Competing To Be the Highest (Skyscraper) in New York

Getting high in New York is nothing new. Neither is the race to the top, to become the biggest and brightest star or the highest skyscraper. On foot, approaching what may forever be known as Ground Zero, the pedestrian is struck by the gleaming, triangulated 1WTC amidst the neighboring boxes of International Style skyscrapers, older, stone Beaux Arts structures, and historic Gothic buildings like the Woolworth Building. In November 2014 lower Manhattan moved on—getting back in business as Condà © Nast publishers took occupancy of a good chunk of One World Trade Center. Like many of the skyscrapers in New York City, you cant see up to the very top of 1WTC when youre standing at the very bottom. Only with distance can you really see a skyscraper. In 2013, with the 18th section of its spire in place, 1WTC became the tallest structure in New York. At 1,776 feet, the David Childs-design was the third tallest skyscraper in the world when it opened in 2014. The Durst Organization and Tower 1 Joint Venture LLC at onewtc.com, in charge of managing the building and leasing the office space, is promoting the venue as the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The steel broadcasting tower sits atop the 104-story office building built on the site of the 2001 terrorist attacks. When the World Trade Center Twin Towers were destroyed on 9/11/01, the Empire State Building became New Yorks tallest building, as it had been when it opened on May 1, 1931. No longer. Before that, the Chrysler Building was the tallest. Weeks before the Chrysler Building topped out, the Trump Building at 40 Wall Street was the highest in the land. New York City has always been a competitive place. NYC Skyscrapers Competing To Be the Highest NYC Building Year Height in Feet 1WTC 2014 1,776 Central Park Tower 2019 1,775 111 West 57th Street 2018 1,438 One Vanderbilt Place 2021 1,401 432 Park Avenue 2015 1,396 2WTC 2021 1,340 30 Hudson Yards 2019 1,268 Empire State Building 1931 1,250 Bank of America 2009 1,200 3WTC 2018 1,079 9 DeKalb Avenue 2020 1,066 53W53 (MoMA Tower; Tower Verre) 2018 1,050 Chrysler Building 1930 1,047 New York Times Building 2007 1,046 One57 2014 1,004 4WTC 2013 977 70 Pine Street (AIG) 1932 952 40 Wall Street 1930 927 30 Park Place 2016 926 World Trade Center Buildings Lower Manhattan has risen from the ashes.  The new World Trade Center buildings combine to create a startling skyline. Instead of the monolithic Twin Tower rectangles that once stood on Ground Zero, the site is a whirlwind of angular shapes and surprising contrasts of metals, glass, and stone. The first Tower completed, 7WTC in 2006, got the ball rolling at 741 feet. Daniel Libeskinds 2002 Master Plan vision of a descending spiral of building heights has been honored by all of the WTC architects. The minimalist 4WTC by Japanese Pritzker Laureate Fumihiko Maki is no exception. Given the irregular shape, states Gary Kamemoto, Director at Maki and Associates, we were experimenting with triangulating the building form and make it look very light. Besides its beauty and functionality, the 977-foot Tower 4 is being advertised as exceeding NYC Building Codes. The magnificent, triangular 1WTC designed by David Childs and Skidmore, Owings Merrill (SOM) is symbolic (its height is 1776 feet), historic, designed to achieve LEED Gold, and arguably the most secure skyscraper in all of Manhattan. The spire of 1WTC doesnt quite look like the architects initial rendering, but when the top beacon is lit, New Yorks tallest building becomes visible for 50 miles in every direction. Lets hope the guiding light attracts more and more tenants to this new urban space. Architecture needs people. Sources WTC video, 4 WTC Architect Fumihiko Maki, at www.wtc.com/media/videos/4%20WTC%20Architect%20%20Fumihiko%20Maki [accessed November 2, 2014]Additional photos by jayk7/Moment Collection/Getty Images