Photo © WTC Tower 1, LLC
The Height Committee of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat had deliberated whether the spire was part of the actual building or merely the equivalent of a broadcast antenna, which it doesn’t consider as the top of a building. The official ranking goes into effect when 1 World Trade opens, expected to be some time next year. If the needle was not considered, 1 World Trade Center would be 1,368 feet tall, making it shorter than the 1,450-foot Willis Tower in Chicago.