WTC observatory makes debut

One World Trade Center is another step closer to being finished — Port Authority officials unveiled the skyscraper’s observatory today, the New York Daily News reported.

The observatory takes up top three floors of the 102-story building, which is scheduled to open in 2015; right now, the building is the tallest in New York.

“In one of the most important buildings in the world, we’ll bring back the most important view in the world,” David Checketts of Legends, the sports and entertainment company that will run the observatory, told the Daily News. Checketts Partners Investment Fund co-owns the company with the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys.

Official estimates put the observatory’s earnings at $875 million over its first 15-year lease; neither Port Authority nor Checketts disclosed ticket pricing.

Source told the Daily News that the observatory will heal wounds left by the September 2001 terrorist attacks besides providing tourists with 360-degree panorama views of the city.

“Just like the rejuvenation of lower Manhattan after 9/11, this building will rise and be a symbol to the world of New York City’s might and capabilities,” David Samson, chairman of the Port Authority, told the Daily News. [NYDN] –Hayley Kaplan