Guide Note

All seven buildings comprising New York City's World Trade Center complex were destroyed on September 11th, 2001, when two terrorist-piloted commercial aircraft crashed into the Twin Towers. Rebuilding efforts are currently under way at the site, now commonly referred to as Ground Zero.

Fast Facts

August 5, 1966: Ground breaking
April 4, 1973: Official opening
1972-1973: World's tallest building (surpassed by Sears Tower)
Chief designer: Minoru Yamasaki
Chief engineer: Leslie E. Robertson
Original complex: Six buildings
Office space: 10 million square feet
Zip code 10048 (WTC only)
1987: Seven World Trade Center built
July 24, 2001: Silverstein Properties becomes WTC leaseholder
September 11, 2001: All buildings in complex destroyed in terrorist attack, 2,750 killed¹
May 23, 2006: New 7 World Trade Center opens
7 World Trade Center: First certified "green" building in New York City¹

Before 9-11

Prior to the September 11th disaster, the World Trade Center was the place of business for over 40,000 workers². Over 430 companies from 28 countries³ had offices in the Trade Center including Morgan Stanley, Aon Corporation, and the Salomon Brothers.

September 11, 2001

On the morning of September 11, 2001, four commercial jetliners were hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists. The first plane crashed into the North Tower, with the second plane crashing into the South Tower roughly 20 minutes later. Approximately an hour later, the South Tower collapsed, with the North Tower following 30 minutes after that. The debris from the towers destroyed the other buildings in the complex, with the final building, 7 WTC, collapsing at 5:20pm¹. 2,750 people¹ were killed in the attack.

After 9-11

Architect Daniel Liebeskind designed a master plan for the new World Trade Center. The site will have six buildings in total, which will house offices plus a transportation hub, performing arts center, memorial and museum. Architects Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Fumihiko Maki, Santiago Calatrava and David Childs are designing buildings in the complex.

New WTC Facts

Total planned buildings: Six
Freedom Tower: Designed by David Childs
Tower 2 (200 Greenwich St.): Designed by Foster and Partners
Tower 3 (175 Greenwich St.): Designed by Richard Rogers
Tower 4 (150 Greenwich St.): Designed by Maki and Associates
7 World Trade Center: Opened May 2006

Categories

Art | Architecture | 9-11 | War on Terror | Terrorism

View Note History

World Trade Center

Did you mean: Oliver Stone's film, World Trade Center?

The Mahalo Top 7

Official Site: World Trade Center
Official Site: Future Memorial for World Trade Center Site
Wikipedia: World Trade Center
National Institute of Standards and Technology: World Trade Center Disaster
Informational archive: September 11 Digital Archive
Audio archives: The Sonic Memorial Project
PBS.org: NOVA: Building on Ground Zero

World Trade Center Recent News

Google News: World Trade Center
USA Today: Pope blesses Ground Zero in NYC, prays for peace (April 20, 2008)
New York Sun: "9/11 Anniversary Is Marked Under Tearful Sky" (September 11, 2007)
Newsday.com: Somber, emotional 9/11 ceremony held in lower Manhattan (September 11, 2007)
Associated Press: US remembers 9/11 still haunted by bin Laden (September 11, 2007)
Bloomberg.com: Giuliani, Clinton Pay Tribute on Sept. 11 Anniversary (September 11, 2007)
BBC News: 9/11 demolition theory challenged (September 11, 2007)

World Trade Center Photos

About.com: World Trade Center, 1970-2001
ABC News: Terror in the Aftermath of Sept. 11
Lower Manhattan: Construction Gallery
Bluffton University: Images of the World Trade Center
FourEyes.com: Photos of World Trade Center, September 11, 2001

World Trade Center Videos

Mahalo's 9/11 Video Page
EarthCam: Ground Zero Cams
Revver: September 11, 2001: What We Saw (Time: 26:25)
Google Video: Shot from street level of South Tower collapsing (Time: 2:49)

World Trade Center Background

MSNBC.com: An Icon Destroyed (2001)
Great Buildings Online: World Trade Center
Internet Archive: The Top of the World Trade Center
Infoplease: World Trade Center History

Construction and Engineering

Wikipedia: Construction of the World Trade Center
University of Sydney: World Trade Center - Some Engineering Aspects
The Skyscraper Museum: World Trade Center Dossier
Google Video: Building the World Trade Center Documentary (1983) (Time: 18:11)
First Nations Drum: History of the Mohawk ironworkers

1993 Bombings

Wikipedia: World Trade Center 1993 bombings
BBC On This Day: 1993: World Trade Center bomb terrorizes New York
GlobalSecurity.org: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

September 11th Attack

Wikipedia: Collapse of the World Trade Center
YouTube: Scientists simulate jet colliding with World Trade Center (Time: 4:59)
CNN: New York reduces 9/11 death toll by 40 (2003)
BBC: How the World Trade Center fell (2001)

World Trade Center Memorials and Redevelopment

AM New York: JP Morgan releases WTC tower plans (June 21, 2007)
The New York Times: "A Tower That Sends a Message of Anxiety, Not Ambition" (February 19, 2007)
New York Sun: Construction Begins On World Trade Center Memorial (2006)
Project Rebirth
LowerManhattan.info
Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
World Trade Center online candle lighting

World Trade Center in Popular Culture

Wikipedia: World Trade Center in popular culture
Wikipedia: List of audiovisual entertainment affected by the September 11, 2001 attacks
Wikipedia: The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson
Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.
1975: Three Days of the Condor
1976: King Kong
1983: Trading Places
1988: Working Girl
2006: World Trade Center

World Trade Center Commentary and Conspiracy Theories

Mahalo's Guide to the 9/11 Truth Movement
911Truth.org
9-11 Research: WTC Attack Evidence
Time Magazine: Why the 9/11 Conspiracy Theories Won't Go Away (2006)
Popular Mechanics: Debunking the 9/11 Myths (2005)
Wikipedia: 9/11 Truth Movement
Michelle Malkin: 9/11 conspiracy-mongers and the advertisers who love them (April 4, 2007)

World Trade Center Blogs

Wizbang Blog: Six Years Later - We Will Not Forget (September 11, 2007)
Gawker: Is It Too Soon To Use the Burning Twin Towers In Ads? (September 11, 2007)
Hot Air: September 11 (September 11, 2007)
The Huffington Post: Reunited by 9/11, Giuliani and Kerik Keep Their Distance (September 11, 2007)
Google Blog Search: World Trade Center

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