Light floods through the eye-catching transportation hub in lower Manhattan on a beautiful summer day. The PATH (Port-Authority Trans Hudson) train station, adjacent to the World Trade Center, was destroyed during the 9/11 attacks. In March of 2016 the doors of the Oculus were opened to the public. Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava used 11,500 tons of structural steel to create a building that resembles a dove taking flight. The walls of the building rise 160 feet into the NYC sky where they meet a ceiling covered in glass. The project proved to be very complex because of the daily 250,000 commuters that would inhabit the space, as well as the difficult symbolism associated with the design. Calatrava delivered on both fronts, making New Yorkers (including myself) extremely proud of the finished product.
Written by Katie Baskind Photos by Denise Wenacur
