The final steel beam was added this morning to 4 World Trade Center, making the tower the first one in the 16-acree World Trade Center complex the closest to being completed.
The 977-foot tower is 72 stories tall. 4 WTC will also be the first tower to open, scheduled to open in the fall of 2013.
Even though 4 WTC has topped out, it won’t be the tallest at the site; One, Two and Three World Trade Center buildings will all rise above it once they are finished.
The old 4 WTC rose only nine stories tall, before it was destroyed by the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Nearly 1,000 construction workers were on hand this morning for the ceremony, where the steel beam was lifted, as was site developer Larry Silverstein. Many of the construction workers, including Silverstein and other elected officials, signed their names to the steal beam.
The final steel beam, which weighed 8 tons and was adorned with an American flag, was lifted 977 feet by crane.
Many hailed the completion of the complex’s shortest tower as a sign of rebirth and resurgence for Lower Manhattan after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“The World Trade Center site is at the heart of Lower Manhattan’s rebirth,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “We’re creating a neighborhood that is stronger than ever.”
4 WTC will hold office space, and a quarter of the 2.3 million square-foot building is slated to become the new headquarters of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Another 600,000 square feet will be occupied by the City of New York.
The building will also contain restaurants, shops and boutiques, and the building will have entrances from both the street as well as underground entrances to the adjacent PATH terminal, as well as subway lines.
See more pictures of the construction below:
