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One WTC in the first picture looks quite well-balanced. On the other hand, in the second picture this angle gives ONE WTC very awkward looksâŚbtw, Why isnât there more construction activity in Lower Manhattan? It seems like the whole NYC has been going through a construction boom, except for this part of the city. Is it still because of shadow of 9/11?..Coming from Europe and having been in NYC only once in my life, I have found Lower Manhattan the most appealing district, so itâs a pity there isnât more activity going on.
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Some notable projects that have risen since then. Goldman Sachs, Barclay Tower, 30 Park Place, 56 Leonard, 50 West, 111 Murray, 19 Dutch Street, 130 William Street, 5 Beekman, 8 Spruce Street, Fulton Center (not a building in the skyline, but necessary for transportation), 68 Trinity Place, and many more smaller buildings. The Greenwhich is under construction and close to completion, 45 Park Place and One Seaport are on hold along with Two World Trade Center (a redesign is on the way), and 111 Washington is the next tower to make an impact as it is already under construction. For proposals, we have the 900 foot Independence Plaza Tower in Tribeca.
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Still, this part of the city skyline isnât developing as dramatically as most other parts and I donât count the WTC complex to it, because itâs replacing what was lost and even itâs still not fully complete yetâŚI just think its little sad, because skyscrapers in Lower Manhattan have in my opinion much bigger impact on whole NY skyline than in Midtown where all those supertalls are going on and also Lower Manhattan seems much more compact and well balanced skyline overall.
Lower Manhattan is full of vacant office buildings, which developers are busy converting to residential.
This process goes a long way to enliven the streets of the neighborhood (therefore delivering joy and mirth to New Yorkers) but it does nothing for the skyline (therefore bringing grief and despair to international skyscraper fans).
Such is life.
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Thank you for your answer, but why isnât there more demand in Lower Manhattan for office space? Having Wall Street and WTC I have always assumed that itâs the economic center. of the US/WorldâŚAlso why havenât there been some supertall residential skyscrapers in Lower Manhattan like for example in Billionairesâ Row?. I think the area must be very attractive for living and investors, but the opposite seems to be true.
I get that, it is truly sad that the complex isnât done. It really could have been finished by now. But I personally love how Lower Manhattan hasnât grown as much as midtown. Midtown has lots of valuable space and great locations for new towers. The layout of Lower Manhattan is drastically different too compared to Midtown, with that grid layout up there more blocks and space can be taken for new mass.
And on a more personal level, I like how scaled back the Lower Manhattan is because it reminds me of the skyline I never got to see. I was born a month and six days before the attacks, I can only consume digital and physical media of the Twins, thatâs why I consider so many of you lucky. Midtown Manhattan definitely has a new look, like the Philadelphia skyline back in 1990. I feel like if Lower Manhattan had lets say seven supertalls, I feel like the balance and respect would go out of bounds. Iâm equally sad and happy 45 Broad was shortened, but Iâm very satisfied with how Lower Manhattan looks today. First time I saw Lower Manhattan was August 2011, One WTC and 4 WTC heavily underway. So much has changed then
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I respect your opinion, but I have exactly the opposite view and would like to see more dramatic changes to the Lower Manhattan skyline with more supertalls going up there and not just the WTC complexâŚI think having a much bigger and higher skyline would be best answer to terrorist and 9/11 attacks. I also think the current skyline tends people too much to compare it to what was there before (Twin Towers), because like you wrote it has similar dynamics and many are nostalgicâŚPeople in this forum also might not appreciate how recognizable the Lower Manhattan skyline is around the world, particularly the view from New Jersey, Staten Island and from Brooklyn Bridge. That is what people in Europe, Asie and elsewhere associate with NYC. When I was showing pictures from my visit to NYC, nobody knew about Midtown, people just assumed there was one big skyline so all those supertalls on Park avenue, Hudson Yards and Billionaire row kind of go under radar.
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I see your point - I am reminded of a recent walk I had downtown; I turned right while walking East on Wall Street, and was delighted by the âupwardâ views on this narrow street. I think it was Hanover St.
The streets (and various towers) in downtown Manhattan Financial District are quite a sight to see: this view is on what is probably Hanover Street, about one block south of Wall Street. 
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6qroPtuVWA/
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Would you say this is âarchitecture with a capital âAââ?
11 years ago today!
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the spire is the best part of this building 
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