World Trade Center (1973–2001)

The original World Trade Center (WTC) was a complex of seven buildings in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It was built primarily between 1966 and 1975 and dedicated on April 4, 1973. It was destroyed on September 11, 2001, after two hijacked planes were flown into the towers in a coordinated terrorist attack. This article is about the original complex. For the new complex, see World Trade Center (2001–present).

The complex included the 110-story-tall Twin Towers, which were the tallest buildings in the world when they were completed. The original 1 World Trade Center (the North Tower) stood 1,368 feet (417 m) tall, and 2 World Trade Center (the South Tower) stood 1,362 feet (415.1 m). They were the tallest twin skyscrapers in the world until the Petronas Towers opened in 1996. The other buildings were the Marriott World Trade Center (3 WTC), 4 WTC, 5 WTC, 6 WTC, and 7 WTC. The complex held 13,400,000 square feet (1,240,000 m²) of office space and was projected to hold an estimated 130,000 people.

David Rockefeller suggested building a large office complex to help urban renewal in Lower Manhattan, and his brother Nelson, who was New York's 49th governor at the time, signed the legislation to build it. The core complex cost about $400 million. Minoru Yamasaki designed the buildings. In 1998, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey decided to privatize the complex, and it awarded the lease to Silverstein Properties in July 2001. During its existence, the World Trade Center symbolized globalization and the economic power and prosperity of the United States. Although the design was first criticized, the Twin Towers became an icon of New York City and played a major role in popular culture. They were also used in Philippe Petit's tightrope-walking performance on August 7, 1974.

The World Trade Center was the target of several crimes and terrorist incidents, including a fire on February 12, 1975, a bombing on February 26, 1993, and a bank robbery on January 14, 1998. On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda-affiliated hijackers flew two Boeing 767 jets into the Twin Towers, seventeen minutes apart. The fires from the impacts, fed by burning jet fuel, and the damage to the buildings' structure ultimately caused both towers to collapse. The attacks killed 2,606 people in and around the towers, as well as all 157 people on board the two aircraft. Falling debris led to the partial or complete collapse of all the complex's buildings, including 7 World Trade Center.

The cleanup and recovery process at the World Trade Center site took eight months. On May 30, 2002, the last piece of WTC steel was ceremonially removed. A new World Trade Center complex is being built, and a memorial and museum to those killed in the attacks, a new rapid transit hub, and an elevated park have opened. The memorial's two square reflecting pools mark where the Twin Towers stood. One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, opened in November 2014.

Before the World Trade Center

The western part of the World Trade Center site was once under the Hudson River, and the shoreline was near Greenwich Street. In November 1613, Dutch explorer Adriaen Block's ship, Tyger, burned to the waterline close to Greenwich and the former Dey Street. Block and his crew were stranded and had to spend the winter on the island, where they built the first European settlement in Manhattan. The ship's remains were buried under landfill when the shoreline was extended beginning in 1797, and they were discovered in 1916. In 2010, the remains of a second eighteenth-century ship were found during excavation work. It is believed to be a Hudson River sloop, buried about 20 feet (6 meters) below the surface, just south of where the Twin Towers stood. Later, the area became Radio Row, which existed from 1921 to 1966. It was a warehouse district in what is now Tribeca and the Financial District. Harry Schneck opened City Radio on Cortlandt Street in 1921, and the area eventually held several blocks of electronics stores. Used radios, war surplus electronics (such as AN/ARC-5 radios), junk, and parts were often piled so high they spilled onto the street, attracting collectors and scroungers.

The idea of a World Trade Center in New York City was first proposed in 1943. The New York State Legislature passed a bill allowing Governor Thomas E. Dewey to begin developing plans, but the plans were put on hold in 1949. During the late 1940s and 1950s, economic growth in New York City was concentrated in Midtown Manhattan. To help urban renewal in Lower Manhattan, David Rockefeller suggested that the Port Authority build a World Trade Center there. In 1961, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey planned to build the world's first world trade center and needed to clear the shops on Radio Row bounded by Vesey, Church, Liberty, and West Streets, using eminent domain. The agency considered sites on the east side of Lower Manhattan, near the South Street Seaport, and on the west side, near the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (H&M) station, Hudson Terminal. Early plans identified a site along the East River, but negotiations with New Jersey Governor Robert B. Meyner reached a stalemate. In December 1961, Port Authority director Austin J. Tobin met with newly elected New Jersey Governor Richard J. Hughes. The Port Authority offered to take over the H&M Railroad and moved the project to the Hudson Terminal site, which was more convenient for New Jersey commuters using PATH. New Jersey then agreed to support the project, and the H&M was renamed "Port Authority Trans-Hudson," or PATH for short. Businesses on Radio Row received $3,000 each, demolition began in March 1966, and the area was completely demolished by the end of that year. Approval was also needed from New York City Mayor John Lindsay and the New York City Council. After disagreements over taxes, the New York City Planning Commission and the Port Authority reached an agreement in August 1966 on payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT), which would rise along with the real estate tax rate in later years.

Development

Main article: Construction of the World Trade Center

On September 20, 1962, the Port Authority chose Minoru Yamasaki as lead architect and Emery Roth & Sons as associate architects. Yamasaki planned twin towers, each 110 stories tall, so the complex could provide the office space the Port Authority required. The plans also included a central plaza, later the Austin J. Tobin Plaza. Yamasaki's narrow windows reflected his fear of heights, and his design drew on ideas from Le Corbusier and Islamic architecture. To make the towers work, engineers used sky lobbies, where people could switch elevators, and a framed-tube structural system that gave the buildings strong outer walls. Tishman Realty & Construction Company was the general contractor, and Guy F. Tozzoli oversaw the project for the Port Authority.

Construction began in 1965, when the Port Authority started buying land at the site. Demolition started on March 21, 1966, and groundbreaking took place on August 5, 1966. Because the site was built on filled land, workers dug a bathtub protected by a slurry wall along West Street to keep river water out. The excavated dirt helped expand the shoreline to form Battery Park City. The North Tower's topping out ceremony took place on December 23, 1970, and the South Tower's on July 19, 1971. The complex cost $900 million when it was finished, and its ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on April 4, 1973.

Complex

The World Trade Center complex was home to more than 430 companies. It had 13,400,000 square feet (1,240,000 m²) of office space, which a 1970 account said was meant for 130,000 people. On a typical weekday, about 50,000 people worked there and 140,000 more visited. The complex was so large that it had its own ZIP Code (exclusive ZIP Code). The Twin Towers became famous around the world, appearing in movies, TV shows, and on postcards. They became a New York icon, alongside the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the Statue of Liberty.

The two main buildings, 1 World Trade Center (the North Tower) and 2 World Trade Center (the South Tower), were designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki. When 1 World Trade Center was completed in 1972, it became the tallest building in the world for two years. The South Tower had a public observation deck called Top of the World, and the North Tower held the Windows on the World restaurant. The complex also had a plaza with sculptures, including The Sphere by Fritz Koenig, and five smaller buildings. Beneath it was an underground shopping mall connected to subway and train lines. The complex was destroyed in the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Main articles: 1 World Trade Center (1970–2001) and 2 World Trade Center (1971–2001)

Main article: Austin J. Tobin Plaza

Main article: Windows on the World

Major events

Main article: 1975 World Trade Center fire

Main article: 1993 World Trade Center bombing

Main article: 1998 Bank of America robbery

On February 12, 1975, a three-alarm fire broke out on the North Tower's 11th floor and spread to the 9th and 14th floors. Most of the damage was on the 11th floor. The fireproofing protected the steel, so the tower was not structurally damaged. At that time, the World Trade Center had no fire sprinkler systems, and in 1981 the Port Authority announced a plan to install them throughout the complex. A custodian who was unhappy at work was found to have started the fire on purpose and was charged with a crime. On February 26, 1993, a Ryder truck filled with explosives, planted by Ramzi Yousef, blew up in the North Tower's underground garage. Six people were killed and 1,042 others were injured. Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and four others were later convicted for their part in the bombing, and Yousef and Eyad Ismoil were convicted for carrying out the attack.

In January 1998, a DeCavalcante crime family member, Ralph Guarino, gained maintenance access to the World Trade Center and arranged a robbery that netted over $2 million from a Brinks delivery.

On August 7, 1974, Philippe Petit walked on a high wire between the North and South Towers, 1,312 feet (400 m) above the ground. He was charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, but he was later freed in exchange for performing for children in Central Park. The event was the subject of books, a film, and a documentary. In 1981, Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 342, operated by a Boeing 707-387B, nearly hit the North Tower's antenna while approaching John F. Kennedy International Airport, but an air traffic controller's action prevented the impact. The 1995 PCA world chess championship was played on the 107th floor of the South Tower.

The complex was slow to rent out space, and it reached 95% occupancy only in mid-2001. In the late 1990s, the Port Authority planned to privatize the World Trade Center, and bids came from Vornado Realty Trust, a joint bid by Brookfield Properties and Boston Properties, and a joint bid by Silverstein Properties and the Westfield Group.

On February 15, 2001, the Port Authority announced that Vornado had won the lease for $3.25 billion, but Vornado later withdrew after insisting on last-minute changes. Silverstein's bid was accepted on April 26, 2001, and the deal closed on July 24, 2001.

Destruction

Main article: Collapse of the World Trade Center

See also: September 11 attacks, American Airlines Flight 11, and United Airlines Flight 175

On September 11, 2001, Islamist terrorists hijacked two airliners and crashed them into the Twin Towers. A group led by Mohamed Atta flew American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower, and a second group led by Marwan al-Shehhi flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower. The terrorist organization al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, carried out the attacks. The South Tower collapsed after burning for about 56 minutes, and the North Tower collapsed after burning for about 102 minutes. 7 World Trade Center also collapsed that day. The Marriott hotel was destroyed, and the other buildings in the plaza were badly damaged and later demolished. The cleanup and recovery process at the World Trade Center site took eight months. The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was destroyed but was rebuilt and reopened in December 2022. The Deutsche Bank Building was later taken down, and Borough of Manhattan Community College's Fiterman Hall at 30 West Broadway was also demolished and rebuilt.

Media reports at first suggested that tens of thousands of people might have died. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) estimated that about 17,400 people were in the towers during the attacks. In the end, 2,753 death certificates were filed for the attacks, not counting the hijackers. This included 2,192 civilians, among them 658 employees of Cantor Fitzgerald L.P., 295 employees of Marsh & McLennan Companies, and 175 employees of Aon Corporation. Also killed were 343 New York City Fire Department (FDNY) firefighters, including two FDNY paramedics and one FDNY chaplain, along with 71 law enforcement officers, including 37 from the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) and 23 from the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Eight EMS workers from private agencies also died. Ten years later, the remains of 1,629 victims had been identified, and only 20 people still inside the towers were pulled out alive. The site became known as "Ground Zero."

New World Trade Center

Main article: World Trade Center (2001–present)

After the attacks, plans were made to rebuild the World Trade Center. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), set up in November 2001 to oversee the rebuilding, organized contests to choose a site plan and memorial design. Memory Foundations, designed by Daniel Libeskind, was selected as the master plan, but substantial changes were made to the design. The first new building was 7 WTC, which opened on May 23, 2006. The memorial section of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum opened on September 11, 2011, and the museum opened on May 21, 2014. Other buildings followed, including 1 WTC on November 3, 2014, 4 WTC on November 13, 2013, and 3 WTC on June 11, 2018.

In November 2013, under an agreement with Silverstein Properties Inc., the new 2 WTC would not be built to its full height until enough space was leased to make the building financially viable. Construction of 5 WTC above ground was also paused because it lacked tenants and because of disputes between the Port Authority and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. In mid-2015, Silverstein Properties revealed plans for a redesigned 2 WTC, to be designed by Bjarke Ingels and completed by 2020, with News Corp as its anchor tenant. In February 2026, plans to resume construction of 2 World Trade Center were announced after American Express agreed to become that building's anchor tenant; at that time, the building was to be complete in 2031.

Aftermath and legacy

Main article: Aftermath of the September 11 attacks

Plans to build the World Trade Center were controversial. The site had been home to Radio Row, where hundreds of businesses, property owners, and about 100 residents lived and worked, and many of them strongly resisted being forced to move. A group of small businesses asked for an injunction against the Port Authority's power of eminent domain, and the case went to the United States Supreme Court, which refused to hear it. Some private developers and members of the Real Estate Board of New York, led by Lawrence A. Wien, the owner of the Empire State Building, worried that subsidized office space would compete with private buildings. The design's aesthetics also drew criticism from the American Institute of Architects and others. Lewis Mumford, author of The City in History and other works on urban planning, called the towers "just glass-and-metal filing cabinets." Paul Fussell called them "charmless, merely tall, and huge blunt buildings," and James Howard Kunstler wrote about skyscrapers like them in Home from Nowhere. Jane Jacobs argued that the waterfront should be kept open for New Yorkers to enjoy. Later, the American Institute of Architects ranked the complex 19th among 150 buildings in its List of America's Favorite Architecture, published in 2007. The original complex also created a superblock that cut through the area's street grid and isolated it from the rest of the community. The Port Authority had demolished several streets to make way for it. Later, the public supported rebuilding a street grid through the site, and the Port Authority decided to rebuild Cortlandt Street, Fulton, and Greenwich Streets.

Before its destruction, the World Trade Center was a New York City icon, and the Twin Towers were used in films and TV as "establishing shots" for the whole city. The complex appeared in films such as Sidney Lumet's The Wiz (1978), where it represented Emerald City, and King Kong (1976). In 1974, French high wire performer Philippe Petit walked between the two towers on a tightrope, as shown in Man on Wire (2008) and The Walk (2015). Other visitors climbed or jumped from the towers, including George Willig, who scaled the South Tower in 1977, and Dan Goodwin, who climbed the North Tower in 1983. After the September 11 attacks, some movies and TV shows deleted scenes or episodes that included the towers, such as the The Simpsons episode "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson." Oliver Stone's World Trade Center (2006) was the first movie to specifically examine the attacks' effects on the complex, and the National September 11 Museum has preserved many works that feature the original World Trade Center.

Main article: World Trade Center in popular culture

See also: List of entertainment affected by the September 11 attacks and List of cultural references to the September 11 attacks

Logo

The World Trade Center used two different logos over its lifetime. The first logo, used from 1973 to 1993, was made of two open rectangles, and one of them was upside down.

After the complex reopened following the 1993 bombing, a new logo was unveiled. It showed the towers inside a globe. This logo appeared all over the complex and was printed on commemorative mugs given to tenants. The mugs said "Welcome back to the World Trade Center".