Verizon estimates that rebuilding its network in lower Manhattan and refurbishing its 140 West Street building will cost in the range of $1.4 billion.

VERIZON - Lower Manhattan Central Office 140 West Street, New York, NY

The tragic September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks upon the World Trade Center took an entire nation by surprise and left a tremendous wake of damage, death and destruction. The total collapse of the Twin Towers and 7 World Trade Center, severely damaged the adjacent Verizon Central Office located at 140 West Street, disrupting communications services to hundreds of thousands of residents, businesses and emergency management personnel in southern Manhattan.

At the time of its completion in 1926, 140 West Street was the second largest building in lower Manhattan. At 32 stories high, with another 5 stories below grade, and nearly 1.2 million square feet of space, the building served as the original headquarters of the New York Telephone Company. Heralded since its completion, the now classical art deco design has gained the former Barclay-Vesey Building NYC Landmark status, with the entire façade, interior first floor lobby and entrances protected under these statutes.

Because of their close proximity and the devastating nature of the collapse of World Trade Center Towers 1 and 2, 140 West Street suffered severe structural and façade damage to its south face, with entire column bays destroyed as high as the 13th story. To the east, a mere 60’ away across Washington Street, stood a 47 Story building identified as 7 World Trade Center. When 7 WTC collapsed later that same day, it fell to the west, causing even more structural damage to the eastern portions of the first 9 floors of Verizon’s most critical equipment floors. The burning rubble from its remains piled seven stories high against and through the east façade of 140 West Street. While the sturdy Verizon building did remain standing, extreme damage was suffered in the surrounding streets by the collapsed steel and concrete, severely damaging Verizon’s underground cable vaults, and severing incoming Con Edison feeders, DC power and steam service, domestic water mains and sanitary sewage piping.

Once the essential work of securing the facility, stabilizing the structure and ensuring the safety of their personnel was complete, Verizon set its sights on the rehabilitation of 140 West Street. As designers, [the] mission was clear: “…to create a State-of-the-Art telecommunications facility within the existing framework of a turn-of-the-century building.”

DISASTER RECOVERY NEWS

Verizon's building at 140 West Street, in southern Manhattan serves some 300,000 voice lines, 3.5 million data circuits and circuits connected to other telecom companies. The building, which is directly across the street from ground zero and next door to 7 World Trade Center, was severely damaged by the Sept. 11 attacks.

Many holes were ripped in its walls and girders pierced it like arrows. Water from broken mains and fire hoses flooded its basement vaults, shorting out cables that had not been cut by the falling steel. The ducts outside were covered by 30-foot-high hills of debris, denying Verizon access to them for days.

Verizon estimates that rebuilding its network in lower Manhattan and refurbishing its 140 West Street building will cost in the range of $1.4 billion. The company has a $1 billion insurance policy on its network, which is underwritten through multiple insurance carriers. The company is in the midst now of filing the lengthy claim. It is expected to be completed within the next year. In addition, the federal government, as part of its supplemental aid package for New York City, set aside $750 million for infrastructure improvements. Verizon will be able to recoup part of those funds through Community Development Block Grants distributed by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.