Final steel beam lifted at 4 World Trade Center, the first expected to open at the site next year

Art Daily Newsletter

Construction cranes perch on top of One World Trade Center, left, and Four World Trade Center in New York. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan. By: Verena Dobnik, Associated Press NEW YORK (AP).- A final steel beam was lifted Monday atop a new World Trade Center skyscraper — the first expected to open at the site next year since the twin towers were decimated on 9/11. With gospel superstar BeBe Winans offering a powerful rendition of "God Bless America," workers raised their hardhats in tribute as the mammoth beam rose slowly into the Manhattan sky, swaying from a steel rope hoisted by a crane. A U.S. flag attached to the bottom of the beam fluttered above several hundred spectators at the topping-off ceremony. "Ten years later, it's pretty remarkable," said a teary-eyed Sally Rexach, a nurse who aids workers constructing 4 World Trade Center. She was at ground zero just after Sept. 11, 2001, supporting workers who combed through the smoking debris in search of human remains. "This is a very proud moment; it's full ... More