World Trade Center reopens for business

One World Trade Center, the 1,776-foot-tall skyscraper seen by many as a symbol of rebirth more than 13 years after the 9/11 attacks, opened for business Monday, with the first 200 office employees reporting to work inside.

Chuck Townsend, the CEO of Condé Nast, the building's primary tenant, rolled up in a silver Mercedes-Benz and said "today is a special day."

The media company has rented nearly 1.2 million square feet between the 20th and 44th floors. The building rises 104 floors above Manhattan, just a few hundred feet from where the Twin Towers stood.

"The New York City skyline is whole again," said Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority, which owns both the building and the World Trade Center site. Foye said the $3.9 billion building is "the most secure office building in America."

Inside the 62-foot tall lobby of white marble walls, office workers swipe their identification cards through a turnstile that automatically registers their floor to the elevator.

"This is the smartest, most energy-efficient building there is -- I call it an A-plus building with elevators that take you to the roof within 60 seconds," said Steven Plate, director of World Trade Center construction at the Port Authority.

Plate said Monday's milestone moment was "an emotional day. We were here since day one pouring in foundations to make this the strongest building in the world."

SEE PHOTOSClassic images of the Twin Towers

At least a dozen security guards dressed in dark suits wearing embossed ties with the building's blue silhouette logo of the tower's spire manned the lobby's white and black marble concierge desk where visitors check in and have their bags screened.

When plans to build the tower were announced, concerns were raised about whether people would want to work in a new high-rise at Ground Zero. But building officials Monday said the high-rise is more than half full with new tenants.

Jordan Barowitz of the Durst Organization, which manages and leases office space for the colossal fortress with panoramic views of New York Harbor and the city, said the building is "shy of 60 percent" rented. Four new tenants are expected to sign leases at the end of the month, he said.

Barowitz said 1 World Trade Center's observatory floor is expected to bring in 20 percent of the building "cash flow."

The rooftop observatory is expected to draw thousands of tourists who will ride in high-speed elevators to the 102nd floor, where there will be a restaurant and historical digital media show on the building's construction.

Expected to open next year, the observatory will then give visitors a virtual experience of being outside the building when they descend back down to the ground.