One World Trade Center#Daniel Libeskind

{{Main|1 World Trade Center (1971–2001)}}

{{for|comprehensive information on the original World Trade Center|World Trade Center (1973–2001)}}

File:Photo of WTC1 (cropped).jpg, pictured in summer 2001|150px]]

The construction of the original World Trade Center was conceived as an urban renewal project and spearheaded by David Rockefeller. The project was intended to help revitalize Lower Manhattan.{{cite book |author=Gillespie, Angus K. |year=1999 |title=Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/twintowerslifeof00gill |chapter-url-access=registration |chapter=Chapter 1 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=0-7838-9785-5}} The project was planned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which hired architect Minoru Yamasaki.{{cite news |title=2 States Agree on Hudson Tubes and Trade Center |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/01/23/102744546.pdf|last=Wright|first=George Cable |date=January 23, 1962 |work=The New York Times}} The twin towers at 1 and 2 World Trade Center were designed as framed tube structures, giving tenants open floor plans, unobstructed by columns or walls.{{cite book|author=National Construction Safety Team|title=Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers|date=September 2005|publisher=NIST|pages=5–6|chapter=Chapter 1|chapter-url=http://wtc.nist.gov/NISTNCSTAR1CollapseofTowers.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051128195653/http://wtc.nist.gov/NISTNCSTAR1CollapseofTowers.pdf|archive-date=November 28, 2005|url-status=dead}}{{cite journal |last=Taylor |first=R. E. |date=December 1966 |title=Computers and the Design of the World Trade Center |journal=Journal of the Structural Division |volume=92 |issue=ST–6 |pages=75–91|doi=10.1061/JSDEAG.0001571 |issn = 0044-8001 }} One World Trade Center was the North Tower, and Two World Trade Center was the South Tower.{{cite web |title=Timeline: World Trade Center chronology |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/newyork/timeline/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030825163809/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/newyork/timeline/index.html |archive-date=August 25, 2003 |access-date=May 15, 2007 |publisher=PBS – American Experience}} Each tower was over {{convert|1350|ft|m}} high, and occupied about {{convert|1|acre|ha}} of the total {{convert|16|acre|ha}} of the site's land.{{Cite news |date=August 16, 1999 |title=1973: World Trade Center Is Dynamic Duo of Height |publisher=Engineering News-Record |url=http://www.enr.com/new/A0816.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020611065443/http://www.enr.com/new/A0816.asp |archive-date=June 11, 2002}} Of the 110 stories in each tower, 8 were set aside as mechanical floors. All the remaining floors were open for tenants. Each floor of the tower had {{convert|40000|sqft|m2}} of available space. The North and South tower had {{convert|3800000|sqft|m2}} of total office space.{{Cite book |last=Ruchelman |first=Leonard I. |title=The World Trade Center: Politics and Policies of Skyscraper Development |publisher=Syracuse University Press |year=1977 |isbn=978-0-81562-180-5 |page=11}}

Construction of the North Tower began in August 1966; extensive use of prefabricated components sped up the construction process. The first tenants moved into the North Tower in October 1971.{{cite book |title=Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Structural and Life Safety Systems (NCSTAR 1-1) |url=https://ws680.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=101332 |publisher=National Institute of Standards and Technology |last1=Lew |first1=H.S. |first2=Richard W. |last2=Bukowski |first3=Nicholas J. |last3=Carino |date=September 2005 |page=xxxvi |access-date=January 31, 2019 |archive-date=February 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201013631/https://ws680.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=101332 |url-status=live }}Darton, Eric (1999) Divided We Stand: A Biography of New York's World Trade Center, Chapter 6, Basic Books. At the time, the original One World Trade Center became the tallest building in the world, at {{convert|1368|ft|m}} tall. After a {{convert|360|ft|m|adj=on}}-tall antenna was installed in 1978, the highest point of the North Tower reached {{convert|1728|ft|m|abbr=on}}.{{Cite news |last=Mcdowell |first=Edwin |date=April 11, 1997 |title=At Trade Center Deck, Views Are Lofty, as Are the Prices |work=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802EED7133CF932A25757C0A961958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |access-date=September 12, 2009 |archive-date=July 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721142324/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/11/nyregion/at-trade-center-deck-views-are-lofty-as-are-the-prices.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |url-status=live }} In the 1970s, four other low-level buildings were built as part of the World Trade Center complex.{{Cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F01E4D81030F935A35752C0A9649C8B63 |title=Commercial Property; In Office Market, a Time of Uncertainty |work=The New York Times |author=Holusha, John |date=January 6, 2002 |access-date=November 21, 2008 |archive-date=July 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721142324/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/06/realestate/commercial-property-in-office-market-a-time-of-uncertainty.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3601/is_30_48/ai_83762552 |title=Ford recounts details of Sept. 11 |work=Real Estate Weekly |date=February 27, 2002 |publisher=BNET |access-date=January 3, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326153652/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3601/is_30_48/ai_83762552/ |archive-date=March 26, 2010 }} A seventh building was built in the mid-1980s.{{cite book |title=Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Structural and Life Safety Systems (NCSTAR 1-1) |url=https://ws680.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=101332 |publisher=National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) |page=13 |last1=Lew |first1=H.S. |first2=Richard W. |last2=Bukowski |first3=Nicholas J. |last3=Carino |date=September 2005 |access-date=January 31, 2019 |archive-date=February 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201013631/https://ws680.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=101332 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=114932 |publisher=Emporis.com |title=Seven World Trade Center (pre-9/11) |access-date=May 7, 2006 |archive-date=April 28, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060428020754/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=114932 |url-status=usurped }} The entire complex of seven buildings had a combined total of {{convert|13400000|sqft|m2}} of office space.{{cite web |author=Yoneda, Yuka |date=September 11, 2011 |title=6 Important Facts You May Not Know About One World Trade Center |url=http://inhabitat.com/nyc/6-important-facts-you-may-not-know-about-one-world-trade-center/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429080413/http://inhabitat.com/nyc/6-important-facts-you-may-not-know-about-one-world-trade-center/ |archive-date=April 29, 2014 |access-date=April 28, 2014 |publisher=Inhabitat}}

At 8:46 a.m. (EDT) on September 11, 2001, five hijackers affiliated with al-Qaeda crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the northern facade of the North Tower.{{cite web |url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB196/doc01.pdf |title=Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 11 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=February 19, 2002 |access-date=April 24, 2014 |archive-date=February 14, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214030913/http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB196/doc01.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB196/doc03.pdf |title=Flight Path Study – United Airlines Flight 175 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=February 19, 2002 |access-date=April 24, 2014 |archive-date=June 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140617050241/http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB196/doc03.pdf |url-status=live }} After burning for 102 minutes, the North Tower collapsed due to structural failure at 10:28 a.m. (EDT).{{Cite news |first=Bill |last=Miller |title=Skyscraper Protection Might Not Be Feasible, Federal Engineers Say |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2002/05/01/skyscraper-protection-might-not-be-feasible-federal-engineers-say/ |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=May 1, 2002 |access-date=November 24, 2013 |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203170242/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2002-05-01/news/0205010358_1_engineers-jet-fuel |url-status=live }} When the North Tower collapsed, debris fell on the nearby 7 World Trade Center, which caught fire and collapsed at 5:21 p.m. (EDT).World Trade Center Building Performance Study, Ch. 5 WTC 7 – section 5.5.4Final Report on the Collapse of World Trade Center Building 7, p. xxxvii. Together with a simultaneous attack on the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a passenger revolt that resulted in a plane crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the attacks resulted in the deaths of 2,996 people (2,507 civilians, 343 firefighters, 72 law enforcement officers, 55 military personnel, and the 19 hijackers).{{cite web |title=How much did the September 11 terrorist attack cost America? |url=http://www.iags.org/costof911.html |work=2004 |publisher=Institute for the Analysis of Global Security |access-date=April 30, 2014 |archive-date=December 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226080840/http://www.iags.org/costof911.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Winnipegger heads to NY for 9/11 memorial |date=September 9, 2011 |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipegger-heads-to-ny-for-9-11-memorial-1.991431 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=November 13, 2013 |quote=A total of 2,996 people died: 19 hijackers and 2,977 victims. |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113021016/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipegger-heads-to-ny-for-9-11-memorial-1.991431 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Stone |first=Andrea |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-08-20-pentagon_x.htm |title=Military's aid and comfort ease 9/11 survivors' burden |work=USA Today |date=August 20, 2002 |access-date=September 2, 2011 |archive-date=June 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627082049/http://www.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-08-20-pentagon_x.htm |url-status=live }}

{{Planned World Trade Center}}

File:WTC Building Arrangement in preliminary site plan.svg

Following the destruction of the original World Trade Center, there was debate regarding the future of the World Trade Center site. There were proposals for its reconstruction almost immediately, and by 2002, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation had organized a competition to determine how to use the site.{{cite press release |title=Lower Manhattan Development Corporation Announces Design Study for World Trade Center Site and Surrounding Areas |publisher=RenewNYC.org |date=August 14, 2002 |url=http://www.renewnyc.com/displaynews.aspx?newsid=da800006-c35b-4f1c-a9ec-ff53cfe45ae2 |access-date=August 7, 2008 |archive-date=August 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080825152757/http://www.renewnyc.com/displaynews.aspx?newsid=da800006-c35b-4f1c-a9ec-ff53cfe45ae2 |url-status=live }} The proposals were part of a larger plan to memorialize the September 11 attacks and rebuild the complex.{{cite news|last=Walsh |first=Edward |title=Bush Encourages N.Y. Rescuers |newspaper=The Washington Post |pages=A10 |date=September 15, 2001 |url=http://old.911digitalarchive.org/crr/documents/1126.pdf |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724210450/http://old.911digitalarchive.org/crr/documents/1126.pdf |archive-date=July 24, 2011 }}{{cite web|date=September 20, 2001|title=Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html|archive-date=February 25, 2008|publisher=The White House}} Already the site was becoming a tourist attraction; in the year following the attacks the Ground Zero site became the most visited place in the United States. On September 10, 2002, the Viewing Wall, a temporary display containing information about the attacks and listing the names of the dead, opened to the public.{{Cite book|last=Dupré|first=Judith|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/871319123|title=One World Trade Center: Biography of the Building|publisher=Little, Brown and Company|year=2016|isbn=978-0-316-33631-4|edition=1st|location=New York|pages=|oclc=871319123|access-date=October 13, 2021|archive-date=July 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721142330/https://www.worldcat.org/title/one-world-trade-center-biography-of-the-building/oclc/871319123|url-status=live}} The same year, then–New York Governor George Pataki faced accusations of cronyism for supposedly using his influence to get the winning architect's design picked as a personal favor for his friend and campaign contributor, Ronald Lauder.{{cite news |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6902610 |title=America's Freedom Tower? |publisher=NBC News |date=February 17, 2005 |access-date=November 22, 2011 |archive-date=October 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001164043/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6902610/ |url-status=dead }}

When the public rejected the first round of designs, a second, more open competition took place in December 2002, in which a design by Daniel Libeskind was selected as the winner in February 2003. Other designs were submitted by Richard Meier, Peter Eisenman, Charles Gwathmey, and Steven Holl; William Pedersen; and Foster and Partners. This design underwent many revisions, mainly because of disagreements with developer Larry Silverstein, who held the lease to the World Trade Center site at that time.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2006/01/03/opinion/20060103_TOWERS_GRAPHIC.html |title=Freedom Tower's Evolution |work=The New York Times |date=January 3, 2006 |access-date=January 14, 2012 |archive-date=October 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029025219/http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2006/01/03/opinion/20060103_TOWERS_GRAPHIC.html |url-status=live }} Peter Walker and Michael Arad's "Reflecting Absence" proposal was selected as the site's 9/11 Memorial in January 2004.

The architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) subsequently replaced Libeskind as the new One World Trade Center's primary designer. SOM partner Ken Lewis recalled that the new building had to provide office space for various types of tenants while alluding to the Twin Towers and filling a metaphorical gap in New York City's skyline,.{{cite web |last=Mafi |first=Nick |date=November 18, 2024 |title=One World Trade Center: A Monumental Building, 10 Years Later |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/one-world-trade-center-monumental-building-10-years-later |access-date=November 20, 2024 |website=Architectural Digest}} David Childs of SOM, the main architect of One World Trade Center, designed a symmetrical tower that tapered on upper floors. Childs's design contrasted with Libeskind's plans for an asymmetrical tower with an antenna at its western end; disagreements over the designs threatened to delay the project.{{cite web |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=October 23, 2003 |title=Architects' Clashing Visions Threaten To Delay World Trade Center Tower |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/23/nyregion/architects-clashing-visions-threaten-to-delay-world-trade-center-tower.html |access-date=November 20, 2024 |website=The New York Times}} After Childs and Libeskind had worked out their disagreements, they announced a preliminary design for the building, dubbed the Freedom Tower, on December 19, 2003. The plan called for a {{convert|1776|ft|m|-tall|adj=mid}} tower that had a parallelogram floor plan, an asymmetrical spire, and a rooftop turbine.{{cite web |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=December 20, 2003 |title=1,776-Foot Design Is Unveiled For World Trade Center Tower |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/20/nyregion/1776-foot-design-is-unveiled-for-world-trade-center-tower.html |access-date=November 20, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}{{cite web |date=December 19, 2003 |title=New Trade Center tower design unveiled |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3757111 |access-date=November 20, 2024 |website=NBC News}}

There was criticism concerning the limited number of floors that were designated for office space and other amenities in an early plan. Only 82 floors would have been habitable, and the total office space of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex would have been reduced by more than {{convert|3000000|sqft|m2}} in comparison with the original complex. The floor limit was imposed by Silverstein, who expressed concern that higher floors would be a liability in the event of a future terrorist attack or other incident. Much of the building's height would have consisted of a large, open-air steel lattice structure on the roof of the tower, containing wind turbines and "sky gardens". The New York City Police Department (NYPD) also expressed concerns about the amount of glass used in the building, as well as the structure's proximity to the West Side Highway, both of which the NYPD claimed would make the site vulnerable to another terrorist attack. In a later design, the highest occupiable floor became comparable to the original World Trade Center, and the open-air lattice was removed from the plans.{{cite web |url=http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&lng=3&id=201521 |title=One World Trade Center |publisher=Emporis.com |access-date=January 14, 2012 |archive-date=May 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516140814/http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&lng=3&id=201521 |url-status=usurped }}

A final design for the "Freedom Tower" was formally unveiled on June 28, 2005. To address security issues raised by the NYPD, a {{convert|187|ft|m|adj=on}} concrete base was added to the design in April of that year. The design originally included plans to clad the base in glass prisms in order to address criticism that the building might have looked uninviting and resembled a "concrete bunker". However, the prisms were later found to be unworkable, as preliminary testing revealed that the prismatic glass easily shattered into large and dangerous shards. As a result, it was replaced by a simpler facade consisting of stainless steel panels and blast-resistant glass.[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/world-trade-center-update_n_860992.html "Prismatic glass façade for WTC tower scrapped"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174918/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/world-trade-center-update_n_860992.html |date=March 3, 2016 }}. The Huffington Post. May 12, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2011.

Contrasting with Libeskind's original plan, the tower's final design tapered octagonally as it rose. Its designers stated that the tower would be a "monolithic glass structure reflecting the sky and topped by a sculpted antenna". In 2006, Larry Silverstein commented on a planned completion date: "By 2012 we should have a completely rebuilt World Trade Center, more magnificent, more spectacular than it ever was."{{cite web|url=http://www.cenews.com/post/3013/final-design-for-freedom-tower-is-unveiled |title=Final design for Freedom Tower is unveiled |publisher=Civil + Structural Engineer |access-date=April 28, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429050910/http://www.cenews.com/post/3013/final-design-for-freedom-tower-is-unveiled |archive-date=April 29, 2014 }} On April 26, 2006, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved a conceptual framework that allowed foundation construction to begin. A formal agreement was drafted the following day, the 75th anniversary of the 1931 opening of the Empire State Building. Construction began in May; a formal groundbreaking ceremony took place when the first construction team arrived.{{cite news|date=April 27, 2006|title=Trucks roll to begin Freedom Tower construction|work=Daily News|location=New York|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/412525p-348812c.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060503233834/http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/412525p-348812c.html|archive-date=May 3, 2006}}

{{Main|Construction of One World Trade Center}}

File:Freedomtower oct2006.jpg

File:OneWTC-Construction-Feb2009.jpg

File:One WTC From W Hotel 7-28-10.JPG under construction as of July 28, 2010]]

The symbolic cornerstone of One World Trade Center was laid in a ceremony on July 4, 2004.{{cite news|last=Cooper|first=Michael|title=Stalled Talks Are More Bad News for Pataki|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/16/nyregion/16pataki.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 16, 2006|access-date=July 24, 2013|archive-date=November 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104234855/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/16/nyregion/16pataki.html|url-status=live}} The stone had an inscription supposedly written by Arthur J. Finkelstein.{{cite press release|title=Governor Pataki, Governor Mcgreevey, Mayor Bloomberg Lay Cornerstone for Freedom Tower|url=http://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=489|publisher=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|website=PANYNJ.gov|date=July 4, 2004|access-date=September 27, 2018|archive-date=September 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927085915/http://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=489|url-status=live}} Construction was delayed until 2006 due to disputes over money, security, and design. The last major issues were resolved on April 26, 2006, when a deal was made between developer Larry Silverstein and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, so the cornerstone was temporarily removed from the site on June 23, 2006.{{cite news|date=June 25, 2006|title=Cornerstone of Freedom Tower removed|publisher=CBS News|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/25/ap/national/mainD8IF1PB80.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108140050/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/25/ap/national/mainD8IF1PB80.shtml|archive-date=January 8, 2007}} Soon after, explosives were detonated at the construction site for two months to clear bedrock for the building's foundation, onto which {{convert|400|cuyd|m3|abbr=off|sp=us}} of concrete was poured by November 2007.{{cite web |url=http://fraser.vg/one-world-trade-center.html |title=One World Trade Center |work=FRASER: Building His District, Brick by Brick |access-date=May 1, 2014 |archive-date=May 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502000625/http://fraser.vg/one-world-trade-center.html |url-status=live }} In a December 18, 2006, ceremony held in nearby Battery Park City, members of the public were invited to sign the first {{convert|30|ft|m|adj=on}} steel beam installed onto the building's base.{{cite news |title=Building of N.Y. Freedom Tower begins |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-04-27-ny-development_x.htm |agency=Associated Press |access-date=February 1, 2009 |work=USA Today |date=April 28, 2006 |archive-date=March 31, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331135323/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-04-27-ny-development_x.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/18/nyregion/18zero.html?ref=nyregion |title=Messages of Love and Hope on a Freedom Tower Beam |date=December 18, 2006 |author=Chan, Sewell |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 17, 2013 |archive-date=May 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531141008/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/18/nyregion/18zero.html?ref=nyregion |url-status=live }} It was welded onto the building's base on December 19, 2006.{{cite news|date=December 19, 2006|title=First Freedom Tower Beam Rises At Ground Zero|publisher=WCBS-TV|url=http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_353063928.html|url-status=dead|access-date=July 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061220065543/http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_353063928.html|archive-date=December 20, 2006}} Foundation and steel installation began shortly afterward, so the tower's footings and foundation were nearly complete within a year.{{cite press release|url=http://www.panynj.gov/AboutthePortAuthority/PressCenter/PressReleases/PressRelease/index.php?id=1019 |title=Statement by Port Authority Regarding Preparation of Towers 3 and 4 Bathtub at WTC Site to Allow Silverstein Properties to Begin Construction in January |date=December 31, 2007 |publisher=Port Authority of New York & New Jersey |access-date=July 17, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916071342/http://www.panynj.gov/AboutthePortAuthority/PressCenter/PressReleases/PressRelease/index.php?id=1019 |archive-date=September 16, 2009 }} An estimate in February 2007 placed the initial construction cost of One World Trade Center at about $3 billion, or {{convert|1,150|$/sqft|$/m2}}.{{cite news |author=Nordenson, Guy |date=February 16, 2007 |title=Freedom From Fear |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/16/opinion/16nordenson.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105064018/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/16/opinion/16nordenson.html |archive-date=January 5, 2012}}

In January 2008, two cranes were moved onto the site. Construction of the tower's concrete core, which began after the cranes arrived, reached street level by May 17. The base was not finished until two years later, after which construction of the office floors began and the first glass windows were installed; during 2010, floors were constructed at a rate of about one per week.{{cite news|title=World Trade Center project has begun to take shape|url=http://www.nj.com/opinion/times/oped/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1273124715235280.xml&coll=5|newspaper=The Star-Ledger|date=May 6, 2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629050206/http://www.nj.com/opinion/times/oped/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1273124715235280.xml&coll=5|archive-date=June 29, 2012|access-date=September 27, 2018|url-status=dead}} An advanced "cocoon" scaffolding system was installed to protect workers from falling, and was the first such safety system installed on a steel structure in the city.{{cite news|last=Strunsky|first=Steve|date=May 18, 2010|title=Port Authority installs cocoon safety system around World Trade Center steel structure|newspaper=The Star-Ledger|url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/port_authority_installs_cocoon.html|url-status=live|access-date=September 27, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629050212/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/port_authority_installs_cocoon.html|archive-date=June 29, 2012}} The tower reached 52 floors and was over {{convert|600|ft|m}} tall by December 2010. The tower's steel frame was halfway complete by then,{{cite news|title=1 WTC, aka Freedom Tower, reaches halfway mark|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/AP963a03879d90473a8e230286ac9086e3.html|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=December 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101221072632/http://online.wsj.com/article/AP963a03879d90473a8e230286ac9086e3.html|archive-date=December 21, 2010|url-status=dead}} but grew to 80 floors by the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, at which time its concrete flooring had reached 68 floors and the glass cladding had reached 54 floors.{{cite web|title=World Trade Center Growing This Summer|url=http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/progress.html|publisher=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|website=PANYNJ.gov|year=2011|access-date=June 1, 2011|archive-date=October 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023004622/http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/progress.html|url-status=live}}

In 2009, the Port Authority changed the official name of the building from "Freedom Tower" to "One World Trade Center", stating that this name was the "easiest for people to identify with".{{cite news |last=Westfeldt |first=Amy |title=Freedom Tower has a new preferred name |url=http://www.wtc.com/news/freedom-tower-has-a-new-preferred-name |publisher=Silverstein Properties |agency=Associated Press |date=March 26, 2009 |access-date=March 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331101501/http://www.wtc.com/news/freedom-tower-has-a-new-preferred-name |archive-date=March 31, 2009|url-status=live}}{{cite news|date=April 23, 2009|title=The World Trade Centre Slow building|newspaper=The Economist|url=http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13527474|url-status=live|access-date=May 31, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427083212/http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13527474|archive-date=April 27, 2009}} The "Freedom Tower" name had also been subject to ridicule on programs like Saturday Night Live. The name change also served a practical purpose: real estate agents believed that it would be easier to lease space in a building with a traditional street address. The change came after board members of the Port Authority voted to sign a 21-year lease deal with Vantone Industrial Co., a Chinese real estate company, which would become the building's first commercial tenant to sign a lease. Vantone planned to create the China Center, a trade and cultural facility, covering {{convert|191,000|sqft}} on floors 64 through 69.{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/freedom-wtc-port-authority-freedom-tower-1-world-trade-center-article-1.366558 |title='Freedom' out at WTC: Port Authority says The Freedom Tower is now 1 World Trade Center |work=Daily News |location=New York |date=March 27, 2009 |access-date=March 26, 2014 |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517020737/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/freedom-wtc-port-authority-freedom-tower-1-world-trade-center-article-1.366558 |url-status=live }}

Mass media company Condé Nast became One WTC's anchor tenant in May 2011, leasing {{convert|1|e6ft2}} and relocating from 4 Times Square.{{Cite news |last=Bagli |first=Charles V. |date=May 17, 2011 |title=Condé Nast Will Be Anchor of 1 World Trade Center |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/18/nyregion/conde-nast-to-anchor-1-world-trade-center.html |access-date=July 28, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite web |date=May 25, 2011 |title=One World Trade Center lands lease with Conde Nast |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/worldtradecenter-condenast-idUSN2517331720110525 |access-date=July 28, 2022 |website=Reuters}} While under construction, the tower was specially illuminated on several occasions. For example, it was lit in red, white, and blue for Independence Day and the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, and it was illuminated in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.{{cite web|title=One World Trade Center|url=http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/index.html|publisher=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|website=PANYNJ.gov|access-date=September 27, 2018|archive-date=October 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002053941/http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/index.html|url-status=live}} The tower's loading dock could not be finished in time to move equipment into the completed building, so five temporary loading bays were added at a cost of millions of dollars. The temporary PATH station was not to be removed until its official replacement, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, was completed, blocking access to the planned loading area.{{cite news|date=February 1, 2012|title=World Trade Center design flaw could cost millions|work=The Wall Street Journal|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/AP58fc16e2613c438889fe606d0a39d602|url-status=live|access-date=February 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315191603/http://online.wsj.com/article/AP58fc16e2613c438889fe606d0a39d602.html|archive-date=March 15, 2012}} Chadbourne & Parke, a Midtown Manhattan-based law firm, was supposed to lease {{convert|300000|sqft|m2|sigfig=1}} in January 2012,{{cite web |date=January 27, 2012 |title=1 World Trade Center Adds Another Prime Tenant, A Law Firm |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/nyregion/1-world-trade-center-adds-another-prime-tenant-a-law-firm.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104223808/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/nyregion/1-world-trade-center-adds-another-prime-tenant-a-law-firm.html |archive-date=November 4, 2014 |access-date=April 2, 2020 |website=The New York Times}} but the deal was abruptly canceled that March.[http://therealdeal.com/blog/2012/03/20/chadbourne-parke-will-not-move-to-one-world-trade-center/ "Chadbourne & Parke Will Not Lease at One World Trade"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105000848/http://therealdeal.com/blog/2012/03/20/chadbourne-parke-will-not-move-to-one-world-trade-center/|date=November 5, 2014}}. The Real Deal. March 20, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2012.

File:911 memorial - panoramio (1).jpg

By March 2012, One WTC's steel structure had reached 93 stories,{{cite web |date=February 14, 2014 |title=One World Trade Center construction updates |url=http://lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/freedom_tower_26204.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219055831/http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/freedom_tower_26204.aspx |archive-date=December 19, 2013 |access-date=February 24, 2014 |publisher=Lower Manhattan.info}} growing to the 94th story (labeled as floor 100{{cite news |author=Brown, Eliot |date=March 30, 2012 |title=One World Trade Center Hits 100 Stories, Helped by Funny Math |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2012/03/30/one-world-trade-center-hits-100-stories-helped-by-funny-math/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331174218/http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2012/03/30/one-world-trade-center-hits-100-stories-helped-by-funny-math/ |archive-date=March 31, 2012}}) and {{convert|1240|ft|m}} by the end of the month. The tower's estimated cost had risen to $3.9 billion by April 2012, making it the most expensive building in the world at the time.{{cite news |last=Brennan |first=Morgan |date=April 30, 2012 |title=1 World Trade Center Officially New York's New Tallest Building |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/morganbrennan/2012/04/30/1-world-trade-center-officially-new-yorks-new-tallest-building/ |url-status=live |access-date=July 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019203716/http://www.forbes.com/sites/morganbrennan/2012/04/30/1-world-trade-center-officially-new-yorks-new-tallest-building/ |archive-date=October 19, 2013}} The tower's construction was partly funded by approximately $1 billion of insurance money that Silverstein received for his losses in the September 11 attacks. The State of New York provided an additional $250 million, and the Port Authority agreed to give $1 billion, which would be obtained through the sale of bonds.{{cite news |author=Bagli, Charles V. |date=February 13, 2007 |title=Spitzer, in Reversal, Is Expected to Approve Freedom Tower, Officials Say |work=The New York Times |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00916F7345B0C708DDDAB0894DF404482 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223095444/https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00916F7345B0C708DDDAB0894DF404482 |archive-date=February 23, 2007}} The Port Authority raised prices for bridge and tunnel tolls to raise funds, with a 56 percent toll increase scheduled between 2011 and 2015; however, the proceeds of these increases were not used to pay for the tower's construction.[https://archive.today/20120904161540/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/11/new_world_trade_center_tower_w.html "Critics blast Port Authority for changing position on how toll hike money will be spent"]. The Star-Ledger. November 30, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2012

The still-incomplete tower became New York City's tallest building by roof height in April 2012, passing the {{convert|1250|ft|m|adj=on}} roof height of the Empire State Building.{{cite news|date=April 30, 2012|title=It's official: 1 WTC is New York's new tallest building|work=Daily News|location=New York|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/official-1-wtc-york-tallest-building-article-1.1069925?localLinksEnabled=false|url-status=dead|access-date=April 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503023258/http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/official-1-wtc-york-tallest-building-article-1.1069925?localLinksEnabled=false|archive-date=May 3, 2012}}{{cite news|date=April 30, 2012|title=One World Trade Center On Top As Tallest Building In New York City|work=International Business Times|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/335028/20120430/one-world-trade-center-tallest-building-nyc.htm|url-status=live|access-date=September 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626123003/http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/335028/20120430/one-world-trade-center-tallest-building-nyc.htm|archive-date=June 26, 2012}} President Barack Obama visited the construction site two months later and wrote, on a steel beam that would be hoisted to the top of the tower, the sentence "We remember, we rebuild, we come back stronger!"{{cite news |title=Obama signs beam of One World Trade Center |url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/14/us/obama-one-world-trade-center/index.html |access-date=August 2, 2012 |publisher=CNN |date=June 15, 2012 |author=Poppy Harlow |author2=George Lerner |author3=Jason Hanna |archive-date=June 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615165755/http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/14/us/obama-one-world-trade-center/index.html |url-status=live }} That same month, with the tower's structure nearing completion, the owners of the building began a public marketing campaign for the building, seeking to attract visitors and tenants.{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Eliot|date=April 11, 2012|title=With New Logo, 1 WTC Begins Marketing Push|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/04/11/with-new-logo-1wtc-begins-marketing-push/|url-status=live|access-date=September 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115191911/https://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/04/11/with-new-logo-1wtc-begins-marketing-push/|archive-date=January 15, 2016}}

One World Trade Center's steel structure topped out at the 94th physical story (numbered as floor 104), with a total height of the roof top at {{convert|1368|ft|m}}, in August 2012.{{cite news|last=Higgs|first=Larry|date=August 30, 2012|title=One World Trade Center steel skeleton completed|publisher=Asbury Park Press|url=http://www.app.com/article/20120830/NJNEWS/308300075/One-World-Trade-Center-steel-skeleton-completed?nclick_check=1|url-status=dead|access-date=August 30, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130101225738/http://www.app.com/article/20120830/NJNEWS/308300075/One-World-Trade-Center-steel-skeleton-completed?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1|archive-date=January 1, 2013}} The tower's spire was then shipped from Quebec to New York in November 2012,{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-newyork-worldtradecenter/steel-spire-rises-atop-new-yorks-one-world-trade-center-idUSBRE8BB1C620121212|title=Steel spire rises atop New York's One World Trade Center|date=December 12, 2012|work=Reuters|access-date=October 27, 2017|archive-date=October 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027180931/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-newyork-worldtradecenter/steel-spire-rises-atop-new-yorks-one-world-trade-center-idUSBRE8BB1C620121212|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/spire-from-quebec-crowns-world-trade-centre-after-dispute-solved|title='A historic milestone': 125-metre spire from Quebec crowns World Trade Centre in N.Y.C after dispute solved|last=Edmiston|first=Jake|date=May 2, 2013|work=National Post|access-date=October 27, 2017|language=en-US}} following a series of delays. The first section of the spire was hoisted to the top of the tower on December 12, 2012,{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/12/one-world-trade-center-spire-photos-video_n_2286183.html |title=One World Trade Center Spire: Workers Begin To Hoist Spire Atop City's Tallest Building |work=The Huffington Post |date=December 12, 2012 |access-date=December 13, 2012 |first=Christopher |last=Mathias}} and was installed on January 15, 2013.{{cite press release |url=https://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/press_releasesItem.cfm?headLine_id=1738 |title=First section of spire installed at One World Trade Center |publisher=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey |date=January 15, 2013 |access-date=February 12, 2013 |archive-date=January 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127130132/http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/press_releasesItem.cfm?headLine_id=1738 |url-status=live }} By March 2013, two sections of the spire had been installed. Bad weather delayed the delivery of the final pieces.{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/27/us/new-york-world-trade-center-topping/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews |title=1 World Trade Center to top out Monday as tallest building in hemisphere |publisher=CNN |date=April 28, 2013 |access-date=April 28, 2013 |archive-date=April 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428134244/http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/27/us/new-york-world-trade-center-topping/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews |url-status=live }}{{cite web | title=Weather postpones trade center's ascent to tallest | website=The Plain Dealer | date=April 29, 2013 | url=https://www.cleveland.com/business/2013/04/weather_postpones_trade_center.html | access-date=October 2, 2022}}

On May 10, 2013, the final piece of the spire was lifted to the top of One WTC, bringing the tower to its full height of {{convert|1776|ft|m}}, and making it the fourth-tallest building in the world at the time.{{cite web | title=Crews Permanently Install Spire On Top Of One World Trade Center | website=CBS News | date=May 10, 2013 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/spire-being-permanently-installed-on-wtc-tower/ | access-date=October 2, 2022}}{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/02/us/new-york-world-trade-center-topping/index.html |title=Final pieces hoisted atop One World Trade Center |publisher=CNN |date=May 3, 2013 |access-date=May 3, 2013 |archive-date=May 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503020752/http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/02/us/new-york-world-trade-center-topping/index.html |url-status=live }} In subsequent months, the exterior elevator shaft was removed; the podium glass, interior decorations, and other finishes were being installed; and installation of concrete flooring and steel fittings was completed. On November 12, 2013, the Height Committee of the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) made the controversial{{cite news |date=November 12, 2013 |title=Tallest building ruling: Willis Tower loses to One World Trade Center |work=Chicago Tribune |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-tallest-building-20131112,0,7298761.story |url-status=dead |access-date=November 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112191257/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-tallest-building-20131112,0,7298761.story |archive-date=November 12, 2013}} announcement that One World Trade Center was the tallest building in the United States, declaring that the mast on top of the building is a spire since it is a permanent part of the building's architecture.{{cite web |title=Architects rule 1 World Trade Center tallest building in US |url=http://www.myfoxny.com/story/23924617/chicago-based-architects-council-to-rule-on-height-of-1-world-trade-center |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111160618/http://www.myfoxny.com/story/23924617/chicago-based-architects-council-to-rule-on-height-of-1-world-trade-center |archive-date=November 11, 2013 |access-date=November 12, 2013 |publisher=MyFoxNY}}{{cite web |date=November 12, 2013 |title=CTBUH Affirms One World Trade Center Height |url=http://www.ctbuh.org/News/GlobalTallNews/PR_131112_1WTCHeight/tabid/5949/language/en-US/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113075104/http://www.ctbuh.org/News/GlobalTallNews/PR_131112_1WTCHeight/tabid/5949/language/en-US/Default.aspx |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |access-date=November 12, 2013 |publisher=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat}} The building was also the tallest in the Western Hemisphere.

A report in September 2013 revealed that, at the time of the report, the World Trade Center Association (WTCA) was negotiating with regard to the "World Trade Center" name, as the WTCA had purchased the rights to the name in 1986. The WTCA sought $500,000 worth of free office space in the tower in exchange for the use of "World Trade Center" in the tower's name and associated souvenirs.{{cite news |title=The puzzling non-profit behind the "World Trade Center" name makes a surprising amount of money |url=http://qz.com/122449/the-puzzling-non-profit-behind-the-world-trade-center-name-makes-a-surprising-amount-of-money/ |access-date=September 14, 2013 |newspaper=Quartz |date=September 13, 2013 |author=Simone Foxman |archive-date=September 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130913085745/http://qz.com/122449/the-puzzling-non-profit-behind-the-world-trade-center-name-makes-a-surprising-amount-of-money/ |url-status=live }}

By November 2014, at least two work-related deaths at the construction site were reported to OSHA.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Greg B. |date=2014-11-03 |title=EXCLUSIVE: Dozens of injuries at World Trade Center construction site went unreported |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2014/11/03/exclusive-dozens-of-injuries-at-world-trade-center-construction-site-went-unreported/ |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=New York Daily News |language=en-US}}

File:One World Trade Center Building.jpg

On November 1, 2014, moving trucks started moving items for Condé Nast. The New York Times noted that the area around the World Trade Center had transitioned from a financial area to one with technology firms, residences, and luxury shops, coincident with the building of the new tower.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/03/nyregion/conde-nast-moves-into-the-world-trade-center-as-lower-manhattan-is-remade.html |title=Condé Nast Moves Into the World Trade Center as Lower Manhattan Is Remade |work=The New York Times |date=November 2, 2014 |access-date=November 13, 2014 |author=Bagli, Charles V. |archive-date=November 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104082738/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/03/nyregion/conde-nast-moves-into-the-world-trade-center-as-lower-manhattan-is-remade.html |url-status=live }} The building opened on November 3, 2014, and Condé Nast employees moved into 24 floors.{{cite news|last=Dawsey|first=Josh|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2014/10/23/one-world-trade-to-open-nov-3-but-ceremony-is-tbd/|title=One World Trade to Open Nov. 3, But Ceremony is TBD|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=October 23, 2014|access-date=October 23, 2014|archive-date=August 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819045913/https://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2014/10/23/one-world-trade-to-open-nov-3-but-ceremony-is-tbd/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Margolin|first=Josh|title=1 World Trade Center Opening Highlights Rebirth, Renewal Following 9/11 Attacks|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/world-trade-center-opening-highlights-rebirth-renewal-911/story?id=26649497|publisher=ABC News|date=November 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825155642/https://abcnews.go.com/US/world-trade-center-opening-highlights-rebirth-renewal-911/story?id=26649497|archive-date=August 25, 2016|access-date=September 26, 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=One World Trade Center to become NYC's tallest building|url=http://wjla.com/news/nation-world/one-world-trade-center-to-become-nyc-s-tallest-building-75427|publisher=WJLA-TV|agency=Associated Press|date=April 30, 2012|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-date=September 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926031542/http://wjla.com/news/nation-world/one-world-trade-center-to-become-nyc-s-tallest-building-75427|url-status=live}} Condé Nast occupied floors 20 to 44, having completed its move in early 2015. It was expected that the company would attract new tenants to occupy the remaining 40% of unleased space in the tower, as Condé Nast had revitalized Times Square after moving there in 1999. Only about 170 of 3,400 total employees moved into One WTC on the first day. At the time, future tenants included Kids Creative, Legends Hospitality, the BMB Group, Servcorp,{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/03/world-trade-center-reopens/18399467/ |title=World Trade Center opens for business |publisher=USA Today |agency=Associated Press |date=November 3, 2014 |access-date=November 13, 2014 |archive-date=November 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112042325/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/03/world-trade-center-reopens/18399467/ |url-status=live }} and GQ.{{cite web |url=https://online.wsj.com/articles/finally-tenants-at-one-world-trade-center-1414980407 |title=Finally, Tenants at One World Trade Center |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=November 2, 2014 |access-date=November 13, 2014 |author=Morris, Keiko |archive-date=November 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117200347/http://online.wsj.com/articles/finally-tenants-at-one-world-trade-center-1414980407 |url-status=live }} On November 12, 2014, shortly after the building opened supporting wire rope cables of a suspended working platform slacked, trapping a two-man window washing team.{{cite news|date=November 12, 2014|title=They train for this: Crews rescue World Trade Center window washers|work=CNN|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/12/us/new-york-world-trade-center-scaffold/index.html|url-status=dead|access-date=November 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112212731/http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/12/us/new-york-world-trade-center-scaffold/index.html|archive-date=November 12, 2014}}{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/12/worker-scaffold-one-world-trade/18915451/ |title=2 workers rescued from 69th-floor scaffold at One WTC |work=USA Today |date=November 12, 2014 |access-date=November 13, 2014 |archive-date=November 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113125610/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/12/worker-scaffold-one-world-trade/18915451/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news|last=Santoro|first=Marc|date=November 12, 2014|title=Peril, and Daring, at 1 World Trade Center as Window Washers Are Trapped|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/nyregion/1-world-trade-center-window-washers.html?_r=0|access-date=November 12, 2014|archive-date=November 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113183530/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/nyregion/1-world-trade-center-window-washers.html?_r=0|url-status=live}} During the late 2010s, The Durst Organization leased most of the remaining vacant space. The tower reached 92 percent occupancy just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020.

By August 2020, Condé Nast indicated it wanted to leave One World Trade Center.{{Cite web|date=August 6, 2020|title=Condé Nast Facing Pushback As It Tries To Exit 1WTC|url=https://therealdeal.com/2020/08/06/conde-nast-wants-out-at-1wtc-durst-may-not-be-ok-with-that/|access-date=September 20, 2021|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|archive-date=September 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212624/https://therealdeal.com/2020/08/06/conde-nast-wants-out-at-1wtc-durst-may-not-be-ok-with-that/|url-status=live}} This led Advance Publications, parent company of Conde Nast, to start withholding rent payments in January 2021.{{Cite web|date=February 9, 2021|title=Condé Nast Withholding Rent At One World Trade Center|url=https://therealdeal.com/2021/02/09/conde-nast-isnt-paying-rent-at-1wtc-amid-lease-dispute/|access-date=September 20, 2021|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|archive-date=September 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212752/https://therealdeal.com/2021/02/09/conde-nast-isnt-paying-rent-at-1wtc-amid-lease-dispute/|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Berger|first=Paul|date=February 9, 2021|title=Condé Nast Withholds $2.4 Million in Rent at One World Trade|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/conde-nast-withholds-2-4-million-in-rent-at-one-world-trade-11612897176|access-date=September 20, 2021|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=September 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212733/https://www.wsj.com/articles/conde-nast-withholds-2-4-million-in-rent-at-one-world-trade-11612897176|url-status=live}} By March 2021, Condé Nast had filed plans to reduce the amount of office space that it leased.{{cite web |last=Coen |first=Andrew |date=March 10, 2021 |title=The Future of 1 World Trade Center Is Up in the Air |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2021/03/future-of-1-world-trade-center-up-in-the-air/ |access-date=July 28, 2022 |website=Commercial Observer}} After a prolonged impasse, Condé Nast agreed in late 2021 to pay almost $10 million in back rent.{{cite web | last=Young | first=Celia | title=Durst Settles 1 WTC Rent With Condé Nast, Targets Landmark Theatres | website=Commercial Observer | date=August 5, 2021 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2021/08/durst-organization-conde-nast-1-world-trade-center-rent-landmark/ | access-date=September 20, 2021 | archive-date=September 20, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920213143/https://commercialobserver.com/2021/08/durst-organization-conde-nast-1-world-trade-center-rent-landmark/ | url-status=live }}{{cite web | title=Conde Nast settles its overdue rent at 1 WTC | website=Real Estate Weekly | date=August 3, 2021 | url=https://rew-online.com/conde-nast-settles-its-overdue-rent-at-1-wtc/ | access-date=September 20, 2021 | archive-date=September 20, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212448/https://rew-online.com/conde-nast-settles-its-overdue-rent-at-1-wtc/ | url-status=live }} In December 2021, the New York Liberty Development Corporation announced that it would refinance 1 WTC with a $700 million bond issue. The money from this bond issue would be used to retire the debt from the building's last refinancing in 2012.{{Cite web|date=December 3, 2021|title=1 WTC Set for Refi New York Liberty Development Corporation|url=https://therealdeal.com/2021/12/03/1-wtc-set-for-700m-refinancing/|access-date=July 28, 2022|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US}}{{cite web | last=Young | first=Celia | title=State Agency Planning $700M Refinance of 1 WTC | website=Commercial Observer | date=December 3, 2021 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2021/12/state-agency-700m-refinance-1-wtc/ | access-date=July 28, 2022}} By March 2022, the building was 95 percent leased, a higher percentage than before the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web |last=Hallum |first=Mark |date=March 29, 2022 |title=One World Trade Center 95 Percent Leased With Latest Deal: Durst |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2022/03/one-world-trade-center-95-percent-leased-with-latest-deal-durst/ |access-date=July 28, 2022 |website=Commercial Observer}}{{cite web |date=March 30, 2022 |title=One World Trade Center now 95% leased |url=https://rew-online.com/one-world-trade-center-now-95-leased/ |access-date=July 28, 2022 |website=Real Estate Weekly}} One WTC's vacancy rate was half that of the city as a whole;{{Cite news|last=Hu|first=Winnie|date=December 13, 2022|title=Why One World Trade Is Winning R.T.O.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/12/13/nyregion/one-world-trade.html|access-date=April 1, 2023|issn=0362-4331}} its high occupancy rate contrasted with that of the original Twin Towers, which had never reached full occupancy until just before the September 11 attacks.{{cite web | title=Shared amenities and public space may help usher the World Trade Center office complex into a brighter future | website=The Architect's Newspaper | date=September 9, 2021 | url=https://www.archpaper.com/2021/09/shared-amenities-public-space-help-usher-the-world-trade-center-office-complex/ | access-date=July 29, 2022}}

{{wide image|File:Lower Manhattan from Jersey City September 2020 HDR panorama (cropped2).jpg|900px|One World Trade Center and adjacent buildings at dusk. The Tribute in Light can be seen on the far-right.}}

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File:New_York_and_Jersey_City_Skyline_Panorama_Crop_-_One_World_Trade_Center.jpg]]

Many of Daniel Libeskind's original concepts from the 2002 competition were discarded from the tower's final design. One World Trade Center's final design consisted of simple symmetries and a more traditional profile, intended to compare with selected elements of the contemporary New York skyline. The tower's central spire draws from previous buildings, such as the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. It also visually resembles the original Twin Towers, rather than being an off-center spire similar to the Statue of Liberty. One World Trade Center is considered the first major building whose construction is based upon a three-dimensional Building Information Model.{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB108915978482156861|title=New Dimensions in Design|last=Frangos|first=Alex|date=July 7, 2004|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=March 23, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=November 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105194722/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB108915978482156861|url-status=live}}

Just south of the new One World Trade Center is the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which is located where the Twin Towers stood. Immediately to the east is World Trade Center Transportation Hub and the new Two World Trade Center site. To the north is 7 World Trade Center, and to the west is Brookfield Place.{{cite web |title=Design Overview |url=http://www.911memorial.org/design-overview |access-date=November 3, 2014 |work=9/11 Memorial |archive-date=November 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104105411/http://www.911memorial.org/design-overview |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Handwerker |first=Haim |date=November 20, 2007 |title=The politics of remembering Ground Zero – Haaretz – Israel News |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/925885.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122162833/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/925885.html |archive-date=November 22, 2007 |work=Haaretz}}{{cite news |last=Herzenberg |first=Michael |date=September 7, 2011 |title=Mayor, WTC Developer Say Trade Center Site Has New Lease On Life |work=NY1 |url=http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/146573/mayor--wtc-developer-say-trade-center-site-has-new-lease-on-life |url-status=dead |access-date=September 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921173815/http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/146573/mayor--wtc-developer-say-trade-center-site-has-new-lease-on-life |archive-date=September 21, 2011}}

File:One WTC NY1.jpg]]

The building occupies a {{convert|200|ft|m|adj=on}} square, with an area of {{convert|40000|ft2|m2}}, nearly identical to the footprints of the original Twin Towers. The tower is built upon a {{convert|185|ft|m|adj=on}} tall windowless concrete base, designed to protect it from truck bombs and other ground-level attacks.[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8687807/New-York-beefs-up-World-Trade-Center-site-security-for-September-11-10th-anniversary.html "New York beefs up World Trade Center site security for September 11 10th anniversary"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415175035/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8687807/New-York-beefs-up-World-Trade-Center-site-security-for-September-11-10th-anniversary.html |date=April 15, 2016 }}. The Telegraph. August 8, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2013. From the 20th floor upwards, the square edges of the tower's cubic base are chamfered back, shaping the building into eight tall isosceles triangles, or an elongated square antiprism.{{cite web|url=http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/439.php |title=The Freedom Tower: World Trade Center, New York |publisher=Glass Steel and Stone |access-date=March 13, 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209232641/http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/439.php |archive-date=February 9, 2010 }} Near its middle, the tower forms a perfect octagon, and then culminates in a glass parapet, whose shape is a square oriented 45 degrees from the base. A 407.9-foot (124.3 m) sculpted mast containing the broadcasting antenna – designed in a collaboration between Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), artist Kenneth Snelson (who invented the tensegrity structure), lighting designers, and engineers – is secured by a system of cables, and rises from a circular support ring, which contains additional broadcasting and maintenance equipment. At night, an intense beam of light is projected vertically from the spire and shines over {{convert|1000|ft|m}} above the tower.{{cite press release |url=http://www.renewnyc.com/content/pdfs/freedom_tower_fact_sheet.pdf |title=SOM Freedom Tower Fact Sheet |publisher=Lower Manhattan Development Corporation |date=June 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051103104549/http://www.renewnyc.com/content/pdfs/freedom_tower_fact_sheet.pdf |archive-date=November 3, 2005}}

David Childs of SOM, the architect of One World Trade Center, said the following regarding the tower's design:[https://web.archive.org/web/20070609123405/http://www.projectrebirth.org/rebuild/architecture/davidC_pt2.html Interview with David Childs (cont'd)]. Retrieved October 12, 2007

{{blockquote|We really wanted our design to be grounded in something that was very real, not just in sculptural sketches. We explored the infrastructural challenges because the proper solution would have to be compelling, not just beautiful. The design does have great sculptural implications, and we fully understand the iconic importance of the tower, but it also has to be a highly efficient building. The discourse about Freedom Tower has often been limited to the symbolic, formal and aesthetic aspects but we recognize that if this building doesn't function well, if people don't want to work and visit there, then we will have failed as architects.}}Originally, the base was to be covered in 2,000 panes of decorative prismatic glass, but these plans were scrapped in 2011 because the prismatic glass was too expensive to mass-produce and were vulnerable to breaking.{{cite web | title=Prismatic Glass Facade For WTC Tower Scrapped | website=CBS New York | date=May 12, 2011 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/prismatic-glass-facade-for-wtc-tower-scrapped/ | access-date=May 5, 2024}}{{Cite news|last=Bagli|first=Charles V.|date=2011-05-11|title=Feature at Trade Center Is Halted After $10 Million|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/nyregion/at-1-world-trade-center-effort-to-cover-base-in-glass-is-dropped.html|access-date=2024-05-05|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} A simpler glass-and-steel facade was adopted when the prisms proved unworkable. The current base cladding consists of angled glass fins protruding from stainless steel panels, similar to those on 7 World Trade Center. LED lights behind the panels illuminate the base at night.[http://www.wtc.com/news/new-glass-design-for-one-world-trade-center-base-wins-approval "New glass design for One World Trade Center base wins approval"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150228020344/http://www.wtc.com/news/new-glass-design-for-one-world-trade-center-base-wins-approval|date=February 28, 2015}}. WTC.com, November 15, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2011. There are cable-net glass facade panels on all elevations of the building, designed by Schlaich Bergermann Partner.{{cite web | last=Gonchar | first=Joann | title=One World Trade Center | website=Architectural Record | date=September 16, 2011 | url=https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/7870-one-world-trade-center | access-date=May 5, 2024}} The curtain wall was manufactured and assembled by Benson Industries in Portland, Oregon, using glass made in Minnesota by Viracon.{{cite press release |url=http://www.som.com/content.cfm/curtain_wall_installation_begins_at_one_world_trade_center |title=Curtain Wall Installation Begins at One World Trade Center |publisher=Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP |date=November 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |access-date=December 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214170505/http://www.som.com/content.cfm/curtain_wall_installation_begins_at_one_world_trade_center |archive-date=December 14, 2010}} Each of the curtain wall's panels measures {{Convert|13.33|ft|0}} tall. The panels are thicker than typical curtain-wall panels, which raised the building's construction cost.

WSP Group was the lead structural engineer; Jaros, Baum & Bolles (JBB) provided MEP engineering; and Tishman Construction was the main contractor.

File:1WorldTradeCenterEntrance.jpg

World Trade Center's website describes One World Trade Center's top floor as floor 104, though the tower only contains 94 actual stories according to the Skyscraper Center. The building has 86 usable above-ground floors, of which 78 are intended for office purposes (approximately {{convert|2,600,000|ft2|m2}}).{{cite web|url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/20080641318904?f=rss |title=World Trade Centre Behind Schedule And Over Budget Says New York Governor |publisher=Sky News |access-date=March 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514015923/http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/20080641318904?f=rss |archive-date=May 14, 2011 }}{{cite news |last=Barrionuevo |first=Alexei |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E6D6123FF935A15754C0A9639C8B63 |title=In Chicago, Plans for a High-Rise Raise Interest and Post-9/11 Security Concerns |work=The New York Times |date=July 26, 2005 |access-date=March 13, 2013 |archive-date=May 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531132623/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E6D6123FF935A15754C0A9639C8B63 |url-status=live }} The base consists of floors 1–19, including a {{convert|65|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} public lobby that features the {{convert|90|ft|m|adj=on}} mural ONE: Union of the Senses by American artist José Parlá.{{cite news |author= |title=Art fit for a skyscraper |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2014/11/one-world-trade-center |newspaper=The Economist |location=New York |date=November 6, 2014 |access-date=January 27, 2018 |archive-date=January 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128074610/https://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2014/11/one-world-trade-center |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Munro |first=Cait |date=November 21, 2014 |title=Is José Parlá's Mural at One World Trade Center the World's Largest Welcome Mat? |url=https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/is-jose-parlas-mural-at-one-world-trade-center-the-worlds-largest-welcome-mat-177974 |work=Artnet News |access-date=January 27, 2018 |archive-date=January 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128132646/https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/is-jose-parlas-mural-at-one-world-trade-center-the-worlds-largest-welcome-mat-177974 |url-status=live }} The lobby also contains two paintings by Donald Martiny, called Lenape and Unami;{{cite web | title=A Chapel Hill Artist Paints His Way Into The World Trade Center | website=WUNC | date=October 30, 2015 | url=https://www.wunc.org/arts-culture/2015-10-30/a-chapel-hill-artist-paints-his-way-into-the-world-trade-center | access-date=October 28, 2023}} two paintings by Fritz Bultman, Gravity of Nightfall and Blue Triptych – Intrusion Into the Blue; and two paintings by Doug Argue, Randomly Placed Exact Percentages and Isotropic.

The office floors begin at floor 20 and go up to floor 90.{{cite web | last=Dunlap | first=Keith | title=How the new One World Trade Center compares to the old Twin Towers | website=KSAT | date=September 6, 2021 | url=https://www.ksat.com/features/2021/09/06/how-the-new-one-world-trade-center-compares-to-the-old-twin-towers/ | access-date=May 5, 2024}}{{cite web | last=Velsey | first=Kim | title=One World Trade Center Reaches 100 Stories, But It's Missing A Few Floors | website=Observer | date=March 30, 2012 | url=https://observer.com/2012/03/one-world-trade-center-reaches-100-stories-but-its-missing-a-few-floors/ | access-date=May 5, 2024}} There is a sky lobby on floor 64; designed by Gensler, the sky lobby covers {{convert|25000|ft2}}. The space has seating areas, a game room, a meeting room with capacity for 180 people, a cafe, and yoga and fitness classes.{{cite web | last=Plitt | first=Amy | title=One World Trade Center will get a 'sky lobby' designed by Gensler | website=Curbed NY | date=October 21, 2016 | url=https://ny.curbed.com/2016/10/21/13362430/one-world-trade-center-gensler-sky-lobby | access-date=October 28, 2023}}{{cite web | last=Cullen | first=Terence | title=A Look Inside 1 WTC's 'Piazza' in the Sky | website=Commercial Observer | date=October 19, 2016 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2016/10/slideshow-a-look-inside-1-wtcs-piazza-in-the-sky/ | access-date=October 28, 2023}} Seven oil on canvas paintings by artist Greg Goldberg are displayed in the 64th floor sky lobby,{{cite web |url=http://www.artnews.com/2015/03/17/greg-goldberg-on-his-sky-lobby-paintings-at-one-world-trade-center/ |title=Greg Goldberg on His Sky Lobby Paintings at One World Trade Center |last= Duray|first=Dan |date=March 17, 2015 |website=artnews.com |publisher=Art News |access-date=February 4, 2018 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.artsy.net/article/editorial-unity-through-abstraction-one-world-trade-centers |title=Unity Through Abstraction: One World Trade Center's Inaugural Art Collection |author= |date= February 24, 2015|website=artsy.net |publisher=Artsy |access-date= January 31, 2018}} and Bryan Hunt created a sculpture named Prana, which means "life force" in Sanskrit, on the east side of the 64th floor sky lobby.{{cite web |agency=Associated Press | title=New York's 1 World Trade Center tower boasts large-scale, bold art | website=New York Daily News | date=December 11, 2014 | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2014/12/11/new-yorks-1-world-trade-center-tower-boasts-large-scale-bold-art/ | access-date=October 28, 2023}} Above floor 90 are several mechanical floors, as well as restaurants and observation spaces on floors 100–103. Floor numbers 94 through 99 are skipped.

The tenants have access to below-ground parking, storage, and shopping; access to PATH, New York City Subway trains, and the World Financial Center is also provided at the World Trade Center Transportation Hub; {{stn|Fulton Street||New York City Subway}}/Fulton Center; and {{stn|Chambers Street–World Trade Center/Park Place/Cortlandt Street}} stations.{{cite web |title=One World Trade Center – Fact Sheet |url=http://onewtc.com/upload/downloads/1WTC_FactSheet.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222062538/http://onewtc.com/upload/downloads/1WTC_FactSheet.pdf |archive-date=December 22, 2014 |access-date=May 5, 2014}} The building allows direct access to West Street, Vesey Street, and Fulton Street at ground level. The building has an approximate underground footprint of {{convert|42000|sqft|m2}}.

File:One World Observatory - SkyPortal.jpg

The tower has an observation deck on floors 100–102.{{cite web | title=Breathtaking views from One World Observatory | website=CBS News | date=May 29, 2015 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/breathtaking-views-from-one-world-observatory/4/ | access-date=May 5, 2024}} Its height is {{convert|1,268|ft}}, making it the highest vantage point in New York City. Similar to the Empire State Building, visitors to the observation deck and tenants have their own separate entrances; one entrance is on the West Street side of the building, and the other is from within the shopping mall, descending down to a below-ground security screening area.{{cite web |title=The World Trade Center Retail Floor Plans (Part 2) |url=http://tribecacitizen.com/2014/01/16/the-world-trade-center-retail-floor-plans-part-2/comment-page-1/ |work=Tribeca Citizen |date=January 16, 2014 |access-date=January 16, 2014 |archive-date=January 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117215915/http://tribecacitizen.com/2014/01/16/the-world-trade-center-retail-floor-plans-part-2/comment-page-1/ |url-status=live }} On the observation deck, the actual viewing space is on the 100th floor, but there is a food court on the 101st floor and a space for events for the 102nd floor.{{cite news |url=http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20150408/REAL_ESTATE/150409902/observatory-at-1-world-trade-center-opens-to-public-may-29 |title=Observatory at 1 World Trade Center opens to public May 29 |agency=Associated Press |work=Crain's New York |date=April 8, 2015 |access-date=April 9, 2015 |archive-date=April 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401013351/http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20150408/REAL_ESTATE/150409902/observatory-at-1-world-trade-center-opens-to-public-may-29 |url-status=live }} The observation deck is operated by Legends Hospitality, partially owned by the New York Yankees.{{cite web |title=NATIONALLY RENOWNED LEGENDS HOSPITALITY CHOSEN TO DEVELOP AND OPERATE THREE-STORY OBSERVATION DECK ATOP ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER |url=https://www.panynj.gov/port-authority/en/press-room/press-release-archives/2013_press_releases/nationally_renownedlegendshospitalitychosentodevelopandoperateth.html |website=panynj.gov |publisher=The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey |access-date=15 August 2024 |date=20 March 2013}}

To show visitors the city, and give them information and stories about New York, an interactive tool called City Pulse is used by Tour Ambassadors. The admission fee is $32 per person,{{cite news|last=Chung|first=Jen|date=October 28, 2014|title=One World Trade Center Observatory Sets Admission At $32|newspaper=gothamist|url=http://gothamist.com/2014/10/28/one_world_trade_center_sets_admissi.php#photo-1|url-status=live|access-date=October 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031082927/http://gothamist.com/2014/10/28/one_world_trade_center_sets_admissi.php#photo-1|archive-date=October 31, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/wtc-observation-deck.cfm |title=One World Observatory |work=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey |access-date=May 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522143051/http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/wtc-observation-deck.cfm |archive-date=May 22, 2014 |url-status=live}} but admission discounts are available for children and seniors, and the deck is free for 9/11 responders and families of 9/11 victims. When it opened, the deck was expected to have about 3.5 million visitors per year.{{cite web|author=Gelfand, Eric|date=February 25, 2014|title=One World Observatory Launches|url=http://legends.net/one-world-observatory-launches/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522184816/http://legends.net/one-world-observatory-launches/|archive-date=May 22, 2014|access-date=May 22, 2014|publisher=Legends.net}} Tickets went on sale starting on April 8, 2015.{{cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2015/04/08/one-wtc-observation-deck-tickets-go-on-sale-will.html |title=One WTC observation deck tickets go on sale, will open in May |publisher=NY Business Journal |date=April 8, 2015 |access-date=April 9, 2015 |archive-date=May 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503145337/http://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2015/04/08/one-wtc-observation-deck-tickets-go-on-sale-will.html |url-status=live }} The Manhattan District Attorney investigated whether Legends Hospitality had received the contract for the observation deck's operation based on inappropriate political dealings.{{cite web | title=Prosecutors subpoenas NY-NJ agency records on World Trade Center deal | website=Reuters | date=April 9, 2015 | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/portauthority-new-york/prosecutors-subpoenas-ny-nj-agency-records-on-world-trade-center-deal-idUSL2N0X62ON20150409 | access-date=October 28, 2023}} It officially opened on May 28, 2015,{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11636200/New-World-Trade-Centre-observatory-opens-banishing-memories-of-the-Twin-Towers.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11636200/New-World-Trade-Centre-observatory-opens-banishing-memories-of-the-Twin-Towers.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=New World Trade Centre observatory opens, banishing memories of the Twin Towers |work=The Telegraph |date=May 28, 2015 |access-date=May 28, 2015}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/05/28/one-world-trade-center-observatory/ |title=Observatory At One World Trade Center Opens To Public Friday |work=CBS Local |date=May 28, 2015 |access-date=May 28, 2015 |archive-date=May 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529085506/http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/05/28/one-world-trade-center-observatory/ |url-status=live }} one day ahead of schedule.{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/observation-deck-wtc-freedom-tower-opens-29-article-1.2176323 |title=Observation deck at World Trade Center's Freedom Tower to open May 29 |work=NY Daily News |date=April 7, 2015 |access-date=April 8, 2015 |author=Corky Siemaszko |archive-date=April 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407205544/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/observation-deck-wtc-freedom-tower-opens-29-article-1.2176323 |url-status=live }}

A plan to build a restaurant near the top of the tower, similar to the original One World Trade Center's top-floor restaurant Windows on the World, was abandoned as logistically impractical. The tower's window-washing tracks are located on a 16-square-foot area, which is designated as floor 110 as a symbolic reference to the 110 floors of the original tower.{{cite web |author=Blaszczak, Karl |date=September 19, 2013 |title=The Technology Behind One World Trade Center |url=http://scribol.com/technology/the-technology-behind-one-world-trade-center |access-date=April 28, 2014 |publisher=Scribol |archive-date=April 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429050432/http://scribol.com/technology/the-technology-behind-one-world-trade-center |url-status=live }} There are three eating venues at the top of the building: a café (called One Café); a bar and "small plates" grill (One Mix); and a fine dining restaurant (One Dining). A Curbed commentary criticized the food prices; the need for a full observatory ticket purchase to enter; and their reputations compared to Windows on the World.{{cite web |title=Don't Eat at One World Trade Center's Sky-High Restaurants |website=Curbed NY |date=July 1, 2015 |url=http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/07/01/dont_eat_at_one_world_trade_centers_skyhigh_restaurants.php |access-date=August 24, 2015 |last=Alberts |first=Hana R. |archive-date=August 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150813172431/http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/07/01/dont_eat_at_one_world_trade_centers_skyhigh_restaurants.php |url-status=live }}

{{wide image|174-photo_pano_of_NYC_(32756674773).jpg|800px|The view from One World Observatory}}

Like other buildings in the new World Trade Center complex, One World Trade Center includes sustainable architecture features. Much of the building's structure and interior is built from recycled materials, including gypsum boards and ceiling tiles; around 80 percent of the tower's waste products are recycled.{{cite web |date=February 27, 2012 |title=Rising new One World Trade Centre to push the envelope in green building design |url=http://www.greenprospectsasia.com/content/rising-new-one-world-trade-centre-push-envelope-green-building-design |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130724152908/http://www.greenprospectsasia.com/content/rising-new-one-world-trade-centre-push-envelope-green-building-design |archive-date=July 24, 2013 |access-date=July 24, 2013 |publisher=Green Prospects Asia}} Although the roof area of any tower is limited, the building implements a rainwater collection and recycling scheme for its cooling systems. The building's PureCell phosphoric acid fuel cells generate 4.8 megawatts (MW) of power, and its waste steam generates electricity.[https://archive.today/20120718115344/http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/18/fuel-cells-a-clean-energy-alternative-at-new-world-trade-center-new-york-citys-octagon/ "Fuel cells: a clean energy alternative at new World Trade Center"]. cleantechnica.com. December 18, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2012. The New York Power Authority selected UTC Power to provide the tower's fuel cell system, which was one of the largest fuel cell installations in the world once completed.{{cite news |last=Troianovski |first=Anton |author-link=Anton Troianovski |date=November 1, 2010 |title=WTC taps fuel cells |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703708404575586630000766308 |access-date=January 24, 2012 |archive-date=May 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510015322/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703708404575586630000766308 |url-status=live }} The tower also makes use of off-site hydroelectric and wind power.[http://news.thomasnet.com/green_clean/2012/01/03/green-facts-about-new-yorks-new-one-world-trade-center/ "Green Facts About 1 WTC"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829132844/http://news.thomasnet.com/green_clean/2012/01/03/green-facts-about-new-yorks-new-one-world-trade-center/|date=August 29, 2012}}. ThomasNet. January 3, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2012 The windows are made of an ultra-clear glass, which allows maximum sunlight to pass through; the interior lighting is equipped with dimmers that automatically dim the lights on sunny days, reducing energy costs. Like all of the new facilities at the World Trade Center site, One World Trade Center is heated by steam, with limited oil or natural gas utilities on-site.{{cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=July 9, 2008 |title=Answers About Ground Zero Rebuilding |work=The New York Times |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/answers-about-ground-zero-rebuilding/ |access-date=July 9, 2008 |archive-date=July 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727185112/http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/answers-about-ground-zero-rebuilding/ |url-status=live }} One World Trade Center received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, making it one of the most environmentally sustainable skyscrapers in the world.{{cite web |date=September 15, 2016 |title=One World Trade Center Achieves LEED Gold |url=https://facilityexecutive.com/2016/09/one-world-trade-center-achieves-leed-gold/ |access-date=August 2, 2020 |publisher=Facility Executive |language=en-US |archive-date=August 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813200344/https://facilityexecutive.com/2016/09/one-world-trade-center-achieves-leed-gold/ |url-status=live }}

File:Lower Manhattan from Jersey City November 2014 panorama 3 cropped.jpg, New Jersey]]

Along with the protection provided by the reinforced concrete base, a number of other safety features were included in the building's design, so that it would be prepared for a major accident or terrorist attack. Like 7 World Trade Center, the building has {{convert|3|ft|cm|0|adj=on}} thick reinforced concrete walls in all stairwells, elevator shafts, risers, and sprinkler systems. There are also extra-wide, pressurized stairwells, along with a dedicated set of stairwells exclusively for the use of firefighters, and biological and chemical filters throughout the ventilation system.{{cite web |title=One World Trade Center: A New Icon for New York City |url=http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/one-wtc.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227040312/http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/one-wtc.html |archive-date=December 27, 2010 |access-date=January 27, 2011 |publisher=The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey}} In comparison, the original Twin Towers used a purely steel central core to house utility functions, protected only by lightweight drywall panels.{{Cite book |last1=Lew |first1=H.S. |url=https://ws680.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=101332 |title=Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Structural and Life Safety Systems (NCSTAR 1-1) |last2=Bukowski |first2=Richard W. |last3=Carino |first3=Nicholas J. |date=September 2005 |publisher=National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) |series=Final Reports of the Federal Building and Fire Investigation of the World Trade Center Disaster |pages=8, 40–42 |format=PDF |access-date=January 31, 2019 |archive-date=February 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201013631/https://ws680.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=101332 |url-status=live }}

The building is no longer {{convert|25|ft|m|0}} away from West Street, as the Twin Towers were; at its closest point, West Street is {{convert|65|ft|m}} away. The Port Authority has stated: "Its structure is designed around a strong, redundant steel moment frame consisting of beams and columns connected by a combination of welding and bolting. Paired with a concrete-core shear wall, the moment frame lends substantial rigidity and redundancy to the overall building structure while providing column-free interior spans for maximum flexibility."

In addition to safety design, new security measures were implemented. All vehicles will be screened for radioactive materials and other potentially dangerous objects before they enter the site through the underground road. Four hundred closed-circuit surveillance cameras will be placed in and around the site, with live camera feeds being continuously monitored by the NYPD. A computer system will use video-analytic computer software, designed to detect potential threats, such as unattended bags, and retrieve images based on descriptions of terrorists or other criminal suspects. New York City and Port Authority police will patrol the site.{{cite web |author=Tarantola, Andrew |date=September 9, 2011 |title=How to Terror-Proof the New World Trade Center |url=https://gizmodo.com/5838327/terror-proofing-the-new-world-trade-center |access-date=May 22, 2014 |work=Gizmodo |archive-date=May 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522181019/http://gizmodo.com/5838327/terror-proofing-the-new-world-trade-center |url-status=live }}

Before the World Trade Center site was fully completed, the plaza was not completely opened to the public, as the original World Trade Center plaza was.{{cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=May 15, 2014 |title=Passes Are No Longer Needed at 9/11 Memorial |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/nyregion/passes-no-longer-needed-at-sept-11-memorial.html?_r=0 |access-date=May 22, 2014 |archive-date=May 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523100052/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/nyregion/passes-no-longer-needed-at-sept-11-memorial.html?_r=0 |url-status=live }} The initial stage of the opening process began on Thursday, May 15, 2014, when the "Interim Operating Period" of the National September 11 Memorial ended. During this period, all visitors were required to undergo airport style security screening as part of the "Interim Operating Period", which was expected to end on December 31, 2013.{{cite web |title=Visitor Rules and Regulations |url=http://www.911memorial.org/visitor-rules-and-regulations |access-date=April 28, 2014 |publisher=National September 11 Memorial & Museum |quote=The "Interim Operating Period" is the period during which the Memorial Plaza (defined below) is surrounded by World Trade Center construction on all four sides and accessible by visitors only via the 9/11 Memorial Welcome Site. The approximate duration of the Interim Operating Period is from September 11, 2011 to December 31, 2013. |archive-date=August 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812165314/https://www.911memorial.org/visitor-rules-and-regulations |url-status=live }} Screening did not fully end until the official dedication and opening of the museum{{cite web |date=May 21, 2014 |title=National September 11 Memorial Museum opens |url=http://www.myfoxny.com/story/25574078/national-september-11-memorial-museum-opens |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521194934/http://www.myfoxny.com/story/25574078/national-september-11-memorial-museum-opens |archive-date=May 21, 2014 |access-date=May 21, 2014 |work=Fox NY}}{{cite web |author=Feeney, Sheila A. |date=May 21, 2014 |title=9/11 Memorial Museum opens to the public |url=http://www.amny.com/news/9-11-memorial-museum-opens-to-the-public-1.8106839 |access-date=May 21, 2014 |work=AM New York |archive-date=May 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521195119/http://www.amny.com/news/9-11-memorial-museum-opens-to-the-public-1.8106839 |url-status=live }} on May 21, 2014, after which visitors were allowed to use the plaza without needing passes.

File:The City that never sleeps - Flickr - christianreimer.jpg

File:TheSphere-2017-11-09.jpg from the Austin J. Tobin Plaza of the original World Trade Center at the site in 2017]]

The original design went through significant changes after The Durst Organization joined the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as the project's co-developer in 2010.{{cite news|author=David W. Dunlap|date=June 12, 2012|title=1 World Trade Center Is a Growing Presence, and a Changed One|work=The New York Times|url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/1-world-trade-center-is-a-growing-presence-and-a-changed-one/|url-status=dead|access-date=December 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613201429/http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/1-world-trade-center-is-a-growing-presence-and-a-changed-one/|archive-date=June 13, 2012}}

The {{convert|185|ft|m|0|adj=on}} tall base corners were originally designed to gently slope upward and have prismatic glass. The corners were later squared. In addition, the base's walls are covered in 4,000 vertical glass fins.{{cite web | last=Ray | first=Debika | title=One World Trade Center: A fortress enveloped in glass | website=ICON Magazine | date=March 23, 2020 | url=https://www.iconeye.com/architecture/one-world-trade-center-fortress-glass-concrete-skidmore-owings-merrill | access-date=May 5, 2024}} Each fin measures {{convert|13|ft|m|adj=on}} tall and is placed upon a grid of horizontal stainless steel strips measuring {{convert|8|in|cm}} wide.

The spire was originally to be enclosed with a protective radome, described as a "sculptural sheath of interlocking fiberglass panels". The radome-enclosed spire was then changed to a plain antenna. Douglas Durst, the chairman of The Durst Organization, stated that the design change would save $20 million.{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304543904577394473619775032 |title=Pointed Spat Over World Trade Spire |author=Eliot Brown |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=May 10, 2012 |access-date=December 9, 2012 |archive-date=December 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223075710/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304543904577394473619775032 |url-status=live }}{{cite news|last=Panero|first=James|date=September 10, 2013|title=A Beacon Diminished|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324432404579053244111977258.html?KEYWORDS=world+trade+center|access-date=September 12, 2013|archive-date=September 13, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130913043845/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324432404579053244111977258.html?KEYWORDS=world+trade+center|url-status=live}} SOM strongly criticized the change, and Childs said: "Eliminating this integral part of the building's design and leaving an exposed antenna and equipment is unfortunate ... We stand ready to work with the Port on an alternate design." After joining the project in 2010, The Durst Organization had suggested eliminating the radome to reduce costs, but the proposal was rejected by the Port Authority's then-executive director, Christopher O. Ward. Ward was replaced by Patrick Foye in September 2011.[http://transportationnation.org/2011/10/19/patrick-foye-named-new-executive-director-of-ny-nj-port-authority/ Transportation Nation: "Patrick Foye Named New Executive Director of NY-NJ Port Authority" By Jim O'Grady] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415015838/http://transportationnation.org/2011/10/19/patrick-foye-named-new-executive-director-of-ny-nj-port-authority/ |date=April 15, 2013 }}. October 19, 2012. Foye changed the Port Authority's position, and the radome was removed from the plans. In 2012, Douglas Durst gave a statement regarding the final decision: "(the antenna) is going to be mounted on the building over the summer. There's no way to do anything at this point."

The large triangular plaza on the west side of One World Trade Center was originally planned to have stainless steel steps descending to West Street, but the steps were changed to a terrace in the final design. The terrace can be accessed through a staircase on Vesey Street. The terrace is paved in granite, and has 12 sweetgum trees, in addition to a block-long planter/bench. Durst also removed a skylight from the plaza's plans; the skylight was designed to allow natural light to enter the below-ground observation deck lobby. The plaza is {{height|ft=5|in=8}} higher than the adjacent sidewalk. Patrick Foye, the executive director of the Port Authority, said that he thought that the changes were "few and minor".

A contract negotiated between the Port Authority and The Durst Organization states that The Durst Organization will receive a $15 million fee and a percentage of "base building changes that result in net economic benefit to the project". The specifics of the signed contract give Durst 75% of the savings (up to $24 million) with further returns going down to 50%; 25%; and 15% as the savings increase.

File:Top of One World Trade Center Financial District New York (NY) April 2016 (27509488345).jpg

The top floor of One World Trade Center is {{convert|1368|ft|m|0}} above ground level, along with a {{height|ft=33|in=4}} parapet; this is identical to the roof height of the original One World Trade Center.{{cite news|last1=Dunlap|first1=David W.|last2=Collins|first2=Glenn|date=June 30, 2005|title=Redesign Puts Freedom Tower on a Fortified Base|work=The New York Times|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E3DD133AF933A05755C0A9639C8B63|url-status=dead|access-date=January 18, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331154500/https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E3DD133AF933A05755C0A9639C8B63|archive-date=March 31, 2009}} The tower's spire brings it to a pinnacle height of {{convert|1776|ft|m}},{{cite web |title=World Trade Center Towers – The Plan for Lower Manhattan |url=http://www.renewnyc.org/ThePlan/world_trade_center_towers.asp |publisher=Lower Manhattan Development Corporation |date=September 11, 2015 |access-date=September 11, 2015 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906182043/http://www.renewnyc.org/ThePlan/world_trade_center_towers.asp |url-status=live }} a figure intended to symbolize the year 1776, when the United States Declaration of Independence was signed.{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/10/us/new-york-world-trade-center-spire/index.html?hpt=hp_abar_wknd |title=Crews finish installing World Trade Center spire |publisher=CNN |date=May 10, 2013 |access-date=July 17, 2013 |archive-date=July 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719160917/http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/10/us/new-york-world-trade-center-spire/index.html?hpt=hp_abar_wknd |url-status=live }} When the spire is included in the building's height, as stated by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), One World Trade Center surpasses the height of Taipei 101 ({{convert|1671|ft|m|0|adj=on}}), is the world's tallest all-office building, and the seventh-tallest skyscraper in the world {{as of|2023|05|lc=y}}, behind the Burj Khalifa,{{cite news |date=November 4, 2009 |title=Official Opening of Iconic Burj Dubai Announced |work=Gulf News |url=http://gulfnews.com/business/property/uae/official-opening-of-iconic-burj-dubai-announced-1.523471 |url-status=live |access-date=November 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091106052129/http://gulfnews.com/business/property/uae/official-opening-of-iconic-burj-dubai-announced-1.523471 |archive-date=November 6, 2009}} Merdeka 118, Shanghai Tower,{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/theworldin2014/2014/01/tall-towers |title=Tall towers: Signs in the sky |newspaper=The Economist |date=January 15, 2014 |access-date=February 9, 2014 |archive-date=February 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209051502/http://www.economist.com/blogs/theworldin2014/2014/01/tall-towers |url-status=live }} Abraj Al Bait,{{cite web|url=http://skyscrapercenter.com/mecca/makkah-royal-clock-tower-hotel/ |title=Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel{{subst:snd}}The Skyscraper Center |work=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328212835/http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/mecca/makkah-royal-clock-tower-hotel |archive-date=March 28, 2014 }} Ping An Finance Centre and Lotte World Tower.{{cite web | title=100 Tallest Completed Buildings in the World – The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=August 24, 2020 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/buildings | access-date=April 1, 2023}}

One World Trade Center is the second-tallest freestanding structure in the Western Hemisphere, as the CN Tower in Toronto exceeds One World Trade Center's pinnacle height by approximately {{convert|40|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}.{{cite web |url=http://o.canada.com/news/one-world-trade-center-tallest-in-the-west-sorry-cn-tower |title=One World Trade Center not taller than CN Tower |publisher=Canada.com |date=May 10, 2013 |access-date=April 30, 2014 |author=Strapagiel, Lauren |archive-date=May 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502013251/http://o.canada.com/news/one-world-trade-center-tallest-in-the-west-sorry-cn-tower |url-status=live }} The Chicago Spire, with a planned height of {{convert|2000|ft|m}}, was expected to exceed the height of One World Trade Center, but its construction was canceled due to financial difficulties in 2009.{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB126023594022181191?mod=residential_real_estate |work=The Wall Street Journal |title=Push to Finish Tallest Tower |first=Joe |last=Barrett |date=December 9, 2009 |access-date=April 24, 2013 |archive-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526112924/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB126023594022181191?mod=residential_real_estate |url-status=live }}

After design changes for One World Trade Center's spire were revealed in May 2012, there were questions as to whether the {{convert|407.9|ft|m|1|adj=on}}-tall structure would still qualify as a spire, and thus be included in the building's height.{{cite web |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/05/10/change-means-one-world-trade-center-might-not-be-americas-tallest-building/ |title=Change Means One World Trade Center Might Not Be America's Tallest Building |work=CBS New York |date=May 10, 2012 |access-date=August 17, 2012 |archive-date=June 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604064917/http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/05/10/change-means-one-world-trade-center-might-not-be-americas-tallest-building/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.ctbuh.org/News/GlobalTallNews/PR_120510_OneWorldTradeCenterHeight/tabid/3293/language/en-GB/Default.aspx |title=Questions on One World Trade Center Height |publisher=CTBUH |date=May 10, 2012 |access-date=July 24, 2013 |archive-date=October 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012100048/http://ctbuh.org/News/GlobalTallNews/PR_120510_OneWorldTradeCenterHeight/tabid/3293/language/en-GB/Default.aspx |url-status=live }} Since the tower's spire is not enclosed in a radome as originally planned, it could be classified as a simple antenna, which is not included in a building's height, according to the CTBUH. Without the spire, One World Trade Center would be {{convert|1368|ft|m|0}} tall, making it the seventh-tallest building in the United States, behind the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago.{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304543904577394473619775032 |title=Pointed Spat Over World Trade Spire |author=Brown, Eliot |date=May 10, 2012 |access-date=August 17, 2012 |work=The Wall Street Journal |archive-date=December 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223075710/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304543904577394473619775032 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/dispute-over-antenna-could-cost-one-world-trade-center-title-of-tallest-building-in-us |title=Dispute over antenna could cost One World Trade Center title of tallest building in US |access-date=August 17, 2012 |date=May 9, 2012 |publisher=FOX News Network |archive-date=July 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120703011930/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/09/dispute-over-antenna-could-cost-one-world-trade-center-title-america-tallest/ |url-status=live }}

File:Tallest_buildings_2022.png with the One World Trade Center]]

Upon completion, the building became the tallest in New York City with the antenna, but its roof was surpassed in 2015 by 432 Park Avenue, which topped out at {{convert|1396|ft|m|0}} high.{{cite web|title=432 Park Avenue|url=http://skyscrapercenter.com/building/432-park-avenue/13227|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116022653/https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/432-park-avenue/13227|archive-date=November 16, 2016|access-date=January 30, 2016}}{{cite web |title=432 Park Avenue Will Reach 1,397 Feet, Taller Even Than the World Trade Center |url=http://observer.com/2012/03/440-park-avenue-will-reach-1397-feet-taller-even-than-the-world-trade-center/ |date=March 30, 2012 |access-date=August 17, 2012 |work=The New York Observer |last=Ewing |first=Michael |archive-date=June 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616033443/http://observer.com/2012/03/440-park-avenue-will-reach-1397-feet-taller-even-than-the-world-trade-center/ |url-status=live }} One World Trade Center's developers had disputed the claim that the spire should be reclassified as an antenna following the redesign,{{cite web |url=http://archrecord.construction.com/news/2012/08/120815-One-World-Trade-Center-Spire-Redesign.asp |title=One World Trade Center's Skinny Spire Redesign Might Not Measure Up |access-date=August 17, 2012 |date=August 15, 2012 |work=Architectural Record |publisher=The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. |archive-date=August 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817235628/http://archrecord.construction.com/news/2012/08/120815-One-World-Trade-Center-Spire-Redesign.asp |url-status=live }} with Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman reiterating that "One World Trade Center will be the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere."

In 2012, the CTBUH announced that it would wait to make its final decision as to whether or not the redesigned spire would count towards the building's height. On November 12, 2013, the CTBUH announced that One World Trade Center's spire would count as part of the building's recognized height, giving it a final height of {{convert|1,776|ft}}, and making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

In September 2013, three BASE jumpers parachuted off the then-under-construction tower. The three men and one accomplice on the ground surrendered to authorities in March 2014.{{cite web | last=Draznin | first=Haley | title=Four men arrested in One World Trade Center jump stunt | website=CNN | date=March 25, 2014 | url=https://www.cnn.com/2014/03/25/justice/one-world-trade-center-jump-stunt/index.html | access-date=April 1, 2023}} They were convicted of several misdemeanors in June 2015{{Cite news |last= |date=June 23, 2015 |title=Base jumpers found guilty over One World Trade Center stunt in New York |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/23/base-jumpers-found-guilty-over-one-world-trade-center-stunt-in-new-york |access-date=March 31, 2023 |issn=}} and sentenced to community service and a fine.{{cite web | title=Sentencing For Last Of Three World Trade Center BASE Jumpers | website=CBS News | date=August 17, 2015 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/marko-markovich-wtc-base-jumper-sentencing/ | access-date=April 1, 2023}}{{Cite web |last= |date=September 2, 2015 |title=World Trade Center BASE Jumper Sentenced |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/world-trade-center-base-jumper-sentenced/ |access-date=April 1, 2023 |website=Outside Online |language=en-US}}

In March 2014, tower security was breached by 16-year-old Weehawken, New Jersey resident Justin Casquejo, who entered the site through a hole in a fence. He was arrested on trespassing charges.{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/20/us/new-york-world-trade-center-intruder |title=New Jersey teen sneaks to top of 1 World Trade Center, police say |publisher=CNN |date=March 20, 2014 |access-date=March 26, 2014 |archive-date=March 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326091212/http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/20/us/new-york-world-trade-center-intruder |url-status=live }} After the incident, a guard was fired and an elevator operator was reassigned.{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/daredevil-teen-sneaks-top-1-world-trade-center-unnoticed-article-1.1727931 |title=Daredevil teen sneaked into 1 World Trade Center |work=Daily News |location=New York |date=March 20, 2014 |access-date=April 24, 2014 |author1=Stepansky, Joseph |author2=Thomas Tracy |name-list-style=amp |archive-date=March 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323200417/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/daredevil-teen-sneaks-top-1-world-trade-center-unnoticed-article-1.1727931 |url-status=live }} It was then revealed that officials had failed to install security cameras in the tower, which facilitated Casquejo's entry to the site.{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/nj-teen-sneaks-past-security-climbs-world-trade/story?id=22982624 |title=Teen Sneaks Past Security, Climbs Atop 1 World Trade Center |publisher=ABC News |date=March 20, 2014 |access-date=April 24, 2014 |author1=Margolin, Josh |author2=Alyssa Newcomb |name-list-style=amp |archive-date=April 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423132923/http://abcnews.go.com/US/nj-teen-sneaks-past-security-climbs-world-trade/story?id=22982624 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://mashable.com/2014/03/21/wtc-stunt-no-cameras/ |title=Teen's Stunt Exposes That WTC Has No Working Surveillance Cameras |publisher=Mashable |date=March 20, 2014 |access-date=April 24, 2014 |archive-date=April 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425004816/http://mashable.com/2014/03/21/wtc-stunt-no-cameras/ |url-status=live }} Casquejo was sentenced to 23 days of community service as a result.{{cite web | title=Teen who climbed World Trade Center sentenced | website=CBS News | date=September 3, 2014 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justin-casquejo-teen-who-climbed-world-trade-center-sentenced/ | access-date=April 8, 2018 | archive-date=April 8, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408073949/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justin-casquejo-teen-who-climbed-world-trade-center-sentenced/ | url-status=live }}

In November 2014, two window washers at One World Trade Center were stuck for about 90 minutes on a malfunctioning scaffold near the 68th floor.{{cite magazine | last=Sifferlin | first=Alexandra | title=Workers Dangling in Scaffolding Off NYC Skyscraper | magazine=TIME | date=November 12, 2014 | url=https://time.com/3581470/one-world-trade-center-scaffolding-window-washers/ | access-date=June 30, 2024}}{{cite web | last=Gambino | first=Lauren | title=Window washer scaffolding collapse at World Trade Center under investigation | website=the Guardian | date=November 13, 2014 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/13/world-trade-center-scaffold-collapse-investigation | access-date=June 30, 2024}}

When the building was completed, The New York Times architectural critic Michael Kimmelman wrote that "its mirrored exterior is opaque, shellacked, monomaniacal" and that the building looked the same from each compass direction.{{Cite news|last=Kimmelman|first=Michael|date=2014-11-30|title=A Soaring Emblem of New York, and Its Upside-Down Priorities|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/nyregion/is-one-world-trade-center-rises-in-lower-manhattan-a-design-success.html|access-date=2024-05-05|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} Kimmelman felt that the building implied "a metropolis bereft of fresh ideas" and disliked the symbolic height of {{convert|1368|ft}}, which he saw as "abrupt".{{cite web | last=Rosenberg | first=Zoe | title=Critic Believes One World Trade Center Is a Missed Opportunity | website=Curbed NY | date=December 1, 2014 | url=https://ny.curbed.com/2014/12/1/10017086/critic-believes-one-world-trade-center-is-a-missed-opportunity | access-date=May 5, 2024}} Another critic, Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune, called it "a bold but flawed giant" whose antenna was inferior compared with the spires of the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building.{{cite web | last=Kamin | first=Blair | title=One World Trade Center 'a bold but flawed giant' | website=Chicago Tribune | date=October 18, 2014 | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2014/10/18/one-world-trade-center-a-bold-but-flawed-giant/ | access-date=May 5, 2024}} Yet another writer, for Architect magazine, viewed the building as bland even when it was being constructed.{{cite web | last=Betsky | first=Aaron | title=One World Trade Center's Descent into 'Meh' | website=Architect | date=August 13, 2012 | url=https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/one-world-trade-centers-descent-into-meh_o | access-date=May 5, 2024}} Architectural Digest called it "a symbol of strength, resilience, and hope" in 2021,{{cite web | last=Sayej | first=Nadja | title=The Untold Story of New York's One World Trade Center | website=Architectural Digest | date=August 31, 2021 | url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/untold-story-new-yorks-one-world-trade-center | access-date=May 5, 2024}} and the same magazine wrote in 2024 that "when viewing One World Trade Center from a relatively close distance, it becomes an event".

The fortified base of the tower has been a source of controversy. Some critics, including Deroy Murdock of the National Review,{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050311192642/http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock200503111045.asp |archive-date=March 11, 2005 |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock200503111045.asp |title=What Are We Afraid Of? |work=National Review |date=March 11, 2005 |access-date=November 8, 2012|last=Murdock|first=Deroy}} have said that it is alienating and dull, and reflects a sense of fear rather than freedom, leading them to dub the building "the Fear Tower".{{cite web |url=http://www.triroc.com/wtc/media/freedomtower/timesletters.htm |title=Letters to the editor: Taking the Measure of the New Freedom Tower |work=The New York Times |date=July 1, 2005 |access-date=November 8, 2012 |archive-date=November 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110174240/http://www.triroc.com/wtc/media/freedomtower/timesletters.htm |url-status=live }} Nicolai Ouroussoff, the architecture critic for The New York Times, calls the tower base a "grotesque attempt to disguise its underlying paranoia".{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/weekinreview/04ouroussoff.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin |work=The New York Times |title=Medieval Modern: Design Strikes a Defensive Posture |first=Nicolai |last=Ouroussoff |date=March 4, 2007 |access-date=May 20, 2010 |archive-date=May 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531135002/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/weekinreview/04ouroussoff.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin |url-status=live }} There were also controversies over the proposed reconstruction of Windows on the World, a restaurant atop the original World Trade Center that was destroyed during 9/11.{{cite web |first=Greg |last=Morabito |url=http://ny.eater.com/archives/2013/09/wotw.php |title=Windows on the World, New York's Sky-High Restaurant |work=Eater NY |date=September 11, 2013 |access-date=April 29, 2014 |archive-date=July 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721142326/https://ny.eater.com/2013/9/11/6547477/windows-on-the-world-new-yorks-sky-high-restaurant |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/02/world-trade-center-observatory-views-photos_n_3001052.html |work=The Huffington Post |title=PHOTOS: The Stunning Views Atop One World Trade Center |date=April 2, 2013 |access-date=April 24, 2014 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304080528/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/02/world-trade-center-observatory-views-photos_n_3001052.html |url-status=live }} Despite numerous assurances that these attractions would be rebuilt,{{cite web |url=http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20010917/SUB/109170715# |title=Owner vows to reopen Windows On The World |work=Crain's New York |date=September 17, 2001 |access-date=April 24, 2014 |last=Kramer |first=Louise |archive-date=March 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330173915/http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20010917/SUB/109170715/ |url-status=live }} the Port Authority scrapped plans to rebuild them, which has outraged some observers.{{cite web | last=Saxena | first=Jaya | title=World Trade Center Scraps | website=Gothamist | date=March 8, 2011 | url=http://gothamist.com/2011/03/08/wtc_scraps_windows_on_the_world_pla.php | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313083936/http://gothamist.com/2011/03/08/wtc_scraps_windows_on_the_world_pla.php | archive-date=March 13, 2013 | url-status=live | access-date=May 5, 2024}}

{{Main|List of tenants in One World Trade Center}}

File:Sunset in New York City at 1 WTC.jpg is in the background]]

File:Statue of Liberty with One World Trade Center.jpg]]

One World Trade Center is principally owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Around 5 percent equity of the building was sold to The Durst Organization, a private real estate company, in exchange for an investment of at least $100 million. The Durst Organization assisted in supervising the building's construction, and manages the building for the Port Authority, having responsibility for leasing, property management, and tenant installations.{{cite news|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-08/durst-onetime-critic-wins-bid-for-stake-in-1-wtc.html |title=Durst, Onetime Critic, Wins Bid for Stake in 1 WTC |author=David M. Levitt |date=July 8, 2010 |work=Bloomberg BusinessWeek |access-date=July 17, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813104304/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-08/durst-onetime-critic-wins-bid-for-stake-in-1-wtc.html |archive-date=August 13, 2011 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/18/business/18nocera.html?hp |title=In Skyscraper at Ground Zero, Sentiment Trumped Numbers |date=September 17, 2010 |author=Joe Nocera |work=The New York Times |access-date=January 21, 2017 |archive-date=April 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415175305/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/18/business/18nocera.html?hp |url-status=live }} By September 2012, around 55 percent of the building's floor space had been leased, but no new leases were signed for three years until May 2014;{{cite web |url=http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20150107/REAL_ESTATE/150109940/new-wtc-towers-fill-with-tech-tenants |title=New WTC towers fill with tech tenants |publisher=Bloomberg News |work=Crain's New York |date=January 7, 2015 |access-date=April 6, 2015 |quote=Advertising firm KiDS Creative, which in May agreed to the first private commercial lease at the skyscraper in three years |archive-date=March 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329082911/http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20150107/REAL_ESTATE/150109940/new-wtc-towers-fill-with-tech-tenants |url-status=live }} the amount of space leased had gone up to 62.8 percent by November 2014.{{cite web | last=Kalinoski | first=Gail | title=1 WTC Signs Full-Floor Lease with xAd as Latest Tenant | website=Commercial Property Executive | date=November 19, 2014 | url=https://www.commercialsearch.com/news/1-wtc-signs-full-floor-lease-with-xad-as-latest-tenant/ | access-date=May 5, 2024}}

In 2006, the State of New York agreed to a 15-year {{convert|415000|sqft|m2}} lease, with an option to extend the lease's term and occupy up to {{convert|1000000|sqft|m2|sigfig=1}}.{{cite news |title=Gov. Pataki, Governor Corzine, Mayor Bloomberg Announce Agreements to Occupy Freedom Tower |publisher=US States News |date=September 17, 2006}} The General Services Administration (GSA) initially agreed to a lease of around {{convert|645000|sqft|m2}} but ultimately leased {{convert|270000|ft2}}.{{cite web | last=Rosen | first=Daniel Edward | title=One World Trade Center Clinches GSA Lease | website=Commercial Observer | date=July 18, 2012 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2012/07/one-world-trade-center-tabs-gsa-for-270000-square-feet/ | access-date=May 5, 2024}}{{cite web | title=GSA Poised to Become Third Tenant of 1 World Trade Center | website=Bloomberg.com | date=June 28, 2012 | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-06-28/gsa-poised-to-become-third-tenant-of-1-world-trade-center | access-date=May 5, 2024}} In April 2008, the Port Authority announced that it was seeking a bidder to operate the {{convert|18000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} observation deck on the tower's 102nd floor;{{cite news |first=Douglas |last=Feiden |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/04/10/2008-04-10_freedom_tower_to_open_observation_deck_o.html |title=Freedom Tower to open observation deck on 102nd floor |work=Daily News |date=April 10, 2008 |access-date=July 20, 2013 |archive-date=October 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101023125119/http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/04/10/2008-04-10_freedom_tower_to_open_observation_deck_o.html |url-status=live }} in 2013, Legends Hospitality Management agreed to operate the observatory in a 15-year, $875 million contract.{{cite web |url=http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130512/REAL_ESTATE/305129977# |title=World Trade Center site sits empty as rivals lease up |work=Crain's New York Business |date=May 12, 2013 |access-date=July 20, 2013 |last=Geiger |first=Daniel |archive-date=April 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401200341/http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130512/REAL_ESTATE/305129977 |url-status=live }}

The building's first lease, a joint project between the Port Authority and Beijing-based Vantone Industrial, was announced on March 28, 2009. A {{convert|190810|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} "China Center", combining business and cultural facilities, that would be planned between floors 64 and 69; it is intended to represent Chinese business and cultural links to the United States, and to serve American companies that wish to conduct business in China.{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/2012/09/11/news/companies/world-trade-center-tenants/index.html |title=World Trade Center returns to New York skyline |publisher=CNN |date=September 11, 2012 |access-date=January 4, 2013 |first=Aaron |last=Smith |archive-date=January 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130105233323/http://money.cnn.com/2012/09/11/news/companies/world-trade-center-tenants/index.html |url-status=live }} Vantone Industrial's lease is for 20 years and 9 months.{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/03/27/no.freedom.tower/index.html |title=Owners drop Freedom Tower name for new WTC skyscraper |publisher=CNN |date=March 28, 2009 |access-date=May 20, 2010 |archive-date=May 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514220453/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/03/27/no.freedom.tower/index.html |url-status=live }} In April 2011, a new interior design for the China Center was unveiled, featuring a vertical "Folding Garden", based on a proposal by the Chinese artist Zhou Wei.[http://www.chinacenter.com/news/article/china_center_unveils_folding_garden_design_for_its_space_in_1_wtc "China Center Unveils Folding Garden Design For Its Space In 1 WTC"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111223163853/http://www.chinacenter.com/news/article/china_center_unveils_folding_garden_design_for_its_space_in_1_wtc |date=December 23, 2011 }}. ChinaCenter.com. April 14, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2012. In September 2015, China Center agreed to reduce the leased space to a single floor.{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N11U36M20150924|work=Reuters|title=China Center cuts WTC lease, investment slowdown feared|date=September 24, 2015|last=Lash|first=Herbert|access-date=February 14, 2021|archive-date=June 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609214730/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N11U36M20150924|url-status=live}}

On August 3, 2010, Condé Nast Publications signed a tentative agreement to move the headquarters and offices for its magazines into One World Trade Center, occupying up to {{convert|1000000|sqft|m2|sigfig=1}} of floor space.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/nyregion/04conde.html |title=Condé Nast to Move to Skyscraper at Ground Zero |work=The New York Times |date=August 3, 2010 |access-date=August 3, 2010 |first=Charles V. |last=Bagli |archive-date=September 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921024616/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/nyregion/04conde.html |url-status=live }} On May 17, 2011, Condé Nast reached a final agreement with the Port Authority, securing a 25-year lease with an estimated value of $2 billion.{{cite web |last=Polsky |first=Sara |date=May 18, 2011 |title=Condé Nast Officially Signs on at 1 World Trade Center |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2011/5/18/10466336/conde-nast-officially-signs-on-at-1-world-trade-center |access-date=July 28, 2022 |website=Curbed NY}} On May 25, 2011, Condé Nast finalized the lease contract, obtaining {{convert|1008012|sqft|m2}} of office space between floors 20–41 and {{convert|30000|sqft|m2}} of usable space in the podium and below grade floors. Condé Nast leased {{convert|133000|sqft|m2|sigfig=1}} of space on floors 42 to 44 in January 2012.{{cite web | last=Cameron | first=Christopher | title=Conde Nast to expand to three more floors at 1 WTC | website=The Real Deal | date=January 17, 2012 | url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2012/01/17/conde-nast-to-expand-to-three-more-floors-at-one-world-trade/ | access-date=May 5, 2024}}{{cite web | title=UPDATE: Conde Nast Getting Nast-y with 1 World Trade Center, Commits to More Space | website=Observer | date=January 17, 2012 | url=https://observer.com/2012/01/conde-nast-getting-nast-y-with-1-world-trade-center-commits-to-more-space/ | access-date=May 5, 2024}} In the late 2010s and early 2020s, Condé Nast subleased some of its space to other companies. This included Ambac Financial Group in March 2019;{{cite web |last=Kim |first=Betsy |date=April 5, 2019 |title=Condé Nast Signs Two Subleases Totaling 94,000 SF at One WTC |url=https://www.globest.com/2019/04/05/conde-nast-signs-two-subleases-totaling-94000-sf-at-one-wtc/ |access-date=July 28, 2022 |website=GlobeSt}}{{cite news |date=March 1, 2019 |title=Condé Nast subleases 50K sf at 1 WTC to cut costs |work=The Real Deal |url=https://therealdeal.com/2019/03/01/conde-nast-subleases-50k-sf-at-1-wtc-to-cut-costs/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130121754/https://therealdeal.com/2019/03/01/conde-nast-subleases-50k-sf-at-1-wtc-to-cut-costs/ |archive-date=January 30, 2021}} Ennead Architects in April 2019;{{cite web |last=Baird-Remba |first=Rebecca |date=April 4, 2019 |title=Ennead Architects Nabs 47K SF of Condé Space at 1 WTC |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2019/04/ennead-architects-nabs-47k-sf-of-conde-space-at-1-wtc/ |access-date=July 28, 2022 |website=Commercial Observer}}{{cite news |last=Sun |first=Kevin |date=April 3, 2019 |title=Condé Nast lands a second full-floor to sublease its space at 1 WTC |work=The Real Deal |url=https://therealdeal.com/2019/04/03/conde-nast-lands-a-second-full-floor-to-sublease-its-space-at-1-wtc/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419213312/https://therealdeal.com/2019/04/03/conde-nast-lands-a-second-full-floor-to-sublease-its-space-at-1-wtc/ |archive-date=April 19, 2021}} and Constellation Agency and Reddit in 2021.{{cite web |last=Young |first=Celia |date=August 30, 2021 |title=Constellation Agency Takes 48K SF of Condé Nast's Space at One WTC |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2021/08/constellation-agency-conde-nast-one-world-trade-center/ |access-date=July 28, 2022 |website=Commercial Observer}}{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Sasha |date=August 30, 2021 |title=Constellation Agency leases 21st floor of One WTC |newspaper=The Real Deal New York |url=https://therealdeal.com/2021/08/30/constellation-agency-leases-21st-floor-of-one-wtc/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210152016/https://therealdeal.com/2021/08/30/constellation-agency-leases-21st-floor-of-one-wtc/ |archive-date=December 10, 2021}}

In August 2014, Servcorp signed a 15-year lease for {{convert|34,775|sqft|m2}} on the 85th floor.{{cite web | last=Katz | first=Rayna | title=Durst Inks Nearly 35,000SF Lease at 1 WTC | website=GlobeSt | date=August 26, 2014 | url=https://www.globest.com/sites/globest/2014/08/26/durst-inks-nearly-35000sf-lease-at-1-wtc/?slreturn=20240405132729 | access-date=May 5, 2024}}{{cite web | last=Moses | first=Claire | title=One World Trade Center | website=The Real Deal | date=August 26, 2014 | url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2014/08/26/servcorp-signs-lease-at-one-world-trade-center/ | access-date=May 5, 2024}} Servcorp subsequently subleased all of its space on the 85th floor as private offices, boardrooms and co-working space to numerous medium-sized businesses such as ThinkCode, D100 Radio, and Chérie L'Atelier des Fleurs.{{cite news |last1=Schram |first1=Lauren |date=August 26, 2014 |title=Servcorp Takes 35K SF at 1 WTC |publisher=Commercial Observer |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2014/08/servcorp-takes-35k-sf-at-1-wtc/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926205606/https://commercialobserver.com/2014/08/servcorp-takes-35k-sf-at-1-wtc/ |archive-date=September 26, 2018}}{{cite news |last1=Clarke |first1=Katherine |date=February 26, 2015 |title=SNEAK PEEK: You can have an office at One World Trade Center for $750 a month |newspaper=NY Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/office-world-trade-center-750-article-1.2130693 |url-status=live |access-date=September 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926170339/http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/office-world-trade-center-750-article-1.2130693 |archive-date=September 26, 2018}}

Larry Silverstein of Silverstein Properties, the leaseholder and developer of the complex, retains control of the surrounding buildings, while the Port Authority has full control of the tower itself. Silverstein signed a 99-year lease for the World Trade Center site in July 2001, and remains actively involved in most aspects of the site's redevelopment process.{{cite news|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2004-12-06/justice/wtc.trial_1_larry-silverstein-single-occurrence-insurers?_s=PM:LAW |publisher=CNN |title=Verdict in 9/11 insurance battle |date=April 30, 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501175827/http://articles.cnn.com/2004-12-06/justice/wtc.trial_1_larry-silverstein-single-occurrence-insurers?_s=PM%3ALAW |archive-date=May 1, 2011 }}

Before construction of the new tower began, Silverstein was involved in an insurance dispute regarding the tower. The terms of the lease agreement signed in 2001, a $3.22 billion bid to lease-purchase the World Trade Center,{{Cite web |last=Genovese |first=Daniella |date=2019-09-11 |title='Biggest challenge of my life': World Trade Center developer describes rebuilding after 9/11 |url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/rebuilding-the-world-trade-center-18-years-later-and-the-man-behind-it |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Fox Business |language=en-US}} of which Silverstein personally put up $14 million,{{cite news |url=http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1030343783307 |title=Double Indemnity: Was the WTC disaster one incident or two? |author=Frankel, Alison |work=The American Lawyer |date=September 3, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020917113127/http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1030343783307 |archive-date=September 17, 2002}} gave Silverstein, as leaseholder, the right and obligation to rebuild the structures if they were destroyed.{{cite magazine |magazine=The New Yorker |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=May 20, 2002 |url=http://www.paulgoldberger.com/article.php?art=groundwork |title=Groundwork: How the future of Ground Zero is being resolved |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040917083915/http://www.paulgoldberger.com/article.php?art=groundwork |archive-date=September 17, 2004 }} After the September 11 attacks, there were a series of disputes between Silverstein and insurance companies concerning the insurance policies that covered the original towers; this resulted in the construction of One World Trade Center being delayed. After a trial, a verdict was rendered on April 29, 2004. The verdict was that ten of the insurers involved in the dispute were subject to the "one occurrence" interpretation, so their liability was limited to the face value of those policies. Three insurers were added to the second trial group.{{cite news |url=http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1082923373947 |title=Jurors Deal World Trade Center Leaseholder Major Setback |newspaper=New York Law Journal |publisher=Law.com |author=Hamblett, Mark |date=April 30, 2004 |access-date=April 30, 2014 |archive-date=June 15, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615162136/http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1082923373947 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB108326757696697579 |title=Jury's Decision Leaves Rebuilding of World Trade Center in Turmoil |work=The Wall Street Journal |last=Starkman |first=Dean |date=April 30, 2004 |page=A1 |access-date=January 18, 2019 |archive-date=January 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121515/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB108326757696697579 |url-status=live }} At that time, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on one insurer, Swiss Reinsurance, but it did so several days later on May 3, 2004, finding that this company was also subject to the "one occurrence" interpretation.{{cite news |url=http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=8601 |title=Appeals court rules for Swiss Re in WTC dispute |newspaper=Business Insurance |author=Parekh, Rupal |date=October 18, 2006 |access-date=April 30, 2014 |archive-date=November 11, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061111032911/http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=8601 |url-status=live }} Silverstein appealed the Swiss Reinsurance decision, but the appeal failed on October 19, 2006.{{cite news |title=Circuit Resolves Distribution Of 9/11 Insurance Proceeds |work=New York Law Journal |last=Hamblett |first=Mark |date=October 19, 2006}} The second trial resulted in a verdict on December 6, 2004. The jury determined that nine insurers were subject to the "two occurrences" interpretation, referring to the fact that two different planes had destroyed the towers during the September 11 attacks. They were therefore liable for a maximum of double the face value of those particular policies ($2.2 billion).{{cite news |work=The Wall Street Journal |title=Jury Rules for Silverstein on Trade Center Insurance |first=Dean |last=Starkman |date=December 7, 2004 |page=A11 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB110237221512992460 |access-date=January 18, 2019 |archive-date=November 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120044539/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB110237221512992460 |url-status=live }} The highest potential payout was $4.577 billion, for buildings 1, 2, 4, and 5.{{cite news|url=http://www.cpnonline.com/cpn/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003558332 |title=WTC Developer to Get Additional $12.5M Payment from Insurer TIG |work=Commercial Property News |first=Barbra |last=Murray |date=March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109001728/http://www.cpnonline.com/cpn/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003558332 |archive-date=November 9, 2007 }}

In March 2007, Silverstein appeared at a rally of construction workers and public officials outside an insurance industry conference. He highlighted what he described as the failures of insurers Allianz and Royal & Sun Alliance to pay $800 million in claims related to the attacks. Insurers state that an agreement to split payments between Silverstein and the Port Authority is a cause for concern.{{cite news |url=http://www.nysun.com/article/50326 |title=Silverstein Lashes Out Against WTC Insurers |newspaper=The New York Sun |date=March 13, 2007 |access-date=April 25, 2014 |archive-date=December 4, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204200453/http://www.nysun.com/article/50326 |url-status=live }}

David Childs, one of Silverstein's favorite architects, joined the project after being urged by him. Childs developed a design for One World Trade Center, initially collaborating with Daniel Libeskind. In May 2005, Childs revised the design to address security concerns. He is the architect of the tower, and is responsible for overseeing its day-to-day design and development.[https://www.pbs.org/americarebuilds2/profiles/profiles_childs.html Profile of David Childs] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415175845/http://www.pbs.org/americarebuilds2/profiles/profiles_childs.html |date=April 15, 2016 }}. America Rebuilds. 2006. Retrieved January 15, 2012.

File:Festakt_zur_Neueröffnung_des_Militärhistorischen_Museums_der_Bundeswehr_-_Daniel_Libeskind.jpg won the 2002 competition to develop a master plan for the World Trade Center's redevelopment.]]

Architect Daniel Libeskind won the invitational competition to develop a plan for the new tower in 2002. He gave a proposal, which he called "Memory Foundations", for the design of One World Trade Center. His design included aerial gardens, windmills, and off-center spire.{{cite web |url=http://www.renewnyc.com/plan_des_dev/wtc_site/new_design_plans/Sept_2003_refined_design.asp |title=Refined Master Site Plan for the World Trade Center Site |work=Lower Manhattan Development Corporation |access-date=May 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416100733/http://www.renewnyc.com/plan_des_dev/wtc_site/new_design_plans/Sept_2003_refined_design.asp |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |url-status=dead }} Libeskind later denied a request to place the tower in a more rentable location next to the PATH station. He instead placed it another block west, as it would then line up with, and resemble, the Statue of Liberty.[http://architecture.about.com/library/bl-libeskind-statement.htm Architecture – Daniel Libeskind, Master Planner for the New York World Trade Center] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707074851/http://architecture.about.com/library/bl-libeskind-statement.htm |date=July 7, 2011 }}. About.com. Retrieved January 15, 2012. Most of Libeskind's original designs were later scrapped, and other architects were chosen to design the other WTC buildings.{{refn|group=note|Foster and Partners was chosen for 2 WTC, Richard Rogers was chosen for 3 WTC, Fumihiko Maki and associates was chosen for 4 WTC, Kohn Pedersen Fox was chosen for 5 WTC.}} However, one element of Libeskind's initial plan was included in the final design – the tower's symbolic height of {{convert|1776|ft|m}}.[http://inhabitat.com/nyc/the-tower-that-could-have-been-daniel-libeskinds-award-winning-wtc-design/ "What Ever Happened to Daniel Libeskind's Original WTC Freedom Tower Design?"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224154331/http://inhabitat.com/nyc/the-tower-that-could-have-been-daniel-libeskinds-award-winning-wtc-design/ |date=December 24, 2016 }} Inhabitat.com. September 7, 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2012.

Daniel R. Tishman – along with his father John Tishman, builder of the original World Trade Center – led the construction team from Tishman Realty & Construction, the selected builder for One World Trade Center.{{cite news |last=Marino |first=Vivian |title=Daniel R. Tishman |work=The New York Times |date=January 29, 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/realestate/commercial/31SqFt.html?ref=realestate |access-date=October 14, 2011 |archive-date=May 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531122707/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/realestate/commercial/31SqFt.html?ref=realestate |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=WTC builder on the project's status |work=The Real Deal |date=February 1, 2010 |url=http://therealdeal.com/newyork/articles/wtc-builder-daniel-tishman-on-the-project-status |access-date=October 14, 2011 |archive-date=July 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717023955/http://therealdeal.com/newyork/articles/wtc-builder-daniel-tishman-on-the-project-status |url-status=live }}

Douglas and Jody Durst, the co-presidents of The Durst Organization, a real estate development company, won the right to invest at least $100 million in the project on July 7, 2010.{{cite web | last=Dunlap | first=David W. | title=1 World Trade Center Is a Growing Presence, and a Changed One | website=City Room | date=June 15, 2012 | url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/1-world-trade-center-is-a-growing-presence-and-a-changed-one/ | access-date=April 2, 2020 | archive-date=May 14, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514144740/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/1-world-trade-center-is-a-growing-presence-and-a-changed-one/ | url-status=live }}

In August 2010, Condé Nast, a long-time Durst tenant, confirmed a tentative deal to move into One World Trade Center,{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/06/nyregion/06zero.html |work=The New York Times |title=Dursts Make Deal for Stake in 1 World Trade Center |first=Charles V. |last=Bagli |date=August 5, 2010 |access-date=July 17, 2013 |archive-date=May 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531124605/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/06/nyregion/06zero.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/nyregion/08tower.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=&st=nyt |work=The New York Times |title=Dursts' Stake in World Trade Tower Helps Project |first=Charles V. |last=Bagli |date=July 7, 2010 |access-date=July 17, 2013 |archive-date=May 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531131600/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/nyregion/08tower.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=&st=nyt |url-status=live }}{{cite news|title=Conde Nast May Move to New World Trade Center Site |format=XHTML 1.0 Transitional/CSS3 |work=WNYC News |publisher=WNYC |date=August 3, 2010 |url=http://beta.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/aug/03/conde-nast-may-move-new-world-trade-center-site/ |access-date=October 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821143734/http://beta.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/aug/03/conde-nast-may-move-new-world-trade-center-site/ |archive-date=August 21, 2010 }} and finalized the deal on May 26, 2011.{{cite news |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/05/26/a-day-of-deals-at-one-world-trade-center/?mod=google_news_blog |work=The Wall Street Journal |first=Eliot |last=Brown |title=A Day of Deals at One World Trade Center |date=May 26, 2011 |access-date=August 4, 2017 |archive-date=September 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923175009/https://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/05/26/a-day-of-deals-at-one-world-trade-center/?mod=google_news_blog |url-status=live }} The contract negotiated between the Port Authority and The Durst Organization specifies that The Durst Organization will receive a $15 million fee, and a percentage of "base building changes that result in net economic benefit to the project". The specifics of the signed contract give Durst 75 percent of savings up to $24 million, stepping down to 50, 25, and 15 percent as savings increase. Since Durst joined the project, significant changes have been made to the building, including the {{convert|185|ft|m|adj=on}} base of the tower, the spire, and the plaza to the west of the building, facing the Hudson River. The Port Authority has approved all the revisions.

A WoodSearch Films short-subject documentary entitled How does it feel to work on One World Trade Center? was uploaded to YouTube on August 31, 2010. It depicted construction workers who were satisfied with the working conditions at the construction site.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC5GzaXF-oI | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/KC5GzaXF-oI| archive-date=October 28, 2021|title=How does it feel to work on One World Trade Center? |publisher=WoodSearch Films |date=August 31, 2010 |access-date=January 13, 2011}}{{cbignore}} However, further analysis of the work site showed that dozens of construction-related injuries had occurred at the site during the construction of One World Trade Center, including 34 not reported to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/exclusive-dozens-injuries-wtc-site-unreported-article-1.1996945 |title=Dozens of injuries at World Trade Center construction site went unreported |publisher=NY Daily News |date=November 3, 2014 |access-date=April 6, 2015 |author=Greg B. Smith |archive-date=April 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416075705/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/exclusive-dozens-injuries-wtc-site-unreported-article-1.1996945 |url-status=live }}

Workers left post-9/11-related graffiti at the site, which are meant to symbolize rebirth and resilience.{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/24/wtc-graffiti-signed-by-messages-_n_2541382.html |title=WTC Graffiti: Workers, Visitors Leave Messages Of Hope, Defiance |agency=Associated Press |work=Huffington Post |date=January 24, 2013 |access-date=April 6, 2015 |author=Verena Dobnik |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412210703/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/24/wtc-graffiti-signed-by-messages-_n_2541382.html |archive-date=April 12, 2015 }}

{{portal|Architecture|New York City}}

• {{annotated link|Artwork at the World Trade Center (2001–present)|Artwork in the World Trade Center|only=explicit}}
• {{annotated link|Architecture of New York City}}

{{reflist|group=note}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book |author=Reeve, Simon |title=The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism |url=https://archive.org/details/newjackalsramziy00reev |url-access=registration |publisher=Northeastern University Press |year=1999|isbn=9781555534073 }}
• {{cite book |author=Darton, Eric |title=Divided We Stand: A Biography of New York's World Trade Center |url=https://archive.org/details/dividedwestand00eric |url-access=registration |publisher=Basic Books |year=1999 |isbn=0-465-01727-4}}

{{Commons and category|One World Trade Center|One World Trade Center}}

• {{official website}} maintained by The Durst Organization and Cushman & Wakefield
• [https://oneworldobservatory.com/ One World Observatory] official website
• [https://www.wtc.com/ World Trade Center] – Maintained by Silverstein Properties

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