The skyscraper built from the ruins of a vanished commodities exchange

Countries & Cities · Published 12 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before the 2001 attacks, the original 4 World Trade Center housed one of the world's largest trading floors. Today, a 978-foot minimalist tower stands in its place, rising from a site of profound destruction and complex financial negotiations.

The original 4 World Trade Center, completed in 1975, was a nine-story structure designed by Minoru Yamasaki and Emery Roth & Sons. It served as a vital hub for commodities trading, featuring 12 trading pits and housing significant wealth, including an estimated $200 million in gold and silver coins in its basement. This structure was destroyed during the September 11 attacks, alongside the Twin Towers, leading to its eventual demolition.

The reconstruction of the site was a decade-long saga of legal and financial hurdles. Following a 2003 master plan by Daniel Libeskind, the new 4 World Trade Center—designed by Fumihiko Maki—began groundbreaking in January 2008. The project faced significant delays, including disputes between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and developer Larry Silverstein, as well as the economic pressures of the Great Recession. Construction was even temporarily halted in 2009 due to an unpermitted crane operation.

The completed tower, which opened on November 13, 2013, stands 978 feet tall and contains 2.3 million square feet of space. Its architectural design is highly intentional; the upper floors transition between parallelogram and trapezoidal plans to reflect the shape of the World Trade Center site. While the building's all-glass facade initially raised security concerns among police officials, it now serves as a modern landmark, housing the headquarters of the Port Authority and tenants like Spotify.

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