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One World Trade Center Plays Light Tricks

One World Trade Center Plays Light Tricks

The 1973 World Trade Center twin towers by Minora Yamasaki were not great buildings but in various light conditions or in the dark of the night they would take on a mute sculptural quality that New Yorkers now remember with fondness or nostalgic reverence. Now something quiet similar may be happening with the replacement to the tower—One World Trade Center. In certain light and atmospheric conditions the top floors of the building seem to glow like a bright incandescent light build.

Walking down Church Street on Tuesday, May 21 about 10:00a.m. nearly every pedestrian headed south on the street stopped in amazement and if they had camera phones pointed them towards the tower which had become shrouded in shimmering clouds or fog and had taken on a magnificent glowing presence. The effect only lasted for a few fleeting minutes when the clouds moved on and horizontal shafts of light streamed out of the upper floors of the still unfinished structure.

The top floors of the glass tower-unlike the lower floors- are translucent allowing views in and out of the building and this may be causing the glow. But whatever is causing this and whether it will remain when the building is finished is anyone’s guess but for the time being the effect is nearly magical.


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