Manhattan Community College students will finally take classes in Fiterman Hall, 11 years after it was destroyed during the September 11 attacks. The New York Times reported that the new $325 million building, at 30 West Broadway, will have ten floors ready for occupancy beginning this fall. The completed structure will have 17 floors and 390,000 square feet.
The old, 15-story building took eight years to be demolished, as the process was plagued by a number of issues ranging from financing battles to contamination precautions from Ground Zero’s potentially toxic debris. In the meantime, BMCC students had to go to class in a trailer complex that stood along West Street.
The new tower was designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and over 70 percent of the project got its financing from matching city and state funds. In addition, the Times said, 20 percent of financing was met by insurance proceeds. [NYT]