Here is some background information about One World Trade Center. It is the tallest building in the United States and second-tallest in the Western Hemisphere.
Other Facts
One World Trade Center was designed to be the safest commercial structure in the world.
The New York Police Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau is responsible for policing the area.
An underground Vehicle Screening Center acts as a security checkpoint for all vehicles accessing the site.
Characteristics
Building height: 1,362 feet, the height of the original WTC South Tower.
Building, with observation deck, height: 1,368 feet, the height of the original WTC North Tower.
Building, with observation deck and antenna, height: 1,776 feet, for the year the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Base: 200 feet square, the same as the original Twin Towers.
Stories: 104
Timeline
Fall 2001 - The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) is formed to plan the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site.
July 2002 - The first round of designs for a new WTC site are put on display for public comment. The public rejects the designs as being uninspired and are scrapped.
August 2002 - The LMDC invites architects from around the world to submit ideas for the World Trade Center site.
December 2002 - Semifinalists in the second round of the design contest exhibit their work at the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center.
February 2003 - Architect Daniel Libeskind’s “Memory Foundations” is selected as the new design plan for the World Trade Center site.
July 2003 - Architect David Childs, of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is selected to design Freedom Tower, which will be the tallest of the four towers planned for the WTC site.
December 19, 2003 - Plans for Freedom Tower are unveiled. The skyscraper will occupy the northwest corner of ground zero.
July 4, 2004 - During a special ceremony, a 20-ton slab of granite, inscribed with “the enduring spirit of freedom” is laid as the cornerstone of Freedom Tower by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
May 4, 2005 - New York Governor George Pataki announces that Freedom Tower will be redesigned due to security concerns.
June 29, 2005 - The revised plans for Freedom Tower are released.
April 26, 2006 - The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and developer Larry Silverstein reach an agreement about the financing of Freedom Tower, resolving problems that had delayed construction at the site.
April 27, 2006 - Construction begins on Freedom Tower.
March 26, 2009 - The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announce that going forward the skyscraper will no longer be referred to as Freedom Tower. It will be called by its legal name and address, One World Trade Center.
May 10, 2013 - Construction workers bolt the last pieces of a 408-foot spire into place atop One World Trade Center, bringing the building to a height of 1,776 feet.
March 2014 - In two separate incidents, trespassers are arrested for sneaking into the building and climbing to the top. The first episode involves a New Jersey teen who accessed the site via a hole in the fence. Days later, a group of four stunt jumpers climb to the upper floors and parachute to the ground.
November 3, 2014 - One World Trade Center opens when the first tenant, Condé Nast, moves in.
November 12, 2014 - Emergency workers rescue two window washers outside the 68th floor of the building after a cable comes loose from their suspended platform. The crews cut through thick glass to get the men off the damaged platform.
May 29, 2015 - The One World Observatory opens in three upper floors of the tower. The complex loops around 360 degrees, with views of New York and New Jersey from about 1,250 feet up in the air. In addition to the main observatory, the complex features three restaurants, an exhibit called “Voices,” about the construction of One World Trade Center and an area called the Sky Portal, a circular platform with a live video feed of ground-level street scenes.
September 8, 2018 - The WTC Cortlandt subway station reopens ahead of the 17th anniversary of the terror attacks.
World's tallest buildings — Completed in 2010 in Dubai, Burj Khalifa's architectural height is 2,717 feet (828 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,918 feet (584.5 meters). A building's architectural height may include spires, but not antennas, flag poles or signage, according to the Council on Tall Buildings criteria. MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images 
World's tallest buildings — One World Trade Center in New York City (shown under construction in May) will be considered the tallest building in the United States when it is completed, beating out Chicago's Willis Tower, and likely the third-tallest in the world, according to an announcement Tuesday, November 12, by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. One World Trade Center measures 1,776 feet compared to the Willis Tower's 1,451 feet. Click through the gallery to see the world's tallest completed buildings. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images 
2. Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel, Saudi Arabia — Completed in 2012 in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel's architectural height is 1,972 feet (601 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,833 feet (558.7 meters). FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images 
3. Taipei 101, Taiwan — Completed in 2004, Taipei 101 has an architectural height of 1,667 feet (508 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,437 feet (438 meters). 
4. Shanghai World Financial Center, China — Completed in 2008, Shanghai World Financial Center has an architectural height of 1,614 feet (492 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,555 feet (474 meters). 
5. International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong — Completed in 2010, International Commerce Centre in Hong Kong has an architectural height of 1,588 feet (484 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,538 feet (468.8 meters). 
6. (tie) Petronas Towers 1 and 2, Malaysia — Completed in 1998, the twin Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur each have an architectural height of 1,483 feet (451.9 meters) and are each occupied to a height of 1,230 feet (375 meters). The two towers are tied for the sixth tallest skyscrapers in the world. 
8. Zifeng Tower, China — Completed in 2010, the Zifeng Tower in Nanjing has an architectural height of 1,476 feet (450 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,039 feet (316.6 meters). 
9. Willis Tower, USA — Completed in 1974, Chicago's Willis Tower (formerly called Sears Tower) has an architectural height of 1,451 feet (442.1 meters) and is occupied by 1,354 feet (412.7 meters). 
10. KK100, China — Completed in 2011, the KK100 in Shenzhen has an architectural height of 1,449 feet (441.8 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,401 feet (427.1 meters). 
11. Guangzhou International Finance Center, China — Completed in 2010, this tower in Guangzhou, China rises to an architectural height of 1439 feet (438.6 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1362 feet (415.1 meters). Stringer/AP 
12. Trump International Hotel & Tower, USA — Completed in 2009, this Trump tower rises to an architectural height of 1,389 feet (423.2 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,116 feet (340.1 meters). Kiichiro Sato/AP 
13. Jin Mao Tower, China — Completed in 1999, this tower in Shanghai rises to an architectural height of 1,380 feet (420.5 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,143 feet (348.4 meters). LARS HALBAUER/DPA/LANDOV 
14. Princess Tower, United Arab Emirates — Completed in 2012, the Princess Tower in Dubai rises to an architectural height of 1,356 feet (413.4 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,171 feet (356.9 meters). Duncan Chard/Bloomberg via Getty Images 
15. Al Hamra Tower, Kuwait — Completed in 2011, Al Hamra Tower (left) in Kuwait City is shown here under construction in 2009. It rises to an architectural height of 1,354 feet (412.6 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,218 feet (371.4 meters). YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP/Getty Images 
16. Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong — Completed in 2003, this building rises to an architectural height of 1,352 feet (412 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,271 feet (387.6 meters). LAURENT FIEVET/AFP/Getty Images 
17. 23 Marina, United Arab Emirates — Completed in 2012, this Dubai skyscraper rises to an architectural height of 1,289 feet (392.8 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,029 feet (313.5 meters). from SkyScraperCenter.com 
18. CITIC Plaza, China — Completed in 1996, this tower in Guangzhou rises to an architectural height of 1,280 feet (390.2 meters) and is occupied to a height of 974 feet (296.9 meters). Michael Lassman/Bloomberg News/Getty Images 
19. Shun Hing Square, China — Completed in 1996, this tower in Shenzhen rises to an architectural height of 1,260 feet (384 meters) and is occupied to a height of 978 feet (298 meters). from SkyScraperCenter.com 
20. Empire State Building, New York City — Completed in 1931, New York's iconic landmark rises to an architectural height of 1,250 feet (381 meters) and is occupied to a height of 1,224 feet (373.1 meters). The Empire State Building reigned as the world's tallest skyscraper for nearly 40 years. Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesPhotos: World's tallest buildings
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