First time I ever saw the Twin Towers was during the opening credits of the old cop sitcom, Barney Miller. The show always opened with that great funky theme and a shot from the harbor of lower Manhattan with the towers catching the light.

Yes, for many years the WTC was not regarded as aesthetically pleasing. Although, with regards to the site excavation and structural design, it was innovative. I liked them simply for their massing. They had gravitas. Hell, one tower would have been a huge statement, but two! So for me it was size & simplicity. But, in that part of town my favorite has always been the World Financial Center. Once again, it's the massing of the four buildings, plus the fenestration and verdigris copper domes on top. They're huge in their own right but were always drawfed by the WTC.

I don't dislike the Freedom Tower, but, it doesn't grab me the way some other buildings do.

FYI, here's some pics.

World Financial Center from the west, showing WFC1 on the right, then to the left, WFC2. WFC3 is the tallest at 51 stories. WFC4 has the square roof in the foreground.

The new 750', 52-storey, WTC 7 (with the crane on top) can be seen to the left of WFC3. It's now finished.

Similar shot but showing the lighted Winter Garden atrium in the lower left. The empty World Trade Center site is in the background. That's where the Freedom Tower is starting to rise.

This is a great shot of the WFC Winter Garden atrium taken from the south tower of the WTC. You can just see the side of the north tower and at ground level the old West St. pedestrian bridge. WFCs 2&3 had chunks knocked out of them when the towers fell.

Now, this is one of those shots that gives you some perspective. Taken from the south tower of the WTC looking north to the Empire State Building. The two guys hanging off the side of the north tower, well... that's mass. Views like this scare the crap out of enviro-Nazis. Good.

Hit your F11 key to get a better view of this one

I'm with you, John.

This is beautiful. Though...a part of me would have liked to see the originals rebuilt, with a couple levels added in defiance.

I like it.

Ross: You know what? It took me a long damned time -- more than a decade -- to come to grips with the WTC towers. I realized that I'd turned the corner when I began to consciously watch for them on the horizon when driving down to The City. It wasn't at all so much the design as the way the completely dominated the skyline that brought me around. And, of course, the realization was thoroughly set once they were gone: it just breaks my heart, now, to see New York without them.

This will go a long way toward making up for that loss.

I think it's glorious. So sleek, tall and proud. The perfect "up yours" antidote to the cowardly, unspeakable Islamo-fascism that prompted it, and to the Saddamite Sciabarras & Riggenbachs & Chomskys who say it was all America's fault.

Linz

It's beautiful. I can't wait to graduate so I can move to New York and live amongst (or even in) the greatest buildings ever created.

www.adambuker.com

I agree that it's better, but it still doesn't grab me by my emotional balls.

I'm finding it reminiscent of the plethora of new Asian towers. It's more streamlined, for sure, but doesn't say Big Apple to me.

Here's a couple of additional pics from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill:

Looking southwest across the East River...

Looking northwest from Brooklyn...

That is the first time I've seen the Freedom Tower. Wonderfully simple. Definitely the finger!

"Clean and pure looking," yes. The photo you posted actually reminded me of this.

And that middle-finger aspect shouldn't be ignored, either. Since we won't be rebuilding the Twin Towers here, we may as well go with something vertical, strong...and beautiful.

Thanks for posting this.

I am in complete agreement. The previous design was shit...and this new design shouldn't be messed with. It is damn near perfect. It is finally an appropriate symbol methinks.