World Trade Center (1973–2001)

The original **NYC World Trade Center** (**WTC**) was a complex of 7 buildings in Lower Manhattan, New York, New York, United States. It was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks; a new complex is mostly complete and is built on the site of the old one.

The biggest buildings in the original World Trade Center were the WTC Twin Towers. The North Tower was the tallest building in the world when it was built. Taller ones were built later. The Twin Towers had 110 stories, and, at the time of its destruction, were the two tallest in New York and 7 World Trade Center collapsed with no remains. buildings 3 4 5 and 6 were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks and other buildings were damaged beyond repair, e.g. a small church located next to the south tower and the fitermen hall.

The original World Trade Center was designed by Minoru Yamasaki in the early 1960s using a tube-frame structural design for the twin 110-story towers. In gaining approval for the project, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey agreed to take over the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad which became the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH).

Groundbreaking for the World Trade Center took place on August 5, 1966. The North Tower, officially World Trade Center 1 was completed in December 1970 and the South Tower, officially World Trade Center 2 was finished in July 1971. Construction of the World Trade Center involved excavating a large amount of material that was then used in making Battery Park City on the west side of Lower Manhattan.

## World Trade Center buildings

- 1 World Trade Center (North Tower)
- 2 World Trade Center (South Tower)
- 3 World Trade Center (Marriott Vista Hotel)
- 4 World Trade Center
- 5 World Trade Center
- 6 World Trade Center (US Customs House)
- 7 World Trade Center

### 1975 arson attack

On February 12, 1975, an arsonist named Oswald Adorno set fire to the 11th floor of the North Tower. The fire spread via the flammable insulation on a telephone cable to all floors between the 9th and 14th floors. Firefighters put the fire out within three hours. Nobody was killed directly by the fire, but one person suffered a heart attack. 64 people were injured by smoke inhalation. The fire destroyed the 11th floor and severely damaged several other floors, but did not cause any structural damage to the tower.

### February 26, 1993, bombing

The first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center occurred on February 26, 1993, at 12:17 PM. A truck filled with 680 kg of explosives, planted by Ramzi Yousef, exploded in the underground garage of the 1 WTC. The bombing created a 30 m (100 ft) hole through five sublevels. Six people were killed and 1,042 others were injured during escape attempts. Many people inside the tower were forced to walk down darkened stairwells with no emergency lighting, some taking two hours or more to reach safety. As a memorial to the victims of the bombing of the tower, a reflecting pool was installed with the names of those who were killed. The memorial was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 Attacks, with only a small piece surviving, which is now on display in the 9/11 Museum.

### The 1981 Airplane near-collision

On February 20, 1981, Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 342, operated by a Boeing 707-387B, nearly hit the transmitting antenna of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York during its approach to John F. Kennedy International Airport. The air traffic controller's intervention avoided the impact with less than 90 seconds of distance between the aircraft and the North Tower.

### September 11 attacks

On September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 and crashed it into the 1 WTC, striking between the 93rd and 99th floors, killing 1,344 people. Seventeen minutes later, a second group crashed the hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 into the WTC, striking between the 77th and 85th floors, fewer than 700 were killed. At 5:20 p.m., 7 World Trade Center started to collapse with the crumble of the east penthouse. The Marriott Hotel was destroyed during the collapse of the twin towers. The three remaining buildings in the WTC plaza were damaged by debris and later were demolished. Many conspiracy theories have appeared which say that certain people in the United States government knew about the attacks beforehand, or even made them happen.

#### Memorials

The **National September 11 Memorial & Museum** (also known as the **9/11 Memorial & Museum**) is a memorial and museum in World Trade Center site, as the memorial of the 9/11 attacks, which killed 2,977 people, and the 1993 bombing, which killed six. It is operated by a non-profit institution whose mission is to raise funds for, program, and operate the memorial and museum at the World Trade Center site. The National September 11 Memorial opened on September 11, 2011, and the museum opened in May 2014.

## Other websites

- "The Lost Days" - videotribute
- Apocalypse in the USA – animation, WTC and Pentagon, Ground Zero
- Nicol Prism - The new version of the twin towers, WTC members of the architectural complex, is inaugurated on 1 May 2012 without much fanfare.

## Infobox (building)

- **name**: World Trade Center
- **image**: World Trade Center, New York City - aerial view (March 2001).jpg
- **image size**: 300px
- **caption**: The original complex in March 2001. The tower on the left, with antenna spire, was One World Trade Center#Original building (1970–2001), 1 WTC. The tower on the right was 2 World Trade Center#Original building (1971–2001), 2 WTC. All seven buildings of the WTC complex are partially visible. The red granite-clad building left of the Twin Towers was the original 7 World Trade Center. In the background is the East River.
- **status**: Destroyed (9/11)
- **highest prev**: Empire State Building
- **highest next**: Willis Tower
- **highest start**: 1971
- **highest end**: 1973
- **location**: Lower Manhattan, New York City
- **destruction date**: 9/11 attacks (September 11, 2001)
- **owner**: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
- **antenna spire**: 1 WTC:
- **elevator count**: 1 and 2 WTC: 99 each
- **engineer**: Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Worthington, Skilling, Helle & Jackson, Leslie E. Robertson, Leslie E. Robertson Associates
- **main contractor**: Tishman Realty & Construction, Tishman Realty & Construction Company
- **developer**: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
- **references**: I.