World Trade Center’s last office tower soon will get built and house American Express

By JENNIFER PELTZ, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The World Trade Center’s final office tower will start construction as soon as this spring and become American Express‘ new headquarters, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the company said Wednesday, marking a milestone nearly 25 years after the Sept. 11 attacks destroyed the site.

The 2 World Trade Center building will round out the long, tortuous redevelopment of the original 16-acre trade center property. There remains no construction date for a neighboring apartment building to replace another 9/11-damaged skyscraper.

But the 2 World Trade Center announcement represents a big step, physically and symbolically, in fulfilling a pledge of renewal at ground zero. Hochul and other officials also trumpeted the project as a sign of New York’s continued vitality as a business hub. It comes as Florida and other states have been trying to woo companies from New York.

“Building 2 World Trade Center will bring another iconic skyscraper to Lower Manhattan, create thousands of good-paying union jobs and provide billions in economic benefits to New Yorkers,” Hochul, a Democrat, said in a stateme...