A quarter-century after 9/11, the final piece of the World Trade Center complex is officially underway. American Express on Thursday broke ground on its future global headquarters at 2 World Trade Center, a 55-story glass-and-steel tower that will close out commercial development on the original Twin Towers site, ABC7 reports. Set to open in 2031 and rise 1,226 feet, 550 feet shorter than 1 World Trade Center, the 2 million–square-foot building will feature more than an acre of outdoor terraces and gardens.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the project is expected to generate 3,200 jobs and pump $6 billion into the city's economy. "We are standing today on hallowed ground," the mayor said at the groundbreaking. "For many months, rubble filled the site that had long been defined by greatness. On this ground, great deals had been agreed, inventions had been made, economic progress had been won. For a moment, it seemed in the aftermath of that horrific attack that perhaps greatness would only be a memory. But over the months and years that followed, greatness returned."
Lisa Silverstein of site developer Silverstein Properties called the tower "the capstone for the World Trade Center." American Express will be the building's sole tenant, though earlier plans called for a tower as high as 80 stories, with potential tenants including News Corp and 21st Century Fox, CBS News reports. "When many questioned what the future will hold, American Express chose to stay," Denise Pickett, president of enterprise shared services at American Express, said at the groundbreaking.
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