Saga of the World Trade Center in ENR Continues
This week, ENR writes the next chapter in its historic coverage of the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. More than 100 articles have been filed over the years. The first was in 1958, when “New Face for Lower Manhattan” described the $1-billion plan—delivered to Mayor Robert F. Wagner—that would bring sharp changes to the financial district.
We trace the “World Trade Center Over Time” through the pages of ENR since that first story.
In the 1960s, ENR wrote about the controversies surrounding the proposed development, including stories about the team, the design, the wind-tunnel tests, construction of the slurry-wall “bathtub” and erection of the megacolumns.
In November 1970, just after 1 WTC for a time became the tallest building frame in the world, an ENR cover story described the building's silver-toned aluminum cladding, set from inside using custom-designed castings, jigs, templates and machines. For guiding construction of the six-building complex, 41-year-old Ray Monti, construction manager for the Port of New York Authority, was named ENR's Man of the Year in 1971.
Coverage in the 1980s noted construction of 7 WTC. Then, in 1993, the first terrorist attack came. Nadine Post, now editor-at-large for design and construction and leader of the team creating this week's package of stories and videos, remembers her walk through the wreckage and her stories about the damage and rebuilding. The second attack, in 2001, led to a unprecedented series of cover stories about the outpouring of assistance from construction professionals, the cleanup operations and the plans to rebuild. “Everywhere, doors open for ENR—then and now,” says Post.
For the current report, Post teamed with Aileen Cho, transportation editor; Esther D'Amico, editor of ENR New York; Luke Abaffy, multimedia editor; Scott Lewis, researcher; art directors Richard Demler and Justin Reynolds, and photographer Joe Woolhead to create the extensive package of content. It now includes five feature stories and four videos with more to come in September.
