As of this Monday, April 30, One WTC will Officially be the Tallest Building in the Western Hemisphere

Officially, construction of One World Trade Center began six years ago.  As someone who travels through that site on a daily basis, it sure seem much more recent since discernable work began.  In any case, here's what the site looked like in September '09 and in September '11:

Three quarters of a century ago, one of my father's brothers was part of the army of construction workers who completed the Empire State Building - in just one year!  Backers of the Empire State Building were in  fierce competition with backers of the Chrysler Building (just a few blocks away) - both vying for the distinction of the World's Tallest Building.

• "By Monday, the rising steel frame of One World Trade Center is expected to surpass the 1930s vintage skyscraper, passing the title of tallest building in the city — and in the Western Hemisphere— to lower Manhattan....At 1,776-feet and 104 floors, the new tower will be 408 feet taller than the Twin Towers" (One World Trade Center Will Soon be West's Tallest Tower, Asbury Park Press, 4/27/12). 

Along with absolute pride, Monday will bring a certain bittersweetness, in that NYC - & the USA generally - no longer even comes close to the distinction of being the World's Tallest Building (One World Trade Center is just two or three blocks from the Woolworth Building, which - at one time - held the distinction of being the World's Tallest Building.).  Yet, the rise of One World Trade Center is a magnificent comeback story.

P.S. When I spotted this (just this past month), I could not resist reaching for my cell phone camera.  It shows portopotties being lowered from the top of the construction site....