5 World Trade Center (1972–2001)

5 World Trade Center, also known as the Northeast Plaza Building, was a nine-story building in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It was part of the World Trade Center complex and opened in March 1972.

The building was damaged during the September 11 attacks and was later demolished. The site where it once stood is now the location of the World Trade Center Transportation Hub and the proposed 2 World Trade Center.

This article is about the original building that was demolished after the September 11 attacks. For its proposed replacement, see 5 World Trade Center.

History

5 World Trade Center was a nine-story office building built in 1970–72 at the World Trade Center site in New York City. It was designed by Minoru Yamasaki and Emery Roth & Sons. The building had a black exterior and an L-shape, and it stood on the northeast corner of the site. It was next to the Chambers Street and World Trade Center subway stations, and the building's underground space held The Mall at the World Trade Center. The largest Borders in New York City spread across three floors of the building. In 1984, artist Joanna Gilman Hyde painted a temporary art piece called "Self Organizing Galaxy" on the roof, which took eight days.

During the September 11 attacks, 5 World Trade Center was the least damaged building in the complex. Floors 4 to 9 suffered partial collapse and fire damage, while floors 1 to 3 were not damaged. Debris from the North Tower hurt the upper floors, and a piece of the fuselage from United Airlines Flight 175 landed on the roof. The building was declared safe to salvage but was still condemned, so it was demolished by weakening its internal structure and pulling the rest down with cables, as was done for 4 World Trade Center and 6 World Trade Center. The last standing section was removed by December 2001. The Survivors' Staircase was once located in the building and was moved in 2008. In 2010, it was placed inside the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. 2 World Trade Center will stand at the exact location where the original 5 World Trade Center once stood.

Tenants

The following is a list of tenants of 5 World Trade Center before it was destroyed:

The Satellite Airlines Counter, on the Plaza Level, was a store-like space where airlines could rent "booths" to run their services. Tenants included Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways, and many others.