September 11th, 2001 - Two commercial airplanes hijacked by terrorists intentionally fly into the Twin Towers. In the following hours both towers collapse, killing nearly 3,000 people. FEMA (left) and Trinity Church Wall Street (right)
September 23rd, 2001 - A satellite view, taken twelve days later, shows the destruction of the site, which becomes known as Ground Zero. NOAA
September 2001 - LEFT: Impromptu memorials appear around the site. The wrought-iron fence surrounding St. Paul’s Chapel becomes a repository for flowers, photos, flags, letters, religious items, and other mementos. Courtesy New York State Museum. RIGHT: The Viewing Platform, a ramp on Fulton Street that offers visitors elevated views of the site, opens in December. Diller Scofidio + Renfro
February 2002 - A coalition of design organizations release New York New Visions, a report that offers a vision for regional growth and development. In July, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) issue the joint Preliminary Urban Design Study for the memorial and adjacent sites, including transit facilities, office, retail space, hotel, and infrastructure.
February 2002 - A coalition of design organizations release New York New Visions, a report that offers a vision for regional growth and development. In July, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) issue the joint Preliminary Urban Design Study for the memorial and adjacent sites, including transit facilities, office, retail space, hotel, and infrastructure.
March 11th, 2002 - Tribute in Light, a public art installation of beams of light resembling the Twin Towers, is first displayed on the six-month anniversary. It becomes an annual event memorializing the towers. Wikimedia Commons
May 2002 - The Port Authority and the LMDC commission the architecture and planning firm Beyer Blinder Belle to create master-plan concepts for the WTC site. LMDC
May 7, 2002 - Construction begins on 7 World Trade Center, the first major rebuilding project. Developer Larry Silverstein agrees to restore a section of Greenwich Street between Barclay and Vesey streets, offering the opportunity to extend Greenwich Street southward through the site. Courtesy Silverstein Properties
July 20th, 2002 - Listening to the City conference, a town hall meeting held at the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, draws more than 4,000 New Yorkers, making clear the need for community input in the planning process. Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York
August 2002 - The New York Times Magazine publishes proposals from architects Rafael Viñoly, Rem Koolhaas/OMA, and Alexander Gorlin. Courtesy of Rafael Viñoly Architects, OMA, and Alexander Gorlin
September 10th, 2002 - The Viewing Wall, a gridded metal fence with graphics allows visitors to see directly into Ground Zero. The panels document the history of World Trade Center and of Lower Manhattan and list the names of those who died in both the 1993 and 2001 attacks. Pentagram
December 12th, 2002 - Mayor Bloomberg delivers his “Vision for the 21st Century Lower Manhattan” speech. Peterson Littenberg
September 2002 - The LMDC selects seven finalists from 406 submissions for a master plan for the site. The teams present their designs at the newly reopened World Financial Center in December. All finalist designs courtesy LMDC. Presentation photo courtesy Alex Garvin.
February 27th, 2003 - The LMDC selects Studio Daniel Libeskind’s “Memory Foundations” as the winner of the competition. Courtesy Libeskind Studio
June 2003 - The LMDC announces an international design competition for the 4.7-acre memorial site. Courtesy Michael Arad
September 2003 - Libeskind releases a refined master plan with a proposed Freedom Tower, reaching a symbolic height of 1,776 feet. LMDC
November 23rd, 2003 - Destroyed on 9/11, the PATH terminal at the WTC temporarily reopens to the public after being closed for over two years. Jarkko Lain, Wikimedia Commons
December 2003 - Architect David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and Daniel Libeskind present their joint design for the Freedom Tower at a press conference in Federal Hall in Lower Manhattan. Silverstein Properties and LMDC.
The 1,776 foot twisting glass tower features a steel diagrid exterior frame and an asymmetrical spire. Above the office space, an open-air cable frame contains wind turbines mounted on a central structural core. Courtesy Silverstein Properties
January 6th, 2004 - The LMDC selects Reflecting Absence by architect Michael Arad and Peter Walker as the winner of the memorial competition. Courtesy Peter Walker Partners
January 2004 - Architect Santiago Calatrava unveils his design for a permanent World Trade Center PATH terminal and transit hub. LMDC
June 2004 - The LMDC selects organizations for a proposed cultural center, including the International Freedom Center. In May 2005, Snøhetta releases a design for the center. LMDC
July 7, 2004 - A groundbreaking ceremony is held for the Freedom Tower. A twenty-ton inscribed granite cornerstone marks the symbolic event. Courtesy Silverstein Properties
June 30, 2005 - After the NYPD expresses concerns surrounding the security of the Freedom Tower, David Childs reveals a radically redesigned skyscraper at a press conference. Courtesy Silverstein Properties
The new tower sits on a186-foot-tall bomb-resistant fortified podium and is set back 65 feet from West Street. Floorplans redrawn by The Skyscraper Museum (top), PWP landscape Architecture (bottom)
Silverstein Properties.
May 30, 2006 - Developer Larry Silverstein opens the 57-story 7 World Trade Center, the first skyscraper to be rebuilt after 9/11. Photographer Steve Friedman, courtesy Silverstein Properties.
May 30, 2006 - Developer Larry Silverstein opens the 57-story 7 World Trade Center, the first skyscraper to be rebuilt after 9/11. Photographer Steve Friedman, courtesy Silverstein Properties. Photographer Steve Friedman, courtesy Silverstein Properties. Bottom: Courtesy Silverstein Properties.
Sept 7, 2006 - Larry Silverstein unveils the designs for 2, 3 and 4 World Trade Center with architects Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, and Fumihiko Maki. Courtesy Silverstein Properties, LMDC.
Sept 7, 2006 - Larry Silverstein and the Port Authority come to an agreement over the control of the towers. Silverstein would develop and control 2, 3 and 4 WTC, while the Port Authority would develop and control One WTC and 5 WTC. Courtesy Silverstein Properties
Sept 2008 - Architecture firm Snøhetta releases a final design for the 9/11 Museum pavilion. © Snøhetta
September 11th, 2011 - The National September 11 Memorial Plaza opens on the tenth anniversary of the attacks. Courtesy The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Michael Young, and Barack Obama Presidential Library.
October 2012 - The Port Authority and the St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church agree to rebuild on the southern end of the complex. Architect Santiago Calatrava is given the commission to design the church. Santiago Calatrava
November 2012 - 4 World Trade Center, the second tower on the sixteen-acre site, opens. Courtesy Joe Woolhead
May 10th, 2013 - One World Trade tops out, reaching its final architectural height at 1,776 feet. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) decrees the tower the tallest in the Western Hemisphere. A year later, the building opens with Condé Nast, the anchor tenant, occupying a third of the rentable office space. Courtesy Joe Woolhead and James Ewing.
May 20th, 2014 - The 9/11 Museum, located underneath the memorial plaza, opens to the public. The museum incorporates remnants of the original World Trade Center, including the slurry retaining wall and the towers’ foundations. © Snøhetta. Bottom: National September 11 Memorial & Museum
July 10th, 2014 - The Fulton Street Transit Center, an underground hub connecting sixteen subway lines and the World Trade Center, opens to the public. Courtesy Grimshaw
October 2015 - REX Architecture is selected to design the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center, located to the east of One WTC. The project integrates three performance halls and features a translucent, veined-marble facade. Courtesy REX, © LUXIGON.
June 2015 - Silverstein commissions Bjarke Ingels to design a new 2 WTC for anchor tenants News Corp and 20th Century Fox. A year later, News Corp abandons negotiations with Silverstein. Courtesy Silverstein Properties
March 17th, 2016 - Santiago Calatrava’s WTC Transportation Hub, with the Oculus atrium as its centerpiece, opens to the public. The project ends up costing $3.9 billion. Josh Vogel
November 29th, 2017 - The Sphere, a 25-foot-tall copper sculpture that survived the 9/11 attacks, returns to the World Trade Center. It is placed in Liberty Park, a one-acre landscaped park sitting on top of the entrance to the WTC Vehicle Security Center. Josh Vogel
June 2018 - 3 World Trade Center, a 1,079-foot tall skyscraper designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, opens to the public. Courtesy Silverstein Properties
September 8th, 2018 - The No. 1 Subway Station, which runs through the Oculus, opens to the public, signaling the full restoration of mass transit after 9/11. Santiago Calatrava, retraced by José Hernandez