Developer Douglas Durst says the 408-foot-tall needle will no longer be enclosed in a fiberglass and steel enclosure called a radome. Durst says the enclosure was removed from the original design because it was impossible to maintain or repair it.
Without the enclosure, it's unclear whether the needle is an antenna or a spire. That's important in terms of measuring its height.
If the needle is now considered an antenna, One World Trade Center would still be smaller than the Willis Tower in Chicago - and lose its crown as the tallest in the U.S.
