Since there's no topics about it and I found a new rendering I thought I'd create this thread. The new Seven WTC is under construction. It will be 52 stories and 750 feet.

Renderings:

Site Map:

http://www.silversteinproperties.com/images/7wt_newmap.jpg

Window Detail:

http://www.silversteinproperties.com/images/7wt_glass.jpg

Lobby:

http://www.silversteinproperties.com/images/7wt_newlobby.jpg

http://www.silversteinproperties.com/images/View1-day.jpg

http://www.cgarchitect.com/upclose/JK/SOM-7WTC-02.jpg

http://www.silversteinproperties.com/images/7wt_dawn.jpg

http://www.silversteinproperties.com/images/7wt_core.jpg

http://www.silversteinproperties.com/images/7wt_elev.jpg

AAAAAUGH! What's with that lobby?! It's awful! Come on, do we need a repeat of that style?! I certainly hope they rethink the lowest floors...yeesh!

It's okay. I'm sure the lobby can't be that bad in real life.

Well this is typical.

As an architect I can tell you this design is still in process and these new renderings the result of an "all nighter" because someone at the top was getting antsy to see something and shop it around.

Obviously the facade details are pretty well settled but the base and lobby as rendered are just vague ideas drawn up for a powerpoint presentation to prove the building will eventually be a reality. You can see how quickly and cheaply they were done.

As for that stark "style" of lobby, the rendering is so poor you really can't get a grasp of the mood created. But a simplistic, dark stone, cavernous lobby like they have alluded to can be quite stunning when done right. The most recent example is Bear-Stearns, absolutely powerful. Done in all polished black granite-floors/walls and with a high, matt black ceiling, like a night sky. Throw in a long row of 20ft tall glowing blue tubes as they have (similar to lava lamps) and the effect is quite striking, very Manhattan.

;)

But I'm tired of the box, and I'm tired of the status quo that continues to bank roll them even with the *new* glitzy facades. It's better than the original 7WTC for sure but as the recently completed CIBC tower on 42nd has proved- a box is just a box no matter how much you try to make the skin "pop".

^Holy sh*t that is wierd!

I just posted that and it came up as "drah"!?!?!?!

Who is drah and how did that happen?:?

Here's a fairly recent picture of the new 7 WTC under construction.

Thanks to Gulcrapek

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album11/7wtcjul.sized.jpg

haha, that really is strange, Enzo.

I guess drah never saw #7, been in it, or around it.

#7 was a fine building, and its unique shade of polish brown granite and glass gave a nice wide imposing fascade. The entrance was very modern without being overdone. And the theme echoed throughout the building.

If you don't like "the box", then New York is the WRONG place for you.

I'm also an admirer of the original 7WTC. Its location is what killed it.

blah, those ones are ugly. I like the chosen idea way better.

I guess drah never saw #7, been in it, or around it.
Bite me gojeda, rajun or whoever you are now! :D

I'm quite sure I've spent far more time in the shadows and on the floors of the original 7 than you have and yes, it was awful in many respects.

Unless you really enjoy a puke colored, hulking monolith with no contextuality choking off streets and neighborhoods. Few people appreciated this building for obvious reasons. Barring the circumstances, many NY'ers are fine with its absence.

(No offense to Gulcrapek's observations, that is an entirely seperate matter.)

I didn't hate the original 7 WTC, but it wasn't anything spectacular. It did provide some good reflections of the WTC Towers.

Though hate it or not you gotta love the cool pedestrian skybridge it had! The best I've seen!

This one looks smart, but not too exciting. But a skyscraper is still good news!

I found a picture of that cool skybridge the old 7 WTC had:

http://www.emporis.co.uk/files/transfer/6/2001/07/103347.jpg

I think the new 7WTC looks better than the old one.

Nah I think the old one looks better than the new one.
The new one is nothing more than a simplistic box. At least the old one had some sort of scheme and pattern to it.

http://www.emporis.co.uk/files/transfer/6/2003/06/199206.jpg

thats a damn boring lobby :moods:

I DEFINITELY AGREE with those who favors old 7. the old 7 world trade center's definitely the best of all the wtc buildings. i mean, what's the chance that u'd find another building similar to it? such a shame that it didn't survive.
as for the new 7 wtc, that thing probably won't even blend into the surrounding mostley-masonry skyscrapers. that glass box probably will become the most boring skyscraper in downtown manhattan.
why does LMDC has to hound silverstein when he tried to rebuild 7 wtc the way it was? it was silverstein's building... :bleep:

Here's a new 7 WTC construction update from S.com:

http://www.emporis.co.uk/files/transfer/6/2003/08/211330.jpg

http://www.emporis.co.uk/files/transfer/6/2003/08/211331.jpg

Originally posted by 7 World Trade

I DEFINITELY AGREE with those who favors old 7. the old 7 world trade center's definitely the best of all the wtc buildings. i mean, what's the chance that u'd find another building similar to it? such a shame that it didn't survive.
as for the new 7 wtc, that thing probably won't even blend into the surrounding mostley-masonry skyscrapers. that glass box probably will become the most boring skyscraper in downtown manhattan.
why does LMDC has to hound silverstein when he tried to rebuild 7 wtc the way it was? it was silverstein's building... :bleep:

I respect your opinion though I didn't like 7WTC personally. But Silverstein never tried to rebuild 7 as it was and thus was never blocked from doing so. In fact he was a proponent of re-extending Greenwich St. which made replicating it impossible.

Nice pics SWTC;)

Originally posted by savethewtc

Here's a new 7 WTC construction update from S.com:

http://www.emporis.co.uk/files/transfer/6/2003/08/211330.jpg

http://www.emporis.co.uk/files/transfer/6/2003/08/211331.jpg
Those look exciting!
Now if we could see that happening to the main WTC proper.

Hmm, not bad, but not very impressive either.

i seriously dont think the lobby will look that bad...i like the building though, it looks nice

This isn't an update/construction news, but something really crazy about the building.

WTC plans got trashed

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/112482p-101546c.html

A Bronx bagel store owner made a stunning discovery in the trash outside his shop: blueprints for the electrical and mechanical systems of the first building set to rise at Ground Zero, the Daily News has learned.

Cops confiscated the 27 pages of documents detailing some of the innards of the planned replacement for 7 World Trade Center yesterday as the tower's developer and other officials expressed shock at the find.

"I would say the guy ... has no brain," the Riverdale bagel store owner, who didn't want his name used, said of the person who tossed the blueprints in the trash.

The merchant turned the documents over to City Councilman Oliver Koppell (D-Bronx), who contacted police. The NYPD launched an investigation.

"Assuming that there's nothing nefarious here, it's just irresponsible and grossly negligent to leave plans like this lying around," Koppell said yesterday. "Let's assume someone saw it who had some gripe, who's sympathetic to terrorists. ... Do we really want them to have it?"

The blueprints detailed the foundation plan for the new 7 WTC, as well as transformer vaults, column widths and the location of a "mechanical penthouse" on one of the building's highest floors, a News review of the documents showed.

The original 7 WTC, built on land owned by the Port Authority, was destroyed in the terror attack nearly two years ago.

In November, developer Larry Silverstein unveiled plans for the new tower, designed by architects at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

The original building housed a Con Edison electrical substation, which is being rebuilt in the new tower. Some of the plans are related to those power systems.

Silverstein spokesman Howard Rubenstein said, "Those plans are obsolete and incomplete and of no value to anyone." But he added that the developer "is launching an immediate investigation to find out how this may have happened."

PA spokesman Michael Petralia said his agency would help Silverstein investigate.

Con Ed spokesman Michael Clendenin said, "We have no way of commenting. We don't know what [the documents] are."

The tempest in a trash can started two weeks ago, when the deli owner arrived at his Riverdale Ave. store about 4:30 a.m. and saw the schematics lying on top of cardboard he had set out for recycling.

They were dated March 2003 and stamped "received" by Tishman Construction, which is overseeing the project. They also bore the names "Silverstein Properties" and "Skidmore, Owings and Merrill."

Handed over to pol

The owner picked them up, brought them into the store, wrapped them up with a rubber band — and forgot them for a week while he went on vacation. When he got back, the sight of them nagged at him.

So when Koppell came into his shop Sunday for a nosh, the owner turned the plans over to him.

Yesterday, Koppell contacted cops, who sent two counterterrorism detectives to pick them up. "This is actually an investigation now," said Detective Brian Martin of the criminal investigation section, counterterrorism unit. He added: "We get leads, but not like this."

Tishman officials didn't return calls, and architects working on the project weren't reachable.

Man, people are careless. But as for me? Honest truth? Dude! I SO would have kept them, and hung them on my wall or something! But like I said, that's just me.

In any case, it's stull amazing how stupid people can be.

Well whoever did it might face some legal troubles in future. My guess is it was a contractor who didn't know better.

When I worked on TWT we were obligated to sign lengthy non-disclosure contracts and treat all documents/plans with absolute, zero-tolerance discretion. Part of the contract involved answering any media calls/inquiries with a "no comment". Anything more would have brought a pink-slip and lawsuit.

I also worked in DC on a couple foreign embassy projects. In this case you are obligated under Federal Law to abide by strict rules and document handling protocols. It was discovered that an employee (not an architect) had taken blueprints of the Brunei Embassy and used them as gift wrap-totally innocently yet he was fired and dragged to Federal Court (charges later dropped).

You have to be careful out there these days though. I would assume hackers are a much bigger threat now that so much design is on computer networks. Most arch/engineering firms haven't done enough to guard against such things.

When I worked on TWT we were obligated to sign lengthy non-disclosure contracts and treat all documents/plans with absolute, zero-tolerance discretion. Part of the contract involved answering any media calls/inquiries with a "no comment". Anything more would have brought a pink-slip and lawsuit.

What enzo said really disturbs me. There's a good chance that the old farts at Ground Zero, Silverstein included, have adopted the same no comment policy. They seem to be genuinely afraid that mega-memorialists and NIMBY's (and perhaps us) will jump hard on them at any revelation. You give them an inch, they swim all over you.

I like this tower very much. It is a an 10 compared to ill fated Seven World Trade Center. Glass has a strange impact on me. This tower strikes that cord. I am going to like the way it stands out in a new glass, downtown skyline.

What enzo said really disturbs me. There's a good chance that the old farts at Ground Zero, Silverstein included, have adopted the same no comment policy.

That's a given. It's true of just about any highrise project in the city these days. Look at how difficult it has been to get accurate info on Bloomberg and the Times Tower?

You'd be suprised how many reporters try to contact lowly project architects through the "back door". The top brass would like to control the media flow with an iron fist and thus......you must comply if you enjoy being employed.

Here's another update on the new 7 WTC. If you haven't noticed the first 6 or so floors will be the Con Ed substation made up of basically concrete. Then the steel will rise.

NY POST...

7 WTC SITE GETS 70 TONS OF STEEL

By STEVE CUOZZO
September 2, 2003

A STROLL along the narrow Vesey Street walkway between Church and West streets traverses two bustling construction sites: ground zero on the south side, where the Port Authority is racing to complete the new temporary PATH terminal, and Larry Silverstein's 7 World Trade Center site to the north.

And it's about to get a lot busier. Most of what's visible so far above ground at 7 WTC is a structure to house a new Con Ed transformer station. But by the middle of next month, Silverstein's spokesman confirms, the first steel beams are scheduled to arrive for the 52-story, David Childs-designed tower itself.

The raw steel - 70 tons' worth - landed near Baltimore recently, and is being fabricated at a facility in New Jersey.

So much for the off-base speculation that Silverstein would not build 7 WTC without tenants signed up. You do not return 70 tons of steel in a postage-paid envelope.

The raw steel - 70 tons' worth - landed near Baltimore recently, and is being fabricated at a facility in New Jersey.

Awesome news!

Too bad we're importing the steel though considering we used to have a thriving industry just over the PA border....sigh.

You mean that the raw steel is being IMPORTED? Whatever happened to chivalry? Is it dead now? I thought that the structural steel for tall buildings was made entirely in the USA from raw to fabricated!

Let's see, cars, toys, clothing, major appliances like washers, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, microwave ovens, trucks, SUV's, TV's, VCR's, CD & DVD players, not to mention cameras, both digital & SLR, stereos and small appliances. All these things I knew about that were being made overseas in other countries.

But now, raw steel?! Boy!! What is this world coming to?! I would imagine that the raw steel for the Freedom Tower & the other towers, when they are ready to be built at Ground Zero, will be imported also!!

This, I believe, is what's wrong with this country now! We're losing our jobs to cheap labor overseas & abroad!!! >( :baaa:


Daquan13.

Originally posted by savethewtc

I found a picture of that cool skybridge the old 7 WTC had:

http://www.emporis.co.uk/files/transfer/6/2001/07/103347.jpg


Any chance, savethewtc, that this beautiful-looking bridge will be brought back for the new building? It does look nice & pretty! I missed all of the wonders of all the former WTC towers and hope that some of the things for the new one are brought back.

I look at pictures of the old WTC towers and start to cry sometimes because I never got the chance to visit them and now, like a best friend whom I had in Providence, RI.,, they are gone forever!!:tiasd:

Go Nooo Yak!!

Here's a little video update, which is informative:

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/manhattan/wtc/nyc-7wtcvideo0901.realvideo

DAILY NEWS

Bldg.'s up for grabs

By ERIC HERMAN

World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein is actively marketing 1.7 million square feet of office space in the new 7 World Trade Center, Crain's New York Business reports this week.
Silverstein lost a key ruling last week in his lawsuit seeking a nearly $7 billion insurance refund for the twin towers.

Still, construction on 7 WTC has already begun at Greenwich and Vesey Sts., facing Ground Zero.

Silverstein has pocketed $440million in insurance payments on 7 WTC, according to Crain's, and will get $400 million in Liberty Bond financing.

But he has no rent-paying tenants lined up for the 52-story building, set to open in 2005. Early negotiations to lease space to the Port Authority broke down, and Silverstein is now looking for an "anchor tenant" to take 300,000 to 500,000 square feet.

Recently, Silverstein played host to the city's top 20 real estate brokers at a lunch on his private yacht. He has also contacted companies including Bank of America, AIG and PricewaterhouseCoopers about leasing space, according to Crain's.

Leasing the building's space could prove difficult in the current economic climate. Demand for space is low, and the downtown vacancy rate hovers near 13%.

But some brokers said the new building's advanced security and architecture might set it apart.

"It would be ideal for any of the Wall Street firms that need expansion," said Barry Gosin, CEO of the real estate firm Newmark & Co.

Originally posted by savethewtc

Here's a fairly recent picture of the new 7 WTC under construction.

Thanks to Gulcrapek

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album11/7wtcjul.sized.jpg




It will be nice to see the steel frame rise from the concrete base!
Anyone know when the first truckload of steel will arrive?


Daquan13.

New 7 WTC update by and thanks to Gulcrapek:

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album25/7wtc.sized.jpg

I really like the new renderings I think 7 world trade will be a very nice building once it is done

Originally posted by SomeStyle

I really like the new renderings I think 7 world trade will be a very nice building once it is done Me too. It will be a significant improvement on its stumpy brown predecessor.

New Tower Begins To Rise At World Trade Center Site

http://www.ny1.com/Content/images/live/54/106843.JPG

The first new tower is rising over the site of the destruction of the September 11 attacks, after a ceremonial first beam was installed for the new 7 World Trade Center Thursday.

Governor George Pataki and the developer, Larry Silverstein, signed the steel beam before it' was raised to support the tenant floors of the building. The first ten floors will house an electrical substation to power Lower Manhattan.

“Shortly after 9/11,” said Silverstein said, “I vowed to New Yorkers that we would rebuild the trade center and the trade center site. And 7 World Trade Center is the first evidence of exactly that.”

The beam was draped with an American flag donated by a U.S. reserve soldier who helped in the rescue and recovery effort after the September 11 attacks. The flag will be permanently installed in the building once the steel work is finished.

The original 7 World Trade, which housed offices, an electrical substation and the city’s emergency command center, withstood the initial impact of the collapsing the twin towers but toppled itself later in the day after fires – fed by fuel tanks for backup generators – raged out of control. It was built two decades after the twin towers and is across the street from the 16 acres now known as “ground zero.”

The slim, 52-story tower with a glass façade will be taller than the one destroyed in the attacks, but its 1.6 million square feet will actually be less than the original. The building’s base will be narrower to restore Greenwich Street through the property, allowing better views and letting in more natural light.

“Not only is it a brand new design,” Pataki said, “but it will incorporate safety standards and be one of the safest high-rise buildings constructed anywhere in the world, going beyond what New York City codes require. It will be a green building. It is designed in such a way to be environmentally sustainable.”

i guess there already 10 floors up then...the building is supposed to rise very fast from here

From Newsday...

http://www.nynewsday.com/media/photo/2003-12/10582138.jpg

Larry Silverstein and Gov. George Pataki pose with workers at a ceremony marking the start of steel erection for the tenant floors at 7 World Trade Center.

http://www.nynewsday.com/media/photo/2003-12/10582363.jpg

Gov. George Pataki (R), Larry Silverstein (C-L) and architect Daniel Libeskind (L) watch the raising of a beam at a ceremony marking the start of steel erection for the tenant floors at 7 World Trade Center.

http://www.nynewsday.com/media/photo/2003-12/10582307.jpg

Gov. Pataki and Larry Silverstein sign the beam at a ceremony marking the start of steel erection for the tenant floors at 7 World Trade Center.

http://www.nynewsday.com/media/photo/2003-12/10582293.jpg

Construction workers pose with the first beam to be raised at a ceremony marking the start of steel erection for the tenant floors at 7 World Trade Center.

This is good news. Any photos anyone :?

Shouldent 7 reflect the new angled designs?

mark

Update from s.com:

http://www.emporis.co.uk/files/transfer/6/2003/12/235919.jpg

Notice the steel rising now!

Construction downtown is certainly welcome. Is there any news on major tenants?

Originally posted by Dennis

http://www.emporis.co.uk/files/transfer/6/2003/06/199206.jpg

thats a damn boring lobby :moods:



Dennis, it's just an artist's rendering, giving us an idea of what the lobby might look like.

It will probably change for the better when the building is closer
to being completed.


-Daquan13.

Originally posted by Monkey

Me too. It will be a significant improvement on its stumpy brown predecessor.


I thought the former 7 WTC with the brown facade looked so pretty.


-Daquan13.

NY POST

'SEVEN' HEAVEN

By WILLIAM NEUMAN

February 16, 2004 -- This is what you will see when you walk into the sleek, new 7 World Trade Center - the first building at Ground Zero to see construction begin since the 9/11 terror attacks.

The computerized rendering, prepared by architects for WTC developer Larry Silverstein, shows a high-tech lobby of polished limestone and marble and shiny stainless steel columns, with revolving doors on Greenwich Street.

One of the most unique features of the lobby will be a work by artist Jenny Holzer in an illuminated wall behind the security desk, according to a representative for the architect, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

Holzer is known for artwork that incorporates words and phrases, and the 7 WTC piece will be composed of quotations from poets and writers about New York.

Silverstein interviewed a number of artists to create something for the 7 WTC lobby, and he chose Holzer, who was recommended by the building's architect, David Childs.

Another innovative feature will be computerized turnstiles that direct visitors to specific elevator cars, to minimize waiting.

Construction on 7 WTC - across Vesey Street from the rest of the trade center complex - began in late 2002 and the building is slated to be completed by 2005.

The bottom 10 floors of the 52-story tower will be taken up mostly by a Con Edison electrical substation, a portion of which is due to go into operation this summer.

Work on the tenant floors began recently, with steel rising at the rate of about one floor a week, the Skidmore representative said.

Another new rendering shows the wedge-shaped park planned for the intersection of Greenwich and West Broadway.

It will contain a fountain and flowering trees, as well as a small 9/11 memorial and pavers made from the same red granite used to build the original 7 WTC, which caught fire and collapsed on 9/11.

(scans by NYguy)

http://www.pbase.com/image/26100047/large.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/26100042/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/26100043/original.jpg

Great tower :) Exactly how tall is 7 WTC expected to rise?

Originally posted by james2390

Great tower :) Exactly how tall is 7 WTC expected to rise?

It's gonna be 52 stories and 750 feet.

Sounds Great :)

Posted by NYatKNIGHT at Wired New York:

Feb 15:

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/NYatKNIGHT/7WTC_1.sized.jpg

rigth now it looks like a failed art work but it is rising :) and the more it rise the better it will be

Looking good :)

I like the red white and blue cranes ;)

Pic taken yesterday on February 29 by NYguy:

http://www.pbase.com/image/26524458/large.jpg

Nice update!. I love this building. I hope a tower like this would once be build in my coutry....

Nice update, it's growing taller and taller...

At the left of the picture:

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/03/05/nyregion/05WEST.xl.jpg

najs najs :) it will be fun to see this scraper rise

Dated March 13, taken by TowersNYC:

http://img36.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/7_wtc_003.jpg

http://img36.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/7_wtc_006.jpg

http://img36.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/7_wtc_011.jpg

http://img36.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/7_wtc_012.jpg

http://img36.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/7_wtc_010.jpg

Pics taken April 3, 2004 by NYGuy:

http://www.pbase.com/image/27597457.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/27597461.jpg

it rises quite fast... looks good :D

Today, April 6 from the ESB webcam, I know kind of bad quality...

http://mywebpage.netscape.com/savewtcgall/7wtc1.jpg

http://mywebpage.netscape.com/savewtcgall/7wtc2.jpg

Yes its rising fast ;) I may be seeing it in the flesh soon.. hopefully :wink2:

What is the address of the ESB webcam please :)

What is the address of the ESB webcam please :)

The link is:

http://live7.truelook.com/face/newface.jsp?func=live&name=/strends/esb&overlay=default&skin=default&useapplet=true&time=1081270682133&width=640&height=480&quality=65&catalogname=catalog&preset=util/South+View

It's a great clear day, one of the clearest ever I've seen on the cam!

Thanks...it brought back memories of last year :)

all photos by me, Carlos 04/09/04

** bonus picture.....7 WTC under construction **

http://img36.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/1c711f23.jpg

^^^
That's actually one of the best under construction shots I've seen of it so far, it even gives a sense of domination, a sense that'll probably be lost once the rest of the WTC complex is completed.

wow its rising fast! It will form a good contrast with its neighbour and add a fresh feel to it.

yeah, pretty good shot, but i don't see how it dominates the immediate area. too bad they couldn't somehow let greenwich street pass through building because it looks too narrow for me in its current state, especially when compared to old seven.

i can't wait to see how the building will look like when they start to get the glass up, and how it will complement/contrast verizon building. and then i'll decide if this is a good building or not. until then, i'll just say old seven's better-looking.

Update from skyscrapers.com, taken on 4/20:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/24047wtc4-20.jpg

Taken April 27, by gripja:

http://home.att.net/~j.griepenburg/wsb/media/195277/site1023.jpg

that was a WONDERFUL new angle

Good shot from skyscrapers.com, dated 4/22.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/24047wtc422.jpg

NY Times

Rising Above Ground Zero, Tower Slowly Takes Shape

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/05/05/nyregion/05rebu.583.jpg

Rising Above Ground Zero, Tower Slowly Takes Shape

Already 314 feet tall, 7 World Trade Center is designed to reach 52 stories and 750 feet. A view from an upper floor shows some of the planned 1.7 million square feet of office space.

By DAVID W. DUNLAP
Published: May 5, 2004

After two and a half years of absence, there is a towering presence at ground zero.

That skyscraper of muscular concrete and sinewy steel on Vesey Street is not just overlooking the World Trade Center site, it is part of it. Building No. 7, the last tower lost on Sept. 11, 2001, is the first to be rebuilt. Its emergence has surprised out-of-towners and even New Yorkers who have not been to Lower Manhattan in a few months.

Now 314 feet tall, the building is destined to reach 52 stories and 750 feet. It will be sheathed in sheer, water-clear glass, with a kinetic, sculptural, stainless-steel wall by James Carpenter Design Associates around the Consolidated Edison substation at the base.

In a speech today, Gov. George E. Pataki is expected to announce that power will start flowing through the substation by the end of the month. After the speech, he will visit 7 World Trade Center.

(Mr. Pataki may also soon announce a chairman for the World Trade Center Site Memorial Foundation, which will oversee the creation of the memorial and the cultural center. One prominent name mentioned among the possible candidates is Sanford I. Weill, chairman and chief executive of Citigroup and chairman of Carnegie Hall.)

The governor's visit to 7 World Trade Center may be a tonic for the developer, Larry A. Silverstein, who has been fighting with his insurers over the main trade center site. He holds 99-year leases on both parcels from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

On Monday, a federal jury whittled Mr. Silverstein's total possible insurance claim to $4.68 billion, about $2.5 billion less than he sought. As his potential proceeds have shrunk, doubts have grown about Mr. Silverstein's ability to complete four more office buildings around the site, after the $700 million 7 World Trade Center and the $1 billion- to-$1.3-billion Freedom Tower, for which financing seems assured.

But Mr. Silverstein is no stranger to skepticism, since there were ample doubts last year that he would build 7 World Trade Center.

"I kept hearing and hearing that," he recalled in an interview Monday. "When I finally announced we had bought $60 million worth of steel, they still didn't believe. I think people finally changed their minds when the building reached 15 or 16 floors, and they said: 'You know what? He's doing it.' "

The structure is to pass the 615-foot mark in October, marking the moment when the new 7 World Trade Center exceeds the height of its shorter namesake, also built by Mr. Silverstein, where Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani had his emergency command center. This will occur around the 20th anniversary of the first groundbreaking.

Tishman Construction Corporation, which built the first No. 7, is building its replacement. Elio Cettina and Mike Pinelli are among the Tishman executives involved in both projects. And a number of ironworkers are reprising their roles, too, said Jack Klein, a vice president of Silverstein Development.

Seven World Trade Center is to be finished in late 2005 or early 2006, with 1.7 million square feet of office space. Apart from his own company, Silverstein Properties, Mr. Silverstein does not yet have tenants. But in the time-honored tradition of developers, he said there was "considerable interest," particularly now that there is a tower to see.

Already visible inside the tower is a hallmark of what is supposed to be its great durability and safety: a concrete core around the elevator shafts and fire stairs, two feet thick in most places. The stairways are ample, five and a half feet wide, and the landings are deep enough to fit a person in a wheelchair while others pass on the stairs.

"A firefighter carrying gear could walk up while people are walking down," said Nicholas Holt, an associate partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, which designed 7 World Trade Center, working with the structural engineers at the Cantor Seinuk Group. (They are also Mr. Silverstein's architects on the Freedom Tower.)

The surprisingly spacious lobby, sandwiched between two banks of Con Ed transformer vaults, is framed by steel-jacketed columns five feet in diameter. Outside, Greenwich Street will be recreated as a driveway for taxis and limousines but not as a through street. Across the street, Mr. Silverstein will build a 12,500-square-foot public park designed by Ken Smith.

The principal art in the lobby will be a 12-foot-tall wall of glass and light-emitting diodes by James Carpenter and Jenny Holzer, an artist known for using epigrams in her work. "What we did insist upon was the choice of the words," Mr. Silverstein said. "I wanted something uplifting, positive; that talked about renewal, talked about America, talked about freedom, talked about what our values are about."

Its exciting! :banana:

Some updates...

Taken by NYguy May 9:

http://www.pbase.com/image/28821197/large.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/28821223/large.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/28821224/large.jpg

May 11, taken by gripja:

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/54407wtc5-10.jpg

From pbase:

http://www.pbase.com/image/29697566/original.jpg

The tower seems to be thinner than I had thought, but in any case it's bittersweet to see the first (though not on the official site) stage of reconstruction in full swing and the "The Rebuilding Continues" sign on it. At least 7WTC will name itself after its forefathers unlike the "Freedom Tower" (which would be rather ironic as there will be less than 7 "WTCs" in existance after the whole thing is done, if I'm not mistaken).

yeah, dunno why they are still it calling 7 wtc. this building will probably end up being called 5 wtc (if listed before the building that will replace deutsche bank) or 6 wtc (if listed after that building).

yep, it's really skinny, even skinnier than the wfc towers. it's not really gonna be as visually dominating as old seven (why does it have to die!!??).

Found at pbase dated yesterday, June 7:

http://www.pbase.com/image/29908653/large.jpg

Nice pic, It's about as high as Barcley vessey now!
This things shootin' up like a rocket :)



it's not really gonna be as visually dominating as old seven

I disagree, It's 200 feet taller than the old 7WTC, So I think it will be more dominating

It's significantly bigger IMO

http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=7422&drawingID=14354 http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=1002&drawingID=17372

hey - awesome graphic. reallys puts things into perspective. thanks man!

I disagree, It's 200 feet taller than the old 7WTC, So I think it will be more dominating

it's taller yes, i know that, but old seven is twice a wide as the new one (since greenwich street pretty much cut the site in half). that means it had a bigger presence in the skyline. that can be seen especially from the north, where the building appear wider than the twin towers put together. but i can tell that the new seven won't even be as wide (north-south) as one of the original twins.

also, the graphic shows old seven being viewed from an angle, while the new seven is shown straight on. if u show old seven with its south side facing u, it will be wider than the new seven.

but that doesn't mean i hate the building. i just don't hold it as high of a regard as old seven.

Daily News

SEC has sights on 7 WTC space

Prospects are starting to look up for 7 World Trade Center, the tower Larry Silverstein is building at Ground Zero.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is in talks about renting 200,000 square feet, sources told the Daily News.

And a high-profile downtown law firm, Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson, is considering taking 450,000 square feet.

It's early days in both would-be tenants' negotiations. But if the SEC actually leased space there, it would send a huge message - because the regulator was a tenant in the original 7 World Trade Center, which was destroyed by the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers. The SEC has been housed since then in the nearby Woolworth Building.

And if a Fried Frank deal were to pan out, it would be big enough to make the firm the anchor of Silverstein's 1.7 million-square-foot project, which is partly built.

In an interesting convergence, Fried Frank - currently headquartered at downtown skyscraper 1 New York Plaza - does a lot of securities work. How convenient to be in the same building as the SEC.

If either of these prospects winds up signing a lease, it will be a breakthrough for Ground Zero developer Silverstein. He doesn't have a single office tenant lined up for 7 World Trade Center, which he will complete late next year or in early 2006.
For now, the only occupant of the 52-story skyscraper is Con Ed, which is operating a substation on the bottom 10 floors of the building.

A spokesman for Silverstein declined to comment.

Cladding starting to go up on the south side. Photos in the next few days including some from a nearby roof top.

Cladding starting to go up on the south side. Photos in the next few days including some from a nearby roof top.

Cool! Can't wait to see the pictures.

Where you getting the roof top shots from? Staying at the Millennium Hilton?

I saw these mini pictures of the cladding posted by NYsky at SSP:

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/9441/06-22-04_1345.jpghttp://img37.imageshack.us/img37/3540/06-22-04_1521.jpghttp://img37.imageshack.us/img37/8416/06-22-04_1511.jpghttp://img36.imageshack.us/img36/2593/06-22-04_1346.jpg

My cousin has a place at 295 Greenwich St. Photos sometime this weekend.

Found this picture of the new 7 WTC at pbase. It was taken yesterday July 4th from the WTC site...

http://www.pbase.com/image/30964180/original.jpg

the glass is looking good;
http://www.pbase.com/image/30657151.jpg
http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album47/7wtc2.sized.jpg

yeah i truly agree! at least the building's not gonna be as transparent as indicated by the renderings! in fact, i really like the bluish glass.

never trust the renderings of glass buildings. they always depict them to be more clear than they actually are (like time warner).

It's growing quite fast. Nice to see facade going up

Very nice thanks for the pic's ;)

it seems like it was a week ago when i heard it was gonna start the construction

It's way too early to pass a judgement on the facade at this point.

Here's some pictures posted by GVNY in a thread on NYC, they look recent.

http://dysphunxion.ath.cx/~nyc/9.jpg

http://dysphunxion.ath.cx/~nyc/10.jpg

http://dysphunxion.ath.cx/~nyc/18.jpg

it is coming on slowly though, at the moment anyway.

http://www.pbase.com/image/31191097/large.jpg

It's already turning out to be the best part about the rebuilt WTC in my opinion.

I think the cross on the site warrants removal.

I think the cross on the site warrants removal.

Excuse me?

yeah i truly agree! at least the building's not gonna be as transparent as indicated by the renderings! in fact, i really like the bluish glass.

never trust the renderings of glass buildings. they always depict them to be more clear than they actually are (like time warner).
Agreed, i think that this will work perfect in the NYC skyline and will be a nice fit with the WFC.

Whats the old building next to 7wtc? Im sure 7wtc will provide a nice contrast

the old building is the new york telephone company building, now occupied by verizon.

i think old seven blend in with the nytc building and the wfc better with its brown color. but i suppose new seven will do as an replacement. at least it's turning out to be the best and the only bright spot in the entire screwed-up rebuilding process.

Excuse me?


There is a cross on the site which I don't think is appropriate.

woo..nice updates!

I dont see the core box sticking out as you usually see in some construction pics

New 7 WTC update by and thanks to Gulcrapek:

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album25/7wtc.sized.jpg

Sorry to dig up this old pic again, but the base is made entirely out of concrete? And the rest of the structure is steel resting on it then?

Is that usual for boxy buildings? Here is a similar building going up in Singapore and I wonder if the structure will be different. Here it seems the core is concrete with steel columns being erected on the perimeter as opposed to what I see above.

http://img48.exs.cx/img48/5974/rq17.jpg

raffles city, i can tell u that the new 7 is a special case since the concrete base is used to house the new con-ed substation which was destroyed when old 7 fell on it late afternoon of 9/11. the new substation will be located in the lower floors of the new building and the concrete wall is used to protect it in case any lunatic decides to target it.

most buildings have a concrete core for elevators and everything else is steel (except residential towers, which use concrete as well as steel for columns). so, counting out exceptions like the new 7, most buildings will have structures like that singapore high-rise yop depicted above.

There is a cross on the site which I don't think is appropriate.

Well I'm glad I don't live in your world. Where I am, we have something called private property and personal rights.

How high (meters) will it be when it's finished??

How high (meters) will it be when it's finished??

It's going to be 750 feet so 229 meters.

Well I'm glad I don't live in your world. Where I am, we have something called private property and personal rights.

Well, Crunch, this site goes beyond private property and personal rights.

Stayed at my cousin's place in Tribeca back in June. Pictures from his roof. Sorry for the delay

7WTC rising and the WTC behind it.
http://www.chartattack.com/ed/7WTC-June22,04-1.JPG

http://www.chartattack.com/ed/7WTC-June22,04-2.JPG

http://www.chartattack.com/ed/7WTC-June22,04-3.JPG

http://www.chartattack.com/ed/7WTC-June23,04-1.JPG

is it me, or is 7 wtc going up Fast! wow

How many meters is it currently?

How many meters is it currently?

well...the building recently passed its neighbor verizon building (152m) in height, so i reckon it's probably around 160m rite now. it will probably reach the height of the old 7 wtc (174m) around september.

Look at the progress!

Shot by krulltime at wirednewyork:

http://www.pbase.com/image/32193150.jpg

Posted by gripja at SSP:

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/54407wtc_august_4__2004.jpg

She's almost as tall as the WFC buildings. Such beautiful progress is being made.

ah~ another lovely building by our precious Mr. Dave Childs

wow that's looking really good
glad to see the WTC rising once again. can't wait to see 7 completed and the rest of the site begin to take shape!!

Its going to be a great building when its done.

The glass looks great! Im excited:)

wow, the gray glass look is quite nice. thank God libeskind's influence doesn't reach this building. it's weird how it seems so close to verizon building when you view it from the south though.

looks like it will soon beat old seven in height. maybe a floor or two more then it'll be there.

It's coming along and being visible in the skyline too, here's a shot from gripja at SSP...

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/5440lower_west_side_of_manhattan_august_8__2004.jpg

Wow its coming along nicely!
Its going to look great when its done.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/SJM87/7wt_dawn.jpg

Mini article from the post says the tower is up to the 40th floor, meaning it has 12 more to go. It also talks about tenants and this blue glass effect, pretty cool actually.

NY POST

Larry Silverstein's new 7 World Trade Center — how the name resonates — has now reached the 40th floor, en route to 52. Topping off is scheduled for mid-November and completion by the end of next year.

Meanwhile, enough of the David Childs-designed glass curtain wall already wraps enough of the lower floors on all four sides to give an idea of how the finished tower will look. Why does the building, which has no blue glass, seems to glow blue in sunlight?

Silverstein exec Dara McQuillan says the effect is caused by thin blue spandrels at the bottom of the 10-foot glass panes. They cannot be seen from the street, but light reflecting off them onto the glass causes the facade to emit a blueish hue at times.

The glass panes extend one foot beneath the level of each floor, adding to a sense of openness. Metallic strips section the glass into an arresting pattern of narrow vertical segments.

Silverstein is looking for tenants. And downtown is waiting for CUNY to do something about the grotesque eyesore of Fiterman Hall at 7 WTC's foot — the only large damaged building still waiting for its owners to wake up to the fact that it is no longer Sept. 11, 2001.

It's coming along and being visible in the skyline too, here's a shot from gripja at SSP...

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/5440lower_west_side_of_manhattan_august_8__2004.jpg


OMG thats cool. NYC downtown is rising again.

http://img54.exs.cx/img54/8338/4079WFC_7WTC_sm.jpg

http://img54.exs.cx/img54/1356/4078_7WTC_sm.jpg

http://img54.exs.cx/img54/9387/4073_7WTC_sm.jpg

http://img54.exs.cx/img54/7870/4067_7WTC_sm.jpg

Looking smooth and it really soars. I'm interested to see how the base will end up looking. The facade reminds me kind of like the Bloomberg Tower, only this one seems to be more transparent.

wow, looks like the new 7 wtc is filling in the void left by 9/11.

yeah, the facade is resembling bloomberg tower, and i think that's quite fitting. almost reminds me of the horizontal bands of windows on the north and south sides of the old 7 wtc.

the facade is a success in my eyes, now all i'm waiting for is the base. i just hope they won't wind up making it look bad. and to finish it off, they should add some stainless steel "7"s to the new building's base, similar to the ones that decorated old 7's base.

yep, it should be taller than old 7 by now. three cheers to the best building in the entire new wtc complex!!!

from WiredNewYork

http://www.pbase.com/image/32193155.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/32193157.jpg

http://tinypic.com/242ua

go here! http://tinypic.com/1c3zc

Lookin good! :cheers:

yeah nice tower, i like the glass :cheers:

Found this in a world forums thread by hkskyline, taken Aug 23:

http://www3.sympatico.ca/worldgallery/lower03.jpg

7 WTC is great! What I'm wondering is which beautiful buildings are at the left?

http://img54.exs.cx/img54/8338/4079WFC_7WTC_sm.jpg

World Financial Center. American Express has it headquarters in one of them.

Waauw. Really beautiful towers!

World Financial Center. American Express has it headquarters in one of them.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure American Express is in 3 WFC (pyramid roof).
WTC 7 looks great. It's already starting to make its mark on lower Manhattan.

:)

ok here is a 3day old skyline photo,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/wolkenkrabber/blood177.jpg

Lookin' good, especially it's skyline presence. It's almost as tall as the WFC!

From the ESB webcam, September 6:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/24041094457954877889.jpg

Man, it's getting really tall!

Excerpt on the new 7 WTC from Larry Silverstein in a NY1 article dated Sept 8:

It's amazing, according to him, the new 7 WTC is rising a floor every four days.

“Make sure it's water-tight! We don't want it coming in!”

Words of caution from Larry Silverstein, the developer of the World Trade Center site, for two window washers charged with cleaning the windows of what will be the site's first new office tower. Nearly 600 workers report to 7 World Trade every day for an aggressive rebuilding project that's way ahead of schedule.

“Originally the floors were supposed to be cycled a floor every five days, and we're now erecting a floor every four days,” Silverstein says. “It's going faster than anticipated - significantly faster by 20 percent - and so that's very, very good.”

The building is the work of David Childs, and it will be far different from its predecessor. For one thing, it will top off at 52 floors instead of 47.

For another, a special device called a spandrel will sit at the base of each glass section and collect the sun's rays, reflecting back to give the building a unique look.

“As the sun’s rays hit the blue spandrel, it will be reflected up onto the glass itself and behind the glass, because the glass actually projects below the spandrel section,” Silverstein says. “The result will be to give the appearance of a blue hue as coming from within, so it will look as if there's a bluish cast to this building, as if it's coming from within the building itself.”

On NY1 tonight they said the tower is close to being topped out and should be completed by late this year or early/mid next year.

Also, image from the NY Times showing off the facade well:

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/promos/nyregion/911_468.jpg

I love how the new 7 WTC is coming along, and I think it's going to be beautiful when it's completed. I'm also really excited it's going to be finished so soon. I can't wait to see it!

Downtown is coming back. :cheers:

yeah, with the construction of the building quickened by 1 floor/4 days, we should see it completed soon. they said it's gonna top out by the end of this month.

hopefully they'll be largely finished with glass installation when i visit new jersey in late december. i can't wait to get a look of it from liberty state park in jersey city then (won't have time to head off to nyc).

7 wtc has returned...if only the same could be said about the twins...

GREAT pictures, found it on yahoo:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/2404sevenwtc910.jpg
A building is under construction, center, where number seven World Trade Center once stood at the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan, Sept 10, 2004. Tomorrow marks the third anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/2404sevenwtc1910.jpg
The World Trade Center site is shown Friday, Sept. 10, 2004 in New York. Saturday is the third anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States. The building under construction, left, is World Trade Center 7, which is replacing its namesake that was destroyed Sept. 11, 2001.

Yet even more shots I found, I'm loving these updates.

These ones are dated Sept 10, 2004, found at pbase:

http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed/image/33664611/large.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed/image/33665008/large.jpg

Dated 9/11 also found at pbase, you can see it rising at the lower left on these pics:

http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed/image/33708536/large.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed/image/33708384/large.jpg

Found this one at Getty dated 9/11, shows the facade off nicely with the WTC cross:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/2404getty7wtcfacade911.jpg

Also, a piece of information, Kevin Rampe, the President of the LMDC said that the tower is on the 45th floor and has 7 more to go before being topped out.

Stay tuned, I finally brought my ass down to see the progress myself during one of my breaks today and I snapped a good amount of pictures, should be posted later tonight or tomorrow.

That's great savethewtc, I can't wait to see them.

Which reminds me, now that they are saying things are going ahead of schedule, do they have a new estimate for when it will be completed? I'm hoping it's before my next trip home so I can see it gleaming in the sun. :D

Is 7 wtc going to be taller than three world financial center. Also can somebody tell me how i can post some pictures.

Is 7 wtc going to be taller than three world financial center. Also can somebody tell me how i can post some pictures.

yeah, 7 wtc will be taller than 3 wfc. 7 wtc is 229m, and 3 wfc is 225m. 7 wtc will also become the tallest building bordering the wtc superblock, beating 1 liberty plaza, which is 226m.

to post pics, find an image hosting site (i use www.imageshack.us), upload your pics, and host your pics from the site.

I decided to go down to the WTC site during one of my breaks today on 9/13, here are some pictures:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3188/24042004_0913Image0007.JPG

Lookin' lovely:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3188/24042004_0913Image0008.JPG

Facade closeup:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3188/24042004_0913Image0010.JPG

Sharp angle:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3188/24042004_0913Image0012.JPG

I thought it would be slimmer, it's pretty bulky:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3188/24042004_0913Image0013.JPG

Steel rising at 7 World Trade:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3188/24042004_0913Image0014.JPG

Looks pretty cool with the fence:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3188/24042004_0913Image0017.JPG

Reflected in the Millenium Hilton:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3188/24042004_0913Image0020.JPG

Standing Tall:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3188/24042004_0913Image0022.JPG

Facade view:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3188/24042004_0913Image0023.JPG

From the WFC:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3188/24042004_0913Image0029.JPG

To address a few questions...

LMDC President Kevin Rampe said a couple of days ago on TV that the building should be completed by late this year or early/mid next year.

To post pictures, check this out:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/faq/faqs.htm

does it have the same 'wedge' footprint as the previous 7wtc? and what's up with crown of the ny telephone building? 9/11 damage being repaired?

does it have the same 'wedge' footprint as the previous 7wtc? and what's up with crown of the ny telephone building? 9/11 damage being repaired?

no, the new 7 wtc has a different footprint than the original building. the block that was occupied by the old 7 wtc was actually formerly 2 blocks, consisting of a rhomboid and triangular block that was separated by greenwich st. the two blocks were merged together into a trapezoid shaped block by a con edison substation built on the site before the old 7 wtc was built. when old 7 wtc was built in 1987, it was built over the substation, retaining the merged blocks.

after 7 wtc collapsed during the afternoon of 9/11 from a 7-hour fire started by diesel fuel leaking from ruptured storage tanks, decision was made to run greenwich st. through the merged block again. and today, the new 7wtc occupies the bigger rhomboid block and a plaza will occupy the smaller triangular block.

as for the renovation of the n.y. telephone company building's roof, i believe that they are just restoring the historical features on it. the building was going under renovation before the attacks. after the attacks, the renovations was halted as structural damage to the building was repaired. and now they've resumed the renovation process.

NY Times

At Ground Zero, New Tower Pushes Higher Than Original

By DAVID W. DUNLAP
Published: September 16, 2004

Looking like rust-colored tendrils 664 feet overhead, the newest steel columns at 7 World Trade Center have pushed ground zero to a milestone in the sky.

A trade center building now stands taller than the toppled tower it replaces. It simply happened Tuesday morning, with no more ceremony than the steady hoisting of 27-foot columns into a two-story palisade framing the 45th and 46th floors.

Seven World Trade Center offers a vantage that has not existed for three years: an eye-level view of the dome atop 2 World Financial Center, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge cresting over the former 1 Bankers Trust Plaza, and the elephant-head ornaments on the Verizon Building, their stone trunks draped improbably over the corners.

The new glass-clad steel-and-concrete tower will be topped out next month at 52 stories, 741 feet above the sidewalk. Its predecessor, at 47 floors, was 642 feet tall.

"From my vantage point, it's a very significant milestone, remembering so clearly watching that building come down," said Larry A. Silverstein of Silverstein Properties, the developer of the original and the new building, on land leased from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which built the twin towers across Vesey Street.

Reconstruction, Mr. Silverstein said, "just went remarkably fast."

So fast that he does not yet have any tenants, except for Silverstein Properties, which will probably occupy less than a single floor. What prompted the pace was the need first of all to replace the Con Ed substation at the base of the tower.

"The insurance coverage requires us, and the ground lease requires us, to replace, to rebuild as expeditiously as possible," Mr. Silverstein said. "So that was an obligation. We just never dreamt we'd be going at the speed we did."

The project, financed almost entirely by insurance proceeds, is estimated to cost $700 million.

Ground was broken for the first No. 7 in 1984, without any tenant in sight. Drexel Burnham Lambert backed out of a deal in 1986. It was not until 1988 that Salomon Brothers arrived as the major tenant, leasing about half the building.

Mike Pinelli, the project superintendent for Tishman Construction Corporation at 7 World Trade Center, also worked for Tishman on the original. "It was the first building I put up," said Mr. Pinelli, 42. "I feel privileged to be here a second time."

After the 2001 attack, unable to get home to Fair Lawn, N.J., Mr. Pinelli helped in the recovery effort at the Verizon Building. He finally saw his daughters - Briana, Danielle and Jessica - on Sunday night. They knew he had lost his treasured "Seven."

Danielle, then 5 years old, assured her father everything would be all right. "Me and Jessie were talking about it," she said, "and you're going to put it back up again."

While New Yorkers have focused on the plans for ground zero, first-time visitors are more likely to be taken by the sight of a new skyscraper. But even at its milestone height, 7 World Trade Center is less than half as tall as 1 and 2 World Trade Center.

"We are losing that sense of how enormous they were," said Carol Willis, the founding director of the Skyscraper Museum in Battery Park City, where an original seven-foot model of the trade center is on view. "They're shrinking in our imagination."

Last fall, Ms. Willis led students from Vassar College around the site. Some had never laid eyes on the twin towers. "You tell them they were twice as tall as the buildings that are there now," she said, "and they say, 'How could that have been?'

"And you think to yourself, how could that have been?"

Various articles of interest on the tower lately...


Business Wire

Silverstein Properties Names CB Richard Ellis to Serve as Exclusive Leasing Agent for 7 World Trade Center

September 28, 2004

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 28, 2004--Silverstein Properties has named CB Richard Ellis (NYSE:CBG) to serve as the exclusive leasing agent for 7 World Trade Center, the first Lower Manhattan office tower to be rebuilt after 9/11, Larry Silverstein announced today.

"Three years after 9/11, Lower Manhattan has a spectacular new skyscraper and a powerful symbol of the rebirth of the World Trade Center," said Mr. Silverstein. "In less than a month, we top out the steel and we'll have a finished building by the beginning of 2006. The rapid ascent of 7 has generated interest from potential tenants, both at home and overseas.

"We are thrilled that CB Richard Ellis will be spearheading the leasing efforts for 7 World Trade Center and are confident that all of New York City's real estate brokerage and tenant rep firms will cooperate with the team at CB Richard Ellis to lease 7 World Trade Center as quickly as possible," Mr. Silverstein continued.

Added Mary Ann Tighe, chief executive officer, New York Tri-State Region for CB Richard Ellis, "It is a tremendous honor to work with Larry Silverstein and to be a part of a distinguished team that is leading the rebirth of the World Trade Center. We are excited to be handling the leasing effort at Seven World Trade Center. This historic property will forever be linked with the revitalization of Downtown Manhattan. It will provide tenants with the most advanced technological, environmental and life safety features available anywhere in the world."

The 1.7 million square foot 7 World Trade Center will incorporate a host of life-safety enhancements that will become the prototype for all new high-rise construction, including the Freedom Tower and four other buildings that Mr. Silverstein will build on the Twin Towers site.

The office tower also was designed to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, and Silverstein Properties has already been recognized with an award from the Environmental Protection Agency for its pioneering environmental efforts at the site.

The new 7 World Trade Center, which is bound by Greenwich, Vesey, Washington and Barclay Streets, will be taller and sleeker than its predecessor. To accommodate the reopening of Greenwich Street and re-imposition of the street grid on what had been the World Trade Center superblock, Mr. Silverstein set the building a distance back and created a neighborhood park that would be irrigated by collected rain water.

Tenant floors begin at the 11th floor above grade. The untenanted first 10 floors largely are given over to a Consolidated Edison substation and the street-level lobby facing Greenwich Street, which leads to elevator banks to the tenant floors.

7 World Trade Center was designed by architect David Childs, Consulting Design Partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP/New York. Tishman Construction Corporation, which built the original 7 World Trade Center for Mr. Silverstein, is General Contractor for the project.

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NY1

Construction Worker Dies At World Trade Center Site

http://www.ny1.com/Content/images/live/69/136779.JPG

SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2004

A construction worker fell to his death at the World Trade Center site Wednesday.

Just before noon, the worker, whose name has not been released, fell down an elevator shaft in the new skyscraper being erected on the site of 7 World Trade Center, according to fire officials.

A spokesperson for the developer says there have been no other fatalities during reconstruction work at the trade center site. Another worker fell earlier this month, injuring his leg.

Construction on the new 7 World Trade is expected to be complete sometime next year.

A stacking plan found at Silverstein's website:

http://www.silversteinproperties.com/images/new_section9-30.jpg

Found these on pbase, dated October 4.

http://www.pbase.com/loansharkx/image/34772410/original.jpg

Impact in the skyline:

http://www.pbase.com/loansharkx/image/34772579/original.jpg

Facade is really cool, will give the skyline a 'fresh' look soon!

lookin' great

How close are they to topping out?

How close are they to topping out?

It looks like they're working on the 52nd floor now (last office floor) then comes the crown, it shouldn't grow very much but it will grow taller than 3 World Financial Center (the tallest of the WFC bunch with the pyramid top.)

Anyone signed any leases yet?

Anyone else agree with me in thinking the facade will definately compliment the WFC's? Just look at savethewtc's "Impact on the skyline pic". I think it's gorgeous. :applause:

i don't really think that the new 7 wtc's facade will complement wfc's as much as the old one. one's all glass, while the others got more masonrt to them. but still, it's a nice building in its own right. and im glad that it will pretty much fill in that "skyline crater" in the lower manhattan skyline, even though it's much slimmer than old 7 wtc. also, i think that the building's really blending well into the skyline, and it took old 7 wtc's place in the skyline really well, even though the two buildings have vastly different architecture (at least the two have a very similar dominating look to them). i guess lower manhattan could use a blue tower for a change.

i hope the crown of the building will wind up being gorgeous, at least as cool as old 7's small setback near the roof on the south side of the building.

(Posted by yepole on Wired New York)

Setting up one window:

http://www.unwiredny.com/pictures.unwiredny.com/Constr_7WTC/00671a.gif

Image-4E357648321611D7.jpg

Update 4 and 6 october 2004:

http://www.skyscrapers.nl/nyc/wtc7_001.jpg

http://www.skyscrapers.nl/nyc/ww_wtc7_mh.jpg

http://www.skyscrapers.nl/nyc/esb_dag_004.jpg

she stands tall and proud, the first of the new office towers that will comprise the new world trade center, it brings a special tear to my eye to see this tower top out. i thank my union brothers and sisters, at plumbers local 1 new york city, and steamfitters local 638 new york city, as well as the electrictions, ironworkers, carpenters, tinknockers, sprinklerfitters, pipefitters, concreate workers, masons, operators, and all other craftsman involved in bringing this tower into the sky, for the world to see that america is still strong !!! thanks to all, J.D. Smith, proud member, UA plumbers local 78 Los Angeles.

raffles city, i can tell u that the new 7 is a special case since the concrete base is used to house the new con-ed substation which was destroyed when old 7 fell on it late afternoon of 9/11. the new substation will be located in the lower floors of the new building and the concrete wall is used to protect it in case any lunatic decides to target it.

most buildings have a concrete core for elevators and everything else is steel (except residential towers, which use concrete as well as steel for columns). so, counting out exceptions like the new 7, most buildings will have structures like that singapore high-rise yop depicted above.



Um......,As a matter of fact, ALL of the towers for Ground Zero are slated to get concrete cores & ALL of the new things that Bldg. 7 is being given. For
fire, safety & biulding code standard.

Incidently, & from now on, EVERY office tower to be built in NYC and everywhere else in the country, short & tall, WILL follow in the footsteps of 7 WTC in terms of building, fire & safety codes.

Structural engineering & construction technology, along with practicality are drastically changing the way tall buildings are being built since 09-11.



-Daquan13.

Great updates!

Finally good to see some facade up, very cool video showing that BigMac, thanks for posting it.

Anyone else see the white strip at the very top floor they're working on in Patrick's first picture? That must be the last office floor.

guys' that white strip is the roof line, if that photo was oct. 4 she should be very close,(if not already topped out!!) tho glass may continue on light weight steel, what you see is the sealed roof line!!! vertical steel connections are usually made 36 to 48 inches above horizontal floor lines, and notice no steel continuation beyond white strip!

guys' that white strip is the roof line, if that photo was oct. 4 she should be very close,(if not already topped out!!) tho glass may continue on light weight steel, what you see is the sealed roof line!!! vertical steel connections are usually made 36 to 48 inches above horizontal floor lines, and notice no steel continuation beyond white strip!

Cool to have some insight here!

That photo it dated October 6th, so no more steel will rise above the white stripped roof line?

I thought that would be the last office floor then the mini-crown would go above that, here's the rendering to see what I mean:

http://www.cgarchitect.com/upclose/JK/SOM-7WTC-02.jpg

The crown's floors seem longer in length than the normal ones.

well the main structure (frame) looks to be topped out , there is a possability that glass may continue upwards of 12 to 20' but on a light weight steel "fence" around the top. most roof mechanicals are exposed to weather but surrounded by a continuation of the curtinwall as to give the building clean lines, the window washing equip. rail system is on the physical roof and cantaleavers over this feature, so she's topped out!!! (based on the fact that a majority of the first 10 floors of this tower are a con ed substation, i'm sure most if not all major mecanicals are on the roof !!)

Ok i've looked closely at the photos, rendering, and elevation drawing. i think the white line in question is the upper one. (glass projecting only a few feet above it) if you look at the last photo the decking is spread on the upper deck but not on the one below it, it's not the norm for decking to be spread above an unspread deck. (unless there lifting mech. equip. that must be placed before the steel can be compleated) the elevation drawing also shows that most of the HVAC equip. will be 2 decks below deck 11 and the cooling towers on a 2 level mech. room above the 53rd deck we'll have to see? but i am sure the corner facing us (in photo) SE corner is the last deck i,e roof !

New York Times
October 21, 2004

PUBLIC LIVES

A Skyscraper That Had to Be Built Twice

By ROBIN FINN

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2004/10/20/nyregion/21profile.184.jpg
"The first time I built 7 World Trade, I thought it would last a lifetime and a day." Elio Cettina

Clearly the star-in-residence at the Tishman Construction Corporation trailer hunkered alongside the steel skeleton of 7 World Trade Center, the first skyscraper to redefine the horizon at ground zero, Elio Cettina, the boss of this and other major Tishman projects, trades his blue hard hat for a blue dress shirt at day's end. The hat goes on a shelf with others, some blue, some white. His pen and eyeglasses are shoved into a shirt pocket.

"Goodbye to you, Babalu," he says, paternally, to a departing colleague, and then, just as paternally, offers a visitor a sample of the trailer's amenities: a functional office chair, the portable toilet down the hall, some stale coffee?

If he's tired, it doesn't show. He's 63, but his energy level skews young. After a day building skyscrapers, he's likely to spend the evening at home in his basement shop, building furniture. He once restored a 1959 Morgan convertible he found junked in the backyard of a home he and his wife had bought in Bergen County; built a garage for it, too. Mr. Cettina doesn't merely tinker, he constructs.

This season, he's a builder on a momentous roll. Now that 7 World Trade Center has reached its full height, an occasion to be celebrated today with a topping-out ceremony, he can concentrate on the excavation for the Freedom Tower's foundation. Like 7 W.T.C., it will have an indestructible - he hopes - cement core.

"I love skyscrapers," he says, "because they challenge your ability to think big." When he builds them on time and on budget, he likes them even more. He keeps his mouth shut about aesthetics: "I have been called insensitive to color and design. Whether I like it, I don't like it, I build it just the same."

Mr. Cettina doesn't wear a white hard hat, despite his status as a Tishman vice president of field operations and general superintendent. Asked to decode his job titles, he hands over a business card and instead decodes the hard-hat hierarchy. "White is for V.I.P.'s," he explains with a dismissive wave of his sizable fist, his English granted extra gusto by an Italian accent that has stuck by him since he left Bologna for Hoboken, N.J., at age 14.

"I've worn a blue hat here 37 years,'' he says. "I associate with my people. I can be a little boisterous. I need to operate in a different environment than the executives. Here in the trailer, I'm the boss. You do it my way or the right way." That they are the same is implicit.

Sure, he loves his long-term boss, the Tishman family, but not enough to install himself at corporate headquarters, at 666 Fifth Avenue. Mr. Cettina, the son of a union carpenter and a garment district seamstress, attended the Newark College of Engineering and boasts of having veins that pulse with brick, concrete, steel and mortar. And a little salt water: he is a sea captain's grandson, hence his captain's license and the fishing boat moored on the Manasquan River near his home in Brielle, N.J. He cuts his own bait and cleans his own fish. Construction sites, not conference rooms, are his natural habitat.

"Every building needs to be built" is his basic philosophy, though if he has to choose, his favorite is the one he renovated, the New Amsterdam Theater, a Times Square landmark. The gargoyles were a hoot, the moldings a challenge.

But 7 World Trade Center is the only skyscraper he's built twice. Not the mushy type, he admits he cried when, in a coda to a horrific day, the building, evacuated and devastated by fire, shuddered and crumpled, hours after the twin towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001. He was on the roof at a Tishman job in Midtown and could scarcely comprehend the desecration he saw unfolding downtown. "The first time I built 7 World Trade, I thought it would last a lifetime and a day," he says.

Mr. Cettina's "people" number 600 on the site of the new 7 World Trade Center, and because they are a competent crew and he is a demanding taskmaster, the topping out of the skyscraper - the positioning of the final steel beam on the 52nd story - is taking place as originally, and optimistically, scheduled.

"Politics dictated that certain things had to happen at certain times, and we set out to make sure they did," he says. "I had wanted to come back down here in the worst way, and when Tishman got the contract, nobody was happier than me." No qualms about building something he'd already built? Mr. Cettina, whose two sons work for the Tishmans after receiving college tuition assistance from them, is not bothered by déjà vu. "I do this for a living," he says. "Wanting to rebuild was automatic."

First came the groundbreaking in November 2003, then the activation of the Con Ed substation in the skyscraper's base, and now, 15,000 tons of steel later, the target date for the topping out ceremony has been met. "We set ourselves a schedule that was difficult but doable," he says. "There was a lot of resolve and resolution from the trades. Nobody gave up. Nobody begged off. This building is a symbol."

Mr. Cettina is positive that the new 7 World Trade Center is the safest skyscraper ever to poke its nose up into the cityscape: "It's a building within a building," he says of its reinforced concrete core and steel frame. "There is no stronger or better way to build a building. This one will last two lifetimes and a day." A heady prediction, but he can't help himself.

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

Nice article to read BigMac, thanks for that.

Looks like we got confirmation that it's topped out...

NY1

Seven World Trade Center To Be "Topped Out"

http://www.ny1.com/Content/images/live/70/139188.JPG

OCTOBER 21ST, 2004

Seven World Trade Center was the last building to collapse September 11, 2001, but it is the first to be rebuilt.

On Thursday, the 52-story skyscraper will be "topped out" – one month ahead of schedule and just 10 months after the first steel beam for the tenant floors went into place.

"It will be the first building rebuilt to show we are back stronger than ever in Lower Manhattan," said Governor George Pataki last December.

All of the major rebuilding players are expected to be in attendance to see the final steel beam ceremoniously raised into position.

The new building, which was designed by architect David Childs, is five stories taller than its predecessor but is skinnier. The first ten floors will be occupied by a Con Edison substation that provides power for the trade center site and parts of Lower Manhattan. The tenant floors begin on the 11th.

Although the building is expected to be complete by next year, an anchor tenant has not signed on the dotted line. Developer Larry Silverstein says he is not worried.

"We are talking now to a number of tenants," said Silverstein. "Now that the building is clearly happening and people begin to realize that this is going to be a fete accompli, and that it's a major and a significant building, the level of activity has increased significantly, which is very gratifying."

The new skyscraper is across the street from where the Freedom Tower will eventually rise. According to the developer, the two office towers will share sophisticated design features that will make the buildings safer.

"The life safety enhancements that we are building into Seven will be included in the Freedom Tower and in every one of the buildings to be built at the Trade Center," said Silverstein. "That's crucially important and considering what we learned on 9/11 that is the only way we would rebuild the Trade Center."

Some of those safety features include a two-foot concrete core that surrounds the elevator shafts and fire stairs. And those stairs are five and a half feet wide, with landings deep enough to fit a person in a wheelchair while keeping the flow of foot traffic moving.

It's a sign that some of the lessons learned will hopefully make the site a safer place.

GOVERNOR PATAKI AND MAYOR BLOOMBERG CELEBRATE RETURN OF 7 WORLD TRADE CENTER TO NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE

More than 500 Workers Join in Topping Out Ceremony at 7 World Trade Center To Mark Placing of Final Steel Beam Atop 750-Foot Lower Manhattan Office Tower
Governor George E. Pataki and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today joined Silverstein Properties President Larry A. Silverstein and approximately 500 construction workers at a topping out ceremony marking the completion of steel erection for the new 7 World Trade Center, which will replace the original Silverstein office building destroyed on September 11, 2001.

The final steel beam, which was adorned with the same American flag used in the topping out ceremony for the original 7 World Trade Center, was signed by Governor Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg, Mr. Silverstein and other dignitaries. It was then raised 750 feet in the air and placed at the top the 52-story building, which is striving to be the first certified "green" commercial building in New York City. The new 7 World Trade Center is taller and sleeker than the original. Its 47-story predecessor rose to a height of 640 feet.

"Today, we celebrate the return of 7 World Trade Center to New York City's skyline," Governor Pataki said. "This building will set new standards in safety, efficiency and environmental sensitivity, and serve as a shining example for new construction. 7 World Trade Center was the last building to fall on September 11th, but I am proud that it is the first building to return and mark our progress in the rebuilding process. This building, like all of our efforts in Lower Manhattan, show that New York has the courage to rebuild and the commitment to honor the heroes we lost."

Mayor Bloomberg said, "Three years after terrorists brought down 7 World Trade Center, our strength and resolve is putting it back up. In addition to the unmistakable message we send to the world through the rebuilding effort, the return of 7 World Trade Center will serve as a vital economic boost for Lower Manhattan and the region, and will prove to be an inviting gateway to the full World Trade Center site."

Larry Silverstein said, "This is the perfect example of the magnificent things that can be accomplished when government, labor and the private sector are working hand in hand toward a common and inspired goal. In raising the final beam of steel 750 feet into the air, we are returning 7 World Trade Center to its rightful place in Lower Manhattan."

Like the original building, 7 World Trade Center is built on land leased by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Port Authority Vice Chairman Charles A. Gargano said, "New York will always be a city of skyscrapers and today we top off another building that will grace the New York skyline. Since Sept. 11, we've disbursed almost $1 billion to assist in the economic recovery of Lower Manhattan. We've helped to stabilize more than 16,000 businesses, keeping hundreds of thousands of jobs downtown. We're rebuilding and reshaping the skyline, bringing glass, steel and concrete together. According to estimates, the physical rebuilding of the World Trade Center alone will generate $15 billion in total economic output in New York City and an average of 8,000 jobs each year for over a decade."

Port Authority Executive Director Joseph J. Seymour said, "We should be proud of how much we have accomplished at the Trade Center site in such a short time, and as I prepare to leave my job as Executive Director, I am honored to have been a part of this historic process. We began planning work within weeks of the September 11th tragedy, dedicating our efforts to the memory of those we lost and vowing to remain unbowed. In short order, we restored critical PATH service in record time, developed designs for a spectacular memorial and transportation hub, and broke ground on the 1,776-foot-tall Freedom Tower. Today, led by the unwavering vision of Governor Pataki, we top off the first new skyscraper to be rebuilt in Lower Manhattan, and in doing so, we note yet another milestone while recommitting ourselves to completing the important work that remains."

John C. Whitehead, Chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, said, "Who could have believed three years ago, in the midst of the most horrendous terrorist attack in American history, that anything would have arisen so quickly from those ashes, let alone a beautiful skyscraper that will provide thousands of jobs for New Yorkers. This is a tribute not only to New York and Lower Manhattan, but to all the hundreds of men and women who made this possible under the leadership of Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg, and the tireless determination of the never yielding, driving force of Larry Silverstein."

Lower Manhattan Development Corporation President Kevin M. Rampe said, "A great milestone has been reached today in the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan where the last building to fall is now the first building to rise. Today's topping out has been made possible by the leadership of Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg and the outstanding public-private collaboration of all those involved in the rebuilding and revitalization efforts."

The new 7 World Trade Center is bound by Greenwich, Vesey, Washington and Barclay Streets. In bid to create a more vibrant and interconnected neighborhood, Mr. Silverstein's architect, David Childs, Consulting Design Partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, designed a sleeker building, which allows for the re-introduction of Greenwich Street through the World Trade Center site and for the creation of a new neighborhood park.

David Childs said, "Not only will this building and its park serve as the gateway to the World Trade Center and Lower Manhattan, we believe it will set a new standard of commercial building design and construction in New York and across the country."

Tishman Construction Corporation, which built the original 7 World Trade Center for Mr. Silverstein, is Contractor for the project as well as for the Freedom Tower. During the ceremony, Daniel R. Tishman, Chairman and CEO of Tishman Construction Corp., presented Mr. Silverstein with a painting of the building by New York artist Robert Neffson.

Daniel Tishman said, "On behalf of all the construction workers and the Tishman management team here at 7 World Trade Center, I want to personally thank Larry Silverstein for championing this incredible rebuilding effort and never giving up. We appreciate this historic opportunity to build 7 again to even higher standards than before, and today's topping out marks a significant milestone in achieving those objectives."

Silverstein Properties has incorporated a host of life-safety and environmental enhancements into the 1.7 million square foot 7 World Trade Center. When completed, it is expected to become a prototype for all new high-rise construction, including the Freedom Tower and four other buildings that Mr. Silverstein will build on the World Trade Center site.

The office tower also was designed to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, and Silverstein Properties has already been recognized with an award from the Environmental Protection Agency for "demonstrating clean construction and improved air quality" and providing a "model for other businesses."

In September 2004, Silverstein Properties selected the world's largest commercial real estate services firm, CB Richard Ellis, to serve as the exclusive leasing agent for 7 World Trade Center.

Tenant floors begin at the 11th floor above grade; the entire building is 52 stories. The untenanted first 10 floors largely are given over to a series of huge bays housing transformers for a Consolidated Edison substation and the street-level lobby facing Greenwich Street, which leads to elevator banks to the tenant floors. The Con Ed substation supplies electrical service to all of Lower Manhattan and replaces equipment destroyed by the attacks on the World Trade Center.

http://www.renewnyc.com/images/home_102104.jpg

from LMDC

Pics by Newsday of the topping out ceremony...

http://www.nynewsday.com/media/photo/2004-10/14754280.jpg
The last I beam is hoisted to the top of 7 World Trade Center Thursday, October 21, 2004, during the topping off ceremony in lower Manhattan.

http://www.nynewsday.com/media/photo/2004-10/14754281.jpg
Construction workers applaud as the last I beam is hoisted to the top of 7 World Trade Center Thursday, October 21, 2004, at the topping off ceremony in lower Manhattan.

http://www.nynewsday.com/media/photo/2004-10/14754216.jpg

http://www.nynewsday.com/media/photo/2004-10/14753693.jpg
Construction workers lean against the final steel beam before it is lifted into place at a topping out ceremony to mark completion of steel erection for 7 World Trade Center October 21, 2004 in New York City. The 52-story building is five stories taller than the original 7 World Trade Center which was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

http://www.nynewsday.com/media/photo/2004-10/14753696.jpg
Mayor Michael Bloomberg (L) and New York Governor George Pataki look on with construction workers at a topping out ceremony to mark completion of steel erection for 7 World Trade Center October 21, 2004 in New York City. The 52-story building is five stories taller than the original 7 World Trade Center

http://www.nynewsday.com/media/photo/2004-10/14753688.jpg
(L-R) Silverstein Properties President Larry Silverstein, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Silverstein Properties Vice President John Klein watch as the final steel beam is lifted into place at a topping out ceremony to mark completion of steel erection for 7 World Trade Center October 21, 2004 in New York City.

http://www.nynewsday.com/media/photo/2004-10/14753690.jpg
Mayor Michael Bloomberg watches with construction workers as the final steel beam is lifted into place at a topping out ceremony to mark completion of steel erection for 7 World Trade Center October 21, 2004 in New York City.

http://www.nynewsday.com/media/photo/2004-10/14753657.jpg
A makeshift memorial to a deceased firefighter is seen after the topping out ceremony to mark completion of steel erection for 7 World Trade Center (R) October 21, 2004 in New York City.

http://www.nynewsday.com/media/photo/2004-10/14753647.jpg
Mayor Michael Bloomberg with construction workers as the final steel beam is lifted into place at a topping out ceremony to mark completion of steel erection for 7 World Trade Center

Congradulations new york city, thanks for the articles from all of you at the scene, I may be pysically in los angeles, but i'm with you in spirit. the original world trade center was my insperation to be part of the process of the construction (in my case plumbing/pipefitting) of skyscrapers in los angeles, (and since other citys as well) i was in middle school at the time of the original WTC construction, and became the 3rd generation in my family to do this for a living. I love being part of the process, the topping out of this office tower, keeps the spirit of the WTC alive for me and for all of us, long live the world trade center......we will never forget!!...........and we WILL rebuild!!!!

Found this at pbase, dated October 17, you can see the new 7 WTC at the lower left in the skyline:

http://www.pbase.com/d405/image/35343251/original.jpg

^Nice pic :)

So, we have 1 building completed at the New WTC, about 4 more to go!

Can't wait for the "other" towers! (Except Freedom Tower of course)

Believe it or not, the topping out of 7WTC made the news up here! I couldn't believe it! :)

That's the most boring skyscraper I've ever seen in my life (well, the most boring from the last decade or two). The whole thing is so plain! I'd much rather have a really attractive lowrise than something like that. Sure, it's quite tall, but it's nothing more than a glass box.

yeah really nice pic! Was it made of Ellis Island? Or at Lady Liberty? :)

That's the most boring skyscraper I've ever seen in my life (well, the most boring from the last decade or two). The whole thing is so plain! I'd much rather have a really attractive lowrise than something like that. Sure, it's quite tall, but it's nothing more than a glass box.

I wouldn't say most boring, there are other boxes that are much more boring but I can in a way see your point.

However, I'm a huge box and glass fan, so I got no problems with the tower. The height is a good bonus at 229 meters/750 feet, which easily makes an impact on the skyline.

A cool thing about the tower and it's glass is that it looks different depending on the day and how the sun hits it. Not considering aesthetics, the tower is unique in the features it offers, including safety and "green" features.

Just wondering, do you prefer the original 7 WTC over this new one?

Patrick, it looks to be from New Jersey.

Patrick, it looks to be from New Jersey.

Well next time that I am in NYC I gotta go to this place!! nice view on the skyline!! :) thanx for explaining the location! :)

Yea, looks like that picture's from Liberty State Park in Jersey.

True just another glass box, but one thing to me, makes this glass box very special.......................it's address, 7 World Trade Center

i used to think that new 7's rather boring also. really, in the months after the attacks, i was reeling from the fact that old 7 actually perished that day. it was so young, and it was such a special building, and i absolutely admired its facade. so yep, i was really disappointed by new 7's seemingly boring design and the fact that old 7 couldn't return to the skyline despite its modern design.

but what amazed me as i see pics of new 7 getting its new glass facade is that, even though the two building are from two eras, new 7 seems to convey the same feeling of strength and dominance (normally, i find glass boxes to be rather weak and transparent) that's really characteristic of old 7. it's almost as if old 7's spirit is returning in the form of this building. i still like old 7 better today, but new 7's worthy enough of a replacement.

really, the only thing i regret now is that the two buildings couldn't exist at the same time. the best scenario for me would be that old 7 survives 9/11 and get fixed (and becomes famous for being the only wtc building to become a part of both the old and new wtc complex) while new 7's built under a different name a block north of the verizon (barclay-vesey) building (and form an awesome building wall with the new goldman sachs building on west st. leading to the wtc and wfc).

Yes, the original no 7 was beautiful. As regards to the blandness of the new one - it could be a good thing. you cant have every building being unusual we have to have some plain ones to balance it out.

Yeah the original 7 was squat and pink. Need I say more.

Also, it might be considered kind of bland and boring (it will be very interesting on certain days as all glass skyscrapers are), but glass towers are always lit up beautifully at night IMO. Just like with the original 7 WTC, the night lighting should be a strong point for this new one, especially with the crown at the top.

I liked the original's facade, but it was kinda too stout.

These are dated Oct 31, posted by NYCTowers at SSP. Notice the white steel at the very top now.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/DSC02781wtc78.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/DSC02785wtc73.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/DSC02782wtc76.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/DSC02790wtc71.jpg

Plus, these two skyline perspectives dated yesterday, Nov 3 found at pbase:

http://www.pbase.com/mikaelrules/image/35887018/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/mikaelrules/image/35886996/original.jpg

Wonderful photos, it looks like most of the roof mechanical eqiupment is set (i.e. cooling towers, storage tank's, pumps etc.) the cranes (at least 2 of them will come off in the next 2 weeks) looks like we got the fence i spoke of in thread 174, i'm not sure which is taller, but 7 WTC and the american express tower a few feet apart in height, (i think 7 is taller by about 6') she looks great, thanks again for photos, helps me feel like i'm there !!!!!!!

In case anyone's interested, a free scale model of this tower is available here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=148952). Some assembly required.

^ nice job!

Here are a few snaps from November 13, during the NYC Meet.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3196/24042004_1113Image0009.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3196/24042004_1113Image0012.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3196/24042004_1113Image0021.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3196/24042004_1113Image00181.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3196/24042004_1113Image0029.JPG

Wow the facade looks amazing!!!

hey jack you should post them up in The Photo Gallery also ;)

A comparison between old and new, though granted this is old 7's worst angle. Just thought you guys would be interested. Both models are scaled at 142ft per inch.

http://img45.exs.cx/img45/6407/7NWTC-7WTC.jpg

lovely models!

^Yeah, they came out pretty nice. I was actually suprised how much the new 7 just towers over the first 7.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/240451775954.jpg
NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 22: The World Trade Center site is seen November 22, 2004 in New York City. New York Governor George Pataki announced today that the schematic design on the memorial for the site will be complete by the end of the year. Pataki also announced that the nation's four living former presidents, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, will help fundraising efforts for the memorial.

updates??!

wow STR, that's a nice model u got of old 7! it looks almost like the real building! haha...yeah, old 7 looks downright bulky from the north, but i feel that if it's viewed from the south, it looks even nicer than new 7. i find both buildings to be special in their own ways, and i regret that both buildings could not exist simultaneously.

personally, i find new 7 to be more bland compared to its predecessor, but its redeeming feature is its crown, which seems to resemble the top floors of the twin towers, and its sharp creases in its shape that reflects the forms of old 7. really, i find this building to be a fitting tribute to the twins and old 7 with characteristics of all three buildings embedded in it, combined with a postmodern facade that gave it its own distinct look.

construction progress? New shots??!

Found this one at pbase, dated December 18.

Impact from the Brooklyn Bridge:

http://www.pbase.com/cover2sucks/image/37641984/original.jpg

December 29, 2004

http://img145.exs.cx/img145/5301/dscf00087wtcucdec04tothenortht.jpg

http://img134.exs.cx/img134/2849/dscf00097wtcucdec04tothenorthm.jpg

the building is coming along very nicely..

i was in new jersey from 12/24-1/1 and these pics are among those that i took on new years day from liberty state park just before i headed back to cali. it's the first time that i ever saw new 7 (it was only a 2-story concrete shell when i visited nyc last august). the pics really show the growing role of new 7 in the lower manhattan skyline.

sadly, i was only able to view new 7 from 1 angle since the person who drove me to the park did not know that there're free parking close to the waterfront of the park. so, much time was wasted hiking across the park and there's not enough time to stroll the waterfront promenade before i had to head to the airport.

http://img64.exs.cx/img64/6550/img17861bv.jpg

http://img64.exs.cx/img64/5968/img17910oy.jpg

http://img64.exs.cx/img64/5897/img18029al.jpg

the first thought i had when i laid my eyes on the facade of new 7 was that the building looks so blue! when its design was first unveiled, i thought that new 7 would wind up looking transparent. but im glad that it's not the case.

nice shots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nice when is it supposed to be done

Great shots LeCom and 7 World Trade. It's coming along nicely even though the only progress at this point seems to be more facade.

I love how the glass changes with the weather. Sometimes on a more dreary and cloudy day the tower looks really gray and blends in really with the landscape while on a bright and sunny day, this nice blue comes out on the facade and it's really noticeable among it's surroundings. It has a good ability to reflect too.

More importantly I just noticed how well the tower blends into the skyline with the World Financial Center after looking at 7 World Trade's pictures. Even with the sun glow, it's like a cousin of the WFC or something.

This explains the blue facade effect...

Silverstein exec Dara McQuillan says the effect is caused by thin blue spandrels at the bottom of the 10-foot glass panes. They cannot be seen from the street, but light reflecting off them onto the glass causes the facade to emit a blueish hue at times

BTW, 7 World Trade, did you make into Manhattan?

Are they going to fill in those two lines with windows, or are they vents for the air conditioning?

More importantly I just noticed how well the tower blends into the skyline with the World Financial Center after looking at 7 World Trade's pictures. Even with the sun glow, it's like a cousin of the WFC or something.

See, I knew I wasn't the only one. :D

yeah, new 7 wtc really looks nice with the wfc when it's blue like that. even though the wfc's tannish gray/predominantly masonry and new 7 wtc's blue/all glass. same thing goes for the original 7 wtc. its brown color and modernist facade also goes nice with the wfc and verizon building.

and savethewtc, to answer your question: no, i didn't get to visit manhattan (otherwise i would've flooded this forum with pics by now) because the only time i have available for visiting manhattan during my nj trip was on 12/31 (i had to attend this special event my church hosted for the other days), and on that day, the highways and trains would be totally jam packed with new years revelers heading to times square (and none of my fellow friends in jersey obviously did not want to brave the traffic). so, i decided that going to liberty state park on that day would be good enough, but my fellow jersey friends decided to bowl and hang out at somerville that same day and i went off with them (they obviously were not skyscrapers enthusiasts like me, and the idea of going to liberty state park just for the skyline view is more like a time-waster for them...hehe). but luckily i had some time before heading back to cali on 1/1, so i dropped by the park with the person who drove me to the airport (he works for merrill lynch in 4 wfc!) and saw the city.

so yeah, i didn't get to see manhattan, but to tell you the truth, i missed my church friends in jersey more than nyc, so i decided to hang out with them on the only day we can really do so. at least thank God at the end i got to hang out with them AND see nyc during this trip.

oh btw, i'll probably return to the east coast and venture into nyc as early as this june. i plan to visit rutgers university this summer with my family members(it's my top choice university unless i somehow managed to get into ucla), and i plan to check out the midtown and downtown skylines after visiting the university and flood the forum with pics once i get back...lol

Good to hear you'll come in June, should be much weather by then.

More updates...

Found on pbase dated January 1:

http://www.pbase.com/buster1971/image/38151437/original.jpg

Here's two shots of the skyline found at pbase with the new 7 WTC included, dated yesterday on a rainy day, January 8:

http://www.pbase.com/veganphoto/image/38451189/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/veganphoto/image/38451136/original.jpg

BTW, is it me or does anyone else always have the need to include the "new" part when mentioning this 7 WTC. I don't know, if I simply use the term "7 WTC" then it's kind of taking away from the original.

well, savethewtc, i attach the "new" to this building because i want to distinguish it from the original. personally, even though new 7 really impressed me a lot more than a week ago from this post, i still like the orignal 7 more with its unique facade that conveyed strength better than new 7. and i feel that if one of the two buildings get the "7 wtc" title, i'd give it to the original one (it got more of a "7 wtc" feel than the new one).

if i have to rank the two buildings, i'd give the original 7 a 9 and new 7 a 7.5 (7 on days when it looks gray, like the pic on post #205, 8 on days when it looks blue).

isnt morgan stanley moving back to lower manhattan and gonna add 104,000 jobs

More good stuff from pbase, dated January 13:

http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed/image/38630127/large.jpg

Wow. That's coming along so nice!

Does anyone know if there's been a date set for completion of the glass?

That's a nice photo. It gives you a good perspective of how much more commanding its presence is on the skyline than the old 7WTC.

I haven't been to this thread in awhile, and I see it has sprouted up much more since I saw it last. The glass is looking nice too.

More from pbase, the facade on a nice reflective silvery day:

http://www.pbase.com/tastyorange/image/38526976/large.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/tastyorange/image/38526809/large.jpg

That building is gorgeous. NYC is fast becoming a city of glass.

"Little Update" of WTC 7 yesterday in New York.
Now i am home in Germany after a fun weekend in NYC:



http://www.fvgffm.de/temp/newyork/1.jpg

http://www.fvgffm.de/temp/newyork/2.jpg

http://www.fvgffm.de/temp/newyork/3.jpg

http://www.fvgffm.de/temp/newyork/4.jpg

does anybody know what percent of the building is sold or leased?

about time that they start working on the base of the building. new 7wtc's really special in that they actually leave the exterior construction of the base to the last. anyone know how will the base of the building look like?

personally, i think cladding the base in black granite would be cool...forms a nice contrast to the glass.

Picture dated Feb. 13 from pbase, reflected in the Millenium Hilton:

http://www.pbase.com/3abxo3/image/39737839/original.jpg

found this while browsing the Peri website :

http://www.peri.de/ww/en/pub/projects.cfm/fuseaction/diashow/reference_ID/523/currentimage/1/referencecategory_ID/6.cfm

Any updates on this?

Looks like 7WTC might be getting some more tenants...

------------------
Demand for Downtown Office Space Continues to Grow
Friday, March 4: Lower Manhattan's vacancy rate for class A office space continued to fall in February, registering at 13.2 percent and signaling continued economic growth downtown, Dow Jones reported.

The drop in vacant space -- a slight decrease from January's 13.4 percent and the 13.8 percent recorded a year earlier -- is attributed to Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson's renewal and expansion of a lease at 1 New York Plaza -- the largest real estate deal of the month. The law firm is also considering the possibility of moving to 7 World Trade Center once it is completed, according to Dow Jones.

Robert Sammons, director of research at Colliers, a commercial real estate services firm, expects downtown rents to rise from 4 percent to 5 percent in 2005, due to renewed interest in the area, Dow Jones said.

Vacancy rates for class A office space also fell throughout Manhattan for the fourth month in a row. In February, citywide rates dropped to 9.4 percent from 9.6 percent in January, steadily approaching a low of 9 percent not seen since April 2002, Dow Jones noted.

http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/downtown_review/week_in_review_89186.asp#0

-------------------
To bad the SEC won't go back to 7WTC but at least it'll stay at 3WFC, lowering the vacancy rate even further...and the article also mentioned that the SEC offices currently at Woolworth will be replaced by more gov't offices....good news for Lower Manhattan all around :)

Great News, Maybe this will convince silverstein to Push Freedom Tower a little higher??

Maybe it'll convince Silverstein and Pataki to grow a pair and build a new set of twins. But I'd settle for a Freedom Tower with more office space anyday.

That's not realistic though.


I will agree that Pataki and Silverstein need to sprout a penis and grow some balls, that I'm with you on. :cheers:

From the world forums...

this is how 7 WTC looks now...photos taken by me today, 03/13/2005

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/2.jpg



the lobby....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/3.jpg



looking up...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/4.jpg

Don't know if this is posted here somewhere... But does anyone know the floor space compared to the original WTC7?

I'm not sure of the figures, but I believe that the original World Trade Center 7 had larger floor space because it had a larger footprint, but wasn't too much shorter.

More updates from pbase found, I'll post the original sizes links below each pic if you want them. They're too big to post here.

March 12:

http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed/image/40723641/large.jpg

Original (http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed/image/40723641/original.jpg)

March 14:

http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed/image/40859408/large.jpg

Original (http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed/image/40859408/original.jpg)

nice, any recent? I hear the glass is all up now

Possible tenant...

NY Daily News

Silverstein's eying CIT for 7 WTC deal

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/999-realestate.JPG
The Art Deco 17-story office building at 305 E. 46th St. will be converted into condos by builder Gary Barnett.


A new prospective tenant has surfaced for 7 World Trade Center, which Larry Silverstein is rebuilding at Ground Zero.

He's been searching for tenants as the new skyscraper takes shape. But so far, the only occupant of the 52-story building is a Con Edison substation on its bottom floors.

Now there's word that CIT Group has taken a look at the elegant glass tower, with an eye to possibly moving there. CIT, a big commercial lender, currently has its office in midtown, at 1211 Sixth Ave. CIT's broker is CB Richard Ellis - which also is Silverstein's leasing agent for 7 World Trade Center.

A spokesman for CB Richard Ellis declined to comment.

Some downtown real estate players aren't overly optimistic that Silverstein will ultimately land CIT as a tenant. They fear that CIT's new CEO Jeffrey Peek - a former investment banker from Merrill Lynch - prefers a high-profile midtown address for CIT.

CIT didn't return a call seeking comment.

Other prospects have come and gone without signing on the dotted line at 7 World Trade Center - among them the Securities and Exchange Commission, which had been a tenant in the original building before it was destroyed on 9/11.

Instead, the SEC wound up renting a big office at nearby 3 World Financial Center.

TRADING PLACES

The SEC's not the only new tenant heading for 3 World Financial Center. The co-owner of the building, Brookfield Properties, rented 55,000 square feet there for its headquarters.

Brookfield's move from its current home at 1 Liberty Plaza is prompted by one of those old-fashioned business maxims - keep the customer happy.

The customer in question is RBC Capital Markets, a big tenant at 1 Liberty Plaza.

"As our business expands in New York City, we need more space," said RBC's Chris Pepper.

The investment bank wanted the add-on to be near its existing office - and Brookfield's clearing out in deference to that wish.

CONDO SWITCH

Residential builder Gary Barnett has a new project on the drawing board.

Barnett's known for high-profile developments like the conversion of the famed Stanhope Hotel to luxury apartments.

Now he's turning a 17-story office building at 305 E. 46th St. into condos. He bought the property for $38 million last year, city records indicate.

Tenants are in the process of leaving the golden-brick 1920s building with Art Deco touches. For instance, Boom - which develops and markets bath and beauty products - is going to nearby 800 Third Ave., where it subleased 12,000 square feet.

Jim Gross of Williamson Picket Gross - who brokered the sale of the 46th St. building to Barnett - represented Boom in its rental deal.

Gross also found a 10,000-square-foot office at 800 Third for Barnett's firm, Intell Management.

Jane Roundell of CRESA Partners represented the space-holder, Vivendi, in both deals at 800 Third.

Originally published on March 21, 2005

yay

i hope this building will gain more tenants at the end, so it won't have to sit largely empty for more than a year after completion like what happened to the original 7 (at least it was practically fully leased by the time it fell).

Posted at SSP by NYguy:

Some 7 WTC images:


http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/WTC7_future_1.jpg_http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/WTC7_future_8.jpg


http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/WTC7_future_10.jpg


http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/wtc7_2.jpghttp://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/wtc7_4.jpghttp://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/wtc7_March_image-5.jpg


http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/wtc7_7.jpghttp://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/wtc7_8.jpg


http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/wtc7_9.jpg

February 2005: The steel structure was pulled into place by large cranes perched above the building


http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/wtc7_10.jpg

February 2005: Many of the construction workers are at work on the building's roof, 750-feet in the sky.


http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/wtc7_12.jpg

February 2005: The tower is being built with redundancy in the steel frame, super fireproofing material, wider and better-lit stairs, more ground-level exits, emergency generators, and a redundant emergency command center.


http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/wtc7_14.jpg

February 2005: Construction workers install the windows which are designed to be taller along the exterior wall than at the core, making the full-length windows feel bright and airy.


http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/wtc7_17.jpg

February 2005: Blue panels are installed in the base of each window frame to illuminate the building with a blueish tint.


http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/gallery/photos/wtc7_19.jpg

February 2005: Space is maximized on each floor since the building's infrastructure is encased in the vertical core.

interesting images cheers for those :)

im glad to see that the construction is going smoothly...i cant wait till the whole project is finished...im toooo ancy to see how itll turn out

Long article on the building so I'll provide a link. I love the title:

The Building Everyone Will Date But No One Will Marry:

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/images/news/05/04/groundzero040511_400.jpg
Seven World Trade Center should be ready for tenants by the beginning of next year.

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/realestate/urbandev/features/11718/index.html

Some cool features, especially the elevator chips...

NY Daily News

Silverstein boasts of 7 WTC safety

By NICOLE BODE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Ground Zero developer Larry Silverstein trumpeted the new 7 World Trade Center yesterday as a high-tech wonder that would set a new standard for skyscraper safety.

The 52-story building will have super-reinforced walls, air filters to guard against bio-terror attacks and space-age buttonless elevators that whisk workers to their desired floor automatically.

"The bar is raised," Silverstein told an engineering conference in midtown Manhattan. "Those walls are designed to stand forever."

Silverstein said city building and public safety officials were awed by the improvements in the new building, which is expected to be completed next year.

The builder said the core of the building would be encased in two-foot thick concrete that would protect elevators, stairs and power systems from fire or terror attack.

Stairwells will be 20% wider than building codes require - a move to ease congestion during possible evacuations.

Perhaps the most visible improvement would be the new automated elevators.

Workers or visitors would be given chips that automatically direct them to the correct elevator and takes them to the right floor - all without any buttons

"This is truly automation in elevators," he said.

He even boasted that a 15,000-square-foot park outside the building would be a "little jewel."

"This time next year, we expect to be occupants of this building," he said.

Silverstein seemed less sanguine about the progress on the new Freedom Tower expected to rise on the site of the original twin towers, hinting that design squabbles could further delay the mega-project.

Originally published on April 22, 2005

-------------------
Recent images found at pbase:

http://www.pbase.com/johnpolston/image/41911583/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/johnpolston/image/41911582/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/johnpolston/image/41911585/original.jpg