What Was In Building 7?

Building 7 was one of New York City's larger buildings. A sleek bronze-colored skyscraper with a trapezoidal footprint, it occupied an entire city block and rose over 600 feet above street level.

Built in 1985, it was formerly the headquarters of the junk-bond firm Drexel Burnham Lambert, which contributed to the Savings and Loans collapse, prompting the $500-billion taxpayer-underwritten bailout of the latter 1980s. At the time of its destruction, it exclusively housed government agencies and financial institutions. It contained offices of the IRS, Secret Service, and SEC.

Tenant Square Feet Floor Industry Salomon Smith Barney 1,202,900 GRND,1-6,13,18-46 Financial Institution IRS Regional Council 90,430 24, 25 Government U.S. Secret Service 85,343 9,10 Government C.I.A. N/A N/A Government American Express Bank International 106,117 7,8,13 Financial Institution Standard Chartered Bank 111,398 10,13,26,27 Financial Institution Provident Financial Management 9,000 7,13 Financial Institution ITT Hartford Insurance Group 122,590 19-21 [Insurance] First State Management Group, Inc 4,000 21 Insurance Federal Home Loan Bank 47,490 22 Financial Institution NAIC Securities 22,500 19 Insurance Securities & Exchange Commission 106,117 11,12,13 Government Mayor's Office of Emergency Mgmt 45,815 23 Government

This list is based on a table published by CNN.com, which did not include CIA, whose tenancy was disclosed after the attack in the New York Times article. 1

One of the most interesting tenants was then-Mayor Giuliani's Office of Emergency Management, and its emergency command center on the 23rd floor. This floor received 15 million dollars worth of renovations, including independent and secure air and water supplies, and bullet and bomb resistant windows designed to withstand 200 MPH winds. 2 The 1993 bombing must have been part of the rationale for the command center, which overlooked the Twin Towers, a prime terrorist target.

How curious that on the day of the attack, Guiliani and his entourage set up shop in a different headquarters, abandoning the special bunker designed precisely for such an event. 3

References