By Associated Press

NEW YORK � Fulfilling its operators' pledge to reopen within a year, the soaring Winter Garden atrium across the street from the World Trade Center will mark completion of its restoration in a ceremony Thursday.

Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg are expected to join in a salute to "the heroic efforts of trade unions, contractors and subcontractors" in the $50 million reconstruction project, according to the owner, Brookfield Properties Corp.

A date for reopening the Winter Garden to the public will be announced, it said.

The 120-foot tall, glassed-in half dome, a centerpiece of the World Financial Center, was severely damaged by debris from the collapsing twin towers in the Sept. 11 terrorist hijack attacks.

The managers said the restoration included replacing 60,000 square feet of tricolor marble floor, and 2,000 glass panes, about half of the arched ceiling. Half of the grand staircase and 16 40-foot Washingtonia robusta palm trees also have been replaced.