World Financial Center Stairs in the Winter Garden, Battery Park City

World Financial Center Grand Staircase to Be Torn Down

World Financial Center Stairs in the Winter Garden, Battery Park City
Winter Garden Staircase

More construction uproars are happening in Battery Park City. A West Street underpass will be erected between the World Financial Center, which is owned by Brookfield Properties, and the new World Trade Complex, while the Vesey Street bridge will be torn down.

However, even more distressing is that the Grand Staircase at the Winter Garden inside the World Financial Center is also being removed. The staircase, which was erected after September 11th, allows employees and tourists to move between levels of the World Financial Center and doubles as seating for free events that take place at the Winter Garden. The owners of the WFC want to tear them down and replace them with escalators to increase the efficiency of foot traffic.

What do you think of the Grand Staircase removal?

1 thought on “World Financial Center Grand Staircase to Be Torn Down

  1. It is a terribly misguided decision on the part of the owners of WFC to destroy a magnificent staircase and replace it with escalators. Although escalators move more people, the staircase draws people to visit the WFC and to spend time in the WFC, which of course benefits the retailers in the WFC. Who will come to see escalators? And without the seating that the staircase provides, there will not be an audience for the free events. Since the free events are a draw to bring patrons to the retailers in the WFC, the removal of the staircase will negatively impact all the stores and restaurants in the WFC, and as a result the owners of the WFC. So even if the owners of the WFC do not value the beauty of the Grand Staircase, they should preserve it for the impact on their own bottom line.

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