A real estate company says about one-fifth of the commercial office space available in lower Manhattan was destroyed or damaged in Tuesday's terrorist attacks.
New York-based Grubb & Ellis says about 27.5 million square feet of office space has been lost.
They say 15.5 million square feet was in the seven buildings destroyed in the blast, including 4.8 million square feet in each of the two Trade Center towers.
Another 12 million square feet was in 16 buildings surrounding the Trade Center, including the three most prominent buildings that comprise the World Financial Center.
The firm estimates that 25.5 million square feet of office space is available for lease or purchase on Manhattan Island.
Very little of it consists of the type of open space that was mainly found in the World Trade Center and surrounding buildings.
Another 22 million square feet was estimated to be available in the suburban counties surrounding New York City, reports CNNfn.
PA