The Lost Art of the World Trade Center

When they were first constructed, many looked at the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and saw them as nothing more than two ugly boxes in the New York Skyline. But what Minoru Yamasaki had created was nothing short of an engineering marvel and for nearly 30 years, they dominated the skyline of the big apple. They were a work of art.

But within the 16-acre complex that once was world trade center, there was more than just the twins to behold. At the base of the complex, lay 7 works of art. Each with their own unique look, meaning and story to tell. Some were inspired by the very city they were within…others were reminders of past events. These works of art were seen by many in their time. Some are now a slowly forgotten memory while others have taken on a life greater than what the artist behind them envisioned.

Looking at the other side of the complex, this is the story of the 7 lost works of art, of the World Trade Center.

Table of Contents:

0:00 - Intro

4:19 - Bent Propeller

7:00 - The Sphere

11:08 - Cloud Fortress

13:22 - Ideogram

16:00 - WTC Tapestry

18:29 - SkyGate, New York

20:41 - Memorial Fountain

24:12 - Epilogue

27:35 - End Credits

MUSIC:

Scott Buckley - Undertow

Scott Buckley - Chasing Daylight

Scott Buckley - Resolutions

Scott Buckley - Snowfall

Scott Buckley - Extrapolation

Scott Buckley - Adrift Among Infinite Stars

Disconscious - Enter Through the Lobby

Video Credits:

PREE-911 WTC
Pexels
CBS The Early Show
KRIS 6 News
Aluminum Oxide

Image Credits:

Daniel Steelman (Public Domain)
Wikimedia
Daniel Molybdenum (Flickr)
skyscraper city (WTC Thread)
overthenet
In Memoriam Sept 11 Facebook
Robert Segal
David Barrie
Elyn Zimmerman
Lars Plougmann
US National Archives (Public Domain)
Aah-Yeah (Flickr)
Library of Congress (Balthazar Korab collection)
LA Times
National September 11th Memorial Museum
Nippon
Joset Rosati
Gilles Chapelain
Walter Bassi
_sarchi (Flickr)

SOURCES:

Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.

[TalkingToMyselfProductions]

Over 10K views? Wow. Truly thankful to the WTC community for helping me make this video & their support. It was a labour of love for not just two buildings I love, but to the artists and lives that lived and were lost with those buildings. I spent months researching, interviewing & gathering details for this video & it really made me see the Twin Towers in a very different light to what growing up in the 2000s you normally learn. It was surreal but something I'm grateful to have done. I have plans for more videos on that channel. It's been a harder for me to commit to it for various personal reasons. But the support/passion I've gotten on that video really has re-motivated me to give it a shot. Thank you for letting me tell a story about your towers, America <3 🇺🇸

[vintageshed]

Masayuki Nagare was spot on, when he said that the 9/11 attacks were the breaking point in history. You can pretty much divide modern history to pre/post 9/11.

[lexus]

But seriously the "Boxes in which the Empire State and Chrysler building were shipped" phrase is pretty funny

[jomac]

I’m not American let alone a New Yorker. I know that I likely don’t have the right to be as moved as I am. But seeing how The Sphere initially survived the collapse of the towers almost brought me to tears. To think of how a symbol of peace survived such a devastating attack of terror is so moving. I’ll never forget that day.

[azurefire]

Whats rarely mentioned for some reason, is that the Sphere (when it was at the original WTC) was rotating. It made a full rotation once every 24 hours (like our planet does)

[nomad]

Their lead architect was so talented. Never knew it was a Japanese design. They looked very modern in my opinion.

[Articbear]

The Twin Towers were really special. The design was simple but very, very sophisticated. The whole complex was amazing. It’s a shame it’s not the same

[GreenYoshi]

There was nothing ugly about those buildings. Looking at them in the skyline was a beautiful sight and were a photographer’s dream😢

[tryk]

I'm glad that you made a documentary on the lost sculptures of the former World Trade Center complex. Dozens of private artworks in offices such as Cantor Fitzgerald were also lost that fateful day and I hope someday someone could also do a documentary on them.

[tossingturnips]

The destruction of the memorial fountain for the 1993 victims hit me hard, especially when the artist said their families had to endure a second loss.

Seeing into the past by 20+ years, one really gets the feeling of how different the world felt before the towers' destruction. It's a world lost and one that we can never return to.

[JustusCroyle-ckeb]

This is cool to see. My dad proposed to my mom in the garden/sculpture area between the twin towers while on a business trip in the late ‘80’s. I never saw pictures but its weird to think that where they got engaged doesn’t exist anymore.

[Likeomgitznich]

From far away, the twin towers were kinda ugly. Once you got closer and could see the details it was oddly beautiful. It had a super simplified and modern cathedral feel to it.

[pre-wtc]

Absolutely brilliant video. The art at the old-World Trade Center was quite something and it's a shame we don't see much of it nowadays. I was really hoping someone would make a video like this soon, keep up the magnificent work man.

[AC-ihjc]

For the longest time I actively disliked the Twin Towers. They were too simplisic and were taller than my beloved Empire State Building. I considered them interlopers and "johnny-come-latelies" on the New York skyline.

But then in the late summer of 2001 my fiancé and I were driving back to Long Island from New Jersey early one Sunday evening and I saw the Towers lighting up, resembling two huge flutes filled with sparkling champagne. I thought to myself, "Oh, okay...it's been long enough. The Towers can join the club. They've earned their spot."

Little did I know that in just a couple of weeks' time...

[TalkingToMyselfProductions]

Been a while. This project has been in the works for a long time now and is at last out. I hope you all enjoy this video...a tribute and homage to a lost engineering marvel and those within it. I wanted to make a video about the WTC for ages but focus on a lesser known topic about them. Thus, this video was born. It took many months of talking with various people and individuals who knew the works of art well. From estates to family of the artists who made them and even some who still are here. A huge thank you to everyone who helped in making this video possible. It's a trip down memory lane and a story about 7 lost works of art, from the World Trade Center.

[michelleo]

I think the Sphere is a symbol of resilience. The fact that it is back where it always was is hopeful to me.

[garbagebanditdayz]

Truely a stunning collection.

The World Trade Center as a whole was stunning. I never got to see this piece of architectural and engineering history though and it really hurts to know that.

Two 110 story office towers with aluminum cladding and slit windows rising into the sky some 1, 360-feet. At first they were ridiculed. But by the New Millennium had become icons.

I can’t get enough of the World Trade Center’s history. The evolution in design and operation, the art, the logos, the advertising. The community of people who share my obsession surrounding these buildings and their tragic history is fascinating.

So much history was lost with the collapse of the Twin Towers. Buildings with interiors only accessible to employees were lost. Places nobody in their right mind would photograph, gone.

But people seem unstoppable in the search to find the unknown. Photos I never thought I would see made their way online by various means.

There’s even seems to be a community which has diligently worked for 22 years searching for the lost Muzak that played in Austin J. Tobin Plaza during its days of operation.

These buildings, the art, and the people who were lost in and around them on that clear Tuesday morning in 2001 will never be forgotten. But will be remembered and learned about for future generations.

[martynstembridge]

Amazing video ...
I visited the WTC at Christmas 98, sat on the roof and watched the sun set. They were stunning buildings, and the true magic was being able to actually walk on the ROOF of this giant. Not a viewing floor (even though there was one), but the actual roof. That's what I will forever miss ... I wanted to return to that roof, but never will.

[rydillo]

I love the sphere. Despite it being somewhat abstract, it very clearly evokes the symbolism the artist was trying to achieve. Peace through commerce. To me it looks like a bird carrying the world on it 's back.

[DarcySteele]

I got emotional right off the bat with Alexander Calder. My dad, who passed away a few years ago, loved him, and had. his books. He re-created his own versions of mobiles. This whole video, then made me emotional. I never knew about all the works of art in it. Painful to see their loss. Thank you for this video. It adds another dimension to the tragedy.