Just because One World Observatory is officially open doesn't mean that the World Trade Center site will cease moving forward. The stegosaurus-spiked PATH station and transportation hub is set to open this year, and office tower 3 World Trade Center is back on the rise. On the northeast corner of the complex, though, lies an empty spot earmarked for 2 World Trade Center. That blank space inched closer to being a real-life 80+-story building building yesterday when, as rumored, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and 21st Century Fox actually signed a non-binding agreement with developer Larry Silverstein to take over a total of 1.3 million square feet of the 2.8 million-square-foot tower. (Leases at the media companies' current home on Sixth Avenue in Midtown run out in 2020.)
The anchor tenant deal could restart construction of the office building, stalled since 2008 and originally set to be designed by Norman Foster.
A statement from Silverstein about the News Corp./21st Century Fox letter of intent yesterday named Danish wunderkind Bjarke Ingels as the architect. Like, for sure. As per the Post, which was the first to report the deal:
Ingels' 2 WTC design would replace an earlier one for the site by British architect Norman Foster, which was intended mainly for financial firms. But Ingels' tower would still fit in with site planner Daniel Libeskind's original location and height rules. The media companies would collaborate with Ingels to make room for television studios, newsrooms, and other offices. "This isn't your grandfather's Wall Street," Silverstein said in a statement.
· News Corp. and 21st Century Fox take step toward World Trade Center move [NYP]
· News Corp., Fox move toward deal for 2 World Trade Center [Capital NY]
· News Corp. will move headquarters to 2 World Trade Center [Crain's]
· News Corp. and 21st Century Fox ink early-stage deal for massive World Trade Center HQ [NYDN]
· Will Bjarke Ingels Oust Norman Foster at 2 World Trade Center? [Curbed]
· 2 World Trade Center Shows Signs of Life With Tenant Talks [Curbed]
· All 2 World Trade Center coverage [Curbed]
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