Thirteen years from when the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2011, the new World Trade Center centerpiece skyscraper has reopened for business in New York City.
After more than a decade of power struggles between competing architects and battles over its design, costs, security, logistics and countless other issues, the 1 WTC building -- the tallest in the western hemisphere -- now rises 1,776 symbolic feet above the northwest corner of the WTC site that also houses the 9/11 Memorial and the 9/11 Museum.
Standing 104 stories tall, including a three-story observatory that will open next spring, it anchors the 16-acre site owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the government agency controlled by the governors of both states.
Construction began in April of 2006, almost 5 years after the 9/11 attacks.
The final price tag is a reported $3.9 billion, twice the original estimate.
For all the bitterness of the battles and turf wars that sometimes marred the construction process, they will be forgotten as the distinctively-shaped building takes its place within the heart of New York, and of New Yorkers, its supporters say.
"It's a fantastic milestone," says Steve Plate, who has been overseeing WTC construction since the beginning. "I was there that fateful day. And to see from where we started to where we are today, it's truly a miracle."
"It truly is the eighth wonder of the world," he says "And the building itself is truly iconic."
It sits just steps from where the north tower of the original WTC twin towers stood.
The building's official opening was Monday when 175 employees of the Condé Nast magazine publishing empire began moving into offices spread over 24 floors.
Eventually, the giant media company will move more than 3,000 employees into its new offices.
The company was "proud to be a part of this important moment of renewal for the city," it said in a statement.
On its opening day the building is reportedly 60 percent leased.
Security measures for 1 WTC, devised with input from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, make the building "the safest class A office space any place ... in the world," said Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority.
"The New York City skyline is whole again, as 1 World Trade Center takes its place in Lower Manhattan," he said.
