The Battle For Ground Zero, Part XXIX

Bovis Lend Lease won the right to demolish the Deutsche Bank building. That property, at the SE corner of the WTC zone was heavily damaged by falling debris as the towers collapsed and was heavily contaminated by a wide range of materials. It was deemed too heavily contaminated to be cleaned and refurbished. The project is expected to take 16 months once the final plan is finalized.

It will be demolished to make way for a new structure.

That means that the final structure awaiting a decision on its future is the damaged Fiterman Hall, which is operated by CUNY. No word on what will happen with that structure, which is adjacent to the nearly completed 7WTC.

Officials are now trying to defend their decision to resurrect the Goldman Sachs office building project, which may be considered a sweetheart deal. Lots of money is being thrown at the company to get it to build adjacent to the WTC site.

Meanwhile, the Times is reporting that the IFC was all but shown the door yesterday when it was told to comply with LMDC guidance and family input before they can be involved in the cultural component of the WTC rebuilding.

The International Freedom Center was all but shown the door yesterday by state officials, who demanded that the fledgling institution undergo a new round of vetting - by relatives of 9/11 victims, among others - before it can claim the spot it was assigned last year in the World Trade Center's cultural building.

John C. Whitehead, the chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, said the Freedom Center had been asked to develop "specific plans, program and governance structure" by Sept. 23, which would then be presented to the public. "If at the end of this process, the L.M.D.C. is not satisfied with the I.F.C.'s proposal, we will find another use or tenant," he said at yesterday's board meeting.

I would suggest that this is actually the first time that the organization has been properly vetted on the cultural aspects of their endeavor. The earlier vetting was to see whether there was economic support and whether the group could fit within the larger framework of the cultural center. Some may bristle at the fact that this is an ideological vetting, and it is. However, the fact remains that this is the final resting place for nearly 2,000 people who were never identified by the medical examiner. For a group to be included at the WTC site whose programs will include anti-American sentiment would be unforgiveable.

UPDATE:
The Cortlandt Street station will be closed for six months beginning August 20 in the first stage of the construction of the Fulton Street Transit Center, which will link most subway lines running through Lower Manhattan with the WTC complex. The closure will permit builders to construct a passageway.