City cuts ribbon on new performing arts center at World Trade Center site after years of setbacks
LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) -- 22 years and two days after the attacks, city officials unveiled the final public element of the World Trade Center site Wednesday.
The area, which has been building back as a space of remembrance and reflection, now includes a space for performances and artistic expression.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Governor Kathy Hochul and many others gathered around in excitement for the official ribbon cutting of the new Perelman Performing Arts Center in Lower Manhattan.
"The more that we open artistic places and relationships and creativity, it breaks down those barriers," said Mayor Adams.
A ribbon was connected instead of a traditional cutting to celebrate the opening, featuring Tony Award winner Gavin Creel and students from the Joffrey Ballet school.
The chairman of the board is former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who called the construction of the $500 million Perelman Arts Center, "the last major piece of the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site."
"From the beginning of the rebuilding process our administration believed that alongside the memorial and museum and housing and commerce, a center for cultural and creativity also belonged here," said Bloomberg.
Located at 251 Fulton Street, the eight-story building is one of the many symbols of Lower Manhattan rising from the ashes - paying tribute not just to those lost, but to the spirit of the city that came back.
"To the architects: this is sheer brilliance," said Gov. Hochul. "And I believe that there'll be replications of this space all over the world, because what we do, the rest of the world wants to do."
The architect who oversaw the design, Joshua Ramus, told Eyewitness News there's no group more rewarding to create a space for than artists.
"There's no group that's more rewarding to design a building for than artists," said Ramus. "They're so used to performing in ad hoc spaces and spaces that aren't necessarily conceived for them, and I think this is a building that has very much been intended to support the artists who will work here."
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
