Photo credit: 9/11 Memorial staff
Accession Number: C.2017.234.1
Dimensions: 6 in X 4 in
Dimensions (Metric): 15.24 cm X 10.16 cm
Credit Line: Gift of Joseph H. Miller
Description
Postcard depicting the World Trade Center Twin Towers under construction, circa late 1970s. The North Tower is nearly complete, and the South Tower is mid-construction. The photograph is attributed to Alvin J. Cameron. On the back of the postcard is printed text that reads: "The World Trade Center Port of New York Authority | Standing 110 stories and 1350 feet each, the twin towers dominate the lower Manhattan skyline. A monumental complex costing $600,000,000. The World Trade Center comprises six buildings with 10,000,000 square feet of rental space that will employ 50,000 office workers. The restaurants in the center can feed 20,000 people at one time."
Historical Notes
Soon after it was built, the World Trade Center, and specifically the Twin Towers, took on iconic status. Although initially criticized for their architecture of "gigantism," the two soaring towers soon became a landmark, looming large in the public imagination as an icon of New York City’s audacity and vitality. They were seen as a symbol of America itselfa place of possibilities and dreams that defied limitation.
The Twin Towers, one of New York City’s most photographed landmarks, were used in marketing, featured on postcards and souvenirs, and appeared in movies and television.