WTC questionnaire staff distribution notice, October 2004

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

The Ti'/nes 5'db-09

Design Competition at 55 Water Street

Renovating A Public Plaza One of the least public acres in New York City’s empire of privately owned public space — the elevated brick-top plaza at 55 Water Street in Lower Manhattan — is to undergo a long overdue renovation. Though it commands splendid views of the East River, the 30-year-old plaza attracts relatively few users since it is quite isolated and lacks any amenities. Most recently, the Goldman Sachs Group proposed to replace the plaza with a new 240-foot-high trading structure. That plan was abandoned in March 2001. And the Retirement Systems of Alabama, which owns 55 Water Street, does not see anyone else step­ ping forward to build. So it is sponsoring a juried competition with the Municipal Art Society that seeks to transform the space into a “vital destination that contributes to the cultural life of Lower Manhattan.” Six entrants will be chosen by invitation in July and given $10,000 stipends to come up with a submis­ sion by Sept. 13. The winner will be announced two weeks later. Architects, landscape architects-.and ur­ ban designers who wish to be considered iwill find a request for qualifications posted on the Municipal Art Society’s Web site, www.mas.org, by June 3. — With 3.6 million square feet of space and a..w«Jtk- day population of 12,000 when fully occupied .(not counting-the peregrine falcons on a 14th-floor'perctr!~ 55 Water Street is the“city S'largestTifrict; lower----

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