1 World Trade to be tallest NYC building

NEW YORK, April 29 (UPI) -- Officials say the new 1 World Trade Center is about to become New York's tallest building, outstripping the Empire State Building by 21 feet.

Workers will hoist a steel column atop the building's exoskeleton Monday, after which the building will reach 1,271 feet into the sky, The New York Times reported.

In the next couple of months, the building's framework will be completed, bringing its height to 1,368 feet. Once the building is completed and an antennae is added next year, its final height will be 1,776 feet -- a total of 526 feet higher than the Empire State Building, and 408 feet taller than the original 1 World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2011, terrorist attacks.

Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said the fledgling skyscraper, which can now be seen from LaGuardia Airport 8 miles away, is exciting for another reason.

"You've got floor-to-ceiling views in every direction," he said. "If you strain your neck and look carefully enough, to the west you can see Alaska."