Windows on the World
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Windows on the World was a restaurant complex that included a restaurant known as Windows on the World, a smaller restaurant called Wild Blue, and a bar called The Greatest Bar on Earth, as well as many rooms for private functions.
Windows on the World operated from from April 1976 to September 11, 2001 in lower Manhattan on the top floors (106th and 107th) of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.[1]
Developed by resaurauteur Joe Baum and designed initially by Warren Platner, Windows on the World occupied 50,000 square feet (4,600 m²) of space.
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[edit] Windows on the World operations
The main dining room faced north and east,allowing guests to look out onto the skyline of Manhattan. The restaurant was not only one of the most respected in New York, but due to the premium location also had high prices. The dress code required jackets for men and was strictly enforced - a man who arrived with a reservation but without a jacket was seated at the bar.[2]
A more intimate dining room, Wild Blue, was located on the south side of the restaurant.
The bar extended along the south side of 1 World Trade Center as well as the corner over part of the east side. The bar's dress code was more relaxed and it had average prices.[citation needed] Looking out from the bar through the full length windows, one could see views of the southern tip of Manhattan, where the Hudson and East Rivers meet. In addition, one could see the Liberty State Park with Ellis Island and Staten Island with the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
Windows on the World closed after the 1993 WTC bombing. It underwent a US$25 million renovation and reopened in 1996. In 2000, its final full year of operation, it reported revenues of US$37 million, making it the highest-grossing restaurant in the United States.[3]
Chef Michael Lomonaco was the last chef of Windows on the World.
[edit] Windows on the World and the September 11th attacks
Windows on the World was destroyed during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. At the time of the attack on the World Trade Center, the restaurant was hosting regular breakfast patrons and the Waters Financial Technology Congress. Everyone present in the restaurant when American Airlines Flight 11 penetrated the North Tower perished as a result of the plane's impact and the ensuing conflagration, or lived through the attack until the collapse of Tower 1. At the time of the attacks, present in the restaurant were 73 restaurant staff members, 16 Risk Waters employees, and 76 other guests and contractors [4]. The last people to leave the restaurant on September 11, 2001 before Flight 11 collided with the North Tower at 8:46 AM were Michael Nestor, Liz Thompson, and Geoffrey Wharton, who departed at 8:44 AM.[5]
It is believed that "The Falling Man," a famous photograph of a man dressed in white falling headfirst on September 11, was an employee at Windows on the World, but his identity is impossible to conclusively establish.[6]
On January 4, 2006, a number of former Windows on the World staff opened "Colors," a co-operative restaurant in Manhattan that serves as a tribute to their colleagues and whose menu reflects the diversity of the former Windows' staff.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Trade Center to Let Public In for Lunch At Roof Restaurant". New York Times. 1976-04-16. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70814FC3E5F167493C4A8178FD85F428785F9. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ The East/West Quartet
- ^ The Wine News Magazine
- ^ "Risk Waters Group archived home page". http://web.archive.org/web/20020802152503/www.riskwaters.com/.
- ^ "9/11: Distant voices, still lives (part one)". The Observer. 2002-08-18. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/waronterrorism/story/0,,776360,00.html. Retrieved 2006-11-16.
- ^ Henry Singer (director). (2006). 9/11: The Falling Man. [Documentary]. Channel 4.
