World Trade Center (21st Century Crisis)

The World Trade Center, also known as the WTC or Twin Towers, or Twin Towers II is a building complex located in the Lower Manhattan district of New York City.

The complex includes three new skyscrapers, a memorial and museum to those killed in the attacks; an elevated park adjacent to the site, called Liberty Park; and a transportation hub.

The 115-story Twin Towers, based off of the original two towers of the same moniker, are the lead skyscrapers for the sight.

The buildings are among many created by the World Trade Centers Association. The original World Trade Center featured the landmark Twin Towers (which the current towers are based off of), which opened in 1973, and were the tallest buildings in the world at the time of their completion. They were destroyed on the morning of September 11, 2001, when al-Qaeda-affiliated hijackers flew two Boeing 767 jets into the complex in a coordinated act of terrorism. The attacks on the World Trade Center killed 2,753 people. The resulting collapse of the World Trade Center caused structural failure in the surrounding buildings as well. The process of cleaning up and recovery at the World Trade Center site took eight months, after which rebuilding of the site commenced.

After years of delay and controversy, reconstruction at the World Trade Center site started. The new complex includes the new Twin Towers, 3 World Trade Center, 4 World Trade Center, 5 World Trade Center, 7 World Trade Center.

The new World Trade Center complex also includes a museum and memorial, and a transportation hub building that is similar in size to Grand Central Terminal. 7 World Trade Center opened on May 23, 2006, making it the first of five skyscrapers to have been completed in the World Trade Center complex.

After a series of protests, New York governor George Pataki finally allowed for the adopting of Kenneth Gardner's plan for new Twin Towers, in which, the original plans for the new 1 WTC and 2 WTC were scrapped, however, Kenneth Gardner allowed for the memorial to continue being built as a compromise.

Three WTC opened to the public on September 12, 2010, 4 and 5 WTC followed later in the year.

The National September 11 Memorial opened on September 11, 2011 and the new Twin Towers were also topped off on that same day reaching a height of 1,475 ft (or 450 m), while the Museum opened on May 21, 2014. One WTC or the "north tower", was opened on November 3, 2012, and 2 WTC or the "south tower". The World Trade Center Transportation Hub opened to the public on March 4, 2014.