February 9, 2006
The vacant triangular lot bounded by Canal, Varick, and Laight Streets will be revived with canopy trees, flower beds, and benches thanks to funding authorized by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC)'s board of directors. Board members approved the allocation of $19.5 million to enhance six parks and public spaces in Lower Manhattan. The five other parks that will benefit from the funds are James Madison Plaza; Sara D. Roosevelt Park; the Allen and Pike Street malls; Collect Pond Park; and Washington Market Park.

February 15, 2006
A Request for Proposals (RFP) has been issued to redevelop the 150-acre portion of Governors Island owned by the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC), Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor George Pataki announced. GIPEC, a subsidiary of the Empire State Development Corporation, is seeking proposals to rehabilitate the island's infrastructure and historic structures as well as reconnect it to the broader New York community. New York City and State have raised their combined contribution to fund this project by an additional $30 million, bringing the total commitment to more than $120 million.

March 8 , 2006
Fulfilling part of a pledge made last spring to enrich downtown cultural organizations beyond the World Trade Center site, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) will distribute grants totaling almost $30 million to 63 downtown cultural institutions. The diverse group of recipient institutions includes museums, theaters, and dance and music performance venues spread across the area south of Houston Street from river to river.

March 13 , 2006
Wearing reflective white and yellow hard hats, construction workers descended into the World Trade Center site to begin the official construction of the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum.

March 31 , 2006
The Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation (CPLDC), working together with the City of New York, placed 48 high-end refuse receptacles along Canal Street, Bayard Street, and East Broadway as part of a long-term, fully funded sanitation program called "Clean Streets." The initiative is the result of a survey of more than 3,000 Chinatown residents and businesses that identified improving cleanliness, reducing odors, and removing graffiti as top priorities for the neighborhood.

April 27, 2006
In a banner day for Lower Manhattan, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor George Pataki, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, and other rebuilding officials joined developer Larry Silverstein to welcome construction crews to the World Trade Center site, marking the official start of construction for the Freedom Tower.

May 10, 2006
Lower Manhattan residents, businesses, and community activists marked the grand opening of the new Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) Community Center. Located at 141 Norfolk Street, the new center will hold educational forums and seminars on topics such as health and wellness, classes for immigrants including English as a Second Language (ESL) and one-on-one conversation, fitness programs such as ballroom dancing, Tai Chi, and yoga classes, and family-focused events including movie matinees and cooking lessons.

May 11, 2006
John Whitehead, the congenial and well-respected chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), announced his plans to resign his position at the end of May 2006, after more than four and a half years of spearheading the post-9/11 redevelopment efforts.

May 18, 2006
Governor George Pataki announced that Kevin Rampe will return to lead the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation as its chairman, replacing John Whitehead. The appointment comes one year after Rampe stepped down as president of the agency. Pataki simultaneously appointed prominent tri-state developer Frank Sciame to lead the World Trade Center (WTC) Memorial's development, charging him with reconciling the memorial budget.

May 22, 2006
Exactly four years to the month since construction began, 7 World Trade Center (250 Greenwich Street) opened with a grand public concert outside its front doors. The concert and opening ceremony celebrated the completion of one of the world's safest and "greenest" towers and spotlighted the determination of owner Silverstein Properties to build the tower on schedule and on budget.

May 26, 2006
Gretchen Dykstra, president and CEO of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation (WTCMF), announced that she will resign from her post effective immediately. Joseph Daniels, WTCMF general counsel, was named acting president. 

June 1, 2006
Brookfield Properties cut the ceremonial ribbon on its renovated park at Broadway and Liberty Streets, after just 10 months under construction. Formerly known as Liberty Plaza Park, it was renamed Zuccotti Park in honor of U.S. Chairman of Brookfield Properties John Zuccotti, who is also the chairman of the Real Estate Board of New York, former first deputy mayor of the City of New York, and former chairman of the New York City Planning Commission.

June 20, 2006
After weeks of speculation, a revised plan for the World Trade Center Memorial was released. The new arrangement keeps the memorial in line with the original "Reflecting Absence" design while bringing the cost down to within the established $500 million budget. The changes to the design are not expected to delay the memorial's scheduled September 11, 2009, opening.

June 28, 2006
BearingPoint, Inc., one of the world's largest management and technology consulting firms, signed a lease for 52,000 square feet of office space in Three World Financial Center, the mayor and governor announced. The company plans to create a new national hub office downtown with workspace for 633 employees. In return, BearingPoint will receive a $2.4 million Job Creation and Retention Grant.

June 28, 2006
Architect David Childs unveiled a detailed set of refined Freedom Tower designs on June 28th at the 2006 Design Awards hosted by the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The redesigned Freedom Tower, which will become America's tallest building, will be a monumental glass structure that reflects light from the sky and is topped with a sculpted antenna.

August 3, 2006
The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced that they have awarded the first major contract for construction of the World Trade Center Memorial. The $17 million contract, to build the Memorial's foundation and footings, went to New Jersey firm E.E. Cruz. Work is scheduled to begin later this month and be completed within the next year, keeping the Memorial on schedule for completion by 2009.

August 17 , 2006
Construction of the footings that will support the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum began, the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced. E.E. Cruz & Company, the New Jersey firm awarded a $17 million contract to build the foundation and footings, is expected to complete its work within the next year.

September 6, 2006
The opening phase of work on the Fulton Street Transit Center's oculus began as businesses officially vacated buildings on the east side of Broadway between Fulton and John Streets. With buildings now empty, Metropolitan Transportation Authority crews have coordinated with the city to close the east traffic lane of that block and begin preliminary deconstruction activities, such as disconnecting building utilities and installing a secant wall. Preparations will continue through the winter, and deconstruction of buildings on the site will begin in spring 2007, making way for construction of the station's oculus.

September 6, 2006
Elected officials gathered next to the World Trade Center site for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to herald the opening of the Tribute WTC Visitors' Center. Jennifer Adams, CEO of the September 11th Families Association, proposed the location for the museum in February 2004.

September 8, 2006
Local politicians and community leaders joined members of the downtown community in a dedication ceremony marking the opening of New York Downtown Hospital's new Lehman Brothers Emergency Center. As the only full-service hospital in Lower Manhattan, New York Downtown Hospital cares for more than 33,000 emergency room patients each year, and in the days following September 11th, 2001, the staff treated more than 1,500 people injured in the terrorist attacks.

September 8, 2006
The master plan to redevelop the World Trade Center (WTC)'s main 16 acres was completed as developer Silverstein Properties unveiled designs for towers two, three, and four. Speaking from the top floor of 7 World Trade Center, Larry Silverstein stood with Governor George Pataki to introduce the trio of slim, iconic towers that fill out the WTC's east side.

September 22, 2006
Governor George Pataki, Governor Jon Corzine, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a series of agreements between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and developer Larry Silverstein formalizing the conceptual framework for the World Trade Center site agreed upon by the two parties in April.

October 4, 2006
In time for Columbus Day weekend, the National Park Service (NPS) reopened Federal Hall after an $11.3 million rehabilitation. The project began in March 2005, restoring structural elements of the 1842, Greek Revival-style building, as well as replacing its heating and cooling systems.

December 15, 2006
The Freedom Tower's ascent to its 1,776 feet peak began with the arrival of the first steel beams to the World Trade Center site. The arrival ends a 4,700-mile journey that began in Differdange, Luxembourg, where the steel was produced, and included a stop at Lynchburg, Virginia's Banker Steel for final fabrication. Now begins the shipping phase, during which the 27 "extra-large" steel columns, weighing 2,440 pounds per foot and range from 30 to 56 feet in length, will reach their ultimate home in Lower Manhattan.

The arrival ends a 4,700-mile journey that began in Differdange, Luxembourg, where the steel was produced, and included a stop at Lynchburg, Virginia's Banker Steel for final fabrication. Now begins the shipping phase, during which the 27 "extra-large" steel columns, weighing 2,440 pounds per foot and range from 30 to 56 feet in length, will reach their ultimate home in Lower Manhattan.

December 19, 2006
The pounding of backhoes paused only briefly at Ground Zero as Governor George Pataki, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and other leaders celebrated the installation of the Freedom Tower's first steel beams.