B. Second Edition and Post-September 11, 2001 Material

Summary: Subseries A comprises those materials from the writing and publication of the first edition of the book, which occurred prior to September 11, 2001. After writing Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike Gillespie sought another writing project that would incorporate both his fascination with American iconography and the construction of the American architectural landscape. A book about the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center was a natural fit. The folders in this collection reflect Gillespie's research into the story of the World Trade Center from a variety of perspectives. Also, he discusses in detail the reasons why the building Minoru Yamasaki constructed fell out of aesthetic favor with the New York architectural elite, and how the building became a recognizable American icon.

But the book is about more than the architecture, construction, and cultural impact of a building. Gillespie wanted to understand the concept of world trade, and the day-to-day world of what he viewed as a "city within a city." Therefore, he spent hours interviewing and speaking with bartenders, building tenants, window cleaners, commodities traders, shop owners, operations managers, and former Port Authority policemen. He took classes and earned a certificate in World Trade, at the World Trade Center, as a student at the World Trade Institute. He ate at its restaurants, shopped in its concourse, sampled the coffee and took in the view at its Observation Deck. He even stayed for the night shift, looking in on the building's security roll call and picking up details about its operations and maintenance. In researching all of this, the true heart and soul of both the book and the building, he captures a candid snapshot of the World Trade Center during its life cycle.

In particular, the folder designated "Background Material, Chapters Two and Three—Construction of World Trade Center" contains the interview of Construction Manager Ray Monti, written out longhand on a yellow legal pad, as well as several typed pages containing his anecdotes. These, and the photocopy of Guy Tozzoli's "Six Phases of a Project," give some sense of the obstacles during the building's construction and the great good humor in which they were met. In general, background materials contain interviews, copies of relevant newspaper and magazine articles, the author's notes, and brochures and media where appropriate (for example, in the Windows on the World and Observation Deck folders).

The folders marked "Background Material, Chapter Seven—Night Operations at the World Trade Center" and "Background Material, Chapter Seven" contain typed copies of the interview with window cleaner Roko Camaj (here noted as "Camaj Roko"), and humorous anecdotes about one particular homeless man from Eugene Raggio, Port Authority Operations Supervisor. Both men lost their lives in the events of September 11, 2001. The collection also contains maps and photographs of the World Trade Center, a folder full of promotional materials for the Windows on the World restaurant, and a history of the Port Authority's Chief Engineer and timeline, noted "written by Ray Monti."

Subseries B contains material about Gillespie and his book after September 11, some newspapers covering the events of September 11, and other materials about the day the Towers came down. Several of the people Gillespie had interviewed were involved in that day's events: some were casualties, others survived. Because of the expertise Gillespie gained in writing the book, the press sought him out for comments in the days after September 11. Included in this subseries are a paper on impromptu memorials and two Marvel Comic books portraying the events of September 11 (The Amazing Spider-Man No. 36 and A Moment of Silence.)