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New York City's World Trade Center Transportation Hub and its main station house, The Oculus, officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 26 after nearly five years of construction. EarthCam has closely monitored the progress over this timespan, and in celebration of its completion, they recently released a mesmerizing time-lapse movie chronicling the painstaking work conducted over the past half decade. EarthCam's catalogue of over one million images and panoramas were hand edited and condensed into a two-minute visual construction story.
The major transit and retail hub serves over 250,000 daily visitors traversing 11 different subway lines, the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) rail system, and Battery Park City Ferry Terminal. The Santiago Calatrava-designed Oculus reflects a bird-in-flight design that has become a significant subject for passing photographers. The ballooning cost of the $3.9 billion project — originally pegged at $2 billion — was a major source of controversy alongside the numerous delays that pushed back its completion. The outgoing director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Pat Foye, described the development as a "symbol of excess," echoing the comments of many political figures and media columnists.
Despite the criticism, there's no denying the spectacle of the grandiose hub, which evokes the impressive great halls that were once associated with public transit. The elliptical space is nearly 100 feet longer than the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal. Its large and open mezzanine is situated underneath the National World Trade Center Memorial. The spiked exterior of the Oculus stands adjacent to Three World Trade Center, interjecting its sculptural white rib cage into a complex largely dominated by glass-clad skyscrapers.
The former railway station, which opened in 1971, was destroyed during the September 11 attacks and replaced by a temporary station two years later. March 2016 marked the public's first look inside the project, with access opening up to the west end of the Oculus and the Westfield Mall corridor to Four World Trade Center. Some original design elements of the project have been scrapped to trim costs — the retractable roof has been scaled back and now features a retractable skylight instead — but at 80,000 square feet, it is still the third largest transport centre in New York City.
The structure's primary purpose as a transit hub seems almost ancillary to the architectural statement it makes, which, together with the memorial, museum, and surrounding skyscrapers, serves as a monumental tribute to the resolve of New Yorkers. Additional images and information can be found in the Database file linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion or share your photos? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
