The Port Authority razed 16 acres of active, small-scale industrial and electronic shops (the famous "Radio Row") to create a singular massive superblock. This permanently de-mapped several historical streets, detaching the complex from the traditional Manhattan street grid.
The dedication of the World Trade Center on April 4, 1973, marked a physical and psychological shift in the skyline of New York City. Standing at 1,368 feet (North Tower/1 WTC) and 1,362 feet (South Tower/2 WTC), the Twin Towers were briefly the tallest buildings in the world. However, their true impact lay in their relationship with Manhattan. Spearheaded by David Rockefeller and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the project was designed to aggressively pull the economic gravity of the city back to Lower Manhattan. II. Architectural Scale and the Grid Disruption World trade center and manhattan 1:2
To build foundations in the wet soil adjacent to the Hudson River, engineers constructed a 3,500-foot-long concrete underground "bathtub". This prevented the Hudson from flooding the excavation site and became a marvel of civil engineering. IV. Economic Symbiosis and the Globalized City The Port Authority razed 16 acres of active,