7 World Trade Center - by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill

The more I learn about this building, the more it grows on me. It really is a remarkable building, whose only downside appears to be the bad location. Once the condition of the surroundings improve, I think this building will be a big success. It's also interesting to note that 7WTC will serve as a kind of blueprint, model, and "experiment under real conditions" for the Freedom Tower. Any difficulties that 7WTC has encountered and will encounter will only be multiplied manifold in the Freedom Tower.

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Originally Posted by Silverstein

..."very significantly more than I ever expected to spend,"...

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...so let it be known I'm not going to be spending any more than I absolutely have to for the remaining buildings.

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Originally Posted by NYatKNIGHT

...so let it be known I'm not going to be spending any more than I absolutely have to for the remaining buildings.

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Even following those guidelines, Silverstein doesn't have enough now to put up all of the buildings. I can hardly blame him for wanting govt help with the extra security costs. If Silverstein wanted to put all of the rebuilding money he has into one building, that's one thing. But he won't even get all of that money if he went with that option.

Wow! This building is extremely impressive.

That is a particularly informative article (6-27-05), too.

A close-up, in-person viewing of these panels show that they have an interesting 3-dimensial effect already. (Great views from in front of the Barclay St. building, Feterman Hall & the Post office.)

The alternating panels give a strong impression of depth, a visual sense something like this: VVVVVVVV -- though the panel surface is actually quite flat & smooth.

Can't wait to see the lighting effects!!!

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Originally Posted by lofter1

A close-up, in-person viewing of these panels show that they have an interesting 3-dimensial effect already. (Great views from in front of the Barclay St. building, Feterman Hall & the Post office.)

The alternating panels give a strong impression of depth, a visual sense something like this: VVVVVVVV -- though the panel surface is actually quite flat & smooth.

Can't wait to see the lighting effects!!!

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Yeah the lighting effects impress me; on the daytime face value the building is somewhat synonymous with others of the financial district. There is too potential for the base of the Freedom Tower, while I don’t think it’s the best running theme, if you look at a single spandrel of the installment they are reminiscent of the former twin towers in that they have thin vertical mullions which take on distinctive appearances from a distance.

There is video showing the interior of 7WTC --
A "tour" given by developer Larry Silverstein with NY1 TV:
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index...id=1&aid=51875

(once there click the TV icon for the video)

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/image.../84/166110.JPG

NY1 Gets Exclusive Tour Of New 7 World Trade Center Building

June 30, 2005

NY1 got an exclusive look Thursday at the new 7 World Trade Center, the first building to be rebuilt at the Trade Center site, as developer Larry Silverstein took us on a walk through the building.

“The building is built totally differently than the initial 7 World Trade Center. This building will not come down,” says Larry Silverstein. “I can tell you further that this is also a green building, and I can tell you further that it has the latest in technology, so tenants who need the latest in technology can find it all here.”

(more at the link)

Copyright © 2005 NY1 News. All rights reserved.

looking south towards 7WTC at night, with construction lights on.

http://home.nyc.rr.com/tottaviano/Picture%20012.jpg

Newsday:

Wanted: 7 WTC tenants


PRADNYA JOSHI

July 3, 2005

Attention real-estate shoppers: There's a great new sale for office space going on at Ground Zero, thanks to new city and state incentives.

And experts say those new financial lures that state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver shepherded through could be just the jump-start his downtown Manhattan district needs to help lift Ground Zero out of the political morass that has caused one delay after another.

All in all, the new state incentives, developer Larry Silverstein's agreement to match them, and other energy and efficiency savings could equal as much as a $20 per-square-foot discount on the new 7 World Trade Center and other Ground Zero buildings once they are completed. To date, Silverstein has not signed any tenants to 7 WTC, which is scheduled for completion early next year.

With Silverstein asking at least $50 a square foot in rent for 7 World Trade Center, the new breaks add up to real money for companies thinking about relocating to downtown.

"It's really changed the economics of coming to lower Manhattan versus midtown," said Richard Kennedy, senior director at the Cushman & Wakefield's Wall Street office.

Silverstein's exclusive brokerage firm said the incentives as well as the near-completion date are getting clients interested.

"This is one of the most efficient, safest and newest buildings in the country if not the world - and it's one of the best economic values," said Steve Siegel, chairman of CB Richard Ellis' global brokerage services. He added his brokers have talked to law firms, investment banks and even cosmetics firms.

Silverstein said at a news conference last week announcing the new Freedom Tower design that his phone "has been ringing off the hook" since the incentives were offered, which will be paid for by the city and state. Silverstein said it's too soon to sign up tenants for Freedom Tower because that building is not expected to open until 2010, but he expects that he can secure them for the $750-million 7 World Trade Center quickly with the incentives.

Still, real-estate brokers acknowledge that it's been an uphill battle to get businesses to come back to Ground Zero.

Companies may be leery about setting up shop overlooking the construction pit at Ground Zero; the transportation connections to downtown, particularly for suburban commuters, still aren't as extensive as in midtown; and the downtown real-estate market still has a glut of office space available.

Ground Zero is competing with nearly 12 million square feet of vacant office space elsewhere in downtown, of which 5 million square feet is large blocks of space that a large company may want, said M. Myers Mermel, founder of TenantWise Inc., a firm that advises businesses on real-estate transactions.

In addition, Mermel said another 4.3 million square feet of space downtown is not officially on the market but sits empty and could be available for rent.

Despite those drawbacks, Silverstein Properties says 7 World Trade Center has many assets: "green" building codes that will cut the electric costs for tenants; natural light and special design materials to make office workers happy and productive; and sweeping views of the harbor and the city that many of the crowded midtown office towers can't offer.

Furthermore, with an address at 250 Greenwich St., Silverstein is also marketing the building's proximity to trendy TriBeCa with its shops and restaurants.

Brokers say one reason tenants have been keeping away has been Silverstein's asking price. According to Colliers ABR, downtown rents averaged $33.92 a square foot last month for the top-quality office space, which meant Silverstein was asking more than $17 above market prices.

That extra rent is "not outrageous for a new product but sits in the context of a lot of new vacancy" downtown, said one real-estate broker who asked not to be named.

Siegel of CB Richard Ellis acknowledged that the downtown glut hasn't helped but the firm also has only recently ramped up its marketing of the building.

I believe we may just see a tenent soon.

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special design materials to make office workers happy and productive

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Drugs?

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/230/1...0/IMG_5597.jpg

7 World Trade's base from the blog "A Test Of Will."
More pics here..

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Originally Posted by NewYorkYankee

I believe we may just see a tenent soon.

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I've been trying to convince my employer to make the move. Our lease runs up in about a year.

Somewhere from a week to 2 months ago

http://img276.echo.cx/img276/2184/7wtc0ah.th.jpg

That's a nice photo.

BTW, the construction netting has been coming down from the crown of the Barclay Building, showing the palladium windows. It has been covered since before 09/11 when renovation began on the building brickwork.