Presentation Box
Photo credit: David E. Starke
Accession Number: C.2021.15.2
Dimensions: 1.5 in X 3 in X 5.5 in
Dimensions (Metric): 3.81 cm X 7.62 cm X 13.97 cm
Dimensions (Metric): 3.81 cm X 7.62 cm X 13.97 cm
Source: Rita Schwartz
Credit Line: Gift of Rita Schwartz
Keywords
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)
Windows on the World
World Trade Center: Visitor and Worker Experiences
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)
Windows on the World
World Trade Center: Visitor and Worker Experiences
Description
Crescent-shaped leather box with "THE WORLD TRADE CENTER CLUB" printed in raised text on the lid. The box is empty.
Crescent-shaped leather box with "THE WORLD TRADE CENTER CLUB" printed in raised text on the lid. The box is empty.
Historical Notes
In December 1970, restaurateur Joseph Baum signed a contract to design the entire system of food operations at the World Trade Center. “The Club at the World Trade Center” was part of Baum’s creative vision for outfitting the newly built World Trade Center complex with diverse dining facilities. The Club was intended to operate from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. as a private lunch club for dues-paying members. After three o’clock, the 107th floor was no longer the Club; it became the Windows on the World Restaurant, open to anyone able to secure a reservation.
In December 1970, restaurateur Joseph Baum signed a contract to design the entire system of food operations at the World Trade Center. “The Club at the World Trade Center” was part of Baum’s creative vision for outfitting the newly built World Trade Center complex with diverse dining facilities. The Club was intended to operate from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. as a private lunch club for dues-paying members. After three o’clock, the 107th floor was no longer the Club; it became the Windows on the World Restaurant, open to anyone able to secure a reservation.
Curator's Comment
Located on the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower, Windows on the World opened in the spring of 1976. New York magazine marked the restaurant’s debut on its May 1976 cover with a headline declaring it “The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World.” A team of celebrity chefs helped devise menus for the eatery, which featured not only a 300-seat restaurant but also a bar, wine cellar, more intimate dining areas, and private banquet rooms and meeting spaces for hire. With floor-to-ceiling windows, larger than their counterparts elsewhere in the Twin Towers, the multilevel restaurant offered diners stunning panoramic views of New York City and beyond. Tourists and locals alike lined up to reserve their dining adventure in the clouds. Entering 1993, WOW (its popular nickname) was one of the country’s highest-grossing restaurants.
After the February 26, 1993, bombing of the World Trade Center, the restaurant closed for cleaning and major renovations. It reopened in 1996 under new management. The iconic dining establishment in the sky was destroyed in the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Seventy-two staff members were killed that day along with the breakfast guests and conference goers they were serving.
HIDE
Located on the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower, Windows on the World opened in the spring of 1976. New York magazine marked the restaurant’s debut on its May 1976 cover with a headline declaring it “The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World.” A team of celebrity chefs helped devise menus for the eatery, which featured not only a 300-seat restaurant but also a bar, wine cellar, more intimate dining areas, and private banquet rooms and meeting spaces for hire. With floor-to-ceiling windows, larger than their counterparts elsewhere in the Twin Towers, the multilevel restaurant offered diners stunning panoramic views of New York City and beyond. Tourists and locals alike lined up to reserve their dining adventure in the clouds. Entering 1993, WOW (its popular nickname) was one of the country’s highest-grossing restaurants.
After the February 26, 1993, bombing of the World Trade Center, the restaurant closed for cleaning and major renovations. It reopened in 1996 under new management. The iconic dining establishment in the sky was destroyed in the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Seventy-two staff members were killed that day along with the breakfast guests and conference goers they were serving.
HIDE
