WTC Site

Even though The World Trade Center became the victim of malicious terrorist attacks in 2001, the patrons of New York City began to rebuild the 7 building complex in 2002. After the healing powers of time, plans to rebuild the World Trade Center have been labeled as the New Renaissance for the New York City skyline. The futuristic designs north of the main WTC site include “One World Trade Center” known as The Freedom Tower, “7 World Trade Center”, three high-rise office buildings, a museum and memorial, and a transportation terminal similar to Grand Central Station. These efforts are led by several architects and funded by several notable American companies, including JP Morgan Chase, Richard Rogers, and Fumihiko Maki. The Freedom Tower, the most anticipated design, was led by Daniel Lebskind and David Childs.

The 9/11 Memorial

The attacks made on the original World Trade Center complex, resonated throughout the entire world, and shook this nation’s very foundations. It’s important to pay tribute to this location, when touring through New York City, to make sure fellow patriots, or even overseas family members, and humans in general did not lose their lives in vein. The original complex site is now a memorial to those that lost their lives September 11th, 2001, and is open for the public. The lines can be long, so it’s best to try and see the memorial with a mixed group tour and tour guide, to minimize the waiting you may encounter.

One World Trade Center – Replacing the Twin Towers

Truly replacing the World Trade Center would be impossible, but construction is underway on a building at the site of the World Trade Center. The original name for the new building was the Freedom Tower, but the decision was made to abandon that name and choose “One World Trade Center” instead.
The tower and mast are expected to reach an astonishing 1776 feet (541 meters) into the sky. The height of 1776 feet was chosen as a reference to the year that America declared her independence from Great Britain. The process of deciding how to rebuild the area was a very difficult one in light of political and security concerns.
The 9/11 Memorial is open to visitors, and we recommend taking the NYC Freedom Tour to really experience Ground Zero and the Memorial. Your OnBoard tour guide will walk you over to the site and will tell you everything you need to know about the site and the new construction.

The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center

Each of the original WTC towers had 110 stories. The heights of the towers were 1368 feet (417 meters) (tower one, the North Tower with a broadcast antenna on top) and 1362 feet (415 meters) (tower two, the South Tower with the observation deck). It’s hard to believe that the new One World Trade Center will be more than 400 feet taller than the original twin towers. When the towers were completed in 1972 (tower one) and 1973 (tower two) they were the tallest buildings on earth, 100 feet (30 meters) taller than the Empire State Building.
The WTC was the tallest building for only a short period of time, however. Before the second tower was completed in 1973, work had already begun on building the Sears Tower (no longer called that) in Chicago, Illinois, which would be 1,450 feet (442 meters) tall.

After the World Trade Center towers were knocked down, the Empire State Building again became the tallest building in New York. The new One World Trade Center tower has since passed it. Before September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center towers were the fourth and fifth tallest buildings on Earth, and they remain the sixth tallest buildings ever built by man.