The Mall at the World Trade Center; New York, New York
Exactly five years ago today, almost 3,000 people died in the worst terrorist attack in America’s history. People around the world today will remember where they were and how profoundly affected they were when they heard the news that the U.S. had been attacked by such a magnitude. The ramifications of 9/11 have without a doubt changed the way the the United States and the world thinks and interacts.
We also understand the importance of 9/11, but that’s not our focus here. The events of 9/11 not only dramatically changed politics and policies, but it forever changed the landscape of lower Manhattan. Specific for our purpose here, the attack destroyed The Mall at the World Trade Center, a 427,000 square foot underground enclosed mall which was lower Manhattan’s largest retail center.
Built in 1970 and 1972, respectively, the majestic twin towers of the World Trade Center were iconic of America’s might and force. Over 50,000 people worked in the buildings, and over 200,000 passed through the Center each day. The complex even had its own zip code, 10048. Therefore, it isn’t surprising this mecca of human interaction would also contain a large portion of retail.
The Mall at the World Trade Center existed mostly underneath the eastern half of the block the WTC occupied, under WTC buildings 4 and 5, and also underneath the open-air World Trade Center Plaza. The WTC Plaza, also known as the Austin Tobin Plaza, which featured the now-infamous sculpture “Sphere” by artist Fritz Koenig. The damaged sculpture now sits in Battery Park and will be integrated into the site design of the new World Trade Center. WTC 4 and 5 were both low-level 9-story office buildings which housed clients such as Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, and the New York Board of Trade. Standing immediately adjacent to the east of WTC 1 and 2, WTC 4 and 5 sustained major damage on mostly upper floors and were subsequently removed as part of the WTC removal project.
The Mall was also the point of access or transfer to the Chambers Street (served by A and C trains) and World Trade Center (served by E trains) Metropolitan Transportation Authority Subway lines and at the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson Railroad) rapid transit line to New Jersey. Both stations reopened with temporary yet fully operational facilities in November 2003.
The design of The Mall at the World Trade Center was essentially an underground figure eight, spanning most of the subterranean level beneath WTC buildings 4, 5, and the WTC Plaza. At the edges of the ‘figure 8′, different spokes radiated out: into the WTC complex to the west, onto the streets, or into the PATH and Subway stations directly connected to the mall. Decor was modern yet decidedly dated. This mall didn’t need to sell shoppers with fanciness – they were going to shop there regardless.
With an impressive roster of about 80 stores, The Mall was made up of many popular typical mall retailers, including Sam Goody, The Limited, Express, Structure, Warner Bros. Studio Store, J Crew, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor Loft, and the list went on. The Mall also had service-oriented and convenience retailers such as Duane Reade drug store, and several fast food establishments. Popular sit-down or fast-casual restaurants were in the works when the mall was destroyed.
Also just prior to its destruction, The Mall at the World Trade center was leased by its owner, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, for 99 years (with the surrounding office space of the entire World Trade Center included) in a joint agreement between Westfield America and Silverstein Properties. Under the agreement, Westfield would manage the retail space and Silverstein would manage the office space. Based in Los Angeles, Westfield currently owns an impressive roster of enclosed, regional malls across the country, and was excited in the Summer of 2001 to have nabbed this one. And that’s not surprising, since retail sales in the mall were expected to be over $900 per square foot by the end of 2001. In addition to more restaurants, Westfield also planned to increase the center’s retail capacity by over 50% and add a new impressive entryway. The cost of the lease was valued at $3.2 billion. Westfield was also planning on re-branding the mall as Westfield Shoppingtown World Trade Center, like many of its other malls across the country.
I visited the World Trade Center and its Mall on August 21, 2001, three weeks to the day before it was destroyed, and took the pictures associated with this post except for the mall map which was done by the National Institute of Standards and Technology after the collapse. I had only been to the site briefly in 1998 and in the aftermath of the disaster I was really glad I got to fully experience the World Trade Center before its demise. Finally, it should be noted that all of the employees of the mall were able to make it to safety. Take a look at the pictures and let them be a part of your remembrance of 9/11 and the World Trade Center.
Update 9/22/06: I was recently contacted by reader Marc, who offered up some photos and information concerning the World Trade Center’s mall and concourse from the early 1980s, and also a scanned mall map from 1999 or 2000. The mall was decidedly downmarket then as compared to when it was destroyed in 2001, and anchored by Alexander’s and Lamston’s (kind of like Woolworth’s).
The rest of his very interesting photo set featuring photos taken all over Manhattan (including more of the World Trade Center) from the 1980s can be seen here. Thanks a lot for the submissions!
Scott
September 11th, 2006 at 9:59 pm
Freakishly morbid. Those are great pictures; thanks for sharing.
Scott
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DayGlo!
September 12th, 2006 at 1:38 am
Thank you.
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mike
September 12th, 2006 at 4:22 pm
My wife used to work in the Federal Reserve Bank building; sometimes we’d meet up at Borders after work and go out to dinner. When I first heard about 9/11, one of my first thoughts was strangely that we’d never go to that Borders again. We just found a bookmark from that store marked with the WTC address – really, really eerie.
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Prangeway
September 13th, 2006 at 2:37 am
Yeah, that is really eerie. I remember we had Krispy Kreme donuts during our last visit there, and then I saw footage of that store after the disaster. There were trays of donuts waiting to be sold, a fully stocked beverage case, and someone had left a rag and some cleaning solution on a table like they were in the middle of that when they abruptly left. There was a film of dust all over, but the store itself seemed mostly unscathed. Very bizarre to think about.
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Bobby
September 14th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
Think they made that Borders small enough? (Keep in mind, this was WAY before the whole Borders Express deal.)
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Sam
September 18th, 2006 at 9:43 pm
Hello, I was wondering if you took any pictures of the Mall at the WTC area itself. I visited the Mall one time in my life, on June 15, 2001, and I’m trying to remember what it looked like. With your primary interest being in retail/mall space, I’m surprised you didn’t put any pictures of it up! Actually, if you have any more pictures at all, I would love to see them. Could you put the rest of them up for us to see? I know I would VERY much appreciate it. Thank you.
-Sam
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Neko Tsukimi
September 25th, 2006 at 7:17 pm
Wow, I had been looking for any information on the mall for weeks now. I’m glad someone documented it, even partially… I bet it was just like any other common mall you’d see and no one would want to take pictures or keep pamplets or brochures or anything like that… But just to have some type of memory of what was and something that I’ll never see just made it that much more precious. Same with pictures of inside the towers. Thank you so much. I think ever since 9/11, I’ve been taking pictures of everything, even if they’re in no danger of being destroyed anytime soon… just in case.
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Edwin
October 15th, 2006 at 1:31 am
Thank you bvery much for printing the WTC Mall directory, I’ve been looking for it everywhere, my pen-pals from New York, Duane, Herbert and Lula “Belle” Chapman used to live around the WTC, Herbert and Duane were on the mall that awful day, but they narrowly escaped, the 3 moved back to California 3 months after, they were shopping at Gap when it happen, they still have the Gap shirts in there closet as an eerie reminder, THANKS AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!
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Davis
October 23rd, 2006 at 12:46 am
I strangely remember express in the background while watching the movie, and I think i see the little nook where they ran for safety
p.s. does anyone know if that actually happened?
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Edwin
October 24th, 2006 at 4:11 am
Answer to Davis
I saw the movie, and my friend says that yes, there was Express, and when Lola saw it, she said there was also a Duane Reade, Victoria’s Secret, Ben and Jerry’s, Crabtree and Evelyn, J CREW, and all other shops, but about the firefighters really taking cover, she says she has no clue, but the stores (which Herbert says are just product placements) were real, there really was a Express, but about the characters taking cover between Ben and jerry’s and express, they have no clue, hope this help you, BLESS AMERICA BRAH!!!
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Tony
October 27th, 2006 at 2:10 pm
Thanks for the great article. Having been to the WTC plaza/mall a few times and lunching at the nearby Arthur Treacher’s restaurant last in early 2001, it was nice to be able to re-trace my steps and see a map of the area because I didn’t have it committed to memory. I’ve returned to the area since 9/11 but was confused as to where everything was located, since I used to come out from the 2/3 subway station in the mall, and followed the same path to the street each time I was there.
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Steve
January 10th, 2007 at 6:46 am
In spring ‘01 I went on a date with someone and we walked around the mall after. He lived downtown and worked in one of the towers. We talked a few times after. I had a hectic summer and we thought we’d connect again when my sched. slowed down.
About two months after 9/11 I tried calling his number. I waited cuz I was kind of afraid. I got a recording that said the number was no longer in service. I just let it ride. I’ll hope for the best: that he made it out and just changed his number. It was an indescribable feeling — the not knowing. That’s my memory of the mall.
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Jonah N.
June 30th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have an “alternate reality”. Somehow, the planes were taken by the people riding the planes, the terrorists were detained, and life went on like normal. The Mall of course, would be Westfield World Trade Center. Westfield would probably have added an anchor or something, maybe like Filene’s Basement.
By the way, this is the first Labelscar post I ever saw.
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Gary Nelson
July 7th, 2007 at 2:56 am
I was reading an article on this mall on Wikipedia and it said that a major expansion was to take place, with possibly a Macy’s and Target as anchors. I think the paragraph was made up because I could never see a Macy’s work so close to the flagship store only a few miles away. Also, it said that the mall was to receive a 200,000 square foot expansion, which is legitimate but a Macy’s and Target combined would add up to more than 200,000 square feet. There was also never a Virgin Megastore at the World Trade Center. Perhaps it could’ve been added as part of the expansion.
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Service Merchandise (Jonah N.)
July 7th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
That’s strange…where’s the citation? I was the one who wrote that article! And someone added to it….
*cachunk* Deleted!
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Service Merchandise (Jonah N.)
July 7th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
It was made by an IP, as well. Figures.
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SEAN
September 13th, 2007 at 10:46 am
Iwas in Jersey city 2 saturdays prier to that day & took path in the wrong direction ending up at WTC instead of Journal SQ.
How creepy
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Jonah Norason
May 3rd, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Alexander’s, the off-price regional store was once in the mall here. Any idea where?
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Ed Ruskin
May 28th, 2008 at 12:50 am
I belive it was by the entrance in the very top photograph, the one with the pink sign, i found an old directory picture on Flickr, which i copied to my computer, it had a huge store next to tower 2, i wish i remembered the website, just enter world trade center mall, it should come up on Yahoo! i guess
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kris-alyx devereux
September 17th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
there was in the just ended arc in garth ennis’s the boys called i tell you no lie G.I. in that universe it was not the wtc that was destroyed but the brooklyn bridge. i’m sure you can get scans of it from scans daily on livejournal.
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Chip
September 17th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I remember in the summer of 2001, my wife and I were on our honeymoon in the Poconos. Being from Minnesota, she always wanted to swim in the ocean. We made our way down to Union Beach, NJ, on Aug 2. In the distance, you could see the lower Manhattan skyline, the towers standing out in the haze. We had a great time on the beach. However, all day she complained about forgetting the camera back in the Poconos and not able to take pictures of NYC. Back on I-287 and hearing about the camera again, I commented,” It’s New York City, they’re buildings, they’re not going anywhere anytime soon!” I had no idea one month later the city and the world would change forever.
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kyrby
January 17th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
I’ve never gotten to visit the towers. And there aren’t many pictures fo the inside. This mall reminds me of the Crystal City Shops in Arlington, Virginia. Scary.
What was the trade center and mall like before the attacks?
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David
May 18th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
my memory of the world trade center mall was from 2000. Back when i was living in ny.
I was dating a woman who used to work at morgan stanley on the 78th floor.
she had always spoken of the WTC, the mall, and windows on the windows on the world restraunt on the top of the WTC.
one day her friend herself and i went into the WTC to get tickets for a show. That was the first time (and last)i ever was inside the world trade center. We then went under the WTc into the mall. i was taken aback by the city under the city!.
We had always wanted to go back, but the towers didnt last nor did our relationship.
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Glenn
May 22nd, 2009 at 2:38 pm
The majority of people on the internet are probably too young to know anything about the history of the WTC, but the political infighting that occurred before its construction ultimately (albeit unintentionally), resulted in the success of the retail portion.
The original WTC site was to be on the east (Brooklyn) side of lower Manhattan. The project was to be funded largely by the Port Authority of NY/NJ. The NJ element (including the governor) rightly questioned how the state of NJ would benefit from a WTC on the east side of Manhattan.
The fighting went on for years, but eventually a deal was reached that NJ would take on renovations of a dilapidated old private rail line that ran under the Hudson (which became PATH) and NY would build a vast underground subway transfer station at the WTC to accommodate it. This deal allowed NY to house the WTC and NJ would provide feeder rail lines to the thousands of Jerseyites who commute into the City every day.
For the first 10 years, the WTC office space was considered a colossal failure. What sparse occupancy it did have was occupied largely by the Port Authority (its builders) and the state of NY. However, the Mall at the WTC and the retail preceded the eventual success of the towers by at least a decade because of the thousands of commuters who passed through the subway transfer station daily.
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William
August 8th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Hi
Im so sad about it really
i cant beliefe it
how>???
why??/
and my girl friend she is daid she was in 65 floor
south tower
she is daid at 10.5 when collapse tower
im sorry really
when im remember it want cry
and im from Italy and she call to me she say i love you she call at 8.50am
im so so sorry about it
and i whis to all people go to life go to future]
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9/11/2001 as seen from 9/11/2009 | The Rude News
September 10th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
[...] Since I was a small child, I was able to visit the World Trade Center many times. We just called it the Twin Towers. I remember, in the early 80’s I think, they would hang a King Kong balloon, like a parade float, up on one of the towers. The trip to see our family in Brooklyn and on Long Island took us past here and I would lay down in the back seat so I could see straight up the building. My grandmother used to shop in the mall there. Many folks outside of NY didn’t know there was a mall. [...]
Aaron Pressman
September 11th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Thinking today about my years working in 2 WTC in the late 80s, early 90s and all the time I spent walking, meandering, lunching, snacking, rushing, worrying, laughing and just people watching in that concourse. Thanks for all these photos and for your essay.
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Gary
September 12th, 2009 at 3:53 am
So to the person who commented about the Borders in the mall, I believe that it was a two story Borders, according to the mall directory. I even saw some footage on some documentary on the History Channel that clearly shows the Borders store in 5 WTC. It clearly appears to be a large bookstore just from that perspective.
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mallguy Reply:
September 12th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
@Gary,
You are right…it was a two story Borders and a huge on at that! The floors were spaced out in a greater fashion and the store was bathed natural light, thanks to the two story windows.
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Elisabeth
October 12th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
This map brought back so many memories! I grew up in Lower Manhattan and I was in high school on September 11th. My friends and I would often hang out in the mall during the winter when we were bored. I got my first junior high school prom dress at Express and applied for my first summer job at the Body Shop (I, perhaps fortunately as I applied over the summer of 2001, did not get it).
Thank you so much for posting this. I still vividly remember the feeling of walking down into the mall via the Vesey Street entrance. In fact, it seems so recent in my memory that I sometimes think I could still walk there now if I wanted to.
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LinLin
November 11th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
I do have a brochure from the mall – shows the maps and lists all of the stores. I had brought one home one day when I worked there – fortunately, I was not at work on 9/11. I will be happy to answer any questions about the mall that I can from the brochure – just post your questions.
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Ed
November 16th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
LinLin, that’s awesome that you have a mall directory of the WTC Mall, can you upload it here on Labelscar or at least write down the list of all the shops?
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Laura
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Oh wow, this was eerie to see. I was in NYC visiting some of my family’s old haunts (I was born there and lived there until I was 5) in 2001 and we visited the WTC on either July 10th or 11th. I bought a doll at the Warner Brothers store for my collection and for whatever reason never took it out of the box. I’m glad I didn’t now.
I was only there a few times–once as a toddler and once as a teenager–so my memories are dim. Thanks so much for the photo essay.
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