Reconstruction at the site of the former World Trade Center began on Thursday with a carefully organized rally of business and political leaders who celebrated the future of the multi-billion dollar business hub. New York Governor George Pataki (Republican), New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine (Democrat), New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Republican) and property developer Larry Silverstein were all in attendance. The men shook hands with construction workers, and applauded as heavy construction equipment descending into the excavated “footprint” of the former towers. Silverstein's property company, which took control of the World Trade Center just two months before the September 11 attacks, will now oversee the construction of a 541 meter “Freedom Tower.” The new skyscraper is set to be completed in 2011. “It is going to be a symbol of our freedom and our independence,” Pataki told reporters. Construction began after years of contentious planning struggles between Silverstein, city officials, as well as New York City residents and relatives of the victims of the World Trade Center attacks. The blueprints for Freedom Tower were designed and re-designed by several teams of architects, who struggled with worries about costs and security. “It will show not just America but also the world that we are rising again,” Pataki said, referring to the great heights of the planned building. “We are not going to just build low in the face of a war against terror. We are going to soar to new heights and reclaim the New York skyline.” The construction of a memorial to the victims of September 11 will begin in 2009, honoring the 2,749 people who died in the World Trade Center attack.
