An international panel of architects declared the new 1 World Trade Center building in New York City the tallest building in the U.S., eclipsing Chicago's Willis Tower. The building's 408-foot needle pushed it past the Willis Tower after the panel decided that it was a spire, not an antenna, therefore making it a part of the building.
With the spire, 1 World Trade Center stands a historically significant 1,776 feet, which beasts on the 1,451-foot Willis Tower. Minus the spire, the building only would've been 1,368 feet.
Speaking of the spire, it's literally a rod of controversy, as some feel 1 WTC has earned the honor through a technicality.
Things haven't been this tense between Chicago and New York since the Knicks and Bulls went to war during the '90s. Anyway, 1 WTC is still under construction and is expected to open next year.
[via New York Post]
