It's official — New York's new World Trade Center beat out Chicago's Willis Tower for the tallest building in the U.S.
A team of experts with the Height Committee on the Council on Tall Buildings announced Tuesday the skyscraper clocks in at 1,776 feet, surpassing Willis Tower by 326 feet. (Via NBC)
And it's all thanks to a design change that added a 408-foot needle to the top of the World Trade Center. (Via WABC)
See, the committee debated whether the addition should be considered as part of the actual building or the equivalent of a broadcast antenna, but they decided to count the needle as a spire and, therefore, a permanent part of the structure.
Chicago's mayor, Rahm Emmanuel, wasn't too thrilled to see Willis Tower's 40-year reign as the nation's tallest building come to an end. (Via TBS)
He told the Chicago Tribune, "I would just say to all the experts gathered in one room, if it looks like an antenna, acts like an antenna, then guess what? It is an antenna... I think (with) the Willis Tower you will have a view that's unprecedented in its beauty... Something you can't do from an antenna."
While the official announcement makes the World Trade Center the tallest building in the U.S., it's only the world's fourth tallest building, (Via WTSP)
Behind Dubai's Burj Khalifa at 2,717 feet, (Via YouTube / Google Maps)
Shanghai's Shanghai Tower at 2,074 feet, (Via Wikimedia Commons / TheDarkCurrent)
And the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Mecca at 1,972 feet. (Via Wikimedia Commons / Ctba)
The newly crowned World Trade Center building is still under construction, but it's set to open next year with Conde Nast as its main tenant.
