Architect: Minoru Yamasaki
Date Constructed: 1973
The twin towers were the tallest buildings in New York until they were destroyed on September 11th 2001.
Height: 1,725 ft (526 m) including the television antennae of 1 World Trade Center; 110 floors.

The twin towers of the World Trade Center were the tallest buildings in the world when they were built. They were a symbol of America’s greatness and a tribute to the industry and ingenuity of New York City. They ruled the skyline, and at night they rose in a glory of lights from the bustling, glittering city below. Driving into the city, New Yorkers knew that they were coming home when they could see the faint outline of the towers, visible even before the thin spire of the Empire State Building.

The World Trade Center was designed by Minoru Yamasaki; his commission was to build a structure with twelve million square feet of floor area on a sixteen acre site with subway and train facilities underground. His design, which was nearly $150 million under budget, was almost revolutionary for its simplicity: he proposed two square towers, each with a central weight–bearing core, and an external steel structure that supported and braced the buildings. The narrow vertical columns that formed the outside of the buildings were placed only thirty–nine inches apart, which gave the towers strength and rigidity while leaving the interior floor space open and free of load–bearing pillars.

The towers were each 208 feet wide and 1,353 feet (412 meters) tall; a television antenna on 1 World Trade Center added almost 400 feet to the overall height. From the observation deck in 2 World Trade Center, it was possible to see 45 miles in any direction. The twin towers were New York, and New Yorkers made them their own—from the thousands of people who worked inside everyday, to adventurers like George Willig, the Human Fly, who climbed to the top with homemade gear in 1977.

The destruction of the twin towers made them the largest buildings ever to be destroyed. Although the towers survived the initial impact from the attack, the burning jet fuel weakened the steel of the internal load–bearing core, and this led to the collapse of the top floors and the ultimate collapse of both buildings. The catastrophe was the worst single enemy attack ever to take place on the United States mainland.