WTC’s stalled St. Nicholas Shrine will resume construction

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Construction resumes at WTC’s St. Nicholas church

The reconstruction of the beleaguered St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center is back on track after two years of delays.

Construction on the shrine, which is replacing the original church that was destroyed on 9/11, has been stalled since December 2017 when the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese ran out of funds to continue the $80 million undertaking—the result of a series of scandals. Cuomo’s announcement came after a Thursday meeting with Greek American religious and civic leaders at the Archdiocese’s headquarters on the Upper East Side.

“This house of worship will serve as a reminder that our collective faith is something we can always count on to move past our painful memories and build a better tomorrow,” Cuomo said in a statement.

Construction is expected to resume by the end of January under the leadership of a new non-profit, the Friends of St. Nicholas, with an independent, 13-member board, according to the governor’s office. Officials aim to complete the project by September 11, 2021.

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