One World Trade Center Will Officially Be Tallest U.S. Skyscraper

One World Trade Center, the skyscraper that was erected to replace the Twin Towers that fell on 9/11, will officially outdistance Chicago’s Wills Tower, making it the highest building in the United States.

There had previously been a debate about whether or not the 408-foot needle that rises from the top of One World Trade Center could count towards its official height, reported CNN. On November 8, when the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat met in Chicago, they determined that the needle was technically a spire, defined as: “vertical element that completes the architectural expression of the building and is intended as permanent.”

_{One World Trade Center in February 2012}

In the initial building plans for One World Trade Center, there was meant to be a radome (radar dome) made of fiberglass and steel that would enclose the needle. The radome was removed from the plans when it was realized that servicing and maintaining it would be nearly impossible. However, the needle remained an integral part of the design, as it stretched the height from that of the original World Trade Center Tower 1 (1,368 ft.) to 1776 ft. – commemorating the birth of the country.

_{One World Trade Center in March 2013}

"With respect to the events of 9/11 and what this building commemorates with 1776 and democracy and freedom … we were very happy to find that the building fit our criteria to be 1,776 feet tall," said Timothy Johnson, the council's chairman.

Once One World Trade Center is completed sometime in early 2014, it will not only be listed as the tallest U.S. building, but also as the third tallest in the world. Burj Khalifia in Dubai is the tallest, while Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Mecca, Saudai Arabia is the second tallest.

– Chelsea Regan

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