The World Trade Center Wakes

To Ground Zero

It has been almost 10 years since the destruction of the twin World Trade Center Towers on September 11, 2001. However, Ground Zero (the site of the former WTC towers) is no more a tragic graveyard. Ground Zero, once a derelict strip of ruins, is now facing a revival as construction has started to build a single main World Trade Center, along with minor WTC office buildings, a memorial center, a train station, a shopping center, and a performing arts center. I wanted to see the progress of the construction first hand for those outside New York. I went to the WTC station via the Metro Transit Authority of New York.

The Construction

“We want the American people to be able to see the WTC as soon as possible” (Left to Right: Other WTC buildings, The main WTC buildin, the second WTC building)

          When I arrived at the site, the construction of the main World Trade Center (also called Freedom Tower) was continuing in full-scale. It was raining on April 16. Despite poor weather and dangerous slippery conditions workers were re-constructing the building. I asked one of the workers, Jared, on his opinion of the current construction work. “Yeah, it’s dangerous, I know,” said Jared, “but we want the American people to be able to see the new World Trade Center as soon as possible; I think it will mean a lot to them and the 9/11 victims.” “Besides,” he added, “we have a schedule to follow and I think the workers have adequate safety gear.”

From Left to Right (tallest buildings): Main WTC building, second WTC building, third WTC building
Pictures from (http://www.wtc.com/about/)

          According to Jared (confirmed in Wikipedia), the main World Trade Center building is to be completed in 2013 and would be the tallest building in New York (standing 541m), as well as in the US. The lower exterior has almost been completed; its glass windows are already installed. All of the seven WTC buildings are to be environmentally friendly, in accordance with the rising movement to improve the environment and fuel efficiency. Apart from the main WTC building, the second WTC building has also shown progress. “With sluggish economy and the depression, I’m actually amazed at the fact that we’ve completed this far although we have a long way to go,” said Johnny, another construction worker.

High Expectations

          When I asked why the main WTC is called the Freedom Tower, Jared remarked “It’s called Freedom Tower because it stands tall and FREE in America.” Like Jared, all 20 interviewers on the WTC construction site replied the main World Trade Center was a symbol of rebirth for the US. They added that they have high expectations for the new World Trade Center buildings. “I’ve lived in New York for 15 years, and I was shocked when the terrorist attacked and destroyed one of the symbols of New York,” said Sam, one of the interviewees, “and I’m glad that the construction has kicked off.” When I asked the interviewers about the cost of the WTC buildings, all of them had stated that they would be ready to pay for the rebuilding of the WTC buildings. “We’re constructing more than a building,” said Sam. “We’re rebuilding America and New York.”

 

In Memoriam

“DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO FELL AND TO THOSE WHO CARRY ON – MAY WE NEVER FORGET."

  “I saw people jumping off the roof. I saw the building collapse. These events I can’t forget,”

          People still remember the tragedy of the twin WTC buildings. There is a mural set up to honor the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack. The inscription reads “DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO FELL AND TO THOSE WHO CARRY ON – MAY WE NEVER FORGET.” Even in the rainy weather, many people who lost their family members in the attack and those who were passing by were paying their respects. “Although the construction of the new WTC buildings signal for a rebirth, the scars remain” said an anonymous mourner. A fire fighter recounted what happened on 9/11. “I thought the world was ending,” he said. “I saw people jumping off the roof. I saw the building collapse. These I can’t forget,” he added.

“He [the statue] represents all the victims, who were ordinary and who were uninvolved.”

          Near the construction site is a statue of a man in a suit sitting on a bench, rummaging through his suitcase. The statue has no inscription that describes it. I asked 10 random people on their thoughts on the statue.  “I think it represents an unnamed victim of 9/11,” said one interviewee. “It must represent an ordinary day for an ordinary person, minding his own business, before 9/11,” stated another. “He [the statue] represents all the victims, who were ordinary and who were uninvolved.”

Leaving Ground Zero

          Many people hold high hopes for the new WTC buildings; they believe that it will rejuvenate a torture caused by the recession. The buildings, which will incorporate safety features that exceed New York standards, are to be beacons of hope and freedom for Americans. The people who admire the buildings, however, have not forgotten the victims of 9/11. The buildings will not only serve as a beacon of hope, but a reminder of those who perished in 9/11.