This Is Now the Tallest US Building

The silver spire topping New York City's One World Trade Center has been fully installed on the building's roof. That brings the iconic structure to its full, symbolic height of 1,776 feet. (The US, of course, declared independence on July 4, 1776.) The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says the spire's installation was completed this morning. That makes it the tallest building in the US, reports NBC New York, ahead of Chicago's 1,451-foot Willis Tower.

The 408-foot, 758-ton spire will serve as a world-class broadcast antenna—though it's considered a spire (and part of the building's design), not an antenna (which can be removed and, therefore, doesn't typically count toward a building's height). An LED-powered light emanating from it will be seen from miles away. The new tower is at the northwest corner of the World Trade Center site, which is well on its way to reconstruction with the 72-story Four World Trade Center and other buildings. (More One World Trade Center stories.)