February 2011

Milestones Keep WTC Transportation Hub on Track
The three new towers are not the only construction sites making good progress in the World Trade Center (WTC) east bathtub. The WTC Transportation Hub, designed by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, also has reached several milestones this winter, with more than 2,800 tons of permanent steel now erected in the station. Read more »

WTC Memorial Visitors to Use Reservation System
Construction is on pace for the 10th-anniversary opening, and this week came the first announcement about visitor access to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Addressing Community Board 1's World Trade Center committee this week, Memorial President Joe Daniels said starting September 12, 2011, visitors will be able to reserve free tickets in blocks of time, then be escorted in groups onto the plaza via dedicated walkways. Read more »

March 2011

Demolition Work Slated to Begin at 180 Broadway
A new, 24-story Pace University dormitory is planned for 180 Broadway, at the southeast corner of Broadway and John Street. With sidewalk sheds now in place around the work site, contractor Waldorf Demolition will begin deconstructing the three existing low-rise buildings through approximately July 2011. Excavation and foundation construction is expected to follow through October, when contractor Tishman Construction will proceed with superstructure erection. Read more »

May 2011

Officials Meet at WTC Following Bin Laden Death
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward, and other local officials gathered at the World Trade Center (WTC) site to discuss the death of Osama bin Laden, and the future of WTC rebuilding. Read more »

City Launches Program to Speed Building Permits
Yesterday the city launched the “Get It Done” pilot program to expedite city agency approval on construction projects. The new program aims to spur economic growth by accelerating the building permit process, which often requires approvals from multiple government agencies, making the process “complex and burdensome,” according to the city's announcement. Read more »

June 2011

World Financial Center Pavilion Plans Unveiled
Brookfield Properties unveiled plans for a $250 million overhaul of the World Financial Center (WFC) in Battery Park City last week. The plan includes construction of a new West Street glass pavilion, to serve as the entry house for the Port Authority's "east-west connector." That connector will, in 2013, form an underground pedestrian link between the World Trade Center (WTC) and WFC. Read more »

July 2011

Fiterman Hall Brick Facade Done, Windows Going Up
Construction of the new Fiterman Hall at 30 West Broadway is making good progress, with the 15-story building's brick facade now complete, and windows being installed on its western (Greenwich Street) side. The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) building has been under construction since January 2010, replacing the original Fiterman Hall that was badly damaged on 9/11. In addition to facade work, crews also are installing building mechanicals on the roof, and completing interior fit-out throughout the next year. It is on track to open to BMCC students approximately late summer 2012. Read more »

East River Waterfront Pilot Section Opens
The first section of the new East River Waterfront opened yesterday, bringing a landscaped esplanade, seating and lounge chairs, game tables, and dog park to the downtown community. Part of a $165 million project, the segment is the first to revitalize a two-mile stretch of waterfront land from the tip of Lower Manhattan, to East River Park north of the Manhattan Bridge. Read more »

Collect Pond Park Renovation Ready to Launch
One of the Civic Center area's central parks is scheduled for a facelift starting next month. Collect Pond Park, located between Centre and Lafayette, and Leonard and Franklin Streets, is on track for full reconstruction by the city Department of Parks & Recreation. The yearlong project will transform the dilapidated concrete plaza into a green park, complete with new landscaping, benches, tables and chairs, lighting, bicycle racks, water supply and irrigation, and a reconstructed storm drainage system.

Through a new water feature and design details, the rebuilt park will hark back to the site's history, when Collect Pond served as a source of drinking water until the city drained it in 1805 (by digging a channel to the river that eventually formed Canal Street). Parks Department crews will incorporate the adjacent parking lot into the Collect Pond Park site, using the increased acreage to form a central pond. When the rebuilt park opens in late 2012, the pond will be surrounded by trees and flowers, wave-patterned pavers, interactive water spray feature for children, and a bridge crossing over it. Read more »

New Fulton Transit Entrance Marks Major Milestone
The August 1st opening of the new Fulton Street Transit Center entrance at 135 William Street marked a significant achievement on the stations path to completion. Now six years into construction, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has already completed several project phases, but the new entrance is one of the largest pieces of the puzzle to open to the public so far. Read more »

September 2011

LMDC Announces Cultural Grant Recipients
Thirty-eight grants were awarded in August 2011 to an array of Lower Manhattan not-for-profit organizations. The grants are from the $17 million Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) Community and Cultural Enhancement Fund, and are now designated for a broad range of projects and services including youth, senior and social services; health care; education; recreation; and cultural initiatives.

October 2011

Downtown Landscape Grows Greener with Parks
Nearly a dozen new and rebuilt parks, medians, malls and green spaces are making the Lower Manhattan landscape a haven of natural beauty. The city Department of Parks & Recreation, with funding assistance from the LMDC, continues its initiative to improve quality of life downtown through public park space.

November 2011

Reconnecting to History Through Infrastructure
Archaeologist Alyssa Loorya and team are piecing together hundreds of artifacts that date back more than two centuries, in collaboration with the city Department of Design and Construction (DDC), whose crews have been rebuilding Fulton Street and other Seaport-area roadways for several years. Excavation for today's infrastructure projects have uncovered pieces from around 1800, when Fulton, Pearl, and Water Streets (then called Queen Street) were at the heart of New York's real estate development.

December 2011

East River Pier 15 Opens
The new Pier 15 opened to the public at the foot of John Street in December 2011. Part of the city Economic Development Corporation's East River Waterfront project, the 500-foot-long pier reintroduces a two-level pier to the historic South Street Seaport area. The pier is full accessible, offers seating on both levels (including twin lawns on the upper level), and gives visitors unobstructed harbor and Brooklyn Bridge views.

Governors Island Park Construction Starts in 2012
The first phase of work to improve and expand park space on Governors Island begins in 2012, according to the Trust for Governors Island. The work is part of a two-year program to restore historic district green space, add visitor amenities, add ball fields, and create a more welcoming gateway at Soissons Landing on the island's north end. Historic buildings in Nolan Park and Colonels Row also will undergo stabilization work.