Reconstruction after the Sept 11 attacks included not just rebuilding on the site of the Twin Towers, but replacing the transit hub station there as well. The new vision for the transit hub includes the Oculus, a building designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. A defining feature of the Oculus is a skylight at the peak of its roof, which is opened on clear days, flooding the space below with light and giving patrons a view of the new One World Trade Center building. And every Sept 11, the skylight is left open to the elements for 102 minutes—the duration of the attack on the World Trade Center. The elegant transit station is often busy with travelers making a quick stop to shop or eat, since most of the space is dedicated to retail, as it had been before the attacks on 9/11.
Inside the Oculus
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Stuben am Arlberg, Austria
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From garden to table?
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Reflecting on one of the world s strangest rivers
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Dreaming of the Tyrrhenian Sea
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Feelin groovy on Record Store Day
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Glass footbridge in Zhangjiajie, China
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Our Lady of the Rocks
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World Penguin Day
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A day of death and rebirth
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Instant romance
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Take a hike near Lovers Lane
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Marine Day in Japan
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A theatrical dream
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Of moose and Maine
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Let the harvest begin
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Celebrating the Acadians
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A medieval Moorish gem
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Aura River in Turku, Finland
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All hail the king of shrubs
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Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve, Estonia
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Asteroid Day
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Under Parisian skies
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Pride 2022
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Tigh Mor Trossachs on Loch Achray, Scotland
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Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta
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Celebrating Flag Day
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Life goes on at the Beatles Ashram
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Valentines Day
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Fallow deer, Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, England