World Trade Center (9/11)

The twin towers at the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City were a landmark on the city skyline for more than three decades. Their destruction on September 11, 2001, by terrorists was a defining moment for the future of lower Manhattan, the city's second-largest office district, where they were located. In response to the tragedy, the state government undertook a massive urban redevelopment project on the site.

The World Trade Center was initiated in the early 1960s by David Rockefeller, the grandson of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., founder of Standard Oil. In 1955, Rockefeller had acquired significant properties in lower Manhattan for his employer, the Chase Manhattan Bank. These properties became the bank's new world headquarters. To solidify the surrounding commercial real estate market, he needed additional investment nearby. Pulling together the area's business elite from finance and industry, Rockefeller established the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association and charged them with creating a larger vision for change, something he called the World Trade Center.

The concept of a world center of trade was not new, having been the dream of William Aldrich (David Rockefeller's father-in-law) since the late 1930s. Aldrich envisioned the center as promoting world peace through trade, but early attempts at implementation had failed. The critics charged that the Aldrich plan had severely overestimated demand for such a use, claiming that the majority of the country's largest exporting businesses would need to rent space in order to secure the financial health of the project. Rockefeller's vision was more concrete, offering what he felt was a sense of renewal for an area he saw as lagging behind in the broader regional economy. More important, Rockefeller convinced the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a bi-state agency, to undertake its development.

The Port Authority presence added considerable dimension to the World Trade Center project. Specifically, it provided financial security. In addition, the Port Authority had condemnation powers enabling it to clear land for construction. Yet, its actions also proved highly controversial. The port transferred the location from the east side of lower Manhattan (what is now known as the South Street Seaport) to a small but important local business community on the west side. The west side location was selected to court favor with the state of New Jersey. The site provided the connections for the ailing Hudson & Manhattan (H & M) railway, which was a burden on the New Jersey state government. Austin Tobin, the authority's executive director, saw the location as his opportunity to offer New Jersey a way out of its financial difficulties. The Port Authority would buy the H & M in exchange for its support for the world trade center project. Subsequently, the Port Authority refurbished the line, and it is now the PATH commuter rail service.

As for the site, it was a thriving commercial neighborhood. The local business owners mounted a campaign to fight the project, taking their case all the way to the Supreme Court of the State of New York. They eventually lost. Beyond the land use disputes, controversy arose over the architect Minoru Yamasaki's now-famous design to build a set of towers destined to be the world's tallest at 110 stories (1,368 feet). Despite the public outcry over destruction of the neighborhood and perceived architectural arrogance in the name of world commerce, the twin towers were built and became an icon on the New York City skyline.

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