Ground was broken on the 1,776-ft. Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center on July 4, months ahead of schedule. As the Freedom Tower is being built, deconstruction will begin on 130 Liberty St., the Deutsche Bank building. The dismantling of the building will begin in the fall and is expected to be completed by 2005.

Designs for the transit center, done by Santiago Calatrava, were revealed in May. The new hub will link 12 subway lines serving Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens.

A full schematic design of the World Trade Center memorial executed by architects Michael Arad and Peter Walker with associate architect Max Bond will be completed by the end of 2004. Construction drawings will be finished by 2005 and construction on the memorial will begin in 2006.

Silverstein Suffers Setback

Larry Silverstein's efforts to rebuild the World Trade Center suffered a setback when a federal jury in Manhattan said that the single largest insurer of the complex was limited to a single payout of $877 million.

The ruling was based on the court's finding that the Sept. 11, 2001 constituted one incident, not two, as Silverstein has long maintained. The ruling limits the maximum possible payout to $4.5 billion, far short of the $7.1 billion Silverstein has been seeking to rebuild the site.

Chinatown Initiative Unveiled

A plan to revitalize Chinatown and create a vibrant commercial, cultural and residential community with new offices, cultural venues and parks was unveiled by Asian Americans for Equality.

The Rebuild Chinatown Initiative envisions the neighborhood as America's Chinatown with a thriving financial, manufacturing, fashion and business center, access to the waterfront and to the financial heart of Downtown, and a prosperous cultural and tourism industry.

The initiative was launched in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11 to address the tragedy's impact on this 100-year-old community and to ensure Chinatown's future economic, cultural and social viability as well as maintaining it as an affordable place to live. The plan is the result of two years of meetings, interviews and workshops with thousands of residents, business, civic and community leaders and extensive research.

Calatrava, Seymour Honored

Architect Santiago Calatrava and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive director Joseph Seymour were honored by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

Both men were honored for their long-standing commitment to outstanding art and architecture evidenced in the temporary World Trade Center PATH station that opened in late 2003.

The men were presented their awards by New York City planning commissioner Amanda Burden at the council's annual black tie benefit May 26.