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On this day in New York · May 29, 2015

One World Observatory Opens Above Ground Zero

Fourteen years after the towers fell, you could finally buy a $32 ticket and ride an elevator to the highest view in the city, straight up from the ground where they once stood.

One World Observatory Opens Above Ground Zero
Wikimedia Commons / One World Trade Center (Long Beach)

The facts

Opened
Friday, May 29, 2015
Location
Floors 100 to 102 of One World Trade Center
Elevation
Views from more than 1,250 feet above the street
Opening admission
$32 adults, $26 children ages 6 to 12, $30 seniors

One World Observatory opened to the public on Friday, May 29, 2015, occupying floors 100, 101 and 102 of One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. Before the official opening, the operator, Legends, let local school students in on May 26, the construction workers who built the tower on May 27, and the general public for a first-come, first-served preview on May 28. Sky Pod elevators carried visitors up in under a minute to views from more than 1,250 feet, looking out over the site where the original World Trade Center towers fell on September 11, 2001. Adult tickets cost $32, with free admission arranged for 9/11 family members and rescue and recovery workers.

In their words

The day in the words of the people who were there. Every quote is verbatim, and every source links out so you can check it.

  1. On May 29, One World Observatory will officially open its doors to the public – offering visitors an inspiring and unparalleled opportunity to experience New York City.

    David Checketts, chairman and CEO of Legends, operator of One World Observatory

    Source: PR Newswire

  2. Today, One World Observatory opens its doors to the world.

    National September 11 Memorial & Museum, blog post published May 29, 2015

    Source: 911memorial.org

Why it still matters

It turned the rebuilt World Trade Center from a construction site and a memorial into somewhere you actually go on a Saturday, proof the skyline had come back enough to sell a ticket to the view.

Sources

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