New York City now touts the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
Construction workers on Friday put in place the 408-spire to top the World Trade Center, United Press International reported. The spire, comprised of 18 different sections of steel along with three communication rings, was hoisted and placed on a temporary platform last week, awaiting better weather to fully install.
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey gave a heads-up in a Thursday Twitter posting that the weather was looking good enough to have the spire up by the weekend. The building now stands at a ceremonial 1,776 feet.
The spire is more than aesthetic. It’s to serve as a communications antenna to broadcast television reports from inside the building.
The spire is a “beacon that’ll be seen for miles around and give a tremendous indication to people around the entire region, and the world, that we’re back and we’re better than ever,” said construction head Steven Plate, in a previous interview about the WTC.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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