Rebuilding the World Trade Center

About the Book

My decision to document the rebuilding of the Trade Center was made on July 4, 2009. I soon noted that its steady progress revealed New York’s desire for new buildings of architectural beauty. The architects, Daniel Leibskind and David Childs, offer a vision that is both sweeping and dignified. The towers recall the classic idea of a traditional New York skyscraper complete with cool elegance and symmetry. The tallest of these is One World Trade Center, which stands 1,776 feet high. It has made the city’s skyline bold and sweeping again, as a tribute to peoples’ aspirations and imagination. Each building began with a layer of concrete, which formed a protective blast wall. Now hidden beneath glass, these walls are no longer visible, unless witnessed in documentary photographs. Yet it can be seen they were beautiful in their own right, like Roman columns. Each building rose at the hands of men and women, steel workers and engineers—all dedicated to their task. Here, the workers’ actions take center stage. In viewing the new World Trade Center, we must recognize the years this endeavor has taken. Their skill and determination is apparent. But their task is large and will continue until all the buildings are complete.

About the Author

Patricia McCoy lives in New York City. She is the founder and a writer for the website Creative Urban Culture. She received her PhD from New York University, where she received recognition for her ethnographic research and writing. She has spent over six years documenting the construction of the new World Trade Center. Curtis Peel is a graphic designer based out of New York City. His production company, Avalanche Artists, is a creative boutique that specializes in artist branding, innovative videos/animation, graphic design to web/print/packaging, and conceptual/multimedia art.