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This beautiful photo of Lower Manhattan won SOM's World Trade Center photo contest

This beautiful photo of Lower Manhattan won SOM's World Trade Center photo contest

While the critics sure don’t like it, many other casual observers are big fans of Lower Manhattan‘s World Trade Center. This morning, SOM announced the winner its #WelcomeOneWTC photography contest it held to mark the grand opening of New York City’s latest controversy-laden skyscraper.

Of about 350 entries, New York–based photographer Gerry Padden took the top honor and will receive a “one-of-a-kind scale model of the tower, handcrafted by the firm’s model shop in Manhattan, as well as a limited-edition print of One World Trade Center, taken by renowned photographer James Ewing.” Ewing was among the contest judges, which also included top officials at SOM.

According to SOM:

One World Trade Center has long captured the imagination of locals and visitors alike, who have watched the building materialize from drawings to a 104-story, crystalline skyscraper that stands boldly in Lower Manhattan. More than 13 years in the making, the 1,776-foot office tower—the tallest in the Western Hemisphere—recaptures the New York skyline, reasserts downtown Manhattan’s preeminence as a global business center, and establishes a new civic icon for the country.

The photo was taken over the summer from a rooftop in Brooklyn‘s DUMBO neighborhood.

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