4 World Trade Center (1975–2001) Explained

4 World Trade Center
Status:Demolished
Location:Lower Manhattan
Location Town:New York City
Location Country:United States
Start Date: 1972
Completion Date:1975
Opened Date:January 1977
Demolition Date:After September 2001 (heavily damaged on September 11, 2001)
Owner:Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Floor Count:9
Building Type:Office
Architectural Style:Modern
Current Tenants:List

4 World Trade Center was a nine-story low-rise office building completed in 1975 that was 118 ft (36 m) tall, and located in the southeast corner of the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Minoru Yamasaki and Emery Roth & Sons. On September 11, 2001, the building was heavily damaged as a result of attacks carried out by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda, and was later demolished. Its site is now the location of 3 World Trade Center and a new 4 World Trade Center.

History

4 World Trade Center was built on the site of the Hudson Terminal Building, which occupied the site from 1908 to 1972. Construction began in late 1972 after the Hudson Terminal Building was demolished. The building and its portion of The Mall At The World Trade Center were completed in 1975. The first tenants, the Commodities Exchange Center, started to move into the building in January 1977.[1] On July 1, 1977, the Mercantile Traders finalized the move.[2] The building's major tenants were Deutsche Bank (Floor 4, 5, and 6) and the New York Board of Trade (Floors 7, 8, and 9). The building's side facing Liberty Street housed the street-level entrance to The Mall at the World Trade Center on the basement concourse level of the WTC.[3]

4 World Trade Center was home to commodities exchanges on what was at the time one of the world's largest trading floors (featured in the Eddie Murphy movie Trading Places). These commodities exchanges collectively had 12 trading pits.[4] [5]

Destruction

The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed during the September 11 attacks, creating debris that destroyed or severely damaged nearby buildings, such as the original 4 World Trade Center.[6] Much of the southern two-thirds of the building was destroyed, and the remaining north portion virtually destroyed, as a result of the collapse of the South Tower. The structure was subsequently demolished to make way for reconstruction.

At the time of the September 11 attacks, the building's commodities exchanges had of silver coins and of gold coins in the basement.[7] The coins in the basement were worth an estimated $200 million. Much of the coins had been removed by November 2001;[8] trucks transported the coins out of the basement through an intact but abandoned section of the Downtown Hudson Tubes.[9] Many coins belonging to the Bank of Nova Scotia were purchased in 2002, repackaged by the Professional Coin Grading Service, and resold to collectors.[10]

Tenants

The following tenants had space at 4 World Trade Center at the time of the attacks:[11]

TenantSquare Feet LeasedFloors OccupiedIndustryNotes
Deutsche Bank273,9914–6Financial Institutions
New York Board of Trade125,0007–9Government
Overseas-Chinese Banking Corp.6,5167Financial Institutions
Green Coffee Association7,5005Personal Services
Gelderman, Inc.4,0007Personal Services
Tony May's Gemelli Restaurant & Bar10,0000Retailers/Wholesalers

Notes and References

  1. Web site: History of the Twin Towers. PANYNJ.gov. 2013. September 11, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20131228040848/http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/history-twin-towers.html. December 28, 2013.
  2. News: Mercantile Traders Move to Trade Center and a New Place to Shout About . February 19, 2022 . The New York Times . July 2, 1977 . New York City . 32 . en-US . February 19, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220219205638/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/07/02/archives/mercantile-traders-move-to-trade-center-and-a-new-place-to-shout.html . live .
  3. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Pre-9-11_WTC_4_in_NYC_%282001-08-21%29.jpg
  4. News: Kershaw . Sarah . October 9, 2001 . Glad to Be in the Pits, Wherever They Are; Commodity Traders Had Backup Plan . en-US . The New York Times . September 10, 2022 . 0362-4331 . September 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220910160227/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/09/nyregion/glad-to-be-in-the-pits-wherever-they-are-commodity-traders-had-backup-plan.html . live .
  5. Colkin . Eileen . September 9, 2002 . One year later: Forward strides . 905 . 32–34 . . InformationWeek.
  6. News: Glanz . James . Lipton . Eric . February 12, 2002 . Rescuing the Buildings Beyond Ground Zero . en-US . The New York Times . September 10, 2022 . 0362-4331 . April 1, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190401004744/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/12/nyregion/rescuing-the-buildings-beyond-ground-zero.html . live .
  7. News: Fuerbringer . Jonathan . September 15, 2001 . After the Attacks: The Commodities; Hoard of Metals Sits Under Ruins Of Trade Center . en-US . The New York Times . September 10, 2022 . 0362-4331 . September 20, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220920184237/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/15/business/after-attacks-commodities-hoard-metals-sits-under-ruins-trade-center.html . live .
  8. Web site: November 1, 2001 . Millions in Gold, Silver Recovered From Rubble . September 10, 2022 . Los Angeles Times . September 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220910160229/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-nov-01-mn-64176-story.html . live .
  9. News: Dunlap . David W. . July 25, 2005 . Below Ground Zero, Stirrings of Past and Future . en-US . The New York Times . September 18, 2022 . 0362-4331 . January 25, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210125031502/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/25/nyregion/below-ground-zero-stirrings-of-past-and-future.html . live .
  10. News: Martinez . Alejandro J. . August 6, 2003 . 'Sept. 11' Coins Carry Hefty Markups, Baggage . en-US . Wall Street Journal . September 10, 2022 . 0099-9660 . March 8, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210308205605/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB106012198859689500 . live.
  11. Web site: 4 World Trade Center – Commodities Exchange Center . www.cnn.com . April 16, 2024.