WTC’s St. Nicholas National Shrine gets its steel dome

The Santiago Calatrava-designed reconstruction of St. Nicholas National Shrine, a Greek Orthodox Church that was destroyed on 9/11, is slowly making progress. Last year around this time, the church was finally getting its foundation poured and now, DNAinfo reports that the slow-to-rise church has just gotten the steel structure installed that will support its dome.

Port Authority’s WTC Progress page on Facebook showcased the $35 million reconstruction progress. It’s not scheduled for completion until 2019, but once it reopens, the new church will function as a nondenominational bereavement center.

The church was once located at 155 Cedar Street but following its destruction, it was determined that the house of worship should be relocated to the eastern end of Liberty Park. The church will somewhat resemble Calatrava’s nearby boondoggle, the Oculus, both sporting a bright white exterior. St. Nicholas, however, will be constructed from Pentelic marble, the same used to build the Parthenon in Greece, and will be illuminated by LED lights at night for soft glowing effect.

• Construction Pushes Ahead on WTC's St. Nicholas National Shrine [DNAinfo]