patriotic than previously thought. more ›

When the the World Trade Center Memorial and the steadily growing One World Trade Center are finally completed, how many police officers do you think it will take to protect the 16 acres around the soon-to-be tallest building in New York? If you guessed 673 officers, you win today's No-Prize! more ›

According to the NY Times, there's a "front-runner" for the suddenly coveted One World Trade Center. The Times says Douglas Durst is "favored" by the Port Authority Board: "Mr. Durst would invest at least $100 million in 1 World Trade Center," BUT some board members are still undecided. Apparently Durst "proposed a deal in which it would share the risks if leases are signed slowly for 1 World Trade Center, but also get a greater share of the profits if the building is successful," while the other bidder, Related Companies, "is seeking a return for its investment no matter what happens with 1 World Trade Center." An return on investment, who would have thought! more ›

Sorry, foodies, the most exclusive new eatery may be the Subway shop that's operating at the World Trade Center site. You basically have to be a member—of a union, that is—to gain access to the Subway sandwich shop that's opened up in the under-construction 1 World Trade Center (here's a glimpse of it from a few months ago). It was lifted up last December and will be elevated higher and higher as construction continues—up until the 105th floor. more ›

Last month, a number of real estate developers were vying to buy a minority stake in One World Trade Center, also known to the patriotic as Freedom Tower, because, as one stated, it "has real international significance, and it’s important for New York." Now the NY Times reports that there may be enough international significance to prompt publisher Conde Nast to move its publications there. more ›

One World Trade Center, better known to most Americans and patriots as "Freedom Tower," the 1,776 foot (including 408-foot spire) tall building rising at Ground Zero, is now a hot property. According to the NY Times, the once "scorned" building "has turned into an object of desire. Four major real estate developers are vying to buy a minority stake in the $3.1 billion project and to take over the leasing and operating of the skyscraper." The Related Companies' CEO Stephen Ross said, "The building has real international significance, and it’s important for New York." more ›

With much of the activity at Ground Zero below surface, it's only been in recent months that passers-by have seen buildings actually emerge from the World Trade Center site. On Tuesday, we went on a tour of the Port Authority's projects at the World Trade Center site, where about 1,400 constructions workers are on site daily and working on the array of projects. more ›

After firing famed architect Frank Gehry in an effort to cut costs, the developer of the controversial Atlantic Yards project is in talks with the man who designed the Freedom Tower. Architect David Childs told the Brooklyn Paper that Atlantic Yards builder Bruce Ratner asked him to give plans for the proposed basketball arena a "once over," and also discussed hiring him to construct one of the 16 skyscrapers that Ratner wants to build on the site. more ›

Last night, 60 Minutes aired its segment about the lack of progress at the World Trade Center site, noting, "This was the year that Ground Zero was supposed to be transformed into a soaring statement of American spirit... So we wondered: why is Ground Zero still a hole in the ground?" more ›

After countless delays and setbacks, all New Yorkers can agree that today marks a major accomplishment at Ground Zero. Earlier today, construction workers installed a Subway sandwich shop atop a crane that will rise alongside the Freedom Tower during construction. Builders hope the high-rise hoagie store will help hardhats work more efficiently by allowing them to purchase $5 footlongs without descending from the skyscraper. The Subway will be elevated higher and higher until it reaches the 105th floor — about equivalent to the height of the World Trade Center's Windows on the World restaurant. more ›

Yesterday, the Port Authority officially announced that it would give the public updates of World Trade Center construction progress through YouTube and Flickr accounts. The Port Authority's press release explains, "While subscribers to the Port Authority's World Trade Center web site already have access to up-to-the-minute updates, milestone reports, picture slideshows and videos, the new social networking hubs will allow even more picture and video content to be disseminated to a much broader audience. The new online initiatives support the Port Authority's mission to provide transparent, timely information about construction at the World Trade Center, and will make images and videos more accessible to constituents throughout the region and the world." more ›

If anything ever turns out getting built at the World Trade Center site, please let it be this. Next month, workers are planning to construct a Subway sandwich shop atop a crane at Ground Zero — newly dubbed Ground Hero by the Post — so that hardhats can enjoy their $5-footlongs without having to descend from the Freedom Tower. more ›

Another week, another World Trade Center dispute! Since the Port Authority—which controls the land at Ground Zero—and WTC leaseholder Larry Silverstein have been at odds over the funding of the massive redevelopment project, Governor Paterson decided to personally negotiate with Silverstein a few weeks ago. Paterson had given Silverstein an ultimatum to work with the PA or get out. But Silverstein has rejected Paterson's development proposals—the NY Times reports that in Silverstein's eyes, those plans "were unlikely to lead to building two of three skyscrapers planned for the World Trade Center site," which is what Mayor Bloomberg and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver want, too. more ›

If you want to sigh just a little more about the development of the World Trade Center site, here you go: The Daily News reports, "The Port Authority is paying Larry Silverstein $21.5 million to develop the Freedom Tower - even though he has absolutely no role in building the 1,776-foot icon." Even though Silverstein handed over control of the building site to the Port Authority, the agency has been paying him $500,000/month in "development fees" and will keep receiving them until the middle of next year, which the News helpfully points out is the equivalent of "2.7 million George Washington Bridge tolls or 12.3 million PATH fares." The fees were written into the 2006 agreement, which also says the Port Authority can request Silverstein's company's help, but the News says the agency has never done so. The Port Authority says it's siply abiding by the contract, while Silverstein's spokesman told the paper, "We believe our expertise in office tower construction would be of tremendous value in getting the 1 World Trade Center project back on schedule, and our team remains at the Port's disposal." more ›

Freedom Tower, the building known as One World Trade Center, was planned with a patriotic height 1,776-foot height, with the help of a spire with a broadcast antenna inside. But now the Observer reports on "signal trouble": "According to multiple people familiar with discussions, the Metropolitan Television Alliance, a consortium of local television stations, last month informed the Port Authority that it would not be proceeding with a deal for its members to broadcast from an antenna atop the 102-story tower at the World Trade Center site." The MTVA were asked, back in 2003, to pay $20 million to build the antenna and pay $10 million/year rent, but given the economy—and the facts that their signals are fine now and that there are other available, already-built antennas around town—MTVA has been rethinking things. The Port Authority, though, tells the Observer that the spire to hit 1,776-feet "continues to be part of the design." more ›

After the Port Authority announced it would refer to the signature building at the World Trade Center site as 1 World Trade Center, not Freedom Tower, implying it would be easier to market the building by its legal address, there was quite a reaction. more ›

After years of talk, Bloomberg News reports that Beijing-based firm Vantone has agreed to lease with the Port Authority for at least four floors at Freedom Tower. Vantone, which described its plans for the space as a "combination chamber of commerce and cultural center" last year, will occupy 190,000 square feet of space at about $80 per square foot "on a 23-year lease that provides for rent increases every five years," a source told Bloomberg News. The Observer points out, earlier this year, the Port Authority "transferred rent incentives once intended for a JPMorgan Chase tower downtown to the Freedom Tower, perhaps a sign that Vantone will benefit from the subsidies, valued at $5 a square foot." The deal is expected to be announced tomorrow; Freedom Tower is expected to be completed in 2013. Developer Larry Silverstein is reportedly looking for some more help to finish the other towers at the site. more ›

The Port Authority released its letter and report to Governor David Paterson about progress at the World Trade Center site. The NY-NJ agency was given control of the site two years ago, but building at the site has been stymied by delays given the complexity and cost of the project. more ›

Frustrated with the lack of progress at Ground Zero, Governor David Paterson asked the Port Authority to provide a timeline of work, noting, "Any new schedule must reflect an aggressive but realistic approach to completing these vitally important projects." Now, a few weeks later, the Port Authority is ready to present a report on Ground Zero activity, but the Sun reports that it will not include a timeline. more ›

A company whose entire business is centered on verifying the safety and quality of building materials is being investigated for falsifying or faking test results with materials being used in the some of New York City's most high-profile construction sites, such as the new Yankee Stadium and the Freedom Tower. more ›

The Port Authority says that a Beijing-based real estate developer will lease around 200,000 square feet at Freedom Tower (building on the far left). The news is notable because the only two other tenants are government agencies - the U.S. General Services Administration and the state office of General Services. more ›

Internal investigators at the Port Authority are faulting the overwhelming bureaucracy surrounding the construction of the Freedom Tower for the loss of confidential blueprints that could have left the new building vulnerable to those determined to strike the WTC again. Per the New York Post, "Experts say there was enough detail in the blueprints to lead to a devastating terrorist attack." more ›

Proving that there's a market for oversize shredders, a homeless man discovered two copies of blueprints for Freedom Tower, aka World Trade Center Tower One, in the trash at Sullivan and Houston Streets. The Post puts Mike Fleming (a "homeless, recovering drug addict") on the cover and questions the security lapse, pointing out, "It's a good thing Osama wasn't walking through SoHo yesterday morning." more ›

Parties involved with the design and construction of Freedom Tower were happy with tests in the New Mexico desert where a model of the structure was detonated. A partner at architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Carl Galioto, told the Observer, "The specimen performed beautifully, far exceeding our expectations." more ›

Thank you, NY Times, for updating us on the activities of George Elmer Pataki. Although Pataki has been out of politics, he still spent $1.4 million from his political action committee on "Broadway theater tickets, gatherings at the Yale Club and payments to political loyalists and advisers." more ›

You may recall that the original Freedom Tower design had to be scrapped (because the NYPD thought it was too susceptible to attack) and redesigned with a concrete base. Now the Daily News' I-Team takes up concerns law enforcement officials have with "security weaknesses" in the new towers at World Trade Center. more ›

Developer Larry Silverstein announced yesterday that he will build an 80-story building at 99 Church Street, in place of the former Moody's headquarters, just a block away from the World Trade Center site. Twenty-two floors will be for a Four Seasons hotel; the other floors will include 143 condominiums, making it the "tallest residential structure" in the city. more ›

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is in charge of construction on the new 1 World Trade Center – AKA the Freedom Tower – is now seeking developers to design, build and operate a 34,000-square-foot restaurant on the 100th and 101st floors; whoever wins the bid may also win rights to operate the observation deck planned for the 102nd floor. The Authority is gazing into its crystal construction ball and seeing a Grand Opening in 2013. more ›

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• Recreate the ambiance of Rob-from-Cloverfield's going-away party before things get crazy by downloading the jam's soundtrack.