A change to the design of a needle that will sit atop One World Trade Center is raising questions over whether the building will be America's tallest when completed.
Developer Douglas Durst said the 408-foot-tall needle will no longer be enclosed in a fiberglass and steel enclosure called a radome. Durst said the enclosure was removed from the original design because it was impossible to maintain or repair it.
Without the enclosure, it's unclear whether the needle is an antenna or a spire. That's important in terms of measuring its height.
If the needle is now considered an antenna, One World Trade Center would still be smaller than the Willis Tower in Chicago -- and lose its crown as the tallest in the U.S.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
