Governor Cuomo Signs Agreement to Kick-Start The Rebuilding of The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Lower Manhattan
On Friday, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that he, joined by Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward, representatives of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and St. Nicholas Parish and Majority Leader Dean Skelos, signed the agreement that permits the rebuilding of the Church with a nondenominational bereavement center at the east end of Liberty Park, at 130 Liberty Street. The agreement follows a four-month independent engineering study commissioned by the Port Authority and the Archdiocese, which found that the Church could be built on the site with minor modifications to the original plan and with no impact on the World Trade Center construction schedule.
"We lost St. Nicholas Church in the destruction of September 11 and for too long its future has been uncertain," Governor Cuomo said. "Rebuilding St. Nicholas Church, with a nondenominational bereavement center, is not just good news for the Greek Orthodox community, but for all New Yorkers. With this agreement, we are continuing New York's collective healing, restoration, and resurgence. Now we are finally returning this treasured place of reflection to where it belongs."
As a result of settlement discussions mediated by the Governor's office, the Port Authority and Archdiocese agreed to an independent engineering study to determine the feasibility of siting the Church at various locations in Liberty Park. The four-month study was led by Peter Lehrer, a nationally renowned construction expert, who worked on the project on a pro bono basis with Director of World Trade Center Construction Steven Plate and independent engineers Gorton & Partners and McNamara/Salvia, Inc. The study concluded that structural issues could be resolved to site the Church at 130 Liberty Street at significantly reduced cost compared to the original agreement and with no delay to construction at the World Trade Center site.
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STATEMENT OF MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ON AGREEMENT TO REBUILD ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH
"The destruction of St. Nicholas Church added to the tragedy of September 11th and was a terrible loss for the Lower Manhattan and Greek Orthodox communities. Over the past ten years, we have made great progress rebuilding the World Trade Center, but it is an extraordinarily complex site, and rebuilding the church has proved a challenge. In 2009, Archbishop Demetrios sought my help in convening the Port Authority and State leadership to work on a solution, and I was glad to be of assistance. Now, thanks to cooperation between all parties, a plan has been put in place that will give the community a new sanctuary and place for healing."