Brookfield Properties’ top executive said this week the company hopes to announce the fate of the Winter Garden’s grand marble staircase before the end of the year.

The stairs, rebuilt with exquisite care after its destruction on Sept. 11, 2001, could be torn down to accommodate the western entrance to the pedestrian tunnel connecting the Winter Garden with the new World Trade Center transportation hub. Along with the construction of the entryway to the tunnel, Brookfield Properties—which owns the World Financial Center and the Winter Garden—plans to overhaul much of the retail space inside the Winter Garden where it meets the tunnel. How the staircase will fit into Brookfield’s construction plans has yet to be determined, according to Dennis Friedrich, the company’s president and CEO.

“It hasn’t been finalized yet, but we’re getting closer and closer,” Friedrich told the Trib. “I’d like to see that out by the end of this year.”

Brookfield’s contemplation of removing the staircase, first reported by Crain’s New York Business, has stirred the emotions of Battery Park City residents, local community leaders and those who frequently pass through the Winter Garden.

Today, visitors climb the staircase to reach the expanse of windows that overlook the Trade Center site and it is also often used as event seating during. Over time, some Battery Park City residents said they’ve also come to think of the staircase a symbol of Lower Manhattan’s resilience in the aftermath of the attacks.

Over time, some Battery Park City residents said they’ve also come to think of the staircase as a symbol of Lower Manhattan’s resilience in the aftermath of the attacks.

“The steps are so peaceful and pleas­ant, especially when they have the orchestras play,” said Tim McInness, a security guard who works in the area. “And when you think of all the negative stuff this part of the city brings to mind, it's important to have somewhere like this that feels so complete.”

In interviews with visitors and workers in at the Winter Garden recently, most agreed that the stairs were an important feature of the Winter Garden that would be missed.

“Even when you get annoyed with the tourists, you know that this place is im­portant,” said Amen Patel, a systems analyst who works in the World Financial Center. “We are still here, and this staircase is a sign of that.”

“They’re here, they serve their purpose, everyone uses them, everyone’s used to them,” said Yoel Asplund, a restaurant manager. “I think they should stay. It’s too easy to give in and just change everything all the time.”

Linda Belfer chair of Community Board 1’s Battery Park City Committee, sent a letter to the Department of City Planning asking that the department not render a final decision on the matter without first consulting them. The board believes that City Planning would need sign off on an alteration to the stairs.

“We just want to let them know how we feel about it,” Belfer said. “I’ve asked that...they come to no final decision until they come before us and hear what we have to say.”

Representatives of Brookfield Properties declined to appear before the committee at its July meeting.