Silverstein Unveils Taller, Sleeker 7 WTC Design

NEW YORK CITY-Developer Larry Silverstein played master of ceremonies at yesterday’s unveiling of the new 7 World Trade Center, officially heralding the first major step toward the redevelopment of Ground Zero. The $700-million project, under construction since May, will be taller but less bulky than its predecessor, which burned down following last year’s Sept. 11 twin tower bombings.

While Silverstein called it a “bittersweet day, bitter because of the memories of Sept. 11,” the atmosphere was across-the-board optimistic. Even the weather cooperated, as Silverstein introduced a victory-flushed Governor George Pataki, a Bermuda-tanned Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a dais packed with city, state and private-sector dignitaries to an SRO crowd gathered at the sun-drenched construction site.

Skidmore Owings and Merrill architect David M. Childs explained the new design, which he said is “all about openness.” At 52 stories, with the first 10 floors housing a Con Edison substation, the new 7 WTC will be a 750 feet tall glass-curtain parallelogram totaling 1.6-million sf, roughly 400,000 sf smaller than its predecessor. Set farther to the west than the original building, the new 7 WTC will return Greenwich Street to the original grid, allowing for pedestrian and vehicular access.