Ground Zero

By Bob Mintz

Those in TCA may or not be aware that I was living in lower Manhattan on 911.

I actually lived directly across the street from the Twin Towers, some 200 feet away.

The angle of the above photos, the second of which was taken from a ferry in the middle of the Hudson River several weeks after 911, does not really show how close I actually was, but the image below may give you a better perspective.

Prior to the September 11 attacks, I was aware that my apartment complex was created on the Hudson River in part using soil and rock excavated during the construction of the World Trade Centers, which is now unfortunately missing from the lower NYC skyline.

I was not, however, aware that the street abutting my apartment building, was once the Central Railroad of New Jersey’s Liberty Street marine terminal.

The building on the far right is 90 West Street aka the “West Street Building”, which still stands, although severely damaged in the September 11, 2001 attacks when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed directly across the street. It was designed by architect Cass Gilbert who went on to design the Woolworth Building, which is on the far left of this photo. Originally built as an office building, the main tenant of 90 West St. was the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. The building directly above the archway labeled “CR” with the domed roof is the Singer Sewing Machine Building, and the World Trade Centers later stood in front that location.

View showing the front of the CRRNJ marine terminal on Liberty and West Streets; and in the lower left hand corner, the now razed Westside Highway

The ferry connected with The Historic CRRNJ Train Terminal, now part of Liberty State Park

In addition, a review of the map of the Port of New York Authority-New York Harbor terminals would show that other piers on the Hudson River were operated or co-operated by NYC; PRR/PC; DL&W; Erie/EL; LV/B&O; CNJ/Erie; LIRR; WS; NYC& HR; and NYO&W.

Furthermore, it turns out that my apartment building may hold the distinguished honor of being the only one that I can recall that was represented on a box of a Lionel train set.