Once-Lofty Plans for Ground Zero Arts Center Shift Again

Long-gestating plans for a high-profile arts venue at the former World Trade Center site have undergone another transformation, this one downgrading the role of the last of four anchor tenants originally linked with the project, according to The New York Times.

The Frank Gehry-designed facility will be multidisciplinary, hosting theater, music, and dance performances and film screenings in two venue spaces, down from the originally planned four. Project officials are searching for an artistic director who will play a key role in shaping its identity and direction.

The new blueprint is a shift from the prior plan for a dance-only venue operated by the Joyce Theater, one of the original tenants when the arts center project was launched nine years ago. The dance-focused proposal emerged after the other three anchor groups left or were dropped from the project.

The Joyce will retain a role at the center. Its executive director, Linda Shelton, said she was disappointed with the change but added, “I’m patient and I’m realistic, so I want to be there with whatever it is.”