NEW YORK ( CNN ) -- More than a decade after a terrorist attack brought down New York 's twin towers , their replacement -- an emerging new addition to the Manhattan skyline -- has nearly reached a landmark height . The One World Trade Center is now 100 stories high , stretching just over 1,244 feet and just 6 feet shy of the Empire State Building ( without its antenna ) , according to Steve Coleman , a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey . The colossal steel structure is in the coming weeks expected to surpass the frame of the Empire State Building , which is currently Gotham 's tallest skyscraper . The building reached its 100th floor last week and is expected to be completed by next year or sometime in early 2014 , Coleman said Tuesday . Built on what was once referred to as ground zero in Lower Manhattan , the building will reach 1776 feet by way of a mast fixed atop its peak , making it the nation 's tallest structure . The Willis Tower in Chicago , formerly known as the Sears Tower , which stands at 1,450 feet and 110 stories high , is the country 's current record holder . Housing three top floor observation decks , the first 90 floors of the One World Trade Center building will be designated for office space . The following 10 floors are to be reserved for air conditioning , heating , and electrical equipment . Despite years of political infighting and real estate squabbling that delayed its construction , more than half of the building has now been rented , with a tenant list that includes Conde Nast publishing company and a Chinese real estate investment firm called Vantone Holdings . In its shadow , twin reflecting pools are situated in the footprints of where the Twin Towers once stood . The names of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 2001 attacks , as well as six people who died in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 , are emblazoned across bronze panels ringing the pools .
The One World Trade Center building is now 100 stories tall , reaching just over 1,244 feet . It is just 6 feet shy of the Empire State Building . Building will hit 1776 feet by way of a mast fixed to its peak , making it the nation 's tallest . The Willis Tower , formerly the Sears Tower , is the country 's current record holder .