One World Trade Center Will Soon Be Tallest In New York

On Monday, the skeletal construction of One World Trade Center will reclaim the tallest building title in New York.

The Associated Press reports that workers will erect steel columns that will give the unfinished “Freedom Tower” a height of 1,250 feet. This will put the building slightly higher than the roof of the observation deck on the Empire State Building.

But the Freedom Tower isn’t done growing yet. Workers are still adding floors to One World Trade Center which will eventually be declared the tallest building in the United States and the third tallest building in the world.

In order to achieve its staggering height, a 408-foot spike will be place on the tower’s roof. With the spike included One World Trade Center will be the tallest building in the United States. Without it, that title still goes to the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) in Chicago.

So will One World Trade Center be a record breaker? It depends on who you ask. The architectural community has long debated the inclusion of spires and spikes. Nathaniel Hollister, a spokesman for The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats, said that the “Freedom Tower’s” spike will probably count toward its height. Hollister said:

“This is something we have discussed with the architect…. As we understand it, the needle is an architectural spire which happens to enclose an antenna. We would thus count it as part of the architectural height.”

Hollister noted, however, that New York’s new tower won’t have any titles bestowed upon it until it is finished. Hollister added:

“A project is not considered a building until it is topped out, fully clad, and open for business or at least occupiable.”