WTC Hub Passageway To Be Branded With A 280-Foot Digital Billboard

A passageway that connects the World Trade Center Transportation Hub to Battery Park City will soon be fitted with a 280-foot wide electronic billboard, the New York Times reports. What for the past few years has been a blank marble wall will soon display advertisements for the center's shopping mall — the Westfield World Trade Center.

The Times has described the pathway as one of the last few reminders of the original World Trade Center site. Most of the wall of the passageway follows the footprint of the original 1 World Trade Center building. The paper of record questioned whether the advertisements and the billboard might be disrespectful to the memory of the site.

But both the owners of the mall and representatives for the National September 11 Museum and Memorial say that's not the intention. In fact the latter organization may actually work with the mall to share content on other screens located in the Oculus for the annual commemorative ceremonies.

The billboard will stand nine-feet tall, and will likely be running 24x7, but at least it won't emit any sound, as per the Times.

The Westfield World Trade Center is part of the Transportation Hub and is set to open this August.

• Stark Underground Space at World Trade Center Will Host a Riot of Ads [NYTimes]
• At Last, Tour Santiago Calatrava's World Trade Center Transportation Hub [Curbed]