Commemorating the 45th Anniversary of the World Trade Center Dedication

An old photo shows the Twin Towers reaching skyward on a sunny day. In the foreground are yellow flowers at street level.
The Twin Towers of the original World Trade Center site with yellow flowers in the foreground. Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Photograph by Kerri Courtney.

Today marks 45 years since the dedication of the original World Trade Center. The completion of the Twin Towers’ construction was heralded with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 4, 1973.

At 110 stories each, 1 World Trade Center, or the North Tower, and 2 World Trade Center, the South Tower, provided nearly 10 million square feet of office space. Reaching over a quarter of a mile into the sky, they were the tallest buildings in New York City, and for a brief period, they were the tallest buildings in the world.

As of 2001, the World Trade Center housed more than 430 businesses from 28 different countries, employing roughly 50,000 people. The towers also attracted tens of thousands of tourists and commuters every day.

Minoru Yamasaki, the architect who designed the original World Trade Center, said that the World Trade Center site “should, because of its importance, become a living representation of man’s belief in humanity, his need for individual dignity, his beliefs in the cooperation of men, and through cooperation, his ability to find greatness.”

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

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