2 World Trade Center

This article is about the new building. For the original building, see 2 World Trade Center (1971–2001).

2 World Trade Center (2 WTC; also known as 200 Greenwich Street) is a skyscraper being built as part of the new World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City. It is named after the original 2 World Trade Center, which was part of the first World Trade Center in 1973. That original building was later destroyed in the September 11 attacks in 2001.

The new tower will stand where the original 5 World Trade Center once stood. The work to build its base was finished in 2013.

Foster and Partners first proposed a design for the new tower in 2006. Later designs had between 60 and 80 floors. In February 2026, American Express announced that it would build and use the tower. The new plan called for a 55-story tower. A groundbreaking ceremony took place in July 2026, and the tower is expected to be finished in 2031.

For full information on the original World Trade Center, see World Trade Center (1973–2001).

The original World Trade Center was an urban renewal project led by David Rockefeller. It was meant to help improve Lower Manhattan. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) planned the project and hired architect Minoru Yamasaki. The twin towers were built as framed tube structures, which gave tenants open floors with few walls or columns. One World Trade Center was the North Tower, and Two World Trade Center was the South Tower. Each tower was over 1,350 feet (410 m) tall and had 110 stories. The South Tower's construction began in August 1966, and the first tenants moved in during January 1972. A seventh building was built in the mid-1980s as part of the complex on the site.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower, shortly after American Airlines Flight 11 had hit the North Tower. Three buildings in the complex, including 2 WTC, collapsed after fires weakened their structures. The South Tower fell at 9:59 a.m., after burning for 56 minutes.

New building

Larry Silverstein had leased the original World Trade Center from the PANYNJ in July 2001. His company, Silverstein Properties, kept paying rent on the site after the September 11 attacks. Experts in urban planning met to talk about how to rebuild. In February 2003, the architect Daniel Libeskind won a contest to design the master plan. The plan included five towers, a 9/11 memorial, and a transportation hub. By July 2004, a 65-story 2 World Trade Center was proposed for the northeast corner of the site.

Arguments about who would build the five towers caused delays. In 2006, the two sides reached an agreement. Silverstein gave up the rights to build 1 and 5 WTC. In return, he got money from liberty bonds to help pay for 2, 3 World Trade Center, and 4 WTC. The British architect Norman Foster, of Foster and Partners, was hired in May 2006 to design 2 World Trade Center. Richard Rogers and Fumihiko Maki were chosen to design 3 and 4 World Trade Center. The planned 78-story tower would have had shops, trading floors, and offices. Its lowest levels would have been part of a rebuilt Westfield World Trade Center Mall.

Construction began in 2008. The Port Authority and Silverstein then disagreed about money. Michael Bloomberg tried to help settle the dispute. In 2010, the disagreement went to arbitration. The panel decided that the agency did not have to pay Silverstein damages. Foundation work on Tower 2 began in June 2010, but construction stopped in August 2012. Everything up to street level was finished by mid-2013. The rest of the building then waited for tenants.

In 2015, the architect Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) began redesigning the tower. Bjarke Ingels led the work. This change was first reported by Wired magazine. The plan depended on media companies 21st Century Fox and News Corp moving in. In January 2016, though, they decided to stay at their current headquarters on the Avenue of the Americas. Other companies also looked at the tower. Citigroup had shortlisted it in 2013, but chose 388 Greenwich Street instead. Many businesses did not move in because of the costs, and some preferred Midtown Manhattan. In 2018, Deutsche Bank chose the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle instead of 2 World Trade Center.

The design went back to Foster and Partners. In September 2024, Silverstein began talks with American Express to be the main tenant. On February 25, 2026, American Express announced it would be the only tenant. The building was rescheduled to open in 2031. Foster + Partners changed the design into a 55-story tower with landscaped terraces. On July 9, 2026, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the tower.

In popular culture

The original diamond-shaped design of the new World Trade Center appeared in several science fiction films set in the future, such as Iron Sky and Oblivion, in the years after 9/11.

By the early 2010s, people were unsure about the tower's design. Newer science fiction works, such as The Wandering Earth and Westworld, showed a future New York skyline without 2 World Trade Center.