Model
- Description
- Model of the World Trade Center created by the architectural firm Minoru Yamasaki Associates, Inc. It is the largest existing, and most detailed, of the firm’s original series of architectural presentation models of the complex. Constructed between 1969 and 1971, the model features approximately 300 people and 175 cars.
- Historical Notes
- In 1962, the Port of New York Authority commissioned architect Minoru Yamasaki (American, 1912–1986) and his firm to design the World Trade Center. Together, client and architect, considered many possibilities before settling on the plan for the buildings that came to be known as the Twin Towers. This architectural presentation model allowed the client to see the way the entire 16-acre complex would look upon completion.
Curator's Comment
Two hundred times smaller than the towers themselves, this architectural model of the World Trade Center is the most detailed of a series created for the Port Authority by the architect, Minoru Yamasaki. The model demonstrates the monumental scale of the 110-story buildings, which rose more than a quarter of a mile high. Each of the model’s towers measures more than seven feet tall. It is the only presentation model of its size still in existence. A similar model, housed with the Port Authority on the 88th floor of the North Tower, was destroyed on 9/11.
On 9/11, this model was in the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the American Architectural Foundation, which had acquired it in 1993. In 2003, the AFA received a grant from the Save America’s Treasures program to fund the model's preservation. Deteriorating materials were stabilized, restored, or re-created by Dimensional Productions, a model-making company in Baltimore. All told, it took 18 months to research the model’s original materials and determine appropriate replacements.
Prior to its donation to the 9/11 Memorial Museum in 2009, the model was twice exhibited in New York City museums.
The World Trade Center was not built precisely as shown in the model. One notable change made during construction was the placement of a staircase connecting the World Trade Center Plaza to Vesey Street, at the north edge of the site. As built, the stairs, which provided a critical evacuation route on 9/11, faced the direction opposite to that depicted on the model. One other significant change was made in 1979, when an approximately 360-foot-tall broadcast transmission tower was added to the top of the North Tower. The model does not include 7 World Trade Center, designed by Emery Roth & Sons, and completed in 1987. That 47-story building was located immediately north of the 16-acre complex.
On 9/11, this model was in the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the American Architectural Foundation, which had acquired it in 1993. In 2003, the AFA received a grant from the Save America’s Treasures program to fund the model's preservation. Deteriorating materials were stabilized, restored, or re-created by Dimensional Productions, a model-making company in Baltimore. All told, it took 18 months to research the model’s original materials and determine appropriate replacements.
Prior to its donation to the 9/11 Memorial Museum in 2009, the model was twice exhibited in New York City museums.
The World Trade Center was not built precisely as shown in the model. One notable change made during construction was the placement of a staircase connecting the World Trade Center Plaza to Vesey Street, at the north edge of the site. As built, the stairs, which provided a critical evacuation route on 9/11, faced the direction opposite to that depicted on the model. One other significant change was made in 1979, when an approximately 360-foot-tall broadcast transmission tower was added to the top of the North Tower. The model does not include 7 World Trade Center, designed by Emery Roth & Sons, and completed in 1987. That 47-story building was located immediately north of the 16-acre complex.
- Accession Number: C.2009.48.1
- Dimensions: 90 in X 92.5 in X 69.75 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 228.6 cm X 234.95 cm X 177.165 cm
- Source: American Architectural Foundation
- Credit Line: Gift of the American Architectural Foundation, made in association with Save America's Treasures at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and at the National Endowment for the Arts, Alcoa, Otis Elevator Company, McGraw-Hill Construction, the American Institute of Architects and Minoru Yamasaki Associates
All materials made publicly available by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum on this site are intended for research and educational use only. Users may need to obtain other permissions for their intended use(s) and are responsible for determining copyright status and securing these permissions.
To inquire about copyrights and reproductions, contact: xxx@911memorial.org
