The chair of Community Board 1, Julie Menin, has recommended in an article in today's edition of the Downtown Express that the planned Performing Arts Center at Ground Zero be resituated from "Site 1B" that "cannot be developed until work on the transit hub designed by Santiago Calatrava is complete, and the transit hub is significantly behind schedule."
Ms. Menin urged that "the city to look at other options such as the Tower 5 site, the former Deutsche Bank building, that would allow work on the P.A.C. to begin much sooner."
She noted that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) "recently completed a feasibility study for the W.T.C. Tower 5 site, where the demolition of the Deutsche Bank building is nearly complete," adding that while "the study has not been publicly released...it should be now, as the public has a right to assess this option."
She said she has reviewed the document and it "it indicates that we can build the P.A.C. now on Tower 5 [the Deutsche Building site, where the study says it would cost $325 million. Given that LMDC has already allocated $50 million to the P.A.C. project, the additional $100 million would get us a good part of the way there. In contrast, proceeding to build the PAC at Site 1B, which will not be ready for many years, has been estimated to cost $450 million. Given the tortured history of the W.T.C. site, it is likely that by that time, costs will have increased significantly, and with each passing year, it will only become more difficult to build."
"To build on a site that is $125 million more expensive and one where we cannot start construction for some time does not make sense," Ms. Menin maintained, adding that "according to the feasibility study, the P.A.C. could be built at the base of Tower 5, with a possibility for mixed use above it, providing an opportunity for much needed 80/20 affordable housing."
"Currently," she continued, "there is just one cultural tenant (the Joyce Theater) slated for the P.A.C. Originally there were to be four cultural tenants on the site and I call on the city to reopen the process of selecting tenants for the P.A.C. so that other world-class institutions can take up residence there along with the Joyce Theater. For the P.A.C. to be a truly world class cultural center, we need a mix of cultural tenants - including visual arts, theater and music. We should now begin a worldwide search to add additional tenants to the project."
Ms. Menin urged that "the city to look at other options such as the Tower 5 site, the former Deutsche Bank building, that would allow work on the P.A.C. to begin much sooner."
She noted that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) "recently completed a feasibility study for the W.T.C. Tower 5 site, where the demolition of the Deutsche Bank building is nearly complete," adding that while "the study has not been publicly released...it should be now, as the public has a right to assess this option."
She said she has reviewed the document and it "it indicates that we can build the P.A.C. now on Tower 5 [the Deutsche Building site, where the study says it would cost $325 million. Given that LMDC has already allocated $50 million to the P.A.C. project, the additional $100 million would get us a good part of the way there. In contrast, proceeding to build the PAC at Site 1B, which will not be ready for many years, has been estimated to cost $450 million. Given the tortured history of the W.T.C. site, it is likely that by that time, costs will have increased significantly, and with each passing year, it will only become more difficult to build."
"To build on a site that is $125 million more expensive and one where we cannot start construction for some time does not make sense," Ms. Menin maintained, adding that "according to the feasibility study, the P.A.C. could be built at the base of Tower 5, with a possibility for mixed use above it, providing an opportunity for much needed 80/20 affordable housing."
"Currently," she continued, "there is just one cultural tenant (the Joyce Theater) slated for the P.A.C. Originally there were to be four cultural tenants on the site and I call on the city to reopen the process of selecting tenants for the P.A.C. so that other world-class institutions can take up residence there along with the Joyce Theater. For the P.A.C. to be a truly world class cultural center, we need a mix of cultural tenants - including visual arts, theater and music. We should now begin a worldwide search to add additional tenants to the project."
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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