Remember February 26, 1993

On Friday, February 26, 1993, at 12:18 pm, a small cell of terrorists, with links to a local radical mosque and broader Islamist terror networks, detonated 1,500 pounds of explosives in a rental van in the underground public parking garage below the southern wall of the North Tower of the World Trade Center (WTC). The terrorists fled the area after manually lighting the bomb’s fuse.

The towers were relatively full when the bombing occurred, as wintery conditions kept many inside for lunch. Lights blinked throughout Lower Manhattan and went off on half of each floor in both towers. Within an hour, an on-scene fire department chief unofficially ordered power for the entire complex to be shut down because of safety risks to firefighters working near water sources. This left the buildings in total darkness and left many trapped in elevators. The bomb, which was located near the WTC’s primary command center, destroyed the complex’s emergency systems, leaving tenants without guidance on how to proceed. The Port Authority (PA) police desk, also near the bomb’s location, had to be evacuated. The city’s 9-1-1 system was overloaded, preventing some calls from getting through.

The blast was initially thought to be a transformer explosion, but once the damage was seen, it was apparent that it was a bomb. All local agencies as well as responders from the entire New York-New Jersey region reported to the site for what was then the largest rescue effort in New York City history. Within minutes, the upper portion of the North Tower lobby was filled with smoke and smoke began making its way up to the top of both towers. Some WTC tenants began a one-step-at-a-time evacuation down dark and smoky stairwells with improvised light sources such as cigarette lighters or mini-flashlights. Some were impeded by increasing smoke in the stairwells and forced to wait in conditions severe enough in some areas for tenants to break and hang out windows. Approximately 200 visitors to the Observation Deck, including about 30 schoolchildren on a class trip, were led to the roof of the South Tower by PA staff to wait for the smoke to subside. (Others from the class trip were among those trapped in elevators.)

PA civilian staff remained throughout the towers to assist with the evacuation and rescue. Firefighters and police climbed the stairs to lead people down, reaching the towers’ top floors in some cases. NYPD helicopters transported rescue personnel to the roof to begin climbing down. The general evacuation of WTC tenants down the stairs took more than four hours. Many tenants had to evacuate the complex through the underground concourse because of hazardous conditions outside. Later that evening, approximately forty people, with pre-existing or attack-induced medical conditions that made them physically incapable of descending the stairs, were escorted to the roof by NYPD and PA operations staff to be airlifted to the ground or for treatment, in controversial rappel and touch-down maneuvers.

The 1993 attack on the WTC killed six people: four members of the PA World Trade Department, including a pregnant woman; a Windows on the World employee; and a visitor to the complex. Thousands were injured, almost half of those seriously enough to require hospitalization. Many suffered psychological effects, some lasting to this day. The bomb made a five-story crater in the sub-grade levels of the towers and undermined the floor of the adjoining hotel, where responders had established an initial recovery command center. Damage to the North Tower’s electrical supply caused most non-cable TV reception in the area to be lost.

Recovering and Rebuilding

The PA’s World Trade Department and engineering staff immediately began working to recover from the attack. Lights in the towers were turned on by 7pm that evening to symbolize a psychological victory. Power was quickly restored to integral locations, and telephone lines were run to command centers. Temporary arrangements were made for some key tenants to return as early as the following Monday. PA management helped to arrange the short-term relocation of tenants, and provided referrals for psychological services. To commemorate the victims of the attack, a brass plaque bearing their names was installed near the location of the bomb on the B-2 level of the North Tower. A memorial fountain was later dedicated on the plaza between the towers. (Both memorials were destroyed in the attacks of September 11, 2001; a small piece of the fountain was recovered and rededicated on February 26, 2005, the 12-year anniversary of the bombing.)

PA staff worked around the clock to enable a re-opening of the complex in March. New York Governor Mario Cuomo and his staff were the first to return on March 19th. By this time, the debris removal and cleaning were essentially complete; the entire rebuilding effort continued for approximately eighteen months.

The general rebuilding process after the bombing forced pre-existing redevelopment plans to be expedited, particularly those elements related to life safety and security. The PA spent an initial $100 million, and an aggregate of $250 million between 1993 and 2001, on structural, technological and operational enhancements to egress, notification capabilities, command centers and life safety plans and staffing. Security-wise, the PA essentially “closed” the WTC complex to the public, with prior approval or screening required for entry. It installed a “repeater” system to enhance high-rise communications for the FDNY, and formalized its New York City code compliance policy.

While the WTC community embarked on a “new normal,” people around the country tended to view the attack as a New York event, and New Yorkers tended to view it as a WTC event,unrelated to them. Additionally, the skilled investigation and response to the attack, which led to the quick arrests and trials of the terrorists, gave the country an optimistic sense of preparedness and security.

Occupancy rates in the downtown area were generally low after the 1993 bombing, and new tenants were wary of renting space on high floors in the WTC, which had previously been the most desirable zone. Nonetheless, all but one major tenant, which had consolidated its headquarters at the nearby World Financial Center, returned to the WTC. Naturally, it was difficult for tenants to return to the site of the attack, but they generally regarded their return to the towers as a cause for celebration, a victory. While some continued to feel uneasy, waiting for the next attack to occur, many felt safer seeing what the towers had been able to withstand. They felt that the fortification of the complex through rigorous new safety and security measures made it impenetrable. As memories of the bombing faded, some tenants actually complained about the cumbersome nature of WTC security.

Revitalization in the Years that Followed

By the end of the decade, the WTC had achieved a renaissance. A combination of the modernization of the complex and a tenant-friendlier approach led to an occupancy rate of 97.5%. By this time, the complex was filled with larger, high-powered tenant-companies, including investment banks, accounting and law firms, and traders, making it active day and night. Quality-of-life updates also enlivened the environment. Windows on the World and the hotel were significantly renovated and leased to new operators. The newly-privatized Observation Deck added new attractions, including a simulated helicopter ride around New York City. The mall replaced outdated stores and banks with upscale shops and a number of new restaurants. The PA sponsored concerts on the plaza, which led to the idea of the coordinated area-wide annual River to River Festivals. A variety of services and amenities were available at the WTC, including meeting & exhibit space, education & training services, medical & dental offices, a children’s daycare center, a fitness center at the hotel, airline counters, postal & shipping counters, full-service banks and ATM’s, a TKTS booth, a Green Market set up outdoors. The majority of tenants felt privileged to work at the WTC, and recall their days there with great fondness.

The WTC’s burgeoning environment also made it a focal point for the downtown area. The mall became a hangout for local school kids, as well as the primary shopping center and hub of services for the downtown area. Residential life downtown increased, which caused the area to flourish further. By 2000, the WTC had not only revitalized itself in the aftermath of a major attack, but had fostered the revitalization of the downtown area, the purpose for which it was conceived and built half a century earlier.