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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

(Gerry Padden / Courtesy SOM)

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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