ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how commercial office development in the immediate post- World War II years was focused on Midtown Manhattan, while little new space was built in Lower Manhattan. Then, led by David Rockefeller, and by Robert Douglas, vigorous new planning for Downtown brought Chase Manhattan Plaza, with over 1 million square feet of office space, and later, the construction of the World Trade Center (WTC) with its Twin Towers and almost 14 million square feet of space. These efforts prompted additional new office development along the East River, and importantly, the creation of Battery Park City, initially by landfill from the excavation of the WTC. This brought new residential buildings and additional Class A office space in the then-named World Financial Center. Retail and cultural activities also improved, along with the substantial rebuilding of older office-to-residential conversions in the mid- to late 1990s, spurred by the innovative development policy called 421-g. By September 10, 2001, almost 35,000 people lived in Downtown, and there were almost 265,000 private-sector employees.
