From CNN:
New York City has needled out Chicago for the title of America’s tallest building.
One World Trade Center in New York will be the United States’ tallest building when completed, beating out Chicago’s Willis Tower, according to an announcement Tuesday by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
The main issue was whether a 408-foot needle atop the One World Trade Center would be counted in the total height of the tower.
The council’s height committee met on November 8 in Chicago to rule on the height of the new skyscraper. On Tuesday, the council announced that the needle, which was completed in May, was in fact a “spire” — a “vertical element that completes the architectural expression of the building and is intended as permanent.”