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Original WTC Briefly Seen In New 1 WTC Observatory Time-Lapse
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 20, 2015
Modified Apr 20, 2015
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By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 20, 2015
Modified Apr 20, 2015
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Here's a sneak peek at what your $32 ticket to the One World Trade Center Observatory will get you—at least during the elevator portion of the visit: A 47-second time-lapse video showing the development of lower Manhattan from pre-Colonial times. For historical accuracy, the original World Trade Center's south tower, destroyed on 9/11, is included in the video for a few moments.
The NY Times featured the video, noting how the it shows a "seemingly three-dimensional time-lapse panorama [unfolds] on three walls of the elevator cabs, as if one were witnessing 515 years of history unfolding at the tip of Manhattan Island.'
For less than four seconds (roughly proportional to the time the twin towers stood), a jarringly familiar pinstripe facade will loom into view on one wall of the cab. Then, in a quick dissolve, it will evanesce.
There would have been no way around Sept. 11, 2001, said David W. Checketts, the chairman and chief executive of Legends Hospitality, the company chosen by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 2013 to operate the three-level observatory.
“The event is certainly a key part of history,” he said. “We did not think you could ignore it. Having it appear in the year it did and disappear in the year it did was the respectful way of addressing the fact that it was part of the landscape.” Two World Trade Center was the site of the original observatory.
It's both ghostly and sad:
The years are marked during the video, as other landmarks and notable buildings (the Woolworth Building, 8 Spruce Street) emerge, and the video ends with the building of the current World Trade Center. It's also interesting to see the land spreading out into the Hudson River. So consider this a $32 appetizer, if you're dining at one of the restaurants.
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1 world trade center
video
world trade center
World Trade Center Observatory
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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