16 acres

The rebuilding of the World Trade Center is the most architecturally, politically, and emotionally complex urban renewal project in American history. 16 Acres tells the dramatic inside story of the monumental collision of interests at Ground Zero in the decade after 9/11.

As with all great urban projects, from the Pyramids to Rome’s Coliseum to Rockefeller Center, a small group of powerful people will dictate how the World Trade Center is rebuilt. And at the heart of their story is the dramatic tension between noble intentions, the desire of everyone involved to “get it right”, and the politics, hubris, ego and ideology that is the bedrock of New York City.

Three thousand workers are now building four of the tallest skyscrapers in America, a train station, a performing arts center and a sacred memorial and museum. What will emerge in downtown Manhattan over the next few years will redefine the city—and the country—for generations.