4
In 1987, approximately eleven years later, 7WTC was built by 7 World
Trade Company and its agent, Silverstein Properties ("Silverstein"), on the premises
above the Con Ed substation pursuant to 7 World Trade Company's lease of ground
rights from the Port Authority. (See Agreement of Lease between the Port Authority of
New York and New Jersey and 7 World Trade Company (the "7WTC Lease"), Bekker
Dec. Ex. E.) In setting forth standards applicable to the construction of 7WTC, the
7WTC Lease expressly provided that "so long as title to the World Trade Center or the
premises remains in the Port Authority the Lessee shall not be required to submit its
design, construction and building plans and specifications for approval by the City of
New York." (7WTC Lease, § 4.5.)
One original tenant, Salomon Brothers (later acquired by Citigroup and
now part of Citigroup Global Market Holdings), and one later tenant, the City of New
York, obtained authorization in their lease agreements with the Port Authority and
Silverstein to construct and maintain diesel fuel tanks and generators for emergency
power back-up systems. Salomon Brothers, now Citigroup, proposed to operate a large
trading floor in 7WTC for continuous operation, 24 hours a day seven days a week, and
wanted a back-up generator system to ensure continuity of its trading activities in the
event of power failures. In 1998, the City of New York leased the 23rd floor of 7WTC
for its Office of Emergency Management command center and additional space below the
first floor and on the seventh floor for an emergency fuel and power back-up generator
system to ensure continuity of command and control functions by that center should
power failures be experienced during a condition of emergency.
