January 6, 2004
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announced the selection of “Reflecting Absence” by designers Michael Arad and Peter Walker as the winners of the World Trade Center Memorial Design Competition.

January 14, 2004
Michael Arad and Peter Walker unveiled their revised design for “Reflecting Absence.” The signature "voids" -- cascading pools sunken thirty feet into the footprints of the Twin Towers -- remained the centerpiece of the design, but important changes had also been made, including extensive landscaping in the plaza surrounding the voids, the creation of an underground memorial center to house 9/11 artifacts, and the placement of a cultural center at the intersection of Fulton and Greenwich Streets. Refinements to the original design also included the decision to list victims’ names in random order but with indicators beside those who were rescue workers.

January 22, 2004
Santiago Calatrava unveiled his design for the transportation hub to be built at the World Trade Center site. The hub will sit at the northeast corner of the site at Church and Vesey Streets and is expected to form an underground connection between the World Financial Center and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's proposed Fulton Street Transit Center. Through it, pedestrians will have access to Hudson River ferry terminals, PATH trains, 14 subway lines, and, potentially, a direct rail link to JFK International Airport. By 2020, the Port Authority expects the hub to serve 250,000 commuters and visitors daily.

February 5, 2004
Four options for a direct rail link from Lower Manhattan to JFK International Airport were outlined after being deemed the most feasible of several alternatives examined since an airport-access study was launched September 2003. City Hall, the LMDC, MTA, and Port Authority will continue to examine the four options in detail and gather information on potential ridership, environmental impact, construction costs, station locations, and alignment between different rail systems. The service will link JFK to either the proposed Fulton Street Transit Center or the World Trade Center's transportation hub, terminals which will be connected by an underground pedestrian walkway.

April 2, 2004 
The  Skyscraper Museum -- the first new museum to open in downtown New York since 9/11 -- officially welcomed the public into its galleries on April 2. The private, not-for-profit, educational corporation offers exhibitions, programs, and publications from its location at 39 Battery Place , right near the skyscrapers and concrete canyons of lower Broadway and Wall Street.

April 8, 2004
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announced the establishment of a Memorial Center Advisory Committee, which will provide suggestions regarding the content, programming, and guidelines for the Memorial Center at the future World Trade Center site. The 24-member committee will issue recommendations -- submitted to the public for review and comment -- related to the curatorial mission and possible program elements of the Memorial Center .

April 13, 2004
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation named the firm David Brody Bond the official associate architect for the WTC memorial. Located at 315 Hudson Street , the 90-member firm will support memorial designers Michael Arad and Peter Walker as they develop their project, "Reflecting Absence."

May 1, 2004 
The nine-day Tribeca Film Festival opened for its third year. The festival, which was created by Tribeca Film Institute founders Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in response to the 9/11 attacks, seeks to foster the economic and cultural growth of Tribeca and the surrounding community. This year, it attracted more than 300,000 visitors to Lower Manhattan.

May 10, 2004 
NYC & Company, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and the September 11 th Fund, in collaboration with local community and business leaders, formally launched "Explore Chinatown" -- a new marketing campaign intended to increase the number of tourists visiting Chinatown and to rebuild and improve the neighborhood's economy.

May 11, 2004 
The city named British architectural firm Richard Rogers Partnership and downtown-based firms SHoP/Sharples Holden and Pasquarelli Architects as lead consultants on a project to redevelop Lower Manhattan 's East River waterfront. The firms were tasked with creating a new riverfront landscape stretching from Battery Park to the Lower East Side.

May 16, 2004 
Con Ed flipped the switch on the newly built electric substation at Ground Zero, supplying power from the World Trade Center site to Battery Park City for the first time since 9/11. 

May 26, 2004 
The design for Lower Manhattan 's $750 million Fulton Street Transit Center was unveiled. The new center will house nine subway lines - the A, C, L, M, Z, 2, 3, 4, and 5 -- as well as a concourse below Dey Street that will provide access to the WTC PATH train. A lofty, glass-over-steel cone will open the station to daylight, allowing light to bounce between panes of glass and refract down two levels below the street. Tentative plans for that space include retail shops and other amenities, and, potentially, restaurants or public balconies.

June 1, 2004
The LMDC board approved the general project plan for the rebuilding of Ground Zero and announced the completion of the environmental review process.

June 7, 2004
A groundbreaking was held for the $8.5 million renovation of the Bosque Area of Battery Park, a section of the park located along the waterfront. Reconstruction of the Bosque -- a Spanish word meaning "grove of trees" -- will transform the setting into a lush, green destination spot.

June 10, 2004
After reviewing more than 100 proposals, the LMDC, along with its city and state partners, selected four cultural institutions that will provide a wide-ranging, diverse mix of dance, theatre, and fine arts for the performing arts center to be built at the World Trade Center site. Space was offered to the Joyce International Dance Center , the Freedom Center , the Signature Theatre, and the Drawing Center.

June 14, 2004
Renovation of the park at Bowling Green was completed. The project, which was sponsored by an $854,000 grant from the LMDC, included the restoration of the park's original iron fence -- a historical landmark -- installed in 1771.

June 17, 2004
The Greenmarket returned to World Trade Center site. Thanks to an agreement with the Port Authority, which owns the WTC site, four farmers set up tables filled with local produce and baked goods along the north side of the entrance to the temporary WTC PATH Terminal, providing fresh goods to the Lower Manhattan community.

June 21, 2004
Tribeca Park opened, marking the conclusion of a $715,000 revitalization effort.

June 24, 2004
Enhancements to the Vesey Street pedestrian bridge over West Street , including escalator service, were completed.

July 4, 2004
The Freedom Tower ground-breaking ceremony marked Ground Zero's transformation from a clean-up and construction-preparation site to an exciting center of rapid rebuilding progress. It also marks the culmination of more than two years of planning and public participation, unprecedented collaboration between city and state agencies, and the work and creative genius of world-celebrated architects and engineers.

July 9, 2004
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation gave $3.5 million to restore the “Tribute in Light” memorial. The symbolic twin beams of light, which were first illuminated on March 11, 2002 , will return to Manhattan skies every September 11 for the next five years.

July 29, 2004
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor George Pataki announced President George W. Bush's approval of a plan to redirect up to $2 billion in federally funded Liberty Zone tax benefits toward other downtown rebuilding efforts. Among the projects expected to receive funding is a $6 billion rail link between Lower Manhattan and Long Island and JFK airport.

August 2, 2004 
Downtown's Church Street post office, located next to Ground Zero, reopened after undergoing extensive renovations to repair the damage it suffered during the 9/11 attacks. Located at 90 Church Street , the 15-story historic building underwent a substantial restoration process that included the replacement of 800 windows and the refinishing of the building's original marble lobby.

August 2, 2004 
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation issued a formal request for proposals for architectural services for the cultural complexes at the new WTC site. The two cultural complexes planned for the new WTC, scheduled for completion in 2009, are expected to house six theaters, ranging from 99 to 1,000 seats each; large galleries for drawings and artifacts related to freedom; a Pilates studio; two gift shops; three bookstores; four cafes; a ground-floor dance rehearsal studio; a place for special events, and a ceremonial space. The deadline for selecting the architects is September 27, 2004.

August 3, 2004 
The Statue of Liberty began welcoming the public once again. The Statue of Liberty was closed after September 11, 2001 , due to increased security measures and has undergone a series of renovations and security improvements over the past year.

August 11, 2004 
The Coordinated Construction Act for Lower Manhattan was signed by Governor George Pataki. The bill, proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, would help ease downtown’s redevelopment by making certain that construction in Lower Manhattan’s neighborhoods occurs in the most time-conscious manner while also ensuring fairness, safety, and cost efficiency. The bill is part of a broader initiative on behalf of the city and state to ensure the participation of women- and minority-owned businesses in the downtown redevelopment process.

September 14, 2004 
LMDC representatives presented an eagerly awaited study about the cleaning and deconstruction of 130 Liberty Street, previously owned by Deutsche Bank. The study was the first in a series of "characterizations" to determine how to best bring down the building without compromising local air quality.

September 26, 2004 
The Autumn Moon Festival kicks off in Chinatown, the first of several downtown cultural festivals during the Fall which also included the Splendor of Florence festival in the Financial District, the San Gennaro festival in Little Italy and the Tribeca Theater Festival.

September 27, 2004 
Four reconstructed ballfields are opened in John V. Lindsay East River Park. The $4.6 million project was funded by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. The project included the renovation of two natural grass ballfields and the installation of two state-of-the-art synthetic turf fields that will maximize playtime and enable year-round use.

September 30, 2004 
The Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) opened Teardrop Park. The $17 million Park, which was funded by the BPCA, is located in the center of a block bordered by River Terrace, North End Avenue, and Murray and Warren Streets.

October 12, 2004 
Three new tennis courts in the Lower Manhattan portion of Hudson River Park opened. The tennis courts are part of an effort, proposed by the Hudson River Park Trust and funded by the LMDC, to strengthen the neighborhoods of Tribeca and Battery Park City. These courts were built to replace the tennis courts in Battery Park City that were closed after September 11, 2001. Located along the Hudson River between West Houston and Canal Streets, the tennis courts are free and open to the public.

October 12, 2004 
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announced the selection of Gehry Partners LLP and Snohetta as the designers of the cultural center at the World Trade Center site. The cultural center will be comprised of two buildings incorporating dance, theatre, museum, and fine arts facilities. Gehry will design the performing arts complex, which includes the Joyce Theater International Dance Center as well as the Signature Theatre Center. Snohetta will design the museum complex, which will house the Drawing Center and the International Freedom Center.

October 21, 2004 
The 750-foot-tall 7 World Trade Center officially reached its peak when it was crowned with the final steel beam in a ceremony hosted by developer Larry Silverstein, whose Silverstein Properties will be the tower's first tenant upon its completion late next year. The new tower will rise to 52 stories, five taller than its predecessor, and already houses the fully functional Con Edison electrical substation on its bottom 10 floors, which provides power to Battery Park City and other downtown neighborhoods.

November 12, 2004 
Plans for a new park to be located at the north end of the new World Trade Center site were unveiled to the public, depicting an open triangular space filled with plants, flowers, and trees, among other features. Scheduled to be completed by early 2006, the three-quarter-acre park will be the first new public space to be created at the new WTC site. The park, which will be located at the convergence of Greenwich Street and West Broadway, will serve as an open public space, as well as the forecourt to the already underway 7 World Trade Center.

November 17, 2004 
The $1.8 million reconstruction of Governor Al Smith Playground is completed. The project, funded by LMDC, included new play equipment, a new basketball court, synthetic turf field, and new plantings and landscaping. The reconstruction of Governor Al Smith Playground is the sixth project to be completed as part of the LMDC allocation. Other recently completed projects include renovations at the East River Ballfields, Tribeca Park , Bowling Green Park and Washington Market Park.

November 22, 2004 
In an effort to ease the impact of rebuilding Ground Zero, the mayor and governor signed executive orders establishing a command center in Lower Manhattan that will oversee the extensive construction taking place throughout the area.

December 1, 2004  
A diverse group of more than 30 distinguished members was appointed to serve as the board of directors for the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation. The group, which includes corporate executives, victims' family members, civic leaders, and philanthropists, will work together to raise about $500 million for the construction of the memorial and cultural center on the site.

December 16, 2004  
Expanding on the conceptual renderings unveiled last year, the detailed designs of the 9/11 memorial, "Reflecting Absence," were unveiled. The overall design calls for three levels descending below ground, offering access to the original foundation of the twin towers, and creates a powerful experience intended to remove visitors, physically and emotionally, from the city and everyday life.

Since the jury selection of "Reflecting Absence" by Michael Arad and Peter Walker last January, the design team, which also includes Max Bond and members of these principle architects' firms, embarked on the schematic design process to develop the diverse elements of the memorial.

December 17, 2004  
The first ever information kiosk in Chinatown, located at the divider between Canal, Baxter, and Walker Streets, opened. The kiosk is part of the Explore Chinatown campaign, an initiative funded by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the September 11th Fund to promote the area as a tourism destination filled with many attractions. The kiosk's staff will provide, in several languages, useful information about making the most of exploring Chinatown, including resources for how to discover the area's cultural attractions, restaurants, shops, and special events.

December 27, 2004  
The Chinatown Access and Circulation Study was released. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, in cooperation with the New York City Department of Transportation, studied vehicular and pedestrian concerns that affect the quality of life in Chinatown. The report identifies possible solutions for transportation problems in this area, most of which were significantly exacerbated in the aftermath of 9/11. Recommendations were shaped by community meetings with Chinatown residents as well as by the input of various city agencies.