One World Trade Center Is About to Become the Tallest Building in the Hemisphere

One World Trade Center Is About to Become the Tallest Building in the Hemisphere

On Monday, construction workers will add the final piece of the 408-foot high spire atop the new skyscraper at One World Trade CenterWhile the tower is still nearly a year away from its grand opening, it will officially become the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the third-tallest building in the world, behind the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the Abraj Al Bait Clock Tower in Mecca. 

RELATED: Update: False Alarm at New World Trade Center Tower

All that remains after today is to place a steel beacon on top of the spire to raise the building to it symbolic final height of 1,776 feet. 

RELATED: World Trade Center Crane Accident Showed Near-Perfect Aim

Then again, the distinction all depends on your definition of "tallest." There have been numerous debates over the years about what you should measure, where you should measure from, or if certain structures can even be called "buildings." There are different records for the "architectural top," "highest roof" and even "the highest occupied floor." Though sometimes people can't even agree on what is a "floor" is. (Officially, 1 WTC will have 104 floors, not counting the multiple basements.)

RELATED: How We Remember September 11 Now

And don't get started on measuring from sea level. 

RELATED: New York City Takes Census Data Super-Personally

  1. Thankfully, the Burj Khalifa is so much higher than every other structure on Earth (it will still be nearly a thousand feet higher than the finished WTC) that all it's records are still safe, and there's no real debate about who is the king. For now.