The Battle For Ground Zero, Part 241 (A Photo Essay)

Real progress is being made at Ground Zero as construction workers are poring over the site, preparing it for the massive construction projects to come in the next half decade. These are the first in a series of photos I've taken at the site that are going to be published here. As I've written on this subject in the past, I often make reference to many of these structures, so this is to give some idea of where they're situated and what kind of work is being done at the site.

These trucks are entering the site at Greenwich Street in front of 7 WTC and the building in the background is the infamous Fiterman Hall. That hulking ruin is a detestable reminder of the failure of the state and city to deal with resolving that building's future. It will likely need to be deconstructed in a manner similar to that of the Deutsche Bank building (130 Liberty).

 

This photo shows the survivor's staircase in the foreground, just past the mixer truck. In the background, one can see the Millenium Hilton and other buildings lining Church Street. Those buildings were damaged in varying degrees by the collapsing towers, but were not so heavily damaged or contaminated that they needed to be torn down. The plaza in front of Ground Zero on Church is now filled with tourists and onlookers who are taking in the sights and the view of what has become a massive construction zone.
 

As trucks complete their work in Ground Zero, they are hosed down upon leaving the construction site at Church St. This is supposed to minimize the dust kicked up by the trucks, and those workers are using high pressure hoses to wash down the trucks. In the background, you see the World Financial Center, several buildings of which were damaged on 9/11 and were rebuilt.

 

UPDATE:
Meanwhile, the 9/11 memorial is getting a newer, longer name - The National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center - to reflect the national aspects of the terrorist attacks. I suspect people will simply call it the 9/11 memorial museum. The same thing goes for the Freedom Tower. While the steel is being erected for the tower and concrete poured in the sublevels, questions still surround the name. People working there will probably call it Tower 1, much as they did to the original towers.