Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 21:57:07 -0400 (EDT) From: Louis Epstein Subject: WTC Rebuilding #259:New WTB,Libeskind Ego,Allied Cooment Opportunities, Newsday Madness I was meaning to mention before the affixing of the spire to the new World's Tallest Building,the Taipei Financial Center, "Taipei 101". Its 1437-foot highest occupied floor is taller than the Sears Tower's; its 1470-foot roof is taller than the Sears Tower's; its 1667-foot (in some reports 1676-foot?) spire tip is taller than the Petronas Towers' spires,and Petronas has much lower roofs and floors than the Sears. The Sears Tower continues to hold the record for highest antenna on a building,though it's not as tall as the highest antenna on a free-standing structure(CN Tower),which is not as tall as the tallest externally supported antenna. Hong Kong's MTU Tower/Union Square and Shanghai's World Financial Center will each have higher roofs than the Taipei building,but will not have spires or antennas.Their roofs are also taller than Libeskind has planned, though the later revisions may raise his tower's roof above theirs.(Or lower it all the way to the 70th floor,if they revert to what Childs designed for Silverstein). Libeskind's ego continues to find outlets... http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/8558.htm tells more of his book proposal and efforts to use anniversaries of the attacks to boost its sales. Remember,comments on the PATH station Draft Scope are accepted until OCTOBER 29TH... fax to 212 435-5514 or write to WTC PATH Terminal Comments The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey 115 Broadway,5th Floor New York,New York 10006 Tell them they have to leave open the possibility of something more like the old Towers than now planned,rising above! (The temporary terminal opens November 23rd,it has been confirmed). Three days before that is a hearing on the Bank of America/Durst eminent domain property seizure.You'll recall my past urging of list members to write BoA officials recommending that they site their New York headquarters at the WTC site,and endeavor as they have in other cities across the country to have a very high place on the skyline.And that they preferred the Midtown site but want $650,000,000 of the bonds intended to finance Downtown's recovery to help pay for their building in Midtown. This project entails the NYS Urban Development Corporation, doing business as Empire State Development Corporation (the agency of which the "Leave Manhattan Destroyed Committee" is a part),taking the property of some unwilling sellers in an allegedly "blighted" area just down the avenue from Rockefeller Center. They would then lease the land to a partnership of BoA and its developer, the Durst Organization,for ten dollars a year for 99 years...but after 20 years the tenant could buy the land for ten dollars.The developers would put up a 51-story building with a 300-foot antenna. This is a naked abuse of government power that also hinders the government interest in a thriving new WTC,by underwriting a competitor for office space that the new WTC would not otherwise have.This could lead to the PA charging higher tolls on bridges and tunnels... see also http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/8596.htm for why it's a bad deal for the city. Copies of the plans for this can be obtained if you call Regina Stephens at (212)803-3818 and they will take written comments on them UNTIL DECEMBER 22nd at Empire State Development Corporation attn:Regina Stephens 633 Third Avenue New York,New York 10017 Remind them that lots of office space is planned for the WTC, and BoA will HAVE to have a large NY office presence anyway. There is no justification for going ahead with this project. Newsday has come down on the side of the office-downsizers: http://www.nynewsday.com/news/opinion/nyc-vpduo193499424oct19.story I recomment writing to letters@newsday.com criticizing this stand. It would NOT be a "distinct improvement" for the world's largest office complex to be replaced by anything less! They paint Rampe as a fan of more office space, and claim Libeskind's plan doesn't need revision; let's speak out loud and set them straight! Keep your eyes on the prize in the skies. -=-=- The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again, at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.