The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11

by Garrett M. Graff

The World Trade Center had the two tallest buildings in New York City, iconic fixtures on the skyline for nearly 40 years. Reaching more than 1,300 feet into the sky, the 110-story twin buildings—the North Tower, known as One World Trade, and the South Tower, known as Two World Trade—anchored a 16-acre complex of seven buildings in the heart of Lower Manhattan’s financial sector. Nestled between them was Three World Trade, which held a 22-story Marriott Hotel. Four other buildings surrounded the site: Four World Trade, a nine-story building occupied primarily by Deutsche Bank; Five World Trade, also a nine-story office building; Six World Trade, an eight-story building occupied by the U.S. Customs House for New York and other government agencies; and Seven World Trade, a 47-story building that included New York’s Office of Emergency Management.