Editing Battery Park City (section)

== History ==

=== Site and formation ===
[[File:CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON THE BATTERY PARK DEVELOPMENT ACROSS FROM THE WORLD TRADE BUILDINGS ON THE HUDSON RIVER - NARA - 549309.jpg|thumb|Construction in May 1973]]
Throughout the 19th century and early-20th century, the area adjoining today's Battery Park City was known as [[Little Syria]] with Lebanese, Greeks, Armenians, and other ethnic groups. In 1929, the land was the proposed site of a $50&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|50|1929|fmt=c|r=-1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) residential development that would have served workers in the Wall Street area.<ref name=unit>{{cite web | title=Housing Unit Named Battery Tower. | website=The New York Times | date=May 25, 1929 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/05/25/archives/housing-unit-named-battery-tower.html | access-date=March 23, 2017 | archive-date=July 26, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726010208/https://www.nytimes.com/1929/05/25/archives/housing-unit-named-battery-tower.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Battery Tower (Manhattan)|Battery Tower]] project was left unfinished after workers digging the foundation ran into forty feet of old [[bulkhead (partition)|bulkheads]], sunken docks, and ships.<ref>{{cite web | title=EXCAVATIONS BEGUN.; Steel Sheeting Is Being Used for Battery Tower Work. | website=The New York Times | date=December 8, 1929 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/12/08/archives/excavations-begun-steel-sheeting-is-being-used-for-battery-tower.html | access-date=March 23, 2017 | archive-date=July 25, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725215020/https://www.nytimes.com/1929/12/08/archives/excavations-begun-steel-sheeting-is-being-used-for-battery-tower.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

By the late-1950s, the once-prosperous port area of downtown Manhattan was occupied by a number of dilapidated shipping piers, casualties of the rise of [[container shipping]] which drove sea traffic to [[Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal|Port Elizabeth, New Jersey]].<ref name="hidden">{{cite web |url=https://www.eagletransfer.com/the-hidden-history-of-battery-park-city/ |title=The Hidden History of Battery Park City |date=June 21, 2017 |website=Eagle Transfer |access-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701145250/https://www.eagletransfer.com/the-hidden-history-of-battery-park-city/ |archive-date=July 1, 2017}}</ref> The initial proposal to reclaim this area through [[Land reclamation|landfill]] was offered in the early-1960s by private firms and supported by the mayor, part of a long history of [[Lower Manhattan expansion]].<ref name="surprisingly" /><ref name="hidden" /> That plan became complicated when Governor [[Nelson Rockefeller]] announced his desire to redevelop a part of the area as a separate project. The various groups reached a compromise, and in 1966 the governor unveiled the proposal for what would become Battery Park City. The creation of architect [[Wallace K. Harrison]], the proposal called for a 'comprehensive community' consisting of housing, social infrastructure and light industry.<ref name="hidden" />

In 1968, the [[New York State Legislature]] created the [[Battery Park City Authority]] (BPCA) to oversee development.<ref name="hidden" /><ref name="landfill" /> Rockefeller named [[Charles J. Urstadt]] as the first chairman of the authority's board that year. He then served as the chief executive officer from 1973 to 1978. Urstadt later served as the authority's vice chair from 1996 to 2010.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.downtownexpress.com/2012/06/06/battery-park-city-creators-reminisce-about/|title=Battery Park City creators reminisce about neighborhood's past|last=Kreuzer|first=Terese Loeb|date=June 6, 2012|work=Downtown Express|access-date=October 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019001543/http://www.downtownexpress.com/2012/06/06/battery-park-city-creators-reminisce-about/|archive-date=October 19, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Empire State Development Corporation|New York State Urban Development Corporation]] and ten other public agencies were also involved in the development project.<ref name="enr-1983">{{cite news |title=Megajob takes foothold in fill, New York City's $1-billion river development survives snags |publisher=Engineering News-Record |date=April 14, 1983}}</ref> For the next several years, the BPCA made slow progress. In April 1969, it unveiled a master plan for the area,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/04/17/archives/battery-park-plan-is-shown.html|title=Battery Park Plan Is Shown|last=Shipler|first=David K.|date=April 17, 1969|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726011419/https://www.nytimes.com/1969/04/17/archives/battery-park-plan-is-shown.html|url-status=live}}</ref> which was approved in October.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/10/10/archives/battery-park-city-is-given-approval-lower-west-side-complex-to-be.html|title=Battery Park City Is Given Approval; Lower West Side Complex to Be Built on Landfill|date=October 10, 1969|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726014050/https://www.nytimes.com/1969/10/10/archives/battery-park-city-is-given-approval-lower-west-side-complex-to-be.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In early-1972, the BPCA issued $200 million in bonds to fund construction efforts,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/10/archives/planned-battery-park-city.html|title=Letters to the Editor: Planned Battery Park City|last=Urstadt|first=Charles J.|date=June 10, 1972|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726013609/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/10/archives/planned-battery-park-city.html|url-status=live}}</ref> with [[Harry Helmsley|Harry B. Helmsley]] designated as the developer.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/02/archives/developer-named-for-battery-city-helmsley-will-plan-three-office.html|title=DEVELOPER NAMED FOR BATTERY CITY|last=Oser|first=Alan S.|date=February 2, 1972|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726011431/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/02/archives/developer-named-for-battery-city-helmsley-will-plan-three-office.html|url-status=live}}</ref> That same year, the city approved plans to alter the number of apartments designated for lower, middle and upper income renters. Urstadt said the changes were needed to make the financing for the project viable. In addition to the change in the mix of units, the city approved adding nine acres, which extended the northern boundary from Reade Street to Duane Street.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/13/archives/planners-cut-lowincome-units-in-battery-park-city-proposal.html|title=Planners Cut Low‐Income Units In Battery Park City Proposal|last=Seigel|first=Max H.|date=July 13, 1972|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726014300/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/13/archives/planners-cut-lowincome-units-in-battery-park-city-proposal.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Landfill material from [[Building of the World Trade Center|construction]] of the [[World Trade Center (1973-2001)|World Trade Center]] and other buildings in Lower Manhattan was used to add fill for the southern portion.<ref name="hidden" /><ref name="landfill" /><ref name="great" /> Cellular [[cofferdam]]s were constructed to retain the material.<ref name="iglauer">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/content/articles/010924fr_archive02 |title=The Biggest Foundation |author=Iglauer, Edith |date=November 4, 1972 |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=January 10, 2007 |archive-date=January 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104030528/http://www.newyorker.com/archive/content/articles/010924fr_archive02 |url-status=live }}</ref> After removal of the piers, wooden piles and overburden of silt, the northern portion (north of, and including the marina) was filled with sand dredged from areas adjacent to [[Ambrose Channel]] in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as stone from the construction of [[New York City Water Tunnel No. 3|Water Tunnel #3]].<ref name="iglauer" /> By 1976, the landfill was completed. Seating stands for viewing the American Bicentennial "Operation Sail" flotilla parade were set up on the completed landfill in July 1976.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/05/25/archives/seats-at-25-apiece-offered-of-battery-to-watch-big-ships.html|title=Seats at $25 Apiece Offered at Battery To Watch Big Ships|date=May 25, 1976|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019001925/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/05/25/archives/seats-at-25-apiece-offered-of-battery-to-watch-big-ships.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Construction efforts ground to a halt in 1977, as a result of the city's fiscal crisis.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/30/archives/will-battery-park-city-ever-rise-will-battery-park-city-ever-rise.html|title=Will Battery Park City Ever Rise?|last=Fried|first=Joseph P.|date=October 30, 1977|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019001907/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/30/archives/will-battery-park-city-ever-rise-will-battery-park-city-ever-rise.html|url-status=live}}</ref> That year, the [[Presidency of Jimmy Carter|presidential administration of Jimmy Carter]] approved mortgage insurance for 1,600 of the development's proposed units.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/07/29/archives/preliminary-federal-backing-given-on-longdelayed-battery-park-city.html|title=Preliminary Federal Backing Given On Long‐Dilayed Battery Park City|last=Fried|first=Joseph P.|date=July 29, 1977|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019040932/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/07/29/archives/preliminary-federal-backing-given-on-longdelayed-battery-park-city.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1979, the title to the landfill was transferred from the city to the Battery Park City Authority, which financially restructured itself and created a new, more viable master plan, designed by [[Alex Cooper (architect)|Alex Cooper]] of [[Cooper, Robertson & Partners]] and Stanton Eckstut.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/09/archives/carey-and-koch-accept-new-battery-park-city-plan-part-of-a.html|title=Carey and Koch Accept New Battery Park City Plan|last=Schumacher|first=Edward|date=November 9, 1979|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309142023/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/09/archives/carey-and-koch-accept-new-battery-park-city-plan-part-of-a.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By that time, only two of the proposed development's buildings had been built, and the $200 million bond issue was supposed to have been paid off the next year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/26/archives/13-years-later-battery-park-citys-an-empty-dream-first-repayment-is.html|title=13 Years Later, Battery Park City's an Empty Dream|last=Schumacher|first=Edward|date=October 26, 1979|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019001842/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/26/archives/13-years-later-battery-park-citys-an-empty-dream-first-repayment-is.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The design of BPC to some degree reflects the values of vibrant city neighborhoods championed by [[Jane Jacobs]]. The [[Urban Land Institute]] (ULI) awarded the Battery Park City Master Plan its 2010 Heritage Award, for having "facilitated the private development of {{Convert|9.3|e6sqft|e3m2|sp=us|abbr=off}} of commercial space, {{Convert|7.2|e6sqft|e3m2|sp=us|abbr=off}} of residential space, and nearly {{Convert|36|acres}} of open space in lower Manhattan, becoming a model for successful large-scale planning efforts and marking a positive shift away from the urban renewal mindset of the time."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.uli.org/News/MediaCenter/PressReleases/2010%20archives/Content/AwardsforExcellenceAmericas2010Winners.aspx |title=Press Room |access-date=December 27, 2017 |archive-date=December 27, 2017 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20171227031554/http://www.uli.org/News/MediaCenter/PressReleases/2010%20archives/Content/AwardsforExcellenceAmericas2010Winners.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Battery Park City 003.JPG|thumb|The esplanade]]

=== Construction and early development ===
During the late-1970s and early-1980s, the site hosted Creative Time's landmark Art on the Beach sculpture exhibitions.<ref name="beach">{{cite web |url=https://archinect.com/news/article/150142775/manhattan-s-battery-park-was-once-a-surreal-beachfront |title=Manhattan's Battery Park was once a surreal beachfront |last=Reiner-Roth |first=Shane |date=June 23, 2019 |website=Archinect |access-date=January 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728030237/https://archinect.com/news/article/150142775/manhattan-s-battery-park-was-once-a-surreal-beachfront |archive-date=July 28, 2020}}</ref> On September 23, 1979, the landfill was the site of an [[List of anti-nuclear protests in the United States|anti-nuclear rally]] attended by 200,000 people.<ref name=nyt>{{cite news |first=Robin |last=Herman |title=Nearly 200,000 Rally to Protest Nuclear Energy |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=B1 |date=September 24, 1979 }}</ref>

In 1978, a temporary heliport operated by the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]] opened at the southern end of the landfill and was initially used by [[New York Airways]] helicopters providing scheduled service to [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|Kennedy]], [[LaGuardia Airport|LaGuardia]] and [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]] airports.<ref>{{cite news |last=Thomas |first=Robert McG. Jr. |date=January 18, 1978 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/18/archives/heliport-is-sought-for-battery-park-city.html |title=Heliport Is Sought for Battery Park City |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 7, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lichtenstein |first=Grace |date=April 13, 1978 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/13/archives/helicopter-service-to-trade-center-starts-certification-expected-in.html |title=Helicopter Service to Trade Center Starts |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 7, 2024}}</ref> The helicopter landing pad later accommodated flights diverted from the [[Downtown Manhattan Heliport]] while that facility was closed for reconstruction from 1983 to 1987.<ref>{{cite news |last=Incantalupo |first=Tom |date=March 10, 1986 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-nassau-edition-new-york-whirls/158585413/ |title=New York Whirls To Work |work=Newsday |access-date=November 7, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 28, 1987 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-record-manhattan-heliport-christened/158585326/ |title=Manhattan Heliport Christened |work=The Record |access-date=November 7, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The Battery Park City Heliport was located on the south side of the future site of the [[Museum of Jewish Heritage]].<ref>{{cite news |date=September 4, 1986 |title=Manhattan Neighborhoods |work=Newsday |id={{ProQuest|285427178}}}}</ref>

Construction began on the first residential building in June 1980.<ref name="surprisingly" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/05/16/archives/construction-of-battery-park-city-is-now-scheduled-to-begin-in-june.html|title=Construction of Battery Park City Is Now Scheduled to Begin in June; Construction to Start June 3|last=Goodwin|first=Michael|date=May 16, 1980|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726010505/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/05/16/archives/construction-of-battery-park-city-is-now-scheduled-to-begin-in-june.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="landfill" /> In April 1981, the New York State Urban Development Corporation (now the [[Empire State Development Corporation]]) issued a [[request for proposal]], ultimately selecting six real-estate companies to develop over 1,800 residential units.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/19/nyregion/6-builders-chosen-for-housing-at-battery-park-city.html|title=6 BUILDERS CHOSEN FOR HOUSING AT BATTERY PARK CITY|last=Goldberger|first=Paul|date=August 19, 1981|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701160341/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/19/nyregion/6-builders-chosen-for-housing-at-battery-park-city.html?|url-status=live}}</ref> The same year, the [[Brookfield Place (New York City)|World Financial Center]] started construction; [[Olympia and York]] of [[Toronto]] was named as the developer for the World Financial Center, who then hired [[Cesar Pelli]] as the lead architect. By 1985, construction was completed and the World Financial Center (later renamed Brookfield Place New York)<ref name="landfill" /> saw its first tenants.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/18/nyregion/battery-project-reflects-changing-city-priorities.html|title=BATTERY PROJECT REFLECTS CHANGING CITY PRIORITIES|last=Gottlieb|first=Martin|date=October 18, 1985|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323143129/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/18/nyregion/battery-project-reflects-changing-city-priorities.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The newly completed development was lauded by ''The New York Times'' as "a triumph of urban design",<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/31/arts/architecture-view-battery-park-city-is-a-triumph-of-urban-design.html|title=ARCHITECTURE VIEW; BATTERY PARK CITY IS A TRIUMPH OF URBAN DESIGN|last=Goldberger|first=Paul|date=August 31, 1986|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323143652/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/31/arts/architecture-view-battery-park-city-is-a-triumph-of-urban-design.html|url-status=live}}</ref> with the World Financial Center being deemed "a symbol of change".<ref name=":0" />

[[File:Battery Park City North Cove.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[North Cove Marina|North Cove Yacht Harbor]], next to the [[Brookfield Place (New York City)|World Financial Center]]]]
During early construction, two acres of land in the southern section of the Battery Park landfill was used by artist [[Agnes Denes]] to plant wheat in an exhibition titled ''[[Wheatfield — A Confrontation|Wheatfield – A Confrontation]]''.<ref>[[Agnes Denes|Denes, Agnes]] (c.2006) [http://greenmuseum.org/c/aen/Images/Ecology/wheatfield.php "Wheatfield - A Confrontation, Battery Park Landfill, downtown Manhattan, 2 acres of wheat planted & harvested, summer 1982"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131032203/http://www.greenmuseum.org/c/aen/Images/Ecology/wheatfield.php |date=January 31, 2016 }} greenmuseum.org</ref> The project was a visual contradiction: a golden field of wheat set among the steel skyscrapers of downtown Manhattan.<ref>Krug, Don. (c.2006) [http://greenmuseum.org/c/aen/Issues/denes.php "Ecological Restoration: Agnes Denes, ''Wheatfield''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160908172116/http://greenmuseum.org/c/aen/Issues/denes.php |date=September 8, 2016 }} greenmuseum.org</ref> It was created during a six-month period in the spring, summer, and fall of 1982 when Denes, with the support of the [[Public Art Fund]], planted the field of wheat on rubble-strewn land near [[Wall Street]] and the [[World Trade Center site]]. Denes stated that her "decision to plant a wheatfield in Manhattan, instead of designing just another public sculpture, grew out of a long-standing concern and need to call attention to our misplaced priorities and deteriorating human values."<ref>Oakes, B. (1995). ''Sculpting with the Environment: A Natural Dialogue''. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. p.168</ref>

Throughout the 1980s, the BPCA oversaw a great deal of construction, including the entire [[Rector Place]] neighborhood and the river esplanade. It was during that period that [[Amanda Burden]], later City Planning Department Director in the Bloomberg administration, worked on Battery Park City. During the 1980s, a total of 13 buildings were constructed. The [[Vietnam Veterans Plaza]] was established by [[Edward I. Koch]] in 1985.<ref name="Vietnam Veterans Plaza">{{cite web|url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/vietnamveteransplaza/history|title=Vietnam Veterans Plaza|publisher=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation|access-date=February 14, 2014|archive-date=June 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609113656/http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/vietnamveteransplaza/history|url-status=live}}</ref> Constructed at a cost of $150&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|150|1992|fmt=c|r=-1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) and with a capacity for 2,700 students, Battery Park City became the new home of the [[Stuyvesant High School]] in 1992.<ref>[[Robert D. McFadden|McFadden, Robert D.]]; and Shapiro, Eben. [https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/08/nyregion/finally-facade-fit-stuyvesant-high-school-high-achievers-gets-high-priced-home.html "Finally, a Facade to Fit Stuyvesant; A High School of High Achievers Gets a High-Priced Home"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526053208/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/08/nyregion/finally-facade-fit-stuyvesant-high-school-high-achievers-gets-high-priced-home.html |date=May 26, 2015 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 8, 1992. Accessed December 30, 2023. "Tomorrow, as the 1992-93 school year begins, a reincarnated Stuyvesant High opens across Manhattan at Battery Park City for 2,700 students and 103 faculty members: a new, lavishly appointed, 10-story future school with state-of-the-art computers and 12 science labs, Art Deco lights, five gyms, an Olympic-sized pool, banks of escalators, glassed-in studios, an auditorium worthy of Broadway and stunning Hudson River views from the classrooms. In an era of tight finances, New York City -- which has budgeted $7 billion this year for the education of one million students in 991 schools -- paid $150 million for Stuyvesant, its first new high school in a decade, the costliest ever built in the city and perhaps in the country."</ref> During the 1990s, an additional six buildings were added to the neighborhood. By the turn of the 21st century, Battery Park City was mostly completed, with the exception of some ongoing construction on West Street.

Initially, in the 1980s, 23 buildings were built in the area. By the 1990s, 9 more buildings were built, followed by the construction of 11 buildings in the 2000s and 3 buildings in the 2010s.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070501110221/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ne?id=100010 Emporis NYC Districts and Zones: Battery Park City<!-- Bot generated title -->]}}</ref> The Battery Park City Authority, wishing to attract more middle-class residents, started providing subsidies in 1998 to households whose annual incomes were $108,000 or less.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/24/nyregion/battery-park-city-to-give-middle-income-renters-a-break.html|title=Battery Park City to Give Middle-Income Renters a Break|last=Pristin|first=Terry|date=March 24, 1998|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323143808/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/24/nyregion/battery-park-city-to-give-middle-income-renters-a-break.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By the end of the decade, nearly the entire landfill had been developed.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/07/realestate/filling-in-the-blanks-at-battery-park-city.html|title=Filling in the Blanks At Battery Park City|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=February 7, 1999|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323143622/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/07/realestate/filling-in-the-blanks-at-battery-park-city.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Early 21st century ===

The [[September 11 terrorist attacks]] in 2001 had a major impact on Battery Park City.<ref name="hidden" /> The residents of Lower Manhattan and particularly of Battery Park City were displaced for an extended period of time. Parts of the community were an official crime scene and therefore residents were unable to return to live or even collect property. Many of the displaced residents were not allowed to return to the area for months and none were given government guidance of where to live temporarily on the already-crowded island of Manhattan. With most hotel rooms booked, residents, including young children and the elderly, were forced to fend for themselves. When they were finally allowed to return to Battery Park City, some found that their homes had been looted.<ref>Gross, Jane. [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/17/us/after-the-attacks-the-dispossessed-battery-park-city-residents-only-visit.html "After The Attacks: The Dispossessed; Battery Park City Residents Only Visit"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818051119/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/17/us/after-the-attacks-the-dispossessed-battery-park-city-residents-only-visit.html |date=August 18, 2017 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 17, 2001. Accessed June 23, 2017. "But at the Gateway section of the complex, there were scattered reports of looting, on two Web sites about Battery Park City and from residents who returned home for the first time."</ref>

Upon residents' return, the air in the area was still filled with toxic smoke from the World Trade Center fires that persisted until December 2001.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/dec/20/september11.usa|title=Ground Zero stops burning, after 100 days|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=December 20, 2001|access-date=June 23, 2017|archive-date=July 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713032752/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/dec/20/september11.usa|url-status=live}}</ref> More than half of the area's residents moved away permanently from the community after the adjacent World Trade Center towers collapsed and spread toxic dust, debris, and smoke. Gateway Plaza's 600 building, Hudson View East, and Parc Place (now Rector Square) were punctured by airplane parts. The Winter Garden and other portions of the World Financial Center were severely damaged. Environmental concerns regarding dust from the Trade Center are a continuing source of concern for many residents, scientists, and elected officials. Since the attacks, the damage has been repaired. Temporarily reduced rents and government subsidies helped restore residential occupancy in the years following the attacks.

After September 11, 2001, residents of Battery Park City and [[Tribeca]] formed [[the TriBattery Pops Tom Goodkind Conductor]] in response to the events of the attacks. The "Pops" have been [[Grammy Award|Grammy]]-nominated and are the first lower Manhattan all-volunteer community band in a century.

Since then, real estate development in the area has continued robustly. Commercial development includes the {{convert|2100000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} [[200 West Street]], the [[Goldman Sachs]] global headquarters, which began construction in 2005 and opened for occupancy in October 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.newyork.construction.com/projects/TopPrj_05-06/TPstrt1-5.pdf |title=Goldman Sachs Group World Headquarters |date=June 2006 |access-date=June 14, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712134722/http://www.newyork.construction.com/projects/TopPrj_05-06/TPstrt1-5.pdf |archive-date=July 12, 2007}}</ref> 200 West Street received in 2010 gold-level certification under the [[United States Green Building Council]]'s [[Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design]] (LEED) program by incorporating various water and energy conservation features.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://paulpiazzaarchitect.com/home/2018/01/28/200-west-street-nyc-goldman-sachs-world-headquarters/ |title=200 West Street NYC - Goldman Sachs World Headquarters |date=January 28, 2018 |website=Paul Piazza Architect |access-date=January 16, 2023 |archive-date=January 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117021347/https://paulpiazzaarchitect.com/home/2018/01/28/200-west-street-nyc-goldman-sachs-world-headquarters/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://culturenow.org/entry&permalink=04220&seo=200-West-Street-Goldman-Sachs-Headquarters_Adamson-Associates-and-Pei-Cobb-Freed--Partners-Architects-LLP |title=200 West Street |website=Museum without Walls |access-date=January 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117013103/https://culturenow.org/entry&permalink=04220&seo=200-West-Street-Goldman-Sachs-Headquarters_Adamson-Associates-and-Pei-Cobb-Freed--Partners-Architects-LLP |archive-date=January 17, 2023}}</ref> As of 2018, there is no new construction planned.<ref name="landfill" />