Construction on One Trade Center, aka the Freedom Tower, began six years ago and it stands on the site of the original World Trade Center Twin Towers that were the tallest buildings in the city before they were destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Workers will today erect the building's steel columns that will officially make it taller than New York's iconic Empire State Building, which currently rises 1,250 feet to the 102nd floor observation deck.
This is a crowning achievement for the city, but the building itself isn’t finished yet. Construction is slated to end in 2013 or 2014; it will stand at 1,776 feet and 104 floors, making it 408 feet taller than the Twin Towers it has replaced.
That height will make the tower arguably the largest building in the United States, surpassing Chicago's 1,451-foot Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), and the third-tallest building in the world.
But it's not clear whether the building will claim a height record because of the 408-foot-tall needle that will top it off.
Currently the world's tallest building is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, at 2,717 feet.
The site where the $3.8 billion 1 WTC stands tall is also home to 4 World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial Plaza. The tower will contain commercial and office space.
@globalgrind.com
Monday, April 30, 2012
Top Of The World! One Trade Center Crowned The Tallest In NYC
6:49 PM
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