building, which is already New York City’s tallest building, was supposed to receive the last pieces of its spire.Once the spire is complete, the building, built to replace the fallen twin towers, will be just feet from being crowned the highest in the Western Hemisphere.
Officials hoped the raising of the spire would happen on Monday. Unfortunately, weather did not cooperate and construction was postponed for high winds. The event will be rescheduled when weather permits.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey explained that the One World Trade Center spire pieces and a steel beacon will be lifted to the top of the 104-story building from the rooftop to cap the building off at 1,776 feet. Installation of the spire began in December after its 18 pieces were shipped from Canada and New Jersey.
The spire along weighs 800 feet and stands at 204 feet tall. It will serve as a world-class broadcast antenna. The beacon at its peak will help ward off aircraft while the spire will provide public transmission services for television and radio broadcast channels. The broadcasts were destroyed on September 11, 2001, along with the twin trade center towers.
One World Trade Center is at the northwest corner of the site, which is also well on its way into construction of 4 World Trade Center, which will stand at 74 stories high when complete. Other buildings are also being constructed at the site. The newest trade center overlooks the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It is scheduled to open for business next year.Monday’s postponed raising of One World Trade Center’s spire came amid news of the discovery of parts of one of the planes that crashed into the twin towers on September 11, 2001. As officials work to erect the spire on the replacement tower, the office of the city’s chief medical examiner is working in the hidden alley where the debris was found to see if it contains any human remains.
Once complete, One World Trade Center will be the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, just ahead of Willis Tower in Chicago, which stands at 1,729 feet tall.
