Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center (review)

Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center. By Angus Kress Gillespie. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1999. Pp. xvi+263. $26.

What we have here is a pleasant, unassuming story about a building (two buildings, of course, but essentially one): how it was conceived, financed, designed, and built, how it was fought against, resented, and finally accepted, taking its place comfortably as part of a great metropolis.

Angus Kress Gillespie claims to be engaged in "exploring American artifacts as clues to American thought and values" (p. xi). But his exploration is more a leisurely stroll in the park than an aggressive penetration of dense intellectual forests. Rarely have I encountered a historian who sets forth so few hypotheses and conclusions. Nor does Gillespie present us with exploits of scholarship. His main sources are articles from newspapers--including editorials that reflect public opinion--and official documents from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, developer of the project. He also interviewed people involved in various stages of the enterprise, and uses these interviews to good effect: the text is rich with authentic dialogue. But, almost without exception, these conversations provide human interest rather than historical insight. The author writes more like a storyteller than a scholar. Needless to say, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

Gillespie does have a theme: celebration of the enormous project and acclaim for the talented people who created it. His tributes flow freely. The executive director of the Port Authority "had gained a reputation for being both brilliant and dedicated" (p. 30). The chief engineer "was the latest in a line of engineering greats" (p. 66). The general contractor, as attested to by The Encyclopedia of New York City, was "the city's most prominent and successful developer" (p. 59). When the architect, Minoru Yamasaki, decided that the exterior walls should consist of closely spaced vertical columns, "it was a brilliant decision" (p. 167). The architectural firm that provided Yamasaki with nuts-and-bolts assistance was "well-respected and carefully chosen" (p. 48).

Happily, the main protagonists, however worthy, are redeemed by human failings. The leaders of the Port Authority are ambitious on behalf of their agency and in pursuit of their own careers. The most virulent opponents of the project are the real estate people who resent competition for tenants. Did David Rockefeller concoct the scheme for the Trade Center because, having built the Chase Manhattan Bank Tower in lower Manhattan in 1960, he was interested in furthering the development of that part of the city? And did his brother, Nelson, governor of New York, in a family conspiracy, relocate huge state offices to the new complex? Gillespie does not speculate or search for evidence. He merely reports basic facts, and wryly cites critics who suggested that the Twin Towers should be named David and Nelson.

An important part of the success story is how readily the gigantic project came to be accepted by the public. Conceived during the postwar years of expansive national optimism, the World Trade Center had the bad fortune to open during the early 1970s, when antiestablishment sentiments were at a peak. Architecturally, too, the structure was out of sync with the times, at least as far as serious critics were concerned.

In this age of electronic communication and globalization, the very concept of a world trade center--a place where importers, ship charter brokers, freight handlers, and the like might gather together--has become anachronistic. Still, according to Gillespie, the Twin Towers, in just a few short years, became "an icon for the City of New York" (p. 179). He attributes this in large measure to the popularity of the observation deck and the Windows on the World restaurant, to publicity generated by daredevils who climbed the tower walls and balanced on high wires, and to ubiquitous postcards featuring photos...