FILE - This combination made from file photos shows Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, in Chicago on March 12, 2008, left, and 1 World Trade Center in New York.
The new World Trade Center tower in New York is officially the nation's tallest building, taking the title Tuesday from Chicago's Willis Tower.
An international panel of architects decided the needle atop the New York skyscraper is a spire, not an antenna, and can be counted when measuring the structure's height.
The Height Committee of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat said the needle, measuring 124 meters, was high enough to knock Chicago off its pedestal when it comes to hosting the country's tallest building.
With the needle, 1 World Trade Center is 541.3 meters tall. Without it, the building would have been only 417 meters, well short of the 442 meter Willis Tower, formally known as the Sears Tower.
The international Height Committee is the final arbiter of official building heights around the world. They discussed the decision behind closed doors last week in Chicago, home to the world's first skyscraper.
New Building Takes US Tallest Building Title
1/71 World Trade Center in New York is the tallest building in the United States, measuring 541.3 meters tall.
2/7The Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, in Chicago, Illinois is 442 meters tall.
3/7The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is the tallest completed building in the world and measures 828.14 meters.
4/7The Abraj Al-Bait Tower, also known as Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel, in the Saudi holy city of Mecca, is the second tallest completed building in the world at 601 meters tall.
5/7The Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai, China is 491.9 meters tall.
6/7The International Commerce Center in Hong Kong is 484 meters tall.
7/7The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are 452 meters tall.
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