Revisiting some of my shoeboxes, I came upon these images from a few years ago, when the replacement buildings for the destroyed World Trade Center were finishing construction. The title image centers on the 1776-foot-tall main tower and its cohorts, lined up as if ready to march.
The most unusual of the new buildings is perhaps the shortest: The Oculus, designed by Spanish architect/diva Santiago Calatrava. Its purpose was to serve as the project’s transit and shopping center, and it has its fans along with the billion-dollar price tag it ended up with.
Personal opinion: Interesting exterior that sets up interesting contrasts and plays with neighbors, while inside it’s a cheerless overdesigned luxury shopping mall dropped over a train station.
When I took these pictures in 2016, it was still under construction and had this potentially-puzzling banner hung outside. Come in and look? or Stay the hell out! You decide, and don’t go by the people you see walking around—they’re printed on the banner.
