Operating Engineer - International Union of Operating Engineers

Our Work: World Trade Center
Gleaming Spire Tops Off New World Trade Center Tower
As spectators and construction workers applauded
below, Local 14 crane operator John Schaffner set a silver
spire atop New York City’s One World Trade Center on May
10, bringing the structure to its full 1,776 height.
The 408-foot spire, which weighs 758 tons and includes a
broadcast antenna and light that will be visible from up to 50
miles away, is a permanent signal of triumph that restores a
key part of the city skyline shattered by the 9/11 terror attacks.
“This really is a symbolic moment because this building
really represents the resiliency of this country,” Port Authority
Vice Chair Scott Rechler told TODAY’s Matt Lauer, who was
perched on the 104th floor with other Operating Engineers to
witness the process. “These people, the thousand men and
women who have worked here tirelessly, really as a tribute for
the people that perished on 9/11 right on this site.”
The needle will be held in place by a temporary structure
until iron workers finish off the permanent base in the
coming weeks.
The 1,776 feet — or 541 meters — is symbolic of the year
1776, when the U.S. declared its independence.
The building is rising at the northwest corner of the site
where the twin towers were destroyed. The area is well on
its way to reconstruction with the 72-story Four World Trade
Center and other buildings.
The elegant spire gives the building the extra height
needed to claim the status as the tallest structure in the U.S.
and the third-tallest in the world, although building experts
dispute whether the spire is actually an antenna — a crucial
distinction in measuring the building’s height.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a
Chicago-based organization considered an authority on
such records, says an antenna is something simply added to
the top of a tower that can be removed. By contrast, a spire is
something that is part of the building’s architectural design.
Video of the event can be seen at www.iuoe.org
Local 14 crane operator John Schaffner is ready
to make the historic lift. [photo] Bill Farrell
[right, photo] September 11 Families Association
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international operating engineer