Four years after the team broke ground on the 12,000-sq-ft Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine in lower Manhattan to replace its beloved predecessor destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, it was not clear if work would finish. Construction on the high-profile structure—designed by Santiago Calatrava Architects & Engineers and built as part of World Trade Center reconstruction—began in 2013, but significant design changes that inflated the original $20-million budget and church financial difficulties combined to derail the project. In 2017, after having topped out the steel frame structure, Skanska USA Building halted work after payment lapses, and the project fell into limbo—the frame left wrapped in white plastic. A committed effort by state officials, project team members, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the newly formed Friends of Saint Nicholas organization found a path to resume work and reach completion in late 2022.
Restarting construction after a multiyear hiatus was a significant challenge, says Skanska Vice President and Account Manager Theodora Diamantis, who participated in discussions to resume work. But the result was an $85-million expertly crafted gem, with a structural steel dome topped by a thinly milled, translucent Pentelic marble exterior. The 60-ft-span dome’s signature rainscreen, with 40 skylights and strategic lighting, illuminates the church interiors by day and transforms the structure into a glowing landmark by night.