Among the many coincidences that happen in the day-to-day work at the Archive, this one has to do with the calendar. During research for the documentation of the 13th Bienal – undertaken for the post about the artist that was participating in the 30th Bienal, Allan Kaprow, we came across something extremely curious: the promotional material for the design of the World Trade Center in New York, from 1964, four years before its construction.

The World Trade Center – The main entrance leads to the great square, one of the largest in the world. Photo: Balthazar Korab

Today, the 11 of September, 2012, is exactly eleven years since the twin towers were destroyed in one of the most significant events to have taken place on the planet since the beginning of the 21 century.

Among the promotional material sent out by the New York Port Authority and a declaration by architect Minoru Yamasaki about the design, are the following four images of what would come to be the biggest center of commerce in the world, with their respective descriptions:

View from the Hudson river

Location of the World Trade Center in the Port of New York

The World Trade Center – General view of the entrance to the principal square, the building in the square and the two towers, each one with 110 floors and 412 meters high. Photo: Balthazar Korab