New York’s One World Trade Center officially the tallest building in US

Rejoice, New Yorkers: the newly constructed One World Trade Center is now the tallest building in the United States, according to the delightfully named Height Committee of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

One World Trade Center was deemed to measure in at 1,776 feet if you include the enormous needle (mast structure) on top of the building — a measure which CTBUH decided was legitimate.  

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The spire design was originally meant to be encased in fiberglass but architects decided to remove the feature, shaving millions in construction costs, according to the Los Angeles Times. And apparently, it's still big enough to count. 

That means One World Trade Center has knocked the famous Willis Tower, or Sears Tower, in Chicago off its pedestal — although as the Chicago Tribune story "Tallest in US title no big deal" indicates, Windy City residents are hoping to shrug off the blow to civic pride. 

“The design of One World Trade Center, as explained to us, reinforces its role as a symbol of resurgence on this important site,” said CTBUH Executive Director Antony Wood, in a statement on the Council's website.

“In particular, the spire which holds the beacon light, shining out at the symbolic height of 1,776 feet, is especially poignant — echoing the similarly symbolic beacon atop the Statue of Liberty across the water.”