The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has officially declared New York City's One World Trade Center the tallest building in the U.S., at 1,776 feet.

The committee is the go-to body for determining building heights around the globe.

At issue was One WTC's 408-foot spire, and whether it could be considered part of the building's total height.

USA Today explained:

The committee has been weighing whether a design change means that the needle atop 1 World Trade Center is part of the actual building or merely the equivalent of a broadcast antenna.

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Under the council's criteria, spires that are an integral part of a building's aesthetic design count; broadcast antennas that can be added and removed do not.

The committee, which announced its determination Tuesday morning in Chicago, concluded that the spire was technically a permanent part of the tower.

“We were very satisfied with the detailed information presented by the team, in particular, that which affirmed that the structure on top of the building is meant as a permanent architectural feature, not a piece of functional-technical equipment,” Timothy Johnson, Chairman of CTBUH and Design Partner at NBBJ, said in a press release.

At a symbolic 1,776 feet, One World Trade is now taller than Chicago's Willis Tower, which stands at 1,451 feet, according to The AP.

Upon its completion in early 2014, One World Trade will likely be the third-tallest building in the world, behind the 2,717-foot-tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.