NEW YORK | 200 Greenwich - 2 WTC | 1,226 FT | 55 FLOORS

[Michagain]

This spire is inspiring. This building, retreating as it goes higher and higher, might now gracefully taper away into nothingness like the void from which it sprouted.

I was just thinking, this site would make for an excellent parking structure. Might as well make some money, Detroit style.

[skcr]

del

[Zapatan]

Not at all a fan of the spire. If it does have a spire maybe double spires could look better like Bank Of China Tower in Hong Kong or many of Chicago's buildings.

I really hope Silverstein sells both this and 5WTC sites so we can at least see something built, I'm tired of 2 decades of false hope.

[mrnyc]

i think i like the spire. as long as they make it and element of the design and don’t cheap out and just leave it as an antenna. * cough, cough * ahem.

[worldtrade2021]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

a non-completed development 20+ years later is totally an embarrassment.

It doesn't help that the site is described as rebuilt by both the public and media, the incomplete skyline with only One WTC, Three WTC and Four WTC is shown as the fully rebuilt skyline and even among talking about the unfinished site in the media, 5 WTC is referred to as the final step of the rebuilding process.

When the site was a hole in the ground to most people there was pressure to rebuild. Now there's less because the site looks complete (everything is above ground even at the still empty site of 5 WTC and graffiti decorated stump that has not been built up further since 2012) even though it isn't.

The reduced height of the building with the non value engineered spire while showing a disappointing reduction in bulk still has enough of a presence. Imo to save costs Larry should get rid of the vertical gardens and replace them with architectural mechanical vents like the original twin towers had. Also maybe have space dedicated to hotels above the space dedicated to retail at the base, then office space above that and a Windows on The World style restaurant on the highest floor below the top mechanical floor (again like the twin towers).

But there isn't enough urgency to get Two WTC built so none of that is happening. Wonder when the sense of shame for developers managing the world trade center site will kick in. They seem to live in a self congratulatory bubble. 25 or 30+ years after 9/11 and Two WTC still being a graffiti covered stump is embarrassing and shows NYC is incapable of fully rebuilding to anyone paying attention to the entire site. Yes it's great that One WTC, Three WTC, Four WTC, PAC, Oculus, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and Liberty Park and the Memorial and Museum were rebuilt and it's better than nothing. But the world trade center site still isn't complete and if it never is completed and 5 WTC and Two WTC forever remain never built concepts, then NYC never fully rebuilt at the site of the worst terrorist attack on American soil to date.

[Bill Ditnow]

Assuming this latest version of 2 WTC actually gets built, it will put the finishing coda on a medley of mediocrity.

Here is an interesting critique written in 2014, featuring excerpts from a much earlier article critiquing the original submitted master plans to replace the twins. It only features the critiques of the Foster and Libeskind. master plans.It pans the Foster plan as violating many principles of the New Urbanism, though praises the tower. It is quite effusive in its praise of the Liebeskind plan. Details are given in the article.

The article written in 2014, looking back on the earlier critique, laments that we basically got a big nothing burger at the center site, the most alarming and disheartening fact being that Libeskind’s original plan to give symbolic architectural meaning to the 9/11 tragedy and to integrate structure and site plan with memorial went more or less entirely by the wayside.

Meanwhile, for me, the real interesting action is taking place in midtown. Down from Chinatown, I can see Vandy and 270 Park Avenue standing seemingly side by side like behemoths, and both are architecturally interesting as well.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by Bill Ditnow

Assuming this latest version of 2 WTC actually gets built, it will put the finishing coda on a medley of mediocrity.

The original plan with the latticework was so much worse, 1WTC needs a clad spire / communications ring and it's not a terrible building.


If 2WTC gets built (not assuming it will at this point) I'm not sure the spire design is the final one, we have reason to believe it's a placeholder. The designs have been up and down IMO rather than getting progressively worse. That's one positive takeaway if there is one.

[NYguy]

https://nypost.com/2025/06/03/real-estate/downtown-manhattan-sees-office-leasing-boom/

At long last, Downtown’s best office buildings are booming with activity


By Lois Weiss
June 3, 2025

American Express is still negotiating with Larry Silverstein to anchor a new 2 World Trade Center but everyone says, “it’s complicated.”

Sources familiar with the talks say Amex would take the lower floors of a 2.5 million to 3 million-square-foot tower and include many amenities for its employees. But the financial firm is still figuring out how much space it will need when it opens some five or more years from now.

Silverstein, who turned 93 on May 30, must also figure out how much square footage he needs to lease to others and at what rent, which could be $150 per foot or more versus current downtown trophy rents in the $80s.

For tax reasons, Amex might sell its current digs and buy its portion of the new tower, similar to what Related did with its Hudson Yards office companies, which created a strong financial model for lenders.

Once they get to the nitty-gritty numbers, the American Express board will have to approve the deal.

[ChiND]

Wow! I thought that this was dead.

[Doubleu1117]

Nice to hear the AMEX part is still alive. At this point there's gotta be a willingness on Silverstein's part to get this done one way or another. Similar to how Related made it happen with Deloitte.

[ChiND]

Originally Posted by Doubleu1117

Nice to hear the AMEX part is still alive. At this point there's gotta be a willingness on Silverstein's part to get this done one way or another. Similar to how Related made it happen with Deloitte.

I agree. If AMEX takes 500k sf with an option for more, Larry should lease that first 500k sf at cost in order to get the ball rolling.

[The New York Lion]

Wow!

3 million square feet would be an incredibly MASSIVE LANDMARK.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by ChiND

Wow! I thought that this was dead.

Originally Posted by ChiND

I agree. If AMEX takes 500k sf with an option for more, Larry should lease that first 500k sf at cost in order to get the ball rolling.

These things take time, and it's still not a done deal. But it's a move that is being carefully considered. If AMEX buys the WTC space, it would have to go through a process (the PA still owns the site) and would certainly be for more than 500,000 sf...they're looking for at least 1 msf.

Amex owns one million square feet in the lower half of 200 Vesey St.

Sources told The Real Deal that American Express is looking at about 1 million square feet needed primarily in New York

[ssh]

This is the most promising 2WTC news in at least a decade.

[Michagain]

Originally Posted by ssh

This is the most promising 2WTC news in at least a decade.

I feel the same, fingers crossed. I wonder how much the latest renderings reflect the negotiations.

[ChiND]

Wasn't this design supposed to have a large hotel at the base? If so, I hope that's still the plan. Larry should add housing too.

It would be great if Larry finally gets this going and gets the casino too. He's a great New Yorker.

[Crawford]

Sullivan & Cromwell is looking for 500k sq. ft. They're the main law firm for Goldman Sachs, which is down the street. I could see them as a secondary tenant.

[ChiND]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Sullivan & Cromwell is looking for 500k sq. ft. They're the main law firm for Goldman Sachs, which is down the street. I could see them as a secondary tenant.

I'd suspect that S&C would want to be in Midtown.

[SamLYNY]

Originally Posted by ChiND

I'd suspect that S&C would want to be in Midtown.

???

I'm not sure about that.

A lot of their client base is located downtown with the likes of Goldman, BNY, AmEx...hell I'd bet they'd want to stay there simply to remain close to the Southern District court, the Dept. of Financial Services, NYSE, etc.

Newer construction Downtown now offers comparable class A office space and rents are somewhat lower. The firm is almost tied to downtown through its image alone. 2WTC could be a good space for them IMO.

Although they could expand their current conference space at 535 Madison there certainly isn't 500k sqft there, and I think they would sooner consider Hudson Yards, following the likes of Debevoise & Plimpton and Cravath, Swaine & Moore since a lot of their corporate clients have also moved in that direction.

[Crawford]

I have zero inside info, but I'd think the links to Goldman would keep S&C downtown.

Yes, almost all of the biglaw firms are now in Midtown. I count 13 of the 15 largest NYC firms in Midtown. The only other top 15 firm downtown is Fried, Frank. But S&C has good reason to keep its lawyers downtown.