Tallest Building in the Hemisphere

Speaking of big buildings, I just saw a recent picture of lower Manhattan. Somehow I missed just how close the new world trade center is to completion. It just reached its full height when a 408 foot tower was placed on top. Even before that, it towered over nearby buildings:

Four World Trade Center, under construction in that picture, is also quite impressive. Since it replaces a nine story building this building represents a real increase in density within the city.

Everything in Manhattan seemed so huge to me during the few weeks I lived there. At that time though the world trade center was mostly just a hole in the ground. So it is all the tiny looking buildings next to these towers which seemed so impressive.

It is also impressive how far America has fallen behind the Middle East and Asia when it comes to tall buildings. From 1870 to 1998 America was home to the tallest building in the world. Now, not even close. The tallest building in the world is nearly a thousand feet taller than One World Trade Center.