The World Trade Center got a bad rap, but it became an indelible part of the Manhattan skyline. To anyone who doubted the power of modern architecture to convey potent cultural messages: think again. The terrorists who obliterated the World Trade Center last week, killing thousands of the people who worked inside its soaring towers, apparently saw the building as a symbol of wealth and hubris. Almost everyone else saw in the 110-story towers more positive and complex meanings. The towers inspired awe and fascination, of course-more postcards of the World Trade Center were sent each year than of any other building in the world-and from the top, tourists could get the most spectacular, stomach-flutteringvistas in New York. The building was also emblematic of our country's deepest aspirations. Skyscrapers are an American invention, and the World Trade Center was among the last to reflect something of the visionary ideals of progress and technology that so defined the last century.
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