The Oculus
Enter the World Trade Center Transportation Hub via the magnificent Oculus, the street-level building and structure that offers access to the hub as well as to a vast shopping and dining space. See for yourself the remarkable structure that took 12 years to create, and was troubled by setbacks along the way. Snap a selfie against one of New York City’s favorite backdrops, the unmistakable sweeping white roof of the Oculus.
Decide for yourself whether the Oculus looks more like a rising dove or a pair of grasping claws, just two of the things the sculptural building has been compared to. It was designed by famed Spanish architect and artist Santiago Calatrava, who envisioned the structure as a pair of wings.
The symbolic importance of the Oculus is very great, since it stands on the site of the 2011 World Trade Center attack. Learn more about this tragedy and pay your respects at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, located on site. It is partly because of the pressure to get this new building just right that it took so long to finish, although the project was also held back by other problems along the way, such as damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Step inside the building and see how its interior is every bit as impressive as its outside. Look up and see the bright white rib-like structures that form the ceiling. These ribs are separated by glass, meaning the interior is flooded with light. Discover the many stores and the wide variety of restaurants collected within this futuristic environment.
Visit Lower Manhattan and you cannot miss the Oculus, one of the most arresting structures in a city that is full of them. Get here from almost anywhere in the city via the World Trade Center Transportation Hub beneath the Oculus. The hub offers access to multiple subway lines, the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal and the PATH railway.