9/11 Memorial and World Trade Center: Architecture, Urban Planning and History

Meet at the southwest corner of Broadway and Vesey Street (by St. Paul’s Chapel)  

Rebuilding the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks has been a daunting, contentious and dynamic process. Yet the 9/11 Memorial opened on the tenth anniversary of this tragic event and the 9/11 Museum opened in May of 2014. One World Trade Center, officially the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, is nearing completion.  

This tour offers participants an opportunity to experience the 9/11 Memorial and to see the current state of construction at the World Trade Center site. We discuss the highly publicized competitions for the site’s master plan and memorial, and delve into the design and development of each of the main structures including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, office towers and transportation hub. Together we consider the influence and concerns of the different stakeholders by comparing the initial winning plans for rebuilding at Ground Zero to the final, much altered, designs that we see today.  

We will also examine the history of the original World Trade Center site and the transformation of Lower Manhattan after World War II, and we’ll compare Minoru Yamasaki’s 110-story Twin Towers, built on a 16-acre superblock, with current efforts to reconnect the new WTC to the street grid and surrounding neighborhoods. Finally, we explore how the current emphasis on safety, security and sustainability is a response to the design and engineering of the original complex, the 9/11 attacks and a greater concern for ecologically-friendly architecture 

Tours will run rain or shine. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to tour start time. Registration is limited to 15; walk-ups are not guaranteed a spot on the tour. Some tours utilize VOX amplification systems; attendees are welcome to bring their personal earbuds.

Guide: Doug Fox

AIANY and the AIANY Architecture Tour Committee and its tour guides will not be held liable and assume no responsibility for any injury or loss incurred by participants in these programs. Walking tours endorse the initiatives of FitCity – promoting physical activity through design.