One World Trade Center, the so-called Freedom Tower currently under construction in Lower Manhattan, technically became New York City’s tallest building on Monday, as workers erected steel columns on the 100th floor, 1,271 feet above the street, to make it stand 21 feet higher than the Empire State Building’s observation deck.
The Freedom Tower, which is being built to replace the twin towers that fell during the 9/11 terror attacks, won’t be completed until 2014. When it is, it will be 104 stories and likely declared the tallest building in America—surpassing Chicago’s 1,451-foot Willis Tower at 1,776 feet. . .