The reopening — and reinvention — of the World Trade Center mall reflects how much lower Manhattan has changed since the 9/11 attacks.
Once a scene of massive destruction, the area is now a vibrant one of office towers and upscale hotels, with three times the number of residents as before the attacks, weekday employees in industries beyond Wall Street, and millions of tourists visiting every year.
Shops from Apple to Forever 21 to H&M to John Varvatos will serve the increasingly diverse area where real estate experts say people have been eager for new stores and restaurants. The new spaces also let customers tap into technology, as some retailers use the space for their latest ideas.
The location is a “symbol of hope, opportunity, progress and perseverance,” said Bill Hecht, chief operating officer of Westfield Corp.’s U.S. division. Westfield manages the retail properties, while the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey owns the real estate.
More than 100 stores will occupy the 365,000-square-foot center, with about 60 opening this week and the rest by the winter holiday season. Ford Motor Co. is set to open this fall the first FordHub, a showroom for innovations that’s not a dealership. Shoe purveyor Aldo Group Inc. is using the opening to launch an app feature for its store, which will be rolled out to other locations.

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People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. Once a scene of massive destruction, the area is now a vibrant one of office towers and upscale hotels, with three times the number of residents as before the attacks, weekday employees in industries beyond Wall Street, and millions of tourists visiting every year. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. More than 60,000 residents live within blocks of the World Trade Center area, about three times the number from right before 9/11. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. The location is a "symbol of hope, opportunity, progress and perseverance," said Bill Hecht, chief operating officer of Westfield Corp.'s U.S. division. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. While mostly below street level, light beams in through the windows of the winged Oculus, designed by Santiago Calatrava, that top the transportation hub of 13 subway trains and river ferries. More than 300,000 commuters use it on a daily basis, many for jobs beyond finance in advertising and media. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. More than 60,000 residents live within blocks of the World Trade Center area, about three times the number from right before 9/11. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. Over 100 stores and restaurants opened Tuesday at the Westfield World Trade Center at the Oculus. The 350,000 square-foot mall opened nearly 15 years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in 2001. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. Over 100 stores and restaurants opened Tuesday at the Westfield World Trade Center at the Oculus. The 350,000 square-foot mall opened nearly 15 years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in 2001. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. More than 300,000 commuters use it on a daily basis, many for jobs beyond finance in advertising and media. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. Over 100 stores and restaurants opened Tuesday at the Westfield World Trade Center at the Oculus. The 350,000 square-foot mall opened nearly 15 years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in 2001. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. Over 100 stores and restaurants opened Tuesday at the Westfield World Trade Center at the Oculus. The 350,000 square-foot mall opened nearly 15 years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in 2001. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. The former shopping mall in the World Trade Center was one of the most successful properties in the world, but catered to daytime weekday shopping, said Robin Abrams, vice chairman of The Lansco Corp., a real estate advisory firm. The new mall is expected to have a vibrant night and weekend atmosphere, and Hecht noted a deliberate move to include shops with necessities like drugstore Duane Reade.(Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. It stretches along a four-block underground network that spans the bases of three office towers. While mostly below street level, light beams in through the windows of the winged Oculus, designed by Santiago Calatrava, that top the transportation hub of 13 subway trains and river ferries. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
Taken with a slow shutter speed, people walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) Taken with a slow shutter speed, people walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) People take photos as they visit the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Monday, August 22, 2016. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Monday, August 22, 2016. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Monday, August 22, 2016. It stretches along a four-block underground network that spans the bases of three office towers. While mostly below street level, light beams in through the windows of the winged Oculus, designed by Santiago Calatrava, that top the transportation hub of 13 subway trains and river ferries. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) People walk through the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Monday, August 22, 2016. It stretches along a four-block underground network that spans the bases of three office towers. While mostly below street level, light beams in through the windows of the winged Oculus, designed by Santiago Calatrava, that top the transportation hub of 13 subway trains and river ferries. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
One World Trade Center is visible in glass ceiling of the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Monday, August 22, 2016. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) In an image taken with a fisheye lens, the ceiling of the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Monday, August 22, 2016. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News) In an image taken with a fisheye lens, the ceiling of the Oculus mall at World Trade Center on Monday, August 22, 2016. (Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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