Liberty Park
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Liberty Park is a
elevated An elevated railway or elevated train (also known as an el train for short) is a rapid transit railway with the tracks above street level on a viaduct or other elevated structure (usually constructed from steel, cast iron, concrete, or bricks ...
public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to r ...
at the World Trade Center in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, overlooking the
National September 11 Memorial & Museum The National September 11 Memorial & Museum (also known as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum) is a memorial and museum in New York City commemorating the September 11 attacks of 2001, which killed 2,977 people, and the 1993 World Trade Center bom ...
in
Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...
. The park, which opened on June 29, 2016, is located above the World Trade Center's
Vehicular Security Center The World Trade Center Vehicle Security Center and Tour Bus Parking Facility, or simply the Vehicular Security Center (VSC), is a secure complex for truck delivery and underground parking at the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City. T ...
. The St. Nicholas National Shrine is located within the park, as well as
Fritz Koenig Fritz Koenig (20 June 1924 – 22 February 2017) was one of the most important international German sculptors of the 20th century. Koenig's main work and most famous work is ''The Sphere''. The world's largest bronze sculpture of modern ti ...
's ''
The Sphere ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'', the iconic sculpture salvaged from the
World Trade Center site The World Trade Center site, often referred to as "Ground Zero" or "the Pile" immediately after the September 11 attacks, is a 14.6-acre (5.9 ha) area in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The site is bounded by Vesey Street to the north ...
. Another statue, '' America's Response Monument'', is also located in the park.


History

Construction began in 2013 when the
Vehicular Security Center The World Trade Center Vehicle Security Center and Tour Bus Parking Facility, or simply the Vehicular Security Center (VSC), is a secure complex for truck delivery and underground parking at the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City. T ...
was completed. Liberty Park is located on top of the Vehicular Security Center, the latter of which protects the site against unauthorized vehicles. The parking facility is linked to the
concourse A concourse is a place where pathways or roads meet, such as in a hotel, a convention center, a railway station, an airport terminal, a hall, or other space. The term is not limited to places where there are literally pathways or roadways or t ...
area, which feeds the entire 16-acre
World Trade Center site The World Trade Center site, often referred to as "Ground Zero" or "the Pile" immediately after the September 11 attacks, is a 14.6-acre (5.9 ha) area in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The site is bounded by Vesey Street to the north ...
. About $50 million was allocated to the park's construction by the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...
in December 2013. The park opened on June 29, 2016. On August 16, 2017, the
Port Authority In Canada and the United States, a port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority_for_a_special-purpose_district.html" ;"title="110. - 6910./ref> is a type of Nonprofit organization">nonprof ...
installed ''
The Sphere ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' within the park, overlooking its original location.


Description

The park has a capacity of 750 people and is the roof of the Vehicular Security Center. A "living wall", measuring long and tall, is located on the park's northern facade adjoining Liberty Street. It contains 826 panels, upon which are attached "periwinkle, Japanese spurge, winter creeper, sedge and Baltic ivy", A walkway from the pedestrian bridge curves along the park. Egresses include three stairways, the pedestrian bridge, and a straight ramp down to
Greenwich Street Greenwich Street is a north–south street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It extends from the intersection of Ninth Avenue and Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District at its northernmost end to its southern end at Battery ...
. One of these stairs, a wide staircase is located on the east side of the park, between Greenwich Street to the east and the back of the church to the west. There are wood benches and a small
amphitheater An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...
-like elevated space at the western end of the park, facing
West Street The Joe DiMaggio Highway, commonly called the West Side Highway and formerly the Miller Highway, is a mostly surface section of New York State Route 9A (NY 9A), running from West 72nd Street along the Hudson River to the southern t ...
. Finally, there is a "continuous overlook" along much of Liberty Street in addition to "a gently curving balcony" at the church's foot. A sapling from the
Anne Frank tree The Anne Frank tree ( nl, Anne Frankboom or, incorrectly, ''Anne Frank boom'') was a horse-chestnut tree (''Aesculus hippocastanum'') in the city center of Amsterdam that was featured in Anne Frank's '' The Diary of a Young Girl''. Anne Frank ...
is located alongside the ramp at the southeastern corner of Liberty Park. 5 World Trade Center was originally planned to be built adjacent to the southern edge of the Vehicular Security Center and Liberty Park on the site of the former
Deutsche Bank Building The Deutsche Bank Building (formerly Bankers Trust Plaza) was a 39-story office building located at 130 Liberty Street in Manhattan, New York City, adjacent to the World Trade Center site. The building opened in 1974 and closed following the ...
. , the Port Authority does not plan to proceed with construction of a mixed-use skyscraper on the site until the rest of the complex is complete, which will be no earlier than 2021. The park overlooks the
National September 11 Memorial & Museum The National September 11 Memorial & Museum (also known as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum) is a memorial and museum in New York City commemorating the September 11 attacks of 2001, which killed 2,977 people, and the 1993 World Trade Center bom ...
and has a connection to the Liberty Street Bridge. The St. Nicholas Church, destroyed in the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
, is being rebuilt in the park, with a new design by
Santiago Calatrava Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) is a Spanish architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stadiums, and museums, whose sculp ...
, who also designed the
Transportation Hub A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between transport modes. Public transport hubs include railway stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stops, airports and ferry slips. F ...
. The park, located above Liberty Street, is just a little more than in area.


Location of ''The Sphere''

''
The Sphere ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'', a large cast bronze sculpture by German artist
Fritz Koenig Fritz Koenig (20 June 1924 – 22 February 2017) was one of the most important international German sculptors of the 20th century. Koenig's main work and most famous work is ''The Sphere''. The world's largest bronze sculpture of modern ti ...
, had stood in Austin J. Tobin Plaza between the World Trade Center towers in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. Recovered from the rubble after the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
in 2001, whole but visibly damaged, ''The Sphere'' was re-erected in Battery Park, near the Hope Garden. When construction began to restore Battery Park's Lawn, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), which owns ''The Sphere'', considered placing the sculpture in Liberty Park, which will be located between the 90 West Street building and the
World Trade Center Memorial The National September 11 Memorial & Museum (also known as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum) is a memorial and museum in New York City commemorating the September 11 attacks of 2001, which killed 2,977 people, and the 1993 World Trade Center bombi ...
site. Construction on Liberty Park did not start until 2013, so a location was needed to place ''The Sphere'' until Liberty Park was completed. , PANYNJ had not made an official final decision on where to place the sculpture once Battery Park construction commences, forcing the sculpture to move. Until Liberty Park opened, ''The Sphere'' was to go into storage. When Liberty Park opened in June 2016, the question had not been resolved. On July 22, 2016, the Port Authority voted to move the sculpture to Liberty Park, and in August 2017, PANYNJ relocated the sculpture to Liberty Park. On September 6, 2017, the Sphere was unveiled in its permanent home in Liberty Park, overlooking the World Trade Center site.


Horse Soldier sculpture

The ''America's Response Monument'', a life-and-a-half scale bronze statue commemorating the actions of U.S. Special Operations Forces in the first few weeks of the
War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...
, was unveiled to the public during the Veteran's Day Parade in New York City on November 11, 2011. The statue was dedicated in a ceremony led by Vice President Joe Biden and Lieutenant-General John Mulholland, commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command and formerly commander of Task Force Dagger during the initial days of the War in Afghanistan. Soldiers representing the United States Army Special Operations Command attended the dedication ceremony. The inscription at base of the sculpture bears its name, ''America's Response Monument'', and the Latin subtitle '' De Oppresso Liber''. The subtitle, traditionally translated as "to free the oppressed", is the motto of the Green Berets, who inspired the monument. A piece of steel from the original World Trade Center is embedded in the base. It is the first public monument to honor United States special forces. The $750,000 cost of statue was donated by hundreds of private citizens, including some survivors of the September 11 attacks. The statue was temporarily located in the West Street Lobby inside
One World Financial Center 200 Liberty Street, formerly known as One World Financial Center, is one of four towers that comprise the Brookfield Place complex in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Rising 40 floors and , it is situated between the ...
in New York City opposite
Ground Zero In relation to nuclear explosions and other large bombs, ground zero (also called surface zero) is the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation. In the case of an explosion above the ground, ''ground zero'' is the point on the grou ...
. On September 13, 2016, the statue was rededicated once again on an elevated space on the south side of Ground Zero within Liberty Park.


St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

On July 23, 2008, the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...
reached a deal with the leaders of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church for the Port Authority to acquire the lot that the church had occupied, for $20 million, $10 million of which is coming from the Port Authority and the other $10 million of which is coming from
JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, t ...
. In addition, the Port Authority was willing to pay up to $40 million to construct a bomb-proof platform underneath. In March 2009, the Port Authority stated it quit talking with the church and canceled building St. Nicholas altogether. The Port Authority claimed that the church was asking for too much, and that they might delay the whole World Trade Center project. The Archdioceses says that they just wanted the church back, and a third of the building would be a memorial for 9/11, and a place where people of all faiths could pray and remember those who died in the attacks. Architect
Santiago Calatrava Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) is a Spanish architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stadiums, and museums, whose sculp ...
was awarded the task of designing the new St. Nicholas. His plans drew inspiration from the great
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
churches of
Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...
and the Church of the Holy Savior in Chora, both in
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
. The church will be constructed in Liberty Park; the site for the new church is east of the original site at 155 Cedar Street. , construction of the new church was scheduled to begin in early 2014, and to end in late 2017. The new church will be created from steel and concrete but the exterior will be clad in stone. The interior design of the church is still being determined. Construction of the new church began in early 2014, and after numerous delays, was completed in 2022.See: * * *


References


External links

* {{Financial District, Manhattan, state=collapsed Aftermath of the September 11 attacks Elevated parks Parks in Manhattan West Side Highway World Trade Center