Fulton Center, 1WTC, and a Malfunctioning Scaffold

This past week was a busy one in Lower Manhattan. Fulton Center finally opened after years of delays and cost overruns. Parts of the station have been open for some time now, but the central feature - the oculus that lets light stream down into the heart of the station - is now revealed, and the escalators and other areas are now open. Upper floors, however, are still off limits as they wont open until businesses move into retail spaces on those upper floors.

The Fulton Center (previously called the Fulton Street Transit Hub), was meant to untangle and better connect a number of subway lines that were built at different times by different competing subway companies at the beginning of the 20th century. Some were built at different depths, and some cross over other lines in a tangle that would make Escher blush.

The MTA did manage to improve the flow between some of the key lines, including the A/C and the 4/5, so that's a big improvement.

What was left on the table is that while the oculus is already an architectural darling, the MTA could have used the space above the station to sell air rights that could help defray the costs for the station or permit construction of other capital projects elsewhere.

What follows is a series of photos taken around Fulton Center:

Interior as seen from Broadway and Fulton escalator bank

Arches and architectural detail of the Corbin building access to Fulton Center

Looking up at the Oculus

Retail space along the street level of the Fulton Center

Looking up and through the Oculus

Information bank at Fulton Center

After viewing Fulton Center, I walked over to the WTC memorial to shoot some more photos, and a dramatic sky didn't hurt either:

1WTC shrouded in breaking clouds. Note that scaffold on the south side. I'll come back to that later.

Yellow roses adorn the names of those who served in the military and died on 9/11 as part of Veterans' Day remembrances.

Looking towards the 9/11 Museum, the WTC transit hub, and 3WTC. Note that the spikes are nearly completely installed.

Still my favorite view of the WTC - looking up the South side of 1WTC. Note the window washing scaffold high up in the center of the photo. This photo was taken 12:41PM. I didn't know it at the time, but within minutes, that scaffold would suffer a major malfunction requiring a high level FDNY emergency rescue operation more than 600 feet in the air.

Scaffolds on the NW corner of 1WTC.

Scaffolds and a hatch to allow a scaffold to deploy for the lower floors.

The damaged scaffold dangling at a sharp angle; this was taken at 1:25PM, about an hour before the rescue was completed.

 The two men aboard the scaffold were rescued unharmed, and within 48 hours the window that had to be broken out to carry out the rescue had been replaced. The investigation into why the scaffold failed is underway.

Meet Me In St. Louis

Looking up at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (aka the Gateway Arch). Definitely very impressive from the outside. Also impressive? The line to get in. Depending on time of day, you could spend more time waiting in line than actually riding the elevator to the observation deck.

Inside Union Station. The station, repurposed as a hotel, is a grand space with a nightly light show. One of the more impressive public spaces in the City.

At Busch Stadium with a view of the Arch, Court House, and downtown.

A view from behind home plate.

One of the great things about St. Louis is all the public art and sculptures on display. This is part of a larger display along Market Street. 

Soulard Market is a hidden gem near the Budweiser brewery (and tours and free tastings). However, this is more likely to leave a lasting impression with a copious amount of fresh food, spices, teas, and other local delicacies. 

More of the fresh food on display.

From the top of the Gateway Arch looking West. There was a bit of haze plus the windows don't exactly give you the clearest views (and they're incredibly tiny - each one is less than a foot high and about 18 inches wide). Everyone gets wedged in tight up there trying to hunch over to get a view, let alone decent photos.

Fountains outside Union Station at night. 

More fountains outside Union Station.

The Lincoln home in Springfield, Illinois. It's where Lincoln accepted the nomination to lead the Republican Party in the 1861 presidential elections, which he won. 

We hit several stretches of Route 66 in and around St. Louis. This particular stretch was near the Lincoln National Historic Site.

Inside the State Capitol of Illinois.

Looking up at the State Capitol of Illinois.

St. Charles, Missouri. Home to the first state capitol and first capital of Missouri.

White Haven, the home owned by US Grant and where he lived prior to the Civil War. It's where he met his wife, who was from a family of slave holders. 

Inside the Budweiser Brewery.

Inside the Court House where the state's Dred Scott cases played out.

This space is recreating the look and feel of the court room at the time of the Dred Scott decision. The courtroom was originally several times larger than this.

Walking through the Old Courthouse, you could really feel the history around you. Hitting these historic sites really did give you a sense of the importance of the St. Louis environs and why events turned out the way they did - it was where US Grant got his first exposure to slavery (via his wife's family). It's where the infamous Dred Scott case worked its way through the courts on its way to an abominable decision by the Taney court, and where the nation was at a crossroads- literally and figuratively as a central point on the way West.

If you want to get a primer on civil rights and equal protection under the law, look no further than the courthouse downtown. The courtroom for Dred Scott leaves a lasting impression on those willing to learn - we are still a world away from truly having equal protection under the law, and minorities are still persecuted and not treated equally.

That goes for religious as well as ethnic minorities. So, when I hear about how Christian persecution in the US, I have to wonder what planet these people are talking about, because Christians aren’t being persecuted here - they’re being exposed to the limits of separation of church and state as the Founders wanted because no religion shall be established, which means that Christians can’t impose their views on everyone else through state acts (like legislation).

A few other observations about St. Louis in general. The food is pretty damned good. Had Imo's and Ted Drewes as well as great Italian food at a place off the beaten path. Square One distillery and brewery is a nice spot in the Lafayette neighborhood. The area's parks and recreation activities are quite nice, and there's plenty of distinctive architecture to take in.

But there was one thing I couldn't quite figure out. Why did local and state leaders think that every street, let alone highway needed more lanes of traffic? The place could have accommodated two or three times as much traffic and still had room for several times more. It's one of the most overbuilt areas for roads I've ever traveled. The area could definitely benefit from a road diet.

For these photos, I shot with my Canon 60D and either the Sigma 8-16mm, f4.5-5.6 or Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 lenses.

At the 9/11 Memorial

This isn't the first time I've been inside the WTC since the 9/11 attacks, particularly since I've been taking PATH since shortly after service was restored in November 2003. But it is the first time I've seen the completed 9/11 Memorial in person.

The fencing surrounding the memorial was taken down over the weekend and you no longer need to get a timed pass to enter the memorial (the 9/11 Museum is a separate issue, with a $24 admission fee imposed).

So, here are a few pictures taken earlier today of the memorial.

Looking across the South Tower Reflecting Pool.

Looking North at the South Tower Reflecting Pool

Stephen Siller, whose name is memorialized in the annual Tunnel to Towers Run to raise funds for responders.

Looking across the North reflecting pool.

The names of those killed in the 1993 WTC bombing memorialized on the North Tower reflecting pool closest to where the new 1WTC stands.

Rev. Mychal F. Judge, who was honored with being declared Victim number 1 by the Medical Examiner's office.

Looking up at 1WTC from the corner of Liberty and Greenwich.

My observations of the memorial? The enormity of the attacks is hammered home by row after row of names, of those responding to the towers and to the thousands caught inside the towers or the planes that struck them. If you focus on the sound of the waterfalls, it is a serene oasis in the heart of a busy and bustling rebirth of Lower Manhattan.

But the most moving part is what you can occasionally overhear.

"Come kids, I want to show you where your grandfather's name is..."

Considering that so many people have never been able to bury remains of their loved ones - more than a thousand people have never been identified from the remains that have been gathered at the site, these names are a silent tribute and memorial.

Cross posted at LGF.

The WTC in November

1WTC as seen from Greenwich Street at Dey Street inside Ground Zero. The building in the foreground is the National 9/11 Museum.

1WTC reflecting in 4WTC.

Looking across West Street towards the 9/11 Memorial, the Vehicle Security Center, and where the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church may eventually be built.

Looking across West Street and seeing 4WTC on the left and the stump of 3WTC rising in the middle. The foreground buildings are ventilation and utility facilities for the WTC complex.

Looking north towards 1WTC and the completed base. The 9/11 memorial grove can be seen in the mid-ground.

Taking the escalator to or from Brookfield Place (former WFC) gives you a great view of the steel structure that shows that form doesn't have to follow function without being artful.

Looking across the Hudson River at Lower Manhattan from Hoboken.

 

 

The WTC Connector

The World Trade Center connector between the PATH transit station and Brookfield Place (former WFC).

The steel supports for the head-house over the escalators leading to the connector from Brookfield Place

The connector looking towards PATH. Eventually, this area will be lined with shops and be incorporated into the larger Westfield mall under construction around the PATH transit hub and between and around the memorial/museum and skyscrapers on the site.