 In June 1986 , before construction was completed , Silverstein signed Drexel Burnham Lambert as a tenant to lease the entire 7 World Trade Center building for $ 3 billion over a term of 30 years . In December 1986 , after the Boesky insider @-@ trading scandal , Drexel Burnham Lambert canceled the lease , leaving Silverstein to find other tenants . Spicer & Oppenheim agreed to lease 14 percent of the space , but for more than a year , as Black Monday and other factors adversely affected the Lower Manhattan real estate market , Silverstein was unable to find tenants for the remaining space . By April 1988 , Silverstein had lowered the rent and made other concessions . 
