Freedom Tower Gets New Name: 1 World Trade Center

The Freedom Tower is gone, and it hasn’t even been built yet, the New York Daily News reports: The Port Authority announced today that it would change the name of the building being constructed at Ground Zero to 1 World Trade Center. The new, or old, name is “easiest for people to identify with,” said the chairman of the Port Authority, which owns the building.

“As we market the building, we will ensure that it is presented in the best possible way,” said the Port Authority chairman, perhaps alluding to the Bush-era implications of “Freedom Tower.” But many are disappointed. “The Freedom Tower is not simply another piece of real estate and not just a name for marketing purposes,” said former governor George Pataki, who proposed the old name. “It is symbolic of our commitment to rise above the attacks of Sept. 11.” (More Freedom Tower stories.)