The debate over which U.S. skyscraper towers as the tallest building in the country has come to an end.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat on Tuesday crowned One World Trade Center, which stands at 1,776 feet, the tallest building in America. It beat out Chicago’s Willis Tower.
“Our height committee reached consensus that in fact the building is 1,776 feet in height,” Timothy Johnson, chairman of the Council of Tall Buildings, said Tuesday during a press conference.
This annuoncement by the CTBUH settles a debate over whether the spire at the top of One World Trade is, in fact, an integral part of the structure’s design. If it were classified as an antenna, the committee would not count it as part of the building’s official height. Without the spire, One World Trade stands at 1,368 feet which is just short of Willis Tower’s 1,451 feet.
“It is our opinion, looking at the design, hearing from the architect, and also imagining the significance of 1776, we don’t believe that this spire is ever going to be removed from this building, or changed from this building,” Johnson said. “So the permanence of it is a key part of our ruling. It is a permanent feature to the building.”
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Abby Borovitz