Vertigo-Inducing Views From One World Trade Center

By the time it is completed in 2013 the 104-story One World Trade Center, more simply known as 1 WTC and formerly known as the Freedom Tower, will be the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the third-tallest building in the world by pinnacle height. Last week the Port Authority gave a press tour of the World Trade Center site, but the lucky (assuming none of them suffer from acrophobia) folk at the Architect’s Newspaper were granted access all the way up to the vertigo-inducing 103^rd floor of the lofty edifice.

Before that date it was only construction workers who had taken in the incredible views of New York granted by this vantage point. These include the 9/11 memorial site, the tower, about a hundred inner-city rooftops and panoramic sights encompassing parts of all five boroughs. Fortunately those given the opportunity to ride a rickety metal elevator up 103 floors managed to keep their cool long enough to snap a few hundred photos, the majority of which have been posted up on the Architect’s Newspaper blog.

Wait until your breakfast is sufficiently settled then browse through our own curated selection of images below. There’s no workers shouting, metal clanging or Queen’s “We Will Rock You” playing from a radio (apparently all aspects of the tour IRL) but it’s still pretty impressive.

The core at the 103rd floor.

Memorial in foreground with loading dock.

103rd ledge.

Workers guide container.

Manhattan.

Path station.

Warren Street from the 103rd floor.

via Curbed NY; photos by Tom Stoelker at AN blog