NEW YORK | One World Trade Center | 1,776' Pinnacle / 1,373' Roof | 108 FLOORS

[Ghost]

Great pics! Whole site is full of construction going on!

From lowemanhattan.info

*The following information was last updated on March 2, 2007.

Current activities for construction of the Freedom Tower include:

* Installation of tower-foundation steel columns
* Pouring of concrete for the foundation and rebar installation
* Start of layout for PATH track-side barriers; installation of barrier wall
* Erection of the first tower crane begins in early March 2007

BTW, EarthCam has now webcam capturing the whole site, but man, that's crap quality. Does anybody know is the HD-cam coming back someday?

[Dougall5505]

can you post a link?

[CoolCzech]

Deleted; NY Guy already beat me to the article, as he is wont, darn it...

[CoolCzech]

Originally Posted by NYguy

If the Twin Towers were 200 ft shorter, they still would have had a dominance on the skyline. Certainly from street level, that difference wouldn't have been noticeable. Now, we will have 3 towers of the same scale, with a tower taller than Citicorp Center thrown in for good measure (forget about tower 5 for now). All you need do is look at the prominence of the Citicorp on Midtown's skyline, and you realize we're getting something NY has never had in it's history - construction of so many large towers, simultaneaously, side by side. It exceeds the original construction.

True. And even more importantly, the architectural quality of this reconstruction will far outstrip the original towers. Factor in the urban landscaping and new infrastructure like Calatrava's station, and all you can say is, Wow!

[Daquan13]

Originally Posted by NYguy

If the Twin Towers were 200 ft shorter, they still would have had a dominance on the skyline. Certainly from street level, that difference wouldn't have been noticeable. Now, we will have 3 towers of the same scale, with a tower taller than Citicorp Center thrown in for good measure (forget about tower 5 for now). All you need do is look at the prominence of the Citicorp on Midtown's skyline, and you realize we're getting something NY has never had in it's history - construction of so many large towers, simultaneaously, side by side. It exceeds the original construction.

When Yamasaki had the towers still in the design stages, they were originally going to be 80 to 90 stories tall.

But the city wanted them to be taller than that, ultimately surpassing and eclipsing the ESB in floors and height.

Yama, at first, said that it couldn't be done, mainly because of the design and arrangement of the elevator shafts.
Then he redisigned the shafts so that they could accommodate the taller design of the towers.

[antinimby]

Originally Posted by Daquan13

But the city wanted them to be taller than that, ultimately surpassing and eclipsing the ESB in floors and height.

When you say "the city," who exactly are you referring to?

I've never known the city of New York to ever ask for a building to be taller. Shorter, yes but taller, no.

[Daquan13]

City officials and then also, the politicians. Before 09-11, cities, especially New York, were pushing for taller ofice towers. Then the slogan was the taller, the better.

Now, since 09-11, it mostly has been the desire or wimping out to build shorter towers!

Remember when Silverstein only wanted to build the Freedom Tower 70 stories tall with that ugly birdcage on top?

[antinimby]

You couldn't be more wrong. Before or after 9/11, New York NEVER pushed for higher office towers.

Quite the opposite as a matter of fact. I know of numerous occasions where the city has asked the developer to scale down their proposals, not up.

[Daquan13]

Hmmph. Then who do you think wanted the Twins to be taller than they had been orginally planned? Hmmm?

[CoolCzech]

Daquan is, I believe, quite correct: the Twins were originally to be only 80 stories tall. I believe Rockefeller was the one who pushed for a then record-setting height... though I think he held a state office at the time, not a city one.

[Daquan13]

He and the rest of the family, I believe were the ones who were most influencial in getting the towers built. They were the driving force behind making the project a reality.

They wanted something taller than the ESB, and this was certainly their opportunity to seize the moment.

[JMGarcia]

Rockefeller was governor. The towers were built by the Port Authority which is controlled by the gov's of NY and NJ. The City of New York has very little input into the project just as happened with the rebuilding since 9/11.

[Daquan13]

And also, if I remember correctly, there were even protests against the Twins themselves being built. Scores of NY'rs didn't want them, but the officials had igged them.

Just as is today, people wanted the Twins back and the officials are igging them for the Freedom Tower to be built instead.

[antinimby]

I would even go so far as to say that if the city did have a say, the Twins would've never been allowed to be that tall.

This city is notorious for disapproving of tall towers. I know it's ironic because the city obviously have many towers, but it's true.

[Daquan13]

The tallest office tower to date in the USA is still the Sears Tower, but it will be eclipsed in a few years by the Freedom Tower when the steel has risen.

The first WTC was going to be built regardless once suitable land for it was found.

The land (Radio Row), BTW, on which the Twins once stood, had consisted of old dillapidated, antiquated ancient rodent-infested dinosaur buildings - old radio / electronics stores that had either died or were dying, was due to be
demolished anyway because it was practically a ghost town.

[CarlosV]

Originally Posted by CoolCzech

Daquan is, I believe, quite correct: the Twins were originally to be only 80 stories tall. I believe Rockefeller was the one who pushed for a then record-setting height... though I think he held a state office at the time, not a city one.

WRONG!

the worlds tallest building was not an idea of Rockerfeller but a "PR" idea from one woman that worked for him!

[Daquan13]

Do you have any proof at all of this on file? Since you're so damn quick to dispute us and say that we're wrong....

Thought not!

[CoolCzech]

Originally Posted by Carlos

WRONG!

the worlds tallest building was not an idea of Rockerfeller but a "PR" idea from one woman that worked for him!

Well, fine, though Rockefeller was without a doubt a driving force behind the WTC and had a penchant for megasized projects. Whatever the case, the bottom line is the Twins were originally conceived to be shorter than they were ultimately executed, and Daquan was quite right about that point.

[Daquan13]

Thanks CoolCzech,

That is definitely true, and here it is, that I typed from a clip in the booklet Never Forget: Commemorating the Twin Towers;

(Quote) "Yamasaki's original plan was for the towers to be only 80 to 90 floors tall. But the possibility that they could be the tallest buidings in the world had appealed to the PANYNJ for publicty reasons, so the designs were heightened to make the towers taller than the Empire State Building (End quote)."

Rockafeller WAS in office as NY gov, as JMGarcia stated above.

[2-TOWERS]

the freedom tower will not be higher then , the sears, roof height that is, sure the mast will be higher, but truely, put F/T side by side with the sears and it is a big diff.