New World Trade Center skyscraper opens 16 years after Sept. 11 attacks
The 80-story office building, known as 3 World Trade Center, rises to 1,079 feet (329 meters), marking the fifth-tallest building in New York City, Xinhua reports.
Around 40 percent of the office spaces in the building, which features column-free stories equipped with full-height glass windows, have been leased, Larry Silverstein, Chairman of trade center developer Silverstein Properties, said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, efforts to rebuild the World Trade Center have been stalled by disputes among government agencies, the developer, insurers and the victims' families who wanted the entire site to be preserved as a memorial.
The construction of the building was also temporarily halted due to a lack of funds during the financial crisis, an associate with Silverstein Properties told Xinhua.
CEO of Silverstein Properties, Marty Burger, called this new tower "phenomenal" as it is sitting on one of the best transportation systems in the world.
"We're all proud of being here today," Burger told Xinhua. "Seventeen years into rebuilding the World Trade Center, it's a very important day. It's the largest building we've ever built, and we're excited to show it off to the world."