American Express breaks ground on 55-story headquarters at 2 World Trade Center
Renderings courtesy of Foster + Partners
American Express on Thursday broke ground on a new global headquarters at 2 World Trade Center, the final commerical tower of the Lower Manhattan campus. Developed by Silverstein Properties and designed by Foster+Partners, the tower at 200 Greenwich Street measures roughly 2 million square feet across 55 floors, with enough space for 10,000 American Express employees. Completion is scheduled for 2031.
The tower is rising on land owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey under a long-term ground lease. Construction is expected to generate more than 2,000 union jobs and 3,200 total jobs across New York City, while contributing an estimated $5.9 billion to the city’s economy and $6.3 billion to the state’s economy.
Standing 1,226 feet tall, the headquarters will feature flexible, modern workspaces designed to support collaboration, along with more than an acre of outdoor space spread across landscaped terraces and gardens offering skyline views.
The project will prioritize sustainability through smart-building technology, fully electric and energy-efficient systems, and a planned pursuit of LEED certification.
American Express moved into its current headquarters at 200 Vesey Street in 1986 and will remain there until the new tower is completed. The company has maintained a presence in NYC since its founding in 1850.
Denise Pickett, president of enterprise shared services at American Express, said the project reflects the company’s long-standing commitment to the city.
“For American Express, this project is far more than a new headquarters,” Pickett said. “It is a reaffirmation of our belief in this city, our commitment to our colleagues, and our enduring connection to the community we have proudly called home for nearly two centuries.”
“Since our founding in 1850, New York has shaped who we are, and in turn, we have sought to contribute to its growth, vitality and success,” she added. “Today’s groundbreaking marks the next chapter in that shared story.”
The tower marks the final office component of the World Trade Center master plan, a 16-acre redevelopment of the site designed by Studio Libeskind after the firm won a design competition held in the aftermath of the attacks. The groundbreaking comes nearly 25 years after the September 11 attacks.
The plan includes office towers, a transportation hub, a visitor pavilion, and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, according to Adamson Associates.
The history of the tower dates back to 2005, when Foster + Partners first unveiled a striking design featuring four columns topped by a diamond-shaped crown. Negotiations between Silverstein Properties and Fox Corporation later prompted a complete redesign, with Bjarke Ingels Group unveiling its vision in 2015.
After Fox ultimately decided to remain at its Midtown headquarters, Foster + Partners returned with a new design that removed the diamond crown. In 2022, the firm unveiled its latest iteration after American Express emerged as a potential tenant.
Updated visuals released in May 2025 showed subtle modifications while preserving the tower’s overall massing, as 6sqft previously reported.
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