
It was built
between 1982 and 1988 at a cost of $60 million on landfill that was excavated during the building of the World
Trade Center, as well as garbage, dirt and debris. The most remarkable part of
the complex was its' atrium- Winter Garden with palms.
10-story enclosed glass atrium structure with a glass and steel telescopic barrel vault roof and cascading marble semicircular staircase, leading to a grove of 45-foot palm trees, was connected to the World Trade Center via a 400 ft pedestrian bridge.
Every spring starting from 1991 there was an Orchid show in Winter Garden. I visited the show in summer, 2001 - it was spectacular! More than 70,000 people attended the four-day show. Exhibitors displayed more than 5,000 flowers.
10-story enclosed glass atrium structure with a glass and steel telescopic barrel vault roof and cascading marble semicircular staircase, leading to a grove of 45-foot palm trees, was connected to the World Trade Center via a 400 ft pedestrian bridge.
Every spring starting from 1991 there was an Orchid show in Winter Garden. I visited the show in summer, 2001 - it was spectacular! More than 70,000 people attended the four-day show. Exhibitors displayed more than 5,000 flowers.

The collapse of the twin towers closed the garden for a
year. The atrium underwent a $50 million reconstruction, which included
replacing 60,000 square feet of marble and 2,000 panes of glass or nearly 70%
of the arched ceiling, half of the grand staircase and the marble flooring, and
all 16 of the 40-foot Washingtonia palm trees.
"When the Washingtonia palms were first selected for
the Winter Garden , it was an experiment said Mr. Sullivan, one of the original
consultants. ''We didn't know that they could survive in such an arid space
with such low light levels.''
The new palms had been growing in Florida, which supplies
some 70 percent of the world's indoor trees. The 15-year-old trees, which had
been grown from seedlings in northern Florida, were moved down south to a
50-foot-tall shade house in Wellington, the only one of its height in the
country. It approximated the light-level conditions of the Winter Garden atrium
with black polyurethane shade cloth. Before 9-11 the palms had full sun only
from 2:30 p.m. till dusk; now they'll have an extra half day of light.
For the 1,500-mile trip north, the palms were wrapped in
burlap: four trees fit on each 48-foot-long flatbed trailer, the longest that
is permitted in Manhattan. The original Winter Garden trees were replaced after
nine years, weakened by low light levels and urban stress. The new trees are
expected to flourish longer, thanks to the enhanced exterior light and a backup
bank of 60 ceiling sun lamps putting out 30,000 watts of illumination, more
than in some baseball stadiums."
Reopened on September 17, 2002, the Winter Garden was the
first major structure to be completely restored following the attacks.
President George W. Bush was present at the reopening ceremony.
In October 201 , 3.1
million of the five-building complex’s 8.5 million square feet were up for
grabs — a staggering 41 percent vacancy. To attract new tenants Brookfield has embarked on a $250 million
renovation that was completed by 2014. Today, the vacancy rate is
under 5 percent.
Together the whole complex covers eight million square feet by the Hudson
River, and includes the headquarters of Merrill Lynch, American Express, and
Dow Jones. Restaurants and bars are designed
to look like they occupy an outdoor courtyard with palms, have
"open-air" seating. The perimeter of the second floor overlooks the
Courtyard and hosts exhibits in a gallery space.

European-style marketplace,
adjusted to the Garden with palms, opened two years ago. A French
marketplace with a patisserie, chocolatier and full service restaurant opened half a year
ago. The outdoor plaza, which connects Winter Garden to the Hudson River, is
surrounded with beautifully landscaped seasonal gardens along the riverside and
reflecting pools.

For those in the area who need an hour or two to rest, recharge,
and regroup - there is no better place than Brookfield Place. It is warm and
dry in winter, and refreshing in hot
summer. Come here during sunset for spectacular sights.
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