The reconstruction of one of the last buildings in the area of the original World Trade Center is almost complete.
After more than two decades, the site of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was rebuilt and consecrated on July 4th, 2022.
In a way, a sense of healing has come to the area. The rebuilt church will be a place for people to remember and reflect on the loss, and to heal.
Other buildings in the WTC are still under construction. Among them are 5 World Trade Center, which was approved and is expected to be completed in 2029, and the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center, set to open on September 15th.
The base of 2 WTC is completed, but the expected completion date is unknown.
There have been other changes over the last 22 years, some of them fermenting even before the attack on the United States. We now have lockdown drills. When I was young, we had fire drills; now we have drills to shelter in place. In late July and early August, my employer had two of them. I’d never experienced one before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I found it extremely unsettling — and I’m 62, not a child in grade school. I can only imagine what we’re doing to our children, the possible psychological damage these lockdown drills are causing.
The physical landscape has changed along with the mental landscape — sadly, for the most part, not for the better.
We can rebuild a structure, but rebuilding hearts and minds is harder … and will take a lot longer.
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