Windows on the World

Windows on the World occupied the one hundred sixth and one hundred seventh floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Restaurateur Joe Baum envisioned the space as a crown for the city, opening it in nineteen seventy-six to challenge the perception that the World Trade Center was an architectural monstrosity. The restaurant succeeded in becoming a global destination, eventually reaching the status of the highest-grossing restaurant in the United States by the turn of the millennium. It featured floor-to-ceiling windows that provided panoramic views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey, turning the act of dining into a theatrical experience above the clouds.