New York to unveil redesigned Freedom Tower

Updated plans intended to make ground zero building more bomb-resistant

The Associated Press

Updated: 9:03 a.m. ET June 29, 2005

 

NEW YORK - After concerns were raised about security at the soaring skyscraper proposed as the centerpiece of the former World Trade Center site, architects went back to the drawing board.

 

On Wednesday, officials were to unveil a more bomb-resistant design for the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower, which is to offer 2.6 million square feet of office space and is expected to become the world’s tallest building.

 

In an effort to make it more resistant to truck bombs, the building has been moved farther from West Street, a major North-South throughway along the West side of Manhattan. The distance from the street was increased from 25 to an average of 90 feet.

 

The updated plans also call for reinforcing the middle of the tower and having it capped with a mast incorporating an antenna, meant to suggest the torch of the Statue of Liberty.

 

The redesign is meant to signal a newly aggressive effort to rebuild the 16 acres devastated by the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.

 

“The redesign of the Freedom Tower shows how our city is able to respond to the opportunities and challenges of our time,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a statement.

 

Gov. George Pataki laid the tower’s cornerstone on July 4, 2004, but the last year has seen more fighting than progress by the agencies and individuals responsible for rebuilding. The security concerns likely delayed the tower’s original 2009 ribbon-cutting by at least a year.

© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

© 2005 MSNBC.com

 

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8398770/

I like how it looks...and I'm glad we are going to put a big building right back there...f*** terrorists...now, good luck renting the space!