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One World Trade Center facts for kids

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One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center cropped2.jpg
Alternative names
  • 1 WTC
  • Freedom Tower (pre-2009)
Record height
Tallest in North America since 2013
Preceded by Willis Tower
General information
Status Complete
Type
  • Office
  • Observation
  • Communication
Architectural style Contemporary modern
Location 285 Fulton Street
Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
Coordinates 40°42′46.8″N 74°0′48.6″W / 40.713000°N 74.013500°W / 40.713000; -74.013500
Construction started April 27, 2006
Topped-out May 10, 2013
Opened November 3, 2014
May 29, 2015 (One World Observatory)
Cost US$3.9 billiona
Height
Architectural 1,776 ft (541.3 m)
Tip 1,792 ft (546.2 m)
Roof 1,368 ft (417.0 m)
Top floor 1,268 ft (386.5 m)
Observatory 1,254 ft (382.2 m)
Technical details
Floor count 94 (+5 below ground floors)
Floor area 3,501,274 sq ft (325,279 m2)
Lifts/elevators 73, made by ThyssenKrupp.
Design and construction
Architect
Developer Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Structural engineer WSP Cantor Seinuk
Other designers Hill International, The Louis Berger Group
Main contractor Tishman Construction
a. April 2012 estimate.
b. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

One World Trade Center (also known as One WTC or Freedom Tower) is the main building of the new World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The building is 1,776 feet (541 m) tall making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. Since late 2013, it is the tallest building in the United States. It opened in late 2014. It is mostly used for offices. People can view the city from an observatory near the top. The building was designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

The building has the same name as the North Tower of the original World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The building was built on the spot where the original 6 World Trade Center used to be.

Construction for the building started in 2006. On April 30, 2012, One World Trade Center became New York City's tallest structure, when it surpassed the height of the Empire State Building. On May 10, 2013, the last piece of the skyscraper's antenna was put on, making the building's height 1,776 feet (541 m). The height of the building was done on purpose to refer to the year when the Declaration of Independence was signed, 1776.

On March 26, 2009, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) said that the building would be officially known by its legal name of "One World Trade Center", rather than its colloquial name of "Freedom Tower". The building has 94 stories, with the top floor numbered 104.

The new World Trade Center complex will have five high-rise office buildings built. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, located just south of One World Trade Center where the original Twin Towers stood, was also built. The construction of the new building is part of an effort to memorialize and rebuild following the destruction of the original World Trade Center complex.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: One World Trade Center para niños

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