--- title: World Trade Center History: See 1960s Construction Photos description: It was 45 years ago—on Dec. 23, 1970—that the North Tower reached its full height canonical: https://time.com/4144821/world-trade-center-photos-construction/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-23T12:00:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:00:46.568Z article:section: History og:title: World Trade Center History: See 1960s Construction Photos og:description: 45 years ago—on Dec. 23, 1970—the North Tower reached its full height og:url: https://time.com/4144821/world-trade-center-photos-construction/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta2ba86013435db63/698874db3c163943bf45b250/151210-world-trade-center-06.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1881 og:image:height: 1058 og:image:alt: World Trade Center Under Construction 1969 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: World Trade Center History: See 1960s Construction Photos twitter:description: 45 years ago—on Dec. 23, 1970—the North Tower reached its full height twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta2ba86013435db63/698874db3c163943bf45b250/151210-world-trade-center-06.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See 12 Amazing Photos of the World Trade Center Under Construction > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription.  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Dec 23, 2015 12:00 PM UTC  View of the World Trade Center under construction, with a sign announcing the completion schedule, circa 1969, New York City, View of the World Trade Center under construction, with a sign announcing the completion schedule, circa 1969, New York City, Hulton Archive—Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Dec 23, 2015 12:00 PM UTC When planning began on the World Trade Center towers, they were only supposed to be 100 ft. taller than the 1,250-ft. Empire State Building, which was still the world’s tallest at that point. But on Dec. 23, 1970—45 years ago—when the North Tower finally “topped out” at its highest height, it had gained even a few more feet on that estimate, reaching 1,368 ft. by the [Port Authority’s count](http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/history-twin-towers.html). But the noteworthy nature of the towers wasn’t just a matter of friendly competition among city landmarks. These construction photos make clear that they were a feat of engineering. Viewed in hindsight, of course, it is not just impressive but also bittersweet to see the birth of a building that would meet such a tragic end. Today, the One World Trade Center [tower ](http://www.wtc.com/about/buildings/1-world-trade-center)measures 1,776 ft. **_Read original coverage of the plan to build the World Trade Center, here in the TIME Vault:_** [Onward & Upward](http://time.com/vault/issue/1964-01-24/page/52/)  An elevated view of the construction site for the World Trade Center, New York City, circa 1966. Hulton Archive—Getty Images  The pouring of first concrete for the World Trade Center in New York City is shown in September 1966. AP Photo  Construction at World Trade Center in New York City on April 16, 1968. Robert Kradin—AP Photo  Steelworkers guide a 34-ton steel grillage—the first of 28 that will support the North Tower's core columns—into place 70 feet below street level at the site of the World Trade Center in New York, Aug. 6, 1968. Anthony Camerano—AP Photo  Kangaroo cranes in position at the excavation site for the World Trade Center in New York, Dec. 13, 1968. Fox Photos—Getty Images  View of the World Trade Center under construction, with a sign announcing the completion schedule, circa 1969, New York City, Hulton Archive—Getty Images  The new World Trade Center is shown under construction in New York City, August 1969. AP Photo  Aerial view of World Trade Center during construction, August 14, 1969. Gordon Rynders—NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images  World Trade Center from the construction site in New York City on Oct. 20, 1970. Jim Wells—AP Photo  Workers add a new section to the top of the World Trade Center Building in New York, Oct. 23, 1970, making its height some 1,254 feet, four feet taller than the Empire State Building. AFP—Getty Images  Construction of one of the twin towers at the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, New York City, on Oct. 20, 1970\. In the background at right is the Empire State Building with its antenna. Jim Wells—AP Photo  A 36-foot long, 4-ton column is hoisted atop the new world's tallest building, the World Trade Center, still under construction in New York City, Dec. 23, 1970. 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