After the devastating attacks on September 11th destroyed all seven World Trade Center buildings, a plan to rebuild was quickly put in place. This plan, necessarily, included a new transportation hub that would replace the destroyed PATH train station that thousands of daily commuters relied on and encourage people to return to the city.
Construction began in 2004, and 12 years later the Oculus officially opened to the public on March 3, 2016. Taking its name from the Latin word for “eye” because of the eye-view of the sky you see through its round windows, this architectural marvel is a must if you’re visiting Ground Zero in NYC.
The white columns that form the upturned wings of the Oculus are clearly visible from the 9/11 Memorial Plaza, so we often have people on our Ground Zero tours ask what the unusual building is — it manages to stand out in the city of skyscrapers.
Before you visit the Oculus on your trip to New York, let’s learn more about this transportation hub’s unique design, connection to Ground Zero, and how to experience it.
How the Oculus came to be
Rebuilding the PATH station destroyed in the 9/11 attacks was always part of the master World Trade Center plan, as it was a necessary link between NYC and New Jersey that residents and commuters relied on. The vision for the new station was to combine a transportation and shopping center into one. And with the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava in charge of the design, it would be beautiful to look at, too.
The completed Oculus is the third largest transportation center in New York City and an architectural gem that people stare at in awe when they visit the 9/11 museum, but its construction was controversial. Not only did it take Calatrava 10 years longer to build than originally promised, but the budget was double what was proposed. Calatrava’s design was complex and required custom-made materials.
If we’ve learned anything from Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família that’s still unfinished 140 years later, Spanish architects like to take their time. Calatrava might have completed his design over schedule and over budget, but the result is a beautiful, moving tribute to the memory of 9/11.
Designing the Oculus
On the outside, architect Santiago Calatrava designed the building to resemble a child’s hands releasing a dove. You can see this in the tall, crossed columns that form a pair of 350-foot wings — something peaceful rising from the ashes. Calatrava also notes that he wanted his design to be in a dialogue with the skyscrapers surrounding it.
The striking design makes it a popular destination for tourists who take photos in and around the giant structure. Want to know the best spots for getting a photo of the Oculus? Here are a few our Lower Manhattan tour guides recommend:
- Capture the full span of the dove’s wings against the backdrop of skyscrapers from the 9/11 Memorial Pools
- Stand in Oculus Plaza and hold your camera high to get interesting close-up shots
- From under the columns of the Oculus, you can get a shot that gives you a sense of the height of the 3 World Trade Center building, which is the second tallest building on the WTC campus
- Right on Church Street, you can get a shot of the dove at an angle and all of the people walking toward the structure
What to see and do inside the Oculus
What can you do inside of the Oculus? Well, you’ll want to keep your camera out, since you can get just as amazing photos inside as outside.
But it’s also a great place for shopping. It does have over 350,000 square feet of retail and dining space with restaurants and high-end boutique shops that cater to everyone — think Eataly, Kate Spade, and Moleskine.
You can also just enjoy the architecture and design from inside.
Take a look up to see that eye-view of the Freedom Tower with sunlight pouring through. The windows are placed at particular angles so that the sunlight floods in and illuminates the main hall every September 11th at 10:28 a.m., the time that the second World Trade Center tower collapsed. If you happen to be visiting the Oculus on 9/11, you won’t want to miss the “Way of Light,” which is a complex design effect that Santiago Calatrava worked hard to achieve.
A transportation hub for NYC
While the Oculus is more than a transportation hub for getting busy people where they need to go, it is truly an impressive train station. It serves over 250,000 daily commuters who use the PATH train to get to and from work, and it has direct connections with 12 subway lines around the city.
The Oculus is also an access point for the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal, the September 11th Memorial and Museum, Brookfield Place, and World Trade Center Towers 1, 3, 4, and 7. Talk about a place that’s always in motion!
Spending an afternoon at the Oculus and Ground Zero
Of course, we recommend spending time at Ground Zero rather than just passing through to catch a ride to your next destination. Be sure to see the 9/11 Memorial and the 9/11 Museum, which tell the story of September 11th through artifacts and from different perspectives. And the new World Trade Center and Oculus buildings represent a new beginning that rose from that story.
We’d be happy to show you around on a tour of Ground Zero. All our guides have personal connections to 9/11, so you’ll leave understanding what it was like to be in NYC on September 11th, 2001. You can simply tour Ground Zero, starting at St. Paul’s Chapel and ending at the 9/11 Memorial, or you can add on a visit to the museum or One World Observatory (or both).
Guide tip: If you’d like to do everything, you’ll need at least 4-5 hours so that you have time to explore each site fully.
Have more time in the city? We’d love to show you around on any of our New York tours!