In spite of security guards shouting things like, "Hey! Crazy man! Get down here right now!" a 27-year-old Queens man climbed 1,350-feet (110 stories) of the World Trade Center's south tower on May 26, 1977. George Willig, a toymaker and mountain climber, had designed gear to fit in the window washers' tracks and spent 3.5 hours making his ascent. He was given three summons and the NYPD filed a $250,000 lawsuit against him (they were "afraid we might be dealing with a new sort of adventurer's club"—hello, Philippe Petit!) but eventually was only fined $1.10 by Mayor Abraham Beame, a penny for each of the WTC's stories.
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Results tagged “worldtradecenter”
35 Years Ago Today: George Willig,"The Human Fly," Climbed World Trade Center's 110 Stories
Don't Kill KSM Or Other 9/11 Terrorists, Says 9/11 Victim's Husband
The U.S.'s proceedings against the alleged 9/11 terrorists are moving along in Guantanamo Bay, and while relatives of victims are eagerly seeking justice, one doesn't want the accused plotters to be killed, if they are convicted. Blake Allison, whose wife was on American Airlines Flight 11 that crashed into World Trade Center Tower 1, told the Post, "The public needs to know there are family members out there who do not hold the view that these men should be put to death. We can’t kill our way to a peaceful tomorrow."
1 World Trade Center May Not Be 1776 Feet Tall (Or Tallest In U.S.) After All
Sure, 1 World Trade Center may now be the tallest building in New York City, but now its long-promised plan to be 1,776 feet tall is in jeopardy. Does this mean the terrorists win?!
Aww: Empire State Building Is Red, White & Blue Tonight For 1 WTC
As 1 World Trade Center officially becomes New York’s tallest building, the Empire State Building, the world’s most famous office building and ancestor of all super-tall towers, welcomes its newer, taller cousin to the New York City skyline and salutes her.
Is One World Trade Center Going To Be Too Short?
Yesterday came word that 1 World Trade Center, formerly known as the Freedom Tower, has officially grown taller than the Empire State Building. That's counting the external framework, which has reached the 100th Floor— the floors themselves look to be at least four stories behind. But as 1 WTC approaches its final height of 104 stories, it is time to ask a difficult but important question: Is this skyscraper a little too short?
9/11 Memorial CEO Skipped Ceremony Honoring Dead To Go Skiing
Joe Daniels, who makes $400,000 a year heading up the 9/11 Memorial skipped last month's ceremony to remember the six people killed in the 1993 WTC bombing for a ski trip with his father. "It was unfortunate that I could not be there," Daniels told DNAinfo's Murray Weiss. "I had a personal obligation." That obligation was an annual trip to the slopes of Breckenridge, Colorado. "I have one of the best dads in New York," Daniels added. NEVER FORGET…to properly situate your poles when boarding a ski lift with a companion.
1 World Trade Center Will Soon Be Taller Than Empire State Building
One World Trade Center hit a milestone at the end of January when it passed the 90th floor and became the most expensive building in the world. Now, with construction passing the 93rd floor, it'll soon hit another milestone: in the next few weeks, it will pass the Empire State Building to become the tallest building in NYC.
Never Forget Keith Haring's 1978 Drawing Of The Twin Towers... As Penises
Tomorrow the Brooklyn Museum will open their Keith Haring 1978-1982 exhibit, the first large-scale exhibition to explore the artist's early career, and we stopped by this morning for a press preview. We'll have a full look at the show tomorrow, but right now let's focus on this piece that was catching a lot of eyes: a 1978 pencil drawing of the World Trade Center. In typical Haring style, he replaced the Twin Towers with giant penises, making the southern tip of Manhattan even that much easier to spot.
The Twin Towers Will Eventually Leave The Panorama
Since some commenters were curious about the Twin Towers on the Queens Museum of Art's panorama, we reached out to the museum to get some answers. The Twin Towers are currently still on the panorama, and we were told this afternoon:
Today Is The 19th Anniversary Of 1993 World Trade Center Bombing
Nineteen years ago today, a bomb exploded in the parking garage of the World Trade Center just after noon. Six people were killed and over 1,000 were injured. As History.com explains: "A crater 60 feet wide [was left], causing the collapse of several steel-reinforced concrete floors in the vicinity of the blast. Although the terrorist bomb failed to critically damage the main structure of the skyscrapers, six people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. The World Trade Center itself suffered more than $500 million in damage. After the attack, authorities evacuated 50,000 people from the buildings, hundreds of whom were suffering from smoke inhalation. The evacuation lasted the whole afternoon."
Firefighters Rage At Guy Who Claimed To Be 9/11 Hero
A former Long Island resident who has been posing as a 9/11 firefighter for the past year has finally admitted he was never near the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. A man accused of posing as a 9/11 hero has owned up to living a lie. Jordan Lifander told CBS 2's Lou Young, “It just snowballed into something that was out of my control. I’m truly sorry for misleading and lying about the fact I was on FDNY."
Beams Crashing Down 40 Stories At WTC Site "Sounded Like A Bomb"
Yesterday, a number of beams fell from a crane about 40 stories at the World Trade Center site's Tower 4, hitting a truck. Only one person suffered minor injuries in the incident that one ironworker said "sounded like a bomb."
Accident At WTC Site: Load Falls 40 Stories From Crane, Crushes Truck
Emergency personnel are responding to a construction accident at the World Trade Center site, according to the Office of Emergency Management. Apparently a load fell 40 stories from a crane near Cortlandt and Church Streets—and it looks like the load fell on a truck. We're hearing there may be one victim.
Big Spender: One World Trade Center Sinks "Tens Of Millions" In Temporary Loading Dock
On the heels of a report that One World Trade Center is now the world's most expensive building, costing an estimated $3.8 billion, the Post now says a delay with the skyscraper's underground loading dock "can’t be finished in time for [Conde Nast] and other tenants to use the planned 13 cargo bays to move in equipment to build out their space... As a result, the PA is scrambling to construct a temporary, above-ground loading dock with just five bays. The unexpected change in plans will add 'tens of millions' of dollars to the cost of building 1 WTC, sources said." And the temporary PATH station is at fault!
At $3.8 Billion, 1 World Trade Center Is The Most Expensive Building In The World
As One World Trade Center has passed the 90th floor of its construction, it's reached another milestone: It's now costing more than $3.8 billion. The Wall Street Journal reports that it's the "world's most expensive new office tower, according to people familiar with the matter. The new figure [is] up $700 million from the latest public estimate."
Closed: Super-Exclusive Subway Sandwich Shop At WTC
After just two years, the Subway sandwich shop situated inside the under-construction 1 World Trade Center has closed. According to Crain's, even though the lofty location had disappointing sales, "It wasn't financial losses that shuttered the restaurant known for its $5 foot-long subs. The problem was strictly one of logistics. By design, 1 World Trade narrows as it rises, and the restaurant, which needs to be on a top floor to be near the workers, simply ran out of room as construction continued to the building's current 90th floor high point."
World Trade Center Tower 3 May Lose 73 Stories, Become A Mall
It's 2009 again. Because of potential difficulty with finding a tenant for Tower 3 at the redeveloped World Trade Center, developer Larry Silverstein may cut the 80-story skyscraper by 73 stories and transform is into a seven-story structure instead.
Gun-Toting 9/11 Tourist Had Some "Powder" In Her Purse, Too
On December 22, 39-year-old Tennesseean Meredith Graves brought her loaded .38 pistol in her purse to the 9/11 Memorial and, after she asked a guard if there was a place she could check it, was promptly arrested. She posted bail on Wednesday and yesterday at least one local pol started pushing for lenience (she faces a minimum sentence of 3 1/2 years on a single felony weapons-possession charge) since her gun was properly registered in her home state. Also, police say that besides the gun Graves, a fourth-year medical student, had "two envelopes of what they suspected to be cocaine" in her purse.
Don't Bring Your Gun To The 9/11 Memorial
Look, tourists? We love you. All 50 million of you. But you can't keep bringing your guns to our attractions. You can't bring them to the top of the Empire State Building and you certainly can't bring them into the 9/11 Memorial—as one Tennessee woman learned last week.
Construction On 9/11 Museum Grinds To Halt, Port Authority Threatens Lawsuit
The National September 11th Museum is supposed to open next year, but Mayor Bloomberg says construction at the site has come "basically to a halt" because the Port Authority, which is paying for site-wide infrastructure, is squabbling with the museum foundation over money. Governor Cuomo said yesterday that the Port Authority (which is controlled by New York and New Jersey on the state level) is "on the verge" of suing the foundation over hundreds of millions of dollars. Never forget bureaucratic infighting!
Architects Sorry People Think Twin Towers With 9/11-ish "Cloud" Resembles WTC On 9/11
Renderings for a South Korean residential development raised eyebrows last week because the two connected towers, named "The Cloud," resemble the World Trade Center's Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. The Dutch architecture firm, MRVDV, issued a statement, "MVRDV regrets deeply any connotations The Cloud projects evokes regarding 9/11," and then added on its Facebook page, "A real media storm has started and we receive threatening emails and calls of angry people calling us Al Qaeda lovers or worse."
NYPD Brass In Fowl Mood After WTC Cops Fraternize With "Fred" The Pigeon
NYPD officers assigned to the World Trade Center site have been warned to stay away from "Fred," a brown and orange pigeon who reportedly has been dive-bombing officers. The Post quotes a supervisor at the First Precinct scolding his charges: "Your appearance in public has to be professional. We're receiving complaints about police officers' demeanor regarding a bird." Maybe Fred just wanted to dance?
South Korean Twin Towers Plan Features Eerie 9/11-ish "Cloud"
Talkitect reports about a South Korean development plan, "Yongsan Dream Hub corporation presented today the MVRDV designed residential development of the Yongsan Business district: two connected luxury residential high-rises. A 260 meter tall tower and a 300 meter tall tower are connected in the centre by a pixelated cloud of additional program offering amenities and outside spaces with wide views." However, Gawker notices that it bears an eerie resemblance to, well, the World Trade Center's Twin Towers during 9/11 (disturbing images): "AAAAAGH! YOU HAVE ERECTED A TERRIFYING MONUMENT TO THE NIGHTMARES OF 9/11!!!"
More Fun Photos Of Fog Over Lower Manhattan From The World Trade Center
While the Gothamist readers don't seem to be a fan of HDR, the World Trade Center's photograph of Monday's fog over lower Manhattan (and sweeping over NJ) was still pretty cool. So the Port Authority just posted two more photos on its WTC Progress site—weather is wondrous!
Trippy Photo: This Morning's Fog From The World Trade Center
Earlier today, we shared this moody photograph of the Manhattan Bridge in the morning fog. The Twitter account showcasing the building at the World Trade Center, @WTCprogress, just Tweeted this photograph, "For today, check out the morning fog from the 84th floor of T1 - overlooking Jersey and downtown NYC."
George W. Bush Library Will Include World Trade Center Steel
Last year, ground was broken on the George W. Bush Presidential Library, located at the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Now, it's revealed that a piece of steel from the World Trade Center will be featured prominently.
16-Ft, 5,000-Lb Commemorative Statue Seeks NYC Home
A 16-foot bronze statue of a Special Forces soldier on horseback will be unveiled at today's Veterans Day parade, but after its trip up 5th Avenue, the 5,000-lb artwork's future is still up in the air.
Greek Orthodox Church Destroyed On 9/11 Will Be Rebuilt Bigger, Stronger, Holier
Ten years ago the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at 155 Cedar Street was destroyed when the World Trade Center towers collapsed. And for the past ten years, there has been seemingly interminable negotiations about rebuilding it. One of the main sticking points was how much money the Port Authority would kick in—as you may know, the Authority has had a little money trouble, in part because of that rather unnecessary $3.3 billion office tower at 1 World Trade Center. Earlier estimates, according to City Room, put the Port Authority's share of the project at $40 million. But with the new design for the church agreed upon, the Port Authority will kick in "just" $25 million. Something to think about next time you're crossing the Hudson River.
UFO Sighting Over 9/11 Memorial, New York At UFO Alert Level 3!
All you gullible sheep out there will glance at this photo and dismiss it as just a pizza box blowing in the wind, and that's fine. That's how you live your lives, head buried in the sand as the lizard people in The Syndicate tighten their greasy grip around your complacent throats! But the Mutual UFO Network knows better. A photographer shooting lower Manhattan from The New Museum recently snapped several shots of this mysterious, diamond shaped UFO in the air near the World Trade Center site, and he or she wants to believe. On the UFO sighting message board, this person writes:
Port Authority Head Said To Be Leaving Next Month
Christopher Ward, executive director of the Port Authority, intends to resign by the end of October according to reports. Combined with the departure of Jay Walder from the MTA this means that Governor Andrew Cuomo is in a position to firmly put his stamp on New York's transportation systems. The departure of Ward, a David Paterson appointee credited with getting the World Trade Center back on track, has been rumored since Cuomo took first office. And, again, rumors of Cuomo's coldness are mentioned.
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