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Originally Posted by Enigmatism415
even the columns were stripped of their cladding and the black ones painted white.
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To be fair, the rest of the site is clad in white so this makes the most sense.
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Originally Posted by Enigmatism415
Considering this, I think only the doors should have been preserved. This arrangement is actually rather inconvenient because you have to ascend the steps or (now useless) ramp only to descend again (an even greater distance than you'd have otherwise had to).
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That is because a ramp leads down from the A train mezzanine to the E's mezzanine which sits at platform level. This places it slightly lower than the Hub's second level. Preferably, the entire access should be one big ramp but that's preservation for you.
According to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, they had to preserve it in this configuration, doors and all, in order to secure funding for the Oculus and its surroundings. Aesthetics weren't a requirement of the deal.
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Originally Posted by Enigmatism415
The mundane floor and railing really don't justify the inconvenience of climbing over this mound just to be met with more steps than necessary. The ramp is also completely useless now. I'm all for preservation, truly, but this just doesn't make any sense at all.
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The ramp is for ADHD. Again, the whole area could have been a ramp, but nevertheless, the preservation act. Eventually there will be elevators servicing this passageway in the oculus.
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Originally Posted by Enigmatism415
If they cared so much about preservation, they should have at least restored the original corridor as it was before 9/11—payphones, backlit map, and all.
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Payphones and backlit maps are being replaced with Wi-Fi and OLED touch displays. That's not preservation, that's a museum, and it's not efficient at all. The travertine floors and handrails? Those are timeless.
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Originally Posted by Enigmatism415
Encasing a door in a display frame just because a rescue worker sprayed a '9 13' two days after 9/11? Come on... That would have been a perfectly good and useful door. Remove the pane and send it to the museum downstairs if it's so important.
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We're talking about the same people who had no "space" for the Koenig Sphere. To add to that, a fraction of the North Tower's footprint is embedded within Platform D at the PATH station. That door remaining on display in place offers a better explanation of its origins than putting it in the museum.
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Originally Posted by Enigmatism415
On a related note, I'm curious to see what becomes of the "WTC newsstand & novelties" lot, the last WTC retail space to be shuttered.
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They sold this to the MTA, which has no plans to keep it.
The Dey Street Underpass, as well as Fulton Center, were open long before the hub was, and primarily focused on connecting the R to the rest of the complex. These guys were making a profit off of the fact that the temporary PATH entrance was originally adjacent to Church Street. Since the access is outside MTA's fare control and within the WTC's boundaries it is officially Port Authority property, making completion dates a totally different subject. They caught the short end of the stick unfortunately.
Though if what you're saying is true about the E's connection to the R at Cortlandt Street then it is more likely to be free rather than costly. However, considering the complexity of the underground network and MTA's confidence in the usage of the Dey Street Underpass, you may be right about the fare control.
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