Lower Manhattan has changed a lot in the past twenty years. The World Trade Center site is alive with with movement of people, construction and business. One World Trade is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. For many, the campus is a symbol of hope and resilience.
Joe Woolhead sees stories everywhere. He doesn’t go anywhere without a camera.
He was in the neighborhood on Sept. 11, 2001 when the planes hit the towers and they fell.
“I walk around now and I’m optimistic about the future. It’s great to see so many people,” he says.
On the 80th floor of 4 World Trade, one of seven buildings in the complex, his pictures document the evolution of the area.
He has also published a book titled “Once More to the Sky.”
Dino Fusco is the Chief Operating Officer for Silverstein Properties, the original and current World Trade Center developer and property manager.
He has lived in the area and was down the street that day.
“Before 9/11, Lower Manhattan was mostly a work neighborhood and now it’s a live, work, play community,” he says.
Many technology companies now call the area home.
A project to build the first residential tower at the World Trade Center campus is underway.
Stores, commercial complexes and new businesses continue to open in the area.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is the actual owner of most of the site.
The agency commissioned and built a structure, known as the Oculus. It has become a destination in the city.
It also connects access to 13 transit lines and it’s also a place to shop.
